First Epistle of John Applied Part 2, Sermon 7
THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. IOHN.SERM. 7.
CHAP. I. Ver. 3. part last.
And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and his Son Iesus Christ.
THe Person of Christ is of all others, the most amiable and excellent; hence the Psalmist saith mystically of him, thou art fairer than the children of men, as being indeed more than a meer Son of man; and the Spouse in the Canticles being asked in contempt by the daughters of Ierusalem; Psa. 45.2.what is thy beloved, more than another beloved?Cant. 5.9, 10. returneth that high, yet deserved encomium, my beloved is the chiefest among ten thousand.
The doctrine of Christ is that, then which none more certain and undoubted: in which respect, the main fundamental axiome of Christs coming into the world, is called by St. Paul a fai…hfull saying, 1 Tim. 1.15. Iam. 1.18.and the whole Gosspel by St. Iames, the word of truth, there being infallible verity and fidelity in evangelical sayings.
The sincere professors of Christ are such, as none else but they can be truly happy and blessed: hence it is that they are dignified by the Apostle Peter, 1 Pet. 1.9.with these honourable titles, of a chosen generation, a royall Priesthood, an holy Nation, and a peculiar people.
And now beloved, if you look into this short exordium, In exordio hujus Epistolae Ioannes tria haec nobis inculcare voluit quod nihil majus aut excellentius personâ Christi nihil certius quam Evangelium nostrum, nihil denique beatius Christiano homine. Fer. in loc.you shall finde each of these briefly and pithily handled. The Gospels certainty, as being most ancient and evident, is evinced in the first verse, Christs excellency, as being the word of life, that eternall life is insisted on in part of the first and the second verse; finally, the faelicity of a Christian, as being one that hath fellowship with God and Christ, and thereby fulness of joy is characterized in the third and fourth verses; well may this golden three invite us once and again, nay often to look into, and peruse this choice preface, That which was from the beginning, &c.
We are now come according to our proposed method to the last branch of the second General, the commendation of the Gospel, from the utility of its end; and having made entrance upon the first end, as it is propounded in those words, that you also may have fellowship with us; we are now to handle the Exposition of it in the following, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and his Son Iesus Christ.
Which words are a plain assertion, unfolding the dignity and excellency of that fellowship which the Apostles and all believers with them have,Explicat quam nobilis sit Ecclesiae societas Zanch. inasmuch as it is a fellowship with the Father and his Son; it is that which our translators set down with an asseveration, truly conceiving this to be the emphasis of the pleonasm, which is in the Greek.foreign.
The Greek word which is here rendred fellowship, admits both in sacred and prophane Writs of a double construction, as signifying either communio or communicatio, communion and fellowship, or communication and partnership, and though in some places onelyonly one of those can well be admitted, yet here I conceive both may very well consist, and the Apostle may be probably thought to intend that intimate communion which believers have with, and by vertue hereof, the liberall communication they receive from the Father, and his Son Iesus Christ.
To unlock this Cabinet, and shew you the rich pearl contained in it; give me leave to consider it, both generally and particularly; in generall, what maketh up this foreign fellowship here mentioned, and in particular, as this fellowship is expressed to be with two of the persons in the sacred Trinity, the Father, and his Son Iesus Christ.
1. The substance of the benefit will be discovered in the general dicussion, and that you may the more distinctly understand it, proceed with me by …hese four steps, which are as so many degrees of this fellowship, namely, amicable reconciliation, effectuall regeneration, comfortable association, and compleat glorification.
1. The rice and inchoation of this fellowship is reconciliation, whereby God of an enemy becomes a friend, Ipsius gratiam & favorem haebere & amicitiâ dignum reputari, & in faedere esse. Fer▪ in loc. Rom. 5.1.and receiveth us into favour; to this purpose is Ferus his paraphrase, to have fellowship (saith he) is to be in Covenant with God, to be one of the number of those to whom he vouchsafeth his special love; accordingly this phrase may be interpreted by that of St. Paul, where he saith, we have peace with God, and he hath made us accepted. The truth is,Eph. 1.6. we all by nature are not onelyonly strangers, but enemies, and where there is hostility, there can be no society, so that we begin not to have fellowship with, till we are reconciled to God. This reconciliation of God, to penitent believing sinners, is most elegantly and sweetly shadowed forth under the Fathers gracious behaviour towards the returning prodigal; no sooner doth his Son set foot forward to come home, but his Father saw him, there were eyes of love, had compassion on him, there were bowels of love, and ran to him with feet of love,Luc. 15 20. and fell on his neck, there were armes of love, and kissed him with lips of love: by all which expressions, we may gather what a tender dear affection of amity there is in God towards penitents, which is the foundation of this fellowship.
