Panhinto their fellow fhi BrWares it needful we could multiply more parallel quotations, but we judge otherwife; .for if the word did not bear this fenfe elsewhere, it must be allowed unto it in this place, becaufe St, Peter is faid to answer them; ver. 46. which phrase fuppofeth a precedent question; his an swer contains an interrogation, and, is recorded, ver. 47. Can any man forbid water, that thefe fhould not be baptized, who have received the holy Ghost, as well as me these words are con tained the form, and force of an argument from the greater toi the lefs, which may be thus framed.. " Thofe to whom God hath given gifts fuitable to Church-officers, or who have received the holy Ghoft as well as we, or as on us at the beginning Act. 1 17. or even as he did to us. Act. 15. 8. (ive. Apoftles, they firft receiving thofe gifts) ought. not to be denyed a member-fhip, or visible admission unto Church fellowship. 9 But God hath given to these Gentile Converts gifts fuitable to Church-officers, and they have received the holy Ghoft as well as we, or as on us at the beginning, or as he did to us Apoftlesail, or schy Therefore they are not to be denyed a member-fhip and vi fible admiffion to Church-fellowship. Learned Doctor Hammond confents to this expofition and argument; he faith. Is there any doubt, or question to be made of in lot baptizing them, and receiving them into the freedome of the congregation, unto whom although they be Gentiles, God hath allowed that which is more then baptifme, Viz the defcent of the holy Ghost upon them, thereby fitting them for office in the Church. The fumme of all this is, that the Lord compaffionating the frailty, and imbecillity of the beleeving Jews, and willing to frame them into a good correfpondency, and unity of fpirit with Gentile Converts, beftows upon the firft fruits of the heathens, extraordina ry gifts, ere their enchurching, thereby as it were fitting them at once for membership and office in the Church. Object. Do any fay, Their enfuing Baptifm, not Ordination, is recorded. Sol. Ianfwer, The mention of their Baptifme, not of their ordination, proves onely, that these extraordinary gifts did not A priviledge them from entering the ordinary way into memberfhip, or Office; and fince they were baptized ere made members, there is the fame reafon that they must be ordained ere made Officers; because not extraordinary defignation, but mi nifterial Philip and Timothy compared. Obj. 2. St. Peter preach't first to the Cæfareans, infomuch that upon his return from them he is put to an Apology at Jerufalem, why he did fo new and infolent a thing. Ianfwer first, the first questioned, is not alwaies the firft a- obj. gent. Philip might preach to the Cafareans, and not to be queftioned,though St. Peter was; for Upon Philips miflion to Evangelize, his particular relation to the Church at Jerusalem ceased, & confequently he was there Sol. of discharged. This is proved partly by the nature of his Office fuppofe it were no more then the Diaconate (& it is also true of it,if it were the Presbyterate) which is local and perfonal, fuch as in the abfence of one, muft of neceffity be fupplied by another Officer; efpecially in fuch a Church as this was, where the clamours of the poor were fo impetuous and importunate, Act. 6.1. And partly by St. Lukes exact description of Philips feveral Stages, and leaving him at his Journeys end, not at Jerufalem, but at Cafarea, Act. 8. 40. This perhaps occafioned Calvin to fay Philip went from Jerufalem, because he had a more excellent Office committed to him.g Secondly, The quality of the place Cafarea (being a priviledged place, as fcituate out of the Jurisdiction of the Jewifh Sanhedrim; and being the refidence of the Roman Prefident, mixedly inhabited by Jews and Gentiles, and reckoned to ly betwixt the borders, that is difputable, whether to be accounted within the Holy Land or without it, or indeed both) protected Philip from being called to an account by the Jews, or Judaizing Chriftians, as St. Peter was. Excellentio- tam Galv. ad Ha rm. ad Second Anf. 'Tis very probable that Cornelius, and his Family entertained the first notion of Chriftianity by Philips Miniftry, though their through converfion, baptizing, and enchurching was referved for S. Peters, miniftration: It being other wife very hard to conjecture how Cornelius, being originally an Italian Idolater, fhould ere St. Peter came, make fuch a proficiency in God-pleafing duties, as to be accounted a worshipper on fearer of God Εσεβὴς καὶ φοβόμενΘ τὸν Θεόν)with all his houde(συν παντὶ τῷ a) That paffage in St. Peters Sermon is obfervable, Act. 10.37. The word I say you know,which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptifme of John. The word rendred ye know, notes a familiar and elective knowledge, Joh. 13. 18. both ocular, Joh. 4. 42; and Intelle dual, Joh. 4. 29. which expreffion affuredly St. Peter would not have ufed, if Cornelius and his friends were then to hear the first news of Chrift. St. Gregory, and ten more Antient Fa D d thers 10. L 2. They recei cers by the upon them. Thirdly, their miniftration of their gift, and office flowing from the two former, they spake with tongues, and prophefied. 2. As their received gift to fpeak with tongues was, and hath. ved the gift of been proved to be the gift of Church-officers, called as they Church- offi- were Prophets, fo they received it by impofition of hands, ordinary rite which was the ordinary rite of admitting Officers into the of admitting Church; and after they had received the gift, they officially Church-offi- exercifed it in Prophefie. Wherefore, fhould the ufage of the cers, Obj. From the rite or ceremony prove little of it felf, it being ufed in feveral cafes, as confirmation, healing of the fick, &c, yet collated with the end why they received it, to wit,to Prophefie, it neceffarily interprets the text by Ordination, fince no inftance can be given of any upon whom hands were impofed, and the collation of official gifts thereupon followed, together with the exercife thereof, but those perfons were thereby admitted into the fame Office, with those whofe gifts they had, and whose works they did. Obj. Are Cornelius and his friends objected, upon whom while gifts received they were unbaptized, and attendant upon St. Peters Serby Cornelius mon, The holy Ghost fell, and they magnified God Act. and his friends Answered 1. They did not receive their gift by impofition of hands. 