felves as much as they ought to the word and doctrine, or from labouring in it, is utterly taken away.

On the other hand, they that deny the mere ruling elder to be of divine inftitution, and own no bifhop or elder but him that is apt to teach, and yet think, that a particular church or congregation may be fufficiently taught, exhorted, and ruled, by one bifhop, as having power to do all thefe, or that all the bishop's work may be done to full purpose in a church without three bishops, feem to overthrow the dif tinction in that office plainly pointed out in the fcriptures, and to make void Christ's inftitution of a plurality of elders or bishops in every church. Though the whole exercise of the bishop's gift be called teaching, Matth. xxviii. 1 Tim. iii, 2. Tit. i. 9. yet there is a branch of that work that is de figned teaching, in diftinction from exhorting and ruling. We must therefore confider, how the bishop's gift, which is one, admits of this diftinction in its exercife; and what we are to understand by teaching, exhorting, and ruling, as each of them are afcribed to different perfons, who yet can each of them teach, exhort, and rule. As the apostleship was one, and yet is diftinguished into the apoftleship of the cir cumcifion and the apostleship of the uncircumcifion*; and as the deacon's gift is one, and yet we find him that sheweth mercy diftinguifhed from him that diftributeth +; fo, in the bishop's office, we find him that teacheth, him that exhort eth, and him that ruleth. And this diftinction arifeth, not from any difference in the nature of the gift, nor from fuch different degrees of that fame gift as may be found in differ. ent perfons, or in the fame perfon at different times; but from the different objects upon which it is exercised, and the different matter contained in the word, applicable to these different objects; and from the extensiveness of the bishop's work, which is fuch, that though any one bishop may employed in all the parts of it, yet he cannot excel in all the parts, and he is denominated and diftinguished from others, by that part wherein he excels. The bishop has to do with the understandings of the flock, to inform their judgments in the knowledge of the myfteries of the gofpel, and to instruct them in the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus; and much of the word of God is applicable this way and he that excels in this, though he can alfo exhort and rule, is called the teacher. For one may be excellent at this that is + Rom. xii.

* Gal. ii,

be

not

not fo very excellent at exhorting and ruling. The bishop has also to do with the wills and affections of the flock, to engage or disengage them, in a fuitablenefs to the gofpel-revelation, and with the various poftures wherein these are to be found; and much of the word of God points this way, and tends to this purpose. He that excels in this, though he can also teach and rule, is called the exhorter; and one may excel in this, that is not fo excellent in teaching or ruling. The bishop has alfo to do with the outward converfations of all the flock, to order them as it becometh the gospel: and as the glory of Chrift's name is much concerned in this, fo much of the word of God is taken up in this, and is applicable this way. He that excels in the application of the word to this purpose, though he can also teach and exhort, is called the ruler; and one may excel in this, that is not fo very excellent in the business of the teacher and exhorter. The elders that excel in ruling, and therefore bestow their greatest diligence in that, are the elders that rule well; and the elders that excel in exhortation, and in teaching, and therefore exert their utmoft, or labour in the word of exhortation and in doctrine, are the elders that labour in the word and doctrine. And they that excel in ruling, and give themselves mainly to that, are not worthy of blame, though they do not give themselves most to the teacher's and exhorter's business, but are to be honoured, in beftowing their greatest diligence in that part of the elder's work wherein they excel. So likewise they that excel in teaching and in exhortation, and labour or exert themselves most in that, are not worthy of blame, for not exerting themselves most in ruling, wherein they do not excel, but are to be honoured for labouring in that wherein they excel. The Apostle orders, that double honour, or maintenance, be given the el ders that rule well; double the honour that belongs to the deaconess and he appoints, that this double honour should be efpecially given to them that labour in the word and doctrine, and they should be especially attended to in the giving of this honour; because their labour requires yet greater intenfion of mind and heart, and calls them yet more off from labouring with their hands *, than the diligence of them that rule well does: even as the mafter in fome handicraft, having feveral workmen under him occupied in that same craft, while, as he finds needful, he can employ them all in any

Acts xx. 17. 18. 34. 35.

one

one part of the craft; yet, for ordinary, fets each of them to that part of it wherein they excel, and gives best wages to them that work in the nicest parts of the craft; and fo every part of his work is handfomely done, and his business is managed to fuch purpose as it could not be, if, for ordinary, he employed them all indifferently in the whole of the occupation.

