though with a Chain he made him tremble and here in the first Verse he comes as a Prisoner for their sakes to beseech them and a further and special Emphasis he comes to perswade them to that which is most pleasing namely To Vnity to which purpose he uses four several Arguments First There is a common engagement of all Saints to Vnity I beseech you walk worthy of your Vocation whereu to you are called with all lovliness and meekness forbearing one another in love there is one body one spirit even as you are all called in one hope of your calling one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all here is a whole bundle of Arguments in this first consider your Vocation those Priviledges to which you are advanced thereby and they leave a very great obligation upon you as Saints to study Vnity Secondly There is an Argument from the Equity of the thing in the 7. Verse Vnto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ unto every one of us every one hath some gift as it pleases Iesus Christ to proportion out such a measure to this Saint and such a measure to that Saint the little finger in the mystical body so much as is fit for him in the hand so much as is fit for him and this with a common respect that there might be a mutual use of all those with subserviency to the whole in reference to the mystical body of Christ there is an equity in it Thirdly There is a very great congruity and that argument you shall finde in the 8 9 and 11 Verses Jesus Christ when he did ascend he gave gifts to men all the gifts that are in the Churches and graces they are derived from the same efficient cause and therefore it is most incongruous that they should be distracted and divided so as to reflect dishonorably upon him that is the sole efficient cause of them and that with common intents and purposes for good of the mystical body But then fourthly and lastly You have here another Argument from the necessity of it till we all come to the Vnity of Faith and that we be no more tossed to and fro as children and carried up and down with every wind of Doctrine but that we speak the truth in love and so grow up into Jesus Christ in all things who is the head here is the necessity of it you 'l never grow up to intimate communion and fellowship with Jesus Christ you 'l never make a wise improvement of him as members of the mystical body unless you learn this heavenly skill namely How to advance Vnity and so I come to shew you what propositions this last Argument drawn from the necessity of the thing will afford us in the 15. Verse which by Gods assistance according as the weak measure of strength I have will bear I shall insist upon at this time But speaking or following the Truth in Love grow up into Christ in all things which is the head where first its clear Doctr. 1 Jesus Christ is the head of Saints the head of the Church Doctr. 2 2. The Lord Jesus Christ when he ascended and gave gifts to men did intend did expect that there should be such an entertainment of the gospel that we should grow up into Christ in all things who is the head Doctr. 3 3. Thinking speaking following the truth in love is the Gospel method to our Spiritual welfare I 'le begin with the first Doctr. 1 Christ is the head of particular Saints the head of the Church In the state of innocency Adam was the head of the great family of the world when he forfeited his headship and all that he did enjoy by eating the forbidden fruit that family was dissolved he was turn'd out of Paradice all was scattered abroad and we with him were then cast into a desperate condition unless God would be pleased to finde out a second Head and to that purpose out of the riches of his Grace and the infiniteness of his Wisdom that which Angels could not reach which men had not so much as any thoughts of or desires after God pitched upon namely Christ and designed him the Head of the Corporation of his Church of a certain number given unto him in his eternal Counsel for whom he should undertake and this learned Expositors conceive to be the meaning of that place where he speaks of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} there in Ephesians 1. 10. That he might gather together all things that all things might be headed under one headed under Jesus Christ Now before the fall all were headed under the old Adam now when they were in a shatter'd condition they should be reconciled and collected headed under Jesus Christ for the better opening of this you may be pleased to take notice of three particulars First Here is the Headship it self Secondly Here is the Appropriation of this Headship to whom he is Head Thirdly Here is the Title to this Headship First For the Headship it self he is Head 1. In regard of his preheminence it is an expression in 1 Col. 17. 18. In all things having the preheminence he is the Head every member in the mystical body hath a Dignity and is advanced to an excellency to some degree of it but he that is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that hath the preheminency he is the Head that is Christ but this is not all if you look upon a Picture there the head of a man hath a preheminence therefore we must have more then this He is head 2. In regard of Direction and in regard of Power being a wise head able to advice and guide and govern the body as the Apostle Peter speaks of him in 1 Pet 3. 