hope; therefore aliens from the commonwealth of Ifrael, and frangers from the covenants of promife, Eph. ii. 12. The dead corpfe may be kept a while; but when there are no hopes of the returning of the foul, it is buried in a grave: fo without the Spirit ye may be kept a while, through God's patience; but the end will be, to be caft into the pit, and buried out of God's fight. Mot. laft. If ye get the Spirit, ye are made up for ever. For he is the leading benefit of Chrift's purchase, which all the reft infallibly follow, Zech. xii. 10. When the Spirit comes, life comes, that shall never fail, John iv. 14. He will unite you to Chrift, and then all is yours. He will enlighten, quicken, renew, and fanctify you, fubdue your corruptions, give grace, actuate and increase it, change you from glory to glory, and raise up your bodies at the last day to glory, Rom. viii. II. I fhall conclude all with a few directions. 1. Pray earnestly for the Spirit, Luke xi. 13. God has made a promife of the Spirit, and gives that as a ground of your prayer for him, Ezek. xxxvi. 27. 37. -A new Spirit will I put within you.-I will yet for this be inquired of by the houfe Ifrael, to do it for them. And although God regard not prayer as performed by one without the Spirit, yet he regards it as a means and ordinance of his own appointment, whereby the Spirit is conveyed into the hearts of his elect. 2. Wait and look for the Spirit in all ordinances of his appointment, If. xxxii. ult. They that would have the wind blow upon them, go out into the open air; though they cannot raife it, they wait where it blows, John iii. 8. Efpecially the preaching of the gofpel is to be attended diligently for this end, 2 Cor. iii. 8. The man that had lain many years at the pool, at length faw the time that the angel moved the wa ters. 3. Laftly, Give up yourselves to the Spirit, Jer. xxxi. 18. Lay yourselves down at his feet to be enlightened, quickened, and fanctified by him. Open VOL. II. T the door of your hearts to receive him, And when the leaft good motion is found kindled in your hearts, cherish it as a tender bud of heaven; nourish the fpark, and it will increase into a flame. Of Union with Chrift. I CORINTHIANS xii. 13. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. TH THE apoftle in the preceding verfe having afferted, that Chrift myftical, i. e. Chrift and believers, are one, making but one myftical body; in the words of the text does at once explain and confirm the fame from the two facraments of the New Teftament, baptifin, and the Lord's fupper. 1. From the facrament of baptifm, where he shews us the bleffed union made. And here confider, ift, The parties united; on the one hand, we all; viz. who believe in Chrift, as diftinguifhed from unbelievers. On the other hand, Jefus Chrift, whom he had juft before mentioned, and who is here underftood as implied in the one body, whereof he is the head, or principal part. 2dly, The uniting or joining of the parties, which is expreffed by being baptized into one body, the facramental fign being put for the thing fignified: as if he had faid, We are united into one body with Chrift, which is fignified and fealed by our baptifm. 3dly, The efficient caufe of the union, or the party uniting us to Chrift, one Spirit, the one Spirit of Chrift. 'Tis by him we are baptized, and are joined to Chrift. He cafts the indiffoluble knot; as Chrift brings us to the Father, the Holy Spirit brings us to Chrift, by faith which he works in us, and makes the marriage-tie be tween the King of faints and the daughter of Zion. This Spirit muft needs be the infinite Spirit of God, fince it is but one Spirit that knits all not only as the author, but the bond of the union. 4thly, The refult of this union, one body. Hence it comes to pafs, that Chrift and all believers are one myftical body; they are all joined to Christ and among themselves, as the head and members, 5thly, The character of the parties whom the Spirit unites to Chrift. He confines not himself to any one party of finners in the world, but takes them indifferently out of all forts, whether they be Jews or Gentiles, whether they be bond or free men. He goes to unbelieving Jews that had rejected Chrift for fome time, and to unbelieving Gentiles that had not heard of him. And he unites them to Chrift by working faith in them; for he deals with them that have reafon, not as with ftocks, knitting them without any action of their own'; but as rational creatures, apprehending them, and working faith in them, whereby they apprehend Christ. 