SERMON XII*.

THAT which we have been upon in the last discourse, was; -that union amongst them that own and bear the Christian name, we may reckon, will be one great effect of the Spirit poured forth; upon which the happiness of the church will greatly depend.-Two things have already been spoken to upon this head, namely, that such a union is of great concernment to the happiness and prosperity of the church: and—that it is the proper work of the Spirit of God to effect it; and consequently, that when that Spirit shall be generally poured forth, such a union cannot but generally obtain.

[iii.] There are two farther inquiries, which it will be requisite we somewhat insist upon relating to this matter: namely,What kind of union this shall be, which we may expect the Spirit poured forth to accomplish: and-secondly, in what way we may expect the Spirit to accomplish it.

We inquire, first, what kind of union we may expect it to be. And we may expect it shall be such in the general, as wherein the duty and happiness of the Christian church shall in very great measure consist; such as is required as matter of duty, and promised as matter of gift; and which will contribute much to the church's felicity. But inasmuch as we neither ex

Preached September 25th, 1678

pect the church of God on earth to be perfectly sinless, nor perfectly happy; therefore we cannot expect this union to be perfect nor therefore can we suppose any such things requisite to it, as must be thought requisite unto a perfect union. We cannot think it necessary, that this Spirit poured forth should be, as poured forth or communicated, an infallible spirit in order thereto, when it comes to be amongst men or in them, which you know some have thought very necessary in order to any union in the church of God; but have pretended highly to it, without being able to agree where to fix the seat of the spirit of infallibility they pretend to have amongst them. And since a union and agreement in holiness is as necessary for the church of God, as in truth; one would think there should have been as much pretence to an impeccable spirit as to an infallible, and every whit for as valuable reason: but they have been ashamed to pretend to the former, whilst the pretenders have been so notoriously vicious and vile in the view of all the world. And certainly, if there were an infallible spirit amongst such men, we may justly say it did male hibitare, it was ill-lodged and unfitly in the midst of so horrid impurities; and did no more become them, than a jewel of gold a swine's snout. But that we may be a little more particular here, we shall briefly shew,-what a union we are not to expect: what union there already is amongst all living christians: and-what union we are farther to look and hope for.

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Consider, first, what union we are not to expect.

Not such, as that all shall agree in the same measure of knowledge; and consequently, that there will not be an identity and sameness of apprehension throughout in all things; for then there must be the same measure of knowledge. There is no man, that thinks differently from another man but he thinks so differently either truly or falsely; and wherever the falsity lies, on the one hand or the other, there lies so much ignorance: but it is never to be thought, that all will have just the same measure of knowledge.

Nor can we, reasonably expect an agreement with all in the same pitch of holiness; that all will be holy alike; no one more holy, more spiritual, more heavenly than another.

Nor are we to expect, that all should agree in the same measure of joy or consolation; that there should be the same sensations of divine pleasure in all, the same pleasant motions of holy and spiritual affections; which, be they as holy and spiritual as they will, yet must also be complexional in a degree, and depend much even upon the bodily temper, wherein no man can think that all shall ever agree.

Nor can there be, such a union, as shall infer, that all

must be of the same rank and order, the same station and use in the church of God; which indeed would not belong to the perfection of union, but imperfection; it would be confusion, instead of regular and perfect union. Such kind of union we are not to expect.

And it is to be considered farther in reference to this matter, secondly, What kind of union there already is. And certainly some union there is among all these that are sincere and living christians: such I chiefly intend as the subject of the union, whereof I am discoursing. And there is,

and cannot but be amongst all such, a union in those great and substantial things, which we have already had occasion to take notice of, in Eph. 4, 3, 4. They are all one body, one living, animated body by one and the same Spirit. They have all one hope of their calling, one happiness and end; one Lord, one faith; they are all substantially of one religion; one baptism, meaning by that (as hath been noted,) not so much the signum as the signatum; they are all comprehended within the bond of the same covenant of life and They have all one God the Father of all, who is of all, and in peace. all, and through all.

