people certain judges inferior to himself, who themselves might judge
all smaller matters, but all _great and hard matters to be brought to
Moses_, Exod. xviii. 22, 26. And our Saviour seems to insinuate, that
the Jews had their inferior courts for inferior causes, superior
judicatories for greater, in that gradation of his, Matt. v. 22.
Likewise they had lesser and greater ecclesiastical assemblies, (as
after will appear.) Now, to what use are greater and lesser
judicatories, civil or ecclesiastical, but that the lesser and lighter
causes may be judged in the inferior, harder and greater in the
superior?

2. The institution of Christ recorded Matt. xviii. 15-21, seems to hold
forth notably both single congregational elderships, and their power.
And this, whether we consider the Jewish form, unto which our Saviour
seems to refer; or whether we observe the matter of his discourse.

1. As for the Jewish form of church government (unto which our Saviour
here seems to allude) we may observe it was managed by two, if not three
sorts of ecclesiastical courts, viz: By the Sanhedrin, presbytery, and
synagogue, (much like to the evangelical synod, presbytery, and
congregational eldership since Christ.) 1. They had their
ecclesiastical,[106] as well as their civil Sanhedrin, for high and
difficult affairs of the church; which seems first to be constituted,
Exod. xxiv. 1, and after decay thereof, it was restored by King
Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. xix. 8; and from this court that national church's
reformation proceeded, Neh. vi. 13. 2. Again, it is very probable they
had between their Sanhedrin and their synagogue a middle ecclesiastical
court called _The Presbytery_, Luke xxii. 66, and Acts xxii. 5, _and the
whole presbytery_. Let such as are expert in Jewish antiquities and
their polity, consider and judge. 3. Finally, they had their lesser