2. The concomitant of this reconciliation is regeneration, since whosoever is accepted by God, hath stamped upon him the image of God, and so doth after a sort partake with God.
Fit haec societas cum Deo per similitudinem. Serrar.To clear this, you must know that there can be no fellowship where there is not some similitude, in which respect, saith one upon my Text, This fellowship with God is by likeness to him, for this reason, at first it was that Almigh… God intending man a creature to have fellowship with …mself, made him after his own image; nor can we be admitted into this fellowship, unless this image be renewed in, and restored to us; now, this image of God is nothing else but the communication of such qualities as resemble those, which, for this very reason, the Schools call the communicable attributes of God, such are his holiness, goodness, mercy, justice, truth, and the like, and because holiness is the chief, yea, after a sort comprehensive of the rest, therefore especially in this, is the image of God placed, and so this fellowship with God is a participation with him in purity and sanctity, and may therefore fitly be explained by St. Peters foreign partaking of the divine nature, 2 Pet. 1.4. H…b. 12.1….or St. Pauls foreign, partaking of his holiness.
3. The progress of this fellowship is in that sweet communion which believers (being thus reconciled and regenerated) have with God, Assotiatio cum Deo, Trin.so that there is though not an aequality (far be it from us to make such a blasphemous construction of this phrase) yet a neer and intimate familiarity, in which respect, God and a Christian may be said to walk, to talk, to feast, nay, to lodge and dwell together; Believers walk with God in a holy Subjection, God walketh with believers, in affording them gratious protection, Believers speak to God in devout supplications, God speaketh to believers in spiritual consolations, Believers feast God with their graces, God feasteth Believers with his joyes. Finally, Believers inhabit in the secret of the most high, and God reposeth himself in the bosome of believers: hence occurre those phrases of Gods being with us, Eph. 3.12. R…v. 3.20. 1 Ioh. 4.15.and our walking with God, of our having access to God, and his coming down to us, of our supping with him, and his supping with us, of our dwelling in God, and God in us, we being (to speak it with holy reverence) as it were convivae his fellow commoners, conviatores fellow travellers, yea contubernales, chamber fellows. Adde to this
4. The consummation of this fellowship is in the other world where there shall be a full communication of the image of God to us, whereby we shall partake of purity, life, and immortality, of unspotetd holinesse and indeficient happinesse, when we shall have the clear vision of God face to face, and by vertue of that a full fruition of him so farre as a created nature is capable of, and all this without the least interruption, intermission, cessation. This fellowship is that which for the present we have, though not re in actual possession; yet spe in certain expectation, that participation and communion which we have here by grace, being an earnest and pledge, asring us of that we shall have hereafter by glory, and this shall suffice to be spoken in generall of the nature of this fellowship.
2. The further amplification of this fellowship is in that here are two persons specified, and though it be one and the same fellowship which we have with all the persons, yet inasmuch as two of them are severally mentioned, it may well admit of a distinct consideration.
1. This fellowship is said to be with the Father. It is very observable to the understanding of this, that the Father being the first person in the Deity, is the primary original and fountain of all communication to the creature; whence it is, that those Acts which the Deity is pleased to exercise towards the creature are, though not exclusively; yet for the most part expresly assigned in Scripture to the Father: thus the Father is said to come and dwell with us; the Father is he that hath begotten us aga…n to a lively hope: Ioh. 14.23. 1 Pet. 1.3. Eph. 1.3.finally the Father is said to blesse us with all spirituall blessings. No wonder if this fellowship is here said to be with the Father; The neerness of this fellowship which we have with the Father, is represented by a gradation of allusions in Scripture; all which do excellently illustrate this truth. There is some kind of participation that a servant hath with his Master, Est societas Domini cum servis, patris cum filiis &c. Serrar.yet greater is that which one friend hath with another, yet greatest is that which a son hath with his Father: in all these relations we stand to the Father; we his servants, and he our Lord; Nay, not only servants, but friends, and therefore we read not onelyonly of Moses the servant, Num. 12.7. Iames 2 23.but Abraham the friend of God; nay, we are adopted to be sons, and therefore it is no presumption to say, our fellowship is with the, because our Father.
