first created to himself and â—…hen pleads against us which is to Lacquey it after â—…olkelius For so he lib. de verâ Relig. cap. 10. p. â—…38 Christum autem saepenumerò non Christi Perâ—…onam aut Naturam sed per Metonymicam dicenâ—…di figuram à liud quippiam vel ad Christum respiâ—…iens vel ab illo profectum designare ex illis locis â—…erspicuum est ubi Christum accepisse Christum diâ—… Christum induere debere aut eundem 〈◊〉 in Christo esse in Christo denique 〈◊〉 dicimur That Christ oftentimes signifies 〈◊〉 the Person or Nature of Christ but something 〈◊〉 either relating to him or proceeding from him 〈◊〉 a Metonymie is plain from those places wheâ—… we are said to have received Christ to have leaâ—… Christ that we ought to put on Christ and 〈◊〉 have put him on to be in Christ and lastly to 〈◊〉 in Christ And at this rate in a while the Persâ—…nality of Christ shall lye at the mercy of these meâ—… there being no place of Scripture left that shall â—…cessarily prove him to be a Person but with oâ—… of these evasions they can enervate and with a 〈◊〉 dash of a wanton pen strike him clear out of 〈◊〉 Writ But let us a little examine his Consequencâ—… Christ sometimes signifies the Church therefore 〈◊〉 be in Christ to be united to Christ must be so â—…derstood From May be in the premises to must 〈◊〉 in the conclusion is a high leap let our Author 〈◊〉 a care he do not break his Neck for my part I 〈◊〉 not be too sollicitous to answer such Inferences But I had almost forgotten that under the 〈◊〉 Head he interpreted In Christ to signifie in 〈◊〉 Doctrine and now to serve the present Turn it 〈◊〉 signifie to be in the Church To which I onely saâ—… If they be one thing this Head is needless and 〈◊〉 they be two they make a contradiction In the mean time our Author is the most unhaâ—…py man I have met withall that having perhaps 〈◊〉 place or two of Scripture where possibly the 〈◊〉 Christ may signifie the Church mystically consideredâ—… as it takes in the Head and Members the Fouâ—…dation and Building the root and branches the 〈◊〉 and Subjects the Husband and Spouse yet shoulâ—… so unhappily fix upon those Texts which would â—…empt a rigid Antagonist to put him to the proof â—…f what in a sober sence will not be denyed Let us â—…hen attend to his Quotations Rom. 12. 5. We beâ—…ng many are one Body in Christ. All true Christiâ—…ns how many soever they be constitute but one Body but how come they to be One what is that Center wherein they meet that common Bond or Ligament which ties them together who is the Corner-stone that couples together the parts of this Building The Apostle tells us t is Christ He is the Head in whom the members are united the corner-stone in whom the sides of the building are joyned â—…he Center in whom as in a point all the Faith of Individual Believers does meet now cannot they be thus One but the Name Christ must needs signifie Church Well let us hear one of his Id ests i. e. saith he We are all but one Christian Society which is the Body of Christ. Very good according to our Authors Fancy it must run thus We are all one Christian Society which is the Body of the Church But whatever truth there is in the Notion it never grew upon this root all the Apostle asserts is this that Particular Christians are compared to the particular members of the natural body the whole Church collectively taken is compared to the natural body and that he might shew how the particular Members of this Mystical Body are united and become One he tells us it is in Christ. Again Col. 1. 2. To the Saints and faithfull Brethren in Christ. Ergo what Why they are Christian Brethren True but how come they to be so That is indeed the Question to which our Author speaks Ne gry quidem His last proof is from 2 Cor. 5. 17. He that is in Christ is a New Creature It seems somewâ—… strange to me that the word Christ should signiâ—… otherwise in this Verse than it had done v. 14. 1â—… and must do again v. 18. Before the Text v. 1â—… The love of Christ constrains us And that 〈◊〉 dyed for all Was it a Person who out of pure Loâ—… dyed for his Church who offered himself a Sacâ—…fice to God for it and is it all o th' sudden groâ—… a Church The Church I had thought was the Oject and not the Subject of that Love mentioneâ—… After the Text v. 18. we read that God hath recoâ—…ciled us to himself by Iesus Christ And how doâ—… our Author wedge in Church instead of Christ in thâ—… 17th verse Must the blessed Apostle be made 〈◊〉 speak Non-sence argue impertinently conclude aâ—…surdly to gratifie one of his forced and wresteâ—… Notions Well for once that we may not purchasâ—… his displeasure let him paraphrase the eighteentâ—… verse thus God hath reconcil'd the Church to hiâ—…self by the Church What remains in this particular is onely that descant which he gives upon hiâ—… Text i. e. Every sincere Christian is a New Creature Agreed To be in Christ and to be a sincere Christian do explain one another But the descanâ—… upon his descant is the Life of all Whoever professeth the Faith of Christ and lives in society with the Christian Church hath obliged himself to live 〈◊〉 new Life Better and better still What is it to be in Christ Ans. To be a sincere Christian. Qu. Anâ—… what is it to be a sincere Christian Ans. To profess the Faith of Christ and live in society with the christian Church Most admirable The clearest fullest and exactest Definition without all peradventure that ever was in the world of a sincere Christian