But the holy Ghost only calls them Evangelifts, therefore either Golpel-writers were no Evangelifts in a ftrict fenfe, or Time-thy, or Philip, or either of them were none. This concludes our fixt Exception. Seventh Except. the was not tem Seventh Exception. Beza, Faius, and Zanchius unwarrant ably fay, the office of the Evangelift was temporary, and doth and doth Evangelift not now continue in the Church. This they barely fay, but porary. fince they alledge no confirming Scripture, we might without any more ado, turn them over to St. Pauls council, 1 Cor. 4. 6. not to think of men above what is written. But peradventure though they name it nct, they took the oft-cited text, Eph. The tex 4.11. for their warrant, it being Calvins proof, and fingly doth not Eph.4.111 quoted by the Divines at Wight to give a King fatisfaction, who prove it fcrupled, and doubted of this temporariness: We have read First pa the text ten times over, and over again, but cannot difcern per. Se&t. And how it proves any is, or differenceth one officer from another, firft of that of as temporary, for in the whole verfe is not one member of that Tits Auto Timothy and diftinction, but contrariwise the titles Apostles, Prophets, Evan Their a gelifts,Paftors, and Teachers, are weaved into one uninterrupted fons thence thread and feries of difcourfe, and as ifthe holy Ghost would drawn for the mark their continuance to our memory, he prefixeth the me- difcuffed. thodical helps of firft, and fecond, to only two ofthree, whom our modern divinity teacheth us to forget. 1 Cor. 12. 28. The London Divines faw this, but rather then they will acknow centious liberty to distinguish, men ofcouch a li affirmative ledge it, they have recourse to à diftinction of their own for- Jus divin. 1. ging and fay, The words are to be understood, not Conjunctim, but par •P. 40. Divifim, not conjoynedly that all of them should continue, but feve rally that fome of them, at least should continue. Thus they. But we dare not allow of their diftinction, for admitting fuch a liminds may take, and leave in Scripture, at the direction of their unfetled fancies; and thereby prove the moft Orthodox to be more erronious then themselves: Befides let the most desperate here ticks raze never fo many of thofe facred records, they are not reprovable, if they leave any undefaced; because they may (as well as our London Presbyters) refolve, and convince gainfayers, that the Scriptures are not to be understood conjoynedly, that all of them should continue, but Jeverally that fome of them at leaft fhould continue. And the leaft part they have left. And ah how happy had Marcion been, had he known, and could he have made ufe of this diftinction, when Tertullian in contempt, and to render him odious to the Church, called him the Pon tick 吃 17 Secundum banc interpre/tationem runt ut perpe . tick Moufe, for gnawing out what Scriptures made moft againft his herefies, out of the Canon. But leaving the London Divines, come we to Calvin, who also apropriates the three first (qua mihi & terms to temporary officers, purfuant whereunto he interprets verbis,& those terms after a new, and till his time unheard of manner, Jententia and faith. It seems to him that thofe functions were not instituted Pauli confentanea vide to continue perpetually in the Church, but either to remain till tur) tres illa Churches were erected where none before were, or till they were tranfunctiones, non flated from the mofaical, to the Chriftian difcipline. Thus he. ideo inftitute And thus it feems; Apostles, Prophets, and Evangelifts, were in ecclefia fu- abfolutely temporary, and confined within one, or other of these the foretfed two limits, either to plant new Churches, or purge old from ad id medo Judaifme:And this feems to Calvin to be most confentaneous tỏ tempus hull the words and opinion of St. Paul. Which notwithstanding, ecclefia ante. let the words and opinion of that great Apoftle go whither they fuerunt confti1nt&, vel certe will; Judicious Calvin hath another notion, whereby there. a mole, ad functions feem to him to continue, not only after the death of Chriftum tra- the firft Apoftles, and Evangelifts, but even till his own time, ducendie. for in the very next words he adds, Although I deny not that Calu. inftitu-God hath since raised up fome Apostles, or at least fome Evange lifts in their ftead, as baib bappened in our time. This latter Quanquam be true, though I very much fufpect it in the fense which Galnon nego, quin vin meant it; but being true any way (as it is one way most Apoftolos po,true) Calvin fhews us what a value he hath for the fenfe, and ftea, quoq;,vel Jaltem eorum meaning of St. Paul, according to which he faith his former-ncLoco evangeli- tion is framed, Truth therefore, it is, that the firft notion is. Aas excitavit not fuited to the