Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	apostle_n	church_n	succession_n	1,709	5	10.1649	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53662	Tutamen evangelicum, or, A defence of Scripture-ordination, against the exceptions of T.G. in a book intituled, Tentamen novum proving, that ordination by presbyters is valid, Timothy and Titus were no diocesan rulers, the presbyters of Ephesus were the apostles successors in the government of that church, and not Timothy, the first epistle to Timothy was written before the meeting at Miletus, the ancient Waldenses had no diocesan bishops, &c./ by the author of the Plea for Scripture-ordination.	Owen, James, 1654-1706.	1697 (1697)	Wing O710; ESTC R9488	123,295	224

41. In another place Reverence the Deacons as the Command of Jesus Christ and the Bishop as Jesus Christ and the Presbyters as the Council of God and the Conjunction of the Apostles And a little before Be Subject to the Presbytery as the Apostles of Jesus Christ * Ad Tral p. 48. He speaks more expresly a few Pages after Be inseparably Vnited to God Jesus Christ and the Bishop 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Orders of the Apostles i. e. the Presbyters † Ibid. p. 50. I leave it to the Impartial Reader 's Judgment whether all these Expressions put together do not make it plain That the Presbyters according to Ignatius Succeed the Apostles Can any thing be express'd with more clearness They preside in the place of the Bench of the Apostles They must be followed as the Apostles reverenc'd as the Conjunction of the Apostles and as the Orders of Apostles But our Author proceeds in his usual and proper Stile J. O ' s. last disingenuous Perverting the Sense of Ignatius P. 178. has put me saith he upon the Examination of his Testimony out of Irenaeus For I must confess I dare not trust him in any thing that he offers out of Antiquity See the Candor of this Gentleman he declines J. O's Testimonies out of Antiquity and yet turns over above a Hundred Pages to search out one or two Quotations that he may Cavil at them Having treated J. O. with such scornful and ill Language so often in his Book it is not to be expected he should forbear bestowing upon him some of his best Compliments now at parting And he is the more obliged to him for them because they are Undeserved and are the free Emanations of the Rector's good Nature His attempt upon Ignatius failing him he proceeds to J. O's Second Quotation out of Irenaeus which was this Cum autem ad eam iterum Traditionem quae est ab Apostolis quae per Successionem Presbyteriorum in Ecclesiis custoditur Here he taxes J. O 's Sincerity for a literal Fault of the Printer's P. 179. who instead of Presbyterorum Printed Presbyteriorum with the Addition of the Letter i This would pass for a Venial Fault among Friends but Mr. G. is as severe a Judge as he is a Corrector of the Press But saith he J. O. like a Man wise in his Generation turn'd Presbyters into Presbyteries Ibid. that this place may be understood not of Bishops but of the Colledges of Presbyters but Irenaeus by Presbyters means Bishops 1. J. O. spoke of Presbyters not Presbyteries Succeeding the Apostles and quoted Irenaeus for Proof He does not use the Word Presbytery in all that Argument p. 179 180. 2. Mr. G. cannot deny but Irenaeus saith the Presbyters Succeeded the Apostles but he thinks by Presbyters he means Bishops We think so too and thence infer That Presbyters and Bishops are the same in Irenaeus as they are in Paul's Epistles He saith in another place We must obey those Presbyters that are in the Church who received their Succession from the Apostles as we have shewn who with the Succession of their Episcopacy have received the certain Grace of Truth according to the Father's Pleasure And a little after Such Presbyters the Church nourisheth of whom the Prophet saith I will give thee Rulers in Peace and Bishops in Righteousness ‖ Iren. ad Haeres IV. 43 44. Observe here 1. That Presbyters Succeed the Apostles 2. Presbyters have an Episcopacy 3. Those whom Irenaeus calls Presbyters he calls also Bishops Irenaeus his Bishop was but the first Presbyter as Hilarius the Roman Deacon calls him * Int. ad Ephes By those first Presbyters who for Order sake had the precedency of the rest Irenaeus and others derive the Succession But the Churches were Governed not by those single Presbyters or Bishops alone but by the College of Presbyters in common among whom the Senior Presbyter or the most worthy had the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or chief Seat but without Power of Jurisdiction over his Brethren As the Athenians reckon'd the Years in which the Archontes Govern'd their Republic by the first Archon though there were Nine of them in all and the Lacedemonians denominated the Years of their Ephori who