to ~he E PH E S I AN S. . F'-"'- Th~'r.e ·w· as the Grace of Vnio11 that !heManhood lhould b~nited io the r--...A../t lm, • ' c d · f lJ h ft Sermon tl<idhead. 'it was a great Grace that· and the 10UD anon o a t ere _. Secondiy, y'hatthis Manhood lhbuld be filled with all J1er~onal graces! which ~ they call Habitualgrace,as they call the other Grt!fta Vmonu; that that lhould · ·· - be ftJII of Grace and Truth, as it is,Joh~t I ·'4· _It'lsa great Gr~c~ too: _. . Butthenfaythey, Thirdly , THere 1s Gratia Gapttu-, there 1s tlus Gracebe. flowed overand above ~11 thefe tl\at Jle fi10uld.be a Head,. th'at he lhoald have a ·church to whom he m1ght commumi:ate all h1s Grace unto; that as the Apo!lle "fi eaks ;f himfelf, Rom.t + By w:hom w"t have r~ctived gra~e mid .Apof/lrjhip, ttat is the Gtaee of Apofilefu1p: fo Jefus Clmfi; he recetved the Grace of Headthlp : It is therefore a gift. · ~ . 1 will not !land to open this further, I will come to fome Obfervattoris. 'ffie firfi 6bfervatioil i's this, 'That Chrifi (you fee) reckoneth it ~ new gift lnd grace, befides his haV,io~ Perfonal communio~ with God to ~e uliit~d to hi"?; to have a body, whom he m•ghtfill, whom he m1ght commumcate unto. Itts anew Grace to be a Head, and to have a Body i Hegave him to 'h life Head til ha Church, which u his body. . My Brethren, Do but think this good thought from hence.. ~sit agift? Is it a grace, that God lhould make Chnfi a Head~ (as yoU, fee 1t 1~,) Then never doubt of his w1lhngnefs to commumcate any thmg to you; for 1t IS a Grace tq be put into the office, to be aHead to fill you. It is given hirti you fee, given him as amatter of Grace, that he fuould be a Head to his Church, ahd fill all id all. As it is the office of the Liver to communicate Blood to the whole Body ; it were unnatural for itto keep it within it felf: fo for the Head alfo not to dif. fufe fpirits into the whole. There is ho Gonfidera~ion can more ~omfort you than this. How wilhryg thep mufi our Lbrd and Sav10ur Jefus Clmfi needs be to communicate to his Church; it is a grace that he lhould do it, it is :in Honour thathe lhould do it; it is the greatefi adva_ncemehr, the highefi of all the i'e!l; rhat his Father hath bellowed upon him. My goodnefs (faith he) extmdeth not to thu, but iny comfort is it extcndeth to ihy Saints; it is Chrifi's fpeei:li; Pjal.16.1. Dobutconfider (to make a little ufe of it to your felves further) wherein lieth the excellency of Grace? It lieth in communicating tci others; fo Chrifi: i'eckonerh ir, and folhould we. Hail thou Grace in thy own heart, as Chrifi: bath habitual Grace in his 1 There is one mercy. Doth God make thee an In~ firument to do good to others? There is another mercy. It is the gift given to Chrifi, to beaHead to commuaicate to Members. See what the Apofile faith, I Cor. 12. 7· The mantfeflation of the Spirit u givm to tvery man to profit withal. All the manifeftations of the Spirit, whereby a man profiteth another; it is a gift,it i• given to him; the Text plainly holdeth forth that, That iS the firfi Obfervatioll• · In the Second ~Jiace, It is a gift that Jefus Chrilfhinifelf lhould be the Head of the Church? Is it given io him, although none elfe.is fit tor it but he, and though it be his dub; yet it mu!\ be given. Then do but make this ccinfequence from it, It is certain an office or dignity, in the Church, or over the CHurch of God, it mull bold of the Head, Chrill, it mull be given too, )t mull; be :ip-, pointed too; that is all one, Co11[/itnit, he did make him, couf/itut( him, or t;tve ~tm. If the great office of all t~e reil is by way of g!.ft appointed, ri:en certalilly all the reil, they mull all liold 111 Capzte, bold .of the Head Chnll; The Phdrifoei, they knew this well enough; you lhall fee how they put Jefus Chrifi to it (for when any come to ufurp Authority _over you _, as you,are a: ~hurch, ask the fame Qgefiion that the Pharifed did Chrill.) They put him to It, that was the Head of the Church. .Matt. 21 ..2j. Whm he _was come i11f'o tb~ Temple, the chief Pridfs aiJd thi' Elders of tht People cizme u111o him tH hi wat teachinf!,, andfaid, By what Authoritj doff thoi1 the{"e thi11gi ; iznd who gavttlm that arubority 1. The principle they knew well eil~ugh; No mari was to .exerc1fe any authomy over the Cllurch, but It was to be g1ven him;. Who hmbgzvr" thu Ibis authoriiJ, fay they to the Head. 0 oo z. What
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