Thou beginnest to account thy brother as a Publicane thou doest binde him on earth When thou doest correct and make agreement with thy brother thou hast loosed him on earth and when thou loosest him on earth hee shall be loosed in heauen Which of these twaine be preferred I force not so the first be not impugned as disagreeing from the Text. Some thinke our Sauior would not prescribe how the Iewes should proceede in their priuat suits and quarels that care belonging rather to Counsellers at the law then to Preachers of y â— word I conclude then there can be no proportion nor imitation neither of the higher nor of the meaner Synedrion amongst the Iewes expected or admitted in the Church of Christ and as for the words of Christ in the 18. of Mathew whereon some new writers build the foundation of their laie-Presbyterie they be free farre from any such construction or conclusion and the Catholike fathers expounding that place be further from the mention or motion of any such regiment CHAP. V. The Apostolicall preheminence and authoritie before and after Christes ascention ALbeit the sonne of God assembled no Churches whiles he liued on earth nor setled the Iewes Synedrion to remaine amongst the faithfull for ought that we find by the sacred Scriptures yet least the house of God should be vnfinished and his haruest vngathered in his own person whiles he walked here he called and authorized from and aboue the rest certaine workemen and stewards to take the chiefe charge care and ouersight after his departure of Gods building husbandrie for which cause he made when as yet hee was conuerfant with men a plaine distinction betwixt his disciples choosing Twelue of them to be his Apostles and appointing other 70. to goe before him into euery Citie and place whither he should come and to preach the kingdom of God giuing those Twelue larger Commission perfecter instruction higher authoritie and greater gifts of his holy spirite then the rest of his disciples which hee made labourers also in his haruest and messengers of his kingdome The Twelue not the 70. were the continuall and domesticall hearers of all his sermons and beholders of all his wonders as chosen to witnesse his doctrine doings and suffrings to the world the Twelue and no more were present when he did institute his last supper and they alone heard and had those heauenly praiers and promises which then he made To the Eleuen apart from the rest was giuen in mount Oliuet the Commission to teach all Nations and looke how God sent his sonne so sent he them as Apostles that is Ambassadours from his side not onely to preach the trueth and plant the Church throughout the world but in his name to commaund those that beleeued in all cases of faith good maners to set an order amongst them in all things needfull for the gouernement continuance peace and vnitie of the Church sharply to rebuke and reiect from the societie of the faithfull such as resisted or disobeied to commit the Churches to sound and sincere Teachers and ouerseers to stop the mouthes of those that taught things they should not for filthie lucres sake and to deliuer them to Satan that persisted in their impieties or blasphemies As for the gifts of Gods spirite they were so great in his Apostles that they both preaching and writing deliuered infallible trueth to the Churches of God and that in all languages of the world and euen the shadowes and the napkins that had touched their bodies did heale the sicke and cast out deuils these miraculous workings of the holy Ghost not onely themselues had in greater measure then any others but they gaue them vnto others by laying their hands on them When Philip had conuerted and baptised the people of Samaria in the name of the Lord Iesus yet none of them receiued the gifts of the holy Ghost vntill two of the Apostles came downe to them praied for them and laid hands on them and then was the holy Ghost giuen them through laying on of the Apostles hands Philip though he preached and baptized the beleeuers as well as the Apostles did yet could he not bestow on them the gifts of the holy Ghost that was reserued to the Apostles as to persons of an higher calling in the Church of Christ then Philip was and yet was he one of the seuen deacons also an Euangelist as S. Luke witnesseth and wel appeareth by his dispensing the word Sacraments WheÌ„ Paul laid his hands on the 12. disciples at Ephesus they straight way spake with diuers tongues and prophesied So that our Sauiour as well liuing on earth as ascending on high kept a differeÌ„ce betwixt his Apostles the rest of his disciples that were preachers both in hauing them alwayes with him the better to acquaint them with the mysteries of the kingdome of heauen and in leauing vnto them at his departure the conuerting and instructing of all nations and in powring on them after his ascension a greater aboundance of his holy spirite then on the rest for the better execution of the charge committed vnto them For the plainer proofe whereof we may remember that when our Lord and