Q21-22. Officers and Rulers in the Church Under Christ

Qu. 21. Seeing the Church is a society or spiritual incorporation of persons under rule, government or discipline, declare who or what are the rulers, governors or officers therein under Jesus Christ?

An. They have been of two sorts (1) extraordinary appointed for a season only, and (2) ordinary to continue to the end of the World.

Qu. 22. Who are the extraordinary officers or rulers or ministers of the Church appointed to serve the Lord Jesus Christ therein for a season only?

An. (1) The Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, with (2) the Evangelists and Prophets endowed with extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost, associated with them, and employed by them in their work and ministry. (1) Matthew 10:2, 3. Acts 1:26. 1 Corinthians 12:28. Ephesians 4:11. (2) Luke 10:1. 2 Timothy 4:5. Titus 1:5. Acts 11:27, 28. Acts 21:9, 10, 11. 2 Corinthians 1:1.

Explication.

That the Church is a spiritual corporation, attended with rule and government, is evident from the nature of the thing itself and testimonies of Scripture. Only as the kingdom of Christ is not of this World, or worldly, so this rule and government of the Church is not merely external, and secular, but spiritual. Neither does this rule at all belong to it, merely as materially considered, in men yielding obedience to the call which is the foundation of the Church, nor absolutely as it is formally constituted a Church by the consent and agreement described, but moreover it is required that it be organically complete with officers or rulers; now to the constitution of such a society or corporation there is required.

First, that the persons whereof it is constituted do consent together into it for the attaining of the ends which they design. Without this no society of any kind can exist. This is the form of men's coalescing into societies. And that there is in the Church such a consent and agreement has been showed.

Secondly, that there be rules or laws for the guidance and direction of all the members of the society, in order to their pursuit of the proper ends of it. That such rules or laws are given and prescribed by the Lord Christ to the Church, will afterwards appear in our consideration of them in particular; so that the Church is a society of men walking according to rule or law for the attaining of the ends of the society.

Thirdly, that there be authority instituted for to see to the due observation of these rules and laws of the society, which consists in this; (1) That some be appointed to rule and govern in the Church. (2) Others, to obey and be ruled or governed; both according to the laws of the society and not otherwise. And both these are eminently found in this Church-state as we shall see in the ensuing question with their answers and explications.

Now that these officers, or rulers, should be of two sorts, both the nature of the thing itself required, and so has our Lord Jesus Christ appointed. For when the Church was first to be called, gathered, and erected, it was necessary that some persons should be extraordinarily employed in that work; for ordinary officers, antecedent to the calling and erection of the Church, there could be none. And therefore these persons were in an extraordinary manner endowed with all that power which afterwards was to reside in the Churches themselves, and moreover with that, which was peculiarly needful to the discharge and performance of that special duty and work that they were appointed to. But when Churches were called, gathered, erected, and settled for continuance, there was need of officers suited to their state and condition, called in an ordinary way; that is in a way appointed for continuance to the end of the World; and to be employed in the ordinary work of the Church, that is the duties of it, which were constantly incumbent on it by virtue of the command and appointment of Christ.