One-Hundred Forty-Five Sermons Upon John 17, Sermon 118
SERMON CXVIII. The Glorious Myſtery of the Saints Ʋnion with Christ, and with the Father by him, Opened.
JOH. 17.21.
That they all may be one as thou (Father) art in me, &c.
IN theſe words we have the nature and quality of the godly mans Union declared. 1. That it is an holy and godly Ʋnity, they are one in Chriſt, not in the devil or ſin as wicked men are. 2. It's not a bodily Union and viſible, but ſpiritual and inviſible, becauſe it's an Unity in the Father and the Son. 3. It's not abſolutely and adequately equall to the Union between the Father and Son, for our Saviour doth plainly ſeparate and make a difference, he ſaid not before, As thou Father art in us and we in thee, but in me, and I in thee, diſtinguiſhing himſelf thereby in a tranſcendent way from the creature, ſo neither in this place doth he ſay, That they may be one with us (though that alſo is true in a myſtical ſence, Chriſt the Head and the Church his body, being one in that reſpect) becauſe that might imply Unity of nature and eſſence, but one in us: Now for all believers to be one in the Father and the Son, may admit of a twofold Expoſition: 1. The Prepoſition foreign may be as much as foreign per, for ſo it's often uſed, and then the ſence would be, That they may be one by us, that is, by thy grace, for it's not nature but grace that makes this Unity; Thus Eph. 5.8. we are ſaid to be light in the Lord, that is by the Lord; But this ſeemeth not ſo genuine, therefore the 2d Interpretation is more received, which makes the expreſſion to be declarative of that terminus in which all the godly are united, The Center in which all the lines meet, The Head in which all the members, The Root in which all the branches, The Spring in which all the ſtreams are conjoyned, and he ſaith in us, for though we are proximely and immediately united unto Chriſt our head, yet thereby we alſo are united to the Father.
Obſerv. That all believers are united to Chriſt, and in him to the Father.Obſ. That all believers are united to Christ, and in him to the Father; This Union of Believers with Chriſt is an unſpeakable myſtery; The Scripture repreſents it under many ſimilitudes, yet we cannot conceive of it according to its dignity; But as the hypoſtatical Union of the two Natures in Chriſt into one perſon doth exceed our comprehenſion, ſo likewiſe doth the myſtical Union of believers with Chriſt, and in him with the Father, yet becauſe the Foundation of all our Chriſtian comfort is in this Union,I. Conſider thoſe Scripture-expreſſions to repreſent this Unity. and Unity is our whole ſpiritual Treaſury;
Let us follow the Scripture Light in Explication of it: And
Firſt, It is good to Conſider what ſynonimous or equivolent expreſſions the Scripture hath to repreſent this Ʋnity; And we reade of an emphatical one, 1 Cor. 6.17. foreign, He that is joyned to the Lord; The metaphor is from glue, that doth ſo cloſely and inſeparably joyn things together, He is made one Spirit, Is not this a wonderful expreſſion of that intimate Union the believer hath with God? He is made one Spirit with him not eſſentially as if he were made infinite, omniſcient, &c. but as it were morally, as they ſay, Amicus eſt alter ego: Another word is foreign 1 Joh. 1.2. Truly our fellowſhip is with the Father and his Sonne Jeſus Chriſt: Thus 2 Pet. 2.4. we are ſaid to be foreign, partakers of the divine nature, and often we reade of the foreign of the Communion of the holy Ghoſt; This Communion indeed is a conſequent of our Union, our Union is the Foundation of our Communion, although the word doth not only ſignifie Communion but Communication ſometimes, howſoever this ſignifieth the unſpeakable priviledge the godly have by their Union, that now all things do become theirs which Chriſt hath, our mala and his bona are communia; We cannot fall and periſh unleſſe Chriſt alſo be deſtroyed with us; A laſt word I ſhall inſtance in is foreign, Rom. 6.5. and hereby is intimated our co-planting into him, and this the ſimilitude of the Olive-Tree, and the Vine doth admirably repreſent, and certainly there is no kinde of Union ſcarce but the Scripture expreſſeth our Unity with Chriſt by it, as that of the Head and the body, of a Foundation and building, of a Vine and its branches, of a Husband and wife, to ſhew hereby the Excellency and fulneſſe of it, every one of thoſe unions having ſomething that another hath not; As David doth attribute ſeveral Titles to God, of a Shield, Rock, Tower, &c. to ſhew that God was all things to him; Thus is Chriſt all Unions to the godly, as I may ſo ſay.