and out-vies all that Mr. Shepheard's Sincere Convert or Sound Believer can afford us The onely fault that I find with it is that the lewdest and vilest Hypocrite that ever was in the world may be one of our Authors Sincere Christians You have heard what a Sincere Christian is to your unspeakable comfort no doubt Will you but hear what the New creature is and you are made for ever Qu. What is it to be a New creature Ans. To oblige himself to live a New life Nay if an Obligation nay a voluntary Obligation to live a New life will render a Man a New Creature I am sure God has obliged all men so to live and most men have superadded a voluntary Obligation of their own so to live and then what a sad rout of New Creatures is the world pester'd withall The Reader has seen by this time that his first Notion of Christ is false his second onely necessarily True his third very questionable and the fourth unproved and if it had been proved would not have done his work and now it 's high time to
not more though in another way united to the Head and one to another than Christ and Christians are in this which may be called a Mystical union for Christ and Believers are hereupon called One Christ 1 Cor. 12. 12. As the Body is one and hath many Members even so is Christ That is so is the Lord Christ and his Church When therefore he says That Christ is called a Head and the Church his Body a Husband and the Church his Spouse which two Metaphors signifie the same thing and are both of them Names of Power and Authority It is something of the Truth but not the whole Truth nor nothing else but the Truth Something of truth there is in it Christs Headship denotes Authority But then it 's not the entire Truth Christs Headship denotes more than bare Authority And then there 's something more than the Truth Those two Metaphors do not denote the same thing That of the Husband over the Wife denotes Power mixed and sweetly tempered with Love and Pity But that of the Head over the Members denotes a continual Influx of all saving Grace into his Members I wish therefore he would leave Trifling with his Hackney Fallacy That because Christ is a Head of Authority He is not an Head of Influence For he that can assert that the Union and Relation between Christ and Christians has no Spiritual correspondency with a Natural Union which yet is Explicated by it may when he sees his own time deny That the Union between Christ and Christians has any Analogiâ—…with a Political union though he has Pro hâc vice Explicated the Union by it There is one thing more wherein our Author shows himself a great Divine and a mighty Statesman for the very sound of Political Union is enough to Inspire a Man that is prepared for such Impulses Our Union to Christ says he consists in our Belief of his Revelations Obedience to his Laws and Subjection to his Authority As Obedience to our Prince is the strongest Bond of a Political Union which is Dissolved and Broken by Rebellion and Disobedience But this is neither truly Asserted nor wisely Explained 1. Not truly asserted For our Union to Christ does not consist in that Obedience which we give him as our Lord our Shepheard our Husband but in that Act of Obedience whereby at first we take him for our Lord Shepheard and Husband and give up our selves sincerely to him again to be his Sheep Subjects Spouse 2. Nor wisely Explicated For if Relation to a Prince does formally consist in Obedience and that Union be dissolved by Rebellion then whenever a Rebel shakes hands with Actual subjection he absolves himself from the duty to Obey which would save the horrible Charges of the Popes Bull. Our Author has acquainted the World with a very fine way how to live a Traytor Twenty years and yet never commit but one single sin at first but all the after acts will be Regular For if Rebellion dissolve and break in pieces the Union between Prince and Subject then he ceases any longer to be a Subject and by consequence whatever sins he commits must be called by other Names for it can be no Rebellion When the Relation ceases Duty ceases Obedience is a conserving cause of Union but the Union lies not in it He that does not perform his Duty yet is under an Obligation to perform his Duty the Union continues though many acts unsuitable to the Union are committed But should we be so charitable as to grant him all this he will be weary on 't in a while as little Children that make a heavy and piteous moan for a Gewgaw and when they have it throw it away Thus after all his Rodomontade That this Union is a Political union such as is between Prince and Subjects as if his Book could never have been Licensed if he had talk'd of any thing below Crowns and Diadems and the Roman Empire Yet pag. 162. he tells us That God has laid aside in a great Measure that severe Name of a King and calls himself our Father to signifie that Liberty we enjoy under the Gospel in Opposition to the Bondage and Servitude of the Law of Moses Well whatever opinion he has of Monarchy the severity of it's Name the Bondage and Servitude that it brings Men under I know many who if they might choose had rather come under that severe Name of King as to their Religious concerns than feel the more smooth and Debonair Treatment of some Spiritual Fathers It 's very Tiresome to Travel out of the way for the further we go on the further we have to come back and yet thus has our Author seduced his Reader but now we shall come to a vein of Matter for