ch, 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:

_Major_. Whosoever are the first subject, or immediate receptacle of the
power of the keys from Christ, they have divine warrant actually to
exercise and put in execution the said power. _Minor_. But the
multitude or community of the faithful have no divine warrant actually
to exercise and put in execution the power of the keys.

_Conclusion_. Therefore the community of the faithful are not the first
subject, or immediate receptacle of the power of the keys from Jesus
Christ.

The major proposition must necessarily be yielded. For, 1. The power of
the keys contains both authority and exercise; power being given to that
end that it may be exercised for the benefit of the Church. It is called
the _power given us for edification_, 2 Cor. viii. 10. Where there is no
exercise of power there can be no edification by power. 2. Both the
authority and complete exercise of all that authority, were at once and
together communicated from Christ to the receptacle of power. "I give
unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt
bind on earth," &c., Matt. xvi. 19, and xviii. 18. "As my Father sent
me, so send I you--whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted," John
xx. 21, 23. Here is both power and the exercise thereof joined together
in the same commission. Yea, so individual and inseparable are power and
exercise, that under exercise, power and authority is derived: as, "Go,
disciple ye all nations, baptizing them," &c., Matt. xxviii. 18, 19. 3.
How vain, idle, impertinent, and ridiculous is it to fancy and dream of
such a power as shall never