respect of writing the Gospel for there is none that thinketh the office of preaching to be either extraordinary or temporal p. 118. As for Prophets if you mean in respect of the gift of telling things to come such as Agabus was then be they temporal but if you mean Prophets in respect of their dexterity and readiness of expounding Scriptures such as Simeon Lucius Manaen and Saul Act. 13.15 1 Cor. 14. likewise such as Judas and Silas and such as the Apostle St. Paul speaketh of 1 Cor. 14. I see no cause why the Calling should be extraordinary or the office and gift temporal except you have a liberty to make temporal and perpetual ordinary and extraordinary what you please But seeing you would have all things proved by Scripture I pray you prove this that you have said either of the Apostles Evangelists or Prophets by the Scripture seeing you teach that of them which seemeth to be contrary unto Scripture And when T. C. replyes This passeth all the Divinity that ever I read that there are now Apostles T. C. p. 41. Sect. 1. Evangelist and Prophets You shall assuredly do marvels if you prove that as you say you will if any deny it I deny it prove you it The Arch-Bishop answers thus Then have you not read much Divinity p. 229.230 for if it be true that the Apostle St. Paul in the fourth Chapter to the Ephesians doth make a perfect platform of a Church and a full rehearsal of the offices therein contained as you say he doth then can I not understand how you can make those offices rather temporal than the office of the Pastors and Doctors And forasmuch as you greatly contemn Authority and would have all things proved by Scripture let me hear one word of the same that doth but insinuate these offices to be temporal The place it self seemeth to import a continuance of these functions unto the coming of Christ for he saith Ephes 4. He therefore gave some to be Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the gathering together of the Saints for the work of the ministry c. until we all meet together in the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God unto à perfect man and unto the measure of the age and fulness of Christ I am perswaded that you cannot shew any like place which doth so plainly import the abrogating of them as this doth make for their continuance I have beside that place to the Ephesians the twelfth of the first to the Corinthians and the fourteenth where he speaketh of Prophets as of perpetual ministers in Christ's Church I know saith he that there were certain things in the Apostles which were proper unto themselves as their calling which was immediately from God p. 231. although Matthias was not immediately called by God as it appeareth Act. 1. neither can you prove by Scripture that Barnabas was so call'd but the contrary rather doth appear Acts 11. and yet he was an Apostle their commission to go into the whole world c. but to preach the Word of God in places where need requireth or to govern Churches already planted I see no cause why it should not be perpetual Likewise the office of Evangelist if it be taken for writing of the Gospel then it is ceased being fully perfected and accomplished but if it be taken for preaching the Gospel plainly and simply as Bullinger thinketh or generally Bull. in 4. ad Ephes Musc Tit. de Verb. minist in Loc. com for preaching the Gospel as Musculus supposeth in which sense also Paul said to Timothy 2. Tim. 4. Do the work of an Evangelist or for preaching more fervently or zealously than other as Bucer saith Bucer in 4. ad Ephes then I see no cause at all why it may not still remain in the Church Moreover Prophets if they be taken for such as have the gift of foreshewing things to come then be they not in all times of the Church but if they be such as St. Paul speaketh of 1 Cor. 14 such I say as have an especial gift in interpreting the Scriptures whether it be in expounding the mysteries thereof to be learned or in declaring the true sense thereof to the people I understand not why it is not as perpetual as the Pastor or Doctor Thus you see that I have both Scripture and Reason on my side and to the end that you perceive that I am not destitute of the consent also of Learned men in this matter I will set down the opinions of one or two Ambrose upon these words ad Eph. 4. Ambrose Et ipse dedit quosdam quidem Apostolos c. saith thus The Apostles are Bishops Prophets be interpreters of the Scriptures Although in the beginning there were Prophets as Agabus and the four Virgins Prophetesses as it is in the Acts of the Apostles yet now Interpreters be called Prophets Evangelists be Deacons as Philip for although they be no Priests yet may they preach the Gospel without a chair as both Stephen and Philip before-named Bucer Bucer upon the same same place saith that there be Evangelists now T. C. and you your self fol. 42. confess that Hus Jerome of Prague Luther Zuinglius c. were Evangelists Peter Martyr Peter Martyr in his Commentaries upon 12. to the Romans saith that the Apostle there describeth those functions and gifts which are at all times necessary for the Church and in that place the Apostle mentioneth prophesying Mr. Calvin Calvin in his Institut cap. 8. doth confess that God hath stirred up Apostles and Evangelists since that time of the Primitive Church and that he hath done so likewise even now in this time Mr. Bullinger Bullinger upon 4. Ephes saith that the words be confounded and that an Apostle is also call'd a Prophet a Doctor an Evangelist a Minister a Bishop and a