208 FIFTH SERMON this duty of endeavouring the increase of the body ; to have Christ for our end unto which we work, and for our fountain out of which we derive our ability of working. Every true member of Christ is intent and vigilant upon the interest and honour of Christ ; and it belongs unto the honour of Christ to have a perfect body. The church is his fulness ; he esteems himself maimed and incomplete, if that should be finally de- ficient in any thing requisite to the integral perfection of it, and hence it is that every true christian puts forth the uttermost of his endeavours in his place to carry on the increase of his master's body ; as every true - hearted soldier that loves his general, is exceed- ing desirous, and to his power endeavours, that every company and regiment under his general's command may be, in all the officers and members of it, complete. Again, every member of Christ being unto him united, doth from him receive of his fulness grace for grace, and so worketh unto the same ends as the head doth. And as the water which first riseth out of the fountain doth not stand still there wherein it began, but goeth forward till it grow into a great river ; so those who are joined unto Christ as a fountain, do by reason of that vital communion which they have with the fountain, carry on the growth of the whole body ; and the more vigorous the life of Christ is in any part, the more actively doth that part work towards the edification of the whole. Here is further required a fellowship and mutual communion of the members of the body within and amongst themselves ; unto which is first presupposed the organical and harmonious constitution and corn - pacture of the body into one, out of which ariseth the form and beauty, the strength and firmness, the order and fitness that is in it unto those works which are
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=