fenfe and meaning of St. Paul; 'tis Calvins deus, ut noftro fancy not St. Paul's fenfe, and is moft improbable and falfe, quidem faculo fince both Converfion work upon the Gentiles, and Conviction ta lib.4.cap.3. Se&.4. factum cft. Jd. ibid. 1 may work among the Jews, is yet a continuing work, and incumbent upon prefent Church-officers, the most part both of Jews, and and Gentiles being yet unreduced to a Chriftian Church-eftate. More diftinctions, or other interpretations of the text, in faReasons for your of the Evangelifts temporariness, we, have not feen althe negative, ledged; but this fourth of the Ephefians, furnisheth us with feveral reafons in the negative. Fift all were infutu First, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelifts, &. were all of one inred, and con- ftitution, and confirmation in office, becaufe defcended Chrift firmed by one who gave them, did continue them when afcended,. St. Paul law-giver directly affirming xalas, &c, or he who defcended, and be who afcended is the fame,and in both ftates, He gave fome Apostles, f me Prophets, &J, me Evangelifs & fume Pafter, and he Teachers.. Secondly, Secondly, the Apoftle wrote to the Ephefine Church, who had all now counted ftanding officers affixed, whom it was Secondly unfafe to distract with the enumeration of fo many extraordi- whereunto St. the Church. Stai nary officers, without ascertaining of their names, numbers, Paul wrote and peculiar works. Their names would have fatisfied her was conftituwhom, their numbers how many he meant, and the diftinction ted, and if he of their peculiar works, would both have given convincing pake of other officers then reasons,why he fingled them out from the reft, unto a disconti were settled. nuance & hedged out all after pretenders to their office; But the or ought to be Apostle omits all thofe, and on the contrary, reckons each offic continued with cer in official term, takes all poffible care teaft their order, her, he should's or ranks fhould be inverted, and appoints all of them to perfect ed them. have mentionthe Saints, work in the Ministry, and edify the body of Christ. All which are the ordinary, and conti ming works of the prefent Miniftry, or they have nothing todo. Ob. Seve al works, or actions are elsewhere ascribed to Obj. other fome, or all of the temporary officers, not now performable by texts agn Continuing officers. I antwer, whofoever inftanceth in thofe extraordinary works to the works, muft withal' prove they were the office-works of those temporary imagined temporary officers, otherwife he mifpends his time, officers. abutech his Reader, and begs the queftion; for the Text in Ephefians treats only of office-works, perfecting of the Saints,&c. Answered not of perfonal priviledges, as working of miracles, &c. When negatively and God inftituted the legall miniftry, he beftowed extraordinary &tion betwix by an diftingifts upon Aaron the first high Prieft, He cafts his rod into a fer- works and pent, and he, or Mofes for him, laid it in the Ark, and it bloffe- gifts. med, and bare Almonds; Both these were done by a fpecial command, but did not amount unto a divine, and standing inftitu tion, because his Succeffors could do neither of them; which defect did not alter the Prieft-hood, and make Aaron of one order, his Succeffors of another, for the Author to the He brews, faith of that Hierarchy even in his time, that it was KATA TÜV THEI 'Aagar, or after the order of Aaron, Heb. 7.11 The nature or continuance of an office, is not known in the perfo nal gifts or abilities, whether infiifed or acquired of any of its adminiftrators, but in the relation it bears to the society, for whofe weal, and advantage it was inftituted. This is evident in the Text before us; where St. Paul faith, Christ gave fome Apostles, &c.: but why gave he them? to work miracles, or glory of their utterance, or knowledge, no he gave them for the perfecting of the Saints, &c. I know many things are heaped together as the extraordinaries of the first officers, which to a taker of น them in the lump, makes them feem hugely extraordinary, For the A- but who ever fhall view them one by one, fhall find the most of poftles gene- them, as well extraordinary, and extraofficial unto them, as rat charge fee unto us,fome fuch as they could not alwaies do, as miracles, &c. pag.292 For their fight of Chrift in the flesh, For their others not common to all the Apoftles,as Scripture-writing. The giving of the bundle of fuppofed extraordinaries is confeffedly bigger then pirit fee pag. what is here expofed,but this is not a fit place,nor am I minded 14.