Bishop an Evangelist and Prophet c. To be short It is thus written in the Confession of the Churches in Helvetia Confess Helvet The Ministers of the New Testament be call'd by sundry names for they are called Apostles Prophets Evangelists Bishops c. And speaking of Prophets it saith The Prophets in time past foreseeing things to come were call'd Seers who are expounders of the Scriptures also as some be even now a dayes Evangelists were writers of the History of the Gospel and preachers also of the glad tidings of Christ his Gospel as Paul bid Timothy do the work of an Evangelist c. So that to say there are in the Church Apostles Prophets and Evangelists in such sense as I have deelared is no strange Divinity to such as be Divines indeed But enough of this distinction 'till we again meet with it Let us hear the Catechist of Ordinary Officers Q. 23. Who are the ordinary Officers or Ministers of Christ in the Church Catec p. 12◠to be
Protestant principle 1st That nothing at all is to be done by us without Scripture-Warrant The absurdity of that declared 2dly That nothing is to be done or admitted of in or about Religion or the worship of God at least without the warrant 1st of some general precepts or 2dly examples in the written Word Those additional explications manifested to be impertinent and retorted NOw let us see how this Protestant Doctrine hath been disguised mis-shaped and perverted by the separating Brethren At first they mis-represented it in these general terms See Hooker Eccles Pol. Book 2. 3. That the Scripture is in such sort the rule of humane actions that simply Whatever we do and are not by it directed thereunto the same is sin To which purpose they construed that of St. Paul Rom. 14.23 VVhatsoever is not of faith is sin And indeed if that place be to the purpose it speaks universally and relates to humane and civil as well as religious actions But of this Saying †afterwards See Chap. 7. The Scriptures as these men taught at first must direct in all things even so far as the taking up of a rush or straw But the opinion in this extent of it hath but few defenders The Scripture plainly referreth in certain cases to a guide within man the law of nature written even in the Gentiles hearts Rom. 2. And appeals more than once to our reasonable faculties Yea and why even of your salves Luk. 12.57 judge ye not what is right It leaves many things undetermined and indifferent neither commanded nor forbidden for mens choice and prudence to take place in reference unto which St. Paul saith All things are lawful forme 1 Cor. 10.23 but all things are not expedient c. The Scripture makes use of many arguments from natural reason which it urgeth as motives unto duty besides the divine authority and revelation which yet were only to be pressed if that alone did legitimate our actions And this fancy once entertained would prove the torture of conscience and disturbance of the world The wrack of conscience it must needs be when for every particular of diet and cloathing and the great variety of occurrences in life it is obliged to seek out a Scripture-warrant And the disturber of the world it would as certainly be for admit this strange position and it shall not be with Parents Masters and Governours as with the Centurion in the Gospel who said to those under him Go and they went Do this and they did it but their Children Servants and Subjects will stand still till their errand be warranted unto them by the Scriptures nay we must have no Art or Trade professed which with the rules of them are not deducible from the Text of Scripture This device therefore failing the proposition hath been since new-molded and limited to this effect That nothing may be done and allowed in or about religion the worship and service of God which is not warranted by some precept or example of Holy Writ That the Scripture alone is to be our rule not only in all the necessaries and essentials of Faith and Worship as is granted by all Protestants but in the very circumstantials and rituals thereunto belonging so that whatsoever is not there prescribed is upon that account sinful and unlawful Hence their usual speech is Where is this and the other rite gesture garb c. commanded in Scripture If no where commanded 't is not to be embraced it is an unwarrantable addition to God's word a piece of superstition will-worship c. Nothing is to be allowed of in God's Worship but what is by himself prescribed and commanded at the least It must be either First Commanded in the general or Secondly There must be some example for it in the Word of God For these two explications some of the wiser heads have made if possible to salve all difficulties to stop all holes and render the thing tolerably defensible But those their Explications are more mischievous to their cause than they may be aware of For First as to their general rules and commands such as doing all to God's Glory all to Edidification doing to others as we would be done by c. These are not commands of any determinate particular but prohâ—bitions of every thing contrary to those laws and rules and approbations only of particulars that are not contrary but agreeable unto them As when it was said to the daughters of Zelophehad from God Numb 36.6 Let them marry to whom they think meet only to the family of the tribe of their fathers shall they marry They were not here absolutely commanded to marry much less to marry any particular man only thus far limited If they did marry he must be one of the tribe of their fathers and in