"come." In obedience to thy call, lo, I come; had I not been invited, my coming to thee, dear Lord Jefus, had been an act of prefumption, but this makes it an act of duty and obedience.

Fourthly, Plead the unprofitableness of thy blood to God; Lord, there is no profit in my blood, it will turn to no more advantage to thee to deftroy, than it will to fave me; if thou send me to hell, (as the merit of my fin calls upon thy juftice to do), I fhall be there difhonouring thee to all eternity, and the debt I owe thee never paid. But, if thou apply thy Chrift to me for righteousness, fatisfaction for all that I have done will be laid down in one full, complete fum; indeed, if the honour of thy juftice lay as a bar to my pardon, it would stop my mouth; but when thy justice, as well as thy mercy, fhall both rejoice together, and be glorified and pleafed in the fame act, what hinders but that Chrift be applied to my foul, fince, in fo doing, God can be no lofer by it?

Fifthly, and laftly, Plead thy compliance with the terms of the gofpel: tell him, Lord, my will complies fully and heartily to all thy gracious terms. I can now fubfcribe a blank: let God offer his Chrift on what terms he will, my heart is ready to comply; I have no exception against any article of the gofpel. And now, Lord, I wholly refer myfelf to thy pleafure; do with me what feemeth good in thine eyes, only give me an intereft in Jefus Chrift: as to all other concerns I lie at thy feet, in full refignation of all to thy pleafure. Never yet did any perifh in that pofture and frame; and I hope I fhall not be made the firft inftance and example.

Inf. 7. Laftly, If Chrift, with all his benefits, be made ours, by a Special application; how contented, thankful, comfortable, and hopeful fhould believers be, in every condition which Ged cafts them into in this world!

After fuch a mercy as this, let them never open their mouths any more to repine and grudge at the outward inconveniencies of their condition in this world. What are the things you want, compared with the things you enjoy? What is a little moncy, health, or liberty, to wifdom, rightcoufnefs, fanctification, and redemption? All the crowns and fceptres in the world, fold to their full value, are no price for the leaft of thefe mercies. But F will not infist here, your duty lics much higher than contentment.

Be thankful, as well as content, in every ftate. "Bleffed be "God, (faith the apoftle) the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, "who hath bleffed us with all [fpiritual bleffings] in heavenly "places in Chrift:" O think what are men to angels, that Chrift fhould pats by them to become a Saviour to men? And what art thou among men, that thou shouldft be taken, and others left! And among all the mercies of God, what mercies are comparable

to thefe conferred upon thee? O blefs God in the loweft ebb of outward comforts, for fuch privileges as thefe.

And yet you will not come up to your duty in all this, except you be joyful in the Lord, and rejoice evermore, after the receipt of fuch mercies as thefe, Phil. iv. 4. " Rejoice in the Lord ye ❝righteous, and again I fay rejoice." For hath not the poor captive reafon to rejoice, when he hath recovered his liberty? The debtor to rejoice when all fcores are cleared, and he owes nothing? The weary traveller to rejoice, though he be not owner of a fhilling, when he is come almost home, where all his wants shall be fupplied? Why this is our cafe, when Chrift once becomes yours: you are the Lord's freemen, your debts to justice are all fatisfied by Chrift; and you are within a little of complete redemption from all the troubles and inconveniencies of your prefent ftate. Thanks be to God for Jefus Chrift.

SERMON II.

Wherein the Union of the Believer with CHRIST, as a principal Part of effectual Application, is stated and practically improved.

JOHN Xvii. 23.

I in them, and Thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.

The

HE defign and end of the application of Chrift to finners is the communication of his benefits to them; but feeing all communications of benefits neceffarily imply communion, and all communion as neceffarily prefuppofes union with his perfon; I fhall therefore, in this place, and from this fcripture, treat of the myftical union betwixt Chrift and believers; this union being the principal act, wherein the Spirit's application of Chrift confifts, of which I fpake (as to its general nature) in the former fermon.

In this verfe (omitting the context) we find a threefold union, one betwixt the Father and Chrift, a fecond betwixt Chrift and believers, a third betwixt believers themselves.

First, Thou in me: This is a glorious ineffable union, and is fundamental to the other two. The Father is not only in Chrift, in refpect of dear affections, as one dear friend is in another, who is as his own foul; nor only effentially, in refpect of the identity and fameness of nature and attributes, in which refpect Chrift is the exprefs image of his perfon, Heb. i. 3. But he is in Christ allo as Mediator, by communicating the fulness of the Godhead,

which dwells in him as God-man, in a tranfcendent and fingular manner, fo as it never dwelt, nor can dwell in any other, Col.

ii. 9:

Secondly, I in them: Here is the mystical union betwixt Christ and the faints, q. d. Thou and I are one effentially, they and I are one rayftically and thou and I are one by communication of the Godhead, and fingular fulness of the Spirit to me as Mediator; and they and I are one, by my communication of the Spirit to them in measure.

77dly, From hence refults a third union betwixt believers thenfelves; that they may be made perfect in one; the fame Spirit dweiling in them all, and equally uniting them all to me, as living members to their Head of influence, there muft needs be a dear and intimate union betwixt themfelves, as fellow-members of the fame body.

Now my bufinefs, at this time, lying in the fecond branch, namely, the union betwixt Chrift and believers, I fhall gather up the fubftance of it into this doctrinal proposition, to which I fhall apply this difcourfe.

Doct. That there is a firict and dear union betwixt Chrift and all true believers.

The fcriptures have borrowed from the book of nature four elegant and lively metaphors, to help the nature of this mystical union with Christ into our understandings; namely, that of pieces of timber united by glue; that of a graff taking hold of its stock, and making one tree; that of the hufband and wife, by the mar riagc-covenant, becoming one flesh; and that of the members and head animated by one foul, and fo becoming one natural body. Every one of these is more lively and full than the other, and what is defective in one, is fupplied in the other: but yet, neither any of these fingly, or all of them jointly, can give us a full and complete account of this mystery.

