rife again: He is the Strength of our Heart, and therefore he will turn our Heart about again, and fix it upon its own Portion: Our Union here confifts more in his holding of us by his Power, than our taking hold of him by Faith: Power and Good-will encamps about both Faith and the Soul, we are kept by his Power through Faith, 1 Pet.i.. And thus he will guide the Soul, and ftill be drawing it nearer to him, from it self, and from Sin, and from the World, till he receive us into Glory, and until we be one as with the Father and the Son, He in us and we in him, that we may be made perfect in one, as it is in the Words read.

the Heart to conceive it. Only thus much we know, that it is moft Perfect, it is moft Glorious, and fo much we may apprehend of this Unity of the Saints with God. O, Love is an uniting and transforming Thing, God is Love, and be that dwelleth in Love, dwelleth in God, and God in bim. He dwelleth in us by Love, this makes him work in us, and fhine upon us; Love hath drawn him down from his Seat of Majefty, to vifit poor Cottages of Sinners, Ifa. lxvi. 1, 2. and xlvii. 15. And it is that Love of God, reflecting upon our Souls, that carries the Soul upward to him, to live in him, and walk with him. O how doth it conftrain a Soul to live to him, and draw it from it self, 2 Cor.

the more Separation from our felves, and the World; the nearer God the farther from our felves, and the farther from our felvés the more happy; And the more Unity with God, the more Unity among ourfelves, among the Brethren of our Family: Because here we are not fully one with our Father, therefore there are many Dif

This is ftrange, a greater Unity and fuller Enjoyment, a more perfect Fellow-v. 15. Then the more Unity with God, ship, than ever Adam in his Innocency would have been capable of; what Soul can conceive it? What Tongue exprefs it? None can: For it's that which Eye bath not feen, nor Ear beard, nor entred into Mans Heart to conceive. We muft fufpend the Knowledge of it, till we have Experience of it. Let us now believe it, and then we shall find it. There is a mu-ferences between us and Brethren; because tual Inhabitation which is wonderful: Perfons that dwell one with another have much Society and Fellowship, but to dwell one in another is a ftrange thing, I in them, and they in me; and therefore God is often faid to dwell in us, and we to dwell in him. But that which makes it of all most wonderful, and incomprehenfible, is, that glorious Unity and Communion between the Father and the Son, which it is made an Emblem of: As thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they alfo may be one in us. Can you conceive. that Unity of the Trinity? Can you imagine that reciprocal Inhabitation, that mutual Communion between the Father and the Son? No: It hath not entred into

we are not one perfectly in him, therefore we are not one as he and the Fa ther is one. But when he shall be in us, and we in him, as the Father is in the Son, and the Son in the Father, then shall we be one among our felves, then shall we meet in the Unity of the Faith, into a perfect Man, into the Measure of the Stature of the fulness of Cbrift, Eph. iv. 13. Chrift is the uniting Principle: While the Saints are not wholly one, uni tertio, they cannot be perfectly one inter fe, among themselves. Confider this, I beseech you: Chrift's Union with the Father, is the Foundation of our Union to God, and our Union among our felves; this is comfortable, the Ground of it is

the Father and his Son, we are made per

that Soul is void of the Life of God, that doth not find fome Sparkle of holy Ambition kindled within, after fuch a glorious and bleffed Condition. But these Things favour not, and taste not to the moft Part; the natural Man knows them not, for they are Spiritually difcerned: How lamentable is it, that Chrift is come to reftore us to our loft Bleffedness, and yet no Man almoft confiders it or lays it to Heart: O how miferable, twice miferable is that Soul, that doth not draw near to God in Chrift, when God hath come fo near to ús in Chrift? That goes a whorin after the Luft of Eyes, and Flesh, and after the Imaginations of their own Heart; and will not be guided by Chrift the Way and Life to Glory? Thou shalt deftroy them O Lord, Pfal. lxxiii. 27. All Men are far off from God, from the Womb: Behold we may have Accefs to God in Chrift: Woe to them that are yet far off, and will not draw near, they shall all perife. I exhort you to confider what ye are doing; The moft Part of you are going away from God; you were born far off, and you will yet go further; know what you will meet with in that Way, Deftruction.

laid already. Now it is not fimply the Unity of the Father and the Son in Effect, he in us, and we in him: Certainly, fence that is here meant, for what Shadow and Refemblance can be in the World, of fuch an incomprehenfible Mystery? But it is certainly the Union and Communion of God with Chrift Jefus as Mediator, as the Head of the Church, which is his Body: Therefore feeing the Father is fo wonderfully well pleafed and one with Chrift, his Well-beloved Son and Meffenger of the Covenant, and chief Party contracting in our Name, He is by Vertue of this, one with us, who are his Seed and Members. And therefore, the Members fhould grow up in the Head Chrift, from whom the whole Body makes increase according to the effectual working of the Spirit in it, Eph. v. 15, 16. Now if the Union between the Father and Chrift our Head cannot be diffolved, and cannot be Barren and Unfruitful, then certainly the Spirit of the Father, which is given to Chrift beyond Measure, muft effectually work in every Member, till it bring them to the Unity of the Faith, and to the Measure of the perfect Man which is the Fulnefs of Chrift. So then every believing Soul is one with the Father as Chrift is one, because he is the Head and they the Members, and the Day is com ing that all the Members fhall be perfectly united to the Head Chrift, and grow up to the perfect Man, which is the Stature of Chrift's Fulnefs, and then fball we all be made perfect in one: We fball be one as He is one; because he and we are one perfect Man, Head and Mem

bers:

Now to what Purpose is all this spoken? I fear, it doth not ftir up in our Souls a Defire after fuch a bleffed Life, Whofe Heart would not be moved at the Sound of fuch Words? Our Fellowship is with

You have never yet asked in earneft, For what Purpofe you came in the World? What wonder, ye wander and walk at ran dom, feeing ye have not proposed to your felves any certain Scope and Aim? It is great Folly; you would not be fo foolish in any petty Business: But O how foolish Men are in the main Bufinefs! The Light of the Body is the Eye, if that be not Light, the whole Body is full of Darknefs. If your Intention be once right established, all your Course will be orderly; but if you be dark and blind in this Point,

and

and have not considered it, you cannot things befides God.

