ter, viz. the several officers
enumerated, which are either extraordinary, these five, viz. apostles,
prophets, powers, or miracles, gifts of healing, and kinds of tongues:
these continued but for a season, during the first founding of Christian
churches: (the proper and peculiar work of these extraordinary officers,
what it was, is not here to be disputed.) Or ordinary, these three, viz.
_teachers_, (there is the preaching elder,) _governments_, (there is the
ruling elder,) _helps_, (there is the deacon;) these are the officers
enumerated; and however there be some other officers elsewhere
mentioned, whence some conceive this enumeration not to be so absolutely
perfect, yet this is undoubtedly evident, that it is an enumeration of
officers in the church: partly, this is evident, if we look at the
manner of the apostle's speech, which is in an enumerating form, viz.
first, secondly, thirdly, afterwards, then: and partly, it is evident
that he intended to reckon up those officers that were distinct from all
other parts of the mystical body of Christ, by his recapitulation, "Are
all apostles, are all prophets?" &c., ver. 29, 30, i.e. not all, but
only some members of the body are set apart by God to bear these offices
in the church. Now, if there be here a distinct enumeration of distinct
officers in the church, as is evident; then consequently _governments_
must needs be one of these distinct church officers, being reckoned up
among the rest; and this is one step, that governments are in the roll
of church officers enumerated. 2. The denomination of these officers,
_governments_, evidenceth that they are governing officers, vested with
rule in the Church. This word (as hath been noted in chap. II.) is a
metaphor from pilots or shipmasters governing of their ships by their
compass, helm, &c., James iii. 4, (who is hence called _governor_, viz.
of the ship, Acts xxvii. 11; Rev. xviii. 17,) and it notes such officers
as sit at the stern of the vessel of the Church, to govern and guide it
in spirituals according to the will and mind of Christ: governments--the
abstract is put for governors, the concrete: this name of governments
hath engraven upon it an evident character of power for governing. But
this will be easily granted by all. All the doubt will be, whom the
apostle intended by these governments? Thus conceive, negatively, these
cannot be meant, viz. not governors in general, for, besides that a
general exists not but i