fore is, not only earnestly to pray to God, that he would draw you to Chrift; but you must endeavour to look to this precious Saviour, as to a fufficient fountain of all grace, trufting your foul in his hands, with encouraging hope of justification by his righteousness, and fanctifica. tion by his fpirit. If your faith be fincere, you thereby lay a foundation of spiritual and acceptable obedience: but if not, the best works that you can perform, will be only external, hypocritical, legal, and flavifh performan'ces. You must therefore be brought to act faith in Chrift for holiness, as the beginning of that falvation which you hope to obtain from him. You are not to look upon a life of holinefs and spiritual obedience, as the condition of your falvation, but as the falvation itfelf, which you hope for, actually begun in your foul; and you have as much warrant from the invitations and promises of the gofpel, to truft in the Lord Jefus Chrift for this renovation of your nature by his Spirit, as for the juftification of your perfon by his blood, or for an eternal inheritance with the faints in light. And you muft accordingly depend upon him for it, and afk it of him in faith, or never obtain it.

I have propofed thefe things to you, upon the fuppo.. fition that you have not fatisfying evidences of a converted state. Let us now then fuppofe the cafe to be otherwife; and you comfortably perfuaded, that you have experienced the happy change. An humble and chearful dependance upon Chrift for new fupplies of grace, must still be the fource of your perfevering obedience. Go on then to trust in him; and you'll find that he will not fail your expectations. You will find that his grace is fufficient for you.

But do not deceive yourself with an imagination of your trufting in Chrift, amidft a courfe of finful negligence and inactivity. Remember, that good works are of indifpenfable obligation, and of abfolute neceflity i the refpects before mentioned. You must not only truft in Chrift to fulfil his good pleasure in you: but you muft live to him, in the exercife of that grace and strength, which you derive from him. In an humble confidence in his fanctifying and quickening influences, you mult

take heed to yourfelf, and keep your foul with all diligence; you must fee to it, that your heart be right with God; that you delight in the law of the Lord after the inward man; that you maintain a strict watch over your affections, as well as converfation; that you neglect no known duty, toward God or man; that you carefully improve your time, and other talents committed to your truft; and endeavour, in a conftant courfe, to maintain a holy, humble, fruitful, thankful life. And remember, that one inftance of good works, which God requires of you, is a daily repentance of your finful defects; and a daily mourning after a further progress in holiness. After an efpoufal to Chrift by faith, this is the way, and the only way of comfort here and happiness hereafter.

That I might fet this important point in as clear a light as poffible, I have laboured to reprefent it in different views; and thereby have neceffarily run into fome repetitions, for which I depend upon your candour: now, that the Lord would blefs my endeavours for your beft good, is the prayer of,

Sir,

Yours, &c.

LETTER XVII. Wherein the NATURE of the Believer's UNION to CHRIST is briefly explained, and the NECESSITY of it afferted and defended.

SIR,

I'

F you mean no more by your ignorance of the na ⚫ture of that union to Chrift, which I fo often mentioned," but that you cannot form any adequate idea of this incomprehenfible mystery, it is nothing wonderful. There are multitudes of things, whofe existence you are most intimately acquainted with, yet of whose fpecial manner of exiftence you can have no idea. You have no reafon therefore to doubt of the believer's union to Chrift, because you do not understand the mode of it, any more than you have to doubt of the union of your foul and body, because you do not understand the mode of it. It is a fufficient confirmation of the truth.

of this doctrine, that it is revealed in the word of God. It is fufficient for our prefent imperfect flate, to know fo much of the nature of this union as God has been pleafed to reveal in the bleffed oracles of truth. It is your mistake, to fuppofe, that our divines do but occafionally mention this doctrine; but do not pretend to explain it.' Numbers of divines have written well upon the delightful fubject: though, I confefs, it is too little confidered by many of our practical writers (as it ought to be confidered) as being the foundation of both our practice and hope. Were it more diftinctly confidered, more particularly explained, and more frequently infifted upon, improved and applied, both from the pulpit and the prefs, than it is, it would be a probable means to check the growth of those dangerous errors, which prevail among us; and to give men a deeper fenfe of the neceflity of experimental vital piety, in order to a well grounded hope of the favour of God. You have therefore reason to desire a just, plain, and fami

liar view of this doctrine.' And I fhall endeavour, according to your defire, in as plain and eafy a manner as I can, to give a brief and distinct answer to your feve. ral queftions.

