to theE PH E SI AN S. 477 Now go take the Brownifls,they never deny the Church Univerfal as the 'Do-~ 1 fls do they have alwaies •ffirmed that there IS a Church Untverfal m all pia- Sermoll ~;,: yea ;nd in Euglalld the mofr glorious Church of Sainrs of an)' in the World. XXXV. But yet herein hath Jam thea Error,. tbe_y have finned agamfr !'articular Church- 1../'Y""V cs, as they of old did againfl the Untverlal Church. And agamfl thcfe I for my rt and many of my Brethren profefs that they are 10 an Error,and It IS evtdent ~; tl;e I). Revel. that from the firf\ time of the feperation from Popery there hath/ been a Temple built to God, Churches to God 10 all the reformed Churches; 1 · IcometotheNext .thing, and that is, TheH.ad of the Chttrch, how great a Dignity this is to Chrifl, and Benefit to the Church, I lhall lhew when I handle thofe words, [over all, J I muf\ fpeak to tlm,. He u a headto the Chttrch.. It is a limilirude as all that are made of Chnfl have th~ greatefl reality 10 them. AHead in fcripture is to be taken 10 Three feveral fenfes, . There IS firf\ a political Head, a ruling Head as a King is fa id to be the H~ad of hts Loyal Subjects, as I rememberthereisaplaceinoneof the Books of the Kmgs, wh1ch makes the ' Kings of Ij~ael Head of the People. And 10 th1s fenfe IS God fa1d to be a Head ro Clmfl, ' Cor. I'. 3· · . Secqndly, ThereisaConjugalHead, as the Husband Is the Head of the Wife in the fame I Cor, I 1. 3• Thirdly, there is a natural Head, (which I need not guote Scripture for,) that is, the Head of the Natural Body, as a mans Head Is ofthe Members of his Body. . . . . In all thefe fcnfes IS our Lord and Savwur Jefus Chnf\ Head of the Church 111 a peculiar manner.. He is firfl a Head of the Church as a King is Head of his .Loyal Subjects, for he 1s not fo much a Head to Rebels, he treads them under IllS feet, but he is a Head to h~s Loyal Subjects. Now he is in a peculiar manner a King tci the Church. Pfal. 44+ ThottartmyKi•~ faah the Church, lv[y Kit~ i11 amore efPrcial mamlfr, He is fo a King to the Church, as he is not to all the World be• ildes. A Head in that fcn[e, And in this large fenfe take a Head for a King, and Jefus Chrif\ he is a Head to the Angels too, as Co!o(. 2.1 o. it is faid there he is the Head of all Principalities and Powers, that is, he is their King, Of this head– /hip that Chrifl hath over the Angels, I /hewed when I opened the Ioth, verfe, where all in Heaven and in Earth are faid to be gathered together in one, as in a Head to Jefus Chrifl. Secondly, There is a Conjugal Head, fo the Husband is faid to be the Head of the Wife, and that is nearer than of Kings to their Subjects, nay though they be Loyal Subjects; you find this in Ephef. 5'· 2 3· The head!hip of Chrif\ to his Church is nearer than that of a King to his Loyal Subjects, it is the headfi1ip ofa · Husband to a Wife; even as the relation of a King to his Queen is nearer than to all his Subjects, he is a Head to them; but he is in a nearer manner a Head to his Q)leen. So is it here. Thirdly, There is a Natural Head, that as in Nature the he.ad is the head of the Body, fo is Jefus Chrif\ a Head to his Members and to his Churches, they are all as Members of that one Body, and therefore he faith plainly in r Cor, 12., 2. that as the Body is one and bath many Members, fo alfo is Chrif\. And this is meant here, for it follows, which is his Body. Now, my Brethren, if you will take it in this latter fenfe of a limilitude takert from a Natural head, fo our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrif\ is a Head only to the Churc~ of men who are of the fame Nature with him, fo he is not to Angels; nei– ther IS 11 any where faJd that Angels are the Spoufe of Chrif\, neither is it any where faid that they are the Members of Chrifl. He is neither a Conjugal head to them, netther IS he a Natural.head to them, but he is a head to them as a King is to his Loyal Subjects, he is the head of all Principalities and Powers. Ytt fo (let me add this to open this limilitude,) when we fay that JefJJs Chrif\ is a head to his Church, which is a .fimilitud~ drawrt from the Natural head , the • meaning is not but that in reallity JefusChrif\ hath agreater' nearnefs to hisChurch than the head bath to the Natural body. Though it be but a limilitude yet it im– porteth a greater re.•llity,a greater nearnefs;Why? Becaufe that all the limilitudes that are drawn from things here below and applied to Chif\ do hold more really of l'p p:. Chrifr,
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