last centre in God, that He may appear to be as He is, "all in all."

11, 12.

But while His Church is here militant upon earth, He exerciseth His regal power, not only in subduing its enemies, but likewise in appointing and commissioning officers, to administer His Word and Sacraments, and the discipline that He hath settled in it, for the increasing, strengthening, and well-governing of the whole, and also of every part of it: for, "When He ascended up on high, He led captivity Eph. 4. 8, captive, and gave gifts unto men: and He gave some, Apostles; and some, Prophets; and some, Evangelists; and some, Pastors and Teachers; for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." This He did most sensibly, when He first ascended up to Heaven, by sending down His Holy Spirit in a visible manner upon His Apostles, that all the world might know, that the gifts and graces of the Spirit all come from the Lord Christ, as He is exalted at the right hand of God. It was by Him that the Patriarchs and Prophets were inspired in the Old Testament, as well as the Apostles and Evangelists in the New; and it is He who still appoints and empowereth officers in His Church, for the edifying and wellgoverning of His people; they are His ministers, His ambassadors, acting only in His Name: and it is He alone who makes their ministry effectual, to the ends for which He hath ordained it; for which purpose He also is always present with them, in the execution of their respective offices under Him: "And lo!" saith He, "I am with you Matt.28.20. alway, even unto the end of the world." And so He was in His Church, from the beginning of it; and for many ages together He manifested Himself to be so, by sitting between the Cherubims, upon the mercy-seat, over the Ark, where the Tables of the Law were laid, and there issuing forth His oracles and responses to His people, that consulted Him upon all occasions, to know His pleasure: and for a long time they had no other king but Him; and when they had a mind to have another, He at first rebuked them for it, as rejecting Him from ruling over them. But afterwards He 1 Sam. 8. 6, was pleased to consent to it; but so, that He chose the per- . 10. 19. sons, and gave them power to act under Him, as His vice

7;

27.

XXXII.

SERM. roys or deputies; He was still their Sovereign; the King of Israel, as He is often called: insomuch, that the form of government, under which His Church and people then lived, was most properly, as Josephus terms it, dɛongaríu, ‘a Divine government.' And this was a clear representation also of that regal power which He exerciseth in Heaven; where being exalted, "as Head over all things," and sitting upon the Throne of Grace, in the midst of Cherubims and Seraphims; He takes particular care of His Church, as His Eph. 5. 25- own proper kingdom and people, which He "loved, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water, by the Word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish." And for the same purpose, He defends it all along by His Almighty Power; He directs and governs it by His Holy Spirit; He disposes of all things both in it, and out of it, for the benefit and advantage of it; and so will continue to do, till that which is militant here on earth, be made a most glorious Church triumphant in Heaven; and all because, as the Apostle here adds, "The Church is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.”

Which is the last thing to be here observed concerning Christ's regal power, that " He is Head over all things for the Church, as it is His body." His body, not only in a political sense, as a kingdom is usually called a body politic, for the Greek word oua is never, as I remember, taken in that sense be sure the Apostle here, and all along useth it, according to its common signification for a natural body, Col. 1. 18. though in a mystical sense; as where he saith, "Christ is the head of the body, the Church." And writing to the 1 Cor.12.12, Church at Corinth: "For as the body is one, and hath 14, 15, 27. many members, and all the members of that one body, being

many, are one body; so also is Christ. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? &c. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." Where he plainly compares the whole Church to the body of a man, of which every believer is a member in particular, according to his place and station in that body:

