The main points of church-government and discipline

Those Apostles that travelled abroad did carry Ministers along with them, as John, Mark, ^ptheir fellow labourer, ^qand did send other Ministers, as Tychicus, sometimes to one Church, as Ephesus^r, and sometimes to another, as Colloss, ⟨p. 11⟩^sand did keep other Ministers from their particular charges, as Epaphras ^tand all this was for the service of the universal Church, so much was it preferred before the service of their particular Churches. In the primitive times before division of titles, the Elders were not affixed to particular assemblies, but the officers did in common teach and govern sundry congregations; and so it may be at this day, when it shall be found most for edification, and so it is in some Reformed Churches: As the Justices of Peace have their commission for the whole County, yet by agreement or custom for order-sake, they have their several Hundreds or divisions, in which they keep their privy and public Sessions, and do ordinarily execute their office, and in that respect may be called Justices of such a Division or Circuit; And as the Militia Soldiers, which watch and guard the City of London, are primarily the Soldiers of the whole City; and secondarily the Soldiers of such and such a Ward or limits; so Ministers, which are called watchmen and soldiers^v, are Ministers both of the whole City of God, the universal visible Church, and also of those particular Churches or Congregations, ⟨p. 12⟩which they especially take charge of and receive maintenance from, and as Soldiers, though they be the Soldiers of the whole City, yet each have and ought in reason to have one particular place assigned to be guarded by him, and the unwarrantable absence of him from his guard is censurable; so a Minister should have his flock, and be resident with it.