2. They did not exercise their gift in prophefic. 3.A&. 10. 46. fully explicated. 10.46. I answer. First, they did not receive their gift by imposition of hands the time when the holy Ghoft fell upon them, 177 hairs,or while Peter was yet fpeaking, being plainly exclufive of the performance of that rite. Secondly, the exercife ofreceived gifts is not as here, extended unto Prophefie; but limited to magnifying of God, μεγαλυνόντων τὸν θεὸν. which was a duty performable by private perfons, either upon receipt of a fpecial mercy, Luk. 1. 46. or upon a fpiritual experience of Gods prefence ce in his Ordinances; A&t. 5. 13. Act. 19. 17. both which concurred in the prefent difpenfation towards Cornelius and his friends. Thirdly, Although thefe reafons are fufficiently forcible to free our Affertion from prejudice by this Text, yet because a right and full expofition thereof may be expected, and may be ufeful, errours never lodging more fecurely, then by the fides of difficult truths; and 'tis neither wife, nor fafe to draw the Curtains upon them; because what the Orthodox do not, or dare not explicate for the advancement of verity, the Heterodox will confidently interpret in favour of hærefie; we shall labour labour a little in it. The fcope of the whole Chapter is the firft enchurching of Gentile beleevers, the inftrument whereof was St. Peter, the place where it was done Cafarea: Many were the preparative acts unto it; as Cornelius his, and St. Peters vifion: St. Peters backwardness to be employed upon the fervice, till out argued by the holy Ghoft; his fetting forth upon the Journey, with certain brethren in his company from Joppa; and the folemn Interview betwixt St. Peter and his affociates, and Cornelius and his friends and family: In all which is fomething obfervable, but because I haften to the principal matter, I pals them over. St. Peter being come, he falls to the bufinefs, preacheth Chrift and the holy Ghoft, nigh the Close of his Sermon falls upon his Gentile Auditors. This unexpected action astonisheth his Jewish Chriftian Fellow-travailers; who were it seems not fully acquainted with Gods purpose beforehand: Wherefore at once to fatisfie them, and proceed to enchurch these Converts with conviction of all gain-fayers (for. as the prefent Chriftian Jews were aftonied, fo their brethren at Jerufalem calls St. Peter to an account for it afterwards, A&. 11.1, 2.) St. Peter queftioneth with his amazed companions (who doubted,or gainfayed(and perhaps did both) the reality of Gods purpose to open the door of Faith unto the Gentiles) whither the vifible effects of Gods fpirit upon these Converts did not,or ought not to filence all further objections,& difputes against their admiffion to Church-fellowship. Farr be it from a oirs nie to charge any crime upon these Chriftian Jews of which they were not guilty; I hope I have faid no more then the holy Ghost faid before me, when he faith they were aftonied: for the word is rendred aftonied, is generally ufed even by St.. Luke of an unbeleeving aftonishment, attended with explicite doubts and gain-fayings. Thus, A&t. 2. 7. And they were all amazed, (įžisaro) and marvelled, faying one to another; Are not all thefe men Galileans; A&t.2.12,13. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt (éžisarro nidinmópev) saying one to another, what means this others mocking, faid, thefe men are full of new wine; thus A&t. 9. 21. And all that beard him were) amazed('Misonoj& said is not this be who deftroyed them, and came hither for that intent, that be might bring them bound to the chief Priests? The two first of thefe inftances concern the unbeleeving Jews, and Greeks queftioning the Divine Power whereby the Apoftles fpake with tongues; the latter refers to the fhynefs, and doubtfulness of the Chriftians to receive the late perfecuting, now converted Paul denced, and Timothies fhall be made appear in fit place; for his coming to Epbefus, and the works he did there cuts us out work to begin upon; and makes it our task to find out in this diverfity unto whom, whether unto Timothy, or unto Philip, the name Evangelift is given formally and strictly. Timothy at Ephesus was not formally and ftrictly an "IS not fo given to Timothy, Firft, Because he did at Ephefus all the works differencing the Apostles from other Church-officers, namely, he ordained Minifters, gave rules for Difcipline, and adminiftred the CenEvangelift. fures: Ifwhich works conftitute an Evangelift in a strict sense, First, because the Office will be attended with all the abfurdities mentioned the Evanglizate will dafh in the firft, fecond, third, feventh, and beginning of the eight against all the Exceptions, il nom absurdities Secondly, If Timothy was, Philip was no Evangelift, bementioned in aule Philips works were distinct from, and inferiour unto Tithe 1.2.3.7obies. and 8. tx ceptions. Thirdly, What Timothy did, was in a Church where an ASecondly,if he poftle had before been, and ordained Officers preferred in the was, Philip Catalogue of Church officers before Evangelifts; 1 Cor. 12-28. gelift. Ephef. 2. 11. This Church was Ephesus there was Timothy Thirdly, Pro- befought to abide, Tim. 1. 3. And there had St. Paul been phets were before, and ordained Prophets. A&t., 19. 6. was no Evan-. ordained at Two things explained and proved, manifeft the validity of Ephesus ere this reafon. he came,or the Epiftle. That the paffage Act. 19.6. preceedes Timothies being exwas sent to herted to abide at Ephesus. 1. him thither. That the twelve Prophets there mentioned were ChurchThis is proved Officers Of thefe in order. Mak by a double inftance. X99 Firt, That Timothy was left at Ephefus after St. Paul im1. That A&. pofed hands upon the Prophets,Act. 19.6. This proved by 19.6.preceded the general, and moft received opinion among facred Chronolofending to gers, who (in very great numbers) time Timothies being Timothies Ephesus. exhorted |