Christus in corde, or, The mystical union between Christ and believers considered in its…

The third is this; The marks of this union are supernatural. No mere moral virtues, such as are under a common blessing extracted out of principles of reason, can amount to a mark. In moral virtues Reason is the great Moderator; in acts of Justice it weighs out to every man his own; in acts of temperance it proportions out how far a man may drink of sensitive delights; in acts of fortitude it sets down the just measures how far fear may be heard; in all, Reason is the chief Umpire and Empress, regulating and commanding every thing: In these moral virtues a man is in union with his Reason, as the supreme faculty in him; this is indeed highly commendable; but if we might rest here, Christ would not be necessary to us. However necessary he might be for expiation; yet he would not be necessary for sanctification; ⟨p. 275⟩he need not be a vital head to us, we might be an head to our selves; he need not pour out his Holy Spirit upon us, our own spirit might serve the turn; we need not be in union with him, it is enough for us to be in union with our own Reason: All which being very absurd, it is to be noted, that union with Christ is a thing of a much higher nature than union with Reason. The mere Moralist moves in an orb much lower than the true Christian; the Moralist in a kind of self-sufficiency stays at home, and drinks out of the cistern which is in his own Reason; but the Christian in a way of self emptiness goes out of himself and partakes of influences of Grace from Christ. The Moralist is prudentially regulated in his passions, that they are subject to his mind; but the Christian is divinely renewed throughout, that the whole man becomes subject unto God. The Moralist does his virtuous actions in compliance with his Reason as being the highest faculty in him; but the Christian, does his gracious acts in compliance with the divine will, as being the supreme rule to him. The Moralist acting out of natural principles, aims at nothing higher than himself; but the Christian acting out of supernatural principles, directs all to the glory of God as the chief end. These things make ⟨p. 276⟩it appear, that moral virtues, though good in their kind, are so far short of spiritual graces, that they cannot in themselves be marks of our union with Christ.

The third is this; The marks of this union are supernatural. No meer moral virrues, such as are under a common blessing extracted out of principles of reason, can amount to a mark. In moral virtues Reason is the great Moderator; in acts of Justice it weighs out to every man his own; in acts of temperance it proportions out how far a man may drink of sensitive delights; in acts of fortitude it sets down the just measures how far fear may be heard; in all, Reason is the chief Umpire and Empress, regulating and commanding every thing: In these moral virtues a man is in union with his Reason, as the supream faculty in him; this is indeed highly commendable; but if we might rest here, Christ would not be necessary to us. However necessary he might be for expiation; yet he would not be necessary for fanctification;