22. Who is gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God Angels Authorities and Powers being made subject to him he hath a universal and absolute regiment over all things in heaven and earth over men and Devils but then 3. In regard of that Influence that he doth convey to the bodies Sence and Motion is derived from Christ as the spring it is true that in the natural body there the heart is primum vivens but in the mystical body the head is primum vivens and he gives life to us and we derive our life from Jesus Christ the head he hath life and he hath it abundantly in himself and he lives that we may live as I remember there is such an expression in John 10. 10. 4. In regard of Vnion he doth tie altogether the nerves and sinews would not unite the members of the mystical body unless Jesus Christ were the Head As he is the Foundation stone and so supports the building so he is the Corner stone both the beauty and
strength and union of the building Fundatio fundatissima as Junius renders it in Isa. 28. 16. a most sure foundation and the Corner stone as Peter hath it in 1 Pet. 2. 7 8. with reference to that place and so in these four particulars Jesus Christ hath a Headship the next thing is now The appropriation of this Headship to whom is he a head He is an external Head to all the members of the visible Church to all professors as he is a vine and doth communicate some sap to those that are in him no way but by an external profession as you have it intimated in John 15. 2. Every branch in me that bears not fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire and therefore there are some branches in him externally as he is an external Head to the Church as he is a vine but indeed he is properly the Head of his body the Savior of his body he is a Head to those to whom he is a Savior in Ephesians 5. 23. As the King hath a common relation to all his Subjects but a more pecular relation to the Queen who is a Subject and a Spouse Note and so hath Jesus Christ to his Church and the reason is this because there is a full commensuration betwixt all the three glorious persons in the Trinitie they are grossly mistaken that will make Jesus Christ to dye for all and yet will not in their sence so as to make them Salvabiles if they will and yet cannot say That either God hath given Christ to all or given all to Christ or that the Spirit of God will apply that Redemption to all for there is a commensuration there is an adaequation betwixt the three glorious Persons in the Trinity and their workings for the Salvation of the Saints Jesus Christ dyes for those whom God hath given to him with purposes of Salvation I do not deny but all the wicked in the world may have some benefit by the death of Christ as all have some common pledges of the bounty of God and all may have some common operations of the Spirit of God but if you 'l speak of any thing as to Salvation there is a commensuration betwixt the three persons in the Trinity and their workings Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father Sanctification of the Spirit and the sprinkling of the blood of Christ in 1 Pet. 1. 2. indeed in 1 John 2. 2. He is a propitiation for our sins Note and not for ours onely but for the sins of the whole world to whom did John write that Epistle to the Jews and therefore to shew that they had not all Religion now engross'd amongst them and that the Election of God did not still run amongst them only he speaks in that dialect he did not intend every particular man in the world for then he must intend men that sin against the Holy Ghost which is impossible that they should be saved No man will say that understands any thing even in Catechistical Divinity that Jesus Christ dyed to save them which he must do if he dyed for every man in the world with such purposes to save them and so in 1 Tim. 1. 4 5 6. He is given a ransom for all why all There is one God and one Mediator now Jews and Gentiles as Jesus Christ did take our nature upon him both Jews and Gentiles all estates shall have the common priviledge and benefit and advantage of being in a capacity to receive blessings from him spiritual saving blessings that is all conditions whether Kings and all in Authority or Servants or others not every particular person but as in one place Jews or Gentiles so in another place not this or that condition but all estates and all relations and all conditions but still the Appropriation is to the Church as here he saith from whom the whole body is joyned together in the 16. Vers. from whom from Christ the whole body is joyned together so it is the body that hath this influence from him but then 3. What is his Title to his Headship it is threefold First The designation of God and the Father God the Father hath sealed him he gave him to be a Head to the Church over all things in Ephe. 1. 