Christus in corde, or, The mystical union between Christ and believers considered in its…

Nevertheless, that we may know somewhat of it, it is worth while to compare the headship of Christ in these two excellent Texts, with his Headship in other Scriptures; he is Head over all things, Ephes. 1.22. He is Head of all principality and power, that is, of Angels, Col. 2.10. He is Head of every man, 1 Cor. 11.3. He is Head of the Heathen, reigning as a King over them, Psal. 18.43. He is Head of the Church, as the Husband is head of the Wife, Ephes. 5.23. But his Headship in those two famous places imports much more than the other headships.

Christ is head over all things to the Church, Ephes. 1.22. That is, the Churches Head hath a power over all things. God hath highly exalted him, saith the Apostle, Phil. 2.9. In the original there is an emphatical Pleonasm, [Greek or Hebrew], God exalted him above all exaltation, lifted him up above all altitude; hence Christ hath a name above every name, he sits at the right hand of Power and Majesty; all creatures in Heaven, in Earth, under the Earth, that is Angels, Men, Devils, all must bow the knee to him, every tongue must confess him to be Lord; all things are put under him, not only the lower world as it was to ⟨p. 82⟩Adam, but all the Creation, Angels themselves, who are the top of it, not excepted; he hath all the power in Heaven and Earth, thus he is head over all things: But we must observe here, the Apostle doth not say, that he is head unto all things, but head over all things, which denotes only power, not union; neither doth he simply say, that he is head over all things, but that he is head over all things to the Church; which imports, that though he be Lord over all, yet he is a proper peculiar head to the Church; he is united to it as to his body, not so to all things; though all things be reduced to him as an head of power over them, yet all things are not his body; he is united to the Church by joints and bands, not so to all things; he communicates his own spirit to the Church, not so to all things; he is head over all things, that he might be a complete allsufficient head to the Church; his universal power makes him meet to protect and preserve the Church which is his body and chief care; all things are managed in ordine ad spiritualia, in a subserviency to the Churches good.