IV. CHAP. Acts xxi. 8, we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven." For if an Apostle, in that eminence of graces and privileges-nevertheless abiding upon a certain charge, and taking care of it—is to be counted Bishop of a particular place, as was argued afore, much more may an evangelist for his extraordinary gift be a Bishop for his several charge: which is to say thus much in English, that the gift of an evangelist may fall upon any 43 rank of ordinary ministers; as we see Philip, for his place in the Church, one of the seven deacons at Jerusalem, Acts vi. 5, is nevertheless an evangelist, for the graces God had bestowed upon him, by his means to convert Samaria to the faith, Acts viii. 5. Nay, further, if the gift of an evangelist. be competible with a deacon's place, it must be granted that Timothy, as an evangelist, is no governor of Churches. Titus and he over § 10. And whereas it is argued, that it was but a commission many Pres- for the time, which Timothy and Titus are trusted with from byteries. the Apostle, because it appeareth they were other-whiles em ployed otherwhere by the Apostle, 2 Tim. iv. 9, 10—as any IV. afterwards. § 11. Now, if we observed the custom of the Apostles, hitherto CHAP. set forth, of instituting presbyteries in populous cities, and Bishops 45 observe the custom of the Church after their time, wherein a over each Bishop was always head of one of these presbyterics-Quid est enim Episcopus, nisi primus presbyter, hoc est, summus sacerdos? saith St. Augustine 2, "for what is a Bishop but the chief of the presbyters?"-it will not be hard to espy a difference between the place of a Bishop and the extent of their charge. For it will not serve the turn to say, as some do, that Titus was Archbishop of Crete, and so entrusted with divers Churches; for an Archbishop is a chief among Bishops, not a person to govern divers Churches, seats of bishoprics. And therefore Titus was not Bishop of all the Churches in Crete by being Bishop of the chief city of it. But, in the meantime, let me use Epiphanius' words: "The Apostles could not settle all things uniformly 46 at once." Is it a reasonable thing to argue, that because St. Paul taketh no order for the heads of these presbyteries which were not yet made, therefore he did not intend there should be any such in the Church? Rather let me argue, that because St. Paul left two of his principal disciples in two principal places, with charge to plant presbyteries as there was means to propagate Churches, therefore he gave a pattern of that which these disciples, and all the Church was to do afterwards, in settling the government of those Churches, in the presbyteries of them, and in their heads, which themselves were for the time. § 12. And this we shall find was done in good time in the The Angels of Churches of Timothy's charge, if we take but a short con- the seven sideration of the beloved disciple John the Apostle and Churches. Evangelist, what we find concerning him in Scriptures, or 47 otherwise received and credible in this nature. He lived 2 Quæstiones ex utroque mixtim.— Tom. iii. Append. col. 93. ed. Ben. a Hinc a Paulo creatus est Archiepiscopus Cretæ, aliarumque vicinarum insularum.-Cornel. a Lapide in 1 Epist. ad Titum. Comm. argument. 1. "Besides that, these degrees among Bishops came in afterwards, when the Church became incorporate into the state of the Roman empire, as having the charge of Churches in head-cities of provinces, or according to the pre- · Οὐ γὰρ πάντα εὐθὺς ἠδυνήθησαν οἱ IV. CHAP. longest of all the disciples, as is said: and he will easily shew us Bishops over the Churches of Timothy's charge; for such, without doubt, were the seven Churches of Asia, unto whom the Apostle, sending from our Lord seven epistles-ii. and iii. chapt. of his Revelation-directeth them to the "Angels" of those Churches; a style not competible to a person of common rank,—and the act of directing epistles to one in the name and behalf of the whole Church arguing the eminence of the head, fit to answer for the body he representeth. § 13. Herewith agree the words of Clemens Alexandrinus, in Eusebius iii. 23, concerning this Apostle, that being returned from Patmos to Ephesus, he used, upon request, to go among the neighbour nations, ὅπου μὲν Ἐπισκόπους καταστήσων, ὅπου δὲ ὅλας Ἐκκλησίας ἁρμόσων, ὅπου δὲ κλήρῳ ἕνα γέ τινα κληρώσων τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος σημαινομένων —that is, 48 "in some places to constitute Bishops"-to wit, where there were presbyteries afore that yet had none-" in some to found whole Churches, in others to ordain a clergy out of such as were signified by the Spirit," as we read of St. Paul and Timotheus. For will you have these to be Bishops according to