CHAP. X.

Of the Re-capitulation, ar Re-union of all Things under Chrift their Head.

WE

E come now to another clafs of Scriptures, the firft whereof is, Eph. i. 10. That in the difpenfation of the fulness of times, he might gather together in one, all things in Chrif both which are in Heaven and which are on Earth even in him. This is the Mystery of his Will made known to us by the Gofpel, according to his good Pleafure which he hath purpofed in himself. To this join Col. i. 20. for it pleafed the Father that in him fhould all Fulness dwell, and having made peace thro' the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, Ifay, whether they be things on Earth, or things in Heaven; what thofe things are, we may fee more hereafter.

4

The Words ανακεφαλαιώσασθαι rendered here to gather together in one, in the Original fignifies to Rally or Re-head routed or fcattered Forces or Members, into their Place, in the Body, under their own Head, into the Place or Rank where they were before : And the Word ἀποκαταλλάξαι which is here rendered to Reconcile, fignifies to change a Thing from Enmity or Antipathy to Harmony, to make it another thing from what It hath the fame force with the other Word, tho' from another Metaphor; they both import, That all Men, all Things Originally were made by Chrift, ftood in him, were headed under him, did bear a Proportion to him, comported dutifully with their relation to him, had no Darkness or Enmity, no Antipathy; there was no War, no Fighting, no Disorder; all which

it was.

came

eame in by Sin; therefore he faith, Chrift made Peace by the Blood of the Crofs. By the Fall all things are fallen afunder, and disjointed, and in a War, not knowing their Place and Subordination, they juftle one another, having cast off their Head and dissolved the facred Bond that held them all together; they move in no Order, no Harmony, but confufedly like Atoms in the Sun: Heaven and Earth are mingled together as in the firft Chaos. This face of Confufion dwells upon all things, even the Elect as well as the Reprobate, the things in Heaven as well as the things on Earth, they are Children of Wrath by Nature as well as others; they are without Chrift, Aliens from the Common-Wealth of Ifrael, and Strangers from the Covenants of Promife, having no Hope, and without God in the World; and thus they continue till Chrift appears, whom God fends forth to Recover this fhattered and disjointed Creation to himself, and to make it whole again, one new Piece in him; for he is their proper place and Habitation; which the Angels that fell forfook first, and ravifhed Man with them, and Man carried all things elfe with him; and He addreffing himself to this Work like a wife Workman falls upon the Root of the Mifchief and Disorder to remove That, which there was no other way to do, but by his own Death; taking all upon himfelf. For they were all His, his Body, his Fullnefs, his Members, the fhadowy Image of Him, who is the fubftantial Image of God; and they could not make Satisfaction but it would ruin them for ever, and all the Enmity was on their part; it was they were to be reconciled. We no where read of reconciling of God, but God reconciles the World to himfelf by Chrift, and the Love of God in Chrift bearing their Sins and Frowardnefs, and diforders on himfelf in his own Body on the Tree, flaying this Enmity and recovering them all to God in the perfon of Chrift;

makes

1

makes them all return again to their places and to ftand firft in a flain and Crucified Image in his Death. Wherein the Love of God beholding them defcends upon them with the greatest Ardour, and fo quickens them, and carries them up into one glorious Image in the Refurrection and Afcenfion of our Lord Jefus. And this he doth for the things in Earth as well as in Heaven, for Chrift contains both Earth and Heaven in him, and his Kingdom confifts of both a New Heaven and a New Earth.

Now the Argument drawn from thefe Scriptures, lies in the generality and Univerfality of the Subject Matter, upon which God thus defigns, which is not only expreft generally by all things, but diftributively all Things which are in Earth, and which are in Heaven. Now as the Apoftle argues in another Cafe, without racking I Cor. xv. when he faith, all things are put under him, He will not allow it to be a Figurative Speech, or a large Speaking only, (but faith he) it is manifeft that nothing is excepted that is not put under him. So if all Things be reconciled, there is nothing but is reconciled, and if reconciled and that by his Death, we know what follows, Rom. v. 1o. if when we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son, much more being reconciled we shall be Saved by his Life: And fure there is power in his Life and Reign to do it; and being brought back to him, as their Head, and ftanding in him again as his Members, fure none fhall tear them from him. If they were but in his Hands, as his Sheep he faith, none fhall take. them out of his Hands, John x. 28, and if that be not enough, he adds, his Father is greater than all, and none fhall pluck them out of his Father's Hands. Will ye yield to this? Though as he immediately fubjoins, He and his Father are one; his Father defigned this Recovery, and he the Son executed it.

