In whom you also are builded together
As the church universal, so every particular church is a building
that is compact together, in and upon Christ, as the church at
Ephesus was: God is the builder of it; Christ is the foundation;
true believers are the proper materials; the door, or entrance
into it, is Christ, and faith in him; the ministers of the Gospel
are pillars in it; the ordinances are its windows; its furniture
is of various sorts, there are vessels of small, and of great
quantity; and its provisions are large and entertaining. A church
is a building compact together; it consists of many parts; and
these are joined together, by agreement, and are knit and
cemented in love; and being thus joined together, they are
designed for social worship, and their great concern should be to
edify one another. The phrase, "in whom", may either refer to the
holy temple before spoken of, the church universal, of which a
particular church is a part; or to Christ, who is the master
builder, by whom they are built together, and the foundation on
whom they are built, and the cornerstone in whom they meet and
are united. And the end of their being thus built together is,
for an habitation of God through the Spirit; which may be
understood of God the Father, since he is distinguished from
Christ, in whom, and from the Holy Spirit, through whom, they are
built for this purpose, though not to the exclusion of either of
them; for a particular church is an habitation of Father, Son,
and Spirit: and it being the habitation of God, shows his great
grace and condescension, and the great value and regard he has
for it; and this makes it a desirable, delightful, and pleasant
habitation to the saints; and hence it is a safe and a quiet one,
and they are happy that dwell in it; and hither should souls come
for the enjoyment of the divine presence: and whereas it is said
to be such through the Spirit; hence it appears, that the Spirit
is concerned with the other two persons in the building of it;
and that hereby it becomes a spiritual house; and is, through his
grace, a fit habitation for the holy God to dwell in; and that
God dwells in his churches by his Spirit.