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

Personal Union with Christ?¹ who owns it? that is, of different Natures in the same Person, such as is not between Christ and us; Mystical, the Author should have said; that I own, and from thence are derived all spiritual good things to us: And so much is proved by that of St. John; Having the Son, imports Union with him, or else we may have all at a distance from him. Hear the Learned Bishop Reynolds on that Text:² One thing cannot be the Principle of Life to another, except there be ⟨p. 117⟩some Union, which may be the ground of that conveyance; and this is that the Text calls, the having of Christ: And what this Union is, he afterwards explains, It is that whereby we and he are spiritually united to the making up of one mystical body, ³the formal Reason or Bond of it is the Spirit of Christ; from it doth immediately arise a Communion with him in all good things. Hear the Glory of our Church, Archbishop Usher; ⁴No man participates of the benefits arising from Christ to his spiritual relief, except he first have Communion with him; we must have the Son, before we have life; eat him we must, that is, as truly be partakers of him, as we are of our ordinary food: and a little after, This is that great Mystery of our Union with Christ, whereby we are made members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bone. Hear the Learned Hooker; ⁵By virtue of this mystical Conjunction we are of him and in him; even as though our flesh and bones should be continuate with his: No man is actually in him, but they in whom he actually is; for he which hath not the Son, hath not life. And may we say or think, that such Pillars and Luminaries of the Church, should follow the sound and clink of words and phrases, chiming ⟨p. 118⟩to the tune of their own Conceits? One might rather take the Author to be out, he understands that place of obeying and believing the Gospel: Believing the Gospel is but a dogmatical Faith, which entitles not to Christ; Obedience follows after Union with him, and may be rather called walking in him, than having of him.