( 314) (elves: For they teRifiethat from the dayes of Mark the Eva. gelifl till the days of Heroclas and Dionyfius, the Presbyters chofe one from among them,and called him their Bifh9p. Now it is fuppofed by the bell Chronologers thatM4rk was (lainabout the, fixcy third year ofour Lord,and the tenth ofNero ;and that Pe ter andPaul wereput to death about the fixty fixthofour Lord, and thirteenth of 2Qro, and that 701m the Apollle died about the ninety eighth year of our Lord, and the firfl of Trajan, which was about thirty five years after the death of Mark Now I would leave it to any mans impartial confideration,whe- Cher it be credible that the holy Apoflles, andall theEvangeli{ls or Afì1f{ants of them, then alive, would have fuffered this in- novation and corruption in the Church without a plain difown- ing it and reproving it : Would they fluently fee their newly ellablifhcd Order violated in their own dayes, and not fo much as tell the Churches of the fin and danger? Or if they had in- deed done this, would none regard it, nor remember it, fomuch as to refifl the fin ? Thefe things are incredible. 4. i 8. And lam confident if the judiciousgodly peoplehadtheir choice , from the experience of what is for their good , they wouldcommonly choofe a fixed Prefident or chief Pallor in every Church. Yea I fee, that they will not ordinarily endure that it should be otherwife. For when they find that God doth ufually qualifie one above the reft of their Teachers they will hardly content that the refl have an equal power over them. I. have teen even a fober unanimous 'Godly people , refufe fo much as to give their hands co an af- fiflant Presbyter whom yet they loved, honoured and obeyed, though they were urged hard by him that they preferred, and all from a loathnefs that there fhould be a parity. I know not one Congregation to my remembrance, that bath many Mini- flers, but would have one be chief. g. 19.Objeft. Bat, ( the Prelatical men will fay) our Parifhes arenot capable ofthis, becanfe theyhave commonly but one. Pallor, nor beve maintainancefor more. Anfiv. a. Though the greater number havebut one yet it is anordinary cafe to have two , or three,or more, where there are Chappels in the Parifh, and the Congregations great, as in Market Towns. And if ever we have Peace andafetled faithfull Magiftrate that will do hispart for
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