their hearts like water before him, Pfal Ixii 8. They flow unto him, like a river, Ifa. ii 2. All nations shall flow unto it, namely to the mountain of the Lord's houfe. It denotes not only the abundance of converts; but the difpofition of their fouls, in coming to Chrift: they come heartily and freely, as drawn with loving kindness, Jer. xxxi. 5. Thy people fhall be willing in the day of thy power, Pfal. cx. 3. i. e. free, ready, open hearted, giving themselves to thee as free-will offerings. When the bridegroom has the bride's heart, it is a right marriage: but some give their hand to Chrift, who give him not their heart. They that are only driven to Chrift by terror, will furely leave him again. when that terror is gone. Terror may break a heart of stone; but the pieces into which it is broken, ftill continue to be Stone: the terrors cannot foften it into a heart of flesh Yet terror may begin the work, which love crowns, The Strong wind, the earthquake, and the fire going before: the fill Small voice, in which the Lord is, may come after them. When the bleffed Jefus is feeking finners to match with him, they are bold and perverfe, they will not speak with him, till he hath wounded them, made them captives, and bound them with the cords of death. When this is done, then it is that he makes love to them, and wins their hearts! The Lord tells us, Hof. ii. 16-29. That his chofen Ifrael fhall be married unto himself. But, how will the bride's confent be won? Why, in the first place, he will bring her into the wilderness, as he did the people when he brought them out of Egypt, ver. 14. There she will be hardly dealt with, fcorched with thirft, and bitten with ferpents: and then he will fpeak comfortably to her, or, as the expreffion is, he will speak upon her heart. The finner is firit driven, and then drawn to Chirft. It is with the foul as with Noah's dove; the was forced back again to the ark, because she could find nothing elfe to rest upon: but, when she did return, fhe would have rested on the outfide of it, if Noah had not put forth his hand and pulled her in, Gen, viii. 9. The Lord fends the avenger of blood in purfuit of the criminal; and he, with a fad heart, leaves his own city; and, with tears in his eyes, parts with his old acquaintance, because he dare not stay with them; and he flees for his life to the city of refuge. This is not at all his choice, it is forced P 3 work work; neceffity has no law But, when he comes gates, and fees the beauty of the place, the excellen loveliness of it charms him; and then he enters it wit and good will, faying, This is my reft. and here I wi and, as one faid in another cafe. I had perished unle per fhed. Secondly, When Christ apprehends a foul, the hea engaged from,and turned againft, fin As in cutt the branch from the old flock, the great idol felf is down the man is powerfully taught to deny himfel. the apprehending of the finner by his Spirit, that diffolved, which was betwixt the man and his lufts he was in the fleth as the apostles expreffes it, Rom his heart is loofed from them though formerly as him, as the members of his body; as his eyes, arms; and, instead of taking pleasure in them as fo he did; he longs to be rid of them When the L fus comes to a foul in the day of converting gra finds it like Jerufalem in the day of her nativity, xvi 4. with its navel not cut, drawing its fulfome ment and fatisfaction from its lufts: but, he cuts communication, that he may fet the foul on the b his own confolations, and give it reft in himself. A the Lord wounds the head and heart of fin, and comes to him faying, Surely our fathers have inheri vanity and things wherein there are no profit, Jer. Of the Benefits flowing to true believers, from the with Chrift. V. And laftly, I come to speak of the benefits fic true believers from their union with Chrift. The the particular benefits believers have by it, are tion, peace, adoption. fan&t fication, growth in grac fuinefs in good works, acceptance of these good eftabi fhment in a state of grace, fupport and a fpe duct of providence about them. As for communi Chrit, it is fuch a benefit, as being the immediate co of union with him, comprehends all the reft as medi For look, as the branch, immediately upon its un it: fo the believer uniting with Chrift, hath communion with him; in which he launcheth forth into an ocean of happiness, is led into a paradile of pleasures, and has a lanjog intereit in the treasure hid in the field of the gofpel, the unfearchable riches of Chrift. As foon as the believer is united to Chrift, Chrift himself, in whom ali fulness dwells, is his, Cant. ii. 16. My beloved is mine and I am his. And, how Shall be not with him freely give us ALL things? Rom. vii, 32 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world or life, or death, or things prefent, or things to come, ALL are yours,' 1 Cor. iii. 22. hus communion with Chrift is the great comprehenfive bleffing, neceffarity flowing from our union with him. Let us now confider the particular benefits flowing from it, before mentioned. I The first particular benefit, that a finner hath by his union with Christ, is fuftification; for being united to Chrift, he hath communion with him in his righteou nels, 1 Cor. i 30. • But of him are ye in Christ Jefus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness' He ftands no more ondemned; bu' justified before God, as being in Chrit, Rom." viii. 