1654. The Presbyterian Divines of the province of London thus. «Evangelifts properly lo called, were men extraordinarily employed in preaching the Gefpet, without any settled refidence upon any one Charge, they were comites & vicarii Apoftolorum (or the Aper Jus disse Jiles companions and vicars) and they bad curam vicariam ohnie 2. part fag. um Ecclefiarum (or the vicariate charge of all the Churches) asabe 68. London. Apofiles bad curat principalem, (or the principal charge.) And they did as Ambr fe faith, Evangelizare fine cathedra, (or preach without a chair, or epifcopul refidence.) hues plures to These names counted,beginning at Calvin,& ending with the The excepLondon Presbyters, number more then a Jury, upon whofe tions are twoverdict the Evangelifts caufe is by many taken for adjudged, by more it is thought to be misjudged; I am of the latter opinion, and fhall take leave to fpeak fomewhat in arreft of Judg ment; Reader thy Reafon and confcience are the upper bench of my appeal, my exceptions are mhinisteid , fold againft this Jury of definers. Fift they have not proceeded accorevidence. ding to their Secondly their verdi&. lars. 1. They have not proceeded according to theu evidence. 2. They are not agreed in their verdict. We shall profecnte thefe in order. Firft, They have not proceeded according to their Evidence; they are not The crime is hainous, proved, it will lye heavy upon their agreed in memory, unproved, it will as much oppress our reputation. The firft 'Tis in vain to word it, either in a complement to our Reader, exception or an Apology for the attempt, the dye is caft, the charge is charged, and given in, we are bound to fee the iffute, and abide the Judg- proved in ment. We impeach firft the fore-man Calvin, who ranks the nine particuEvangelift next in office, though inferiour in dignity to the A- First Expoftles. Aretiusand Polanus dutifully obferve, and write after cept. the Ehis copy; but what Scripture guided their Pens? what, text vangelifts did they lay before them to write by? Indeed Calvin cites were not next Eph. 4. 11. where, if there it be proved, either the textual or the Apoftles der and method, obviates it to all capacities, at firft view and Calvins cireading, or the Apoftles fcope rowing more clofely, referves ted text doth it, to the fearch of more piercing Judgments. Any of thefe not prove it (confeffedly) is fufficient, but the former (as being less liable to difpute) is rather to be expected in fuch pofitive determinations for where the intricafe, or darkness of allegations, in3 forceth a Judge to fetch a compafs, and arife gradually to the pitch of refolution, the principles of ordinary prudence require more fufpenfnefs, and wariness, though his decifions boprobable deductions, not peremptory conclufions. But Catonadefines refolutely, let us fee whether the order of the words, or E 3 the in order to either. First in or der of the words tran flated. the writers fenfe, or either of them will warrant it. First,the Grammatical order of the words,exemplified in our tranflation, leads in the Prophet before the Evangelift, and immediately following upon the heels of the Apoftles. We there read. And he gave fome Apoftles, and fome Prophets, and Jome Evangelifts, &c. Calvin faith the Evangelift,and St. Paul faith the Prophet is next to the Apoftles. We trust the reader will not be long refolving which to credit, for unless the Prophet be the Evangelifis copula, and knot of conjunction with the Apofiles; Propbets,not Evangelifts,are next Apoftles.And Calvin defining the contrary, inverts St.Pauls order,which is not only his,but the holy Ghofts alfo:Definitions,or defcriptions (fuch Calvins moft properly is ought to explicate things, or perfons by certain properties, or diftinctively operative powers, known, or acknowledged to be theirs,by artifts skilled in their appendant fciences. Say dougyo! But this Definition, or defcription, contrary to all rules of art or reason, waves what is acknowledged, elects new Prinsciples, and proceeds contrary unto them. That the Evangelift is the news-bringer of Chrift & his righteoufnefs,unto unbeleevers 101 91s you the notation of the word, many plain Scriptures, and the unanimous expofition of the godly and learned Antients, do abundantly testify and irrefragably prove. But this is too fhort for robo Calvins purpose, a new houfe muft have a new foundation; Dibond what hath been faid is not worth obferving; the Evangelift is an officer next Apoftles, and a text where the holy Ghoft placeth Prophets next Apoftles proves it. Proteftants complain bitterly against Papal tyranny, in locking up the facred oracles, under an unknown tongue from the people Contrariwife, they expofe that treafury unto valgar infpection, and afflign many fair reafons for their fo doing. But if they take fuch a wide liberty to fenfe, and interpret it contraTry to the holy Ghofts express method, and to the ordinary interpretation of words of the moft plain and univocal fignification (fuch the words feparating the ftations of Church-officers in this text are) where is the reformation? Doth not their ty-ranny exceed Pontifical, indifferency being umpire? For Papifts, befide a long prefcription of many years corrupt cuftom, souting the people of this priviledg,add a feeming reafon to wit deaft ignorants fhould wreft thofe fame hard things in Scripture, tinto their own deftruction: A reafon though plaufible, yet no -more conclufive, or rational, then an obftinate