having reduced all the benefit Believers have from Christ as their Head to Political Government there is but one thing more which if he can cleverly compass the day is his own and this is to strip Christ of that little Power and Authority he had left him To this end we must observe further That though Christ be our Lord and Governour he does not Govern us immediately by Himself for he is Ascended into Heaven where he powerfully Intercedes for his Church and by a Vigilent Providence superintends the affairs of it but he has left the Visible and External conduct and Government of it to Bishops and Pastors who preside in his Name and by his Authority To which I answer 1. That Christs committing the External conduct of his Churches to his own Officers may very well consist with his own Internal and Invisible conduct of his Peoples Souls and their Spiritual concerns 2. Whatever Authority Christ has vested his Officers with he has Devested himself of none he continues sole Head of the Church still All Power is committed to him in Heaven and in Earth And though there are some that would ease him of the Trouble yet I have not heard that he has laid down his Commission nor taken any into joynt Commission with himself 3. Christ has given an Authority in the Churches to all his own Officers but he has not given to any of them his Authority And indeed unless he could Communicate to them his Power as well as his Authority it would signifie little But I hope they know their places better than so they are Servants of Jesus Christ tied up to their Instructions as all Ambassadors are though they come in the Name of their Prince and their Commission runs to teach us to Observe whatsoever Christ has Commanded in the Scripture 4. As to the External Conduct of the Church Christ has left it as much to Princes as to Bishops and more for several Reasons that I know of but one is this That every Supreme Magistrate is next and immediately under Christ Supreme Head and Governour of the Church within his own Dominions Well but what Reason does he favour us with Why Christ doth not immediately Govern us
in Christ be improved for Obedience That his Love to us may so powerfully constrain our hearts that we may wholly live to him that dyed for us and rose again who is also at the right hand of God making Intercession for us To him be Glory Amen CHAP. IV. Sect. 1. Of our Union to Christ and Communion with him OUR Author will not in Courtesie or cannot for Shame deny that the Scripture does mention such a Relation between Christ and Christians as may be express'd by an Union and that these Phrases of Being in Christ and Abiding in Christ can signifie no less Now this Union to Christ being a very suspicious Phrase he is deeply concern'd to mollifie it with some such Healing Explication that it may not prejudice or however not utterly destroy his main design To interpret it according to the sound of words is to blow up himsels with his whole Cause and therefore it is judg'd a safer way to accommodate the Expression if it will be tractable or to force it if it proves obstinate to a Complyance with his own espoused Notions and preconceived Opinions And now we see that the True Reason why he so zealously declaimed against that way of Interpreting Scripture in the last Section was that he might without suspition serve himself of it in this Some do not like his Tottering and Staggering way of wording his Matters It may be express'd by an Union and it can signifie no less than an Union A form of speech invented doubtless to let us know how unable he is to deny and yet how loath he is to confess the plainest Truth I have not forgot that he told us p. 108. That the Scripture describes the Profession of Christianity a sincere Belief and Obedience to the Gospel by Having Christ and Being in Christ but now he is graciously pleased to Mount them a little higher and is gently content that they should signifie no less than an Union with Christ. Four Notable Observations he makes to us in this one Section 1 That those Metaphors which describe the Relation between Christ and Christians do primarily referre to the Christian Church and not to every Individual Christian. I am sorry that it must still be my great unhappiness to dissent from him but seeing all Accommodation is desperate we must bear the shock of his Reasonings as well as we can Christ says he is called a Head but he is the Head of his Church which is his Body as the Husband is the Head of his Wife No particular Christian is the Body of Christ but onely a Member in this Body This indeed would do pretty well but that it wants two small Circumstances Truth and Pertinency which being so inconsiderable we may well spare in any of His Writings And 1. Methinks I want that sorry circumstance of Truth in his Argument Christ is the Head of his Church as the Husband is Head of his Wife but the Headship of the Husband over the Wife will not exactly measure the Headship of Christ over Believers we must call in assistance from another Similitude that of the Head in the Natural Body over the Members Christ is a Head of Influence as well as Authority he communicates Grace to Obey as well as commands Obedience And this is that the Apostle would teach us Eph. 4. 