474 An Expofttion of tbe Epiftle ~ And let me add this too, that the Members of this Church were fleeting they Sermon did not dwell con!lantly at Jert~[alem. For the great objection is, they f~y that XXXV. it was not a Church confilling of fluid Members, but of Men that conflamly dwelt I...6'"Y'"'V there, and this Objection they have from AC'f. 2. 5· There were dwelting at Jt– rttja!tm devout mm otst of every NutiotJ; whereof ~ooo. were converted, My Brethren this hinders nor, Mr. Mead in his 'Diatrzbe (which I refer all readers to, he is far enough off from this notion that! drew it to, ) in his la!t difcourfe but one upon this very place, he faith that by dwellers at Jerzs[alem is not meant men that had a fixt habitation there, but he faith the word .. ,,.,m,, will fignifie men that fojourned, that were there for awhile, and he bringeth two in!tances out of the Stptuagint for it in Gemfis. And he giveth this reafon which to me fe~ms _to be unanfwerable, that they did not dwel at 7ert~j'a!em fixtly, for verfe 9 • 1t ts fatd that t/,ey heardm thnr own tong11e whtrtm they wert 6om, Parthimu, rmdMedes, and Ela!"stu, ~c. Now, hdwcould they be both dwellers at Je– rtt[111em and dwellers In all rhefe Countreys too, tf they bad not been fojourners there for a time? The truth is it was a Land-flood, it was a fluid Church , oc– cafioncd by their coming up to Jerufalem at the Fea!t. I give this in!tance for this purpofe, that the greate!t Church in the World, the fir!t that ever was, was imtone Church, a Church that could meet in one place, the Holy Ghofl you fee is diligent to exprefs it, and I have fhewed you how it might be. , You fee therefore there are two forts of Churches, There is firll the Church Univerfal,which is the whole Body of Chrill upon Earth; and there is a Church in particular, as you heard of the Church of Corinlh,and you have heard it exem– l'lified by the Church at Jerufatem. I will in a word give you the reafon, why, that befide the Church Univerfal, God bath inflituted a particular Church as a Body too. It is in a word this, Be– caufe the whole Church Univerfal cannot meet together for Ordinances. You cannot call all the Saints upon Earth to hear and to pray together; yet that God may have a conllant Worlhip upheld in the World, ·and in a conllant way, and known where to be had, and by whom, he bath appointed his People to meet in feverjl! Bodies ; and, faith he, I will account all thefe feveral Bodies to be feve– ral Churches to me, and I will be a Head to them. As forJn(\ance, The King is King of the whole Kingdom, but withal bath granted Charters to this Cor– poration, and to that Corpora.tion, and •to the other Corporation; he is King of all, and they are fo many feveral Bodies unto him. Now, I having explained to you the difference between a particular Church and an Univerfal Church, (for that they that meet in"one place together are a particular Church, no men deny,) you will a~k !De•. which of rhefc r;vo are meant here ? ( fdr I have brought thts dt!hnchon but to explam tbe Text.) I Anfwer, That here the Chttrch Vniver[at is meant, in a primary manner, the whole Church both in Heaven and in Eart'h, whereof .1tf.u Chrif/ is the Head. It is plain that theChurch Vniver[at is here primarily meant, it need– eth no proof, for he 'fpeaksof that Church 'that is hisjul11ejs ; now it is only the V11iverj'atChurch, when they !hall be all puttogether, that makes up the{td11e{s of Chrifl. Take all Churches in all Ages, when they meet together (as they fhall do one day;) Take the general Alfembly of Saints and Angels, they only are hisfttlnefs. And th·at he fpeaks here of the Vw·verj'al Cl111rcb, the phrafe implieth it, HeftOeth all itt all, that is, the V1tiver[at Chttrch. But yet Secondly, fo, that all particular ·Churches, that are Bodies to Chrill and Churches too, are not excluded, but fo far as they bear relation unto Chrill"<~s a Body, fo far he is their Head and fi!Iet_h the!? all. For if they have this honour to be Churches and a Body to Chnfi mparticular, then alfuredly Je1us Chri!t is their Head and filleth them as well as he doth the whole Church, e– ven as a King is as well a Hea? of feveral. Corporations as he is of the whole King– dom. And for this I wtll gtve you Scnpture. Ephtf 4· 1 o. he telleth us thete that Jefiu Chrifl uaj'cended up o11 high, that he mf!Y_Jitl a/J 1hi11,gs; here is the fame phrafc that is ufcd in the Text, and he calleth !urn a Head afterward ver. 1;. To till all, Who 'I Not only the Univerfal Church, but all the Officers and Members
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