had told them, he would drink no more of the fruit of the vine, till he fhould drink it new with them in his Father's kingdom: and now he fhews himself to be the Vine, from whence the wine of their confolation thould come. The vine hath lefs beauty than many other trees: but is exceeding fruitful; fitly reprefenting the low condition our Lord was then in, yet bringing many fons to glory. But that which is chiefly aimed at, in his comparing himself to a vine, is to reprefent himself as the fupporter and nourisher of his people, in whom they live, and bring forth fruit. (2.) He compares them to the branches, ye are the branches of that Vine. Ye are the branches knit to, and growing on this flock: drawing all your life and fap from it. It is a beautiful comparifon; as if he had faid, I am as a Vine, ye are as the branches of that Vine Now there are two forts of branches: (1.) Natural branches, which at firft fpring out of the ftock: thefe are the branches that are in the tree, and were never, out of it. (2) There are ingrafted branches, which are branches breken off from the tree that firft gave their life; and put into another to grow upon it. Thus branches come to be on a tree, which originally were not on it. The branches mentioned in the text, are of the latter fort; branches broken off, (as the word in the original language denotes) namely, from the tree that firit gave them life. None of the children of men are natural branches of the fecond Adam, viz. Jefus Chrift the true Vine; they are all the natural branches of the first Adam, that degenerate vine; but the elect are all of them fooner or later broken off from the natural stock, and ingrafted into Chrift the true Vine.

DOCT. They who are in the state of grace, are ingrafted in, and united to, the Lord Jefus Chrift. They are taken out of their natural ftock, cut off from it; and are now ingrafted into Chrift as the new ftock. In handling of this, I thall fpeak to the Mystical Union, (1.) More generally. (2.) More particularly.

A general View of the Myftical Union.

FIRST, In the general, for understanding the union betwixt the Lord Jefus Chrift, and his elect, who believe in him, and on him. 1. It is a fpiritual union. Man and wife, by their marriage-union, become one fleth: Chrift and true believers, by this union, become, one /pirit, 2 Cor. vi. 17. As one foul or fpirit 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 Chrift, 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.

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himself was tempted to caft himself down from a pinacle of the temple, and to worship the devil, Matth iv. 6, 9. And many of the children of God have not only been attacked with, but have actually yielded to very grofs temptations for a time. Peter denied CHRIST, and curfed and fwore that he know him not, Mark xiv. 71. Paul, when a perfecuter, compelled even faints to blafpheme, Acts xxvi. 10, 11. Many of the faints can, from their fad experience, bear witnefs to very grofs temptations, which have aftonifhed their fpirits, made their very fleth to tremble, and fickened their bodies. Satan's fiery darts make terrible work; and will coft pains to quench them, by a vigorous managing of the thield of faith, Ephef. vi. 16. Sometimes, he makes fuch defperate attacks, that never was one more put to it, in running to and fro, without intermiffion to quench the fre-balls inceffantly thrown into his houfe by an enemy defigning to burn the houfe about him; than the poor tempted faint is, to repel fatanical injections. But these injections, thefe horrid temptations, though they are a dreadful affliction, they are not the fins of the tempted, unless they make them theirs by confenting to them. They will be charged upon the tempter alone, if they be not confented to; and will no more be laid to the charge of the tempted party, than a baftard's being laid down at the chafte man's door, will fix guilt upon him. But, fuppofe neither minifter nor private Chriftian, to whom you go, can tell you of any who has been in your cafe; yet you ought not thence to infer, that your cafe certainly is fingular, far lefs to give over hopes: for it is not to be thought, that every godly minifter, or private Chriftian, has had the experience of all the cafes a child of God may be in. And we need not doubt but fome have had diftreffes known only to God, and their own confciences; and, fo, to others thefe diftreffes are as if they had never been. Yea, and though the fcripture do contain fuitable directions for every cafe a child of God can be in; and these illuftrated with a fufficient number of examples: yet it is not to be imagined, that there are in the fcriptures perfect inftances of every particular cafe incident to the faints. Therefore, howbeit you cannot find an inftance of your cafe in the fcripture; yet bring your cafe to it, and you fhall find fuitable remedies prefcribed there for it. And fludy rather to make ufe of Chrift for your cafe, who has falve for all fores; than to know if ever any was in your cafe. Tho' one should fhew you an inftance of your cafe, in an undoubted faint; yet none could promife it would certainly give you eafe: for a fcrupulous confcience would readily find out fome difference. And if nothing but a perfect conformity of another's cafe to yours, will fatisfy, it will be hard, if not impoffible to fatisfy you. For it is with people's cafes, as with their natural faces: though faces of all men are of one make; and fome are fo very like others, that, at firft view we are ready to take then for the fame: yet if you view them more accurately, you will fee fomething in every face, diftinguithing it from all others; though poffibly you cannot tell what it is; wherefore I conclude, that if you

