1. In the primitive church, about the end of the second century, before there was the least attempt to introduce new officers into the church, there were persons called unto the office and work of public teaching who were not pastors, nor called unto the administration of other ordinances. Those of this sort in the church of Alexandria were, by reason of their extraordinary abilities, quickly of great fame and renown. Their constant work was, publicly unto all comers, be- lievers and unbelievers, to explain and teach the principles of Chris- tian religion, defending and vindicating it from the opposition of its heathen adversaiies, whether atheists or philosophers. This had never been so exactly practised in the church if it had not derived from divine institution. And of this sort is the 6 xarrj^Zv, " the cate- chist," intended by the apostle. Gal. vi. 6 ; for it is such a one as constantly labours in the work of preaching, and hath those who de- pend upon his ministry therein, o/ xarri^ov/xsvoi, those that are taught or catechised by him; for hence alone it is that maintenance is due unto him for his work: "Let the catechised communicate unto the catechist," the taught unto the teacher, " in all good things." And it is not the pastor of the church that he intends; for he speaks of him in the same case in another manner, and nowhere only with respect unto teaching alone.
2. There is a plain distinction between the offices of a pastor and a teacher: Eph. iv. 11, " Some pastors and teachers." This is one of the instances wherein men try their wits in putting in exceptions unto plain Scripture testimonies, as some or other do in all other cases; which if it may be allowed, we shall have nothing left us cer- tain in the whole book of God. The apostle enumerates distinctly all the teaching officers of the church, both extraordinary and ordi- nary. " It is granted that there is a difference between apostles, prophets, and evangelists ; but there is none," say some, " between pastors and teachers," which are also named distinctly. Why so?
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" Because tliere is an interposition of the article rovg between those of the former sort, and not between ' pastors and teachers ; ' " — a very weak consideration to control the evidence of the design of tlie apostle in the words. We are not to jDrescribe unto him how he shall express himself But this I know, that the discretive and co- pulative conjunction xa/, "and," between "pastors" and "teachers," doth no less distinguish them the one from the other than the roug /x;i/ and roug d's before made use of; and this I shall confirm from the Avords themselves: —
(1.) The apostle doth not say " pastors or teachers," which, in con- gruity of speech, should have been done if the same persons and the same office were intended; and the discretive particle in the close of such an enumeration of things distinct as that in this place is of the same force with the other notes of distinction before used.
(2.) After he hath named 2)CLstors he nameth teachers, with a note X)f distinction. This must either contain the addition of a new office, or be an interpretation of what went before, as if he had said, " Pastors, that is, teachers." If it be the latter, then the name of teachers must be added as that which was better known than that of pastors, and more expressive of the office intended (it is declared who are meant by pastors in calling them teachers), or else the addition of the word is merely superfluous. But this is quite otherwise, the name of pastor being more known as unto the indigitation of office power and care, and more appropriated thereunto, than that of teacher, which is both a common name, not absolutely appropriated unto office, and respec- tive of one part of the pastoral office and duty only.
(3.) No instance can be given, in any place where there is an enumeration of church-officers, either by their names, as 1 Cor. xii. 28, or by their work, as Rom. xii. 6-8, or by the offices themselves, as Phil. i. 1, of the same officer, at the same time, being expressed under various names; which, indeed, must needs introduce confusion into such an enumeration. It is true, the same officers are in the Scriptures called by several names, as pastors, bishops, presbyters; but if it had been said anywhere that there were in the church bishops and presbyters, it must be acknowledged that they were dis- tinct officers, as bishops and deacons are, Phil. i. 1.
(4.) The words in their first notion are not synonymous ; for all pastors are teachers, but all teachers are not pastors: and therefore the latter cannot be exegetical of the former.
3. As these teachers are so called and named in contradistinction unto pastors in the same place, so they have distinct office-works and duties assigned unto them in the same place also: Bom. xii. 7, 8, "He that teacheth on teaching, he that exhorteth on exhortation." If they have especial works to attend unto distinctly by virtue of their offices, then are their offices distinct also; for from one there is an