FIRST, In the general, for under ftanding the union betwixt the Lord Jefus Chrift, and his elect, who believe in him and en him :

1. It is a fpiritual union. Man and wife, by their marriageunion, become one flesh; Chrift and true believers, by this union, become one fpirit, 2 Cor. vi. 17. As one foul or spirit actuates both the head and the members, in the natural body; fo the one Spirit of God dwells in Chrift and the Chriftian; for, "If any man have not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of his," Rom. viii. 9. Corporal union is made by contract; fo the ftones in a building are united. But this is an union of another nature. Were it poffible we could eat the flesh, and drink the blood of Christ, in a corporal and carnal manner, it would profit, nothing, John vi. 63. It was not Mary's bearing him in her womb, but her believing on him, that made her a faint, Luke xi. 27, 28. "A, certain. woman-faid unto him, Bleffed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou haft fucked. But he said, Yea, rather bieffed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.??

4. It is a real union. Such is our weakness in our present ftate, fo much are we immerfed in fin, that we are prone to form in our fancy an image of every thing propofed to us:. and as to whatsoever is denied us, we, are apt to fufpect it to be but a fiction, or what has no reality. But nothing is more real, than what is fpiritual: as approaching nearest to the nature of him who is the fountain of all reality, namely, God himself. We do not fee with our eyes the union betwixt our own foul and body; neither can we reprefent it to ourselves truly, by imagination, as we do fenfible things: yet the reality of it is not to be doubted.. Faith is no fancy, but the fabstance of things hoped for, Hebe xi. Neither is the union thereby made betwixt Chrift and believers, imaginary, but most real::" for we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones," Eph. v. 30..

3. It is a moft clofe and intimate union.. Believers, regene rate perfons, who fiducioufly credit him, and rely on him, have put on Chrift, Gal. iii. 27. If that be not enough, he is in them, John xvii 23. formed in them, as the child in the mother's belly,, Gal. iv. 19. He is the foundation, 1.Cor. iii. 11. They are the lively stones built upon him, Pet. ii. 5. He is the head, and they the body, Eph. i. 22, 23. Nay, he liveth in them, as their very fouls in their bodies, Gal. ii. 30. And what is more than all this, they are one in the Father, and the Son, as the Father is in Chrift, and Christ in the Father, John xvii. 21.

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That

"That they all may be one as thou the Father art in me, I in thee, they also may be one in us."

and

4. Though it is not a mere legal union, yet it is an union fuftained in law. Chrift as the Cautioner, the Chriftians as the principal debtors, are one, in the eye of the law. When the

elect had run themselves, with the reft of mankind, in debt to the juftice of God; Chrift became furety for them, and paid the deb. When they believe on him, they are united to him in a fpiritual marriage union; which takes effect fo far, that what he did and fuffered for them, is reckoned in law, as if they had done and fuffered for themselves. Hence they are faid to be "crucified with Chrift," Gal. ii. 20. "Buried with him," Col. ii. 12. Yea, "raifed up together, (namely, with Chrift,) and made to fit together in heavenly places in Chrift Jefus,' Eph. ii. 6. In which places, faints on earth, of whom the Apoftle there fpeaks, cannot be faid to be fitting, but in the way of law-reckoning.

5, It is an indiffoluble union. Once in Chrift, ever in him. Having taken up his habitation in the heart, he never removes. None can untie this happy knot. Who will diffolve this union? Will he himself do it? No, he will not; we have his word for it: "I will not turn away from them," Jer. xxxii. 40. But, perhaps, the finner will do this mifchief for himself: No he fhall not; "They fhall not depart from me, faith their God," ibid. Can devils do it.? No, unless they be stronger than Chrift, and his Father too: "Neither fhall any man pluck them out of my hand," faith our Lord; John x. 28. "And none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand," ver. 39. But, what fay you of death, which parts husband and wife; yea, feparates the foul from the body? Will not death do it? No; the Apoftle, Rom. viii. 38, 39. is perfuaded that neither death, (as terrible as it is) nor life, (as defireable as it is) nor devils, thofe evil angels, nor the devil's perfecuting agents, tho' they be principalities or powers on earth; nor evil things prefent, already lying on us; nor evil things to come on us; nor the height of worldly felicity, nor depth of worldly mifery; nor any other creature, good or ill," fhall be able to feparate us from the love of God, which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord." As death feparated Chrift's foul from his body, but could not feparate either his foul or body from his divine nature: fo, tho' the faints fhould be feparated. from their nearest relations in the world, and from all their earthly enjoyments; yea, though their fouls fhould be feparated from their bodies, and their bodies feparated in a thoufand pieces,

their bones fcattered, as when one cutteth or cleaveth wood: yet foul and body, and every piece of the body, the fmallest dust of it fhall remain united to the Lord Chrift: for even in death,

they fleep in Jefus," 1 Theff. iv. 14. And,." he keepeth all their bones," Pfal. xxxiv. 20. Union with Chrift, is the grace wherein we stand firm and stable, as "Mount Zion, which cannot be removed."

LASTLY, It is a myfterious union. The gofpel is a doctrine of mysteries. It difcovers to us the fubftantial union of the three perfons of the God-head, 1 John v. 7. "These three are one: The hypoftatical union of the divine and human natures, in the perfon of the Lord Jefus Christ, 1 Tim. iii. 16. “God was manifeft in the flesh: And the mystical union betwixt Chrift and believers; "This is a great mystery," alfo, Eph. v. 32.O what mysteries are here! the Head in heaven, the members on earth; yet really united! Chrift in the believer, living in him, walking in him; and the believer dwelling in God, putting on the Lord Jefus, eating his flesh, and drinking his blood? this makes the faints a mystery to the world; yéa, a mystery to themselves.

