orth into his
harvest by the Lord of the harvest," Matt. ix. 38; "Ruling over you in
the Lord,"[44] 1 Thess. v. 12.

5. The Lord Christ charges their flock and people with many duties to be
performed to their pastors and teachers, because of their office; as to
know them, love them, obey them, submit unto them, honor them, maintain
them, &c., which he would not do were they not his own ordinance. "But
we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labor among you, and rule
over you in the Lord, and esteem them very highly in love for their
work's sake," 1 Thess. v. 12, 13. "Obey your rulers, and submit; for
they watch for your souls as those that must give an account," Heb.
xiii. 17. "The elders that rule well count worthy of double honor;
especially them that labor in the word and doctrine; _for the Scripture
saith_, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the
corn, and the laborer is worthy of his hire," 1 Tim. v. 17, 18; compared
With 1 Cor. ix. 6-15. "Let him that is catechized, communicate to him
that catechizeth him in all good things," Gal. vi. 6-8.

Thus much for the present may suffice to have been spoken touching the
divine right of pastors and teachers, the ordinary standing ministers of
Christ under the New Testament. But forasmuch as we observe that in
these days some rigid Erastians and Seekers oppose and deny the very
office of the ministry now under the gospel, and others profess that the
ministry of the church of England is false and antichristian; we
intend, (by God's assistance,) as soon as we can rid our hands from
other pressing employments, to endeavor the asserting and vindicating of
the divine right of the ministers of the New Testament in general, and
of the truth of the ministry of the church of England in particular.

II. Ruling elders, distinct from all preaching elders and deacons, are a
divine ordinance in the Church of God now under the New Testament.

The divine right of this church officer, the mere ruling elder, is much
questioned and doubted by some, because they find not the Scriptures
speaking so fully and clearly of the ruling elder as of the preaching
elder and of the deacon. By others it is flatly denied and opposed, as
by divers that adhere too tenaciously to the Erastian and prelatical
principles: who yet are willing to account the assistance of the ruling
elder in matter of church government to be a very prudential way. But if
mere prudence be counted once a