2, 3. None of these are the church guides which Christ hath committed
his proper power unto. But affirmatively understand all these church
guides extraordinary and ordinary, which Christ hath erected in his
Church, vesting them with power and authority therein, viz. apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, governments, or ruling
elders, mentioned together in Eph. iv. 8, 11; 1 Cor. xii. 28; 1 Tim. v.
17; Rom. xii. 6-8. These are Christ's own church officers, these Christ
hath made the immediate receptacle and first subject of the keys, or of
ecclesiastical power derived from himself.

3. What is meant by Christ's committing this stewardly power first and
immediately to the church guides? _Ans_. There is, 1. A priority and
immediateness of the donation of the power of the keys: thus Christ
first and immediately gave keys to his own officers, whom Scripture,
therefore, calls _the ministers of Christ_, (not of the Church,) 1 Cor.
iv. 1, not first and immediately to the community of the faithful, or
Church, and then by the Church secondarily and mediately to the
officers, as her substitutes and delegates, acting for her, and not in
virtue of their own power from Christ. 2. A priority and immediateness
of designation of particular individual persons to the office of
key-bearing, and this is done by the mediate intervening act of the
church officers in separating of particular persons to the office which
Christ instituted; though it is not denied but that the church or
company of the faithful may lawfully nominate or elect individual
persons to be officers in the congregation, which yet is no act of
authority or power.

4. How hath Christ committed this power of the keys to his church
guides, that thereby they become the most proper receptacle thereof?
_Ans_. Thus briefly. All absolute lordly power is in God originally: all