whom they held it) very honourable, glorious and defirable: For truly (faith he) our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift.

S. 3. This being fo earneftly and directly afferted by the Apostle, we may boldly follow him with our Affirmation, viz. That the Saints of God have communion with him: And an holy and fpiritual communion it is, as shall be declared. How this is fpoken diftinctly, in reference to the Father and the Son, muft afterwards be fully opened and carried on.

S. 4. By Nature, fince the Entrance of Sin, no Man hath any Communion with God. He is Light, we Darkness, and what communion bath Light with Darkness? He is life, we are dead. He is Love, and we are Enmity f, and what Agreement can there be between us? Men in fuch a condition, have neither Chrift, nor Hope, nor God in the World, Ephef. 2. 12. being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them. Chap.4.18. Now, two cannot walk together unless they be agreed, Amos 3.3. Whilst there is this distance between God and Man, there is no walking together for them in any fellowship or Communion s. Our first Intereft in God, was fo loft by fin, as that there was left unto us (in our felves) no poffibility of a Recovery. As we had deprived our felves of all Power for a Returnal, fo God had not revealed any way of Accefs unto himself, or that he could under any confideration be approached unto by finners, in Peace. Not any Work that God had made, not any Attribute that he had revealed, could give the leaft light into fuch a Difpenfa

tion.

S. 5. The Manifeftation of Grace and pardoning Mercy, which is the only Door of Entrance into fuch Communion, is not committed unto any but unto him alone, in

c 1 Fohn 1.5. d 2 Cor. 6. 14. e Ephef. 5. 8. f Fohn 5. 16. Matth.22.32. Ephef.2.1. 1 John 4.8. Romans 8.7. g Magna hominis miferia eft cum illo non effe, fine quo non poteft effe, Auguft. Ecclef. *•29. Ferem. 13.23. A&ts 4. 12. Ïsa. 33. 14, 15.

whom

whom it is, by whom that Grace and Mercy was purcha fed, through whom it is difpenfed, who reveals it from the bofom of the Father. Hence this Communion and Fellowfhip with God is not in exprefs terms mentioned in the Old Teftament. The thing it felf is found there; but the clear light of it, and the boldness of Faith in it, is dif covered in the Gospel, and by the Spirit adminiftred therein. By that Spirit we have this Liberty, 2 Cor. 3. 17, 18. Abraham was the friend of God, Ifa. 41. 8. David à Man after his own heart. Enoch walked with him, Gen. 5. 24. All enjoying this communion and fellowship for the fubftance of it: But the Way into the Holieft was not yet made manifeft, whilft the first tabernacle was ftanding, Heb. 9. 8. Though they had Communion with God, yet they had not g nar, a boldness and confidence in that Communion. This follows the Entrance of our High Priest into the most boly place, Heb.4.16. chap.10.9. The Vail alfo was upon them, that they had not ideiar, freedom and liberty in their access to God, 2 Cor. 3.15,16, &c. But now in Chrift, we have boldness and access with confidence to God,Eph.3.12. This boldness and accefs with confidence the Saints of Old were not acquainted with, By Jefus Chrift alone then on all confiderations, as to being, and full manifeftation,is this distance taken away; He bath confecrated for us a new and living way (the old being quite fhut up) through the vail, that is to say his flesh, Heb. ro. 20. and through him we have an access by one fpirit unto the Father, Ephef.2.18. We who fometimes were afar off, are made nigh by the blood of Chrift, for he is our peace, e. verfe 13, 14. Of this foundation of all our communion with God, more afterwards, and at large. Upon this new Bottom and Foundation, by this new and living way, are Sinners ad

i

h fohn 1.18. Heb. 10. 19, 20, 21. Unus verufq; Mediator per Sacrificium pacis reconcilians nos Deo, unum cum illo manebat cuî offerebat, unum in fe fecit, pro quibus offerebat, unus ipfe fuit, qui offerebat & quod offerebat, Auguft. de Trinit. 4. i Tappnata προσαγωγὴν ἐν πεποιθήσει

