About persons, as when a man commands his children or servants that are under his own power.—­Proportionably, the power of the Church in government is exercised, 1.  About things, as when it is to be determined by the word, what the Church may call her own of right; as, that all the officers are hers, Eph; iv. 7, 8, 10, 11; 1 Cor. xii. 28:  that all the promises are hers, 2 Pet. i. 4; 1 Tim. iv. 8:  that Jesus Christ, and with Christ all things, are hers, 1 Cor. iii. 21, 22.  The keys of the kingdom of heaven are hers, Matt. xvi. 19, and xviii. 18, &c.; John xx. 21, 23, &c.:  these things the Church may challenge without wrong to any. 2.  About actions.  As when it is to be determined by the word, what the Church of divine right may do, or not do:  as, the Church may not bear with them that are evil, Rev. ii. 2; nor tolerate women to teach, or false doctrine to be broached, Rev. ii. 20, &c.  The Church may warn the unruly, 1 Thess. v. 14:  excommunicate the obstinate and incorrigible, Matt, xviii. 17, 18; 1 Cor. v. 4, 5, 13:  receive again penitent persons to the communion of the faithful, 2 Cor. ii. 7, 8:  make binding decrees in synods, even to the restraining of the outward exercise of due Christian liberty for a time, for prevention of scandal, Acts xv. 3.  About persons.  The Church also hath a power to be exercised, for calling them to their duty, and keeping them in their duty according to the word of God:  as, to rebuke them before all, that sin before all, 1 Tim. v. 20:  to prove deacons, Acts vi. 2, 3, &c.; 1 Tim. iii. 10:  to ordain elders, Tit. i. 5; Acts xiv. 23:  to use the keys of the kingdom of heaven, in the dispensing of all ordinances, Matt, xviii. 18-20, and John xx. 21, 23, with Matt, xxviii. 18-20:  and, in a word, (as the cause shall require,) to judge of all them that are within the Church, 1 Cor. v. 12.

This is the power and authority wherein the nature of church government generally doth consist.

2.  That all governments in Scripture are styled by the common names of power or authority:  e.g. the absolute government of God over all things, is power, Acts i. 7:  the supreme government of Jesus Christ, is power, Matt, xxviii. 18; Rev. xii. 10:  the political government of the magistrate in commonwealths, is power, as John xix. 10; Rom. xiii. 1-3; Luke xxiii. 7:  the military government of soldiers under superior commanders, is power, &c., Matt. viii. 9:  the family government that the master of a family hath over his household, is power, 1 Tim. iii. 5, “If any man know not how to rule his own house.”  Yea, the very tyrannical rule that sin and Satan exercise over carnal men, is styled power, Acts xxvi. 18; Col. i. 13.  Thus, generally, all sorts of government are commonly called power or authority.

3.  That thus the Scripture also styles church government, viz. power or authority, as 2 Cor. x. 8, “Of our authority” (or power) “which the Lord hath given us for your edification.”  Paul speaks it of this power of church government.  And again, speaking of the same subject, he saith, “Lest being present, I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.” 2 Cor. xiii. 10.