rbap. 30 about the Church. S: Such cannot efcape the revenging hand of God : Though men may fuffer them, yet Godwill not : One of the faddeR judgements -we read ofin Scripture befell Schifmatical Corah,, and his company, Ntsmb.6.i6. they made a rent in the Congregation, and the earth rent in funder,. and devoured them : when Caine feperated from the Church , Genef. 4. 16. he became a vaga- bond. Idem. uueft. who is the Head of the.. Church? Anfw. Chrifl only, Co/.I.1 5,19: weft. In what natureis Chrift theHead of the Church? "Info. According tobothhis natures : For, Col. r.IS. he is called the Head of the Church ;whomv.IS.the Apoftle had faid tobe the Imageof the inviflle God; but that image was the eternal Sonof God , the word incarnate : therefore Chrifl, as God-man is theHead of the Church: for theChurch ought tohave fuch an head , which had aconformity ofnature with the ref{ ofthe members that were to be incorporated into it : but this conformity agrees to Chrift accord- ing tohis humane nature , where Chrift and his Church are faid to be one flefh, Eph: 5.31. The Church alfo ought to have fuch- an head which could cog+ mutlrcate fpiritual life to it ; but this is only in the power of God , whence God is called boththe husband and headof theChurch, Pfal. 45. I I. therefore Chritt,as God, was the head ofthe Church alfo . ObjeCi. But (krill could not thus be the headof the old Church, becaufe he was not then incarnate For it is thepart ofan head to communicate , and' im- part its rood to the body ; but the humanity of Chrift could notprofit the Church beforehis incarnation , and therefore hewas not the head of theChurch of the Jews ccoreling to his humanity ? 4nfw. Though Chrifl hadnot then aélually conjoyned the humanity tohim- felf.;yet accordingto the divine decree of hisfuture incarnation, and paffion, according to theeternal efficacy of it , and according to the lively faith ofthe Patriarchs, even Chrills humane nature , and thofe thingswhich he was to do . and fuffer inthe fame, did muchbenefit the ancient Church when as yet they werenot in aft. From the beginningof the world , they were chofen In Chrtlf, anti by Chrift all the adopted fops of cod, Ephe .I,4i 5, Chrift was the Lamb of. God.flaine from thebeginning ofthe world, and therefore from the beginning of theworld he was the lively headofhisChurch : For thofe things are prefent to God and faith which are not yet corne; Hence Aquinas faith truly : Chri/lum fuiffefecundum humanitatem caput ecclefæ .ante incarnarionem,, per operationem fidei, quo ilium in carnandum apprehendebat, &fc beneficium jaf ificationis con- fequebaturë. Obje61. ButCbrifl isnot theHead ofhisChurch according to his divine nature i becaufe thathath no conformityofnature with the tell ofthe members:neither accor- ding to his humane nature,becaufe according to that he cannot communicatefpiritual life to lit members,_ therefore he is no way the head of tieChurch ? Anfw. Í anfwer ingeneral : Ifthere befound in Chrift the perfea refemblance and reafn ofanhead, this is enough tomake him truly called an Head ,. though the conditions of an Head benot fòund in either of the naturesapart. As for that which is objebìed, that the humane nature of Chrifl doth not communi- cate life and fpiritual motion to the members, I answer by di(}in ui(hing. The lifeof grace is minted into the members, either by theprincipal agent, who cre- ates grace in the foul by the way ofauthority ; ana in this fence the influx, of grace is fromGod alone : or elfefrom theinfirumentjoyned with the principal agent, and fo the humanenature ofChrift infirumentally is faid to communicate grace,and, fpiritual life : As it nothingderogates from the natural Lead that it communicates life, 'and mótionto the Other members, nót immediately from it felf , but by the means ofits latent virtue : So neither Both it derogate from the 317
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