O how aptly you haue alledged the scriptures to proue that euery congregation had their Deacons? In the first to the Philip. these be* 1.1 the wordes: Paule and Timotheus, &c. to all the Saincts vvhiche are at Philippi, vvith the Bishops and Deacons. Paule & Timotheus salute the Bishops and Deacons which are at Philippi: Therfore in those dayes euerie congregation had their Deacons: a straunge kinde of reasoning: you might well haue thus concluded, Ergo at Philippi there was Deacons: But surely this argument is to much out of* 1.2 square, there was Deacons at Philippi, therefore euerie congrega∣tion had their Deacons.
In the. 13. of S. Iohn. verse. 27. these be the wordes. And after the soppe, Sathan entered into him, then sayde Iesus vnto him, that thou doest, do quickly. After Supper Satan entered into Iudas, and Iesus sayde vnto him, that thou doest, do quickly: Therefore euerie Cōgregation had their Deacons. No maruel though your margent be pestred with Scriptures, when you take libertie to make ex quolibet quidlibet. Peraduenture you meane that Iudas was a Deacon (as he was not, but an Apostle) bycause he caryed the bagge, and that some of the Apostles thought, that Christ had bid him giue some what to the poore: belike whosoeuer giueth a pennie to the poore at his ma∣sters commaundement, is with you a Deacon.
In the sixt of the Actes we learne that there were chosen seuen Deacons, but there is not one worde to proue, that euery congrega∣tion had their Deacons.
In the thirde of the first to Timothie S. Paule sheweth what qualities and conditions a Deacon ought to haue, but not one worde of Deacons being in euery Congregation. This is great audacitie, thus manifestly to wring the Scriptures, without all colour or shewe of reason.