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to chem which are in Christ Jesus.' The branches hereof are par don of fin, and perfonal acceptance. Ift, His fins are pardoned, the guilt of them is removed. The bond obliging him to pay his debt, is cancelled. God the Father takes the pen, dips it in the blood of his Son, croffeth the finner's accounts, and blotteth them out of his debt book. The finner, out of Chrift, is bound over to the wrath of God: he is under an obligation in law, to go to the prifon of hell, and there to ly till he has paid the utmost farthing. This arifeth from the terrible fanétion with which the law is fenced, which is no less than death, Gen. ii. 17. So that the finner paffing the bounds affigned him, is as Shemei, in another cafe a man of death, 1 Kings ii. 42. But now, being united to Chrift. God faith, Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom, Job xxxiii. 24. The fentence of condemnation is reversed, the believer is abfolved, and fet beyond the reach of the condemning law. His fins, which fometimes were set before the Lord, Pfal xc. 8. fo that they could not be hid, God now takes and casts them all behind his back, Ila,xxxviii. ་ 17. Yea State II 17. Yea, he cafts them into the depths of the fea, Micah vii. 19. What falls into a brook may be got up again; but what is caft into the fea cannot be recovered. Ay, but there are fome fhallow places in the fea: true, but their fins are not caft in there, but into the depths of the fea; and the depths of the fea are devouring depths, from whence they fhall never come forth again. But, what if they do not fink? He will caft them in with force; fo that they fhall go to the ground, and fink as lead in the mighty waters of the Redeemer's blood. They are not only forgiven, but forgotten, Jer. xxxi. 34. I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their fins no more.' And tho' their after-fins do, in themselves, deserve eternal wrath, and do actually make them liable to temporal ftrokes, and fatherly chaftifements according to the tenor of the covenant of grace. Pfal. lxxxix. 30.-23. Yet they can never be actually liable to eternal wrath, or the curfe of the law; for they are dead to the law. in Chrift. Rom. vii 4. And they can never fall from their unien with Chrift; nor can they be in Christ, and yet under condemnation, Rom viii. 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Chrift Jefus.' This is an inference drawn from that doctrine of the believer's being dead to the law, delivered by the Apostle, chap. vii. 1—6. As is clear from 2d, 3d, and 4th verfes of this viii. chap. and in this refpe&, the juftified man is the blessed man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, Pfal. xxxii. 2. one who has po defign to charge a debt on another fets it not down in his count book. As 2dly, The believer is accepted as righteous in God's fight, 2 Cor v. 21. For he is found in Chrift, not having his own * righteoufnefs, but that which is through the faith of Chrift, the righteousness which is of God by faith,' Phil. iii 9. He could never be accepted of God, as righteous, upon the account of his own righteoufnels: because, at belt, it is but imperfect; and all righteoufnels, properly fo called, which will abide a trial before the throne of God, is perfect. The very name of it implies perfection: for unless a work be perfectly conform to the law, it is not right, but wrong and fo cannot make a man righteous before God, whofe judgment is according to truth. Yet if juftice demand a righteoufnels of one that is in Chrift, upon which he may be accounted righteous righteous before the Lord; furely fhall fuch an one fay, In the Lord have I righteoufnefs, Ifa. xiv. 24. The law is fulfilled, its commands are obeyed, its fanction is fatisfied. The believer's Cautioner has paid the debt. It was exact d, and he answered for it. : Thus the perfon united to Chrift, is juftified. You may conceive of the whole proceeding herein, in this manner, The avenger of blood purfuing the criminal, Chrift, as the Saviour of loft finners, doth by the Spirit appreherd him, and draw him to himself; and he by Faith lays held on Chrift: fo the Lord our righteoufness, and the unrighteous creature nnite. From this union with Christ, refults a communion with him, in his unfearchable riches, and confequently in his righteousness that white raiment which he has for clothing of the naked, Rev. iii. 18. Thus the righteousness of Chrift becomes his and because it is his by unquestionable title, it is imputed to him; it is reckoned his, in the judgment of God, which is always according to the truth of the thing. And fo the believing finner having a righteousness which fully answers the demands of the law, he is pardoned and accepted as righteous. See Isa. xlv. 22, 24, 25. Rom. iii. 24. and chap v. 1. Now he is a free man, Who fhall tay any thing to the charge of thefe whom God juftifieth? Cao juftice lay any thing to their charge? No, for it is fatisfied. Can the law? No, for it has got all its demands of them in Jefus Christ. Gal, ii. 26. ' I am crucified with Christ.' What can the law require more after it has wounded their head; poured in wrath, in full measure, into their foul; and cut off their life, and brought it into the duft of death; in fo far as it has done all this to Jefus Chrift. who is their Head, Eph. i. 22. their Soul, Acts ii. 25, 27. and their Life? Col. iii. 4. What is become of the finner's own hand-write ing, which would prove the debt upon him? Chrift has blotted it out, Col. ii. 14. But, it may be justice may get its eye upon it again: no, he took it out of the way.' But, O that it had been torn in pieces. may the finner say: yea, fo it is; the nails that pierced Chrift's hands and feet, are driven through it, he nailed it. But, what if the torn pieces be fet together again? That cannot be, for he nailed it to his cross, and his crofs was buried with him, but will never rife more, leeing Chrift dieth no more. Where is the face co |