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than Christ, and his Father too; Neither fhall any man pluck them out of my band, faith our Lord, John x. 28. And none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hund, ver. 39. But, what fay you of death, which parts hufband 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 is it is) nor life, (as defirable 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; ror the height of worldly felicity, nor depth of worldly mifery; nor any other creature, good or ill, fhall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Chrift Fefus 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 thould be separated from their nearest relations in the world, and from all their earthly enjoyments; yea, tho' their fouls fhould be separate from their bodies, and their bodies feparate in a thousand pieces, their bones fcattered, as when one cutteth or cleaveth wood: yet foul and body, and every piece of the body, the fmallest duft of it fhall remain united to the Lord Chrift: for even in death, they fleep in Fefus, 1 Theff. iv. 14 And, we keepeth all their bones, Pfal. xxxiv. 20. Union with Chrift, is the grace wherein we stand, firm and ftable, as mount Zion, which cannot be removed.

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Leftly, It is a myfterious union. The gospel is a doctrine of myfteries. It difcovers to us the fubftantial union of the three Perfons in one Godhead, 1 John v 7. Thefe three are one: the hypoftatical union of the divine and human natures, in the perfon of the Lord Jefus Chrift, 1 Tim iii. 16. God was manifeft in the flesh: and the myftical union, betwixt Chrift and believers;, this is a great mystery alfo, Eph. v. 32. O what myfteries 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; yea, a mystery to themselves.

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

Of the natural and supernatural 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 ftocks: for the fcripture speaks of these two, as if there had never been more men in the wld than they, 1 Cor. xv. 45. The first man

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rife of that difference, without which never one would have received him. He tells us, that as many as received him, were these which were born-of God, John i. 11, 12, 13. Unregenerate men may prefume; but true faith they cannot have. Faith is a flower, that grows not in the field of nature. As the tree cannot grow without a root, neither can a man believe without the new nature, whereof the principle of believing is a part. (2.) Without regeneration a man's works are dead works. As is the principle, fo muft the effects be if the lungs be rotten, the breath will be unfavoury; and he who at beft is dead in fin, his works at best will be but dead works. Unto them that are defiled and unbelieving, is nothing purebeing abominable, and difobedient, and unto every good work, reprobate, Tit. i. 15, 16. Could we fay of a man, that he is more blameless in his life, than any other in the world; that he macerates his body with fafting; and has made his knees as horns with continual praying; but he is not born again: that exception would mar all. And if one thould fay, there is a well-proportioned body, but the foul is gone, it is but a dead lump. This is a melting confideration Thou doft many things materially good, but God faith, All these things avail not, as long as I fee the old nature reigning in the man, Gal. vi. 15. For in Jefus Chrift neither circumcifion availeth any thing, nor uncircum-, cifion, but a new creature.