15 16. The head even Christ from whom all the Body fitly joyned together and compact by that which every joynt supplyeth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the Body to the edifying of it selâ—… in love Here 's an effectual Operation in every part the Growth and Increase of every individual Member by virtue of that Influence which the Head communicates to it And now to make the Husbands headship over the Wife to represent the whole of Christs Headship is craftily to seduce us from the Consideration of that Grace which from Christ we receive to help us in time of need The Holy Ghost has singled out the most per and perspicuous Metaphors that outward things would afford to instruct us in the Nature of that Union and Relation that Believers have to Christ the Priviledges and Advantages which they receive thereby and those Duties which indispensably arise from thence and yet such is the incorrigible and untractable Nature of all outward things such is their shortness poverty and narrowness that they do not yield a Similitude that will adaequately and commensurately express the total of Christs Grace Mercy and Authority or of our mutual Obligations and Duty Much of the Poverty and Beggarliness of the Mosaical Types lay in this those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 4. 9. that they could not represent Jesus Christ to the life whom yet it was their design in some measure to shadow out And when I have named a shadow I have given a sufficient Reason of my Assertion for though a shadow may describe the general Lineaments of its Body yet it will not paraphrase upon the Complexion To supply this defect it has pleased the Wisdom of God to institute that numerous train of Types that so what could not be express'd by any one might yet in parcels be described by Another Hence is it that one Type represents the Death of Christ as a Sacrifice for Sin as the Goat of the Sin-offering Lev. 16. 15. Another the Intercession of Christ at the right hand of the Father as Aarons appearing in the Most Holy place upon the Feast of Expiation The same Wisdom has it pleased the Spirit of God to exeâ—…cise in describing to us the Union and Relation betwixt Christ and Believers for seeing that no one single Metaphor however borrowed from the nearest and most intimous Relation upon Earth could possibly convey to our understandings all that Mercy Grace and Love which from Christ issues to all that are in Covenant with him nor all that Reverence Love and Duty which from Believers is due to a Redeemer therefore has he chosen out many that so by putting together the Mercy and Duty which is comprehended in each we might spell out the Meaning of what is wrapt up in that Relation wherein we stand to him But 2. It wants Pertinency as well as Truth For what if no particular Christian be the Body of Christ. yet is he a Member of that Body and Christ as Head of that Body is related in particular to him without the Intervention of the Body A Body is nothing else but the result of all the Integral parts put together in their due Scite and proper Order and the Church is nothing else but the aggregate of many Christians united under their proper Pastor And as the Head in the Natural Body is immediately related to all the parts so is Christ immediately related to every true Christian. If then he will argue thus No particular Christian is the Body therefore Christ is primarily related to the Body any one with as much honesty may inferre
Every particular Christian is a Member of Christ therefore Christ is primarily related to every particular Christian And thus the Conclusion will be as far to seek as ever Whether this Metaphor of a Head does primarily referre to the whole Body or particular Members But let us go on Christ is called a Husband says he but then the whole Church not every particular Christian is his Spouse as St. Paul tells the Church of Corinth 2 Cor. 11. 2. I have espoused you to one Husband that I may present you a chaste Virgin to Christ. To which renowned Argument I have many things to oppose 1. If the Church of Corinth was the Spouse of Christ then the Church of Ephesus that of Coloss that at Philippi and to be sure the Church of Rome will put in their claims with equal right to that Title and then what becomes of what he asserts p. 14â—… Christ is a great Enemy to Poligamy and has but one Spouse Is it not great pity a Conceit so ingenious should have its Neck broken at the first Encounter And 2. If Christ hath but one Spouse and yet every particular Church be his Spouse it s but crumbling the Metaphor into more minute particles and then he may be a Husband to every individual Believer 3. The Text proves not that Christ has but one Spouse but that the Church hath but one Husband I have espoused you to one Husband 4. Though the Metaphor may perhaps more fitly express Christs Relation to particular Churches than particular Believers yet this hinders not but that Christ may be primarily related to particular Believers For the Metaphor does not express the Order of Christs Relation but the Relation it self The word Church is onely a Term of Art which expresses the same Persons collectively who distributively taken are each immediately related to Christ. Again Christ says he is a Shepheard and the Christian Church is his Flock for the Relation between Shepheard and Sheep doth primarily concern the whole Flock This is but one Doctors opinion at most and will hardly mount it up to the Credit of Probability For 1. A Shepheard may be related to one single Sheep and that one is enough to keep alive and maintain the Relation one Sheep will denominate him a Shepheard though there must be