22 23. and then Secondly His personal fitness Of his fulness we all receive grace for grace In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and then Thirdly His own propitious readiness We were not in any degree so willing to be saved as he is to save us He came down to seek and to save that which is lost the Spirit of the Lord was upon him and anointed him to preach the Gospel it was his business and as he had a Commission from his Father and came under the Broad-Seal of Heaven so he had a strong inclination from his own bowels to engage him to it there is his Title the use of this Vse 1 1. To trie the title of the Popes Headship to the Church how comes he by it for a Church to have two Heads one body to have two heads it is a Monster you 'l make it Monstrous we do allow in a good sence That the Supreme Magistrate is Caput politicum in the Church to command good things according to the Word of God and to restrain evil according to that Word we hold forth confidently that Jesus Christ he is the onely proper Head of the Church that doth convey all saving spiritual blessings life nourishment direction and all those admirable advantages to the body we cannot allow a Caput Vicarium a Ministerial Head there is no need of that Jesus Christ is the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the Head here is an Article that gives an Emphasis what needs it any other Jesus Christ is present always in his Church when he withdrew his Corporal presence he would then requite his Church with his Spiritual presence and that presence of his Spirit it should accompany them to the end of the world But the Pope as great as he is cannot be present in every place we need not spend any more time in crying down that that is so prodigious so many several Saints and so many several Churches in several parts of the world how is it possible that a Pope can be Head of them all but then Vse 2 2. Beware of being injurious to the least member of Jesus Christ If Christ be the Head of the body surely his body is dear to him never think to ruine the body or to drown the body as long as the Head is able to keep it self above water never think to hurt the body as long as the head is able to secure it and protect it and defend it there are very notable expressions in several of the Prophets as in Daniel There are four great Monarchies then came a little stone hewen out of the mountain and breaks them all
one after another All opposite powers to the Kingdom and Headship of Jesus Christ shall be confounded in despight of the Pope and Turks and Devil and all All the Kingdoms of the earth shall at last become the Lords and his Christs and then in the 12. of Zachary you shall finde there in the 5. Verse Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls numerously for I saith the Lord will be unto her a wall of fire round about and will be the glory in the middest of her a wall of fire to burn up the Enemy and I will be the glory in the midd'st of her for the comfort of his people the presence of God is the glory of any place and therefore he saith He will create a defence upon the glory an admirable place in the 4. of Isaiah Pour upon them a Spirit of burning and judgement to direct them and consume the Enemies and he will create a defence upon all the glory upon his Saints which are the glory so he is pleased to count them though there be no preparations in them to raise a defence he will create it yea in Zach. 12. 2. Behold I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling to all people round about And in that day I wil make Jerusalem a burthensome stone for all people all that burthen themselves with it shall be cut in pieces though all the people of the earth shall be gathered together against it O what encouragement is here for the poor Saints the Citizens of Jerusalem let all the desperate Atheists and prophane opposites combine against the people of God and plot although they may have it may be some particular advantages as it is said of the Romans they were Praelio victi but not Bello it may be now and then they may get an advantage in this combate against the Church but yet they shall never totally and finally overcome them though they be all gathered together God will make Jerusalem a burthensome stone to all that burthen themselves with it There will a time come when the Lord will grinde to pieces all those that have any Antipathy against Jerusalem when God will trample Satan and all other Enemies under the feet of his Jerusalem when God will call for all them forth that would not have him to rule over them Bring forth mine Enemies that would not I should raign over them and slay them before me in Luke 19. 