Master elected 12. Apostles to be with him other 70. disciples to goe before him at the first gathering of his Church hee did imitate the choice which God made in the wildernesse of twelue chiefe Princes and seuentie Elders to guide and gouerne the people of Israel by their two seuerall numbers distinguishing their two seuerall degrees and when Iudas by transgression fell from his Apostleship an other was taken out of the 70. to supplie his roome which needed not if the 70. had had before equall place and calling with the Apostles Ierome saieth Qui prouehitur de minore ad maiâ—s prouehitur hee that is promoted is promoted from the lesse to the greater Now that Iudas successor was taken out of the 70. and not out of the Laitie appeareth by this that euery Apostle was to haue his calling from Christ as the 70. had and not from men and on Matthias the Apostles imposed no hands which argued that hee was called before by Christ himselfe amongst the 70. And so saieth Ierome Matthias being one of the 70. was chosen into the order of the eleuen in the place of Iudas the traitour And Epiphanius Christ sent 72. to preach of whose number was Matthias which in Iudas place was numbred amongst the Apostles Eusebius also confirmeth the same report that Matthias which was chosen to be an Apostle in the place of Iudas the traitor had before that the calling of one of the 70. Paul numbring the diuersities of gifts and administrations in the Church saieth God hath ordained in the Church first Apostles next Prophets thirdly Teachers then those that do miracles after that the gifts of healing helping gouerning c. reckoning
seuenth yeere of their Empire and Irenaeus testifieth that he came to Rome vnder Anicetus the tenth Bishop there declared the trueth which he had receiued from the Apostles Did he through ambition retaine the place to which the Apostles called him longer then he shoulde and so altered the Apostolicall kinde of gouernement I had rather chalenge the Consistorians for mistaking Ambrose then Polycarpe for inuerting the Apostolike Discipline The Church of Smyrna called him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apostolicall and Propheticall Teacher of their times Irenaeus saith of him Hic docuit semper quae ab Apostolis didicerat quae ecclesiae tradidit sola sunt vera hee alwayes taught those things which he learned of the Apostles which he deliuered vnto the Church and they onely are true And if he were not a man of farre more authoritie and certainer fidelitie then any that contradict him yet haue we al the Churches of Christendome their successions of Bishops from the Apostles and all histories and monuments of antiquitie to concurre with him that Bishops liuing in the Apostles daies made by the Apostles hands continued their places til they died neither is there any man liuing that is able to shewe one example to the contrary Let the Christian Reader then say whether it be not a vaine and false surmise which some in our age so mightily maintaine that the Bishops which the Apostles ordained to rule the Presbyteries dured for some short space changed by course that superioritie going round in order to euerie Presbyter the election of Bishops to gouerne the Churches and Presbyters committed to their charge so long as they did it carefully was mans inuention and no Apostolike institution The domination of bishops wil be their last refuge otherwise in elections of Bishops to continue whiles they do their duties the best learned of them confesse there is nothing that can or should be reprehended onely they repine that a Bishop shoulde haue iurisdiction ouer his Copresbyters And heere they are plentiful with places of Scripture as if we went about to make Bishops Lords and Masters ouer the Church and all the rest to be their seruants They alleage the words of Christ Great men exercise authoritie you shall not doe so and of Peter Feede the flocke not as Lords or commanders ouer Gods inheritance but to what purpose I see not Meane they by these places to prooue that the Apostles had no superioritie nor authoritie in the Church of God or that Pastours haue no power ouer their flockes It were more then childish to impugne one trueth by another They themselues do agnise that the Apostles had superioritie and authoritie by Christs owne commission aboue and ouer all other degrees to erect and order the Churches where they preached and they yeelde Pastours authoritie ouer their flockes to commaund in the name of the Lord. Then neither these places nor any other in the Scriptures doe barre Pastoral power ouer the flocke nor distinction of degrees betwixt the Teachers Superior and inferior degrees if Christs wordes did exclude no man might admit them or defend them as lawfull If the Apostles to whom and of whom Christ there spake did not withstanding his speech retaine diuersities of degrees in the Church it is euident our Sauiour did not forbid Superiority but Imperie not Pastorall but Regall authoritie not Fatherly but Masterly preeminence and that in respect aswell