Human nature in its fourfold state ... In several practical discourses

First, Christ apprehends the sinner by his Spirit, and draws him to himself, 1 Cor. xii 13. For by one Spirit, we are all baptized into one body. The same Spirit, which is in the Mediator himself, he communicates to his elect in due time; never to depart from them, but to abide in them, as a principle of life. Thus, he takes hold of them, by his own Spirit put into them; and so the withered branch gets life. The soul is now in the hands of the Lord of life, and possessed by the Spirit of life: how then can it but live? The man gets a ravishing light of Christ's excellency, in the glass of the gospel: he sees him a full, suitable, and willing Saviour; and gets a heart to take him for, and instead of all. The spirit of faith furnisheth him with feet to come to Christ, and hands to receive him. What by nature he could not do, by grace he can; the Holy Spirit working in him the work of faith with power.

Secondly, The Sinner, thus apprehended, apprehends Christ by faith, and so takes with the blessed stock, Eph. iii. 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. The soul that before tried many ways of escape, but all in vain, doth now look again, with the eye of faith, which proves the healing look. As Aaron's rod, laid up in the tabernacle, budded, and brought forth buds, Numb. xvii. 8. So the dead branch apprehended by the Lord of life, put into, and bound up with, the glorious quickening stock, by the Spirit of life, buds forth in actual believing on Jesus Christ, whereby this union is completed. We having the same spirit of faith—believe, 2 Cor. iv. 13. Thus the stock and the graft are united, Christ and the Christian are married: faith being the soul's consent to the spiritual marriage covenant, which, as it is proposed in the gospel to mankind sinners indefinitely, so it is demonstrated, attested, and brought home, to the man in particular, by the Holy Spirit: and so be, being joined to the Lord, is one Spirit with him. Hereby a believer live in and for Christ, and Christ lives in, and for the believer,