r perfwafiveAuthority which worketh only on theConfcience, ¡lie cafe is much different from the:fccularpouerof'Magif}raies. For in the fot'mer, even Gifts maybe a'gsound`of a greater mea. Sure of Power, in hindir g wens minds. Andhere is the greateft partof the difficulty that rileth in our way, to hinder us from improving the exampleof the Apofaies, in that it is fo hard to difcern howmuch of their power over other Presbyters or Bi- fh,,P3 was from their fi]pereminencq of Office and Imperial Au- thority, andhowmuch was meerly from the excellency of their Gifts and Priviledges. Prep. 5. Its certain that the Magiflratesdid not then`fecond theApa{ales in the Governmentof the Church, but rather hin- der them by perfecution. Theexcommunicate were not punifhed therefore by the fecular' power, butrather men were enticed to forfake the Church for the Pavingof their lives : fo that worldly profperity attended thofewithout, and adverfity thole within : which further fhewes that`the forceof Apofiolical Government was on theConfcience, and, it was not corrupted by an aliene kind of force. Prop. 6. Yet had the Apofles a power of Miraculous Colli- gation of thevery bodies of the Offenders, at leaf} fometimes 'which Peter exercifed upon Ananiaa and Sappkyra,and Paul up- onDimas, and fomethink'uponHymenaus and `Fhiletas, and thofe other that were Paid to be delivered up to Satan : certainly 'Pattl [had 7,1 readinefs to revenge all difo6ediez, ce ] 2 Cor. I o.6. which its like extendeth fomewhat farther than to meer cenfures. But its moll: certain that the Apo{ile ufed not this power of hurt- ing mens bodies ordinarily, but fparingly as they did other Miracles ; perhaps notaccording to their own wills, but theHo- ly Ghats, So that-this didnotcorrupt their Government nei- ther, anddefiroy the Spirituality of ir. Yet thismakes it fotne- what moredifficult to us to improve the Apofiles example, be- caufe we know not howmuch of their power upon mensConfci- ences might be from fuch penal Miracles. Prop. 7. The 'Apofiles'hadpower to Ordain and fend others to the work of the Minifiry. Bût this only by the confent'of theordained,' andof the people (before theycould be compleat fixed Pallors) for they forcednot any to go, or any people to entertain them. And it feemeth theydid not Ordain tingly, but many
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