were Three Orders of Minifters inftituted by Chrift and his Apoftles, and then will fhew from ancient Authors that the Names Bishops, Priefts, and Deacons, have been from the Apostles Times appropriated to those Orders.

§ VII. We read (i) that John the Baptift had a great Multitude of Difciples or Followers, whom he converted and baptized, for there went out to him Jerufalem, and all Judea, and all the Region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan confeffing their Sins. (k) But Jefus made and baptized more Difciples than John. (1) And of them he chofe Twelve, whom alfo he named Apoftles, and Jent them to preach the Kingdom of God. (m) After thefe the Lord appointed other Seventy alfo, and fent them two and two before his Face into every City and Place whither he himself would come. So that during our Saviour's Life here on Earth he had Three Orders of Minifters in his Church: Firft; Christ himself, the great Shepherd and Bishop of Souls, then the Twelve Apoftles, and after them the Seventy Difciples. And the Apostles were plainly fuperior to the Seventy, being fent out with a larger Commiffion, being fent intò all Parts of Judea, wherefoever they found any Encouragement, but the Seventy were confined to go only to thofe Places where Chrift himfelf intended to come. So that the Apoftles were plainly authorized to act in Chrift's Stead, and to receive and admit Converts into his Church; but the Seventy seem to have had no fuch Power, but were only appointed to prepare the Way for Chrift, that when he himself came to them he

(i) Matth. iii. 5, 6. (k) John iv. i. (1) Luke vi. 13. ix. 2. Matth. x. 1. Mark iii. 13. vi. 7. (m) Luke x. 1.

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might find them ready and prepared for him, and then he himself might admit and receive them as his Disciples. Befides, the Apoftles are frequently fpoken of in all Parts of the Gospel as Chrift's møre immediate Officers, who generally attended upon him, and were Witneffes to all his great and wonderful Works, and whom he frequently employed, but the Seventy are but once mentioned. A fure Argument that the Apostles were of a fuperior Order to them. But tho' the Apostles were plainly fuperior to the Seventy, and had Authority (n) to preach (0) and baptize, or admit Converts into the Church of Chrift, yet they had no Authority to commiffion or fend others to do thofe Things. For as Chrift alone had Authority to fend them, fo he alone had Authority to fend other Seventy alfo. And this he takes occafion to let them know at the time of his fending them forth. (p) The Harveft truly is plenteous, but the Labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest that he will fend forth Labourers into his Harvest. Now thefe Words being fpoken both to the Twelve and to the Seventy at the very Time when he gave them their Commiffion to Preach, was a plain Intimation to them, that if they found the Work too great for them, fo as they wanted more Affiftance, they should not take upon them to commiffion others, but defire him who was the Lord of the Harveft to fend more Labourers. An evident Argument that whofoever has Authority to minifter the Word and Sacraments himself, has not therefore an Authority to ordain and commiffion others to that Office. Since Chrift when he gave his Apoftles a Com

(n) Matth. x. 7. (0) John iv. 2. (p) Matth. ix. 37, 38. Luke x. 2,

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miffion to do the one, fo plainly restrained them from doing the other, and required them to apply to himself on that Occafion as to the Lord of the Harveft. Thus have we plainly found Three Orders of Minifters in the Chriftian Church whilft Chrift was on Earth. That is, Chrift him felf the Head and chief Minifter or Bishop, then the Twelve Apoftles, who were next unto him, anfwering to the Priefts or Second Order, and then the Seventy Difciples, as an Order below the Apoftles, and answering to the Deacons. But then it is to be noted, that when our Saviour fettled this Oeconomy in his Church, he had confined it to the Jewish Nation and Country, for when he fent his Difciples forth to Preach, he charged them, faying, (q) Go not into the Way of the Gentiles, and into any City of the Samaritans enter ye not, but go rather to the loft Sheep of the Houfe of Ifrael. (r) And being raifed up by God to be a Prophet like unto Mofes, tho' in all refpects very far fuperior to him, he judged it proper whilft he faw convenient to have his Church confined to the Jewish Country, to keep ftri&ly to the Mofaical Oeconomy in the Government of it, and therefore as Mofes, to whom he was like, had under him (s) Twelve Princes, Heads of the Tribes; and likewife (t) Seventy Elders, to whom God imparted of Mofes's Spirit, that they might help to rule the People under him, fo Chrift alfo chofe Twelve Apostles, to answer to the Twelve Princes, and Seventy Difciples, according to the Number of the Elders. And therefore after the Refurrection, (u) the Apostles being commanded not to depart from Jerufalem for fome Time, did,

(q) Matth. x. 5, (5) Numb. i. 4

6. ́(r). Deut. xviii. 15. Acts vii. 37. (t) Numb. xi. 16. (u) Aûs i, 4.

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by Divine Direction, fill up the Number to Twelve again, when Judas by his Tranfgreffion had fallen and died, and thereby made a Vacancy, that fo long as the Church was confined to Judea, they might preferve an Oeconomy exactly parallel to that fettled by Mofes, even fo far as to confine themselves to just the fame Number of Officers. But when they had begun to enlarge the Church beyond the Bounds of Judea, and to invite not only Samaria, but all the Gentiles into it, tho' they preferved the Sacred Oeconomy fettled by Chrift, fo far as to retain the diverfe Orders of Minifters which he firft eftablished, yet they had no longer any Regard to the Numbers Twelve and Seventy; for St. Paul and St. Barnabas, and diverse other, were added to the Number of the Apoftles, and for the Seventy, we hear nothing of them after the Refurrection,

§ VIII. However, as I have already intimated, the Sacred Oeconomy of Three diftin& Orders continued in the Church whilft it was under the Government of the Apoftles, as it had done whilft under the immediate Government of Chrift on Earth. For as whilft our bleffed Saviour was in his State of Humiliation in this World, there was he himself the Head and chief Governour of the Church, under him the Twelve Apoftles, and below them the Seventy Difciples: So when he was gone, the Twelve Apoftles fucceeded him in the Office of governing, guiding, and directing the Church, without any Superior on Earth, and fupplied the Place of their Matter, (w) being Sent by him as he was fent by the Father, and the Elders and Deacons ordained by them fupplied

(w) John xx. 21.

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the Places which they and the Seventy held under Christ before the Refurrection, before they had received that full Power which he thought fit to confer upon them, when he was about to afcend into Heaven. Wherefore altho' they did not pretend to commiffion or fend any to preach the Word or minifter the Sacraments whilft Christ was here on Earth, he having, as I have fhewed, forbidden them to do it then, and to make their Application to him,if they wanted Affiftance, that he the Lord of the Harveft would be pleafed to fend more Labourers into his Harveft; yet now after the Refurre&tion being vefted with a larger Power, and appointed to fupply their Master's Place, as his Deputies and Vicegerents, they in a fhort Time began to give Commiffions and to ordain others to execute the Minifterial Office under them, as they had executed it under Christ before his Death and Refurrection. Thus (x) they ordained Deacons to take Care of the Widows and the Poor in the daily Miniftration: But they ordained them not to that Purpofe only, but also to Preach and Baptize. For Philip, (y), who was one of thefe Deacons, foon went down, to preach at Samaria, where he made many Converts, and baptized them, but he could not fet-. tle a Church there, he could not lay on Hands, either to confirm those whom he had baptized, or to ordain Minifters among them; wherefore he gave Notice of what he had done to the Apo-, ftles, and they fent Peter and John, Two of their own Order, to do thofe Things which Philip. could not do. And as they thus ordained Deacons to execute fuch Minifterial Offices as they thought proper to commit to them, fo they alfo

(x) Acts vi (y) Acts viii, 5, 6.