6. That this Church-Governour thus seated by God in his Church, as a perpetual Officer, is an officer _contradistinguished in the Text from the_ Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, _and all other_ Officers _in the_ Church. This appears; 1. By the Apostles manner of expressing these officers in an _enumerative_ form; _First, Apostles; Secondarily, Prophets; Thirdly, Teachers; After that, miracles, then gifts of healing_, &c. 2. By the recapitulation, vers. 29, 30. _Are all Apostles? Are all Prophets? Are all Teachers? Are all workers of miracles?_ &c. 3. By the scope of the whole Chapter, which is to set down different gifts and offices in different subjects; It is said, ver. 8, 9. _To one is given by the Spirit, the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledg by the same Spirit; to another, faith_, &c. And for this purpose, the Apostle draweth a simile from the members of mans body: As there are different members in mans body, and every member hath its different office, and every member stands in need one of another; the Eye cannot say to the Hand, I have no need of thee; nor again, the head to the foot, I have no need of thee, &c. So it is in the Church ministerial, which is the body of Christ. God hath set different Officers in his Church; some ordinary and perpetual; some extraordinary and temporary: And these different Officers have different Offices, some to teach, others to distribute to the poor Saints, others to govern. Are all Teachers? are all Deacons? are all Church-Governours? and these have all need one of another. The Teacher cannot say to the Deacon, I have no need of thee; nor to the Church Governour, I have no need of thee: But if all these Offices were in the Pastor alone, and only, then might he truly say to the Deacon and Ruling-Elder, I have no need of thee. But now God hath so set the members in his body which is his Church, that every member stands in need one of anothers help and support.
If it be objected, that the Apostles had all these offices and gifts here mentioned, eminently seated in them, for they were Prophets, Teachers, Workers of Miracles; and therefore why may not all these be understood of one and the same person?
Though it be true, that the Apostles had eminently all these; yet it is as true, that there are many here named, which had but one of these gifts formally seated in them: And it is also apparent, that some of the persons here named were distinct Officers in the Church, as the Prophet, and the Teacher. Though the Apostles were Prophets and Teachers, yet the Prophet & the Teacher were Officers distinct from the Apostles; and by a parity of Reason, so were the Governors from the Apostle, Prophet, and Teacher; the scope of the Apostle being (as hath been said) to set out distinct Offices in distinct Officers: are all Apostles? are all Prophets? are all Teachers? The sum of what we have said from this Scripture, then, is this, _That God hath seated some men in his Church which have a gift and office to govern, which are neither Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, nor Pastors; and therefore they are Ruling-Elders_, which is the Officer which we are enquiring after.