2. This fellowship is said to be with his Son Jesus Christ, which may very well admit of a double construction; either
Our fellowship is not only with the Father, but his Son. or
Our fellowship with the Father, is by and through that fellowship which we have with the Son.
1. Our fellowship which we have with the father, is also with his Son Iesus Christ.
There is a generation of men indeed in the Romish Church, who challenge this as their peculiar, to be è societate Iesu, Iesuites, Iebusites rather, such, who whilest they pretend to be of the society of Iesus, are in truth limbs of Antichrist, and one day this Iesus will give them little thanks for this arrogant assumption of his name, whilest they stand in opposition to his truth. As for the reall priviledge of having society with Christ Iesus, it is not be appropiated to any order of men, but is justly applicable to every Christian. This fellowship which we have with Christ, is set forth in various similitudes; such as are these, of the head and the members, root and branches, foundation and building, husband and wife; and look what participation the members have with the head, receiving sence and motion from it, the branches with the root, which communicate to them sap and juice, the building with the foundation, by which it is sustained and upheld: finally, the wife with the husband, having an interest in his person, goods, what ever he is, and hath, the same hath every Christian with Christ, who communicateth himself with all his merits and benefits unto him: Indeed as the Apostle tells us.Col. 2.16. Ioh. 1.16. It pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell, and this not for himself, but us, that we, as the Evangelist speaketh, might of his fulness receive grace for grace.
If you would yet have a more distinct explanation of this fellowship, consider it in reference to each of these Titles which are here used, we having fellowship with him as Gods Son, as our Iesus, and as Christ.
1. We have fellowship with him as he is Gods Son, in as much as we participate of his Sonship and inheritance; Christ, though the onelyonly begotten, yet maketh us the adopted sons of God, and therefore our Apostle saith in his Gospel, To as many as receive him, he giveth this power, Ioh. 1.12. Non ait patrē nostrum, aliter ergo meum, aliter vestrum, naturâ meum, gratiâ vestrum. Aug. ibid. Quicquid habet Christus habent illi qui cum eo sunt in societate donatitio Iure. Na…gorg. in. loc. Rom. 8.17.to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe in his name; in this respect, Christ tells his Disciples, I go to my Father, and your Father. Indeed he saith not our Father, because Christs filiation is of another kind than ours, but mine and yours, not only mine, but yours. Christ communicates to all believers by grace, that which himself had by nature, and as thus we have fellowship with him in the Sonship, so likewise in the inheritance: as the inheritance is Christs by natural right, so he conveyeth it to us by deed of gift, and therefore the Apostle Paul saith, that being children we are heires, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ.
2. We have fellowship with him as Iesus, in as much as it is to believers, that he becometh effectually a Iesus, according to that expression of the Angel (when he gave this name to him) For he shall save his people from their sins; indeed we are sick of sin, and Iesus is our Physitian; we are captives to Satan, and Iesus is our Redeemer; we are at enmity with God, and Iesus is our Peace-maker; we are in danger, and Iesus is our deliverer: Finally, we are indebted, and Iesus is our surety. Now as the Patient partaketh of health by his Physitian, the captive of liberty by his Redeemer, enemies are reconciled by their Peace-maker, the afflicted saved by their deliverer, and the debter is acquitted by his surety, so have we by this Iesus, a participation of pardon, peace, liberty, and salvation.
3. We have fellowship with him as Christ, and that whether you look upon the mediatorial offices he was pleased to undertake, or the mediatorial acts he performed.
