The. 8. diuision.
T. C. Pag. 129. Sect. vlt.
And albeit M. Doctor be not able to shewe it, yet I confesse that it hathe beene in times past, permitted vnto them in some Churches to baptise, in other some to preache and baptise, & somtimes also to minister the supper: but I say also that this was a corruption, & vsed at those times, when there were very many other grosse & vntollerable abuses, from the whych I do appeale vnto that, whych was first, that is, the institution of the Apostles, which limited and bounded euery function within his seuerall limits and borders, which it ought not to passe.
Yes I haue proued it by sufficient testimonies to haue béene so, euen in the Apo∣stles* 1.1 time, when the Church was furthest from corruption: and now I will adde a little more. Tertullian in his booke de baptismo hath these words, Baptizandi quidem iu〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 habet summus sacerdos, qui est Episcopus, deinde Presbyteri & Diaconi, non tamen sine Episcopi au∣thoritate, propter Ecclesiae honorem: The highe Priest, which is the Bishop, hath authoritie to baptize, so haue the Ministers and Deacons, but not without the authoritie of the Bishop, for the honour of the Churche.
Hierome aduersus Luciferianos, sayth thus, I do not denie, but that that is the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of* 1.2 the Churche, that the Bishop should go to lay his hand by the inuocation of the holy spirit, vpon those which a far of in little cities by ministers and Deacons were baptised.
And a little after he sayth, that neyther the ministers nor deacons haue authoritie to baptise, without the commaundement of the Bishop.
M. Beza lib. confess. cap. 5. sayth, that deacons did oftentimes supply the office of the Pa∣stors* 1.3 in the administration of the sacraments, and celebrating of Mariage. And to proue this he quoteth. 1. Cor. 1. verse. 14. 15. &c. and Iohn. 4. verse. 2.
But the thing is manyfest, and can not be denyed: wherefore you are but disposed to play Iohannes ad oppositum.