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CAP.V111.4
:t4,í5.
Union
of
Chat
and
his
Members,
wherein itconffis;
196
that
the
Head
and
Members
have this
their
Union, whereby theybecome
one
Body;Wherein doth
it
confiff
?
Is
it
that
from
the
Head,
the
Members do
re-
ceive
their
influences
of
life, fence,and guidance,
as
the
Saints
do
from
Chrift?
Eph.4.i
5,
t
6.
They
grow
up
unto
him
in
all
things,wha
is
the
Head,
from
whom the
whole body
fitly
framed
together,
and
c'ompatl,
by
the which
every
joynt
fupplieth,
according to the
eland'
working
in
the meafure
of
every
part
gr'oweth
up
to'
an
holy
increafe. So
alto
Col:
2.19.
holding the Head,frors
whom the whole
body,
by
hands andjoynts knit together,
increafeth with the increafe
o
f
God; But
evidently
this
is
their
Commrenion
,whereunto
Union
is
fuppofed.
Our
Union
With Chrift
cannot
confift in
the Communcation
of
any thing
to
us,
as
tlleinbers
from him
the Head:
but it
muff
be
in
that
which
conftitutes
him&
us, in
the
Relation of
Head
and Members ;,He
is
our Head, antecedently
in
order
ofnature,to
any
communication
of
Grace from him
as a
Head; and yet not antecedently
to
our
Union
ti.ith
hire;
Herein
then
confifts
the
Union
of
Head and Members,
that
though they are
many,
and have many
Offices, Places
, and 'dependen-
cies,
there
is
but
one living,
quickning foule,
in
Head
and
Members .
If
a man
could be imagined
fo
big , and tall ,
as
that
his
feet ihould Band
upon the
Earth,
and
his
head
reach
the (tarry
Heavens, yet having
but
one
foule,
he
is
ítill
but
one
man.
As
then
one living
foule makes
the naturali
Head
& Mem-
bers
to
be one, one body;
fo
one
quickning
Spirit,
dwelling
in
Chrift and
his
members,gives
them their Union,&
makes them one
Chrift,onebody.This
is
cleare
from
the
i'Cor, 12.12.As
the
fini
man Adam
was made
a
living
Sonya
the
laß
man Adam
,is
made a quickning Spirit.
z
4.
Secondly,
of
Husbandand
Wife:
The
Union,that
is
between them,
Pets
out
the
Union betwixt Chrift and
his
Saints;There
is
not
any one
more frequent
iiluftration
of
it
in
the
Scripture,
the
Holy Ghoft purfuing the
allufion
in all
the
moft confiderableConcernements
of
it,
and holding
it
out,
as
the moll
folemne Reprefentation
of
the
Union,that
is
between Chrift and
his
Church.
Ephef.
5: 3
i,
32.
For this
cauf
e
(ball
a manforfake
his
Father andMother, and
cleave to his Wife,
and
they
two
fball
be one
flejh: This
is a
great
myßery,bat
1
fpealte
concerning Chri.fi
and
the Church.
The tranftion'
is
eminent from
the
Conjugall
Relation, that
is
between
man and
wife,
unto Chrift
and
his
Church.
What the
Apoille had fpoken
of
the one,
he
would have underftood
of
the other. Wherein
confifts
then the Union between man, and
wife, which
is
chofen by
God
himfelfe
to
reprefent
the
Union between Chrift and
his
Church
?
The
HolyGhoft informes
us,
Gen-
2
-24.
They
(hall
be
no more
twain,
but
oneflefb;
This
is
their union,
they
Pall
be
no more
twaine, but
(in
all
mum-
'
all care, refpe
&,
tenderneffe, and
love,)
-one
flefh.
The
Rife
of
this
you
have
v.
23.
Becaufe
of
the bone &
fleth
of
Adam, was Eve, his
helper, made;
Hence
are they
Paid
tobe
one
fleth.
Wherein then,
in
anfwer
to
this, is the Union
between Chrift, and
his
Church
?
The
fame Apoftle tells us
1
Cor.
6.16,17;
He
(faith he) that
is
joyned
to
an harlot
is
one flefh,
and
he
that
isjoyned
to
the
Lord,is
one
fpirit:as they are one
flefh,
fo
thefe
are
one
fpirit; and
a
s they
are
oneflefh,
becaufe
the
one
was
made
out
of
the other;fo
thefe
are
one Spirit,
becaufe
the
Spirit,which
is
in
Chrift,
by
dwelling
in
them
makes them.
his
Members;
which
is
their
Union.
4. 15.
3.
Of
a Tree,
an olive,
a
Vine,and its
Boughs
and
Branches;
lam
the vine,
(faith Chrift)
yee
are the Branches, John 1'5.5. Abide
in
me
and
1
inyos;
As Trée
& Branches,they
have
an
abidingUnion,one with another ;Wherein
this con-
flits,
the
Apoftle lets
out under
the
example
of
an
Olive and
his Boughs,
Rom.
11.
t
6,
r
7..
It
is
in
this,
that
the
Branches,and Boughs beingingrafted
into the
Tree,
they partake
of
the
very fame juyce and
fatnefle
with the
Root
and
Tree,being
nourifhed thereby.
There
is
the
fame
fruaifying
fatning virtue
.
in