OfEleflion. 1 o3 ------------------- w hole Churcb, who in the whole Body ofthem, mull: needs be fuppofed infi- ~' nitely more dear to him, than thofe Eleven Pcrfons, hrs Apo(\les, fo fmall a Chap. ,· Pared of the whole, whoare a Company which cannot be numbred, as Rev.~ 7 . g. who now (\ood afore his view. . . john ar.d 1udr wrote Catholick Epifl:les; (~s they are mtttuled:) And this plrt of Chnf\'s Prnycr, we may fiyle, C!mf/ I Catho!tck Prayer. 2 • Let us next take in the Greatnefs of this Perfon whq prays, and all the Circum!lanccs be then fioocJ in, when and whilfl: he was Uttering of it; and think with your fel ves, of what an infinite weight and concernment that Pray– er for that his whole Church, mu(\ be of: T nat He, the great Son of God , rh~t bad been glorified with God's own !elf alore the World was, the true High·prie!l, bearing now all the Tribes Names, that is, All the Perfons of his EleCt, and every one of them, on his Heart; [A/J, Ver[. 2.r,] and every One : And being within a fmall fpace, to go for rh to be taken, and then to offer up himfclf a whole Burnt·Sacrifice for them, and every of them: And now by his Prayer, pouring forth the bottom of his Heart and Soul-blood defires, into the Bofom of his rather for them; and this, chofen out as his !aft and only folemn R.equefl:, to be left upon R.ecord to all Po!lerity for them; and this al• fo the !aft part and conclufion of that Prayer, when his heart was moll: inlarg– ed ; (as towards the end of Prayers ours ufe to be) himfelf wrapt up into Hea· ven, and filled with the lcnfe of his own fooner approaching Glory, when he breathes it forth almo(\ at every word; when you find him alfo deeply affeCted with the joyous thoughts of that Glory and Happinefs which his whole Church fhould have, in order unto, and through this Union, effected by his Mediati– on ; and which fhould be thefruit and effeCt of that his own Glory, and thofe his Sllfferings; and how, at the latter day, his glory, and his Churches blef– fednef, in their ConjunCl:ron with God through him , fhould fo glorioi.rJly ap– pear, and be acknowledged even by all the R.efl: of the World; and that his Heart was full of all thefe Contemplations and r orefights, you may difcera irom every V<r(e, efpecially 23 and 24. Now then, Confider that he being tlius, through his fhorrnefs of time, to fl ngle forth one Boon or Largefs, to ask of his father, who (he pleads) had luved him alore the Foundation of the World; and as he urgeth alfo, had lo– ved this his whole Church , and every Member of it, as he had loved him: And that to utter this R.equefl, os his dving Requefi too, with his lafi Breat h; I fay, If youlook on him in thefe Circumflances , you will all con– c'udc, T hat ir mufl be lame grand thing his Heart was riow big .withal; •nd of all things elfe the choicefl: and moll comprehenfive of good, yea, and of univerfal Concernment to them all. Sure you do and would expeCt in rh is cafe, That it fhould be the utmofl Blefling which he could a•k: Or that he knew ( who was his rathers Counfellor) to be the ben his Father would bcfl:ow. il:nd.no-wwhat-~t? 'Tis U11io1t, Unio11, our My(\ical Union. There are indeed fame other things fall in, but I may affure you, this our Union is the grand SobjeCl: of the whole, the Ocean all the other run into. . And in that 2Ith Verfe, he at fir(\ plainly propofeth it, as the Sum of his in– tendcdRequefl, That tb-_,• a/J mfl)' 6e One : And fpends the reO: of his Prayer either rn explaining, What Union he meant, and indigitating over and over, rn more particularizing Expreflions thereabout; whic:1arc, for Subfiance, this one and the fame rhing, even this, That they may 6t Ont, tU I in thu, and thou itt rm,C!lc.that they rmy 6e perfeE! i11 Ont, And prefling his Father by thofe neare!! Endearments between himfelf and him, which he knew were the moll: taking effeCtual Motives to grant it; as his eternal love ro himfelf, and the fame love to them, Vtrf 2i, 13, 24. And he goes over and over it a– gain, and amplifies upoo it, as one that knew nor how to leave it, nor to get his heart off from it : So dear and precious a Requefi it was to him; (which i! ufual wrth us in Petitions our hearts are in :) yea, and ceafeth and leaves it , but becaufe he was call'd off by another as great an Occafion ; for the very time appointed by his rather for him to be taken by ,7ud.u and his Crew , was now come; read [h,tp. 18. And he fo!ong'd to be baptized with that Baptifm, that
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