to theE P H E SI A N S. it fuouid therefore grieve none to be fub)ectunto JefusCh~ift.. you ore t~ _be~ {ubject unto men that have power, to Kmgs and t~ofe that are 10 Authomy; &rmon Wives are to be fubject to their Husbands, _though t.tey be frov.:a~d, Ser~ants to XXXIV~ their Maftcrs &c. But our Lord and Sav10ut, Jefus Chnft, he IS the hoheft, the \./"V".;.J wifect he i; far above all 'Priucipalities and 'Powers; in all thefe therefore he defe~veth to haveall things under his fe.et. None will grudge td be fubject I? fuch a King as he is, 1f they ktiewwhat a K10g; he were. Therefore, thofe that will not be fubjetl: unto hirri, how do t~ey delerve to be de!\royed? Thofe that wilt ttot haw me to reig11 over thtm(faah he,) br111g thrm hither, a11dflay thml !Jf[ore my face. So fnuch for the Coherence. 1 Jhall now open the phrafe to you [AI! things are tmdtr hi1fm.J . You may under!\and it either locall~, m refpe~ of place, under hts feet, or imperially in refpect of power, they he at hts feet to d1fpofe of as he plea(~ elh. . . . . . · Now it is not true, that all thmgs fuall be under the feet of Chnft locally ; for when Chri!\ !hall come to Judgment into this World, the higheft Heavens will be above him, they will not be under his feet locally; therefore that cannot be fo properly the meaning of it. . Yet let me add this to thAt, That even in refpect of place he is advanced far above all Angels and Men. I know not how otherwifc to underfland that place Ephef4: 10. It is faid there, that Hr afcended far '!bovt all Heavms, it i~ fpoken m refpect of place. Therefore we argue •gamft the L11thermzs, who would have Chrij/ to be in,every place; We fay he did alcend (unlefs we make his Afccnfion imaginary,) he rriu!\ be in the Heavens, as his proper place, where he is circumfcribed. Now be faith here, He afcmded far above all Heavms, not Heaven only, but all Heavens; He ajcendul ttp otJ high to the top of the Heavens, to his Throne, fo eminent that all may fee him, all Angel' and Saints, (they are all under his feet even in that refpeCI-,) for ~n Joh11t7.he prayeth,that they mayfer hzsglory, wh1ch, 1f he were not thus emtnently fet up above them all, how could they fee him? Yet fo, as it lhould feem he is in the rftidft ot them, for he is faid to be theTru in the midftof the Paradtje of God, and the exprelfion ftlll runs thus, I wilt be in the midjl of yo11; yet fo too, as he is in Heaven, It is not fo above all Heavens, as he is out of Heaven, as fome fondly and fooli!hly dream, for it is in the Heavmiy placrs, (o the Text faith, The Mercy-Seat, that typified out Chrift's Seat, was the highe!\ thing in the Ho!y of Holiej/, fo certain is.the Throne of Chri!\; therefore there may be fomething in it, that even in that refpcd locally all·is under his feet. . But, my Brethren, the main thing is, thatit is Metaphorically takeri to exprefs his Power. Chrifl's fitting at God's right hand is a Metaphor, for God hath no Right hand : foanfwerably, his havi1zg aft things under hisfeet ls a Metaphor too, and both taken from rbe manner of the Eaftern Monafchs; To be under his feet fignifieth in general, fubjection to hirri ; fo Pfa!. S. where the phrafe is firft ufed of Chri!l:, verfe 6, Thot• madeft him to have tfomini011 ovtr the works of thy hands, thot~ha{lput altthingsmtderhisfnt, To have all things tinder his feet, is to have dominion over the the works of his hands. And if that will net carry it, yet the Apo!\le:s own Interpretation in Hrb. z. will, he to explain it · putteth in the word [ S!lb)ettion,] Tho11 ha{/put all i11 fubjectio1l tmdrr his fed. So that to betmdrr his fat importeth in the general a fubjection. As it noterh out a Subjetl:ion in the general, fo to be under ones feet nofeth out utmoft fubjection. You know that in nature it is fo; to bow the Head is a tokeri of Reverence, but to fall down upon the Earth at ones feet, is the lowefl you can go, and it is to exprefs the utmoft fubjedion. And indeed,this was the Cuftome of thofe·great Monarchs of the Eaft, and it was peculiar to Imperial and Mo– narcl!ial Power, to abfolute Monarchies, which they then had ; which the We· fiern Kings not profelfing to have, therefore they have nor Men fall down at their feet, though they haTe men kneel to them. But the manner of thofe Ea1\ern Kings, was to have their Subjects fall down at their feet; and it is the man• ner of the Turks at this day. Nnn~ h
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