ever he will ceafe to be the Head of his faints, or they from being his members: No, the relation never ceafes; juftification, fanctification and adoption, are everlasting things, and we can never be divefted of them.

Inference 1. Are the faints Chrift's fellows? What honourable perfons then are they! and how fhould they be efteemed and valued in the world! If a king, who is the fountain of honour, do but raise a man by his favour, and dignify him by beftowing fome honourable title upon him, what refpect and obfervance is prefently paid him by all perfons? But what are all the vain and empty titles of honour, to the glorious and fubftantial privileges with which believers are dignified, and raised above all other men by Jefus Chrift? He is the Son of God, and they are the Sons of God alfo he is the Heir of all things, and they are joint-heirs with Christ he reigns in glory, and they fhall reign with him: he fits upon the throne, and they shall fit with him in his throne. O that this vile world did but know the dignity of believers, they would never flight, hate, abufe, and perfecute them as they do! And O that believers did but understand their own happiness and privileges by Chrift, they would never droop and fink under every small trouble at that rate they do!

Inf. 2. How abundantly hath God provided for all the neceffities and ivants of believers! Chrift is a storehouse filled with bleflings and mercies, and it is all for them: from him they "receive abun"dance of grace, and of the gift of righteoufnefs," Rom. v. 17. "Of his fulness they all receive grace for grace, John i. 16. All the fulness of Chrift is made over to them for the fupply of their wants: "My God fhall fupply all your need, (faith the apoftle) "according to his riches in glory by Jefus Chrift," Phil. iv. 19. If all the riches of God can fupply your needs, then they shall be fupplied. Say not, Chrift is in the poffeffion of confummate glory, and I am a poor creature, ftruggling with many difficulties, and toiling in the midst of many cares and fears in the world; for care is taken for all thy wants, and orders given from heaven for their fupply: My God fhall supply all your need. O fay with a melting heart, I have a full Chrift, and he is filled for me: I have his pure and perfect righteoufnefs to juftify me, his holiness to fanctify me, his wifdom to guide me, his comforts to refresh me, his power to protect me, and his all-fufficiency to fupply me. O be cheerful, be thankful, you have all your hearts can wish; and yet be humble; it is all from free-grace to empty and unworthy creatures.

Inf. 3. How abfurd, difingenucus, and unworthy of a Chriftian, is it to deny, or withhold from Chrift any thing he hath, or by which he may be ferved or honoured? Doth Chrift communicate all he hath to you, and can you withhold any thing from Chrift? On Chrift's

part it is not mine, and thine, but ours, of mine and yours; John, xx. 17. " I ascend to my Father, and your Father; to my God, " and your God." But O this curfed idol felf! which appropriates all to its own defigns and ufes. How liberal is Chrift! and how penurious are we to him! Some will not part with their credit for Chrift, when yet Chrift abafed himself unfpeakably for them. Some will not part with a drop of blood for Chrift, when Chrift spent the whole treasure of his blood freely for us; yea, how loth are we to part with a fhilling for Chrift, to relieve him in his diftreffed members, when as yet "we know the grace of our Lord "Jefus Chrift, that though he was rich, yet for our fakes he be"came poor, that we through his poverty might be rich!" O ungrateful return! O bafe and difingenuous fpirits!" The things Chrift gives us are great, and the things we deny to him are small: he parts with the greateft, and yet is denied the leaft. The things he communicates to us are none of ours, we have no right nor title by nature, or any defert of ours to them; the things we deny or grudge to Chrift are by all titles his own, and he hath the fulleft and most unquestionable title to them all; what he gives to us, he gives to them that never deferved it; what we withhold from him, we withhold from one that hath deserved that, and infinitely more from us than we have or are.

He interested you freely in all his riches when you were enemies; you stand upon trifles with him, and yet call him your best and dearest friend: he gave himself and all he hath to you, when you could claim nothing from him; you deny to part with these things to Chrift, who may not only claim them upon the highest title, his own fovereignty, and abfolute property, but by your own act, who profess to have given all in covenant to him: what he gives you returns no profit to him; but what you give or part with for him is your greatest advantage. O that the confideration of thefe things might fhame and humble your fouls!

Inf. 4. Then certainly no man is, or can be fuppofed to be a lofer by converfion, feeing from that day, whatever Chrift is or hath becomes his. O what an inheritance are men poffeffed of by their new birth! Some men cry out, Religion will undo you; but with what eyes do thefe men fee? Surely, you could never fo reckon, except your fouls were fo incarnated, as to reckon pardon, peace, adoption, holiness, and heaven, for nothing; that invifibles are nonentities, and temporals the only realities. It is true, the converted foul may lofe his eftate, his liberty, yea, his life for Chrift; but what then? Are they lofers that exchange brafs for gold? or part with their prefent comforts for an hundred-fold advantage? Mark x. 29. So that none need be frightened at religion, for the

loffes that attend it, whilft Chrift and heaven are gained by it: they that count religion their lofs have their portion in this life.

Inf. 5. How fecurely is the faints inheritance fettled upon them, feeing they are in common with Jefus Chrift? Chrift and his faints are joint-heirs, and the inheritance cannot be alienated but by his confent; he must lose his intereft, if you lofe yours. Indeed, Adam's inheritance was by a fingle title, and moreover, it was in his own hand, and fo he might, (as indeed he foon did) diveft himself and his posterity of it; but it is not fo betwixt Chrift and believers; we are fecured in our inheritance by Chrift our co-heir, who will never alienate it and therefore it was truly obferved by the father, Felicior Fob in fterquilinio, quam Adamus in paradifo: Job was happier upon the dung-hill, than Adam was in paradife. The cove nant of grace is certainly the best tenure; as it hath the beft mercies, fo it gives the fulleft fecurity to enjoy them.

