5. The eminency of this gift appears in the variety and diversity of the offices and officers which Christ gave in giving of the ministry. He knew there would, and had appointed there should, be a twofold estate of the church, Eph. iv. 11, — (1.) Of its first election and foun- dation; (2.) Of its building and edification. And different buth offices
492 OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS. [BOOK IX.
and gifts were necessary unto these different states; for: — (1.) Two things were extraordinary in the first erection of his church: — [1.] An extraordinary aggression was to be made upon the kingdom of Satan in the world, as upheld by all the potentates of the earth, the concurrent suffrage of mankind, with the interest of sin and preju- dices in them. [2.] The casting of men into a new order, under a new rule and law, for the worship of God ; that is, the planting and erecting of churches all the world over. With respect unto these ends, extraordinary officers, with extraordinary authority, power, and abili- ties, were requisite. Unto this end, therefore, he "gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists;" of the nature of whose offices and their gifts we have spoken before. I shall here only add, that it was necessary that these officers should have their immediate call and authority from Christ, antecedent unto all order and power in the church, for the very being of the church depended on their power of office. But this, without such an immediate power from Christ, no man can pretend unto. And what was done originally by their persons is now done by their word and doctrine; for the church is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone," Eph. ii. 20. (2.) There was a state of the church in its edification, which was to be carried on, according to the rules and laws given by Christ, in the ordinary administration of all the ordinances and institutions of the gospel. To this end Christ gives ordinary officers, " pastors and teachers," who by his direction were " ordained in every church," Acts xiv. 23. And these are all the teaching officers that he hath given unto his church ; or if any shall think that in the enumeration of them in this place, as also 1 Cor. xii. 28, our apostle forgot popes and diocesan bishops, with some others, — who certainly cannot but laugh to themselves that they should be admitted in the world as church- officers, — he must speak for himself.
" But whereas the other sort of officers was given by Christ, by his immediate call and communication of power unto them, it doth not appear how he gives these ordinary officers or ministers unto it." I answer, he did it originally, and continueth to do it, by the ways and means ensuing: —
(1.) He doth it by the law and rule of the gospel, wherein he hath appointed this office of the ministry in his church, and so always to be continued. Were there not such a standing or- dinance and institution of his, it were not in the power of all the churches in the world to appoint any such among them, what- ever appearance there may be of a necessity thereof; and if any should have attempted any such thing, no blessing from God would have accompanied their endeavour, so that they would but set
CHAP. VI.] THE INSTITUTION OF THE MINISTRY. 493
up an idol of their own. Hereon we lay the continuance of the ministry in the church. If there be not an ordinance and institu- tion of Christ unto this purpose, or if, such being granted, yet the force of it be now expired, we must and will readily confess that the whole office is a mere usurpation. But if he have given " pastors and teachers" unto his church, to continue until all his saints in all ages " come unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ," Eph. iv. 11-13, and hath promised to be with them, as such, unto the consummation of all things, Matt, xxviii. 18-20; if the apostles by his authority ordained elders in every church and city, Acts xiv. 23, Tit. i. 5, and who therein were made overseers of the flocks by the Holy Ghost, Acts xx. 28, having the charge of feeding and overseeing the flock that is among them always, until the chief Shepherd shall appear, 1 Pet. v. 1-5; if be- lievers, or the disciples of Christ, are obliged by him always to yield obedience unto them, Heb. xiii. 7, 17; with other such plain declara- tions of the will of the Lord Christ in the constitution and continu- ance of this office; — this foundation standeth firm and unshaken as the ordinances of heaven, that shall not be changed. And whereas there is not in the Scripture the least intimation of any such time, state, or condition of the church, as wherein the disciples of Christ may or ought to live from under the orderly conduct and guidance of the ministers, it is vain to imagine that any defect in other men, any apostasy of the greatest part of any or all visible churches, should cast them into an incapacity of erecting a regular ministry among them and over them ; for whereas the warranty and autho- rity of the ministry depends on this institution of Christ, which is accompanied with a command for its observance, Matt, xxviii. 18-20, all his disciples being obliged to yield obedience thereunto, their doing so in the order and manner also by him approved is sufficient to constitute a lawful ministry among them. To suppose that because the church of Rome and those adhering unto it have, by their apos- tasy, utterly lost an evangelical ministry among them, that therefore others unto whom the word of God is come, and hath been effectual unto their conversion, have not sufficient warranty from the word to yield obedience unto all the commands of Christ (which, when we have talked of powrer and authority whilst we please, is all that is left unto us in this world), or that in so doing he will not accept them and approve of what they have done, is an assertion fit for men to maintain who have a trade to drive in religion unto their own especial advantage.