Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

But what is this presence of Christ in Church-assembles? If by Christ's presence, we mean his bodily presence, it is true, that Christ in his Humanity, whipped the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple of Jerusalem; then in his Manhood he was upon Earth, and accordingly he vouchsafed his bodily presence to their assemblies and public places; but now his Manhood is in Heaven;¹ and the Heavens must contain him till the times of restitution of all things: Now therefore we cannot expect his bodily presence, unless we will maintain the Doctrine of Transubstantiation, or of Consubstantiation; which far be it from us.

But what is this presence of Christ in Church-assembles? If by Christ's presence, we mean his bodily presence, it is true, that Christ in his Humanity, whipped the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple of Jerusalem; then in his Manhood he was upon Earth, and accordingly he vouchsafed his bodily presence to their assemblies and publick places; but now his Manhood is in Heaven;¹ and the Heavens must contain him till the times of restitution of all things: Now therefore we cannot expect his bodily presence, unless we will maintain the Doctrine of Transubstantiation, or of Consubstantiation; which far be it from us.

1. 1Acts 3.21.

2. If by Christ's presence, we mean his spiritual presence; then the question is, what is this spiritual presence of Christ? for if we say, it is his presence as he is God, I should then query, how God is said to be present with men in one place more than another? God in his essence is fully every where, and inclusively no where: Heaven is his Throne, and Earth is his Footstool, and yet nor Earth, nor Heaven, nor the Heaven of Heavens is able to contain him: whiles we speak spiritually of Christ's presence in the assemblies of his People, we cannot mean his Universal presence, but his especial presence; and therefore as yet I suppose we have not the meaning of it.