First of all. There is a glorious, Rea. 1 and blessed union between Christ and every Christian: a union beyond all expression. It is compared indeed, unto the union that is between the Head, and the Members: the Root, and the Branches: the Husband, and the Wife: but though they come up unto what Christ intended, yet they all fall short of this Union that is between Christ and a Christian: for the Head is not in the Members, nor the Members in the Head, mutually, but Christ in them, and they in Christ: I in you, 1and you in ⟨p. 116⟩me; saith He: It is a union of mutual in-being, not a union of affection only, such as the stones have, when they lye together in a great heap: but rather, such as is between the wine and the water when they are put together, saving that they are not mixed together: Christ is not mixed with a Christian, a Christian is not mixed with Christ; Christ is not a Christian, a Christian is not Christ: but there is a union of mutual in-being. Now you know, when the fire gets into the Iron is united to it, is in it; the properties of the fire are communicated to the Iron; the Iron forgets his own blackness, & shines wth the shining of the fire, & burns wth the burning of the fire. And as a coal, a char-coal, though it be never so dark, and black a body, when the fire comes, gets into it; the properties of the fire are communicated to it, and it burns like the fire it self, and melts like the fire it self, and shines like the fire it self. So, when the Lord Jesus Christ is united to a soul, look what Excellencies there are in Christ, what Graces in Christ, the same are Communicated to it: the soul shines with Christs shining, and warms with His warming; there is Grace Answerable for His Grace. You know, there was a blessed union between the second Person, and our Nature, our flesh, the second Person takes our Nature upon him, and being united to our flesh, by virtue of the hypostatical union, the idioms, and properties of the one, are given to the other, God hath no flesh, God hath no blood; and yet we read in the Acts of the Apostles, of the blood of God, because of the union: the properties of the flesh, and of mans nature are given to God.2 So says the Apostle: He that descended is the same also that ascended. God does not descend, for He is every where; but by reason of the union, what is proper to the flesh is given to God.
First of all. There is a glorious, Rea. 1 and blessed union between Christ and every Christian: a union beyond all expression. It is compar'd indeed, unto the union that is between the Head, and the Members: the Root, and the Branches: the Husband, and the Wife: but though they come up unto what Christ intended, yet they all fall short of this Ʋnion that is between Christ and a Christian: for the Head is not in the Members, nor the Members in the Head, mutually, but Christ in them, and they in Christ: I in you, 1and you in ⟨p. 116⟩me; saith He: It is a union of mutual in-being, not a union of affection only, such as the stones have, when they lye together in a great heap: but rather, such as is between the wine and the water when they are put together, saving that they are not mixt together: Christ is not mixt with a Christian, a Christian is not mixt with Christ; Christ is not a Christian, a Christian is not Christ: but there is a union of mutual in-being. Now you know, when the fire gets into the Iron is united to it, is in it; the properties of the fire are cōmunicated to the Iron; the Iron forgets his own blackness, & shines wth the shining of the fire, & burns wth the burning of the fire. And as a coal, a char-coal, though it be never so dark, and black a body, when the fire comes, gets into it; the properties of the fire are communicated to it, and it burns like the fire it self, and melts like the fire it self, and shines like the fire it self. So, when the Lord Jesus Christ is united to a soul, look what Excellencies there are in Christ, what Graces in Christ, the same are Communicated to it: the soul shines with Christs shining, and warms with His warming; there is Grace Answerable for His Grace. You know, there was a blessed union between the second Person, and our Nature, our flesh, the second Person takes our Nature upon him, and being united to our flesh, by vertue of the hypostatical union, the idioms, and properties of the one, are given to the other, God hath no flesh, God hath no blood; and yet we reade in the Acts of the Apostles, of the blood of God, because of the union: the properties of the flesh, and of mans nature are given to God.2 So saies the Apostle: He that descended is the same also that ascended. God does not descend, for He is every where; but by reason of the union, what is proper to the flesh is given to God.
- 1Joh. 14.20.
- 2Eph. 4.10.