of the people as of the Presbyters Peter calling the people Gods heritage and before and after naming them the Lords flocke And how should it possibly be otherwise for since the holy Ghost requireth the faithfull to obey their Leaders and to bee subiect to them no Scriptures do crosse the authoritie and inspection which the guiders of Christes Church shoulde haue ouer their flockes and God by his eternall Lawe comprising Pastours vnder the name of Fathers and assigning them the honour due vnto Parents we may not by colour of any wordes bereaue them of obedience and reuerence no more then of maintenance which are the parts and effects of Fatherly power and honour So long then as wee giue Bishops no charge but Pastorall no power but paternall wee are not in danger of violating either our Sauiours or his Apostles precept and consequently this kinde of superioritie may not bee called or supposed to be Dominion nor Imperie without wrong to the spirite of trueth that hath confirmed it as needefull and healthfull for the house of God euen from the first foundation of the worlde They will easily grant fatherly moderation and Pastorall power vnto Bishops ouer the people but not ouer the Presbyters on this they set vp their rest that no Pastour shoulde haue power ouer others of the same calling and hope assuredly to haue the victorie But they must first reconcile their owne contrarieties they will triumph else before the conquest for ech Presbyterie as themselues confesse must haue a President by Gods essentiall and perpetuall ordinance I aske now whether God giue any man a bare title without any trueth and a Regiment without all authoritie or whether in Gods Lawe deedes and wordes concurre and he be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a President that is appointed and authorized by God to execute that office The mouth of God intendeth not for mockeries as mans doth and therefore the name neuer goeth without the thing he is iust in his speach and wil not vtter the worde that shall delude the hearer If then by Gods Law there must be Presidents ouer Presbyteries ineuitably there must be Gouernours and Superiours ouer them If some must moderate the meetings of Presbyters and execute their decrees of force they must haue power and authoritie ouer Presbyters and so it is mainly consequent out of their owne positions which they most refuse Againe when Paul left Timothie at Ephesus to impose hands to receiue accusations against Presbyters and openly to rebuke such as sinned did hee not giue him power ouer Presbyters and euen the selfe same that is challenged at this day to belong to Bishops if it were lawful and needful at Ephesus for Timothy to haue that right and authority ouer the Presbyters that were ioynt-Pastors with him how commeth it now to be a tyrannical and Antichristian power in his successours Timothie they will say was an Euangelist and coulde haue no successours If none could succeede him in that power how come their Presbyteries to haue it will they be Euangelists what Lay Elders and all and shall the Presbyteries of the whole world succeede Timothie in his charge at Ephesus That were newes in deede if this authority to impose hands to receiue accusations and rebuke sinnes must remaine in the Church for euer as it is euident it must then was it no Euangelisticall authoritie but a generall and perpetuall function in the Church of Christ that might and did admit others to succeede
the Apostles first not in order onely but in excellencie also as appeareth by his similitude of mans body whose partes are some comelier some feebler and his comparison of spirituall gifts whereof some be more excellent and some of lesse regard and account in the Church of Christ. And so Chrysostome well obserueth Because some did mightily swell with the gift of tongues he placeth that last of all for first and second are not vsed here fortales sake but he noteth what is higher in degree and what is lower Wherefore hee set the Apostles before as those that were endewed with all sortes of gifts Hee saieth not God hath placed some to bee Apostles some to be Prophets but he saieth in the first place in the second in the third And Ambrose The chiefe in the Church hee placeth the Apostles which are Christes Embassadours Hierome writing of the 12. fountaines and 70. palme trees that the Israelites found in Elim saieth There is no doubt but the 12. Apostles are hereby ment from whose fountaines the streames running along doe water the drynesse of the whole world Neere to these springs grewe 70. palme trees whom we vnderstand to be the teachers of the second order Luke the Euangelist witnessing that there were 12. Apostles and 70. Disciples of a lower degree whom the Lord sent two and two before him And Augustine As when the sunne riseth it first shineth on the hils and thence the light descendeth to the lowest places of the earth so when Christ Iesus our Lord came he first spred his beames on the height of the Apostles he first lightened the mountaines and so his light went downe