to the E PH E S I A N S. 485 --------'---:----::--:------------- Church do now? Itlhould go over all the excellencies of Jefus Chrill to mai<e her~ prize the gift of Chrill to her a.s a head. And let me tell you, he hath g1ven lum Srrn~on to be a Saviour, the Saviourot h1sbody, but to be a head I~the greater,. to be a~ head is an evcrlalling thing,when fin Will be temembred no morc,when Ius Pnellllood is at end, he will be a head for ever when he bath given up the Kmgdom to God the Father, It is a peculiar blelling, To WhiCh ofall the Angels bath he fa1d he is a Husband to them or a head to them,as a body? To none otthem. It IS only to this body, the Church, the Sons of Men. 0 my Brethren, when you arc in ~eaven and when fin fl1all be forgotten, you love him now becaufe he faveth you,Julldieth you,and cleanfeth you, and you will love him at the latter day becaute he pronounceth you blelTed, forgiveth you all fins and futfercth you not to enter into condemnation, but when all thcfe lhall be over what will be the fweetnefs for ever? That he IS your head, Above all h~ gave him to ha head to his Church. And do you but confider what a head you have. There is I !mow not how many Ails in him. In his perfon there dwelleth all the fulnefs of the Godhead bodily, fo he faithCot.2.9. In his relation to you he is All, and he is in .110Cot. p r, In his power for you he is above/fll,fo faith the Text.In his communicating his goodnefs, !Jf fitleth at/ in alJ,fo faith the Text too.He is one that hath Att the Godhead,that is .11/t in AU,that is above Att, that jitttth Att inAt/, What would you have more? Here is Atts enow for you, vallue this gift that Jefus Chrill is your head. Lall of all,Take that other fenfe, that of all relations elfe he is above all,a head, performetl1 that part the bell,and nothing is more comfortable to his Churcb, He is not only above all other heads,above Husband,above the natural head ofthe bo– dy,puts them all down,they are but lhadows to him, but above all Offices belong– ing to himfelf,he is above all a head to his Church; It IS as Ifa Wife fhould .fay of her Husband,He is the bell Warrie.rin .the ~orld,he is~ King, he bath the power and command ofall the World,he 1~ Wl~e,he IS nch, he IS ab?ve all m every thing and he bath all forts ofexcellencies m h1m, but above all he IS the bell Husband in the World,he putteth himfelfdown in that;he ads that part the bell. So it is with Jefus Chrill, he is the King of all the World, he is wife, &c. but above all he is a head,he excelleth in that above all things elfe. I lhould have made this ufe of it and prelTed it upon you. If he be a head above all, it is fit you fltould be fubject to him in all. Wives,(faith he,) 6e jit6je[f to.J'Otlr Htubands M the Church u to Chrifl. One would wonder at that, that the Churches obedience to Chrift lhould be made the pattern of Wives obedience to their Husbands; Certainly it argueth that the Church is more naturally, more willing!y fubject to Chrill than Wives are to their Husbands. Yet let any Wife confider, How do I obey Chrill ? How do I obey my Husband? But I pafs from that. I have done with the relation of Chrill to his Church, he is a head, a head ?Ver all t? his Church. I come now to the Office of Jefus Chrift to his Church, Imported m thefe words, Hefitleth all inatt. Firll, I mull explain to what kind of thing this word All itJ att is rellrainedot limitted. Secondly, I rrwll explain the phrafe ofjitti11g. Thirdly, the phrafe it felf All i11 all, Firft, Thisword CAtt] is not to be extended to ail thing• in the World; though that be true that Chnft cloth put all the fulnefs into the Creature, Adam brought an emptinefs. But that is not the meaning here. It is to be reflrained to h~s ~odY:, to believers, they are the All here memioned. As in Col. j·II · Chnll IS fa~d to be .11/t malt, but what meanethhe? To his Church, There is "tithrr Greek nor Jew, (faith he, fpeaking of the new Creature iri the words ~efo.re,). Barbarian, ScythimJ, 6o11d1J0r jru, llllt Chnjl is aft i1t all; namely m h1s Samts, be they what they will. So Eph. 4· ro,II. It is faid br fitlrth aft thwgs, but byAlt thinp there is meant his Saints, his Church, as it followeth Hegavejometo/;e..lfpojttes,&c, Fortheed•f;·iugof"the Body·of Chrijl. ' Qq q 2 &condly,
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