were Five in all by the Name of the First * Vid. Blon Apol. Pref. p. 38. so the Fathers derive the Succession of Presbyters by the First and Chief Presbyter to whom the Name of Bishop by degrees was appropriated Thus we have Vindicated Ignatius and Irenaeus against the angry Exceptions of our Author I will add one or two more but with no design to stir up his Choler Jerom saith of them They the Clergy Succeed in the Apostolical Degree they make the Body of Christ with their Sacred Mouths and by them we are made Christians He speaks not of Bishops but of the Clerici without Distinction even of all that Administer the Eucharist and Baptize And a little after expresly Names the Presbyters The Presbyter saith he may deliver me to Satan if I offend † Hieron Ep. ad Heliodor Origen in Mat. 16. makes all Presbyters to succeed the Apostles in the Power of the Keys Prosper makes all Holy Priests that conscienciously discharge the Duties of their Office the Successors of the Apostles If the Holy Priests saith he turn many to God by their Holy Living and Preaching who can doubt such to be Partakers of the Contemplative Vertue by whose Example and Instruction many are made Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven These are the Ministers of the Word the Hearers of God the Oracles of the Holy Spirit These are the Successors of the Apostles of the Lord * Isti sunt Apostolor Domini Successores Prosp de Vit. Con. Templ I. 25. The same is affirm'd by Ambrose * De dign Sacerdot Cap. 1. Claves Regni Coelorum in beato Petro Apostolo cuncti suscepimus Sacerdotes Cyprian also speaks to the same purpose Christ saith to the Apostles and to all Ecclesiastical Rulers who by a deputed Ordination Succeed the Apostles he that heareth you heareth Me and he that heareth Me heareth Him that sent Me † Dicit ad omnes praepositos qui Apostolis vicaria ordinatione Succedunt Ep. LXIX I do not deny but Cyprian calls the Bishops Praepositi Church-Rulers and speaks here of himself who was a Bishop but the Words are general and must include the Presbyters also 1. Because he saith all the Praepositi succeed the Apostles The Presbyters as well as the Bishops are the Praepositi in Cyprian so he calls them The Lord chose the Apostles that is the Bishops and Praepositos * Ep I. XV. Rulers Here Cyprian calls the Presbyters Praepositos and he makes the Bishops and the Praepositi equally to Succeed the Apostles 2. He saith all the Praepositi Succeed the Apostles to whom Christ sayeth he that heareth you heareth Me. Now these Words of Christ belong to the Presbyters as much as to the Bishops He that heareth them heareth Christ Therefore these Words were spoken to them also as the Apostles Successors according to Cyprian And this is agreeable to the 1 Pet. 5.1 where the Apostle Peter Writing to to Presbyters calls himself a Presbyter Had the Apostle written thus The Bishops which are among you I exhort who am also a Bishop this would have been cried up for an Invincible Argument to prove that Bishops were the Apostles Successors for he Writes to Bishops and calls himself a Bishop The Argument is ours to prove that Presbyters succeed the Apostles who Stile themselves Presbyters in the ordinary part of their Office We do not deny but the Bishops succeed the Apostles but as Presbyters and not as an Order of Church-Officers Superiour to Presbyters and therefore Irenaeus as we observed before saith The Presbyters Succeed the Apostles making Presbyters and Bishops to be the same according to the Holy Scriptures I have already prov'd That the Presbyters of Ephesus Succeeded the Apostle in the Government of that Church Timothy was left there in Paul's Absence when he intended to come to Ephesus himself shortly 1 Tim. 3.14 4.13 The Presbyters were entrusted with the Government of the Church when he had no Thoughts of seeing them again Acts 20.25.38 Timothy an Evangelist was to supply the Temporary Absence of Paul from that Church the Presbyters his perpetual Absence and therefore are properly his Successors in the Government of that Church FINIS

his Epistle to the Philippians Phil. 1.1 Col. 1.1 Philem. 