M E T A PH 0 R S FROM A HuMAN Boov.: Book r. 2. With RefpeB: to true Chriflians who are fpiritual Members of that Body. ' Of thefe the Metaphor of a Body fignifies many Things, chiefly thefe three, ( t.) The various Gifts and Offices of Chriflians, efpecially the Preachers of the Gofpel. For, . . . · 1. .'\s one Body has diverfe Members, which have their particular and diflinB: Of. fices : So there are peculiar Gifts and Offices in the Church, which particular Perfons .fitted for their Exercife, are chofen for. 2. As the Members of a human Body differ among themfelves with RefpeB: to Ex. cellency and Operation; yet thofe of an inferior Office, do not envy the fuperior, neither does the luperior defpife the inferior : So among true Chriflians there is a Society and Converfation without Envy in the loweft, or Scorn in the highefl Rank, to each other; Rom. xii. 4, 5· 1 Cor. xii. 12, &c. (2.) Of the Bond of PerfeCtion, which is Love with its Fruits and Virtues. The Members of a human Body have a natural InflinB: of Love and Sympathy, one to an. other, if one be in Pain, the refl are unquiet and ill at Eafe: If one be well, the reft rejoice, and each contributes to fupply the Neceffity of the other of its own accord, neither will one willingly part with the other : So true Believers fincerely love each other, and by tender, fympathizing, compaffionate, fellow-feeling Love, and mutual Aid of each other, declare themfelves to be living Members of the myflical Body of Chrifr, Rom. xii. 5· 1 Cor. xii. 2I. Eph. iv. 3, 4, I6. . 3· With RefpeB: to the fpirirual Knowledge of Faith and Increafe ofGodlinefs, from the Similitude of a human Body, which increafes and grows greater and !\:ranger, &c. Eph. iv. 13. ,Col. ii. I~. '!'he HEAD of a Man is his chief, fupreme and principal Member, and therefore carries a threefold metaphorical Notion. 1. The Beginning or Original of any Thing, Gm. ii. 10. Exod. xii. 2. Deut. xx. 9· Jfa. xli. 4· and li. 20. Ezek. x. I I. and xl. I, &c. 2.. Superiority and E.minency; as well with Refpect to ~antity or Place; as Quality and Rule. tv:-l1 Caput, a Head, the very Top or highefl J:'art of aThing, Gen. xxviii. 12, t8. (where what we tranfiate ['Top of Jacob's Ladder] in the Hebrew i• [Head] Gen. xlvii. 31. Exod. xxxiv. 2. 2 Sam. xv. 32. and xvi. 1. 2 Kings i. 9· PJal. xxiv. 7, 9· and lxxii. 16. Ifa. ii. 2. Amos i. 2.-'J'he Headjlone, ze,·b. iv. 7· is the highefl in a Build– ing, which finilbcs the Work. It denotes Superiority of Government, as a Prince or chief Ruler, Numb. xiv. 4· and xxxvi 1. Deut. i. 13, 15. and xxviii. 44· Judg. x. 18. and xi. 8. 2 Sam. xxii. 44· and xxiii. 13. 2Chron. xxxi.1o. Job xii. 24. Pjal. xviii. 43· and ex. 6. Jer.lii. 24. Lam. i. 5· Epb. iii. 23. 1Cor. xi. 3, &c. '!'he Head of the Corner, denotes the extreme Corner.fione, which by another Meta– phor is attributed to Chrifl, Pfal. cxviii. 22. Matt. xxi. 42. Luke xx. 17. Afls iv. "· 1 Pet. ii. 7· 3· Th~ chief eft or moft defirable in any Thing, Exod. xxx. 23. the head Species, that is, the be}r. See Cant. iv. 14. Ezek. xxvii. 22. Deut. xxxiii. 15. Pjal. cxli. 5· (Head Oil,' that is, excellent Oil) Pfal. cxix. 160. Ifa. vii. 8, 9· 'The Head of Syria is Damaf cus,- the Head of Ephraim is Samaria, that is, the principal or metropolitan City. H ead is put for the chref or principal Place, I Sam. ix. 22. t Kings xxi. 9· Iris put for the Sum or Contents of any Thing, Exod. xxx. 12. Nmn. i. 2, 49· iv. 2, 22. and xxxi. 25. Pfal. cxxxix. •7· See Lev. vi. 5· Hence comes the Word xr~aAa'"'• to re– duce into one Sum, which is elegantly fpoke of the Precepts of the Divine Law of the fecond Tabk, the Sum or whole Contents of which is Charity or Lo·ve, as the Apofrle has it Rom. xiii. 9· Sec Afls xxii. 28. Heb. viii. I. The difr.inct Squadrons of an Army are called Heads, becaufe they con~fr of a certain or feleB: Number, 'judges vii. I6. and ix. 34> 37, 43· 1 Sam. xi. 11. and xiii. •7· 'jobi. 17. Finally, the Sec7ions or Divifioni of Books are called Heads (Capita) vulgarly Chapters, to which we may refer what is fpoken PJal. xl. 7· ]u the Volume of thy Book, which the Apofrle, Thb. x. 7· renders ,. .,~,_, ,J, (3•(3'""• in the Head (or Chapter) of thy Book. Upon which Cun&us Lib. 3· de Repub. Heb. Cap. I. fays-, 'I'heje "'~""'J'' are nothing elft, but thoft which the Jews, and ejpecially tlu 'lalmudijfs call cnp1;J, thn is, the Members or Parts of Books. 'J'herefore tbe Apoft/e beillg himfelfa Jew, aad wr.ti:tg to the Jews, very Jignificantly makes uft of that Word.
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