but a presbyterial church, having divers particular congregations in it, (as is hereafter cleared in Chap.  XXIII.,) and therefore the whole multitude of the church of Corinth could not meet together in one place for this censure, but only the presbytery of that great church.  Again, never did the whole multitude receive from Christ due gifts and qualifications for the exercise of church government and jurisdiction; nor any promise from Christ to be with them therein, as officers have, Matt, xxviii. 18-20.  And the absurdities of such popular government are intolerable, as after will appear.

4.  Finally, in what sense can it be imagined that any such power should be committed from Christ to the community of the faithful, the whole body of the Church?  For this power is given them equally with the church-guides, or unequally.  If equally, then,.1.  The church-guides have power and authority, as primarily and immediately committed to them, as the Church herself hath; and then they need not derive or borrow any power from the body of the faithful, having a power equal to theirs. 2.  How vainly is that power equally given as to the officers, so to the whole multitude, when the whole multitude have no equal gifts and abilities to execute the same!  If unequally, then this power is derived to the church-guides, either more or less than to the multitude of the faithful.  If less, then how improperly were all those names of rule and government imposed upon officers, which nowhere are given by Scripture to the multitude! as Pastors, Eph. iv. 8, 11. Elders, 1 Tim. v. 17. Overseers, Acts xx. 28. Guides, Heb. xiii. 7, 17, 22.  In this last verse they are contradistinguished from the saints; church-guides, and saints guided, make up a visible organical church. Rulers in the Lord, 1 Thes. v. 12; Rom. xii. 8:  and well-ruling Elders, 1 Tim. v. 17. Governments, 1 Cor. xii. 28. Stewards, 1 Cor. iv. 1,2; Luke xii. 42, &c.  And all these titles have power and rule engraven in their very foreheads; and they of right belonged rather to the multitude than to the officers, if the officers derive their power from the multitude of the people.  If more, then church-guides, having more power than the Church, need not derive any from the Church, being themselves better furnished.

Thus, what way soever we look, it cannot be evinced, that the multitude and body of the people, with or without eldership, are the first subject of power, or have any authoritative public official power at all, from any grant, mandate, or commission of Christ.  From all which we may strongly conclude,

Therefore Jesus Christ our Mediator hath not made the community of the faithful, or body of the people, the immediate receptacle, or first subject of proper formal power for governing of his church.

Argum.  II.  As the multitude of the faithful have no authentic grant or commission of such power of the keys in the Church; so they have no divine warrant for the actual execution of the power of the said keys therein:  and therefore cannot be the first receptacle of the power of the keys from Christ.  For thus we may reason: