fays he, ye are the branches. Abide in me, and 1 in you; for as the branch cannot bear fruit of itfelf, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit, for without me ye can do nothing." A moft exprefs and important declaration. Would to God, it were laid to heart, by all profeffors of religion! 2. St. Paul ufes another comparison. In divers parts of his Epiftles, he illuftrates the union which a believer has with Chrift, by that which the members of the human body have with the head of it. As the body is one, fays he, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; fo alfo is Chrift. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, and have been all made to drink of one Spirit* And, again, "Ye are the body of Chrift, and members in particular. † Now the human body is not only guided and governed by the head, but, has life and nourishment communicated therefrom. In allufion to this, the Apoftle exhorts us to "grow up into Christ, who is the head, in all things; from whom, adds he, the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted, by that which every joint fupplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body." He speaks to the fame purpose in the Epiftle to the Coloffians." He is the head of his body, the church ;-the head from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment miniftered, and knit together, encreafeth with all the encreafe of God §. * Cor. xii, 12. + Ver. 27. + Eph. iv. 15. 3. The 3. The Lord Jefus, therefore, our living Head, not only inftructs and guides us as our Prophet, and commands and governs us as our King; but as the High Prieft of our profeffion, who ever liveth to make interceffion for us, he receives of the Father and communicates to us thofe fupplies of grace, those influences of the Holy Spirit, whereby we not only grow up into him our living Head in all things, and in due time arrive at the measure of the ftature of his fulness; but are enabled to a& the part affigned us as particular members of the body for the good of the whole. And then, as there is a real and fenfible sympathy between the head and its members, fo we are affured that the High Priest of our profeffion is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities," and tenderly fympathizes with us while, on the other hand, we have "fellowship with him in his fufferings," and are affected with the wants and diftreffes of every fellow member of his mystical body. 4. It appears from all this, 2dly, that thofe who have union with Jefus, have alfo an intereft in him, just as a branch has an intereft in the tree in which it grows, fuch as it has in no other tree in the world; and the member an interest in the head of the body to which it belongs, fuch as it has in the head of no other body. My Beloved is mine," fays the spouse, " and I am his." Chrift is theirs, and they are his. They are his, being dedicated to him in faith and love, and employed for him in duty and fervice, living no longer "unto themselves, but unto him that died for them and rofe again." And he is theirs, being "made of God unto them wildom, righteoufnefs, fanctification and redemption." As their wisdom, he teaches them by his Word and Spirit to know both their duty and their happiness, and tho' they were once darkness, they are now light in him the Lord. As As their righteousness, he juftifies them from all things, and thro' him they have peace with God. As their fanctification, he communicates that grace, whereby they are not only delivered from the power, but at length purged from the defilement of fin, and restored to the "image of him that created them," even righteousness and true holiness. And as their redemption, he will, in due time, refcue them from all the confequences of the fall, will ranfom their very bodies from the grave, and fix them in glory and felicity for ever. 5. As to the means whereby we obtain this high privilege, and the marks whereby we are fatisfied ourselves and give proof to others that we poffefs it, I need fay but little. It is manifest from what has already been advanced, that it is not the being baptized with water and making a profeffion of christianity, that can either entitle us to, or put us in poffeffion of fuch an inestimable bleffing. No: a perfon may, according to St. Paul's doctrine*, "profefs to know God, and yet by works deny him," as it is but too vifible, the greatest part of the profeffors of Chriftianity do at this day. Nor is it enough that he that names the name of Chrift," or has that name named upon him in baptifm, "departs from iniquity," and is in all outward things unblamable. Even this will not intitle a man to this bleffing or prove that he is in poffeffion of it. For we may have " a name to live, when we are dead t." And whatever a man may be in his outward deportment, however blamelefs, however exemplary, yet if he be not "born again, he cannot fee the kingdom of God; if he have not the Spirit of Chrift he is none of his,' and if Chrift be not “in him, dwelling in his heart by faith, he is a reprobate ‡." Neither will 2 Cor. xiii. 5. * Tit. i. 16. + Rev. iii. 3. the the most diligent and constant attendance upon the means of grace and ordinances of God, whether public or private, unite us favingly to Christ, or afford fure proof of our being poffeffed of an intereft in him. For, if St. Paul may be credited, a man may have a form of godliness and may be deftitute of the power; and if the faithful and true Witness may be depended upon, the only true worfhippers are thofe that worship the Father in fpirit and in truth." Nay, and as to good works, even works of mercy, done to the bodies and fouls of men, on which the greateft ftrefs feems to be laid by moft, yet even these themselves, however largely and earnestly inculcated in the Holy Scriptures, are not, properly fpeaking, the means whereby we are ingrafted into Chrift, nor are they of themselves fufficient evidences that we belong to him. "For tho' I give all my goods to feed the poor, fays the laft mentioned Apoftle, and have not love, I am nothing." For "in Chrift Jefus, nothing availeth, but faith that worketh by love t." 6. This is properly the mean whereby we obtain this bleffing, even faith working by love, faith in the Lord Jefus Christ, and in the glad tidings of falvation thro' him. For fo he himself tells us, "God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him should not perifh, but have everlafting life; he that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God." These words of our Lord are echoed by John the Baptift, and confirmed, if they need any confirmation, by the teftimony of all the Apostles: "He that believeth on the Son," faith the Baptift, * 1 Cor. xiii. 3. + Gal. v. 6. "hath hath everlafting life; and he that believeth not the Son, fhall not fee life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." "By grace are ye faved thro' faith," faith St. Paul: "The juft," adds he, "shall live by faith." And fpeaking of himself and of every true Chriftian, he obferves, "The life I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who hath loved me, and given himself for me.' "These things," fays St. John, " have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe," that is, may continue to believe," on the name of the Son of God." 7. But let it be observed, that this faith in our Lord Jefus Chrift, always preceded by repentance towards God, is not barely a conviction that Je"fus of Nazareth, is the Chrift the Son of God, "the Saviour of the world:" for it is certain the Devils believe this, and yet are not faved, and thousands upon earth have the fame faith, and yet live and die in their fins: Nor is it merely a perfuafion, however real and ftrong, that he hath done and suffered all that is recorded in the New Teftament concerning him, and therefore is able to fave to the uttermoft, all that come unto God by him. But, added to this, it implies, according to the account frequently given of it by our Lord himself, and by his Apoftles, a coming to him and confiding in him for falvation, together with the receiving of him in every office and character which he suftains. This clearly appears from the following, and fuch like paffages. "COME unto me ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you reft. If any man thirst, let him COME unto me and drink.-He that COMETH unto me shall never hunger, and he that believeth in me fhall never thirst.-That we fhould |