more than one to constitute a Flock As there was a first Man related to God as a Creature to his Creator before there was A Church so there was a first Disciple a first Believer or Convert and that one under the Pastoral Charge and care of Christ the great Shepheard ipso facto as a sincere Convert and sound Believer and yet that Individual would not make a Society under Bishops or Pastors 2. A Flock is made up of many Sheep now that which constitutes is at least in order of Nature before the thing constituted The whole is made up of parts and I have been taught to presume that the parts are in order of Nature before the whole A Shepheard does not muster a company of howling Wolves and roaring Lyons and then by that Collection make them a Flock of Sheep but he gathers particular Sheep together unites them into one Fold and thereby they become a Flock The way of Christ is not to amass a Medley of debauched Varlets and Scoundrels and by making them a Church make them Christians but he seeks out for his own Service particular Christians and out of these Materials he forms his Church Again Christ says he is the Rock upon which his Church is built and the Christian Church is a Holy Temple Let him take it â—…or granted if it will do him any service but is this Rock this Foundation this Corner-stone related primarily to the Building or to the particular Stones The Apostle Peter who was a wise Master-builder in Church-work understood the Method much better 1 Pet. 2. 5. To whom coming as to a Living Stone ye also as lively Stones are built up a spiritual House Hence ordinary understandings would conclude that the building did not make the materials but the materials made the building the Spiritual House did not make the Lively Stones but the Lively Stones made the Spiritual House Such Language the Apostle durst use these lively Stones were first united to the living Corner-stone and the product of all was a beautifull Fabrick And thus was Solomon's Temple built the materials were exactly fitted and squared for their respective uses and places and there was nothing to doe but to joyn them together and out of those after seven years Labour there grew up a Holy Temple Had He built of Bricks the Edifice would never have converted them into hewen Stones and had he used onely Sycamores they had never been turned into Cedars by being Sleepers in the wall I must therefore abate him an Ace or two of his general Conclusion All these Metaphors in their first and most proper use referre to the whole Society of Christians In Isa. 9. 6. Christ is called the Everlasting Father which Metaphor if it be a Metaphor does primarily express the Relation of Christ to every adopted child and not the Relation of Christ to Children in gross and in the Lump A Father is as really so to one child as to Twenty he may be a Father to more but not more a Father It will sound harshly in the Ears of any that have not lost them under the Cataracts of Nilus to say That Father does not primarily describe the Relation of Philip v. g. to Alexander Iohn c. but to children in the first place and then at second hand and through a remove or two to Alexander and Iohn Thus is the Everlasting Father primarily related to every childe by virtue of his Adoption and Regeneration and secondarily to them all as brethren related to one another living under the same Discipline and Laws of the Family 2 He observes further to us for our Learning That the Union of particular Christians to Christ is by Means of their Union to the Christian Church Which he as Learnedly proves from 1 Cor. 12. 27. Ye are the Body of Christ and Members in Particular Where the strength of this Argument lies I confess I see not That the Church of Corinth was the Body of Christ That I plainly see That every particular Member of that Church was a Member of Christ I think I see that too But that it was therefore a Member of Christ because it was United to that Body of the Church of Corinth I own my Dulness that I cannot see And I have some scruples that makes me Halt and not so Nimbly go on both Feet into our Authors Opinion For 1. If particular Christians by being United to the Body become the Members of Christ then what Medium of Union have these particular Churches to Unite them to Christ We poor Folks of the Laity have an Expedient found out to Unite us to Christ namely by Uniting us to the Church under the
of the shell That our Union to Christ consists in our union with the Church And all along I Dream't that that Christ about whom the Question was He that was the Shepheard to whom the Sheep are United the Husband to whom the Spause is United the King of the Church to whom all Christians are United had been a real and very Person and that it had been supposed that Christians are some way or other United to him Only all the Question was Whether they were so United by Means of the Church or no For if we are not united to Christ at all it s a needless Enquiry How or by what means we are United to him Or wherein that Union consists For this takes away the Subject of the Question What is it then wherein this Union with Christ consists Why It consists in a sincere and Spirituall communion with the Christian Church And now the Question must be Trimed over again Whether our Union with the Church consists in a sincere communion with the Church That is this Face of the Question will do best in this place for I always observe our Author Writes just from Hand to Mouth