pel. Therefore they were not fettled upon any one particular Church, Ephef. 4. But afterwards when Churches were fettled, and the names both of Apoftles and Evangelis ceafed; the name was tranflated to the four Gospel-writers, and particularly given to John for a firname to distinguish him from another John. This do not tranfcribe intending it a farther refutation, becaufe I doubt not but 'tis done already in the foregoing exceptions. Only to excite thofe who have ability, and authority to rowz out of their droufinefs, and to endeavour the recovery, and cleansing both of thefe upper, and neither fprings thus forcibly, or fraudulently cut off, and taken from the Church.

Philip and Timothy compared,

WE are now through Gods affiftance gotten forth of the

Presbyterian Definitions. But (this notwithstanding) we cannot come at our own Definition till we have separated the Homonymy's, or doubtful fignifications of the word Evangelist. And given our Reader an account, how, from whom, and in what sense we take it.

Logicians diftribute homonymy's into pure, and Analogous ; the former concerns things purely divers; the latter relates unto things partly the fame, and partly divers, And is the Homonymy which troubleth us in this difpute. The verb quay, the theme from whence the ass is formed, is ufed of feveral perfons.

noun

Firft, Of the Angel news-bringer of Chrifts birth, Luk

2. 10.

Secondly, Of our Saviour himself, Luk. 20. 1. Ephef.

2. 17.

Thirdly, Of the Apostles Act.1. 35. Aq Vets.

Fourthly, Of Philip. Act. 8. 12.

Men sy.

All thefe (to name no more) although they agree in one general work of publishing good tidings, yet can they not be rationally conceived to be of one Order, or to do all

3

and

and only the fame Official actions with the Officer mentioned, Ephef. 4, 1 I.

The Subftantive Evangelift (the Compass whereby all steer in the Sea of this Controverfie) is to my remembrance never ufed in the old Teftament of the Tranflation of the Septuagint : And it is used but three times in the new Teftament; all the places have been already named, the firft is Ephef. 4. 11. This proves the being of fuch an Officer, but what he is,or what his works are, it declares not; the only ftead it ftands us in, is to tell us there is fuch a Church-officer, but it leaves us to fearch where we can find him. The other, འ

Second and third Texts, A&t. 21. 8. 2 Tim. 4. 5. concern two famous perfons, Philip and Timothy, often mentioned elfewhere, as officially ingaged in yet continuing ecclefiastical actions: If which be parallel, or the fame works be done by both of them,we need not travail farr for the Definition of this Officer, fince both Philip and Timothy are Evangelifts; Otherwise if their works be divers we must endeavour to find out, of which of them 'tis fpoken ftrictly and formally; the Reader will foon fee how the case stands in a brief furvey, and comparison of both their labours.

1

the fame Phi

We begin with Philip; he is called an Evangelift, A&t. 21. 8. Philip menti where he is mentioned, not as officially Evangelizing, but as oned Act. 8. cccafionally vifited by St. Paul. However, another Text fup- and A&t. 21. plies what here is wanting, and proves this, and the Philip lip. there mentioned, to be one and the fame Philip, it bringing him unte, and leaving him Evangelizing at Cafarea, where St. Paul now finds him. The Text is, A&t. 8. 40. But Philip was found at Azotus, and passing through, he preached in all the Cities Cεunggen Zero meous as mines) till he came to Cæfarea. This Evan-i gelizing was. alfo his work at Samaria, Act. 8. 12. When they beleeved Philip preaching (evaluare) the things concerning the kingdome of God, and the name of Jefus Chrift, they were baptized both men and women. It was alfo his work with the Eunuch, Act.8. 35. Then Philip opened his mouth, and preached (iungeríodo) unto bim Fefus.

Iknow fome fancy a diverfity betwixt the two Philips, or one Philip twice named, he A&t. 8. they fay was the Apostle Philip; he Act. 21. was Philip the Deacon, or one of the feventy; but contrariwife.

First, This opinion is most improbable, both because the Apoftles are exprefly excluded out of the number of the breCc 2

thren

Objection a

gainst it.

