ct officers in the
Church in his time? It may be replied, These two officers, helps and
governments, are omitted in the recapitulation, ver. 29, 30, not that
the Church then had no such officers, for why then should they have been
distinctly mentioned in the enumeration of church officers, ver. 28? But
either, 1. For that helps and governments were more inferior ordinary
officers, and not furnished with such extraordinary, or at least,
eminent gifts, as the other had, (which they abused greatly to pride,
contention, schism, and contempt of one another, the evils which the
apostle here labors so much to cure,) and so there was no such danger
that these helps and governments should run into the same distempers
that the other did. Or, 2. For that he would instruct these helps and
governments to be content with their own stations and offices, (without
strife and emulation,) though they be neither apostles, nor prophets,
nor teachers, nor any of the other enumerated, which were so ambitiously
coveted after; and the last verse seems much to favor this
consideration, _but covet earnestly the best gifts_, viz. which made
most for edification, not for ostentation.[60]

_Except_. 3. But helps here are placed before governments, therefore it
is not likely that governments were the ruling elders; Helps, i.e.
deacons, which is an inferior office, seeming here to be preferred
before them.[61]

_Ans_. This follows not. Priority of order is not always an argument of
priority of worth, dignity, or authority. Scripture doth not always
observe exactness of order, to put that first which is of most
excellency: sometimes the pastor is put before the teacher, as Ephes.
iv. 11, sometimes the teacher before the pastor, as Rom. xii. 7, 8.
Peter is first named of all the apostles, both in Matt. x. 2, and in
Acts i. 13, but we shall hardly grant the Papist's arguing thence to be
solid--Peter is first named, therefore he is the chief and head of all
the apostles; no more can we account this any good consequence--helps
are set before governments, therefore governments are officers inferior
to helps, consequently they cannot be ruling elders: this were bad
logic.

_Except_. 4. But the word governments is general, and may signify either
Christian magistrates, or ecclesiastical officers, as archbishops,
bishops, or whatsoever other by lawful authority are appointed in the
Church.[62] And some of the semi-Erastians of our times, by governments
unde