c There are ſeveral a&tionsto be performed by the body of a man, either for the ſupport and che upholding of it in life, or for the accommodaring of it while it lives? Seeing, Hearing, and Sm-llins (which are the three aCtions here mentioned) are not indeed nece!l- ſary for the upholding of life, bur they are highly uſetul for a mans better being, and the accommodation of bodily life ; therefore there is need of a variety of bodily members, Organs, or Inſtruments of Hearing, as well as of Sigit, and O:gans of Smelling, as w2!l as Hearing ; the wiſe God hath creared no member of mans body in vain, each one hath its uſe in order to the being or well-being ot the body: So it is in the Church of God. as the Apoltle, v. 26. argueth ; bur he goeth yet further on firſt in his compariſon of the natural, and myſtical B dy. ;
18 But now hath God fet the members every one oi them in the body, as it hath pleaſed him 4.
4 The infinitely wiſe God, who hath made the body of man, and ordered all the members of the body for ſeveral us and otfices, ci- ther for the upholding, or accommodating the lite of man, hath likewiſe appointed the order in the body, in which every member ſhall and ; that the head ſhould be uppermoſt tor the berter gui- dance of the whole body ; the feet lowermoſt to tread upon rhe
Ne body : fo alſo « Chrilt . 6 And
earth, and to bear the weight of the whole boy : and nogce muſt
repine at the Wiſdom of God, which hath not only created mans ; | _
BOUY.
rady (een GhLing of avaicty of members) but alſo appointed every
_ ti< ſervice of the whole body, do notmak?
|| Or, put
M ”- -4
Or, a:v!.
fron,
"Rom. 12.
r
Eph. 1.23.
G4 12. Body of Chriſt : o Conſidering you particularly as individual Be. |
&5.23,30.
Col. 1. 24.
* Eph. 2
0. * Ro. 12 8. 1 Tim. 5. T7
mater its pace, and there ſerteth ir,thar it cannot ſhift its ſtation 21 office. = :» And if they were all one member, where ere the hody? e |
- The body is a Whole conſiſting ofmany members,it could not ©':eretore be a body, if there were but only one member. Or} uw could a body perform the ſeveral ations neceflary either 7 the being, or the well-being of it, if it conſiſted but of one n:ember*
20 But now are they many members, yet but one
body f. 7 The multiplicity of members,having ſeveral uſes and offices for
a multiplicity of bodies, the body is ſtill but one.
21 And the eye cannot fay unto the hand, I __ no need of thee : nor again the head to the feet, have no need of you g.
o He names two of the moſt noble and uſeful members of the bo- dy, the Head and the Ec, which yet cannor tell the hands or the teer, they have no ne<d of them : the wiſe God having created no- thing in vain.but made every member in the body of a man for uſe, a5 to the whole, ſo tothe ſeveral parts of the body, the hand is uic- ful ro the eye, and the feer are of uſe ro the head. | The applicati- on of this fimilirude, which the Apoſtle fo much inlargerh upon, we ſhall have v. 26, 27, &c.
22 Nay, much more thoſe members of the body, which ſeem to he more feeble, are neceſſary -.
h By feeble the Apoſtle here doth not only mean moſ? weak, but which ſeem to us moſt abje and contemptible, in which ſenſe the word is uſed, 2 Cor. 12. 10. ſuchare the belly and the entratls ; the Eye alſo is a feeble member, &e. yer theſe parts are moſt neceflary for the uſe of the body, being ſuch without the uſe of which the bo- dy cannot Jive.
23 And thoſe members of the body, which we think to be lefs honourable ; upon theſe we || beſtow more a- bundant honour, and our uncomely parts have more a- bundant comelineſls 7,
; All know what thoſe parts of the body are, which are common. Iy judged «ſs honourable and lefs comely ; upon theſe we beſtow more abundant honour and comelineſs, by hiding them and cover- ing them, that they are not, as the hands and face and head (which we efteem more honourable partsof rhe body) expoſed co the pub- lick view of thoſe with whora we converſe.
24 Tor our comely parts have- no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked &. _
: God hath in the Wiſdom of his Providence fo ordered it, that as we have ſome partsof our body, which ate judged uncomely,and not for thoſe noble uſcs that others are ; ſo we have other parts that are, for uſe, more noble, yet in common repute more 1gnoble, and vuncomely : and the ſame wiſe God hath ſo builded the body of, Man.as of both theſz ro make a temperament, fo as they allconcyr in the compoſition of the ſame body, and more abundant honour in covering and cloathing them,-is given to thoſe parts, that in rhe judgment of men, ſeemed moſt to Jack honour, that their uncome. line{s might by ſome artificial means be taken away. *
25 "That there ſhould be no || ſchiſm in the body, but tha: the members ſhould have the ſame care one for
another /.
[ By Schiſm is here meant diviſion, and that alſo muſt be ex- pounded figuratively, and jt is expounded in the next words, that the members {honld take the ſame care one for another. Thar though the members differ in honour and office, yet they might mutually take care for each other, as if they were all in an equal de- gree of honour.
26 And whether one member ſuffer, all the mem- bers ſuffer with it, or one member be honoured, all
the members rejoice with it 4.
7 From this union in the body natural of all the members pro. ceedeth a natural Sympathy, that if one member fuffereth, all are afflicted, and ready to contribute to the relief and help each of other; and likewiſe the honour that 1s refleed on the body, is refic&ed on all the parts, and all rejoice in the good that aeQeth any one ſingle member.
togiveRulesot Order, and dire& in matters of Governmen: particular Churches had a power of Government withinth, (otherwiſe the Apoſtle would not have blamed this Church, &