Answered,

In loc.

Quarto mentitur in cos quod dicit

thren difperfed by the perfecution arifing after St. Stephens death, A&t. 8. 2. And Saul was confenting unto bis death; and at that time there was a great perfecution against the Church which was at Jerufalem; and they were all Scattered abroad throughout the Regions of Judea and Samaria, except the Apostles. Brit Philip the Evangelift was one of the difperfed brethren. Act. 8. 4. 5. Therefore they that were scattered abroad, went every where preaching the Word: Then Philip went down to the City of Sama ria, and preached Chrift unto them. And because if the Philip, Act. 8. had been the Apoftle;St. Peter and St. John neither needed, nor ought to have been fent to impofe hands upon his Con verts, for Philip the Apoftle could have done it himfelf; and it is inconfiftent with Gofpel order, and the Apoftles practice, Rom. 15. 20. that any Officer fhould be fent into anothers line to take his work out of his hands. And do what he could, and ought to have done without them.

Secondly, It is (net to mention the Antients) generally rePbilippum jected by Presbyterian Commentators; as by Calvin, Aretius, qui baptizavit Pomeranus, Pifcator, and our Affembly. Cocus in his cenfure of Simonem Ma- fome Antient writers, reckons it for one of St. Clements lyes gum fuifle (as he terms it) because he, or the Impoftor under his hood, Philippum Apoftolum, faith, Philip who baptized Simon Magus was Philip the Apostle, nam certa res and not Philip the Deacon.

eft Philippan Philip therefore being the fame Individual perfon in both illum, non nifi places, our next enquiry is after his works, concerning which iffe. Coc. in we fay

diaconum fu

Lenf. quorun1. He was a Church Officer fent forth from Jerufalem in pedam fcriptor. rillous,and perfecuting times,to preach the Golpel,and baptize veterum. Lon- Converts where Chrift had not before been named; his Office. dini, 1623. is evidenced by his works of preaching, & baptizing, Act. 8. 12. Philips works Work, fo alfo is his Miffion, because unfent perfons are ftrongly barred from doing them, by Rom. 10. 14. 17. Mat. 28. 19, 20. When he was fent forth, Act. 8. 1. refolves. To whom he went, appears both in the character at his coming, A&t. 8. 9. and by what he did among them after his coming, Act. 8. 12. the former informis us, that notwithstanding our Saviour had paffed in his Jomneyes, fometimes through thefe parts, yet in all probatility thefe perfons had never feen, or heard of him, for then they could not fofoon have been bewitched with the Sorceries of Simon; the latter affures us, that granting they had feen, or heard of Chrift, they were yet to be made Christians, otherwife they needed not to be baptized.

n

2. Although he did preach and baptize at Samaria, yet the. Church at Jerufalem fent down St. Peter, and St. John thither 2. work. to add fome other thing, be it Ordination or Confirmation, or both of them, which Philip did not, neither could he do, not because Impolition of hands fucceded with the gift of the holy Ghoft, was peculiarly annexed to the miniftration of the twelve Apostles; for Ananias gave, or rather God gave the holy Ghoft to St. Paul by his inpofition of hands, Act. 9. 17. but because Philip was of the inferiour Order, and had not like power derived unto him as Ananias had. Collating with paffages, we have both a clear inftance of the derivation of the Apoftolate in Ananias his Impofition of hands to give the holy Ghoft, and a plain witness to the truth of the Inftitution of the Church-officers of divers Orders, in Philips fufpenfion from it; had the Act been peculiar to the twelve Apostles, and temporarily limited to their perfonal adminiftration, Ananias not being of their number could not have done it, and that Ananias did it by reason of his Order, or in virtue of a power received in the ordinary way of verification of Chrifts promife of a perpetual Miniftry (or in the way of Ordination) not in virtue of extraordinary fpiritual gifts appears in this, that Philip who had, and exercised those gifts in as large and wonderful manner, as almoft any other one man mentioned in Scripture, is yet notwithstanding withheld by the holy Ghoft from meddling with it. But furthermore, had the Act of Im-. pofition of hands been common to every Preacher, and Baptizer (as is now pretended) Philip ought not to have forborn it, yea the Apoftles at Jerufalem ufurped upon his priviledges, when they fent St. Peter, and St. John to do that work, which he could, and ought to have done without them.