27. there is the second Use Vse 3 3. If Jesus Christ be the Head of the Church then surely he must have a body an head without a body were prodigious and therefore that Doctrine of the Arminians must needs prove false That would have Jesus Christ come into the world upon these terms and to dye upon such considerations that all things should be left so far to mans Free-will that it was in their power unless they would be so good natur'd as to believe when Jesus Christ call'd upon them that he should not have one Member no body at all This is the erronious Doctrine of Arminius and his Followers that go upon his principles is it impossible that Jesus Christ should not have one Member for he gives onely posse he gives not velle if you will not believe and improve your Free-will you may chuse whether ever you will believe or no they will not allow that Jesus Christ by an invinciable by an almighty power shall carry men and overcome men so far as to make them of unwilling to be willing to believe yea where Arminius hath four decrees concerning the Salvation of men you may be within the compass of all those four decrees Note and yet not be saved a miserable condition he tells you God hath decreed to give Christ and means and that all who believe shall be preserved and saved but he tells you not that he hath decreed to give faith and repentance to any one man to enable him to believe and therefore it is a most dishonorable Doctrine to the Headship of Christ blessed be God that it so much discover'd and we are so far delivered from it though it is most unhappily of late in some parts of it got into too many Popular hands But then Vse 4 4. Take heed I beseech you of any obstructions that might hinder a sweet communion betwixt the Head and the Members that might hinder an intercourse betwixt Jesus Christ and your souls let this rather be your care to gain that heavenly skill how you may make use of Jesus Christ as the Head 1. Give him the glory of his Soveraignty let him be all in all the Soveraignty of his Grace and the Soveraignty of his Independency to save whom he pleaseth and to do what he pleases with men to have mercy on whom he will have mercy and because he will have mercy 2. Give him the glory of his Wisdom as a Prophet seek wisdom from God and it shall be given you in James 1. 5. as you should give him the honor of his Soveraignty allowing him this that as the Potter he may make some vessels to honor and some to dishonor as he pleaseth 3. Give him the honor of his Riches and Fulness seek supplies from him do not live upon your selves nor upon your duties nor upon ordinances onely but live upon Jesus Christ in all so give Christ the honor of being the spring of your Supplies in him are fresh springs 4. Give him the honor of being the best friend in the world and labor for such an intimacy with him that he and you may be acquainted for he saith If ye love him and keep his commandments he and his Father will come and take up his abode with you and he will manifest himself to you in John 14. 23. O how much of heaven will that soul have upon earth that he should have Jesus Christ come and dwell with him and when he goes to Prayer manifest himself when he goes to read the Scriptures paraphrase upon the Bible and suggest sweet hints to him when he is in any straights overpower him with a Divine instinct though he hath not an express revealed will to walk with as we have not in every particular circumstance of an action O that then Jesus Christ should particularize some general Scripture to you or bring something to your minde that you have heard in a Sermon it may be a dozen years ago give him the glory of this and improve him to this blessed purpose Doctr. 2 The Lord Jesus Christ did intend and doth expect that upon his ascension and giving gifts there should be such an entertainment of the Gospel that we might grow up into him in all things who is the Head It is the perfection of a Christian to improve all the three Persons in the Trinity when you look upon God and his attributes to finde proportionable impressions upon your souls by his greatness to learn to fear him by his
godness to love him when you look upon the Spirit of God and his working then likewise to feel some stamps answerable thereunto that you may have an inclination to comply with him in all things so likewise when ye behold Jesus Christ in the passages of his redemption to make use of all that there may be some proportionable correspondency betwixt his dispensations towards you and your improvement of them And here I shall briefly desire you to consider under this point these three particulars First The intention it self and the expectation of Jesus Christ Secondly The grounds of it and Thirdly The ends of it 1. For the intention and expectation of Jesus Christ himself when he did ascend and gave gifts it is this in three particulars 1. That there should be a growth That there should be a growing up into Christ That there should be a growing up into Christ in all things I beseech you mark these three particulars First That there should be a growth how a growth so as to compleat the number of all the Saints that not one of them be lost Jesus Christ hath undertaken that he will not lose one that God the Father hath given him and therefore all those must be called in and it is conceived by learned Expositors that that is the meaning of this place Christ hath given gifts for the