together, wiz. ARS 20. 17, 20, 25, 23. With 1t..30. I Core 4s Is
and 12. 28, 1 Theſſ. 5. 12, 13. I'7imeJs I» tO S. and5.17. Tir. I.
$37. Heb. 12, 17. Flite 5+ 14o I Pete 5+ 2,2. 3 Fobn 1.9. Theſe
"iether Biſhops or Elders, having the Overtight, Rule, Guidance,
teeding of the People, i'rcaching of the Word, and Admiaittra-
tion of the Sacraments or Myſtical Ordinances of the Goſpel com-
Mitted to them in common. By the latter, thoſe to whem the
| ſpzcial care was'commitred for ſerving of Tables, the Lord's Teble
and the Poors, together with 2 receiving and orderly diſpoting and diſtributing the collected Alms and other Goods of the Church Even to pious uſes according to their own diſcretion, taking, ad-
Vice of the Paſtors for the iupport and benefit of the poor Mem-
2 Cor. 9. 1, 2,12. I Tims. 3.8 With 1 Pet. 4. 11. G2l. 5: 10, Its Chap. 2. 1, 25, 20. With 4. 18. Fude 12. © But rwo learned * Doctors among us have oppos'd this and made it difficult, the oz2 < by reſtraining the word Biſhops to Dioceſans, and the orher by * enlarging the word Deacons to note their Presbyters. A? would * have no luch order of Presbyters, as now, in the A poſtles days ; * Thjs would have Deacons tbe7 to be only temporary, not ſtanding * Othcers'in the Church, and fo they agree not. The former * finding Clement and Polycarp agreed with the Apoftle here, as to * zwo diftinet orders of Biſhops and Deacons, going upon an un- < proy'd Suppoſition that Philippt was then a Metropolis, he would, «© without any ſatisfactory evidence to one that doubted, infer the * Biſhops here were Dioceſans z however the forementioned <cri- * ptures compar'd, all prove the words Biſhop and Elder in the « Apoſtles days, to be uſed promiſcuouſly, only the word Elders, * or Presbyters, more frequently than that of Biſhops, conceiv- « ing that the Office of Presbyters was not in uſe till after-ages, * though he aſſigns not the time how and when it came in. £0 « that in effe{ he would have Phz1ippi to be a mother Church (that < then had ſeveral daughter Churthes) in her infancy. Whereas «* the Apoſtle writes to thoſe who were Church-officers in that « Cityz yet he would have them none of that Order which we * now call Presbytersz thinking whatever the Apoſtle writes of &* Iaying on the hands of the Presbytery, there were then no Prel- « byters ordained in the Church; which is a tingular opinion of * holding all the places in the N. T. where Presbyters are named, <« preciſely to intend Dioceſan Biſhops in diſtin&ion 'trom them * who are only Deacons, allowing the Othce of Deacons, and tiz * continuance of it to be appointed therein, when that of Flders * (acknowledged to be Superior) is not. But if according to this * Novel Tenet there were not th-z Preaching Presbyters, that « were not Metropolitans or Diocerans, how could Diocclans have * Presbyters under them? And if they had none, what ſhould « denominate them properly Dioceſans ? When it ſeems to be of & the formal reaſon of a Dioceſan to be choſen out of Presbyters or © to have them to Govern. And if the Diocelan Biſhops were then « 25 the Apoſtles, who muſt the Paſtors and Teachers be ?- 1 Cor- &« 12. 28, 29. Fph. 4. 11,12. Exhorting, Teaching, Ruling were & then preſent Offices which the Apoſtles ordained in every Church, & Af. 14. 23» Cenchres was no Dioceſs or Metropelis, nvitner «© was Aquila's and Prijcill;'$ houſe, Rom. 16.3,4. 1 Cor. 15. 19- « yet are faid to be Churches in the Plural Number, 1 Core 14+
«< 22, 24. If Mctropolitical or Dioceſan, how hath not the <cri- « pture the name or thing ? This appears not to be agrecable to & the Apoftle's way , who writes particularly to Churches in Cities, & Towns and Countries, as to the A:6r:wms. He diftinguiſheth & Theſſalonica, in directions from Mzcedonicand Achata, 1 1 hetl. 1. « 7, 8. Colof: and Laodicea, Col. 4.13. Aud as there were Lilhogs © plural in this City of Philipp; fo more doing the Ottice in Thoj.tly- ® rice, 1 Theil. 5.12. Which was wm Mcc29714 t00. & nd would it not
'&&5 of the Church who needed as to this temporal lifz, to Or- |© look od!y rofay, ye Chriſtians ot font, are examples to all 23%, Widows, yea and Strangers, eſpecially of the houſhold of * the Chriſtians of Mace.4oz,, In cuff. were more Biltops or ath, that their bodily necefiities might he ſippucd, Af. 6. 4. Ore | © Presbyters becauſe thers iz mention made of Eprphras and r- WICh Rom. 12. 7, $« & 15- 25, 26, 27. & 1% Ie - 1 Cor, 12, 28. | chipp:is? Cole 4. 12, 17. And world it not appear ftrang,
thes4t
by
LL
W's
45 - - —— —
4
Aeon 5 {Ie % "ps $
. hy _— þ FRO de y 5 —_——— PP R 5 ——_— — — wor 4 _ em rr Er - » ” " - d w =" — =» " G «EET " ho. - - 7% 3 —_— ood 6 _ - >” n b* . g 3 6: - : : n = Wt. 2g
R223 11H
#*-———t LTD r _ = 4 >. ; *,
< EL EIS « : S Ky Ft 7, _ > 4 ”, bp an IS " —_— | ——
——_
s %
. ek — _ ” ” "NE" Rex $9 -"> 1 .
- ts
"4d Iz DEE MER. 4
oak _ )
5 ron A
—y
cT =—
* i _ ——_ wn 7+ So
-_
» % OR mn So
wt" =; 7. a Eons v. Sn . — — my IL 2 (
Pat. a
* Eph. 1, 15, 16. *Or, mei-
#107.
* Joh, 6+
29s
+ Or, will
finiſh it.
EHSSLIP
s ® - 5 1a” 4 47+ >. 4 Cn ! 4 eg Me J4% i && wno1J th ow Were charg d UDO Perions OCNS SICK, to ſend for