&c. For their to spend time to confider them here in parcels,we may have ocordination by cafion perhaps to hint at fome (*) of them in the following Chrift fee pag. part of this difcourfe, but their full examination and profecu183.8cc. tion belongs to the tract of Apoftles, whither we remit it, and the Reader whose appetite is already ftirred for further fatisfa&tion. Proceed we now upon the reafons why the Text in fee pag. 4 Ephefians doth not treat of extraordinary officers. Thirdly the Thirdly, the Text is a Gofpel-promise concerning, and aftext is of that nature where furing the perfection of the whole Church, from the time of Chrifts defcent, and all time after following from his afcenfion, till all beleevers shall come in the unity of the faith, unto a perfect queftioned, all man, &c. Now may fuch a promise be understood by halves, the rest are and the effective mediums of that perfection, or any of them be brought into difufed, to what fort of words may we fafely give an entire doubt. Survey of credit? or to fpeak more plainly, how dare any fingle Saint fpiritual Anti- adventure his faith and falvation upon a particular promise. chrift, part 1. This no doubt occafioned Rutherford to fay; If Chrift promised pag. 213. of one mem ber being Fourthly, this text is the principal prop of the tanding mi to be with the Church for an age, fo as the Apostles did ceafe in the Fourthly,This Text is the strongest and most bearing Pillar of to their Office: then no words of a temporary Miniftery, for niftry, and fo fear leaft the Adverfary rank themselves in the fame lift, and acknowledged. turn them all cut of the Church together. Those three different Lutherans. profeffions, Lutheranism, Calvinism and Papifm, which share this Chriftian western World among them, though in other things Ipfe filius they are most contrary, yet agree as one man in this truth. For dei minifteri- the Lutherans fhall fpeak one of their best Spokes-men, renownum perpetua ed Chemnitim; he faith, The Son of God will conferve a Ministery vult in ecclefia confervare, ficut ait Baulus Eph. 4. & dedit &c. Chemnit. exam. fecunde partis Concil. Trident, tit, de facramento ordinis, Francofurti. 1578. to their Onen anti-minifterial Enemies would do violence un vocatione in the Church by a perpetual vocation, because S. Paul faith, Ephef. troverfie is with them) fingle out a few of them: The London- Jus Divin. Presbyters (as we have heard before) call the Text the Great Char- I.part. pag.39. ter of the Miniftry: And is it fo? How chance the three firft named Minifters, Apoftles, Prophets, Evangelifts, to hold their Offices for term of life, when the other two, Paftors and Teachers, hold theirs in taile, to themselves and their Succeffors? How can the prefent Miniftry be affured of the continuing use of their Function, when three equally, yea primarily, in the Patent, are now degraded, and exauctorated? Methinks a bufie Fancie reflecting upon our late Tumults and Disorders, may make this Text prophetical concerning the Great Charter for our Civil Rights; all which hath been contended for (or pretended fo to be) with the hotteft zeal, except the firft claufe, whereby the King, and the then Authority of the Kingdom, grant unto God and Holy Church, all their Rights and Priviledges; all and eve ry of which have been violated; and to fay the first clause, or what concerned the prefervation of the Immunities of the Church, was temporary, will be a more temperate answer then any yet hath been given to the Churches Complaints of received injuries and fpoils, (His Majefties moft pious and gracious Reftitution of the Clergy to their Rights, onely excepted.) But Jus Divin. farther, as thefe London-Minifters call this Text a Charter, for.part. pag.40. they give the Reader an account of its contents, (may be carry Anfwer to dif it in his memory throughout this Difcourfe!) they fay, When fent. pag.2. Chrift promifeth a Ministry, till we all come to the unity, &c. be is Bound up with not only obliged thereby to keep it from a final abolition, but from title Church. a total interruption. The Affembly in proof of the Presbyterian (a) Docet hac Government, and to free it from the objections of the diffenting fententia Brethren, premife this (as an indifputable principle) before their Paulus, ufum main Arguments, viz. All the Minifters, and Officers of the Church minifterii non effe rempora are given to the whole Church, for the gathering and building of it, tem, ficut pa1 Cor.12.28. Ephef.4.11. And they are all to teach and rule, and dagogie cu perform all other miniftrathaus with reference to it, and the last ad fufpiam fed vantage of it. Thus they. Befides in their advice to the Parlia perpetuum ment about Church-Government, they prove from the faid hoc mundo vers quamdinin Texts, That the Miniftry and Ordinances were given to and are to famur. Cal. continue with the Church till Chrifts fecond coming.(3)Calvin (whom ad Eph.4.13. our (b) Affembly transcribe), thus comments.pon the Text Ephef. 4. 13. Affembly ad M 2 Paul C their directory |