to the valleis of the earth The palme trees saieth Theophilact alluding as Hierome doth to the twelue fountaines and seuentie palme trees in Elim are these 70. disciples which are to bee nourished and taught by the Apostles for though Christ also choose those 70 yet were they inferiour to the twelue and afterward their scholers and followers Which we may the rather beleeue because Eusebius and Clemens long before testified that Christ deliuered the full knowledge of himselfe to the Apostles and the Apostles afterward to the 70. Disciples And that the Apostles had a superiour vocation aboue Prophets Euangelists Pastours Teachers and whomsoeuer in the Church of God and euen the gouernement and ouersight of them will soone appeare if we consider what Paul the Apostle writeth of himselfe and vnto them directing appointing and limiting as well Prophets as Euangelists and therefore much more Pastours and Teachers what to doe and how to be conuersant in the Church of God what to refraine in themselues and what to represse in others in which cases we must not dare say or thinke the Apostle presumed aboue his calling or had a seuerall Commission from the rest of the Apostles to doe that hee did but in his doings and writings we may perceiue the height and strength of Apostolike authoritie so guided and tempered with the spirit of wisedome and humilitie that it grieued or displeased none in the Church but such as did either swell with pride diuerted to fables or troubled the Church with their contentions From an Apostolike spirite and power proceeded these speaches that follow and many such that may euery where be obserued in his epistles We charge you brethren in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that you withdrawe your selues from euery brother which walketh vnorderly and not after the rule or direction which hee receiued of vs. Wee are perswaded of you in the Lord that you doe and will doe those things which wee charge you Brethren I commend you that you remember all mine hold fast the ordinaÌ„ces as I deliuered them to you Other things when I come I will set in order Concerning the gathering for Saints as I haue ordained in the Churches of Galatia so do you And redressing abuses both in Pastours and Prophets he faieth If any speake with tongues let it be by two or three at most and let one interprete if there bee none to interprete let him keepe silence in the Church The Prophets let them speake two or three and the rest iudge Your women let them keepe silence in the Churches and if they will learne any thing let them aske their husbands at home If any seeme to be a Prophet or to haue the spirite let him agnise the things that I write to be the commandements of the Lord. And hearing of the strife enuie contentions back bitings whisperings swellings discords sundry other enormities that were at Corinth not in the people alone but euen in such as came to preach the Gospel amongst them and vndermined the Apostles credite and authoritie with them he saieth The weapons of our warrefare are not carnal but mightie through God to cast down fortes all heigth that lifteth it selfe against the knowledge of God hauing in readines wherwith to reuenge all disobediece when your obedieÌ„ce is fulfilled If I should boast som what more of our authoritie which the Lord hath giueÌ„ me for your edification not subuersion I should not be ashamed I write now being absent to theÌ„ which heretofore haue sinned to all others y â— if I come again I wil not spare for so much as you seeke experience of Christ y â— speketh in me I write these things being absent lest wheÌ„ I am present I should vse sharpnes according to y e power which y e Lord hath giueÌ„ me to edificatioÌ„ not to destruction Directing Timothie how to guide the Church of Ephesus he giueth him this instruction and this commission As I prayed thee to staie at Ephesus when I went to Macedonia that thou mightest command certaine not to preach any strange or other doctrine and that they intend not to fables so this charge I commit to thee sonne Timotheus Hymeneus and Alexander I haue deliuered vnto SataÌ„ that they may be taught not to blaspheme And expressing at large in the third chapter how the bishops deacons ought to bee qualified before they bee admitted he addeth These things I write to thee that if I â—arie long thou mayest know how to behaue thy selfe in the house of God Refuse the yonger widowes I wil that they marrie gouerne their household Let not a widow be chosen vnder the age of 60. Receiue no accusation against an Elder but vnder two or three witnesses those that sinne rebuke openly that the rest may feare Laie handes hastily on no man neither bee partaker of other mens sinnes And hauing deliuered diuers and sundrie points of wholesome doctrine godly life and seemely gouernement too long to be here inserted he authoriseth and requireth Timothie to see them performed in this sort These things command and teach Let no man despâ—se thy youth I require thee before God and the Lord Iesus Christ and his