to avoid Confusion and an Indistinction betwixt the
Original Apostles and the Derivative, for such as were made by
men, the Church used this name of Bishops, and reserved the
Name of Apostle, to those men who were so Constituted by our
Saviour, and that one who was made by Election of Lott into
Judas his place: So we find diverse phrases not used to such
purpose in the New Testament, yet prevailed with the Succee∣ders
of the Apostles in such a manner, as they gained a Constant
use among Ecclesiastical Writers; such is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 amongst the
Grecians, and Sacerdos amongst the Latines, words not used for
any Order in the Church of Christ any where in the New Te∣stament,
and yet amongst the Ancients are used for the whole
Order of Priesthood as it includes Bishops, and sometimes for
Bishops alone; but as they are the superiour Order in that sort
of men, and in the latter Age are solely appropriated by the use
of Writers, to that Order, which the Scriptures and the most
ancient term Presbyter, inferiour to the Suprea••, called by the
Scripture Apostles, and to their Successors, called Bishops among
the Ancients; therefore in the reading of Authors, not the Insti∣tutions
only, but the usus loquendi is to be Considered in words.
Cambden in his Remains hath a long Discourse like a Lexicon,
where we may see to how various Senses in our English Lan∣guage
the same words have arrived, by Tract of Time losing
their old, and gaining a new Sense, especially in Offices; so hath
it happened with the words Bishop and Presbyter: they were
most frequently in Scripture taken for one and the same thing;
but the word Apostle, or Angel, I can never find given to the
Inferiour Sort of Presbyters; But now this word Apostle is ap∣propriated,
in the Language of Divines, to the Twelve, and St.
Paul only, the word Bishop to the Superiour Sort, the word
Priest or Presbyter to the Inferiour Sort of Presbyters. I shall
leave therefore to discourse of the Names, and come to examine
the Text concerning the Thing, whether there be in this Text
a Parity of Ministers prescribed?