this tribe they might please themselves So when the Apostle saith Let all things be done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14.40 he enjoyneth nothing in particular but forbids in the general whatsoever particulars are not according unto this qualification leaving a liberty for any of those specials that may equally plead thereto The like I might say of others And indeed these general rules they talk of are not any commands for religious worship only but refer to our whole life and are nothing else but maxims of natural prudence and religious equity Canons of the law written in all mens hearts which the reason of man approves of but occasionally and incidentally mention'd in Scripture of force for the ordering mens actions before those Scriptures were in beeing and such as would have so remained had they not been written Such is St. Paul's heap of Vniversals Philip. 4.8 Finally Brethren whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest grave or venerable whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue if there be any praise think of these things The Word of God as hath been already intimated presupposeth alloweth of and establisheth the light of natural reason and all sound collections and inferences made by Reason from its self Thus therefore it may pass for a great truth That we may not do any thing which the Word of God doth not either command or in the general allow of but this Grant will be neither to their gain nor to our loss But then secondly As for that other addition of Examples in Scripture unto Commands â—p Sanderson Praf to Serm. I find it well argued against them The adding of Examples unto Commands in such manner as in their assertion is done either signifieth nothing or overthroweth all the rest for that example which is by them supposed sufficient for our warrantie was it self either warranted by some command or former example or it was not If it were then the adding of it clearly signifieth nothing inasmuch as that warrant we have by it proceedeth not from it but
〈◊〉 a diminution whereby the greater is express'd by the less and more is to be understood than is spoken But what do all these signifie to the condemning of those ceremonies and circumstances which God hath neither forbidden nor commanded but left free to his Church for to enjoyn particular persons to make use of 3. Those Scriptures which forbid the adding unto or taking from the Word of God Deut. 4.2 Ye shall not add to the word which I command you neither shall you diminish ought from it that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you Deut. 12.32 What thing soever I command you observe to do it thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it Josh 1.7 Be strong and very couragious that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee turn not from it to the right hand or to the left that thou may'st prosper whithersoever thou goest And to the same effect Josh 23.6 8. Prov. 30.6 Add thou not to his word lest he reproove thee and thou be found a lyar Revel 22.18 19. I testifie unto every man that heareth the words of the Prophesie of this book if any man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophesie God shall take away his part out of the book of life The Reader needs only to be call'd upon to observe well What it is to add unto or diminish from God's Word It is no other than This to say the Lord hath spoken what he hath not spoken or the Lord hath not spoken what he hath spoken It is to give God the Lye as Solomon intimates Add thou not to his Word lest thou be found a lyar To take from Gods Word is like clipping of the King's coyne To add to it is like setting the King's stamp on base metal both crimes of an heinous nature Thus the false Prophets are taxed for prophecying lyes in God's name and prefacing Thus saith the Lord to their own dreams and the deceit of their own hearts Jer. 23. Now Lay the saddle on the right horse Wherein do we add any thing to Gods word or take any thing from it Wherein do we deny any thing which it affirms or affirm any thing of it True it is concerning the word of God whether it be by misconstruction of the sense or by falsification of the words wittingly to endeavour that any thing may seem Divine which is not or any thing not seem which is were plainly to abuse and even to falsifie Divine Evidence which injury offer'd but unto men is most worthily counted heinous Which point I vvish they did vvell observe vvith vvhom nothing is more familiar than to plead in these causes the Lavv of God the Word of the Lord vvho notvvithstanding vvhen they come to alledge vvhat Word and Lavv they mean quote continually Bye-speeches in some historical narration or other and urge them as if vvritten in most exact form of Lavv. Hooker l. 3. Eccles Pol. which it denyes Let all of the Catechist's perswasion enter seriously into themselves and examine impartially Whether they are not more truly guilty of this crying sin when they boldly add and hold forth their own sense and explication of Scripture as the pure word of God when they impose burthens on the consciences of men which God hath not imposed by making that unlawful to practise for conscience-sake towards God which God hath no where forbidden or that necessary for conscience sake to be performed which God hath not required It is hard to find more notorious imposers in this kind than they are Witness those novel traditions of theirs added unto the Word of God Kneel not when commanded by authority but stand or sit wear