The Remains of John Corbet, Section 14
§ 14. Of the Office of Ruling Elders.
THESE have been commonly called Lay-Elders; but ſome have diſliked that name, alledging that they are ſacred officers; but they own the name of Ruling Elders. Now it is to be noted, that the aſſerters of the divine right of this office, make it not an office of total dedication to ſacred imployment, as the office of a Miniſter, but allow ſuch as bear it to have ſecular imployments not only occaſionally, but as their ſtated particular calling; alſo that they make it not an office of final dedication to ſacred imployment as the office of a Miniſter is, but grant that ſuch as bear it, may ceaſe from it, and again become no Elders: Alſo they make not theſe Elders to have office power in all Churches as Miniſters have, actu primo, but only in their own particular Churches and in Claſſical and Synodical aſſemblies; nor do they aſcribe unto theſe Elders the power of the keys of binding and looſing, of remitting and retaining ſins, which belong to Miniſters, nor do they ſolemnly ordain theſe Elders by prayer and impoſition of hands, as Miniſters are ordained.
Now the Query is, whether Chriſt hath inſtituted in his Church ſuch a ſpiritual officer as this ruling Elder, who is not totally nor finally dedicated to ſacred imployment, but ſtatedly left to ſecular callings, and hath no office power, no not in actu primo in the church at large, but only in his own church, or in ſuch an aſſembly as that Church helps to make up; nor hath the power of the keys of binding and looſing, of remitting and retaining ſins, nor is ordained by prayer and impoſition of hands? I ſay, whether Chriſt hath inſtituted ſuch an officer, and authorized him in his name as his ſteward to admit into or caſt out of his Family the Church? I find nothing in Holy Scripture to warrant his divine right; nor can I ſee in reaſon how one deſtitute of the above nanamed capacities can put forth acts of ſpiritual Diſcipline, or of binding and looſing in Chriſt, Name.
In the New Teſtament there be three ſignifications of Presbyter, the firſt belonging to age, the ſecond to Magiſtracy in the greater or leſſer Sanhedrim, the third to miniſters of the Goſpel.
The only place that hath a ſhew of mentioning the ruling Elder in the Church that is not a Miniſter of the Goſpel, is 1 Tim. 5.17. The Elders that rule well, &c. But this hath nothing cogently to evince two different kinds of officers, but that of thoſe in the ſame office ſome may be imployed more eſpecially in one part of the work thereof, and others in another part, and that the being more abundantly imployed in the Word and Doctrine, hath the preeminence. The Emphaſis lies in foreign, ſignifying that ſome did more eſpecially or abundantly labour therein, but not implying that others did not meddle therewith: And learned men obſerve, that foreign is maintenance; which is not uſed to be given to this kind of officer, we are now inquiring of: For they are ſuch as have ſecular imployment to live by.
The Enumerations of divers gifts, Rom. 12.6. doth not infer the inſtitution of divers offices: For as he that giveth, and he that ſheweth Mercy, may be the ſame man; ſo he that teacheth, and he that exhorteth, and he that ruleth, may be the ſame: For they are all proper acts of the paſtoral office: Likewiſe, in 1 Cor. 12.28. thoſe two expreſſions, Helps and Governments, do neceſſarily infer the inſtitution of two Functions, no more than Miracles and Gifts of healing there alſo mentioned, do infer the ſame.