The Lord Jefus hath appointed a plurality of bishops in every church, all of them apt to teach, and able, by found doctrine, both to exhort and convince the gainfayers, all of them stewards of God: but because the work for which they are thus qualified confifts of feveral parts, and though each of them can act in each part, yet no one of them can excel in every part; he hath appointed each of them to give himfelf chiefly to that part wherein he excels, that all the parts of the great and good work of a bishop may be excellently done, unto the glory of his name, and the good of the flock whereof they are overfeers. Suppofing, then, only one minifter of the word in a church, applying himself to all these indifferently, no part of the work could be done excellently; or, fuppofing him to give himself mostly to one of them, as he readily will, then the reft cannot go well forward. Again, if we fuppofe two, or three, or more minifters of the word, all of them labouring in that part which is peculiarly called teaching, the judgments of the flock would, in that cafe, be excellently informed, errors and miftakes corrected, and they would grow in knowledge; but the exercise of their hearts and affections would not be anfwerably lively and it is not likely, that the love of Chrift and his people, and the hatred of felf and the world, would grow exceedingly, while they are not plied with the diligent exercife of that which is peculiarly called exhortation; nor would their conversation among themselves, and toward all men, hold pace with their growth in knowledge, or be attended to, and directed with that diligence that might serve to make them shine as lights in the world, that others feeing their good works might glorify their Father in heaven. Growing in knowledge, without the other two, would make monftrous Chriftians. The like may be faid of them labouring in exhortation: for, in that cafe, the flock would hardly grow in knowledge, nor in zeal of good works, and in an outward converfation becoming the gospel, while they would be mainly taken up with inward impreffions on their hearts and affections, and the various poftures of thefe: and this also could not stand, or

make

make any right progrefs, without the other two, And if more ministers of the word than one in a church should give themselves mainly, in their preaching and other exercises, to the direction and correction of the converfations of the flock, and to the business of prefiding in the difcipline of the church; this, without the influence of that which is pecu. liarly called teaching and exhortation, presupposed to it, and keeping pace with it, would tend to formality, and iffue in fomething like Pharifaical righteoufnefs; yea, it could not long fubfift without the other two. And if we suppose seve. ral minifters of the word in one church, giving themfelves indifferently to all thefe, none of them could be done to fuch purpose, as by every one of them his giving himself most to that wherein he excels. And as each of them would do that part beft, fo they would themselves most readily grow and improve in that, and be helpful and profitable to one another, as well as to the flock; fo that one of them could not fay he had no need of the other.

It was through the pride and indolence of bishops, and the people's negligence, in holding faft the apoftolic inftitution, that this wife and beautiful order was broke through, and way thereby made for the revelation of the man of fin, And now, fince men have found the wifdom of words, or the wisdom of the fcribe, and of the difputer of this world, to be a neceffary or useful (as they reckon usefulness) qualification of a bishop, a minister of the word, and that it required much expence to train them up in that wisdom, and then to fupport them, when trained, in such state as might ferve to beget respect to them in the minds of fuch people as are not fo much affected with that authority that is proper to the Christian bishop, they think they do well when they get one bishop in every congregation, with a company of fuch elders as can neither teach nor preach, nor administrate baptifm and the Lord's fupper, nor excommunicate, without a claffical prefbytery; and these they call ruling elders. And of such elders there is no footstep to be found in the New Teftament, nor in all antiquity: for after the rife of one bishop in every congregation, all the prefbyters or el ders in his prefbytery, had power of preaching and admini ftrating the facraments under him. And whereas fome of the most knowing in this matter do not infist for fuch elders as church-officers of divine inftitution, perceiving the incon fiftency of that with the fcriptural diftinction of the orders YOL. I.

3 F

of

of church-officers into two and no more; but contend for them as the representatives of the people, (whofe consent in binding and loofing they find in the writings of the ancients, as they might alfo find it in the fcripture), to preserve their rights against the incroachments of the bishops; It must be confidered, that the fcriptural bishops or elders, and the pri mitive elders, among whom the one bishop prefided, were, in the matter of binding and loofing, prefiding in the church or the whole flock, of which they were prefidents, which was the binding and loofing fociety. So that the people themselves having a right to be perfonally prefent, and to confent or diffent, this right is taken from them by fuch a representation as cannot be manifefted to have any founda tion either in the fcriptures, or in primitive antiquity.

A