no linnen garment cap or tippet no cassock and girdle but a cloke or coat or jerkin like to other Trades-men Use not the sign of the Cross though it really import no more than the word cross spoken doth that only affecting the eye as the other doth the ear yet use it not for God will be offended with you if you so do Teach not your children forms of Prayer c. Let it be considered if this be not adding abominably to the word of God to condemn any Church much more many Churches as repudiated or divorced from God Cat. p. 87. for enjoyning the practise of certain circumstances relating to the outward worship of God without any opinion of the necessity or Divine authority of the things themselves enjoyned such circumstances as if they were not enjoyned every private Christian might for himself determine To make this the mark of the Beast the character of the Whore c. Yea Is it not adding to the word of God to referr all those Texts to the worship of God which speak of his word But now to evince that these Texts do not forbid all kinds of additions to the word of God otherwise then as hath been explained and that therefore the distinction of corrupting and preserving additions is not so Popish but that every good Protestant may safely admit it and that it is utterly false which the Catechist asserts That every addition of what sort soever is a corruption because an addition I will mention briefly some lawful additions that are not here forbidden See Dr. Burges's answer to the reply made to Bp. Morton's general defence p. 136 c. lawful additions I mean still not as parts of the word of God but as preservatives of the text or meaning or observation of it Such then are additions 1. Which preserve the text as divers readings marginal notes the Jewish Massoreth 2. Which preserve the sense as interlineary glosses marginal references commentaries And 3dly Which preserve the observation of the Scripture as the building and ordering Synagogues for the reading of it the dividing it into certain sections for every Sabbath the ordination of holy Feasts and Fasts upon occasion c. These are additions for the better keeping of God's word onely and so not forbidden by these texts of Sacred Writ which call us unto the custody and observance of it as it is delivered to us 4. Those Scriptures which prohibit the worshipping of God by the commands of men and Will-worship Isa 29.13 Their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men Which is again referr'd to by Christ Matt. 15.19 In vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrines the commandments of men The thing charged in these words is The esteeming of those things which men only have deliver'd to be a real worshipping of God i. e. the equalling of mere humane ordinances with Divine commandments yea the preferring of the commands of men to those of God's For our B. Saviour had before accused them for transgressing the command of God by their tradition and making
those whom he calls the many Bishops in one particular Church Philip. 1.1 are most probably the â—ishops of the Churches that belonged to Philippi the Metropolis for that Philippi was such is affirmed by S. Luke Act. 16.12 And so in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus quoted by the Catechist it is agreeable to the affirmations of the Antients as that there should be constituted â—ishops and Deacons in the several Churches as was before intimated so that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 distinctly notes those Bishops and not those whom we now call Presbyters So that in all these places the word is fairly appliable to the single Prefects and Governours of the Churches whom we now call Bishops And then in the last place as a farther conviction that there is a preheminence included in this name of Bishop we may take notice that in three of those Scriptures Bishops are joyned with Deacons as the Catechist also notes and most undoubtedly these their Deacons were not of equal degree with them Deacons in the Christian Church are known to have been such as attended and waited on the Bishop and did what he appointed them But of these we are to discourse more afterwards Enough hath been said to shame the confidence of our Catechist We will leave names and consider of the thing it self and in that too he is no less peremptory Neither is there any mention Cat. p 122. in any place of Scripture of any such preheminence of one sort of these Church-officers or Ministers over another not in particular where the Officers of the Church are in an especial manner enumerated as 1 Cor. 12.28 Eph. 4.11 Rom. 12.5 6 7 8. Nor is there any mention of any special office that should be peculiar unto such Officers The distinct mention of Bishops and Deacons under them is a sufficient confutation unto this Add hereunto what is evident of Timothy and Titus What saith the Catechist unto them As for what is pleaded by some Cat. p. 123. from the example of Timothy and Titus it is said That when any persons can prove themselves to be Evangelists 1 Tim. 4.5 to be called unto their office by antecedent prophecie 1 Tim. 1.18 and to be sent by the Apostles and in an especial manner to be directed by them in some employment for a season which they are not ordinarily to attend unto Tit. 1.5 and 3.12 It will be granted that they have another duty and office committed unto them than those who are only Bishops or Elders in the Scripture Here the cause if we mark it well is fairly yielded Timothy and Titus are acknowledged to have had a