3.  What is meant by Christ’s committing this stewardly power first and immediately to the church guides? Ans.  There is, 1.  A priority and immediateness of the donation of the power of the keys:  thus Christ first and immediately gave keys to his own officers, whom Scripture, therefore, calls the ministers of Christ, (not of the Church,) 1 Cor. iv. 1, not first and immediately to the community of the faithful, or Church, and then by the Church secondarily and mediately to the officers, as her substitutes and delegates, acting for her, and not in virtue of their own power from Christ. 2.  A priority and immediateness of designation of particular individual persons to the office of key-bearing, and this is done by the mediate intervening act of the church officers in separating of particular persons to the office which Christ instituted; though it is not denied but that the church or company of the faithful may lawfully nominate or elect individual persons to be officers in the congregation, which yet is no act of authority or power.

4.  How hath Christ committed this power of the keys to his church guides, that thereby they become the most proper receptacle thereof? Ans.  Thus briefly.  All absolute lordly power is in God originally:  all lordly magisterial mediatory power is in Christ dispensatorily:  all official, stewardly power is by delegation from Christ only in the church guides[93] ministerially, as the only proper subject thereof that may exercise the same lawfully in Christ’s name:  yet all power, both magisterial in Christ, and ministerial in Christ’s officers, is for the Church of Christ and her edification objectively and finally.

These things thus explained and stated, we come now to the confirmation of the proposition.  Consider these arguments: 

1.  Jesus Christ committed immediately ecclesiastical power and the exercise thereof to his church guides.  Thus we may argue: 

Major.  All those that have ecclesiastical power, and the exercise thereof, immediately committed to them from Jesus Christ, are the immediate subject or receptacle of that power.

For what makes any persons the immediate subject of power, but the immediate derivation and commission of power to them from Jesus Christ, who is the fountain of all power?

Minor.  But the church guides have the ecclesiastical power and the exercise thereof immediately committed to them from Jesus Christ.  This may be evinced many ways by Scriptures. 1.  It is said expressly, “Of our authority which the Lord hath given us for your edification,” 2 Cor. 10, 8:  by us here we are to understand church guides, for here they are set in opposition to the church members (for edification,) not destruction of (you.) Here are edifiers and edified.  Now these church guides have authority given them, and that from the Lord, i.e.  Christ; here is their commission or power, not from the Church or