debarring of all med from tasting of thofe meats, or drinks, wherewith fome overgorging overgorging their ftomachs, do or may furfer. But Proteftants though they importunately plead Gods defign to familiarize his revealed will unto the meaneft capacities, that all men may know the things which are freely given them of God; And though they profeffedly maintain the evidence, perfpicuity, plainnels, and facility of holy Writ to be understood and its neceffity to be obferved and practised (by all who can read, and underftand it, or have it read, and commended to their understand ings by others) and that thofe main wheels give motion to these leffer ones, of their indeavours to tranflate, and tranfcribe them into maternal languages: Yet by their expofitions, they do equally obfcure, and hide them from common cbfervation, in a vulgar, as in a forren Dialect, for not to go beyond our Tedder, may not a private English Chriftian as eafily tranflate the origi nal, as fuppofe this tranflated text, approximates the Evange lifts to the Apostles, because he there reads in plain English, And he gave fime Apoftles, and fome Prophets and fome Evangelifts.rs Secondly Secondly, Will not the tranflation bear the Evangelifts next- or originall. nefs to the Apostles, the original finks deeper from under it. We there read. Καὶ αυτός ἔδωκε τις μὲν ̓Αποσίλει, τὰς δὲ Προφήτες, τις δε Evagy shices. Here each officer hath his prefixed article, which elfewhere is allowed, either to diftinguish one perfon, or thing from another, or to demonstrate the writers fingular intentivenes upon what he handles. Give we it which of thofe two fignifications we please in this text, any of them will ftrongly maintain the exactness of its order. Befides St. Paul (as foreseeing and intending to filence all after difputes) doth not truft it fingly upon the article, but double rayles the ftation of each of ficer, as well with the particle, as with the before mentioned Article. I know this particle is very often used, and according to the feveral exigencies of the places, it becomes Polyfemons, or of divers fignifications. But this text will only admit it to have a difcretive fignification; for instance, 'tis fometimes in other places rendred adverfatively. But, First, beft expofitors, fhut the door of this text against it, unanimoufly tranflating it, by antem vero, fo the vulgar, Beza, Pifcator. Secondly, an adverfative reddition, would be inconfonant to the Apoftles fcope, which is, the enumeration of the Christian ylimonse Church-officers; who though they are diftinct, are not oppo-ovington ai fite, because all are inftituted by one Chrift, all are related to one Church, and all even by the affignation of this text, have common In loc. common works appointed to them, even the perfecting of the Saints, the work of the ministry, and the edifying of the body of Chrift. Thirdly, Grammar rules, and the authority of all Idoncous Authors, with one mouth reclaim against the treble adverfativeness of any particle unto it felf, without an intervenient redditive, but fuch were the adverfativeness of this Particle, if that were its fignification in this Text. Sometimes again this Particle A, is rendred caufally, (thefe two are its moft, and moft ufual fignifications, befides the fignification which we infift upon, and only can pretend any tolerable title, to a place in this Text) but neither will the Text admit there of because the subject of the difcourfe . e. Church-officers have a preaffigned caufality, namely, Chrifts afcending, defcending, and giving gifts unto men the declaration of the effects of which caufe, is this 11.and the following verfes.It is therefore most manifeft, that nothing can be more notoriously convicted of error and falfehood, by the literal expofition of Scripture (which if it be not the only,ought to be the moft general, and is the most fafe way of expounding Scripture) then this Presbyterial notion of the nextnels of the Evangelifts to the Apostles. Examin we it either by the Tranflation, or original Text, and that no criticifme can avoid the exactness of its order. I am Not ignorant that there are fome, who undervalue what they do not understand, and to fpiritualize their own barbarifme, -explode all literal fenfes,efpecially when fquared by Grammati -cal rules, whom though I can pals by in their own perfons, and leave them vainly to bark against an unreachable Moon, yet leaft their error creep into tle affections of fome ingenious, but -less wary Chriftide, let them know Grammatical criteria's, ne -ver more city take place, then inlaherdecifion of questions a -bout the order, proper, and most ufual fignifications of words in a sentence. And that of all other, Presbyterians have leaft -cause to difallow them, unles being Pofthumous babes of ig -norance, or born fince the death of deir learned fathers! Oak win, Beza, Picator they aremanacquainted with theit critical eminencies: But enough of this digreffion, and fince is needless to return where we began it, proceed we to swhatrëntains, ooni ed blnow goiibbeĭozitá Secondly in Sedonally, the Evangelifts hexenel to the Apostles, is equalis not prove-by provable bythelcope of the Text, as by the Gramma able by the orical order of the words. It concerns the Churches unifcope of the sry, ty, when gathered; and governed, by all officers of Chrifts text. ༣ appointment ་ ་ Hierarchiam revera nerv. To. I. appointment. The London Minifters call the Text (deserved- rent regimen a |