This will be clearer, if we take in the other two Scriptures, Eph. iii. 9. to make all Men fee what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the World, bath been bid in God, who. Created all things by Jefus Chrift, and Tit. ii. 1I. The Grace of God bringing Salvation to all Men bath appeared. Here in both Places, the Term is Univerfal, ail Men; all Men muft fee what is the Fellowship of the Mystery. What Myftery? The Mystery of the Gofpel, which is the Saving Myftery, or the Myftery of Salvation, which hath been hid and cherished in the Heart of God always from Eternity, during this dark Scene of Things, from the beginning of the World, not only from the Fall, but before. The firft Creation was but a fhadowy Image of it. In a Shadow there is Darknefs as well as Light; but fince the Fall, it was all dark. Not but that Goddid beam forth fo much of this Myftery, all along into the Hearts. of the Elect, as fufficed to his End, and their Salvation; yet in Comparifon, it was not revealed till Chrift came, which is called the Difpenfation, Eph. i. 10. The Difpenfation of the fulness of Time, intimating to us, that there was feveral Difpenfations of this Mystery of God's will, and feveral Times for thofe Difpenfations; but that this gathering up of all things into one in Chrift, was referved for the Difpenfation of the Fulness of Times, the Times of Chrift. All the Times before, Things lay disjointed as they were by the Fall, things were finking from Adam to Mofes, and Death Reigned openly: Life was conveyed but Secretly in the promifed Seed, and then with Mofes came the Law, when Sin and Death grew to their height, as the Apoftle fhews to the Romans; and fo the Times before Chrift were the Times of the fulness of Sin, (at least) of Sins under the firft Teftament. Now as Sin and Death, grew and reigned by the Law, till they came to

G

their

their Fulnefs, fo now Grace and Righteou nefs must come to their Fulnefs under Chrift, which will not be till Chrift's Second coming. For fo it is faid, we fhall be Saved by his Life; when Christ who is our Life fhall appear, then we read of the Fulness of the Jews. If the diminishing of them be the Riches of the World, and the cafting off them the Riches of the Gentiles, how much inore their Fulness? And in the fame chapter, we read of the Fulness of the Gentiles alfo under the Law, God took only the Jews, the Seed of Abraham, for his People, and if any Gentiles, they were to be Profelyted and ingrafted into that Stock; and he took not all of them neither under the Times of the Gofpel. Hitherto he hath taken his Church indeed out of all Nations, but a sprinkling only of the Nations, and left out the Body of the Jewish Nation: But under the Times of Chrift's fecond Appearance and Reign, the Fulness both of Jews and Gentiles are to be united, and in that all Difpenfations fhall end, and with them all the Times of this World, and Time itself is faid to go out, Rev. x. 6. Time shall be no longer, which is another Proof of this Point; that all thofe gradual and contracted Difpenfations that fhared the former Times between Sin and Righteoufnefs, Life and Death, are bounded by Time, according to that Ec. iii. 1. To every thing there is a Seafon and a Time, to every Purpofe under the Heavens, as he there In ftances at large for Eight Verfes together. But with Time thefe Viciffitudes and interchangeable Courfes of Good and Evil go out, and under the Days of Chrift's Glorious and Vifible Reign (or at leaft at or before the End thereof) enters the Time of Everlafting Love, Healing, and Peace, which fhall give Place to the contrary no more; but as it was in the beginning fo (with the Addition of all Spoils gained from the Kingdom of Darkness) fhall it be for Ever. Then hall this

Mystery