1. Christ signifyeth as much as annointed, and we have an unction too,Psa. 45.8. he was indeed annointed with the oyle of gladness above his fellows, but yet, so as that we are fellow partakers with him of this oyntment; in which respect, St. Hierom well observeth, that the very name of this unction is communicated to us,Hier ep. 140. who from Christ are called Christians. Yet more distinctly, there is a threefold office to which Christ was annointed, in each of which, we have fellowship with him, namely, prophetical, sacerdotall and regall; St. Paul saith concerning Christ Iesus, that he of God, is made unto us wisdome, 1 Cor. 1.30.and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption; as he is a Prophet he is made to us wisdome, enlightning and informing our ignorance; as Priest, he is made to us righteousness, absolving us from the guilt of our sin, whereby our persons are justified, and services accepted; as King, he is made to us sanctification, enabling us to mortifie our lusts, and to live holily: thus he becometh a Christ, and being a Christ, he is a Iesus also, and thereby Redemption to us. In respect of this participation with Christ in his offices, it is that we are not onelyonly in generall called Christians, but in particular said to be Kings and Priests to God the Father, Rev. 1.5. 1 Pet. 2.5.and that of his making; and the Christian Church is called a royall Priesthood, offering up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable by Iesus Christ.
2. This Iesus being thus annointed, for the accomplishing of our salvation,foreign. Rom. 6.4, 5, 6 Col▪ 3.1. and the completion of his offices, performed many acts; he was born, crucified, dead, buried, he rose again, and ascended into heaven, and in all these we have fellowship with him; with his birth in our new birth and regeneration, with his cross in our sufferings, with his death in the mortification of our lusts, with his buriall in the progress of that work, with his resurrection in our newness of life, and with his ascension in our heavenly conversation. This is that which the Apostle Paul often intimateth in those phrases, we are buried with him, we are planted into the likeness of his death, foreign.our old man is crucified with him, and you are risen together with Christ, yea, yet more sutably in those expressions, the vertue of his resurrection, and the fellowship (the same word with this in my text) of his sufferings. foreign. Phil. 3.10.This being that which every Christian, more or less, experimentally knoweth, and wherein he hath a conformity to, and so a fellowship with Christ.
2. But this is not all that the Apostle here insinuateth, those words, and with his Son Iesus Christ, being not onelyonly a further enlargement of this participation, in that it is as with the Father, so with the Son, but likewise a discovery of the means whereby we come to have this fellowship with the Father, and that is by having fellowship with the Sonne, according to which notion, we may fitly conceive the Father to be the terminus, Eph. 1.6.2.13. Rom. 5.1. 1 Cor. 5 19.and the Son the medium of this societas; the Father is he with whom, and the Son is he by and through whom we have this fellowship with the Father, and therefore it is else where said, he hath made us accepted in his beloved, and we have peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ, and God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, and to name no more, they who were a far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ, that amity and communion which we have with God, being onelyonly in and through a mediator Iesus Christ.
The Heathens were in part sensible of this truth, who conceiving that the supream Gods were defiled by the unhallowed approaches of mortals,foreign. Plut. invented Heroes, and half Gods, a kinde of middle powers, to be as mediators between those Gods and them, but this doctrine of a mediator, the Gospel fully revealeth, and this to be no other than Iesus Christ, by whom we are brought to communion with God. Indeed there was a time (to wit, in innocency) when man stood not in need of a Mediator, but injoyed a fellowship of perfect amity with his Creator; but now man being fallen from that integrity, and thereby having lost the favour of God, there is no other way of reconciliation but by Christ. So that as TheThemistocles, when Admetus was incensed against him, brought the Kings son in his armes, and implored his favour, so we can by no means obtain a fellowship of reconciliation with the Father, but by his Son Iesus Christ: in this respect it is, that Christ saith concerning himself, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh to the Father but by me; and upon this ground,Ioh 14.6. he is not unfitly resembled to that ladder in Iacobs vision, which reached from earth to heaven, Gen 28.12, Scala pa…adisi fracta in Adamo reparata est in Christo Bonav.by whom alone we climb to heaven, so that if we will pervenire ad Deum, we must ascendere per hominem, to come to God, we must ascend by the man, even the man Christ Iesus.