1. In like manner he sends for Titus from Crete to Nicopolis Tit. 3.12 and afterwards sends him to Dalmatia 2 Tim. 4.10 Thus we have told him in compliance with his desires out of Sacred History That not only Timothy but Titus also removed the former to Rome the latter to Nicopolis and Dalmatia As to Ecclesiastical History we have little certain concerning Timothy or any other of the Apostle's Survivors and Successors as Eusebius observes * Hist III. 4. He saith of Timothy It is reported he was Bishop of Ephesus But other Historians say He removed from Ephesus and came into Britain and Baptized King Lucius and his Subjects and removed hence to Curie in Germany where he was Bishop and died a Martyr This is reported by grave Authors Nauclerus Petrus de Natalibus Pantaleon de viris Illustrib Germ. c. Nauclerus saith he finds this Recorded in the Legend of St. Thomas the Apostle which agrees with Legend of St. Lucius which is to be found among the Records of the Church of Curie * Chron. Vol. II. Gen. 6. p. 472. I do not pretend to warrant for the Truth of this Account There may be some Truths though intermix'd with Fables even in a Legend Arch-Bishop Vsher that great Antiquary quotes this Story in his Britan. Eccles Primord Cap. 3. It may not be improbable but Timothy might Preach in these Countries if Paul was here as the Rector seems to allow p. 90. For Timothy was his Companion in most of his Travels and Served with him in the Gospel as a Son with the Father Phil. 2.22 J. O. opposed Dr. Whittaker the Learned Cambridge Professor and Maul of Popery to Bellarmine who grounds Timothy's Episcopal Jurisdiction upon 1 Tim. 5.19 Against an Elder receive not an Accusation The Dr. saith That to receive an Accusation is to acquaint the Church with the Crime which Equals and Inferiors may do The Rector has two or three Pages in Confutation of Dr. Whittaker P. 135 136 137 138. the Sum of which is That if Timothy was only to acquaint the Church with it he was no better than an Informer or Prosecutor He might be an Ecclesiastical Judge though he acted in Conjunction with the Church as Paul did in Excommunicating the Incestuous Corinthian 1 Cor. 5.3 4 5. The Doctor doth not deny him to be Superiour to the Elders as he was an Evangelist but shews the invalidity of the Argument drawn from his receiving Accusations J. O. shew'd p. 21. that the Presbyters and the People may receive an Accusation against their Bishop and Instanced in Epithetus and the People of Assura to whom Cyprian writes not to admit Fortunatianus to be Bishop again because he had denied the Faith He instanceth also in the Clergy and People of Spain who rejected Bisilides and Martialis their Bishops because they had Sacrificed to Idols The Rector wisely over-looks all this and proceeds to another Argument J. O. Asks how comes Paul to promise to come shortly to Ephesus if he had settled a Successor there Mr. G. Answers this is a trifling Objection and makes equally against the Presbyters of Ephesus Acts 20.28 Who ever thought Timothy so absolute as not to be subject to St. Paul When this Gentleman gives a diminutive Epithet to our Arguments understand him by the Rule of Contraries You may perceive by his Uneasiness that he is Gravell'd and would relieve himself by a big Word which may disparage an Argument with unthinking People 1. This trifling Objection as he calls it shews how groundless his Hypothesis is That Paul settled Timothy at Ephesus when he could over-see the Church no longer 2. It shews the weakness of his Reasonings That the Elders had no Episcopal Power because they were subject to the Apostles The Scope of a great part of his Book is to prove that the Presbyters were not Supream Governours because the Apostles were above them See P. 38 39 40 41. He does in the same place affirm Timothy and Titus to be Supream Governours Here he forgets all his former Reasonings and acknowledges Timothy Subject to Paul Either Timothy was no Supreme Governour or Bishop because he was Subject to Paul or the Presbyters of Ephesus might be Supream Governours notwithstanding their Subjection to him 3. What he adds of his visiting his Neighbour Presbyter P. 139. without claiming any Power over him and his Flock is very impertinent for an Apostolical Visitation was something different from a private Visit from one Neighbour to another I hope he will allow it to be as Solemn as any Episcopal Visitation I might return his own Words upon him But such Stuff as this does our Author impose upon his Friends Ibid. and needlessly troubles his Adversaries with but I shall forbear He thinks that the Church of Ephesus consisted of many Congregations though he agree that it consisted not of two hundred or three hundred Parishes or Congregations Ibid. as our Diocesses do Here we have his own Confession That the Modern Diocesses are very different from that of Ephesus and other Ancient Diocesses That there were more Congregations than one he proves from the Jus Divinum Ministerii Anglicani P. 140. 