give him barely the Fruit: So it is abundantly more grace in God, to give a man the holy Ghost it Self, rather than to give him only the Gifts and the Graces of the holy Ghost. And indeed, What greater Comfort can there be than this? That Beleevers are not only made partakers of the Gifts and Graces of the holy Ghoft, but of Chrift Himfelf, Chrift really in all Belcevers, by his Spirit?

You will fay unto me, But how can this be? we have ordi. Object. narily understood it other waies, and fo we bave heard it preached 100, That Chrift in a Beleever, is nothing else but the Grace of Chrift; and the Spirit in a Beleever, is nothing else but the Gifts, Graces, and the Operations of the Spirit: and indeed how can it be other waies? For if Christ be really united unto each Beleever, really in a Beleever by his Spirit, and fo made one with him; then a Beleever may fay, I am Chrift, and I am the Spirit; Which is Montanifme, and which is Blafphemy: and therefore, bow can this be, that Chrift is really united to each Beleever by bis Spi rit, and really in a Belvever by his Spirit? Answ.

I confefs this is very hard to understand: and when I confider the In Being of Chrift in a Beleever, I remember that ftory that is written concerning Aufiin; That walking by the Sea- fide, he faw a Boy take a Muffel fhell, and go to the Sea, carrying water with his Muffel fhell into a Ditch that was by, out of the Sea into the fmall trench: He asked the Boy, what he would do? Saies he, I will empty all the Sea into that Ditch: And he Smiles, and told him that he could not do it: faies he, No more able are you, with the Muffel fhel of yourunderftanding,to carry out the Ocean of the Trinity in a fmal Tra&tate and Dif courfe of your own. And what is your Understanding, but as a little Muffel fhel in regard of Chrift, and the glo ry of the Trinity? Surely, we are not able with this little Muffel-fhel, for to carry out al the depth of this Truth in a fmal Difcourfe. But it is a great Myftery. Are ye able to tell me, How the Child is formed in the Mothers womb? Or, are ye able to tel me, How the Soul is United to the Body? Who then can tell exactly, How Chrift is United

to

Matth.

13.11.

I.

2.

to the foul of a Beleever? 'Tis a great Myfterie, one of the great Myfteries of the Gofpel. But becaufe our Saviour hath faid, Unto you it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom, and to others it is not; Therefore we should all la borto understand it. And that ye may not be mis-led herein (as divers of late have been) into ftrange kind of Blafphemous fpeeches: Ifhall give you thefe Three or Four Propofitions, or Diftin&ions about it.

First of all, You must know, That though Chrift be really united unto each Beleever, yet this Unition, or Union is a Voluntary a&, and not a Natural a&, and so Chrift may Unite himself unto the foul, fo far as it pleafes himself: k is not a Natural a&,but a Voluntary a&; and being an a& wherein he is free, he may Unite himself unto the foul, fo far as he pleafes,and no farther.Now the Lord Jefus Christ, hath not united himself fo far unto the foul of a Beleever, that a Beleever should fay, I am Chrift, and I am the Spirit: for, then a Beleever were to be Worshiped as well as Chrift, if he were Chrift.

Secondly. You must know this, That there is a great deal of difference, between joyning unto another, by way of Contact, or Touching; and jɔyning unto another by way of Compofition. As for Example, The Sea and the Land, they are joyned together, they are united: but how? not by way of Compofition, but by way of Conta&; the Sea touches the Land,& the Land touches the Sea: yet the Land cannot fay, I am the Sea; nor the Sea cannot fay, I am the Land: Why? because it is an Union only by Contact, by Touching, and not by Compofition, one being compounded of the other. So the Union that is between Chrift and a Beleever, it is by way of Spiritual Conta&; Chrift touching the foul by his Spirit; and the foul touching Chrift by faith. I fay,it is an Union by way of Spiritual Contact, and Touching; and not by Compofition; and therefore a Beleever cannot fay, that I am Chrift, and I am the Spirit.

Thirdly.

Thirdly. You must know, There is a Two-fold In-being. One whereby Effences are applyed unto each other; and another, whereby Effences are mixt together. I'le make it as plain as I can, thus: Ye fee in a heap of Stone, and Wheat, they both make but one heap: and the Stone may fay, I am in this heap, and the Wheat may fay, I am in this heap? but the Stone cannot fay, I am the Wheat; nor the Wheat cannot fay, I am the Stone: Why? because though they be united and joyned together in one heap, it is by way of Application of one Effence unto another, one being applied unto another. But now, take Water and Wine, and mingle them together, and there every part may fay, I am Water, and I am Wine: Why? because there is an Union by way of Mixture. Now there is a great Union between Chrift and a beleeving foul: yet a beleeving foul though he be really united to Chrift by the Spirit, cannot fay, I am Chrift, or I am the Spiric: Why? because it is an Union by way of Application, and not by way of Mixture, as Wine and Warer mingled together: if it were an Union by way of Effences, then a beleever might fay, I am Chrift, and I am the Spirit: but it is an Union by way of Application, a beleewer being applied to Chrift, and Chrift applied unro a beleever.