There is onelyonly one thing further to be enquired, for the full explication of this clause,Factis ad offensum scala beata patrem Ger. in Genes. and that is why the Apostle having mentioned two, doth not annex the third person, and with the Holy Ghost? In answer to which, you must know, that the third person though he be not expressely mentioned, is necessarily implyed, for the truth is, we can neither have fellowship with the Father, nor with the Son, but by the Holy Ghost, by the spirit it is, that God begets us again unto himself, and therefore it is called the renewing of the Holy Ghost;Tit. 3.5. by the spirit it is, that we participate of Gods holiness, and therefore he is called the spirit of holiness, not onelyonly because he is so in himself, but it is he that communicateth it unto us: finally, by the spirit it is, that the Father and the Son dwell in us, Rom. 1.4.and have communion with us; in which respect our Apostle saith, we know he abideth in us, by the spirit he hath given us, and therefore it is,1 Ioh. 3.24. that we finde this elsewhere directly expressed concerning the Holy Ghost, to wit, in that solemn benediction, to the Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, is joyned the communion or fellowship of the Holy Ghost. Though then he is not here named, we are not therefore to imagine he is excluded. Indeed it is a rule in Divinity, which St. Ambrose hath observed to my hand, qui unum dixerit Trinitatem signavit, Ambros. de Sp. S. l. 1. c. 3.when any one of the persons is nominated in any external operation, all the rest are implyed; and therefore as when we find onelyonly mention of the fellowship of his Son Iesus Christ, we must take in the Father & the spirit;2 Cor. 1.8. Phil. 2.1. and when we read onelyonly of the fellowship of the spirit, we must conceive it as well of the Father and the Son; so when here we find the Father and the Son expressed, we must not exclude the holy spirit, and look as our blessed Saviour when he speaketh of that knowledge which is the way to eternal life, though he only mention the Father and his Son Iesus Christ, Joh. 17.3.is to be understood as including the holy Ghost, so are we here to interpret S. Iohn, and therefore may very well adde by way of explication, our fellowship is with the Father and his Son Iesus Christ, and with the holy spirit: nor yet doth there want a reason (as Iustinian hath well observed) why the Apostle maketh no expresse mention of the Holy Ghost, Vide Justinian. in Ep. Cath.as he doth of the Son of God, namely because as for the communion of the Holy Ghost; they to whom he wrote, could not be ignorant of it, as having no doubt had experience themselves of the effusion of his gifts upon them, and therefore it needed not to name him, but because the divinity of the Son of God was oppugned by the Hereticks of those times, therefore he thought it fit with the Father to mention the Son; And thus much, or rather thus little of this unconceivable, much more unspeakable benefit, the fellowship which Believers have with the ever blessed and glorious Trinity; what now remaineth, but that I bring it home by some comfortable application to our selves. There are onelyonly three inferences which are plainly deducible from hence for our practice.
1. Whatever men do either for, or against any Christian, reflects on God and Christ, with whom they have fellowship; Christ shall say to those at the last day, who releive his members now,Matth. 25.40. In as much as you did it unto them, you did it unto me, and it was his saying to Saul in the vision, when he breathed forth threatenings against the Church▪ Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? and why this,Act. 9.5. but because of the fellowsh…p which is between Christ and his Members. Take then heed O ye sons of Belial, Non tam▪ vos quam Christum in vobis perse. quuntur: Salv. de provid li. 8. c. 4. Est…. 6.1….how you scoffingly deride at, proudly insult over, and maliciously persecute the servants of God, and members of Christ. Haman notwithstanding all his greatnesse, durst not but honour Mordecai, because he was the man whom the King delighted to honour, and dare you abuse such whom God vouchsafeth to honour? know you not that they are his jewels, and will you deface them?M…. 3.17. Zech. 2.8. 1 Cor. 3.16. the apple of his eye, and will you touch them? his temple, and will you seek to destroy them? Are they not (to speak it with an humble modesty) all in all with God, his bosome friends, his daily associates, and dare man whose breath is in his nostrils, do any injury to them? or can he do it, and hope impunity? Let none deceive themselves, Qui insurgit in Christum, Domini, insurgit in Dominum Christi, he that riseth up against the Lords anointed, riseth up against the Lord, by whom he is anointed, and he that offereth any indignity unto them that have fellowship with the Father and his Son, offereth it to the Father and the Son, with whom these have fellowship, and therefore must in due time expect the sure vengeance of the Almighty, upon so great impiety.
2. Great is the dignity of Beleivers, who have fellowship not with Kings the best of men, not with Angels the best of creatures, but with God himself, the Father and his Son Jesus Christ; and therefore let them not debase this dignity, dishonour this fellowship by conversing too much with creature-comforts. When Augustus the Roman Emperour, saw Saracen Ambassadours sporting with dogs, he asketh them if there were no women in their countries: when wicked men see Beleevers swallowed up of earthly contentments; will they, not question whether there be any such divine fellowship, as is pretended: since then we have a fountain of living waters: why do we digge to our selves broken Cisterns? and if we have fellowship with God, let us scorne to be familiar with the world: rather let us say with David, Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none on earth I desire in comparison of thee, Oh blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to converse with.