How the A

and wherein

I well know, that to give the holy Ghoft, is now reckoned poftles gave one of the peculiar extraordinaries of the twelve Apoftles, and the holy Ghoft how near to a blafphemy against the two firft perfons of the Tri- breifly exky, from whom the third, or the holy Ghoft proceedeth fome plained. mens expreffions, and apprehenfions are in that matter. But what hath been before obferved of Ananias, and what fhall be hereafter obferved of the holy Ghofts defcent upon Cornelius, we hope will be of force to fufpend the Readers thoughts concerning it, till we fhall difcourfe it more at large in the Tract concerning Apoftles: In this place we judge it only requifite to expose to his view the Commentaries of feveral learned men, upon that phrafe in Act. 8. 15. Beza faith, Receive the holy Ghost,

Gc 3

i.e.

i.e. thofe excellent gifts wherewith Church-officers ought in a special manner to be adorned. And a little after he adds, Without all doubt Peter and John were fent by the other Apoftles, partly to conπνεῦμα ἅγιον i.c. Dona il- firm Philip the Deacons doctrine, and partly to fettle a Church in la eximia qui- that City by Apoftolical authority. Calvin faith, undoubtedly they bus esse orna- were newly made teachers. Pifcator faith, laid bands upon them, tos oportebat i. e. upon some of them by a Synecdoche of a part for the whole; for the eos qui praficiendi erant gift of the holy Ghost was conferred to preach the Gospel, or at least to ecclefia. Et Prophefie, neither of which were common to all Church members. paulo poft. Learned, and judicious Doctor Hammond thus Paraphrafing the Petrus & Text, faith, The two forementioned Apoftles were fent to confirm Johannes proculdubio mi them, and to ordain them elders or Bishops, in ally City by Imerant ut par- pofition of hands.

tim Philippi

diaconi do&rinam ipfi confirmarent, partim ut Apoftolica authoritate ecclefiam in ea urbe conftituerent. Bez. in loc.

Minime dubium eft, quiprimas docendi partes fufceperant. Calv. in loc. me u pro p durar,nempe pro aliquibus eorum,nam donum illud spiritus fan&i conferrebatur ad prædicandum evangelium, vel faltem ad prophetandum quorum neutrum fingulis ecclefia membris commune erat. Pifeat. in loc Hammond Paraph. in loc.

There are the opinions of learned Divines of the two contrary Judgments: Let the Reader beleeve which of them he likes beft, neither of them will prove any more then this, viz. the holy Ghost in the primitive time attended fome yet continuing Ordinances, with the effufion of external vifible gifts; whereunto the intention, or ability of the adminiftrator no way concurred, God beftowing them upon the Apoftles without an humane Ministry, and upon other men, both by the administration of the Apostles and of other Minifters. 'Tis confeffed thefe gifts are at this time ceafed; not because temporary Ministers are ceased,but because the gifts were temporary; fome fuch as thefe who acted them once could not act them another time, as hath been elsewhere inftanced in the gift of healing: "And is equally true of the gift of tongues. St. Paul impofing hands up on the twelve at Ephefus, inftantly they received the gift of Tongues and Prophefie, without ftudy or meditation, Act. 19. 6. But the fame Apostle adviceth Timothy (on whom notwithtanding he had formerly laid hands, 2 Tim. 1. 6.) to give attendance to reading, 1 Tim.4. 12. to meditate, ver. 15. and to Study to fhew himself approved. 2 Tim. 2. 15.. Befides, as fome of thefe gifts could not alwaies be conferred by the fame Apoftes, fo all of them were fuch, as the holy Ghoft exprefly pronounceth to be temporary, 1 Cor. 13.8. Charity never faileth