The moderator

Fourthly and lastly, their relation to each other as fellow labourers in these works, is properly that of joints, which are between the Members of the body to unite them to each other, and to make them dependent upon the head. For in Ephes. 4. vers. 16. the Apostle doth clearly speak of the visible body of the Church, as it hath a spiritual communion with Christ, and within it self by the means of that which every joint supplieth; if then every part by his joint (that is, by his Minister, to whom is joined a society of Saints as a part of the whole) is bound to supply to another part, that wch is his effectual working towards the building up of the body in Love, then it is absolutely necessary for him to correspond and concur with his neighbour and fellow-joints: for how can any part supply any thing to another part of the body without the joint thereof? So then we must observe that the Associations of the Saints (which are undeniable true parts of the whole) should edify one another, by that which every joint supplieth. For to that effect joints are in the body, and the Apostle saith in the whole body: to let us understand that all the particular Associations of Believers in respect of the common profession are to be counted as one Association, and that by ⟨p. 113⟩the joints which God hath set in the whole, the parts therefore are fitly to be joined together; whence we must gather, that Ministers are not only joints to unite individual Professors into a society, but to unite one Congregation unto another; for he saith, that the whole is compacted by joints, it followeth then that the Congregations, though distinct by themselves, and one within themselves, as to their several joints, yet ought to be further jointed with other Congregations, and not to be at a distance and stand by themselves as parts of the whole disjointed from each other; which is the posture whereat many desire to stand, and is the practise of too many upon several pretences, to the great dishonour of the Gospel in the common profession of Christianity.

Fourthly and lastly, their relation to each other as fellowlabourers in these workes, is properly that of joynts, which are between the Members of the body to unite them to each other, and to make them dependent upon the head. For in Ephes. 4. vers. 16. the Apostle doth cleerly speak of the visible body of the Church, as it hath a spirituall communion with Christ, and within it self by the meanes of that which every joynt supplyeth; if then every part by his joynt (that is, by his Minister, to whom is joyned a societie of Saints as a part of the whole) is bound to supply to another part, that wch is his effectuall working towards the building up of the body in Love, then it is absolutely necessary for him to correspond and concur with his neighbour and fellow-joynts: for how can any part supply any thing to another part of the body without the joynt thereof? So then wee must observe that the Associations of the Saints (which are undeniable true parts of the whole) should edifie one another, by that which every joynt supplyeth. For to that effect joynts are in the body, and the Apostle saith in the whole body: to let us understand that all the particular Associations of Beleevers in respect of the common profession are to bee counted as one Association, and that by