siastical officers.

_Except_. 2. But it is not said here governors in the concrete, as
apostles, prophets, teachers are mentioned concretely, which are
distinct officers: but it is said governments, in the abstract, to note
faculties, not persons. The text may be thus resolved: The apostle first
sets down three distinct orders, apostles, prophets, and teachers: then
he reckons up those common gifts of the Holy Ghost (and among the rest
the gift of governing) which were common to all three. So that we need
not here make distinct orders in the Church, but only distinct gifts
which might be in one man.[59]

_Ans_. 1. As the apostles, prophets, and teachers are here set down
concretely, and not abstractly, and are confessed to be three distinct
orders enumerated: so all the other five, though set down abstractly,
are (by a metonymy of the adjunct for the subject) to be understood
concretely, helps for helpers; governments for governors, &c.; otherwise
we shall here charge the apostle with a needless impertinent tautology
in this chapter, for he had formerly spoken of these gifts abstractly,
ver. 8-10, as being _all given to profit_ the Church _withal_, ver. 7;
but here, ver. 28-30, he speaks of these gifts as they are in several
distinct subjects, for the benefit of the organical body the church;
else what saith he here, more than he said before? 2. That all these
eight here enumerated, one as well as another, do denote, not distinct
offices or acts of the same officer, but distinct officers, having
distinct administrations, and distinct gifts for those administrations,
is evident, partly by the apostle's form of enumeration, _first,
secondly, thirdly, afterwards, then_ or _furthermore_: if he had
intended only three sorts of officers, he would have stopped at thirdly,
but he goes on in an enumerating way, to show us those that follow are
distinct officers as well as those that go before; partly, by the
apostle's recapitulation, ver. 29, 30, which plainly points out
different officers, persons not gifts, besides those three: _Are all
apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers?_ (and here he stops not,
but reckons on) _are all workers of miracles? have all the gifts of
healing?_ &c. If it should be replied, But he doth not add, Are all
helps? are all governments? therefore these are not to be accounted
distinct officers from the rest; otherwise why should the apostle thus
have omitted them, had there been any such distin