preheminence of authority over other Ministers and that by the Apostles appointment Such authority then is not in it self Antichristian and no where mentioned or allowed of in Scripture As for the Salvo's here annexed they are familiarly enough pretended but very weakly if we look into them That Timothy was an Evangelist properly so called is not demonstrable from 1 Tim. 4.5 it should be 2 Tim. where St. Paul wills him only to do the work of an Evangelist and he might be with more evidence concluded a Deacon because in the same verse it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fulfil thy Deaconship However supposing this allegation as the Catechist understands it 't is no where said in H. Scripture that the power of ordaining Bishops and Deacons and jurisdiction over Elders ordained which is ascribed unto Timothy did appertain to him under this qualification and quà Evangelist 't is certain it did not belong to him at all the office of an Evangelist as such being only to assist the Apostles in preaching the Gospel where it was not received Timothy's being granted then to have been an Evangelist See Dr Ham. Vindic. of his Dissertat p. 55. no ways prejudgeth his being also a Bishop in the sense as we urge it for What is an Evangelist but one commission'd by any of the Apostles to preach the Gospel to any City or People And what a Bishop but one commission'd by the like Apostle to preside in and govern by way of preheminence a Church already planted What hinders therefore but that he that hath been employed in the former capacity to plant may elsewhere or in the same place be appointed to govern and so the Evangelist be also a Bishop As St. Mark the Evangelist is recorded to have been after Bishop of Alexandria and St. Luke the Evangelist Bishop of Thebais in Egypt Again as to Timothy's being commanded to do the work of an Evangelist 't is answer'd Dr. Ham. dissert 3. cap 6 p. 16â— that he being by St. Paul made Bishop of Ephesus had all Asia commended to his care and so was the Bishop not only of those that did believe but that should believe and therefore had this charge incumbent on him not only to Govern the Churches of the faithful but to preach the Gospel also unto those that did not yet believe and that is most properly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 4.2 and that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verse 5. This therefore is no argument against his Episcopal authority but rather that the office of an Evangelist as well as Deacon was comprehended under it However had the preheminence contended for belonged to Timothy as an Evangelist yet What was that to Titus who is no where insinuated to be such That Timothy was called to his office by antecedent prophesie 1 Tim. 1.18 bespeaks no real difference in the office it self between him and other Bishops relating only to his way of admission into that office And lastly That Titus was sent by the Apostles and in an especial manner directed by them in some employment for a season which he was not ordinarily to attend unto Titus 1.5 and 3.12 is in part without any reason supposed and as to the whole nothing to the purpose Without reason is it here presumed that Titus was employed for a season only in his Episcopacy and not ordinarily to attend to it The words of the Text speak no such thing but rather the contrary Tit. 1.5 For this cause left I thee in Crete that thou should'st set in order the things that are wanting or left undone as the margin hath it and ordain Elders in every City as I appointed thee And that he is wished to come to St. Paul at Nicopolis when he sent to him chap. 3.12 is not the least prejudice to his making his usual residence in Crete as much as the moveable state of the Church then increasing amidst persecutions would suffer But be it as the Catechist will that Titus his employment was for a time and season onely yet certainly for that time and season he was an instance of Episcopal preheminence and a longer and shorter continuance alter not the nature of the thing That he was sent and directed by the Apostles to this
others who are recorded to have Christian families as well as they Rom. 16.10 11 14 15. for so we find Aristobulus and Narcissus with their houshold saluted Asyncritus Phlegon Hermas Patrobas and the brethren which are with them Phïlologus and Julia Nereus and his Sister and Olympas and all the Saints which are with them And in another Epistle the houshold of Onesiphorus 2 Tim. 4.19 There seems therefore to be some singular thing in this singular appendix peculiarized to them before-mentioned and this probably to be it That in their houses they allotted and set apart a peculiar place for the Church to assemble in not altogether unlike some private Chappels which are yet in certain great men's Houses But I referr the Reader who desires farther satisfaction to our Learned Mede who hath collected undoubted testimonies of this same truth throughout the three first Centuries and so long before the time of Constantine the Great wherein Christianity began to flourish and to be adorned with more beautiful fabricks I will only intimate his general reason upon which the appropriation of certain places to God's publick worship and service leans and it is briefly this easily deducible from the Analogy of the Old Testament That as the Majesty of God is most sacred and incommunicable and his worship and service not be given unto any other so it is likewise a part of the honour vve owe to his sacred singular and incommunicable