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Show rung: UP A CHRISTIAN 61259.42. firfi light may be taken for an Argumentahat they themfelves ehofe, and gave them their authority: But if we conlider the Originall text, it will be manifefi,that they were :1uthorized,and chofen by the Afleinbly of the Chrifiians ofeach City. For the words there are, mam-{mum rim-3K areaiéurt'eu 141' Emmi", that is, lem 1/76] laud Ordaimd the»: Elders [1y (/1: Holding up ofH/zridrin wary Congre- atirm. Now itis well enough known, thatin allthofe Cities, the rm 3. COMMONaWEAL T11". Chip. 4i} dyed : And we find not, that eyer any Bifhop of Rome appointed his fucceflbr. For they were along time chofen by the Peo le' as we may fee by the fedition raifed about the Electio n. betheri Dime/ m, and Vrfcmw; which Ammianus Marcellinusjfaith f0 great, that Inveptim the Praefeét, unable to keep the eace was between them, was forced to goe out of the City, and thatt ere were above an hundred men found dead upon that otculion in the Church manner of choofing Magifirates, and Officers, was by plurality of it felt. fuffi'ages, and (became the ordinary way of diitinguiihing the whole Clergy of Rome, and afterwards by the Cjardinails; yet never anywas appointed to the fuccellion by his predeceffor. If therefore they pretended no right to appointtheir own fireceifors think Imay reaionably conclude, they had no riOh't to appointI Affirmative Votes from‘the Negatives, was by Holding hp of Hands ) to ordain an Oflicer in any of the Cities, was no more but to bring the people together, to eleét them by plurality of Votes ‘ And though they afterwards were chofen firll by the whether it were by plurality of elevated hands, or by plurality of thefuccelforsofother Bilhops, without receiving fotine new power-‘ voices, or plurality ofballs, or beans , 0r finall [tones , of which which none could take from the Church to bellow on them1 but fuch as had a lawfull authority, not onelv to Teach bug to Commandthe Church; which none coulddoc but the Civil! every man call in one, into a veilell marked for the Aih rmative , 0r Negative; for divers Cities had divers cuitomes in that point. It was therefore the Affembly that elected their own Elders : the ApoRles were onely Prefidents of the Affembly to call them together for Soveraign. fuch Eleétion, and to pronounce them Elected, and to give them voluntarily doththe buiinciinc or‘iinother man; anddifltreth from‘a the benediction, which now is called Confecration. And for this caufe they that were Prefidents of the Affemblies, as (_ in the ab- fence ofthe Apoflles ) the Elders were, were called eve-"7‘75; , and in Latin Amiflltes, whichwords fignifie the Principall Pei-{on of the Aflembly, whole oilice was to number the Votes , and to declare thereby who was chofen; and where the Votes were equall, todecide the matter in queflion,by adding his own, which is the Office ofa Prelidentin Counccll. And(becaufe all the Churches had their Presbyters ordained in the fame manner, ) where the word is Cflflfhfflff, ( as Tit!" I. S. ) 7": {flmsnn‘ K970i: mMr -z.~,e:'(u7'e§7a, F07 1/718 mu]: left! the: in Crete, that than flmzla'cfl con/Mute 15 Mm in . 3 The word Mir/{flariiiihe Original] WWW, hgnifieth one fil'lt Servant onely in this, thatServants are obliged bytheir condition to what is Commanded them; whereas Miniilersare obliqe donely by their undertaking, and .bound therefore to no more ‘than that they have undertaken: So that boththeythat teachthe Word of God, and they thar udrninifler the feculnr affairs of the Churc h are both blunders, butthey are Miniilers ofditferent Perfon s. Foi‘ the Parlors of the Church, calledwflr 6.4.)7/2: Mimflcrtof the 170211, are Miniflers of Chrifi, whole Word itis: lut the Mini-~ fiery ofa Draco/1, which is czllledtt'erie :. of the llunc Chapter) Scr't'nxg Q/"TJHH, isa lei'vlcc donc to the Church, or congrega- tion: Sot'mt neithtr any (‘ne man, nor the whole Church coiild' every City, we are to underl‘tand the famething, namely , that hee ever oitheir l'altorliiy, he wastheir Miniilcr-7 but of a Djeacon {hould call the faithfull together, and ordain them Presbyters bv whether-the chargche undertook were to ferre tables, or diflri: plurality of fuffrages. It had been {trange thing , i'r‘in a Town, where men perhaps had never feen any Magiilrare other-wile clioien thenby an Affembly, thofe of the Town becomniing Chriflians, fliould fomuch as have thought on any other way of Election of on acouunon ilock, orupon Collections, as in the firll time: their Teachers, and Guides , that is to fay, of their l'resbyttrs. (otherwifc called Bifhops,) then this of plurality of fufl‘mgt s, intiini. ted by S. Paul (Ac'l: r4.23.‘)in the word xeemmames: Nor was thr: ever any choofing ofBiihops,(_btfbre th: Emperors found it lliCtiiilry to regulate them in orderto the keeping of the peace amongil them,) but by the Aiftmblits of the Lhrifiians in way feverall Town. The fame is alfo confirmed by the Continuall prac‘tife even to this day, in the Election ofthe Bilbops of Romelor ifthc Billiop ofany bute maintenance to the Chriftians, when they livedineich City retake a cart- of the lloufe of Prayer, or or or the llevi-nuc or other worldly buiinefle t:-f the Church, the whole Con: gregarion might properly call him theirMinifler, let their employment ,‘as Deaconsgras to ferve the Congregation; though upon ouxihon they omitted not to l'reach the Gofpel and maintain the Docrrine of (thrill, every one accordin" to ill: gifts, as S. Stevendid, and bothti l'rrach,und 3.1pti7e, ass Philip did: ljorthat. l'hilip, v.hich( xizr'. R. 3. )l'rcached the Goipell at Samaria, andf verie 38.) Buptized the Eunuch, was l'hilip the Deacon, not Philipthe Apoflle. lioritis muniielltverfc I. )th;it when Philip preached in Samaria, the Apoflles were at [erufalem , place, had the tight ofchoofing another, tothe fuchlion of the P.1- and \V'CYiC‘ i4.) ill/lei! t/ch lmzrd that Samaria bnc/ revere/e3 t/xe Wort! {lorall Office, in any City, at fuch time as he went from thence , to (ward/m! I't'lfrilfld 10/»; to them; byimpohtion of whofc hands, plantthe fame in another place, much more had he had the Right. I0 theytljar were Baptized,(yerfe 13.) reCeivedOvhich before by thC Bapuinie or Philip they had not received )the Holy Ghoflz. For if was appomthis ("CCCKOUI‘ in that place, in which he lai‘t mid-.d and t. i. m» Mini/rm of 1hr (:11 It i {b trim! : |