Your first question is, what is the nature of that uni• on to Christ, which the scriptures fpeak of; and what are we to understand by it ?

In anfwer to this question, it may be proper in the first place, to give you a brief view of the various reprefentations of this union, in the word of God; and from thence proceed to take fome notice of the special nature of it, as it is represented in the fcriptures.

It is fometimes reprefented in fcripture, by the ftrongeft expreflions that human language can admit, and even compared to the union between God the Father and God the Son. Thus, John xvii. 11, 21, 22, 23. · Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom • thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. That they all may be one, as thou Father art in Mc, * and I in Thee, that they alfo may be one in us. That they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one?

This union is fometimes reprefented in scripture by lively metaphors and resemblances.

It is compared to the union of a vine and its branches. Thus, John xv. 4, 5. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine: no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, and ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit : for without me ye can do nothing.

It is compared to the union of our meat and drink with our bodies. Thus, John vi. 56, 57. He that • eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in

me, and I in him. As the living Father hath fent • me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.'

It is frequently compared to the union of the body to the head. Thus, Eph. iv. 15, 16. But fpeaking ⚫ the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Chrift: from whom the whole body fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint fupplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying itself in love.'

It is fometimes compared to the conjugal union. Thus, Eph. v. 23, 30. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Chrift is the head of the church, and he is the Saviour of the body. For we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones, Rom. vii. 4. Wherefore my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Chrift, that ye should be married to ano. ther, even to him who is raifed from the dead, that we hould bring forth fruit unto God.'

It is likewife compared to the union of a building, whereof Chrift is confidered as the foundation or chief corner-ftone. Thus, 1 Pet. ii. 4, 5, 6. To whom coming as unto a living ftone, difallowed indeed of ⚫ men, but cho.en of God and precious, ye alfo are built up a fpiritual houfe, an holy priesthood, to offer up ⚫ fpiritual facrifices, acceptable to God by Jefus Chrilt. Wherefore alio it is contained in the fcripture. hold, I lay in Sion a chief corner-ftone, elect, precious.' I might add, that this union is fometimes reprefen

Be

ted in fcripture by an identity or fameness of fpirit. Thus, 1 Cor. vi. 17. He that is joined unto the Lord • is one spirit.'

It is fometimes reprefented by an identity of body. Thus, 1 Cor. xii. 12. 27. For as the body is one, and • bath many members; and all the members of that body being many, are one body; fo alfo is Chrift. Now ye are the body of Chrift, and members in par•ticular.'

It is also represented by an identity of intereft. Mat. xxv. 40. Verily I fay unto you, inafmuch as ye

have

done it unto one of the leaft of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.' Chrift and believers have one common Father. John xx. 17. ' I afcend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your • God.' They have one common inheritance, Rom. viii. 17. Heirs of God, and joint heirs with Chrift.' And they have one common place of eternal refidence. John xiv. 3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will " come again, and receive you unto myself, that where Lam, there ye may be alfo.'

From this brief and general view of the fcriptural reprefentations of our union with Chrift, I now proceed to confider fomething diftinctly, what is the fpecial nature of this union, and what we are to understand by it. Now it may not be improper, in the first place, to confider it negatively, and fay what it is not, before I enter upon an affirmative explication and illuftration of it.

I need not take any pains to convince you, that this union is not an effential or perfonal union. The union of the Trinity in the Godhead, is effential: the union of the divine and buman nature in Chrift, is perfonal. But it were blafphemy to fuppofe either of these kinds of unions in the cafe before us. Should we fuppofe the former, we fhould attribute divine perfection to ourselves. Should we fuppofe the latter, we fhould make ourselves joint-mediators of the covenant, with the glorious Redeemer. Either of which are too horribly profane to find any admiflion into our minds. Though Chrift and believers are one, as he and the Father are one, this is to be understood with refpect to the resemblance there is, in point of reality and nearness of union; and not with refpect to the nature and kind of it.