one is an eye, another a hand, a third a foot; one is higher, another a lower member; but still every one is a member, and Christ the Head of the whole body: He rules and governs it, He influenceth and directeth it, He gives life, and vigour, and motion to it, and to every member of it, as the head doth to the body of a man; by the vital and animal spirits, which are transmitted from thence into every part of the body, through many little bands, or ligaments and channels, whereby the head and body are joined together, and communicate with one another; so doth Christ to the Church: from Him the Head, as the Apostle saith, "The whole body fitly joined together, and com- Eph. 4. 16. pacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in love." And again, from Him as the head, "All the body by joints Col. 2. 19. and bands, having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God;" which shews the strictest union that can possibly be, between Christ and His Church; and likewise His wonderful way of working upon it, by His Holy Spirit, which proceeding from Him, the head, is diffused into the whole body, and into every part and member of it. By this the whole is preserved, strengthened, increased; and by this every particular member is nourished, quickened, excited, and enabled to perform all the functions of the new and spiritual life, which He hath put into it by this His Holy Spirit, as it is administered in the Sacrament of Baptism, we are inserted into His body, and made members of it; "For by one Spirit we are all bap- 1Cor.12.13. tized into one body," and so "are members of His body, of Eph. 5. 30. His flesh, and of His bones." And by the same Spirit administered in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, we are strengthened and refreshed; for hereby "we being many, 1Cor.10.17. are one bread and one body, for we are all partakers of that one bread," the staff and support of our spiritual life. And therefore it is no wonder that Christ takes so great care of His Church, seeing it is so nearly related, so intimately united to Him, that it is His body, yea, so His body, that it is His 'gua,' His fulness, that whereby He is full and complete, which otherwise He would not be, no more than a head is without a body, although in Himself " He filleth [Col. 2. 9.]

XXXII.

SERM. all in all." In Himself, absolutely considered, “dwelleth the fulness of the Godhead bodily;" but considered as Head of the Church, without that He would not be perfect, for He would want a body, and so could not be properly a head. And therefore the Apostle here truly calls the Church His fulness, or complement: but lest this should seem to derogate from the fulness that He hath in Himself, He calls it " the fulness of Him that filleth all in all;" which as it is the highest "encomium" that can be given of the Church, so it is the ground also of all the great things that Christ hath done, and is still doing in Heaven for it; where He is "head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all."

These things may seem perhaps to some, to be matters only of theory and speculation; but if duly considered, they will be found to have as great influence upon our minds and actions, as any articles of our faith whatsoever. For is Christ our Saviour exalted at the right hand of God? Are all things put under His feet? What a glorious, what a mighty Saviour then have we now in Heaven! How well may we believe, and trust on Him for all things necessary Rom. 8. 34. for our Salvation! For, "Who is He that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" All these things are conver. 35, 37. quered by Christ our Saviour: "Nay, in all these things, we ourselves too are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." What then can impede or hinder our Salvation by Him? Can men, or angels, or devils themselves? They are all under our Saviour's feet, and cannot so much as stir without Him; and therefore we may defy them all, ver. 38, 39. and say with the Apostle, "I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come; nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Is Christ given to be Head over all things to the Church? [Matt. 16. How then can "the gates of Hell ever prevail against it," or against any sound member of it? What can we want,

18.]

what need we fear, who have Him that hath all things under Him, always ready to supply and help us? What can He not do for us that He will? And what will He not do for us that He can? He that is Head over all things, He can do all things for us, He can subdue all things under us, He can give all things to us, He can prevent all things from doing us any harm, and He can make "all things [Rom. 8. 28.] work together for good." And He that is Head over all things to the Church, we may be sure will do all He can for us; that being the end of His being exalted over all things, that He may dispose of all things, so as will best conduce to our happiness and Salvation by Him. And we may well be confident, that He will fully answer the end of His exaltation in Heaven, where He always sits upon the throne of grace, ready to receive the petitions we put up to God in His Name, and to see they be granted according to the promise which He made us, when He was upon earth, saying, "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My Name, He will John 16. 23. give it you."

Is the Church the body of Christ, "the fulness of Him that filleth all in all?" What love and care then must Christ needs have for His Church, nourishing and cherishing it even as His own flesh! And what love should all the members of the Church have for Him, as well as for one another! What care to serve, honour and obey Him! How "soberly, how righteously, how godly" should they [Tit. 2. 12.] live, who are so nearly related to Him, that is " Head over all things in the world!" And who would not be in the number of them?

God grant that all here present may be so, that we may all be real members of that body, of which Christ is Head, and live accordingly, that we may be influenced, directed; strengthened, governed, and protected continually by His power and Spirit; that we may always do those things that please Him, and so always live under His particular care and conduct; who "hath all things put under His feet, and is given to be Head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all;" and liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.