the rebuke inflicted of all_;
but _of many_, 2 Cor. ii. 6, viz. of the presbytery, which consisted of
many officers. 3d, The church of Corinth, wherein this censure was
inflicted, was not a congregational, 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 Chur