Eminency that the things wherewith he is served should not be promiscuous and common but appropriate and set apart to that very purpose But hitherto of Churches both persons and places so call'd The Catechist's method leads us next to consider Of Church-officers or Governours CHAP. VI. The necessity of Government in the Church intimated and that as to it 's formal constitution The Catechist's distinction of Church-officers extraordinary and ordinary without Scripture-proof Extraordinaries granted in the Apostles and yet not their office it self for a season onely Arch-Bishop Whitgift at large of this distinction against T. C. The Catechist's enumeration of ordinary Officers How politickly Deacons there left out His greâ—t argument from a community of names to an equality among Ministers disabled The name Bishop not unfit to denote preheminence whether we consider the notation of it or the use of it in the Old Testament or in the New The same demonstrated from the name Elder wherewith the Catechist matcheth it and the several instances alledged by him to the contrary A Taste by the way of the Catechist's confidence Prelacy in Church-government argued from the Scripture-instances of Deacons under Bishops and the examples of Timothy and Titus The Catechist's exceptions at the two last answered The enemies of superiority among Ministers mean it in others not themselves Q. SEing the Church is a Society Cat. p. 116. or spiritual Incorporation of persons under rule government or discipline declare who or what are the Rulers Governours or Officers therein under Jesus Christ Answ They have been of two sorts 1. Extraordinary appointed for a season only And 2. Ordinary to continue unto the end of the world Q. Who are the extraordinary Officers or Rulers or Ministers of the Church appointed to serve the Lord Jesus Christ therein for a season only Answ 1. The Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ with 2. the Evangelists and Prophets endowed with extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost associated with them and employed by them in their work of Ministry 1 Mat. 10 23. Act. 1.26 1 Cor. 1.28 Eph. 4.11 2 Luke 10.1 2 Tim. 4.5 Tit. 1.5 Act. 11.27 28. 21.9 10 11. 2 Cor. 1.1 The necessity of government it self in the Church is here well supposed in that the Church is call'd a Spiritual Incorporation of persons under Rule Government or Discipline This therefore in the explition is rightly said to be evident from the nature of the thing it self p. 117. as vvell as the testimonies of Scripture but then I skill not well to reconcile this with that vvhich follovvs That yet a Church may be formally constituted without rule and government His words are these p. 117. Neither doth this rule at all belong unto it meerly as materially considered in men yielding obedience unto the Call which is the foundation of the Church not absolutely as it is formally constituted a Church by the consent and agreement described but moreover it is required that it be organically compleat with Officers or Rulers 'T is the Catechist's unhappiness here to be over Metaphysical If the Church formally considered be such a spiritual Incorporation as he defines it certainly Rule Government and Discipline belongs unto it as such and the want of such principal organs or members as Rulers are must needs spoil its formality no less than the vvant of an head that of the humane body As to the distinction of Church officers into extraordinary and ordinary it ought to have been manifested out of the Holy Scriptures vvherein 't is most certain that vve read of Apostles and Evangelists and Prophets distinctly and by name but not a vvord that the chief and substantial part of their office and power vvas extraordinary and for a season only That there vvere some extraordinaries appertaining to them is not question'd but that evinceth not the office of Apostles and Evangelists to be such The Catechist himself tells us These persons vvere in an extraordinary manner endued vvith all that povver p. 119. vvhich aftervvards vvas to reside in the Churches themselves and moreover with that which was peculiarly needful unto the discharge and performance of that special duty and work that they vvere appointed unto At least then as to that power which was to reside in the Church for ever they vvere not extraordinary For that they vvere the first and so immediately sent by Christ seems a matter of order only that doth not bespeak them of another kind from those that followed and succeeded them I vvill here annex the words of Arch-Bishop Whitgift long since in his Defence against T. C. upon occasion of the like distinction with this of the Catechist's Arch Bishop Whitgift's defence of the Answ to the Admonition Tract 4. p. 217. Although saith he you cannot vvarrant by the Scriptures this distinction of ordinary and extraordinary ecclesiastical functions yet I think the Apostolical function was extraordinary in respect that it had for the time certain especial properties as to bear witness of the Resurrection of Christ and of his Ascension which they did see vvith their eyes also to plant and found Churches likewise to go through the whole world these I say were temporal and extraordinary and so was the Apostleship in this respect but yet ordinary in respect of their chief function which was to preach the Gospel and to govern the Churches which they had planted Likewise Evangelists have an ordinary function neither is there any cause why it should be call'd a temporal office but only in