The reasons of the Dissenting Brethren against the third proposition, concerning presbyterial government· Humbly…

Secondly, For the many Teachers.

In those times there were many gifted men that were not Officers, who occasionally instructed others, as Aquila did Apollos, yea those gifts were so plentiful, that in that one Church of Corinth, 1 Cor. 14. 23. ⟨p. 23⟩almost all of them had Doctrines, Prophesying, speaking with tongues, and yet these were not Officers, so as if Congregations should be multiplied according to the number of such gifted men, then there would have been almost as many Teachers as members of Congregations. And the pouring out of the Holy Ghost, which was more ordinary then, did not make every man a Teacher by Office, for then all those in Samaria should have been made teachers, Acts 8. And that not any of those were in Office, seems evident by this; That when the Deacons were chosen, Chap. 6. there is no mention made of Elders in their Ordination, in which if any Elders had been, they had had an interest: We read Acts 15. When there were Elders, though Apostles were also then in that Church, both are mentioned together. And it appears the Apostles had managed all the affairs of that Church until then; those Deacons being the first choice of any sort of Officers, the work of Administration of all sorts having lain on the Apostles hands.

In those times there were many guifted men that were not Officers, who occasionally instructed others, as Aquila did Apollos, yea those guifts were so plentifull, that in that one Church of Corinth,