And, which sums up all this, one way or another, they are all united in one common head. The apostle, speaking of Christ, says, He is the head of the body, the church, Col. I. 18. And to the same purpose, in Eph. 1. 22, 23. And by virtue of that union they have with Christ the Mediator, the head of the church, it comes to pass, that they do unite and agree besides in all the other things that were mentioned. They are all of his body. It is from him they all partake of that one and the same Spirit. It is he that hath opened heaven to them, given them a prospect of an eternal blessed state, brought life and immortality to light before their eyes: they are called by him in that one hope of their calling. It is a revelation from God by him, that is the matter of their common faith. He is the Mediator of that covenant, that comprehends them all. It is he that reduces and restores and reunites them to God, and sets all things right between him and them. Therefore herein is the sum of their union, that they have all one Head, wherein they are united.

And this their common Head is not only a political, but a vital Head; as is apparently enough represented in those most emphatical expressions, Eph. 4. 15, 16. where the metaphor is distinctly pursued of a union between the head and the body: that speaking the truth in love, we way grow up into himin all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted, by that which

every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. With which agrees that in Col. 1. 18. He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, &c. And that in chap. 2. 19, Not holding the head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. All these expressions speak a vital union, such as every member in the body hath with the head, being by proper ligaments jointed into its own place, and so connected with those that finally and ultimately have more immediate connection with the head; from whence there are those several ductus, those conveyances of spirits, by which the head doth become a fountain of directive and motive influence unto the whole body. And so is our Lord Jesus Christ unto the church a fountain both of directive and motive influence, of light and life.

For every

He is a Fountain of light to all true christians. beam of true light is a ray from that Sun of righteousness, shines from and through the Lord Jesus Christ. We are under a dispensation, wherein the Father speaks to us by his Son, who is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, Heb. 1. 2. 3. This world were universally a region of nothing else but pure mere darkness, were it not for him, the light that lighteneth every one that cometh into the world, according to the several variations and degrees and kinds of light that shine here and there. And,

That very

He is also a fountain of life and vital influence. light is vital light, the light of life. The life was the light of men, John 1. 4. And for all that have real union with him, it is because he lives, that they live also.

Herein therefore they have union with this Head. They all participate together in the light of divine truth, whereof he hath been the teacher; of all that saving wisdom and knowledge that is treasured up in him. In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, Col. 2. 3. And all that are really of his body, unite and meet in a participation of necessary light and knowledge from him; they partake according to their measure of necessary truth from that Fountain, so much as is essential unto the Christian religion, and necessarily concurs unto the constituting of that. And they all agree in the participation of motive and active influence from him, for the performance of all the essentially necessary duties and exercises that do belong to the Christian life. Such a union there is amongst all sincere christians. This is implied in the expres sion of holding the head before mentioned. They truly hold

the head, who are so united to it, as that by virtue of that union they receive and derive thence the knowledge and perception of all essentially requisite truth, and that life and power that is also requisite to the duty that lies upon christians as such.

There hath been a great deal of controversy, between the reformed and those of the roman church, about that distinction of the essentials and extra-essentials of Christianity. But let men cavil as long as they will, it would manifestly be the most absurd thing in all the world to deny the distinction for if any would deny it, I would inquire of them; Which part of the distinction is it, that you would deny? would you deny, that there are essential parts of Christianity? or else, that there are extra-essential parts? if the distinction be not good, one of these parts must be denied. But if any would say, there are no essential parts; that would be to say, that the Christian religion hath no being; for certainly that is nothing, unto which nothing is essential. And to say, that there are no extra-essential parts, is to say, that a man cannot be a christian unless he knows every thing of truth, and unless he punctually do every thing of duty, whether he know it or not: then a man could not be a christian unless he did certainly know the meaning of the number "six hundred sixty six," and a thousand difficult passages besides up and down the Scripture. So that in effect, to deny the distinction of essential and extra-essential parts in Christianity, or of it, must either be to deny that there is any such thing as Christianity, or that there is any such thing as a christian: if there be no essential parts, Christianity is nothing; for that is nothing, to which nothing is essential and if there be none extra-essential, then there are no christians; for certainly there is no man, that knows and does every thing that belongs to the Christian religion. But that there are essential parts, and therefore extra-essential too, is most evident and which the essential parts be, in contradistinction to all others, is not obscurely intimated to us in the Scripture itself, in such summas of Christian doctrine and practice, as we have pointed to us here and there in some remarkable texts. As, when we are told, 1 Cor. 8. 6. To us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. Where we have the great objects, upon which religion terminates; God considered as God, the end; and Christ the mediator, the way to that end. And then we are not without what is summary too of the acts to be done in reference to those objects. The apostle, speaking of the course he had taken in unfolding the mysteries of the gospel,