the use off the word in St. Paul, where it is all one with "presbyters?" Sure we must needs think of such as his own writings make Angels of Churches. Ignatius, that was his disciple according to some, in all his epistles specifieth, and sometimes by name, the Bishops of some the same. Churches, and some of others, together with their presbyteries; and in particular Onesimus, Timothy's successor at Ephesus. Tertullian and Irenæus, the most ancient we can allege, have named Polycarpus in particular, made Bishop of Smyrna by this Apostle. It is not possible to say more in 49 this case. h § 14. So often as we find mention of government in particular Churches in Scripture, so often we meet with presbyteries, or 50 IV. the heads of presbyteries, Apostles themselves, or deriving CHAP. their charge from the Apostles. Nay, it is very much,—not pretending that Bishops came on otherwise than to be instead of the Apostles over particular Churches,-that there is so much to be said for their office out of Scriptures all written during their time. CHAPTER V. THE PRESBYTERY AT ANTIOCHIA. ST. PETER AND ST. PAUL HEADS OF THE THE Church of Antiochia is remembered next to that of The presJerusalem in the Acts of the Apostles, but of the government Antiochia. bytery at thereof we have nothing so distinct or express in Scripture. Yet this we read, Acts xiii. 1-3, "Now there were in the Church at Antiochia certain prophets and teachers... And as they ministered unto the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work 51 whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away." That these prophets and teachers were all of them presbyters of that Church, is more than can be affirmed, because it is no where set down. But when we read that they "ministered unto the Lord"—which must be understood of the service of God in their assemblies, especially in celebrating the Eucharist and gave "imposition of hands," which cannot signify the ordination of Paul and Barnabas to the work there specified, being appointed by the Holy Ghost, but the benediction of them, which was the solemnity of putting them into the office'. § 2. Now, as concerning the heads of this Church, we must St. Peter have recourse to Ignatius' epistle ad Magnesianos", where Paul heads "We find among the number of them the works of ordinary ministers, when there was no higher rank than that of presbyters able to do the like." These words in the first edition were in the place of those beginning with "which cannot," ending with "office." The next sentence began "For." 1 See Cornelius a Lapide on the place, who quotes Arias, Cajetanus, and Suarez for the statement in the text, though he dissents from it himself. τ Πεπλήρωται πρώτως ἐν Συρίᾳ· ἐν Αντιοχεία γὰρ ἐχρημάτισαν οἱ μαθηταὶ and St. V. of the Church there. .... ..... CHAP. he useth these words, "For at Antiochia the disciples were first called Christians, Paul and Peter founding the Church.” And in the epistle ad Antiochenos",-if it be his, as the other unquestionably is,-Παύλου καὶ Πέτρου γεγόνατε μαθηταί· 52 μνημονεύσατε Εὐωδίου, . . . . . ὃς πρῶτος ἐνεχειρίσθη παρὰ τῶν ̓Αποστόλων τὴν ὑμετέραν προστασίαν,—that is, "Ye are Paul's and Peter's disciples. Remember Euodius, that first had the rule of you put into his hands by the Apostles." Be he what he will be that wrote this-let me be bold to say-it agreeth marvellous well with what hath been said, and with the Scripture. In which it is plain, there were at the beginning two congregations of Christians at Antiochia; one of the circumcision, the other converted from the Gentiles P; because St. Peter, Gal. ii. 12, "fearing those of the circumcision, withdrew himself, and ate no more with the Gentiles." In regard of the care of which two congregations, performed by St. Peter and St. Paul, according to the division agreed upon, Gal. ii. 9, the words of Ignatius are to be verified, where he maketh both Apostles founders of the Church at Antiochia; who, finding themselves employed in 53 other parts of the world, took the same course with this Church which St. Paul did with those he commended to Timothy and Titus, and put both congregations-by that time united and concorporate in one-under the charge of Euodius, predecessor to Ignatius. Likewise of that at Rome. § 3. These two Apostles are usually counted founders of the Church at Rome, as well as of that of Antiochia. Irenæus, iii. 3: Fundantes igitur et instruentes beati Apostoli Ecclesiam, Lino episcopatum administrandæ Ecclesiæ tradiderunt. Hujus Lini Paulus in his quæ sunt ad Timotheum epistolis meminit. Succedit autem ei Anacletus: post eum tertio loco ab Apostolis episcopatum sortitur Clemens. "Therefore the blessed Apostles, founding and constituting the Church, delivered to Linus the |