perfecting of the Saints that is for the compleating the number To fill up the number of persons that so many as were elected from eternity so many might be called in and then For the compleating of the graces of those Saints both in the degrees and in the activity of them for Jesus Christ it is an admirable condescending expression reckoneth not himself compleat till all his members be compleat I beseech you take notice of that first Chap. and the last verse of the Ephesians Which is his body the fulness of him that filleth all in all Jesus Christ fills all in all and yet he saith his body is the fulness of him he is pleased not to account himself compleat as head of the Church till his members be compleated as to the number of them and till their graces likewise be compleat to such a degree as he intended but then Secondly There must be a growing up there must be the maner grow up into Christ not onely a concorporating with Jews as the Gentile Churches did in the 3. of the Ephesians not onely an incorporating into Jesus Christ though that is very much into the body of Christ but a transforming into Christ that you may be moulded in Christ I would not be too bold with those expressions of Nazianzen because I see they are abused {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} It is an admirable one that Athanasius hath That Jesus Christ took the nature of man upon him that so we might have the nature of God conveyed to us the divine nature there is a ground for that expression in 2 Pet. 1. 4. and a delivering up into Christ into his word in Rom. 6. 17. the form of doctrine into which you were delivered here is an admirable improvement of Christ when a Sermon is delivered to you the minde of Jesus Christ discovered for you to be delivered up to it that you may go out of the assembly under the power of that truth and moulded in it and then withal that Christ might be in you and you might be in Christ that there might be a mutual in-dwelling as in that place in John yea that we may come to live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit in Gal. 5. 25. yea and that the very life of Faith the life that we live may be by faith in the Son of God in Gal. 2. 20. not onely now and then to pray in faith but to live by faith to act all in faith here is a growing up into Christ not onely a growing to some knowledge of Christ or to some profession of Christ or to make towards Christ but to be moulded to be transformed into Christ here is the entertainment and improvement of the Gospel that Christ expects but then Thirdly Growing up in all things unto Christ There is the proportion or the dimension as a Head Our growth must be as large as his Headship now as he is a Prophet so we must grow up into him that we may have wisdom and all those supplies from him as he is a Priest grow up in him that we may have Righteousness from him for the covering of all our sins as he is a King grow up in him that we may have a Redemption from all our snares bondages and enthralments for our being and well being having our subsistence in him in God the Father and in Christ Jesus as in 1 Thess. 1. 1. when we are converted we come to have a new subsistence in Christ for Truth and for Degrees of Grace grow up into him for habits and acts for the velle as well as for the posse for converting and renewing grace for it is he that works in you the will and the deed of his own good pleasure as in Phil. 2. 13. for comforts and for hopes in 1 Pet. 1. 8. That you may have joy through believing and the God of peace fill you with hope in Rom. 15. 13. all our strength and comfort lies in union with Christ and influence from him Note It is an easie matter to sprout in hypocrisie and in self-love and in earthliness and so in a formal external profession and to have a bulk of outward performances but its an hard matter to grow into an inward communion and intimacy with Jesus Christ to be transformed into him So I have done now with the first thing the sum of the expectation the next is The ground why Jesus Christ expects this for very good reasons Reason 1 1. This is the grand purpose and effect of Christs ascension he did ascend to give gifts he did ascend to give his Spirit and that is the great promise of the New Testament he promised to give his Spirit and shall he give his Spirit which he purchased at so dear a rate and shall the Spirit give gifts to men and those gifts be actuated and exercised and prepared for you and shall not we improve them O what an ill requital is here Reason 2 2. He hath a vehement desire of union and communion with all those that God the Father hath given to him Behold I stand and knock at the door if any will hear my voyce then I will come in to him and sup with him and he with me that is a melting place a winning place in Rev. 3. 20. Jesus Christ is impatient as it were I may speak it with reverence to want communion with them who are his in Gods eternal counsels But then thirdly Christ may well expect this Reason 3 Because attaining the intended stature and measure of the fulness of Christ we are