Fourthly. You must know this, That there is a great deal of difference between the In being of a Spiritual thing in a Material; and the In-being of one Material, or Cor poral thing in another. I shall make it as plain as I can, and it will be of concernment to you. Take a body now, and let that be mixt with another, and each part may say, I am that which I am joyned to: but take the Spirit, or a Spiritual Being, and let that be mixt with a more Material Being; and then the Material Being cannot fay,I am the Spirit; and the Spirit, I am the Matter. As now ye fee in the great Union between the Soul, and the Body: the Soul is in every part of a man, tota in toto; the Soul (faies the Phylofopher) is wholly in every part; the whol Soul of man being in every part of the body: yet notwithstanding,

the

3.

4

Object.

the Body cannot fay, I am the Soul, nor the Soul cannot fay, I am the Body, because they are thus united together. Why? because here is an Union of a Spiritual thing with a more Material, which does keep the Natures diftin&. Or thus, give me leave to exprefs it to ye: Iron and Fire be ing joyned together, your Fire is in every part of the Iron; and yet notwithstanding, though the Fire be in every part of the Iron, the Iron cannot fay, Lam the Fire; nor the Fire cannot fay, I am the Iron: Why? because here is a more Spiritual Bodie, in a more Material Bodie, and fo the Natures are kept diftin&t. Or if you will, yet farther: Ye fee the light in the Air; the Light is more Spiritual than the Air, and the Light is in every part of the Air; yet notwithstanding, the Air cannot fay, I am the Light, nor the Light cannot fay, I am the Air; but these two are kept diftin&: Why? because here is an Union of that which is more Spiritual, unto that which is more Materi all. So Ifay here, Though Chrift be really United unto each Beleever; yet notwithstanding, the foul of a Belcever is more Material; though not in it felt Material, yet in refpe&t of Christ, the Soul is a groffe Nature in regard of the Spirit of Chrift; and being thus (therefore) united, these Natures are kept diftin&t; the Spirit of Chrift is kept diftin& from the Nature of the Soul, and the Soul from the Nature of the Spirit: and therefore, the foul of a Beleever, though united really unto Chrift by the Spirit, cannot lay, I am the Spirit,or I am Chrift.

But if we look (will fame fay) into the 17. chapter of John, our Lord and Saviour Chrift feems to speak this way (at the 20, and 21. verfes) Neither pray I for thefe alone, (faies be) but for them alfo which fhall beleeve on me through their word: That theyall may be one; as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. Here Chrift prayes, That Beleevens may be one with him, as he and the Father were one: but if Chrift be really united to each Beleever by bis Spirit; What difference is there between this Union, and the Hypsfatical Union: the fecond Perfon was United unto our Nature, to

ONT

our Flefb; and if now Chrift be united unto a Beleever by bis Spi. rit, which is the Third Perfon; What is the difference between the Hypoftatical Union, and the Union of a Beleever with Chrift by the Spirit?

Much every way. For take a beleever, and though Anfw. I Chrift be United unto a beleever really by his Spirit; yet notwithstanding, the beleever is not faid to be Affumed, the Spirit doth not Affume the heart of a beleever, as the fecond Perfon did Affume our flesh; and though we are united unto Chrift by the fpirit, yet not faid to be Affumed by the Spirit.

Again, Though Chrift be really united unto each beleever, yet it is no Perfonal Union, as the Hypoftatical Union is. A man is a Perfon before he is United fo unto Chrift by the Spirit but now Chrifts Soul and Body, they were not a Perfon before United unto the Second Perfon: but the Soul and Body of Christ, and the Second Perfon in the Trinitie United together make up one perfon. I fay,that is a Perfonal Union, all making up but one Perfon. But now a beleever, he is a Perfon before his Union with Christ by the spirit; he is a Perfon, a Wicked Perfon, but he is Perfon.

Again, The Union that is between Chrift and a belcever, it is in refpe&of the other Union, an Accidental U. nion, Chrift United unto the foul by Faith, by the intervening of Grace and Accidents. But now the second Perfon was United unto our Nature, and unto our Flesh, not by the intervening of any Grace, or any Accident, but their Subftance was United unto Subftance by the Second Perfon. I fay,it was not an Union by the intervening of any Grace for though all graces were in Christ, yet the union of the fecond Perfon to our flesh, is not by the intervening of any Grace, Faith or the like: but now our union to Chrift is by the intervening of Grace, (of faith and fo this union is but an Accedental union in regard of that.

Again, Though Chrift be united unto all Beleevers by

3.

4.

2.