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tical and vital Religion. And I would now endeavour to fhew you, that this is the Foundation of all practical Godliness; and that it is from Ignorance of, or Inattention to this Foundation of our Practice and Hope, that fo many dangerous Errors have obtained in the Chriftian Church. This may be reprefented to you in the firit Place, by confidering this Matter with a special Application to the Subject upon which I have lately written fo particularly and largely to you.

I am first then to fhew you, that our Justification before God does neceffarily and immediately depend upon our vital Union to Jefus Christ.-It must be confeffed by all Men who know any Thing of human Nature, and have any Belief of a divine Revelation, that we have all finned; and that we are all become guilty before God. And which Way fhall guilty Sinners be reconciled to God?—This, Sir, is the most important Concern in the World. Confider the Question, with an Attention worthy of its infinite Confequence.-Can you quiet your Confcience with Hopes of appeafing the divine Justice by your Reformations, good Endeavours, or Duties? Alas! they are all fo defective and finful, that the Iniquity of your holy Things will greatly increafe the Score, and add to the Weight of your Guilt. -Will you flatter your Hopes from the Mercy and Goodness of the divine Nature? But what Claim can you have to Mercy, when open to the inexorable Demands of Justice!-Do you expect Acceptance with God upon Chrift's Account? This is indeed a fure Foundation of Hope for all who are interested in Chrift and united to him. But what Pretence can you make to the Righteousness of Chrift and the Benefits of his Redemption, if you have no Interest in him, or in any of his faving Benefits?-If you have an Interest in him, you are

united to him, as I have already demonftrated. If you have not an Interest in him, you have no Plea to make for Juftification and Acceptance with God upon his Account. Our Lord Jefus Christ has indeed made a fufficient Atonement for Sin. He has wrought out a perfect Righteoufnefs for Sinners, whereby they may be acquitted from Guilt, reconciled to God, and freely juftified in his Sight. But what is this to impenitent Unbelievers, who have never been drawn to Chrift by the powerful Influ ences of his holy Spirit, who have never received him by Faith; fo have never belonged to him; and therefore could never have any Part in either his active or paffive Obedience? If a Man abide not in me (fays our bleffed Lord) he is caft forth as a Branch, and is withered; and Men gather them, and caft them into the Fire, and they are burned. John, xv. 6.-This therefore is a fufficient Evidence of the Truth of what I have before written to you upon the Doctrine of Juftification. We cannot be juftified by Works. We cannot be justified by a Conformity to any imaginary Law of Grace, without a vital Union to Chrift by Faith. For he that believeth not is condemned already, John iii. 18. And he that hath not the Son of God, hath not Life, 1 John, v. 12. But then, on the other Hand, being united to his Perfon, we are united to his Benefits, and partake with him in all the Merits of his Obedience, in his Righteousness, Victories, Graces, and Inheritance. This then fhews you, what Neceffity there is of your Acquaintance with the Doctrine of our Union to Christ. There is a Neceffity of it, that you may know what is the Foundation of your eternal Hope, how you may find Acceptance with God, and how you may know Chrift, and the Power of bis Refurrection, and the Fellowship

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of his Sufferings, and be made conformable to his Death.

Moreover, our Sanctification does likeways immediately and neceffarily depend upon a vital Union unto the Lord Jefus Chrift.-The Scriptures do indeed exhort us to be holy, as our Father which is in Heaven is holy; and to that End exhort us, to watch and pray, to crucify our Flesh with its Affections and Lufts, to mortify our Members which are upon Earth, and to place our Affections upon Things that are above; and to the like Exercifes of religious Duty. But they nowhere exhort us to attempt thefe in our own Strength, or to expect a renewed Nature by any Performance of them within our Power. To attempt our Sanctification merely by our own Endeavours, were to prefs Oyl out of a Flint. For in the Lord, fhall Men fay, we have Righteoufnefs and Strength: His Grace, and that only, is fufficient for us; and without him we can do nothing. I have fhewn you, that all Supplies of Grace are treasured up in Christ for us; and that we are to receive them all out of his Fulness. How then can we partake of them, whilst estranged and difunited from him? Can a Branch cut off from the Vine bring forth Fruit? No more can we, except we abide in him, John xv. 4. Can the Branches of an Olive-tree flourish without the Root? Surely we cannot bear the Root: But the Root must bear us ; and we must therefore be grafted in, if we would partake of the Root and Fatness of the Olive-tree, Rom. xi. 17.-Can we live and act when separated from our Life? Chrift is our Life, Col. iii. 4. And until he quicken us, we are dead in Trefpaffes and Sins, Eph. ii. 1.In a Word, our carnal Minds are Enmity to God, we are altogether as an unclean Thing; and when Love to God can be the Production of Enmity itfelf, and Purity and Holinefs,

