A supplement to The Morning-exercise at Cripple-Gate, or, Several more cases of conscience practically…

Mutual effects are these, and such like as these.

1. Union with God. Union is the foundation of communion, and communion is the exercise of union. The Spirit of God is the immediate efficient cause of this union, and faith is the internal instrument on our part, but love is the internal instrument both on God's part, and ours^(k), Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, we being rooted and grounded in love. This union is most immediately with Christ, and through him with the Father, and Holy Ghost. It is an amazing and comfortable truth, that our union with Christ does much resemble the personal union of the two natures in Christ. (I grant 'tis unlike it in more considerations, because of the transcendency of the mystery, but yet there's some resemblance) e. g. the Humane Nature in Christ is destitute of it's subsistence and personality, by it's union with, and it's assumption to the divine: so the gracious soul hath no kind of denomination, but what it hath from its union with Christ: It's gracious being is bound up in its union with Christ. Other men can live without Christ, but so cannot the gracious soul. Again, in Christ there's a communication of properties, that is, that which is proper to the divine nature is attributed to the humane; and contrarily, that which is proper to the humane nature, is attributed to the divine: so here in the soul's union with Christ; Christ is made sin for us, and dealt with, as if he were a sinner; we are made the righteousness of God in him, and privileged as righteous persons. Christ's riches are ours, and our poverty his: yea more, the offices of Christ, are attributed to Believers;^(l) they are an holy and a royal priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ; and Christ hath made^(m) us Kings and Priests unto his father, Christ hath a stock of created grace, 'twas for us⁽ⁿ⁾