y, The twelfth heterodoxy followeth: "Now it is true that Christ,
being God as well as man, hath of himself originally, as God, whatsoever
he hath by virtue of gift as Mediator," _Male Dicis_, p. 13. Now subsume
Christ hath, by virtue of gift, as Mediator, the priestly office;
therefore, by Mr Coleman's principles, Christ hath of himself originally,
as God, the priestly office. And if Christ hath it of himself originally
as God, then the Father and the Holy Ghost hath it also; so that by his
doctrine the Father and the Holy Ghost shall be the priests of the church
as well as Christ, for Christ hath nothing of himself originally as God
which the Father and the Holy Ghost have not likewise.

Thirteenthly, The thirteenth and last error concerneth the office of
deacons. Not only a widow but a deacon is denied to be a church officer,
or to have any warrant from Scripture. "I hold not a widow a church
officer (saith he); no more do I a deacon; both having a like foundation
in Scripture, which is truly none at all," _Male Dicis,_ p. 9. If this was
his opinion formerly, why did he not in so main a point enter his dissent
from the votes of the Assembly concerning deacons, together with his
reasons? Well, his opinion is so now, whereby he runneth contrary not only
to the reformed churches (which it seems weigh not much in his balance),
but to the plain Scripture, which speaks of the office of a deacon, 1 Tim.
iii. 10; and this could be no civil office, but an ecclesiastical office,
for the deacons were chosen by the church, were ordained with prayer and
laying on of hands, and their charge was to take special care of the poor;
all which is clear, Acts vi. If he had given us the grounds of his opinion
he should have heard more against it.

CHAPTER V.

THE PRELATICAL WAY AND TENETS OF MR COLEMAN AND MR HUSSEY, REPUGNANT ALSO,
IN DIVERS PARTICULARS, TO THE VOTES AND ORDINANCES OF PARLIAMENT.

1. Mr Coleman, in his _Re-examination_, p. 14, makes the Parliament to be
church governors and church officers to the whole kingdom. It was an
argument used against the prelates, that ecclesiastical and civil
government, spiritual and secular administrations, are inconsistent in the
same persons, either of which requireth the whole man. It was another
exception against the prelate, that he assumed the power of church
government and ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the whole diocese, which
was much mor