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Show 2‘83 Part.3. or A CHRISTIAN chalk". petty of an Apofile,to have companyed with the firii and prime Matthias C 0 MM 0 N-WE A L TH. Chap. 42; but alio amongi't the Heathen, to fignifie the Office of a King, or Apoflles in the time that our Saviour manifefled himfelf in the fleih. any other Ruler, orGuide of People, whether he ruled by Law/5,0: Doctrine. And to the Apofiles were the fil‘fl: Chriftian Bifliops The firft Apofile, of thofe which were not confiituted by initituted by Chrifi himitlfe: in which fenfe the Apoitleihip oi Judas is called (118?: 1.20.) hi: Btflwprtek. And afterwards, when there were confiituted Elders in the Chrii‘tian Churches, with made Atofilc Chrii'c in the time he was upon the Earth, was Matt/,tltr, choi‘enin bttho'is‘Tc' this manner : There were afleiiibled together in Jeruialem about 54m"- part. 3. 120 Chrifiians (A67: 1. 15.) Thefe appointed two , Iofeph the Ire/f, and Matthias (ver. 23.) and caufed lots to be drawn; aha" ver. 26.) > the Lot fell on Matthias) and he was mtmhred wtz‘h the ripe/Hes. charge to guide Chrifis flock by their doctrine, and advice, theie Elders were alio called Biihops. Timothy was an Elder (which word Elder, inthe New Teiiament is a name ofOffice , as well as So that here we fee the ordination oi'this Apoftle, was the act ofthe of Agefiyet he was ali‘oa Billiop. And Bifhops were then content Congregation, and not of St. Peter, nor of the eleven , othCiwiie with the Title of Elders. Na S.johnhimfelfe, the Apoitle be- then as Members ofthe AflEiiiblyi. Paul and Bdt- After him there was never any other Apoitle ordained,but Paul The Elder to the £1le Lady. "W5 , "We and Barnabas-7 which was done (as we read (Air's 13.1,2,3.) in this I'aflor, Elder, Doe‘t‘or, that is to fay, Teaeher, were but {0 many di- Apaftul)‘ manner. There were in the Church that was at flirt/06h, certain: V , [/7 ti at war ta [I'd 12 m, an d Teat h err,. a: B arm has, art d S".imeea Niger, and Lariat: of Cyrerte, and Martam; which had [rem hroaght The Church of P70 [1 Am"). loved of our Lord, beginneth his Second Epiflle withtheie words, By which it is evident, that lit/hop, vets names ofthe fameOifice in the time oi‘the Apoitles. For there was then no government by Coercion, but only by Doeti‘ine,and Peri‘wading. The Kingdome of God was yet to come,in a new A; the} meat/[red arm the world-,io that there could be no authority to compell in any Church, Lord, and fryleal, the Holy Ghafl faia', Separate mee Baritahas, and till the Common-wealth had embraced the Chriitian liaithgand cork kquently no dii'criityoi‘Authority,rhoughthere were diveriity of Employments. hp with Herod the Tetrareh,aha' Saul. Saul for the war/ea whereame I have ea/lealthem. Ami when they hadfty‘lea', and frayed,~md laid their haaa': on them, they feat them away. By which it is manifeft , that though they were called by Belities theie Magifieriallcmploymentsinthe Church; namely, Apoflles, Biihops7 Elders, l'aitors, and Doctors, whoie calling the Holy Ghoit, their Calling was declared unto them, and was to proclaimChriittothejews, and Iniidels, and to diret‘t, their Million authorized by the particular Church of Antioch. And that this their calling was to the Apoitleihip, is apparent by that,that they are both called( A5: 14. t4. ) Apoitles: And that it was by vertue ofthis aft of the Church ot‘Antioch, that they were and teachthole that beleeved we readinthe New 'I‘eitament orno other. For by the names ofEruange/t rand Prophets, is not {ignified any Office, but itverall Gifts, by which leverall men were profitablcrothe Church: as Evangelifls, by writing the life and Apoflles, 5. Paul declareth plainly (Remit) in that hee merit the word, which the Holy Ghoit ufed at his calling: For hee flileth acts of our SJVIUUY; iiichas were 5. whim/mi) and S. Iohrt Apo- fllee, and 8. Marie and 5. Lake l)iitrples, and wholim'er elle himfelf, um Apflile feparatedtmto the Go/pel of(im'-, all idmg to wrott oi that iub)ect, (as S. Thomm, ands. Earmtharare laid to the words of the Holy Ghofi, Separate me Bamaha; and Saul , .‘jf. havedone, though the Church have not reteived the Books that have gone under their names:)and as I'rophets,by the gift or inter- But feeing the work of an Apoitle, was to be a Witnefie ot‘the Refurrcftion ofChrifi, aman may here aske, howS. Paul, that converfed not with our Saviour before his pafiion,could know he was ri- fen. To which is eaiily aniwered, that our Saviour himielfappeared to him in the way to Damafcus, from Heaven, after his Aiceniion; and thafe himfbr a 'veflell to hear ht'rrtame hefore the (Lid/lei, and King:,and Children oflj'raeh and coni‘equentlyi'lraving {ten the Lord after his paiiioniwas a competent VVitnefl'e oi‘his Reiurrtction: And as for Barnabas, he wasa Diiciple before the l'aiiion. ltis preting the Old 'l'eihunent; and iometinies by declaring their i‘peciall Revelations to the Church. l-orncnher the-1e gifts , nor the gifts ot'leanguages, nor the gift orCailing out Devils , or of Curing other diieaies, nor any thing elie did make an Officer in the Church, {are onely the due calling and eletftiontothc charge of Teaching. therefore evident that Paul, and Barnabas were Apoi‘tles: Midi" Afl‘embly oi Ciii‘iitians; namely, Matthias bythe (Jhurch of Jeru'l choien and authorized( not by the firfi Apoiiles alone, but ‘> b} the talent, and Paul, and Barnabas by the Church or. Antioch; {0 were alio the Prerhytert, and l'tzflorrin other Cities, eluted by the Churches ofthoi‘e Cities. For prooi‘whereoi, let us coniidcr,iirft, how S.Paul proceeded in the Ordination of l'resbyters, in the Cities Church of Antioch-,as Matthias was choien, and authorized byth‘c A ' Church ofjerufalem. What (Witt: Biflmp, aword formed in onrlanguage, out of the Greek Egg/trjn [he Chierfl) 1"": fignifieth an Overfeer,or Superintendent of any buiinefle, 3nd "7" M‘Q'flf' particularlyal'afior, or Shepherd, and thence by metaphor \\»‘>' ""H' taken, nOt only amongfl thejews that were originallyShtphf13>, QM» 4 . Asthe Apoitles, Matthias,Paul,and Barnabas,were not made by Oldw'mm Of our Saviour illlillbli‘,but were elected by the Church, that is, by the Trade". where he hadconverted men to the Chriitian Faith , immediately atterhe and Barnabas had received their Apoflleihip. We read (Aer: 14.2 3. } that they ordained Eldmm every Church; which at OQ3 ilrll. |