2. From the facrament of the Lord's fupper, where he fhews us the bleffed fruit of this union, And have been all made to drink into one Spirit. Here confider, ift, The common benefit, the purchase of Chrift's redemption; one Spirit, the leading comprehensive purchase of Chrift's death. This is that Spirit poured on Chrift without measure, to be communicated, for life, and fupplies of life, to all that come to him. 2dly, The participation of that benefit, which is expreffed by being made to drink into one Spirit, the facramental fign for the thing fignified; As if he had faid, We all partake of Christ's Spirit more and more to our fpiritual nourishment and growth in grace, which is as neceffary to us as drink to ftrengthen our bodies, which is fignified and fealed by the facrament of the Lord's fupper, 3dly, The parties made partakers thereof, We all, who are united to Chrift. As life goes before eating or drinks Ta ing, fo the union with Chrift goes before communion. in and partaking of the benefits of his redemption, and the former is the caufe of the latter. Hence ye may fee, That "the Spirit applieth to us "the redemption purchased by Chrift, by working "faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Chrift in our "effectual calling." The great fubject to be handled here, is the union betwixt Chrift and believers. And here let us confider, I. How Chrift's redemption is applied to a finner. II. Shew that there is a real union betwixt Chrift and believers. III. What is that union. IV. What are the bonds of it. V. Who is the author and efficient cause of it. VII. Apply. I. Let us confider how Chrift's redemption is ap plied to a finner. It is done by way of uniting the finner to Chrift, as a plaifter is applied to a fore, by laying the one upon the other. A finner is interested in, and put in poffeffion of Chrift's redemption, thro' union with him, 1 Cor. i. 30. Of him are ye in Chrift Fefus. Men must not think to ftand afar from Christ, and partake of the benefits of his death, upon their praying to him for it, as the beggar on his crying gets of the rich man's money thrown to him; which I obferve is the foul-ruining notion many have of this matter. But he muft unite with Chrift, and fo partake of the redemption purchased by Chrift, as the poor widow drowned in debt, by marrying the rich man, is interefted in his fubftance. It is with Chrift himfelf that all faving benefits are given, Rom, viii. 32. and without him none fuch are received. Believe it, Sirs, that as Adam's fin could never have hurt lefs ye had been in him; so Chrift's redemption fhall never favingly profit you, unless ye be in him; Eph, you, un i.7. In whom we have redemption through his blood. I fhall next fhew, II. That there is a real union betwixt Chrift and believers. Some, to advance their legal fcheme of doctrine, acknowledge no other union but a relative one betwixt Chrifl and believers, such as may be betwixt perfons and things wholly feparated. But that there is a real, true, and proper union betwixt Chrift and believers, is evident, if ye confider, 1. The feveral equivalent terms by which this union is expreffed in fcripture. Chrift is faid to be in believers, Col. i. 27. Rom. viii. 10. and they in him, 1 Cor. i, 30. He is faid to dwell in them, and they in him, John vi. 56. They are faid to abide in one another, John xv. 4. Believers have put on Christ, Gal. iii. 27. They are fo joined, or agglutinated, as to be one Spirit, 1 Cor. vi. 17. To expound thefe of a mere relative union, fuch as is betwixt a king and his fubjects, a mafter and his fervants, is but to wreft fcripture; and thefe phrases applied to fuch relatives would be extremely harfh, though they never fo much agreed in judgement and affection. 2, The feveral real and proper unions which it is resembled to. It is refembled unto that betwixt the vine and the branches, John xv. 5. the head and the body, Eph. i. 22. 23. meat eaten and the eater, John vi. 56. yea, to that betwixt the Father and Chrift, John xvii. 21. These are real proper unions, and fo is this. 3. Lastly, If this union be not a true and real one, but a mere relative one, the facrament of the fupper is but a bare fign, and not a feal, exhibiting and applying Chrift to believers. For without this real union, the feeding on Chrift's body and blood truly and really in the facrament cannot be; which yet is the doctrine of the fcriptures, and of our Larger Catechism, proved from the words of inftitution, Take, eat, this is my body. For if there be a true and real feeding, |