general to a special affirmatively—­there are governments in the Church, therefore ruling elders:  but this is our arguing—­these governments here mentioned in 1 Cor. xii. 28, are a special kind of governing officers, set of God in the Church of Christ now under the New Testament, and distinct from all other church officers, whether extraordinary or ordinary:  and therefore they are the ruling elders which we seek after, and that by divine right.  So that we argue from the enumeration of several kinds of church officers affirmatively:  here is an enumeration or roll of divers kinds of church officers of divine right; governments are one kind in the roll, distinct from the rest; therefore governments are of divine right, consequently ruling elders; for none but they can be these governments, as hath been proved in the assumption.  If the apostle had here mentioned governments only, and none other kind of officers with them, there had been some color for this exception, and some probability that the apostle had meant governors in general and not in special:  but when the apostle sets himself to enumerate so many special kinds of officers, apostles, prophets, teachers, &c., how far from reason is it to think that in the midst of all these specials, governments only should be a general. 3.  As for Dr. Field’s scoffing term of lay governors or lay elders, which he seems in scorn to give to ruling elders; it seems to be grounded upon that groundless distinction of the ministry and people into clergy and laity; which is justly rejected by sound orthodox writers[58], as not only without but against the warrant of Scripture, clergy being nowhere appropriated to the ministry only, but commonly attributed to the whole church, 1 Pet. v. 2, 3.  The Scripture term given to these officers is ruling elders, 1 Tim. v. 17; and so far as such, (though they be elected from among the people,) they are ecclesiastical 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