If thou art not born again, (1.) All thy reformation is naught in the fight of God. Thou haft thut the door, but the thief is ftill in the house. It may be thou art not what once thou waft, yet thou art not what thou muft be, if ever thou feeft heaven; for, except a man be born again, he cannot fee the kingdom of God, John iii. 3. (2.) Thy prayers are an abomination to the Lord, Prov xv. 8. It may be, others admire thy ferioufnefs; thou crieft as for thy life: but God accounts of the opening of thy mouth, as one would account of the opening of a grave full of rottennefs, Rom. iii. 13. Their throat is an open fepulchre. Others are affected with thy prayers; which feem to them, as if thy would rend the heavens: but God accounts them as the howling of a dog: They have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds, Hof. vii. 14. Others take thee for a wreitler and prevailer with God; but he can take no delight with thee, nor thy prayers neither, Ifa. lxvi. 3. He that killeth an ox, is as if he flew a man: he that facrificeth a lamb, is as if he cut off a dog's neck, he that burneth incenfe, as if he bleffed an idol. Why not? Because thou art yet in the gall of bitterness, and bond of iniquity. (3) All thou haft done for God and his caufe in the world, though it may be followed with temporal rewards, yet is loft as to divine acceptance. This is clear from the cafe of Jehu; who was indeed rewarded with a kingdom, for his exccuting due vengeance upon the houfe of Ahab; as being a work good, for the matter of it, becaufe it was commanded of God, as you may fee, 2 Kings x. 13. Yet he was punished for it in his pofterity, because he did it not in a right manner, Hof. i. 4. I will

avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the houfe of Jehu. God looks mainly to the heart: and if fo, truly albeit thy outward appearance be fairer than that of many others, yet the hidden man of thy heart, is lothfome; thou lookeft well before men, but art thou, as Mofes was, fair to God, as the margin hath it, Acts vii. 20. O what a difference is there betwixt the characters of Afa and Amaziah: The bigh places were not removed: nevertheless, Afa his heart was perfect with the Lord all his days, 1 Kings xv. 14. Amaziah did that which was right in the fight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart, 2 Chron. xxv. 2 It may be, thou art zealous against fin in others, and doft admonish them to their duty, and reprove them for their fin; and they hate thee, because thou doft thy duty. But I muft tell thee, God hates thee too, because thou doft it not in a right manner; and that thou canst never do, whilft thou art not born again. Lastly, All thy ftruggles against fin, in thine own heart and life, are naught. The proud Pharifte afflicted his body with fafting, and God ftruck his foul in the mean time with a fentence of condemnation, Luke xviii. Balaam ftruggled with his covetous temper to that degree, that though he loved the wages of unrighteoufnefs, yet he would not win them by curfing Ifrael, but he died the death of the wicked, Numb. xxxi 8. All thou doft while in an unregenerate ftate is for thy felf: and therefore it will fare with thee, as with a subject, who having reduced the rebels, put the crown on his own head; and therefore lofeth all his good fervice, and his head too.

Object. If it be thus with us, then we need never perform any religious duty at all. Anf. The conclufion is not juft. No inability of thine can loose thee from the duty God's law lays on thee: and there iis lefs evil in thy doing thy duty, than there is in the omitting of it. But there is a mids betwixt omitting of duty, and the doing of it as thou doft it. A man ordereth masons to build a houfe: if they quite neglect the work, that will not be accepted; if they fall on, and build upon the old rotten foundation, neither will that pleafe; but they must raze the old foundation, and build on firm ground. Go thou and do likewife. In the mean time, it is not in vain for thee, even for thee, to feek the Lord: for tho' he regards thee not, yet he may have refpect to his own ordinance, and do thee good thereby, as was faid before.

Secondly, Without regeneration there is no communion with God. There is a fociety on earth, whofe fellowship is with the Father, and with the Son Jefus Chrift, 1 John i. 3. But out of that fociety all the unregenerate are excluded; for they are all enemies to God, as ye heard before at large. Now, can two walk together, except they be agreed? Amos iii. 3. They are all unholy: and what communion hath light with darkness-Chrift with Belial? 2 Cor. vi. 14, 15. They may have a fhew and femblance of holiness, but they are ftrangers to true holiness, and therefore without God in the world. How fad is this cafe, be imployed in religious duties, but to have no fellowship