and if he can but make a Rubbing shift for the present Page let the next take care for it self 2 And now let us hear his plain Demonstration Otherwise says he this External communion with the Church could be no visible signification of our Union to Christ. A notable Argument no doubt if any Living-body understood it In the words fore-going he tells us He means by Union with Christ a sincere and Spiritual communion with the Church And then the old question would have stood thus Whether our union with a particular Church be the means of our sincere and spiritual communion with the Church And if he had thus spoke out I am assured he had met with no Opposition But he intended another thing then and entertain'd new Councels upon new Successes and greater hopes from atchieved Victories But still the Reader is Importunate for the Demonstration Then take it and make your best on 't External communion with the Church is a visible signification of our Union to the Church that he means by Christ and therefore our Union to Christ consists in a sincere and Spiritual communion with the Christian Church And if he had told us plainly that there is no such thing as Union with Christ but that the Phrase of Union with Christ is an empty Name and has no more in it than union with a Church it had been easie to have understood the strength of his Will and the weakness of his Reason without half this Circumlocntion 3. His next Observation is That the Union between Christ and the Christian Church is not a Natural but a Political Union That is says he such an union as is between a Prince and his Subjects It was but just now that he told us That our Union with Christ is not an union with his Person and yet now he will explain the Nature of this Union between Christ and the Church And indeed he has so Bewildred himself that it needs a great deal of Explication and I doubt all will be too little to deliver it from Non-sence For his Explication must be this The Union between the Church and the Christian Church is not a Natural but a Political Union such an union as is between a Prince and his Subjects Now this has two Faults in it First That if it were true it would Over-turn his whole Design which I can be very well content withall And Secondly which is the Misery on 't its False and therefore will neither Overthrow nor Support his Design And therefore his Interest will lie in this one â—…hing if he could but see it to Prove his Assertion to be False that there may be some hopes left of his conclusion 1. As it stands it apparently Overthrows his whole Design For if this Politick Union be such a one as is between a Prince and his Subjects Then 1. There is such a thing alive again in the World as Union with and Relation to Christs Person For surely Subjects are Related to and united with the Person of their Prince 2. Then this Union to Christ denotes Primarily a Relation to and Union with the Person of Christ and only Secondarily an Union with and Relation to his Laws and Commands and the rest of our fellow Subjects For I think the Reason why Subjects give Obedience to any Laws is because they are the Laws of him who is the Legislator The Reason why the Sheep are subject to Pastoral Orders is because they are the Orders and Instituted by him who is their Shepheard and has a right to Enjoyn them And the Reason why the Wife subjects her self to the Commands of her Husband is because she is united to him upon those Terms in the Marriage-covenant All Duty is founded in Relation It 's impossible to conceive Conjugal Duty without a Preconception of Conjugal Relation If therefore such be our Relation to Christ such our union to Him as of Sheep to Shepheard Wife to Husband Subjects to a Prince then are we first Related to his Person and as far as such Relation will Unite united to his Person and then his Negative is blown up That our Union to Christ is not an union to his Person but consists in our communion with his Church Which is as if he should say Our Relation to our Prince is no Relation to his Person but consists in our Union to the Common-wealth which is a neat Engine to hook in Democracy But 2 It s False which is the worst on 't our uuion to Christ is not fully explain'd by a Political union It 's true It is not a Natural union but yet it 's well Explain'd by and bears a full Analogy with a Natural union The Relation is not Natural but Spiritual and yet it has pleased the Holy Ghost to express the Spiritual Relation by the Natural The Relation between a Prince and his Subjects expresses something of that Relation that is between Christ and Believers but not the whole All the Similitudes used in Scripture to Illustrate the Relation between Christ and Christians have something in common with each other All imply absolute Soveraignty and Authority contempered with tenderness of Affection on Christs part and all imply an absolute Subjection to be given to Him with delight and complacency on our parts yet some of them express a nearer union and more endeared Affections than others That of a Master Lord and King express Authority and Power yet not that Intimacy and union which is expressed by that of Husband and Wife That of a King implies Christ to be a Head of Government but that of the Head in the Natural Body implies the Communications of Grace of Strength Counsel and Power to Obey and withal that there 's such an Intimate union between Christ and true Believers that the Members in the Natural are