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of nothing but Defilement and Uncleanness, then, but not till then, can we be holy without an Union to Jefus Chrift.--If therefore you would obtain that Holiness, without which no Man can fee the Lord, you muft, with active Diligence, repair to him for it. You must by Faith depend upon him, as the Fountain of all Grace. You must receive all from him, and give him the Glory of all you receive.

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Our Communion with God does likeways wholly depend upon our Union to Jefus Chrift.--I have already fhewn you, that all fanctifying Grace is derived from our Union to Jefus Chrift; and I think I need not use Arguments to prove, that we cannot exercise Grace before we have it. All quickening comforting, ftrengthening Grace, muft derive from the fame Source as converting and fanctifying Grace does. Would you be humbled and abafed before God, you must learn of Chrift to be meek and lowly of Heart, Mat. xi. 29.-Would you have your Affections placed upon Things above, you must remember, that you are dead, and that your Life is hid with Chrift in God, Col. iii. 2, 3.Would you have Enlargement of Soul, and chearful Hope in God's Mercy, when you approach his Prefence, Chrift in you is your Hope of Glory, Col. i. 27. In whom you may have Boldness and Access with Confidence by the Faith of him, Eph. iii. 12. And be accepted in the Beloved, Eph. i. 6. Would you enjoy the Earnelt of your future Inheritance, it must be upon your believing in him that you are Sealed with that holy Spirit of Promife, which is the Earneft of your Inheritance, Eph. i. 13, 14Would you have Joy and Peace in believing, you mult rejoice in Chrift Jefus, without Confidence in the Flesh. Phil. iii. 3.-Would you have the Communications of the divine Love to your Soul, it

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must be from Chrift's loving you, and manifefting himfelf to you, John xiv. 22. To conclude, certain it is, that without Union there can be no Communion; and it therefore concerns you not only to confider, whether you are indeed united to Chrift, and have Access to God through Faith in him, but alfo, whether your Deadnefs, Formality, and Diftractions in Duty, which you so often complain of, are not owing to the Want of a chearful Dependence upon Chrift as the Head of Influences; or else to your vain Attempts to quicken your Soul by fome Endeavours of your own, without looking to him for the Incomes of his Spirit and Grace.

I may add once more, our Perfeverance in Grace here, and our Perfection of Grace in Glory, do neceffarily depend upon our Union to Chrift.As we are accepted in the Beloved, fo it is by Chrift's dwelling in our Hearts by Faith, that we are rooted and grounded in Love, Eph. iii. 17. We ftand by Faith in him, Rom. xi. 20. It is because Chrift lives, that we live alfo, John xiv. 19. And if we do live, it is not we, but Chrift liveth in us, Gal. i. 20.-We have no Source of fpiritual Life, but in him; no Stability in the Exercises of the fpiritual Life, but by continual Supplies of Grace from him. It is because none can pluck us out of Chrift's Hand, that we fhall have eternal Life, and never perish, John x. 28.-Here, and here only is the Believer's Stability and Security, he belongs to Chrift, is a Member of his Body, of his Flesh, and of his Bones. And will the bleffed Saviour neglect his own Body? Will he leave any of his Members to perish? Is it in the Power of Hell or Earth, of Sin or Satan, to prevail against him? Or can he, who is the fame Yefter day, to Day, and for ever, change the Purpofes of Love, and eternal Kindnefs towards thofe whom he has once loved, and unit.

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