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mitted

mitted unto Communion with God, and have Fellowship with him. And truly, for Sinners to have Fellowship with God, the infinitely holy God, is an astonishing Difpenfation. To fpeak a little of it in general; Communion relates to things and perfons. A joint participation in any thing whatever, Good or Evil, Duty or Enjoyment, Nature or Actions, gives this denominatien to them fo partaking of it. A common intersft in the fame Nature gives all men a Fellowship or Communion therein. Of the Eled it is faid, τα παιδία κεκοινώνηκε σαρκὸς καὶ ἅμα θε Heb. 2.14 thofe children partook of, (or had fellowship in, with the rest of the World) flesh and blood; the fame common Nature with the reft of Mankind; and therefore Chrift alfo came into the fame fellowship: duròs κι αυτός παραπλασίως μετέχει των αυττῶν. There is allo a Commu nion as to State and Condition, whether it be Good or Evil, and this either in things internal and fpiritual, fuch as is the Communion of Saints among themselves; or in refpect of outward things, fo was it with Chrift and the Two Thieves, as to one condition, and to one of them in refpect of another. They were v Saud neiμan, under the fame fentence to the Crofs, Luke 32.40. ejufdem doloris focii. They had communion as to that evil condition whereunto they were adjudged. And one of them requested, which he alfo obtained, a participation in that blessed "condition, whereupon our Saviour was immediately to enter. There is alfo a communion or fellowship in Actions, whether Good or Evil. In good is that Commnnion and Fellowship in the Gofpel, or in the Performance and Celebration of that Worship of God, which in the Gofpel is inftituted, which the Saints do enjoy, Phil. 1. 5. which as to the general kind of it, David fo rejoices in, Pfal. 42.4. In Evil was that, wherein Simeon and Levi were brethren, Gen.49. 5. They had Communion in that cruel act of revenge and murther. Our Communion with God is not κ 1 John 3. 1. Φίλων μὲν ὄντο ἐδὲν δεν δικαιοσύνης; δίκαιοι δε OYTES DOSEUPTON qiias. Arift. Etb. lib. 8. cap. 1.

δὲ

com

comprised in any one of these kinds of fome of them it is exclufive. It cannot be natural. It must be voluntary and by confent: It cannot be of State and Conditions, but in Actions: It cannot be in the fame actions upon a third Party, but in a return from one to another. The infinite disparity that is between God and Man, made the Great Philofopher conclude, that there could be no Friendship between them'. Some diftance in the perfons holding Friendship he could allow, nor could exactly determine the bounds and extent thereof; but that between God and Man, in his apprehenfion, left no place for it. Another fays indeed, that there is communitas homini cum Deo, a certain Fellowship between God and Man. But the general intercourse of Providence is all he apprehended; fome arofe to higher expreffions, but they understood nothing whereof they fpake. This knowledge is hid in Christ, as will afterwards be made to appear. It is too wonderful for Nature, as finful and corrupted. Terror and Apprehenfions of Death at the Prefence of God, is all that it guides unto. But we have, as was faid, a new Foundation, and a new Discovery of this Priviledge.

Now Communion is, The mutual Communication of fuch good things as wherein the Perfons holding that Communion are delighted, bottomed upon fome Union between them. So it was with Jonathan and David, their Souls clave one to another in love, 1 Sam.20.17.. There was the Union of Love between them, and then they really communicated all Iffues of Love mutually ". In fpiritual things this is more eminent. Those who enjoy this Communion have the most excellent Union, for the foundation of it; and the iffues of that Union which they mutually communicate are the most precious and eminent.

Γ Ακριβὴς μὲ ἐν ἐν τοιέτοις ἐκ ἔστιν ὁρισμός, ἕως τίνος οι φίλοι πολλῶν γὰ ἀφαιροκίνων, ἔτι μέσες πολὺ δὲ χεθέντα οἷον το θε

n. Arift. Eth. lib.3. c.7. Cicer. de nat. D. lib.1. m závlα TO TWO Φίλων κοινά, η Καὶ ἡ παροιμία, κοινὰ τὰ φιλῶν, ὀρθῶς ἡ ἐν κοινωνία 28 ♬ gınías Arift. Ethic. 8.

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S. 7:

§. 7.. Of the Union, which is the foundation of all that Communion we have with God, I have spoken largely elfewhere, and have nothing to add thereunto.

§. 8. Our Communion then with God confifteth, In bis communication of himself unto us, with our returnal unto him of that which be requireth and accepteth, flowing from that Union which in Jefus Chrift we have with him: And it is twofold, 1. Perfect and compleat, in the full fruition of his Glory, and total giving up of our felves to him, resting in him, as our utmost end, which we fhall enjoy when we Jee him as he is: And 2. Initial and incompleat, in the firft fruits and dawning of that Perfection, which we have here in Grace, which only I fhall handle.

It is then, I fay, Of that mutual Communication in giving and receiving, after a moft holy and fpiritual manner, which is between God and the Saints, while they walk together in a Covenant of Peace, ratified in the Blood of Jefus, whereof we are to Treat. And this we fhall do, if God permit, in the mean time, Praying the God and Father of our Lord and Saviour Fefus Chrift, who hath of the riches of his Grace, recover'd us from a ftate of enmity, into a condition of Communion and Fellowship with himSelf, that both be that writes, and they that read the words of this Mercy, may bave fuch a Taste of his sweetness and excellencies therein, as to be stirred up to a farther longing after the fulness of his Salvation, and the eternal fruition of him in Glory.

o Noftra quippe & ipfius conjunctio, nec mifcet perfonas, nec unit fubftantias, fed affectus confociat, & confederat voluntates, Cyp. de CanDominic. p Magna eft etiam illa communitas que conficitur ex beneficiis ultro citroque datis acceptifque, Cice. Off. i.

CHAP. II.

That the Saints have this Communion diftinctly with the Father, Son, and Spirit: 1 John 5. 7. opened to this purpofe.

Alfo