An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

I suppose our Church intended some such thing,¹ and I mean it in good earnest; for in the Communion Service, she tells us, That we dwell in Christ, and Christ in us; we be one with Christ, and Christ with us; and excellently prays, That our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our Souls washed through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us: Sure such passages import a near Union and Communication between ⟨p. 91⟩Christ and believers: But saith Mr. Watson, When a Soul is united to Christ, no condemnation can fall upon him; a woman being married, her debts light upon her husband: O blessed privilege! saith the Author, And who would be afraid of running into debt with God, when he hath such an Husband to discharge all; and then how vile and impure soever men are, their comfort is, they are married to Christ, and his beauty is put upon them: To which I answer, No men are more afraid to run into debt with God, than those, who taste of that Grace, which forgives all; and drink of that blood, which pays for all: Our love to Christ is a pure principle of Obedience, and his love to us is a Divine inflammative of ours, because he will discharge all, shall we be presumptuous and extravagant? Some Gallants in Queen Elizabeths time, hoping for some Church-lands, run out desperately, crying out, Solvat Ecclesia; but shall believers, who have past through the pangs of the new birth, and tasted the hidden Manna of Gods love, sin on and say, Solvat Christus? Nothing is, nor can be more unnatural, because they know themselves espoused to such an husband as Christ, ⟨p. 92⟩shall they be adulterous? Because Christ will be their friend, shall they be enemies? These are strange repugnancies indeed: As to what the Author adds, How vile and impure soever men are, their comfort is, they are married to Christ; those words (how vile and impure soever men are) are none of Mr. Watson's, but added by the Author; after which rate one may turn any thing into non sence, or blasphemy.

I suppose our Church intended some such thing,¹ and I mean it in good earnest; for in the Communion Service, she tells us, That we dwell in Christ, and Christ in us; we be one with Christ, and Christ with us; and excellently prayes, That our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our Souls washed through his most pretious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us: Sure such passages import a near Union and Communication between