An Expofttirm of the Epiftle ~ flatJdby, I wiOgive-thu a ptau amottgf1 the .AngtJs, (for they werethey that Smn. ¥ . ~oQII.by, and appeared upon the fpeckled Horfes, as Chap. 1.) I w zlt g.ve thee a .~ 6et1er Hou[(, a bttter Temple, thoujbatt tivt with .Avgtts,a11d dwtl with them, atldworfbzp with them, thou /halt beraifedup to a Heavenly Court; tvtfl to Holy (1 11 gtls ifthou wilt ltupmyCourts hen be/O'..u, Tllli& you fee what an alfociati• on 11)en'and Angels have amongfi themfelves,both in this world, and in the world ~ocome. Well, let us fee what communion they have with Chri~ as ahead, Firfi,fome fay ~hat Jefus Chrtfi is abead to themonly by way ol emmency and external go. vernment,becaufe he is the principal and the head ofall power, he bath all power in l)im, ther~fore, becaufe he governeth them and ruleth them externally, as a Kingdoth his Subjects, in thatrefpec.t they fay he is only a head, . But,my J>rethren, he 1s ahead in a nearer relation to them than fo. Why? For Firfi, Sohe is tp all Cre~tures in refpec.t ofgovernment, all Creatures are fubject to him. ,Again Seeondly,The Angels are apart of his Family,(as I lhcwed before.) Now tlwugh be that is Mafter of the Family be a Lord to all the things in the houfe,and Jhe Mafter ofthem all,yet he is ahead only totheperfons,for he bath a more near relation to the Perfons in the Family, than he bath to all the goods, God ruleth !lll the world, he ruleth all the goods belonging to this Family, in Heaven and in Earth, and they are all fubjcc.t unto him, but he is a head ofthe Perfons in this Family, of which Angels are a part as well as men. Thir<lly, This were to make Chrifi the head ofthe Angels, as the Papiils do make the Pope head of the Church, but by external government ; certainly heismorethanfo. Nay, it weretomake Jefus Chrift head of the Angels in Heaven, as the Devil is head ofevil Angels and wicked men, by ruling ol them only externally. Certainly he is more tban fo, when they are made part of the family, when the Scripture faith that he is the head ofall Principalities and Pow– er~. 'rherefore, In the Secondylace, H~ is a head to th:".l by way offecret influence of grace 9nd glory. If JefusChrtilbeahead, 1t1sfit that he lhoulddofomethingfor \hew, that they lhould be beholding to him, that he lhould not only have that headlhip by virtue of his dignity and excellency, but that they lhould have fome benefif, fame influence ariting to them from Chriil, if that thus he 1hall be ad– v~n<;ed to be a head over them ; for God will never advance Chri!l to be a head 9vqr •ny, but they lhall have benefit by him. Firil, they had their creation by him , Col, 1. 15, 16. The Apoille telleth us t\lere, that all things, whether vifible or invifible, they are all crea– ted by him; By him (faith he,) wtrt a/J things created, that are i11 fleavm, a11d that a~e in Earth, (here is the fame enumeration,) vifi· (l)e a11d inviji61e (he~e i~ .Angels and men, ) whethtr they 6t Thrones or '1Jomm101u, or PrmCtpalztlts o1' Powtrs, all thzngs were created6y him and jqr him.. Yea, and my Brethren, they were virtually creat.ed by him, as fuppofed to ~ake m3n's Nature, for of him, as fuppofed to take mans Nature, cloth the A· l'ofile thercfpe.ak, who isth~ Imagt (fait~ he) oftht jnviji61e God, the Firfl· llo•n·of every Creature; wh1chcanbeafcnbedto Chr1fi, noway, but as he is God·man, and fo all the reillikewife, but I will not ftaod upon that. !n ~be. Second placeJ H~ is thecommon principle oftheir grace, as well as their ~emg. £phej.1.z ~.tt 1s fa1d,that Chrl{ffi/Jetb a/J i11 all,(fpeaking of him,as he is a hqaq, ~nd. as he hatil a body~) it is the fame phrafe that isufed of God afterrhe dayofJudgment. 1 Cor. 15. Hefait.h, thatGodwill6t all inall, God is all in 1\ngcl;s,-and all in men then; fois Jefus Chrift, he is that unive<fal principle of ~11 gra~, A!'9 there ~ ~h~ R.e~fon for it; Fo~whatfuever h~th any thi~g. by way of l?lfttc•paJt_on, tt·1s reduc1ble to fometh1og that bath 1t peYfe, .ol itfelf. The .1\.nge!s lJ.a.ve Grace, but they have it by·participation; therefore they arc redu– ~qJ; a.!. w~llas Men, to fome thing,.to fome Head, toa~iquidprimum, which harh GraceiQilllllperfe; thatonlyChr~fi hath, he only IS of himfclf beloved; he only
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