penser of the mysteries of God, what shall be the object of this
dispensation? Not the Church, for according to this opinion she is the
first subject dispensing; therefore it must be something distinct from
the Church, unto which the Church dispenseth; what shall this be? shall
it be another collateral church? then particular churches collateral may
take pastoral care one of another reciprocally, and the same churches be
both over and under one another; or shall it be those that are without
all churches? then the ordinances of the gospel, and the dispensation of
them, were not principally bestowed upon the Church and body of Christ
for the good thereof, (which is directly repugnant to the Scriptures,
Eph. iv. 8, 11-13;) but rather for them that are without. How shall the
men, who maintain the principle's of the Independents, clearly help
themselves out of these perplexing absurdities?

3. Hereby the body of the people (as Mr. Bayly well observes in his
Dissuasive, chap. ix. page 187) will be extremely unfitted for, and
unwarrantably taken off from the several duties that lie upon them in
point of conscience to discharge in their general and particular
callings, in spiritual and secular matters, on the Lord's days and on
their own days. For, if the ecclesiastical power be in all the people,
then all the people are judges, and at least have a negative voice in
all church matters. They cannot judge in any cause prudently and
conscientiously, till they have complete knowledge and information of
both the substantials and circumstantials of all those cases that are
brought before them; they must not judge blindly, or by an implicit
faith, &c., but by their own light. For all the people to have such full
information and knowledge of every cause, cannot but take up abundance
of time, (many of the people being slow of understanding and extremely
disposed to puzzle, distract, and confound one another in any business
to be transacted in common by them all.) If these matters of discipline
be managed by them on the sabbath day after the dispatch of other public
ordinances, ministry of the word, prayer, sacraments, &c., what time can
remain for family duties privately, as repeating sermons, and meditating
upon the word, searching the Scriptures, whether things preached be so
indeed, reading the Scriptures, catechizing their children and servants,
&c.? and how will the life of religion in families, yea, and in churches
also, languish,