they have a little longer struggled with the temptations and imperfections, distresses and calamities of this militant state, they shall arrive safe at the end of their desires and hopes, and be ever with the Lord. They shall dwell in his presence, and partake of the joys at his right hand for evermore.

Thus I have given you a very brief and general view of the believer's union to Christ, according to the representation of it in the scriptures; and I am now prepared to consider your second question.

You next inquire"How is this union effected and accomplished?"

To this it is a sufficient answer, that this union is accomplished by the omnipotent agency of the Spirit of God, as the author and efficient; and by faith, as the bond of union. Vain, therefore, are their pretences, and they have but a delusive and destructive hope, who ascribe all the change in conversion to mere moral suasion, or to the exercise of our own natural powers or endeavours only. It is beyond the power of men or means to persuade a sinner into this strict and intimate union with Christ. It infinitely exceeds the capacity of any such sinful worms as we are, to make ourselves one with the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Father and he are one. No! "We dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit," 1 John iv. 13. And "by one Spirit we are baptized into one body," 1 Cor. xii. 13. Vain, likewise, is the pretence of an eternal union to Christ, or of a union to him, from the time of his passion, or of his finishing the work of our redemption. For it is to them, and none but them, who receive him and believe on his name, that he gives power to become the sons of God, John i. 12. And Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, Eph. iii. 17. The blessed Spirit shining with

a ray of divine light into the soul of a sinner, thereby discovers to him his own misery and impotence, and shows him the fulness and excellence of Christ, the freeness of gospel grace, the faithfulness of the promises, and the readiness of this precious Saviour to accept and save such guilty, perishing sinners as he is. This divine light enkindles the sinner's desires after Christ, represents him worthy to be chosen and trusted; by which his will is brought into a hearty compliance with the gospel. Thus this admirable union is accomplished. Thus, by the omnipotent power of Divine grace, the sinner is drawn to Christ, and made one with him, in a way most agreeable and delightful to himself, with the concurring act of his own will, and with his free consent and choice.

I now proceed to your third question—“ Of what necessity or usefulness unto practical godliness is it, that we should have a just acquaintance with this doctrine of our union to Jesus Christ ?"

In answer to this, I must observe, that I have already in some measure anticipated this inquiry. You may perceive, by what has been already said upon this subject, that it is not a point of mere unnecessary speculation, of no use or influence upon practical and vital religion. And I would now endeavour to show you, that this is the foundation of all practical godliness ; and that it is from ignorance of or inattention to this foundation of our practice and hope, that so many dangerous errors have obtained in the christian church. This may be represented to you, in the first place, by considering this matter with a special application to the subject upon which I have lately written so particularly and largely to you.

I am first, then, to show you, that our justification before God does necessarily and immediately depend

upon our vital union to Jesus Christ. It must be confessed by all men, who know any thing of human nature, and have any belief of a Divine revelation, that we have all sinned, and that we are all become guilty before God. And how shall guilty sinners be reconciled to God? This, sir, is the most important concern in the world. Consider the question with an attention worthy of its infinite consequence. Can you quiet your conscience with hopes of appeasing the Divine justice by your reformations, good endeavours, or duties ? Alas! they are all so defective and sinful, that the iniquity of your holy things will greatly increase the score, and add to the weight of your guilt. Will you flatter your hopes, from the mercy and goodness of the Divine nature? But what claim can you have to mercy, when open to the inexorable demands of justice? Do you expect acceptance with God upon Christ's account? This is indeed a sure foundation of hope, for all who are interested in Christ and united to him. But what pretence can you make to the righteousness of Christ and the benefits of his redemption, if you have no interest in him, or in any of his saving benefits? If you have an interest in him, you are united to him, as I have already demonstrated. If you have not an interest in him, you have no plea to make for justification and acceptance with God upon his account. Our Lord Jesus Christ has indeed made a sufficient atonement for sin. He has wrought out a perfect righteousness for sinners, whereby they may be acquitted from guilt, reconciled to God, and freely justified in his sight. But what is this to impenitent unbelievers, who have never been drawn to Christ by the powerful influences of his Holy Spirit, who have never received him by faith, so have never belonged to him, and therefore could

never have any part in either his active or passive obedience? "If a man abide not in me," says our blessed Lord, "he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned," John xv. 6. This, therefore, is a sufficient evidence of the truth of what I have before written to you upon the doctrine of justification. We cannot be justified by works. We cannot be justified by a conformity to any imaginary law of grace, without a vital union to Christ by faith. For "he that believeth not is condemned already,” John iii. 18. And he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life," 1 John v. 12. But then, on the other hand, being united to his person, we are united to his benefits, and partake with him in all the merits of his obedience, in his righteousness, victories, graces, and inheritance. This, then, shows you, what necessity there is of your acquaintance with the doctrine of our union to Christ. There is a necessity for it, that you may know what is the foundation of your eternal hope, how you may find acceptance with God, and how you may know Christ, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, and be made conformable to his death," Phil. iv. 10.

Moreover, our sanctification does likewise immediately and necessarily depend upon a vital union to the Lord Jesus Christ. The scriptures do indeed exhort us to be holy, as our Father which is in heaven is holy; and to that end they exhort us to watch and pray, to crucify our flesh with its affections and lusts, to mortify our members which are upon earth, and to place our affections upon things that are above, and to the like exercises of religious duty. But they no where exhort us to attempt these in our own strength, or to expect a renewed nature by any performance of

them within our power. For in the Lord, shall men say, we have righteousness and strength; his grace, and that only, is sufficient for us; and without him we can do nothing. I have shown you, that all supplies of grace are treasured up in Christ for us, and that we are to receive them all out of his fulness. How then can we partake of them, whilst estranged and disunited from him? Can a branch cut off from the vine bring

forth fruit? "No more can we, except we abide in him," John xv. 4. Can the branches of an olive tree flourish without the root? Surely we cannot bear the root, but the root must bear us; and we must therefore be grafted in, if we would partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree, Rom. xi. 17. Can we live and act, when separated from our life? Christ is our life, Col. iii. 4. And until he quicken us, we are dead in trespasses and sins, Eph. ii. 1. In a word, our carnal minds are enmity to God; we are altogether as an unclean thing; and when love to God can be the production of enmity itself, and purity and holiness of nothing but defilement and uncleanness, then, but not till then, can we be holy without a union to Jesus Christ. If, therefore, you would obtain that holiness" without which no man can see the Lord," you must, with active diligence, repair to him for it. You must by faith depend upon him as the Fountain of all grace. You must receive all from him, and give him the glory of all you receive.

Our communion with God does likewise wholly depend upon our union to Jesus Christ. I have already shown you, that all sanctifying grace is derived from our union to Jesus Christ; and I think I need not use arguments to prove that we cannot exercise grace before we have it. All quickening, comforting, strengthening grace, must be derived from the same