You can have nothing walk in the Light, your whole Way is of God, except ye make him all to you, unDarkness. The right Confideration of lefs you have him alone. My undefiled the great End, would fhine unto you,is One, Cant. vi. 9. he must be alone, for and direct your Way: But, while you his Glory he will not give to another: If have not propofed this End unto your you divide your Affections, and pretend felves, the Enjoyment of God, you must to give him Part, and your Lufts other fpend your Time, either in doing nothing Part, you may be doing, but he will not to that Purpofe, or doing contrary to it. All divide his Glory fo, he will give no Part of your other lawful Bufinefs, your Callings it to any other thing. But as for thofe and Occupations, are but in the by, they Souls, that come to him and fee their Miare not the End, nor the Way, but you fery without him, O know how good it make them only your Bufinefs, they are is! It's not only Good, but beft, yea only altogether impertinent to this End. And Good, it is bonum, and it is optimum, the reft of your walking in Lufts and Ig-yea, it is unicum; there is none Good, norance, is not only impertinent, but inconfiftent with it, and contrary to it. If you think that you have this before your Eyes, to enjoy God; I pray you look up-one Spirit with the Lord, for he that on the Way you chofe: Is your Drunkenne fs, your Swearing, your Uncleannefs, your Contentions and Railings, and fuch Works of the Flesh; are thofe the Way to enjoy God? Shall not thefe feparate between God and you? Is your Eating, and Drinking, fleeping as Beafts, and labouring in your Callings; are thefe all the Means you use to enjoy God? Be'not deceived, you who draw not near God by Prayer often in fecret, and by Faith in his Son Chrift, as loft miferable Sinners, to be faved, and reconciled by him, you have no Fellowship with him, and you shall not enjoy him afterward. You whofe Hearts are given to your Covetoufnefs, who have many Lovers and Idols besides him, you cannot fay, Whom have I befides Thee in the Earth? No, you have many other

fave One, even God, and there is nothing Good for us but this One, to be near God, and fo near, that we may be one,

is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit: Rejoice in your Portion, and long for the Poffeffion of it. Let all your Meditations and Affections, and Converfation, proclaim this, Whom have I in Heaven but Thee, and none in the Earth befide Thee. And certainly he shall guide you to the End, and receive you into Glory; then you shall reft from your Labours, because you shall dwell in him, and enjoy that which you longed and laboured for. Let the Confideration of our End unite the Hearts of Chriftians here. O what an abfurd Thing is it, that those who shall lodge together at Night, and be made perfect in one, thould not only go contraryways, but have contrary Minds and Affec tions.

14

W

Of the SCRIPTURES.

2 Tim. iii. 16. All Scripture is given, &e.

ways, beaten Paths, that the Multitude of Men walk in, and never challenge, nor will endure to be challenged, as if they were in an Error. In other Journeys, Men keep the plain High-way, and are afraid of any fecret By-way; left it lead them wrong: At bic, via quaque tritif

E told you, that there was nothing more neceffary to know, than what our End is, and what the Way is that leads to that End: We fee the moft Part of Men walking at Random, running an uncertain Race, because they do not propofe unto themselves a cer tain Scope to aim at, and whither to di-fima maxime decipit. Here the high pathrect their whole Courfe. According to Mens particular Inclinations and Humours, fo do the Purposes and Defigns of Men vary; and often do the Purposes of one Man change, according to the Circumftances of Time, and his Condition in the World. We fee all Men almoft running cross one to another; one drives at the Satisfaction of his Luft by Pleafure, another fancies a great Felicity in Honour, a third in getting Riches, and thus Men divide themselves; whereas, if it were true Happiness that all were all feeking, they would all go one Way towards one End. If Men be not in the right Way, the fafter they seem to move toward the Mark, the further they go from it: Wandring from the right Way, (fuppofe Men intend well) will put them further from that which they intend. Si via in contrarium ducat, ipfa velocitas majoris intervalli caufa eft: Therefore it concerns us all moft deeply, to be acquainted with the true Path of Bleffedness; for if we once mistake, the more we do, the fwifter we move; the more diftant we are from it indeed. And there is the more Need, because there are fo many by-paths that lead to Deftruction: What fay I, by-paths? No, High

ed Way leads Wrong, and, O far Wrong! to Hell. This is the Meaning of Chrift's Sermon, Enter in at the ftrait Gate, but walk not in the broad Way where many walk, for it leads to Deftruction: Therefore I would have this Perfwafion once begotten in your Souls, that the Course of this World; the Way of the moft Part of Men is dangerous, is damnable. O confider, whither the Way will. lead you, before you go further. Do not think it a Folly to ftand still now, and examine it, when ye have gone on fo long in their Company. Stand, I fay, and confider: Be not ignorant as Beasts, that know no other Thing than to follow the Drove, qua pergunt, non qua eundum eft, fed quæ itur; they follow not whither they ought to go, but whither moft go: You are Men, and have reasonable Souls within you; therefore I beseech you be not compofed, and fashioned according to Cuftom, and Example, that is brutish, but according to fome inward Knowledge and Reafon. Retire once from the Multitude, and ask in earnest at God, what is the Way? Him that fears him, he will teach the Way that he should choose: The Way to his bleffed End is very ftrait, very