ind of officer, if in all points he fully
agree with any of the said three. But if there can be found such an
officer in whom all these four requisites do meet, viz: That, 1. Is a
member of Christ's organical body; 2. Hath an office of rule therein; 3,
That office is ordinary; and, 4. That ordinary office is distinct from
all other ordinary standing offices in the church; this must unavoidably
be that very ruling elder which we inquire after. By this it is evident,
that in this proposition here is a plain and clear delineation of the
ruling elder's office. Now, in the next place, touching the foundation
for the divine right of this office; it also is notably expressed in the
same proposition, while it presupposeth, 1. That God is the giver of
this office; 2. That God is the guider of this office. For whatsoever
office or officer God gives for his Church, and having given it, guides
and directs to the right discharge thereof, that must needs be of divine
right beyond all contradiction. Thus this proposition is firm and
cogent. Now let us assume:

_Minor_. But _he that ruleth_, mentioned in Rom. xii. 8, is a member of
Christ's organical body, having an ordinary office of ruling therein,
given him of God, distinct from all other ordinary standing officers in
the church, together with direction from God how he is to rule.

This assumption or minor proposition (whereon the main stress of the
argument doth lie) may be thus evidenced by parts, from this context:

_He that ruleth_ is a member of Christ's organical body. For, 1. The
Church of Christ is here compared to a body, _We being many are one body
in Christ_, ver. 5. 2. This body is declared to be organical, i.e.
consisting of several members, that have their several offices in the
body, some of teaching, some of exhorting, and some of ruling, &c. "For
as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same
office, so we being many are one body in Christ, and every one members
one of another," &c., ver. 4-6, &c. 3. Among the rest of the members of
this body, _he that ruleth_ is reckoned up for one, ver. 5-8; this is
palpably evident.

_He that ruleth_ hath an office of ruling in this body of Christ. For,
1. This word (translated) _he that ruleth_, in the proper signification
and use of it, both in the Scriptures and in other Greek authors, doth
signify one that ruleth authoritatively over another, (as hereafter is
manifested in the 3d argument, Sec. 2.)