:

Inf. 6. How rich and full is Jefus Chrift, who communicates abundantly to all the faints, and yet hath infinitely ftill more in himself, than hath ever been received by them all.

Take all the faith of Abraham, all the meeknefs of Mofes, all the patience of Job, all the wisdom of Solomon, all the zeal of David, all the induftry of Paul, and all the tender-heartednefs of Jofiah; add to this, all the grace that is poured, (tho' in leffer measure,) into all the elect veffels in the world, yet ftill it is far fhort of that which remains in Chrift; "He is anointed with the "oil of gladnefs above his fellows:" And in all things he hath, "and muft ever have the pre-eminence. There are many thoufand ftars glittering above your heads, and one ftar differs from another star in glory, yet there is more light and glory in one fun, than in the many thousand ftars. Grace beautifies the children of men exceedingly, but ftill that is true of Chrift, Pfal. xlv. 2. Thou art fairer than the children of men, grace is poured into thy lips." For all grace is fecondarily, and derivatively in the faints, but it is primitively and originally in Chrift, John v. 16. Grace is imperfect and defective in them, but in him it is in its moft abfolute perfection and fulnefs, Col. i. 19. In the faints it is mixed with abundance of corruption, but in Chrift it is altoge`ther unmixed, and exclufive of its oppofite, Heb. vii. 26. So that as the Heathen faid of moral virtue, I may much more fay of Chrift, That were he to be feen with mortal eyes, he would compel love and admiration from all men, for "he is altogether lovely," Cant. v. 16.

Inf. 7. What delight and fingular advantage must needs be in the communion of the faints, who have communion with Jefus Chrift in ail ibis graces and benefits.

That which we have feen and heard, declare we unto you,

"that ye alfo may have fellowship with us: And truly our fel"lowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Christ," 1 John i. 3. O it is fweet to have fellowship with those that have fellowship with God in Jefus Chrift. Chrift hath communicated to the faints varieties of graces, in different measures and degrees; and as they all receive from Chrift the fountain, fo it is sweet and moft delightful to be improving themselves by spiritual communion one with another: Yea, for that end one is furnished with one grace more eminently than another, that the weak may be affifted by the strong, as a modern divine* well obferves. Athanafius was prudent and active, Bafil of an heavenly, fweet temper, Chryfoftom laborious, without affectation, Ambrofe refolved and grave, Luther courageous, and Calvin acute and judicious. Thus every one hath his proper gift from Chrift, the fountain of gifts and graces, 1 Cor. vii. 7. One hath quickness of parts, another folidity of judgment, but not ready and prefentia!; one is zealous, but ungrounded; another well principled, but timorous; one is wary and prudent; another open and plain; one is trembling and melting; another cheerful and joyous; one muft impart his light, another his heat: The eye, the knowing man, cannot fay to the hand, the active man, I have no need of thee. And O how sweet would it be, if gifts, graces, and experiences were frequently and humbly imparted! But idle notions, earthly-mindedness, self-interefts, and want of more communion with Chrift, have almost destroyed the comfort of Chriftian fellowship every where in the world.

Inf. 8. In a word, thofe only have ground to claim intereft in Christ, who do really participate of his graces, and in whom are found the effects and fruits of their union and communion with him.

If you have interest in Christ, you have communion in his graces and benefits: and if you have fuch communion, it will appear in your maintaining daily actual communion with God in duties; whereby will be produced,

Firf, The increase of your fanctification, by fresh participations from the fountain; as cloth which is often dipt into the vat receives the deeper dye, and livelier tincture; fo will your fouls by affiduous communion with God. It will also be difcerned,

Secondly, In your deeper humiliation, and spiritual sense of your own vileness: The more any man partakes of God, and is acquainted with him, and affimilated to him, the more base and vile in his own fight he still grows, Job xlii. 5, 6. Ifa. vi. 5.

Thirdly, It will appear in your more vehement longings after the full enjoyment of God in heaven, 1 Pet. i. 8. and Rom. viii. 23.

Mr Torfhel.

You that have the firft fruits, will groan within yourselves after the full harvest, and satisfying fruition; you will not be fo taken with things below, as to be content with the best lot on earth for your everlasting portion. O! if these communicated drops be fo fweet. what is there in Chrift the fountain?

And thus I have opened the method of grace in bringing home Christ and his benefits to God's elect by union, in order to communion with him.

Thanks be to God for Jefus Chrift.

SERMON IX.

Containing the first general Ufe of Exhortation, inviting all Men to apply JESUS CHRIST.

MATTH. xi. 28.

Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give

TH

you reft.

HE impetration of our redemption by Jefus Chrift, being finished in the first part, and the way and means by which Chrift is applied to finners in the foregoing part of this treatise; I am now orderly come to the general ufe of the whole; which in the first place fhall be by way of exhortation, to invite and perfuade all men to come to Chrift; who, in all the former fermons, had been represented in his garments of falvation, red in his apparel, prepared and offered to finners as their all-fufficient and only remedy: And in the following fermons will be reprefented in his perfumed garments coming out of his ivory palaces, Pfalm xlv. 8. to allure and draw all

men unto him.

For a general head to this ufe, which will be large, I have chofen this fcripture, «Come unto me all ye that labour, and are "heavy laden, and I will give you reft."

Thefe words are the voice of our Lord Jefus Chrift himself, in which there is a vital, ravishing found: It is your mercy to have fuch a joyful found in your cars this day. And in them I will confider their dependence, parts, and scope.

As to their dependence, it is manifeft they have an immediate relation to the foregoing verfe, wherein Chrift opens his commiffion, and declares the fulnefs of this authority and faving power, and the impoffibility of coming to God any other way." All "things are delivered to me of my Father, and no man knoweth "the Son but the Father: Neither knoweth any man the Father