2. Consider her as invisible, having true Faith in Christ, spiritual Union with him, Love to him, and real exercise of Graces, &c. Thus Christ is her's, and she his; she is drawn by him, and brought into the Chambers of lively Sense and Communion: thus she is near him, or absent from him, and such like, which only agree to the Church or Saints, as Members of the invisible Church, having real (and not only professed) Union with Christ; and thus she is distinguished from the Mothers Children, which are outward Professors of the visible Church; and thus the most of the Commendations she gets throughout this Song, agree unto her as invisible: Neither can it be thought strange that both these considerations take place in one and the same Song: For, 1. That distinction of the Church in visible and invisible, is not a distribution of a whole into distinct parts, as, suppose one would divide a heap of Chaff and Corn, into Corn and Chaff; But this is a distinct uptaking of the same whole, (to wit, the Church) under two distinct Considerations; as, suppose one would consider the foresaid heap, as it is a heap, comprehending both Corn and Chaff, or, as it is only comprehensive of Corn; so the Church thus distinguished, is but one, considered in whole, as having both renewed and unrenewed in it, and as having renewed only; Yet so, as the renewed are a part of the whole, under one consideration, to wit, as they are visible Professors; and also, are the invisible Church, being distinctly considered, as they have more than a visible Profession: Therefore, the sibnesse being so great and near, it is no marvel they be frequently conjoined in this Song, so as they must be distinguished in respect of these distinct considerations, seeing the visible Church in it's consideration as such, comprehends the invisible militant Church under it, but not contrarily. 2. It's ordinary upon this ground, thus to conjoin them in other Scriptures, as when an Epistle is written to a Church, somethings are said of it, and to it, as visible, somethings again are peculiarly applicable to Believers, who are Members of the invisible Church in it; as by looking to these Epistles, Rev. 2. and 3.
2. Consider her as invisible, having true Faith in Christ, spiritual Union with him, Love to him, and real exercise of Graces, &c. Thus Christ is her's, and she his; she is drawn by him, and brought into the Chambers of lively Sense and Communion: thus she is neer him, or absent from him, and such like, which only agree to the Church or Saints, as Members of the invisible Church, having real (and not only professed) Union with Christ; and thus she is distinguished from the Mothers Children, which are outward Professors of the visible Church; and thus the most of the Commendations she gets throughout this Song, agree unto her as invisible: Neither can it be thought strange that both these considerations take place in one and the same Song: For, 1. That distinction of the Church in visible and invisible, is not a distribution of a whole into distinct parts, as, suppose one would divide a heap of Chaff and Corn, into Corn and Chaff; But this is a distinct uptaking of the same whole, (to wit, the Church) under two distinct Considerations; as, suppose one would consider the foresaid heap, as it is a heap, comprehending both Corn and Chaff, or, as it is only comprehensive of Corn; so the Church thus distinguished, is but one, considered in whole, as having both renewed and unrenewed in it, and as having renewed only; Yet so, as the renewed are a part of the whole, under one consideration, to wit, as they are visible Professors; and also, are the invisible Church, being distinctly considered, as they have more than a visible Profession: Therefore, the sibnesse being so great and neer, it is no marvel they be frequently conjoyned in this Song, so as they must be distinguished in respect of these distinct considerations, seing the visible Church in it's consideration as such, comprehends the invisible militant Church under it, but not contrarily. 2. It's ordinary upon this ground, thus to conjoyn them in other Scriptures, as when an Epistle is written to a Church, somethings are said of it, and to it, as visible, somethings again are peculiarly applicable to Believers, who are Members of the invisible Church in it; as by looking to these Epistles, Rev. 2. and 3.