1. Suppose there were two or three Congregations in Ephesus as the London Ministers conceive there might be more than one what is two or three to two or three hundred It can never be prov'd there were more Christians in Ephesus in Timothy's or if you will in Ignatius his time than are in some of our great Parishes which contains some Ten some Twenty some Thirty Thousand Souls 2. Some of our larger Parishes have several Chapels some three some four some six He knows a Parish in his Neighbourhood * Manchester that has Seven or Eight Will he say that a Rector who has several Curates under him is a Diocesan Bishop I hear the Rector's Parish has four or five Chapels in it He thinks the number of Cities P. 142. or great Towns in Crete was extraordinary because Florus calls it a Noble Island His Proof is a little extraordinary Must every Noble Island have an extraordinary number of Cities Well but to do him a kindness I will tell him the number of the most considerable Cities or Towns in Crete Pliny who lived in Vespasian's time saith there were about Fourty Famous Towns in Crete and the Memory of about Fourty more * Nat. Hist 4.12 But let the Cities of it be more or less it is all one to my Argument We have proved Titus already to be an Evangelist and the number of Cities he was to Ordain Elders in is a Confirmation of it For by his own Confession Crete has had in it at one time Four Arch-Bishops and Twenty one Bishops † P. 142. And now we are upon this Subject let 's see the extent of their Bishopricks He tells us out of Dr. Heylin There were

Teachers or ordinary Presbyters who were included in the Command of separating Paul and Barnabas for the Apostleship of the Gentiles This Ordination which was in favour of the Gentile World was intended for a President to the Gentile Churches in after Ages as Learned Dr. Lightfoot observes * Vol 1. p. 289. This Instance of Ordination by Presbyters remains firm and unshaken and all that Mr. G. hath said against it serves only to discover the Strength of it He undertakes to shew the difference between Apostles and Prophets but not a Word of difference between the Prophets and the Teachers that would have discovered the Fallacy of his Reasonings He saith Apostles and Prophets had an extraordinary Assistance of the Spirit of God P. 10 11. yet with this difference The Authority of the Apostles was fixt and habitual their Character indelible and their Office perpetual I expected he would have said an infallible Assistance but it may be he intended that by extraordinary though the following Words are a little inconsistent and divest the Apostles of the extraordinary Assistance of the Spirit except in some cases The Apostles saith he for the most part P. 11. acted as it were according to their own discretion What without the Conduct of the Spirit The Rector should have had the discretion to have conceal'd so dangerous a Position which strikes at the Foundations of our Faith This Principle naturally leads to Deism and Irreligion But worse follows I suppose saith he in Matters of Importance and in Doctrines Essential guided by the Spirit I hope he does not mean as he speaks Does he but. Suppose they were guided by the Spirit Admit he means by supposing his taking it for granted then the meaning is They were guided by the Spirit only in two Cases 1. In Matters of Importance i. e. in Practicals if I underftand him Ibid. We conceive all the Rules the holy Apostles left its about the agenda of Religion were given by Inspiration and that all the practical Duties they recommend to us are Matters of Importance to us they are so what they are to this Gentleman he knows best 2. He supposes they were guided by the Spirit in Doctrines Essential 1. It 's well he ascribes any of their Doctrines to the Holy Spirit of God but why not all as well as some The Spirit was promis'd them to guide them into all Truth John 16.13 Jesus Christ saith The Spirit should guide them into all Truth No saith Mr. G. the Spirit guided them in Doctrines Essential only Christ saith The Holy Ghost shall teach you all things John 14.26 Mr. G. saith Not all things but Matters of Importance and Doctrines Essential only Doubtless the Lord Jesus was as good as his Word and gave the Infallible Assistance of his Spirit to the Blessed Apostles in all Points of Faith and Practice they recommend to us though Mr. G. doth not believe it His Vnbelief cannot make the Faith of God without effect let God be true and every man a liar Rom. 3.3.4 2. According to his n retched supposition the holy Apostles might be mistaken in Doctrines not Essential for they had not the Assistances of the Spirit as he suggests And if they might be mistaken who knows but they were mistaken and might obtrude Errors instead of Truth upon the World And if so how can it be prov'd to be our Duty to believe those Doctrines not Essential But thanks be to God we have a sure word of promise and consequently a sure rule of Faith and Practice whatever the Rector insinuates to the contrary in favour of Atheistical Spirits 3. The Learned are not agreed about the Number of Doctrines Essential those are Doctrines Essential to Christianity with some that are but Integrals if I may so say with others All Protestants are agreed that Essential Doctrines are but few so that most of the Doctrines of Christianity are but discretionary