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us this great and gracious promise, "When I shall be lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all men after me?” And is it not for us that thou hast prayed in this excellent manner, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me ?" Since therefore thou hast left this wretched earth, to go and reign above in heaven, take unto thee my soul, O wonderful Redeemer, and deliver it from this valley of tears and misery. Cause it to understand at the time of its departure these words of joy and eternal comfort, "Verily I say unto thee, this day shalt thou be with me in paradise." Lord Jesus, draw me with the cords of thy mercy and grace, and I shall run after thee. And in regard I must of necessity pass through death to come to thee, the Prince of life and immortality, give me grace to consider of it in the same manner as the prophet Elias did the fiery chariot that lifted him up to heaven; or as Jacob did the waggon that carried him into Egypt, to his son that reigned there. This holy father in a transport of joy cried out, "Let me see my son Joseph again, and then let me die." But when I shall be ravished with an unspeakable and glorious joy, I shall speak in another manner: Let me die, that I may behold my true Joseph, the soul of my soul, the light of life, the Author of my glory and happiness. O sweet Jesus, I shall freely and willingly leave this wretched and infirm dwelling, to enter into thy heavenly palace, to behold thy glory and magnificence. O King of kings, and Lord of lords, when shall I hear that divine wisdom that drops from thy lips? When shall I see thee seated upon the throne of thy glorious Majesty, where thousand thousands wait upon thee, and ten millions worship thee? When shall I enter into the glorious company of saints, and blessed spirits, that sing forth thy praises, and cast at thy feet their precious crowns? O victorious Monarch, who art now in thy kingdom enjoying a perfect happiness, forget not thy poor servant; be not unmindful

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mindful of thy son (or daughter) who am now overwhelmed with the sorrows of this miserable life, and the anguish of death. Let not the songs of the holy angels, and the applauses of all the glorified spirits, hinder thee from listening to my sighs and groans. O almighty and merciful Lord, look upon me with the eyes of thy love, and reach unto me thine helping hand. Send to me thine angels of light to receive my soul, and protect me from the angels of darkness, that endeavour to destroy me, and to drag me headlong into hell. Let some of these glorious spirits that wait for thine orders, and fly at thy command, deliver me from death, and carry me upon their wings into thy bosom. I see the heavens open, and Jesus Christ sitting at the right hand of God the Father. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Amen.

CHAP. XIX.

The seventh Consolation against the Fears of Death is, our strict and inseparable Union with Jesus Christ, by the Means of his holy Spirit, and the First-fruits of our blessed Immortality.

UR Lord Jesus Christ is not only alive, and triumphs in

OUR

heaven, but it is from thence our life, our glory, and our blessed immortality, proceed. For, as the Father hath life in himself, he hath also given to the Son to have life in himself; and as the Father raiseth and quickeneth the dead, likewise the Son quickeneth whomsoever he will: so that we may not only say to him, as St.Peter, "Thou hast the words of eternal life," John ix. but we may justly speak to him in David's language, "With thee is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see light," Psa. xxxvi. Therefore all those that are united and incorporated into the Prince of life, participate of the fulness of his holy Spirit, and by that means they become partakers of immortality and happiness. Now, by

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the virtue of Christ's death and passion, we are not only made partakers of the fruits of his sufferings, but we are united to and incorporated in him; so that by that means we have obtained not only the great and precious promises of glory and immortality, which he hath purchased for us by the infinite merits of his sufferings; but we receive the first-fruits and foretastes of our future blessedness.

He that is lifted up, and dwells on high, quickens the spi rits of the humble, Isa. lvii. He dwells in our hearts by faith, Eph. iii. 1. He pours into our souls his holy and quickening Spirit. For, because we are the children of God, he hath sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts to cry, Abba, Father, Gal. iv. Whosoever hath not this Spirit of the Lord Jesus, he is none of his. By the means of this Spirit he dwells in us, and we in him; we become members of his body; and we may boast, that we are his flesh and his bones.

All things that are most strictly united by nature or art, are employed to represent this admirable union, John vi. which we enjoy with Jesus Christ, by the means of his Spirit that quickens us, Rom. xiii. From hence are derived these expressions of the holy apostle, "We have put on the Lord Jesus Christ," Gal. iii. And that " when we draw near to him who is the living stone, rejected of men, but lifted up, and of great price with God," 1 Pet. ii. "we, like so many living stones, are built up together to make a spiritual house." For the same reason our Saviour informs us, John xv. “That he is the tree, and that we are the branches." And St. Paul assures us, that if we are become one plant with him by the conformity of his death, we shall also be one by the resemblance of his resurrection, Rom. vi.

To express to us that this sacred union contains many ties of love, our Lord Jesus Christ is represented as our Bro

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ther, our Father, and our Bridegroom. Therefore the apostle tells us, that he thinks it no disgrace to own us for his brethren, in saying, Heb. i. "I will declare thy name unto my brethren;" and also where he informs us, Rom. iii. that "God hath predestinated us to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren." And after his resurrection, he speaks thus to Mary Magdalen, John xx. "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and to your Father, and to my God and to your God." Therefore this glorious Redeemer, shewing himself unto God, Heb. ii. with all the elect, saith, "Here I am, and the children which thou hast given me." And by the mouth of Hosea, Hos. ii. he speaks to his church, and makes this promise to her, "I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies." From hence it is that this church is called, "the spouse of the Lamb," in the Revelation; and, in the Canticles, the spiritual union between Christ and his church is expressed by a continual allusion to a marriage between a man and his wife.

And because our meat and drink are returned into our body and substance, Jesus Christ assures us, " That his flesh is truly meat, and his blood is truly drink that he is the true bread come down from heaven, that gives life to the world, and whosoever shall eat him shall live for ever."

But, among all the similitudes borrowed to represent our union with Jesus Christ by his holy Spirit, there is none employed more frequently in holy scripture than that of the human body; for there is not any more proper for us. All the spirits that give life and motion proceed from the head; and as soon as the members are separated from it, they die.. In

like manner, the Spirit that quickens us, and makes us become new creatures, proceeds from Jesus Christ; so that whosoever is separated from his Head, he falls into death and eternal destruction. And, as there are many members, nevertheless they make up but one body, because they are all animated with the same Spirit, and they are kept alive by the same Head. So there be many members belonging to Christ's mystical body, some in combats yet upon earth, and others glorified in heaven; nevertheless they make up but one only mystical and spiritual body; for they are quickened by the same Spirit, and receive all the celestial influences from the same Head. St. Paul teacheth us this doctrine, in express terms, 1 Cor. xii. "For as the body is one, and hath many members; and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ; 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." Finally, because the same Spirit that is in our Lord, as in the Head and Fountain, and in the church in general, (as in the body, which is quickened and moved,) is also in every particular member; the holy apostle is not satisfied to call this spiritual body of Christ, and his church, Christ; but he tells us moreover, that whosoever "is united unto him, is made but one spirit with him.”

These and such like representations, let them be never so lively and noble, are but dark shadows, and imperfect images of our union with Jesus Christ by his holy Spirit; for the richest and most magnificent garment can never keep off from the body diseases, nor hinder the approaches of corruption that creeps upon it. There is no foundation ever so firm and well settled, that can free the house built upon it from the ruins and breaches of time and weather. Although the sap mounts up from the root of the vine, and runs into the twigs and branches, they wither at last, and are cast into the fire.

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