2. There muſt be an unition, as Cameron well obſerveth,II. There muſt be an unition before there can be an union. before there can be an union, a Communication before a Communion; Unition is to be conceived efficiently as the work of Gods Spirit, joyning the believer to Chriſt, and union is to be conceived formally, The joyning it ſelf of the perſons together; Now there is ſomething on Gods part uniting, and ſomething on ours; On Gods part, that is, the ſpirit of God, Eph. 2.8. the Jew and Gentile have through Chriſt acceſſe unto the Father through one spirit, So that as it's the Spirit that ſanctifieth, the Spirit that worketh mightily in beleevers, the Spirit that ſealeth; Thus it is alſo the Spirit that unites to Chriſt, for of our ſelves we are aliens from God, we all lie diſſipated in ruine, but it's the Spirit of God that quickens us, and engrafteth us into Chriſt; As the Spirit on Gods part, ſo Faith on our part, Eph 3.15. Thus Chriſt dwels by Faith in our hearts, and it's by Faith we are ingrafted into the Olive-Tree, therefore that is called eating of his Fleſh, and drinking of his bloud, whereby we are made one with Chriſt our head; We then may eaſily conclude all men living in their natural condition without the Spirit of God have nothing of this Unity, They muſt needs wither and periſh in their ſins.
3. We may conceive of a natural union with Chriſt and a ſupernatural;III. There is a naturall union with Chriſt and a ſupernatural. A natural union all men have, in that he took mans nature and not Angels upon him, So that in this reſpect all men though never ſo wicked yet agree with him in his humane nature, and thouſands are damned, though Chriſt took mans nature upon him; The other union is ſupernaturall, for as Chriſt though man yet was conceived in a ſupernatural way by the holy Ghoſt, So all thoſe who are myſtically united to Chriſt are in a ſupernatural way changed by the holy Ghoſt, and thereby joyned to Chriſt, for it's the Spirit of Chriſt as well as of God the Father that doth thus unite us to him; We cannot then take any comfort ſimply in this, that Chriſt was made man, unleſſe we have a ſpiritual Ʋnion with him, as well as a naturall; Therefore the Apoſtle excellently to this purpoſe urging Chriſts Incarnation, Heb. 2.11, 14. doth not preſs abſolutely his being made man but ſo as thereby to help not all men but ſuch as are his brethren, all men are not Chriſts brethren but ſuch as by faith are made one with him; Both he that ſanctifieth, and they who are ſanctified are all of one, that is, of one Adam, of one root, as it is generally expounded, but though other men be of that one root, as well as ſuch as are ſanctified, yet the Apoſtle limits it to ſuch only that are ſanctified, and from thence draweth that comfortable inference, Chriſt is not aſhamed to call them brethren; and v. 14. becauſe the Children are partakers of fleſh and bloud, he alſo himſelf took part of the ſame, ſo that it's plain by theſe Texts, No man can ſimply take comfort in this, that Chriſt became a man, That he is of the ſame humane nature with Chriſt, for it's only to the children, only to ſuch as are ſanctified, that his Incarnation is advantagious.
IV. This union is wholly ſpiritual.Hence 4. This union is wholly spiritual and inviſible, Chriſt is the head and we the body, Chriſt the husband and we the wife, but all this is after a ſpirituall and myſterious manner; The ligaments are ſpiritual, inſomuch that this is better felt experimentally then palpably expreſſed; Therefore to carnal and natural men it's wholly a paradox, They cannot imagine what it is, Even as ſpiritual and immaterial objects cannot be diſcerned by the eye, No man hath ſeen God at any time, So neither can this ſpiritual union be naturally perceived, if we ſhould preach all our life time upon it, a natural man would never underſtand one iota or tittle about it, Therefore when the Apoſtle ſpeaking of the union between man and wife, Eph. 5.32. therby repreſenting the union of Chriſt and his Church, addeth, This is a great myſtery, but I ſpeak concerning Chriſt and his Church; Oh pray therefore that thou maiſt experimentally feel this union with Chriſt; That ſomething within may cloſe with this, and thou maiſt be able to ſay, O Lord, though I reade it in no Book, hear it in no Sermon, yet my own heart can diſcern it.