3. How amiable and desireable must this fellowship needs be which is with the Father and his Son, Jos. 17.21.and therefore to be earnestly endeavoured after; for this it was, Christ prayed in the behalfe of his Church, and not onelyonly of them, but all that should beleive in his name, that they all may be one as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, and surely this, we both may and ought to pray for in our own behalf; foreign that you may have, was S. Johns desire for these to whom he wrote, and it ought much more to be our desire and endeavour for our selves, that we may have; and if we have attained any degree already, that we may have yet greater measure of this fellowship. Habeatis, i. e: habere pergatis & in eâ proficiatis, loquitur enim fidelibus qui jam habebant hanc societatem Lapidan loc. Joh. 10.10.This is the note of Lapide upon the Text, that you may have, that is, that you may continue to have, and have more fully this communion, because he writeth to Beleivers, in whom this was already begun; indeed this participation being qualitative, doth Suscipere magis & minus, admit of degrees: All have fellowship with God and Christ, as well as the Apostles, but not in the same degree; Christ tells the Jewes, I come that they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. So doth S. John write to these, that they might have fellowship, and have it more abundantly, in the same fulnesse that the Apostles had. If then as yet thou art a stranger, now labour to acquaint thy self with God and be at peace, and if thy acquaintance be begun, endeavour that it may grow to an indeared intimacy: indeed who would not hunger and thirst after, who can be sufficiently satisfied with this fellowship?
Fellowship in it self, is a thing very delectable: the wise man much enlargeth in the commendation of it,Eccles. 4.9.10 11. when he saith, two is better then one, and pronounceth a vae soli, woe to him that is alone: indeed as the Greek Proverb runs, foreign, one man is no man, and as Euripides, one hand can make but a weak defence, foreign. Eurip.in all undertakings society is helpful. Fellowship is amiable to all creatures (even the dove will mourn when she hath lost her Mate) but especially to man who is therefore called by the Philosopher foreign a creature born for society: indeed for this reason banishment is accounted next to death, because it depriveth of civil society; it is observable, how sadly this hath been bemoaned, not onelyonly by a Cain, Thou hast this day driven me out from the face of the earth, but by a Iob, I am a companion to owles, Gen. 4 14. Job 30.29. Psal. 102.6.7.and a brother to Dragons, and by a David, I am as a Pelican in the wilderness, and an owle in the desert, I am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.
And if fellowship be so lovely to all men, how much more religious fellowship to good men; if fellowship with men be delightful, how much more this fellowship with God himself, the Father, and the Son.
This, this beloved is the only good fellowship. There is indeed a fellowship called by that name which is the cover of many enormities, the devourer of large patrimonies, the bane of many hopeful wits, & yet is the darling of a great number in the world, I mean the riotous fellowship of luxurious companions. But alas, how unlike are the thing & the name, how catachrestical an expression is it, when drunkenness is stiled good fellowship? Oh turn in hither, & behold that which truly deserveth this name, this fellowship with God and Christ, in which there is all good of honesty, utility, and of jucundity, a fellowship in which all safety, liberty, pleasure, and contentment, is to be found; no wonder if the Psalmist saith, Blessed is the man whom thou choosest & causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy Courts, he shall be satisfied with the goodnesse of thy house, Psal. 65·4.even of thy holy Temple. This is that fellowship to which God calleth us in his Gospel, and of which by Faith in the Gospel we participate. Indeed as Beza well observeth upon the text; This is the very scope of the Gospel, to make God and us at one, and as Naogorgeus appositely;Scopus Evangelii ut omnes una conjuncti in Christo, per fidem filii Dei simus. B…z. Fides clavis est & aditum praebet ad hanc communionem Naogorg. Faith is the key which opens the door, and admits us into the presence-chamber of the King of Glory. Oh therefore let us cordially embrace the Gospel, and daily strenghen our faith in it, so as we may have, and that every day more and more of this heavenly fellowship, till at last we come to heaven, where our faith being turned into sight, we shall have the greatest reason to say in the language of the Apostle; truly our fellowship is now not onelyonly with Saints and Angels, with Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, but with the Father and his Son Iesus Christ.