Not that of two pieces united by glue, 1 Cor. v. 17. «He that " is joined to the Lord is one Spirit,” xoxλuperos, glued to the Lord. For though this cementeth, and ftrongly joins them in one, yet this is but a faint and imperfect fhadow of our union with Chrift; for though this union by glue be intimate, yet not vital, but fo is that of the foul with Chritt.

Nor that of the graff and ftock, mentioned Rom. vi. 5. for though it be there faid, that believers are vuur. implanted, or ingrafted by way of incifion, and this union betwixt it and the ftock be vital, for it partakes of the vital fap and juice of it; yet here alfo is a remarkable defect, for the graff is of a mere excellent

kind and nature than the stock, and, upon that account, the tree receives its denomination from it, as from the more noble and excellent part; but Chrift, into whom believers are ingrafted, is infinitely more excellent than they, and they are denominated from him.

Nor yet that conjugal union, by marriage-covenant, betwixt a man and his wife; for though this be exceeding dear and intimate, fo that a man leaves father and mother, and cleaves to his wife, and they two become one flesh; yet this union is not indiffolvable, but may and must be broken by death; and then the relict lives alone without any communion with, or relation to, the person that was once fo dear, but this betwixt Chrift and the foul can never be diffolved by death, it abides to eternity.

Nor, laftly, that of the head and members united by one vital fpirit, and to making one physical body, mentioned Eph. iv. 15, 16. for though one foul actuates every member, yet it doth not kait every member alike near to the head, but fome are nearer, and others removed farther from it; but here every member is alike nearly united with Chrift the Head; the weak are as near to him as the ftrong.

Two things are neceffary to be opened in the doctrinal part of this point. 1. The reality, 2. The quality of this union.

Fit, For the reality of it, I fhall make it appear, that there is fuch a union betwixt Chrift and belivers; it is no Ens rationis empty notion, or cunningly devifed fable, but a moft certain demonftrable truth, which appears.

First, From the communion which is betwixt Chrift and believers; in this the apoftle is exprefs, 1 John i. 3. "Truly our

fellowthip is with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift;" xox. It fignifics fuch fellowship or copartnership, as perfons have by a joint intereft in one and the fame enjoyment, which is in common betwixt them. So Heb. iii. 14. we are μετοχοι, partakers of Chrift. And Pfal. xlv. 7. am, here the faints are called the companions, conforts or fellows of Chrift; "and "that not only in refpect of his *affumption of our mortality, and "inverting us with his immortality, but it hath a fpecial reference "and refpect to the unction of the Holy Ghost, or graces of the "Spirit, of which believers are partakers with him and through "him." Now this communion of the faints with Chrift, is intirely and neceffarily dependent upon their union with him, even as much as the branch's participation of the fap and juice_depends upon its union and coalition with the stock: take away union, and

Ipfe venit in fortem noftræ mortalitatis, ut in fortem nos adduceret fuæ immortalitatis. clarum autem eft, bic agi de confortibus unclionis: quales funt omnes fideles qui unitionis participes fiunt, Rivet.

there can be no communion, or communications, which is clear from I Cor. iii. 22, 23. "All is yours, and ye are Chrift's, and "Chrift is God's." Where you fee how all our participation of Chrift's benefits is built upon our union with Chrift's perfon.

Secondly, The reality of the believer's union with Chrift, is evident from the imputation of Chrift's righteoufnefs to him for his juftification. That a believer is juftified before God by a righte oufnefs without himself, is undeniable from Rom. iii. 24. "Being "juftified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is "in Chrift Jefus." And that Chrift's righteoufnefs becomes ours by imputation, is as clear from Rom. iv. 23, 24. but it can never be imputed to us, except we be united to him, and become one with him which is alfo plainly afferted in 1 Cor. i. 30. "But of "him are ye (in Chrift Jefus) who of God is made unto us wif"dom and righteoufnefs, fanctification and redemption." He communicates his merits unto none but thofe that are in him. Hence all thofe vain cavils of the Papift's, difputing against our juftification by the righteoufness of Chrift, and afferting it to be by inherent righteoufnefs, are folidly answered.

When they demand, How can we be juftified by the righteoufnefs of another? Can I be rich with another man's money, or preferred by another man's honours? Our answer is, Yes, if that other be my furety or husband. Indeed Peter can not be justified by the righteousness of Paul; but both may be justified by the righteoufnefs of Chrift imputed to them; they being members, jointly knit to one common Head. Principal and furety are one in obligation and conftruction of law. Head and members are one body, branch and stock are one tree; and it is no strange thing to fee a graff live by the fap of another stock, when once it is engrafted into it.

Thirdly, The fympathy that is betwixt Chrift and believers, proves a union betwixt them; Chrift and the faints fimile and figh together. St Paul in Col. i. 24. tells us, that he did "fill up that "which was behind," Ta upuara, -the remainders of the

fufferings of Chrift in his fleth :" not as if Chrift's fufferings were imperfect, (" for by one offering he hath perfected for ever "them that are fanctified," Heb. x. 14.) but in these two fcriptures, Chrift is confidered in a twofold capacity; he suffered once in corpore proprio, in his own perfon, as Mediator; thefe fufferings are complete and full, and in that fenfe he fuffers no more; he fuffers alfo in corpore myftico, in his church and members, thus he ftill fuflers in the fufferings of every faint for his fake; and though thefe fufferings in his myftical body are not equal to the other, either pondere et menfura, in their weight and value, nor yet defigned ex officio, for the fame ufe and purpofe, to fatisfy by their proper