The Due Right of Presbyteries, Chapter 10 · Section 2 · Objection 1 – Objection 3
Object. But they ordaine Elders here upon this Apostolick …round, because they were Apostles and Pastors to all the world, &c. if the ground was Apostolick, the action was formally Apostolick.
Answ. Wee must distinguish betwixt ordination comparative and absolute: ordination comparative is in relation to the place, if the question bee, upon what ground doe the Apostles ordaine in all the world; I answer because they are Apostles, and every where, Ergo, they may ordaine every where; but as for absolute ordination, here in Jerusalem, if the question bewhy they did ordaine Stephen, Philip, &c. tali modo, by conveening the Church; I answer, because the Apostles were Elders. But our brethren say, Then the Apostles in this act laid downe their infallible Apostolick spirit. I answer, they laid downe the ininfallible spirit, which they had as Apostles, and tooke them to … fallible spirit, but they did not operate and governe in this Act, from this infallible spirit, but from an ordinary spirit, else you must say, 1. when the Apostles did eate and drinke, they laid downe an infallible and Apostolick spirit, and tooke an ordinary and fallible spirit, for they did not eate and drinke by immediate inspiration and as Apostles, but as men; 2. because they were Apostles where ever they came, it shall follow by this that they did all by this Apostolick spirit; as if the question bee upon what ground, Did the Apostles every where baptize, pray pasi…a…y, exhort as Pastors, governe in Corinth, deliver the incestuous man to Satan at Corinth? If you answer, because they were Apostles, then I say because they were Apostles alwayes, and in every place, they never used the ordinary power of the keyes given to them, as common to them and all Pastors to the end of the world, Matth. 18. 18. Matth. 16. 19. John 20. 23. and so they could not doe any thing as ordinary Pastors, or ordinary Elders. 2. Christ gave to the Apostles an ordinary power which they could never put forth in Acts 3. we have no warrant from the Apostles preaching, baptizing, exhorting, governing, retaining and remitting sinnes, excommunicating, rebuking, to preach, baptize, exhort, governe, retaine and remit sinnes, excommunicate and rebuke, because the Apostles, in Acts Apostolick and extraordinary, are no more to bee imitated by us, then wee are to imitate them in speaking with divers tongues, and raising the dead.
Hence upon these grounds wee are certainly induced to beleeve that the Apostles did here ordaine, not as Apostles, but as ordinary Elders; 1. Because in these Acts the Apostles are imitable, but in what they doe as Apostles they are not imitable.
2. What ever rules of the Word doth regulate the ordinary classicall presbytery, the Apostles goe along in all these acts here condescending to these rules, such as the meeting of the presbytery, the twelve do meet. 2. They tacitely acknowledge a neglect of the daily ministration to the widowes which is an act of misgovernment of the Deaconrie, which is an ordinary office of the presbytery, and therefore they desire of the Church to bee freed of this office. 3. They referre the nomination and election of the seven men to the people. 4. They ordaine seven constant and perpetuall officers, as the presbytery doth, Ergo, they doe not ordaine by their transcendent power, as Apostles.
3. From this place our brethren prove their Congregationall presbytery, which they would not doe, if the Apostles did here manage aff…ires as extraordinary officers. 4. This colle…ium of Apostles doe nothing in all this, which by confession of both sides may not bee done, and to the end of the world is not done in the transacting of the like businesse, by the ordinary presbytery. 4. What the Apostles doe as Apostles agreeth onelyonly to Apostles, and can be done by none but Apostles, or by Evangelists, having their power, by speciall warrantable commission from them, as what a man doth as a man, what a Pastor doth as a Pastor, a Deacon as a Deacon, a Prophet as a Prophet, can bee done by none but by a man onelyonly, a Pastor onelyonly, a Deacon onelyonly, except whereas one Act, as to teach, agreeth both to a Pastor and a Doctor, which yet have their owne differences, but all here done the Apostles might have done, if wee suppose, they had not beene Apostles. 5. If as Apostles they ordaine, any one of the twelve Apostles should compleatly and entirely ordaine all the seven, and so the seven Deacons should have beene twelve times ordained at this time, which needles multiplication of Apostolick actions were uselesse, served not for edification, and is not grounded in the Word, for the whole twelve, in collegio, doe ordaine, and what any one Apostle doth as an Apostle by the amplitude of a transcendent power, every Apostle doth it compleatly, and wholly his alone, as without helpe of another Apostle, Peter worketh a miracle, especially any one Apostle as Paul his alone might ordaine Timothy an Evangelist. 6. If they did here act as Apostles, any one Apostle might have ordained the Deacons in an ordinary way, as here; but that wee cannot conceive, for then one and the same action should have beene ordinary, and not ordinary, for one man cannot bee a Church or a societie to doe the ordinary Acts of an ordinary societie, for it should bee extraordinary to one to act that which is the formall Act of many as many, and should involve a contradiction, except it were an Act which cannot bee performed by many, as when one Paster speaketh for many, for a whole Church; but that is ordinary and necessary, because a multitude as a multitude cannot speake, without confusion in a continuated discourse, for that all the people say one word (Amen) is not a multitude as a multitude using one continuated speech.
Object. 1. If the Apostles did not all their Ministeriall acts as Apostles, they did not fulfill their commission given to them, as to Apostles, Matth. 28. Goe and teach all Nations.
Answ. The consequence is nought, if they had not done all things, which by vertue of their Apostolicall Office they were commanded to doe, they had not then fulfilled their commission given to them by Christ. That is true, but now the assumption is false, they were under no commandement of Christ to doe all their Ministeriall Acts as Apostles, prove that they did neither Preach, nor Baptize as Apostles; but only as Apostles they did preach infallibly. 2. In all places of the world, as Catholick Pastors. 3. With the gift of Tongues. 4. Working of Miracles, which by divine institution were annexed to their preaching, but their preaching according to the substance of the act was ordinary.
Object. 2. The Apostles went to Jerusalem by revelation, as Paul did, Gal. 1. Ergo, all their acts that they did there, they did them by immediate revelation.
Answ. The consequence is null, Paul went by revelation up to Jerusalem, and there Gal. 2. hee rebuked Peter, as an Apostle? no, as a Brother, for then Paul should have exercised Apostolick Authority over Peter, which is popish.
Object. 3. If the Apostles did act as Presbyters here, they did wrong the particular Churches, and took their Liberty from them, in exercising ordinary Ministeriall acts there, which are proper to that Church.
Answ. It followeth upon the denyed principles of an independent Congregation onelyonly, for a Church without Elders hath no Presbyteriall power, and therefore such a power can not bee taken from it, you cannot take from a Church, that which by Law it hath not. If the Acts of the government in the Apostles, are according to the substance of the Acts all one with the Acts of government, in the ordinary presbytery; Ergo, say I, those Acts come not from an Apostolicall and extraordinary power, even as the Apostles preaching and baptizing are not different in nature and essence, from the Acts of preaching and baptizing in ordinary Pastors, though they had power to preach and baptize every where, and wee onelyonly where wee have an ordinary calling of the Church, and from the Apostles preaching and baptizing every where, wee may inferre, it is lawfull for the ordinary Elders their successors to preach and baptize in some place, why may we not inferre because the Apostles, in collegio, in one presbytery did ordaine ordinary officers, that we have thence a patterne for an ordinary presbytery?