SECONDLY, I come now more particularly to fpeak of this union with, and ingrafting into Jefus Chrift. And, (1.) I fhall confider the natural "ftock, which the branches are taken out of. (2.) The fupernatural ftock, they are ingrafted into.(3.) What branches are cut off the old ftock, and put into the new. (4.) How it is done. And, Lastly, The benefits flowing from this union and ingrafting.

Of the natural and fupernatural Stocks, and the Branches taken out of the former, and ingrafted into the latter.

I. Let us take a view of the ftock, which the branches are taken out of. The two Adams, that is, Adam and Christ, are the two stocks: for the fcripture speaks of these two, as if there had ⚫ never been more men in the world than they, 1 Cor. xv. 45. "The first man Adam was made a living foul, the last Adam was made quickning Spirit," ver. 47. " The first man is of the earth, earthy: the fecond man is the Lord from heaven." And the reafon is, there were never any, that were not branches of one of these two; all men being either in the one stock, or in the other; for in thefe two forts all mankind ftands divided, ver. 48. "As is the earthy, fuch are they alfo that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, fuch are they also that are heavenly."

The

The first Adam, then, is the natural flock on this stock are the branches found growing at firft; which are afterwards cut off, and ingrafted into Chrift. As for the fallen angels, as they had no relation to the fi:ft Adam, so they have none to the fecond.

There are four things to be remembred here, (1) That all mankind (the Man Chrift excepted) are naturally branches of the first Adam, Rom. v. 12. “ By one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin: and fo death paffed upon all men." (2) The bond which knit us unto the natural flock, was the Covenant of works. Adam being our natural root, was made the moral root alfo; bearing all his pofterity, as, reprefenting. them in the Covenant of Works. For," by one man's disobedience, many were made finners," Rom. v. 19. Now, there behoved to be a peculiar relation betwixt that one man and the many, as a foundation for imputing his fin to them. This relation did not arife from the mere natural bond betwixt him and us, as a father to his children; for so we are related to our immediate parents, whofe fins are not thereupon imputed to us, as Adam's fin is. It behoved then to arife from a moral bond; betwixt Adam and us; the bond of a Covenant, which could be no other than the Covenant of Works, wherein we are united. to him as branches to a flock, Hence Jefus Christ, tho' a fon: of Adam, Luke iii. 23, 38. was none of thefe branches; for feeing he came not of Adam, in virtue of the bleffing of marriage, which was given before the fall, (Gen. i. 28. “ Be fruitful,. and multiply," &c.) but in virtue of a special promife made after. the fall, (Gen. iii. 15. The Seed of the Woman fhall bruife: the ferpent's head.") Adam could not reprefent him in a cove. nant made before his fall. (3.) As it is impoffible for a branch. to be in two stocks at once; so no man can be, at one and the fame time, both in the first and second Adam. (4.) Hence it evidently follows, that all who are not ingrafted in Jefus Chrift, are yet branches of the old stock; and fo partake of the nature: of the fame. Now, as to. the firft Adam, our natural stock,. Confider,

FIRST, What a ftock he was originally. He was a vine of: the Lord's planting, a choice vine, a noble vine, wholly a right. feed. There was a confultation of the Trinity, at the planting. of this vine, Gen. i. 26. “Let us make man in our own image,. after our own likeness." There was no rottenness at the heart. of it. There was fap and juice enough in it, to have nourished: all the branches, to bring forth fruit unto God. My meaning, is, Adam was made able perfectly to keep the commandments of

God,

God which would have procured eternal life to himself and to all his pofterity: for fecing all die by Adam's difobedience; all fhould have had life, by his obedience if he had stood. Confider,

SECONDLY, What that ftock now is: Ah! most unlike to what it was, when planted by the author and fountain of all good. A blaft from hell, and a bite with the venomous teeth of the old ferpent, have made it a degenerate flock, a dead stock, nay, a killing ftock.

ift, It is a degenerate naughty ftock. Therefore the Lord. God faid to Adam, in that dismal day, "Where art thou?" Gen. ii. 9. In what condition art thou now? How art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vice unto me? Or, where waft thou? Why not in the place of meeting with me? Why fo long a coming? What meaneth this fearful change, this hiding of thyfelf from me? Alas! the stock is degenerate, quite fpoiled, become altogether naught and brings forth wild grapes. Converfe with the devil, is preferred to communion with God. Satan is believed; and God, who is truth itself, difbelieved. He who was the friend of God is now in confpiracy against him. Darkness is come into the room of light; ignorance prevails in the mind, where divine knowledge fhone: the will, fometime righteous or regular, is now turned rebel against its Lord; and the whole man is in dreadful diforder.

Ye

Before I go further, let me ftop and observe, Here is a mirror both for faints and finners. Sinners, ftand here and confider, what you are and faints learn ye, what once ye were. fioners, are branches of a degenerate ftock. Fruit ye may bear indeed; but now that your vine is the vine of Sodom, your grapes must of courfe be grapes of gall, Deut. xxxii. 32. The Scripture fpeaks of two forts of fruit, which grow on the branches upon the natural ftock: and it is plain enough, they are of the nature of their degenerate ftock' (1.) The wild grapes of wickedness, Ifa. v 2. Thefe grow in abundance by influence from hell. See Gal. v. 19, 20, 21, At their gates are all manner of thefe fruits both new and old. Storms come from heaven to put them back; but they still grow. They are struck at with the fword of the Spirit, the word of God: confcience gives them many a fecret blow: yet they thrive. (2.) Frait to themfelves," Hof. x. 1. What elfe are all the unrenewed man's acts of obedience, his reformation, foper deportment, his prayers and good works? They are all done, chiefly, for himfelf, not for the glory of God. Thefe fruits are like the apples of Sodom, fair to look at; but fall to afhes, when handled and