Five disputations of church-government and worship

§. 6. Let it be remembered that we are not now disputing of the Name, but of the Thing: It is not whether such an Officer of Christ be to be called an Apostle or an Evangelist, or a Prophet, or a Bishop, or a Presbyter: But whether unfixed general Ministers, to gather Churches and settle them, and take the care of many, without a special Pastoral charge of any one above the rest, were appointed by Christ for continuance in his Church: This is it that I affirm, and have already proved.

§. 6. Let it be remembred that we are not now disputing of the Name, but of the Thing: It is not whether such an Officer of Christ be to be called an Apostle or an Evangelist, or a Prophet, or a Bishop, or a Presbyter: But whether unfixed general Ministers, to gather Churches and settle them, and take the care of many, without a special Pastoral charge of any one above the rest, were appointed by Christ for continuance in his Church: This is it that I affirm, and have already proved.

§. 7. Nor yet is it any of our Question, Whether the difference between these general unfixed Ministers and ordinary fixed Presbyters, ⟨p. 277⟩be in point of Authority or of exercise only. Whether they are two distinct Species of the Ministry, or but one of the same Office in Specie, variously exercised: I have given in my thoughts of this before, so far as I can yet reach: But if it be granted that some should ordinarily exercise their office generally and ambulatorily over many Churches, as others ordinarily must exercise it fixedly in one particular Church, I shall not contend whether they are to be called One Office or two: nor yet whether the fixed Minister may not extraordinarily upon a special reason, do the same work as the itinerant Minister in the same way. But Ministers there must be for both these work.