V. It's alſo reall.5. Though this union be ſpiritual, yet for all that it is reall, it's not imaginary and a meer fancy, but as Chriſt is a real Chriſt, God a real God, faith a real grace, ſo real is our union with theſe, and therefore the effects of this union are altogether real, ſuch as juſtification, and a vivifical influence from Chriſt into us; He is not an head in vain, he is not a vine in fancy and imagination, Therefore he ſaith, I am the true Vine, Joh. 15.1. not corporally but ſpiritually, yet the expreſſion ſheweth, that a natural vine doth not ſo truly nouriſh its branches as Chriſt doth his people; Hence Joh. 6. he ſaith, My fleſh is meat indeed, and my bloud is drink indeed; Not as the Capernaits underſtood it, but in a ſpiritual reality, and certainly the wonderful effects of Chriſts union with the godly do demonſtrate the reality of it; There is love of God, an heavenly life, ſupport in all Exerciſes, &c. which are the bleſſed effects of this glorious union.
VI. The neceſſity of this union with Chriſt.6. Conſider the neceſſity of this union with Chriſt, without this we are in a neceſſity of periſhing; For without Chriſt there is no juſtification, no Sanctification, no Salvation; The branch withers that is not in this Vine, The ſtream drieth up, that is not joyned to this ſpring, That member muſt needs die that is not joyned to this head; Oh then that natural men would tremble at that diſtance they are in from Chriſt! The Scripture ſaith, ſuch are afar off, and indeed there is a great gulf between them and heaven, God is an Enemy to them, and they to God, till they be made one in Chriſt; Alas, they can no more approach to God in any duty, then ſtubble can endure before the fire; This made Paul Gal. 2. ſay, he no longer lived but Chriſt in him; And again, Phil. 3. he would not be found in his own Righteouſneſſe, but in Chriſt; And Col. 2. Ye are compleat in him: It pleaſed the Father that in him all fulneſs ſhould dwell. 1 Cor. 1. God hath made Chriſt wiſedom, rigteouſneſſe, and redemption; So that Chriſt hath the preheminence in all things, he is Alpha and Omega, he is all in all; Who art thou then poor, wretched, and miſerble ſinner that dareſt abide an hour, a day in thy natural condition without Chriſt? Why doſt thou not fear the curſes of the Law, the devils of hell, and all the vengeance of God may immediatly devour thee?
7. The excellency of this union can never be enough meditated on, VII. The excellecy of it.for this is a Catholicon to all diſeaſes, evidence of this will anſwer all doubts: Doſt thou fear periſhing if united to Chriſt? thou canſt not periſh any more then he: Doſt thou fear God may leave thee and forſake thee? This cannot be no more then that Chriſt ſhould be forſaken, for this union makes thee and Chriſt one myſticall perſon, ſo that by this union there is a communion of all Chriſts good things to thee, and of thy evil things to him, thy ſins were laid on him, he became ſinne for thee, and thy evils are felt by him; Saul, Saul, why perſecuteſt thou me? ſaith Chriſt from heaven, Act. 9.4. yea, the Church is called Chriſt, becauſe of this intimate union, 1 Cor. 12.1…. So that no Son, no wife can take ſuch comfort and confidence from a Father or husband as the believer from Chriſt, he may truly ſay Chriſt is better then all husbands and fathers, and all relations whatever
8. There is the inſeparableneſs of this union; All natural unions will be diſſolved,VIII. the wife will one day be parted from her husband, the childe from his Father; They are not everlaſting relations, but this is eternall; Even as Chriſt took his natural body never to be divided from it, ſo alſo he doth his myſtical; and upon this union is the perſeverance of Gods children immovably fixed: Chriſts members can never be broken from him and thrown into hell.
9. There is the efficaciouſneſſe of it where Chriſt is united to the ſoul,IX. there he puts forth his vigour and power, as Chriſt while on earth, whereſoever he went put forth his miraculous power, healing the blinde, the lame, and raiſing the dead, thus alſo Chriſt dwelling in us can be no more hid then the Sun when it ariſeth on the Earth.
10. It's an immediate union, all believers are immediatly united to Chriſt,X. one is not more united then another; In the body every member is not proximely joyned to the head, but in Chriſt the meaneſt and weakeſt believer is immediatly joyned to him.
11. It is an harmonious Ʋnion, Every believer receiveth proper ſupplies for its own peculiar neceſſities, as Eph. 4.16.XI.
Laſtly, This union is of ſo great concernment that the principal end of the Sacrament is to repreſent and ſeal this, as if this were the great priviledge we were alwaies to live upon.
Ʋſe, Are the godly united to Chriſt? then how holy and Chriſt-like ſhould they be in all their operations; Can there be a greater argument to holineſſe? What ſaith the Apoſtle 1 Cor. 6. Shall I take the members of Chriſt and make them members of an harlot?