Opinions and no Dictates of the Holy Ghost with this Man Tell it not in Gath lest the uncircumcised rejoice 4. Admit the Creed call'd the Apostles be a Summary of Essential Doctrines it does not expresly assert the Divinity of Christ and of the Holy Ghost and therefore the Socinians can freely Subscribe it Will the Rector say the Divinity of Christ and the Personality of the Holy Ghost are Doctrines not Essential and consequently not delivered by the Spirit of God 5. Is the Superiority of Bishops an Essential Doctrine If it be they are no Christians who do not believe it for they reject an Essential Doctrine of Christianity But no Sober Protestant will affirm it for this were to damn all the Foreign Reformed Churches who believe it not If it be no Essential Doctrine as certainly it is not we are left to our liberty whether we will believe it or not for the Apostles were not guided by the Spirit in delivering it according to Mr. G's Hypothesis He proceeds to describe the Prophets Their Power saith he was not constant they spake only as the Spirit mov'd P. 11. which if he ceas'd to do they were no long●r Prophets Thus the Teachers at Antioch ordinary Ministers and under the Apostles yet being moved by the Holy Ghost became Prophets and Ordained Barnabas and Saul Here he mistakes also 1. In making the Prophets to be only such while they were actually Inspired There were Prophets by Office and they are so called when the Spirit of Prophecy did not actually move them 2 Kings 3.11 15. 1 Cor. 14.29 32. Their Power was constant though the Exercise of it was not so Nathan is call'd a Prophet when the Spirit of Prophecy was not actually upon him 2 Sam. 7.2 3. 2. All Inspirations by the Holy Ghost do not make a Prophet Balaam and Caiaphas were Inspired but no Divine Prophets Ananias was mov'd by the Holy Ghost to lay his Hands on Paul for recovering of his sight but it does not appear that he was a Prophet he is no where so call'd God's speaking to him in a Vision doth not make him a Prophet as Mr. G. fancies for so he did to Cornelius who was so far from being a Prophet that at that time he was not a Christian Acts 10.3 4. Admit the Ordinary Ministers at Antioch were inwardly mov'd by the Holy Ghost to Ordain Paul and Barnabas which is not said in the Text that doth not make them Prophets For Luke distinguisheth between the Prophets and the Teachers though Mr. G. designedly confounds them Nor doth a particular direction of the Holy Ghost constitute Prophets as appears in Ananias a Disciple and it may be a Teacher and in Cornelius neither Disciple nor Teacher 3. He calls the Teachers at Antioch Ordinary Ministers and yet saith they were Prophets that is extraordinary Ministers for himself owns Prophets to be extraordinary Officers One would think if they were ordinary Ministers they were not extraordinary If extraordinary they were not ordinary I leave it to

barely Asserted and not Proved II. He examines the meaning of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prophecy P. 21. If Timothy was Ordain'd but once then saith he by Prophecy signifies by Prophets the Abstract for the Concrete and these Prophets were Paul and Silas I add saith he the Presbytery here mention'd or Presbyters themselves might have been Prophets too P. 22. and Ordained Timothy according to Prophecy 1. Le ts see how the Words run with this Explication Neglect not the Gift that is in thee which was given thee by Prophets with the laying on of the Hands of the Prophets Profound Sence He is resolved to make Apostles or Prophets of all that are concern'd in Ordination but the mischief on 't is the Bishops whose Cause he pleads are neither one nor t'other Prophecy with him signifies Prophets and the Presbyters were Prophets so that Timothy was Ordain'd by Prophets with Prophets The Rector has highly obliged the Learned World by this Famous Commentary If you shou'd ask why he degrades Paul an Apostle into an inferiour Order of Prophets I hope it will satisfie you that he hath made amends by exalting inferiour Presbyters into a superiour Order of Prophets One while Paul is an ordinary Minister with him another while a Prophet and sometimes he is content provided he do not stand in the way of his beloved Episcopacy he should be an Apostle 2. The Truth is by Prophecy respects the Prophecies that went before of Timothy 1 Tim. 1.18 It seems they were many if we respect the Persons Prophecying and therefore call'd Prophecies and but one if we consider the thing Prophecied and therefore call'd Prophecy * Est in 1 Tim. 4.14 The Text doth not say who these Prophets were but the Rector a Man of happy Invention hath found them out and assures us they were Paul and Silas III. He lets us see what we are to understand by Presbytery 'T is a Word borrow'd saith he from the Jewish Church P. 23. Moses took