A treatise of miscellany questions wherein many useful questions and cases of conscience are…A treatise of miscellany questions wherein many usefull questions and cases of conscience are…

The other is a conjecture of his own, which if it be a light, I confess it is a new light. It seems more probable (saith he) be far that when Paul laid his hands on Timothy, 2 Tim: 1. 6. there were some other Apostles, or Apostles fellows that joined with him in that action. And that Apostles should be called Presbyters or Elders, and a company of them a Presbytery or Eldership, is an expression consonant to other Scriptures where the appellation of Elder is attributed unto them, 1 Pet: 5 1. 2. Epist: Joh: 1. &c. 3 Epist: 1. Ans: 1 In the last two Scriptures which he citeth, the word Elder is a name of age not of office, and we are to understand, [Greek or Hebrew] in those places to be only a degree more then [Greek or Hebrew]: Epist, to Philemon. v. 9. Paul the aged, So John the elder. i. e. now full of years and very old. For which reason also some have noted that frequently in his first Epistle he useth this compellation, my li•le children. 2. Peter indeed speaketh of himself as one of the Elders by office, wherein we ought rather to observe his humility, condescension, and prudent insinuation, then make any such use of it as this Querist doth. It had been more for his purpose if another had said it of Peter, and not he of himself. For as O•cumenius upon the place te•s us, Peter calls himself so for modesties cause, and the better to enforce the following exhortation, that the Elders should not lift up themselves above others, as he did not lift up himself above them. Sure ⟨p. 105⟩Apostles and Elders were ordinarily distinguishing names, as it is manifest from Act. 15. 2. 4. 6. 22: 23. Why then would the Querist leave the ordinary Scripture notion of the word, Elder, and ground his own interpretation of the word Presbytery, upon Peters calling himself an Elder: he might as well argue, that the believing Romans who are called the servants of God, Rom: 6. 22. or these believing Strangers who have the same name, 1 Pet: 2. 16. were Apostles, and that we are to understand by the servants of God in these Texts, Apostles, because Tit: 1. 1. The Apostle Paul calleth himself a servant of God. By the like Logic he may argue that the ordaining of Elders, Act: 14. 23. Tit: 1 5. is meant of ordaining Apostles, because the Scripture calls the Apostles Elders. 3. Peter calls not himself [Greek or Hebrew], an Elder, but [Greek or Hebrew].