the heads of the twelve Tribes to be assistant to him in the Government unto these answer'd the Twelve Apostles but at length God commanded bim to choose Seventy Elders of the People Num. 11.16 It is worth our Remark here 1. That he made Christ and the twelve Apostles to answer unto the High Priest and the inferiour Priests p. 1 2. And he told us it was manifest it was so p. 2. but now by a new Manifestation he tells us the Twelve Apostles answer'd the Heads of the Twelve Tribes 2. Where doth he find that Moses took the Heads of the Twelve Tribes to be his Assistants in the Government before the Seventy Elders were chosen Moses himself gives a different Account he saith he judged the People alone until Jethro his Father in Law advised him to joyn others with him in the Government and that thereupon he chose not Twelve Heads of the several Tribes but Rulers of Thousands Rulers of Hundreds of Fifties and of Tens Ex. 18.13 25. Deut. 1.15 That there were Heads of the Twelve Tribes every body knows but that these were chosen exclusive or others to be Moses his Assistants in the Government is a new discovery which no body knew before We will not envy the Rector the Honour of being the first Discoverer of this Cabbala 3. The Seventy Elders of the People to whom the Presbytery answereth were chosen as himself confesseth to be Assistants to Moses in the Government This instance of his own producing evinceth that Presbyters have Power of Government The Jewish Sanhedrin was the Supream Court of Judicature among the Jews and were entrusted with the Power of Ordaining Elders At first every one that was regularly Ordain'd himself had the Power of Ordaining his Disciples but in the time of Hillel it was resolved that none might Ordain without the presence of the Nasi or President of the Sanhedrn or a License from him * Seld. de Syned II. 7. § 1. If the Presbytery answereth the Sanhedrin as the Rector confesseth it doth the Power of Government and particularly of Ordination belongeth unto it He saith the Jews call'd that Celebrated Council in their own Language P. 24. the Sanedrim but the N. T. and the Greek Tongue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He seems to make Sanhedrin so the Jews write it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not Sanedrin as he doth a Hebrew Word whereas it is the Corruption of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a Hebrew Dialect I mention this only by the by to give the Reader a taste of the Learned Rector's Skill in Philology He adds That Moses was Head Ibid. and a part of his Council of Seventy yea that Christ Himself who was also a Prophet lice unto Moses had Twelve Apostles and Seventy Disciples who made up a Presbytery 1. In Acts 22.30 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is expresly distinguish'd from the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is v. 5. 2. Moses was a Type of Christ and as he was Head of the Council of Seventy so is Christ of the Presbytery It is improperly said that Moses was part of the Seventy for there were Seventy or Seventy Two besides Moses 3. The Seventy Disciples answer'd the Jewish Presbytery with him above but now finding he had yielded too much he Corrects himself and makes the Twelve Apostles part of Christ's Presbytery as he calls it but the N. T. no where calls them so nor doth it appear that ever the Twelve Apostles and Seventy Disciples acted together as one Presbytery Ignatius saith he stiles them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 P. 25. the Presbytery of the Church Ignatius calls the Apostles so not the Apostles and Seventy Disciples as he insinuates in a general Sense as they call themselves Presbyters But the New-Testament sufficiently distinguisheth between Apostles and Presbyters properly so call'd but no where distinguisheth between Bishops and Presbyters So likewise if we may believe the Rector every Apostle in his Plantation Ibid. had his Presbytery in the Cities where he had settled Churches as is clear from Acts 15. but that Apostle was head of them 1. Doubtless every Constituted Church had a Presbytery which was the Church's Presbytery and not the Apostles as he calls it His Presbytery is a Form of Expression not known in the New Testament Paul doth not call the Presbytery of any Church his Presbytery 2. What if two Apostles settled a Church in Conjunction as Paul and Barnabas did many whose then was the Presbytery was it divided between both or were they joint heads of the Presbytery or did one resign his right in them to another Perhaps Mr. G. can tell us how the Point was settled without the danger of making two Apostolical Heads of the Presbytery of a Church for that would be a bad President and might warrant the setting up of Two Bishops in one Church 3. The Elders of Jerusalem had not one