A Discourse of the Two Covenants, Book 3 · Chapter 4 · Section 4
SECT. IV. Our Covenant-Intereſt in Offices, Acts, and Relations of the Trinity applied.
Ʋſe 1 §. 1. HAving finiſhed the doctrinal part, and ſeen how God the Father makes over himſelf in the Covenant of Grace to the Saints; for their portion lyes in God, not only in the Attributes of the nature, but in an intereſt in the perſons alſo; and we have an intereſt in all the actions that the Father appropriated, whether they be eternal, or in time, and thoſe whether terminated in Chriſt immediately, or in us; and we have ſeen how we have an intereſt in all the perſonal relations of the Father, that in the ſame relations he ſtands to Chriſt, in the ſame he ſtands to us alſo; he is his Father and our Father, his God and our God; he is our Father, our King, our Friend, our Husbandman, and the Fountain of our life, for he hath given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son: Now we come to apply all this to our ſelves, and it ſhall be 1. for Information, that ſo in ſo great a truth as this, we may not be miſtaken. And here we are to conſider, (1) that a man hath intereſt in all the perſons at once, they all be given together; a man hath not firſt an intereſt in the Father, and then in the Son, and then in the Spirit, but having an intereſt in one, he hath an intereſt in them all, he that hath the Son hath the Father alſo, he hath the Father and the Son.Joh. 2.23. Joh. 2.9. And by this we may ſee what a glorious change there is in a man when he is converted and made one with Chriſt, he hath an intereſt in all the Attributes of God. It's true, that they do all act for him afterwards ſucceſſively, and according to a mans neceſſity at ſeveral times they work for his good; ſometimes an act of mercy is put forth for him, ſometimes an act of power, ſometimes wiſdom, ſometimes patience; but yet the ſoul comes to have an intereſt in them all at once, and at the ſame time, and when he is intitled to the one, he is intitled to the other, even to them all: and ſo it is with the Perſons alſo, the title Believers have to them begins at once. As a man hath intereſt in Chriſt the Mediator; it's true, that Chriſt doth exerciſe all his Offices for his ſpiritual good ſucceſſively, and he is now to him a Prieſt to offer his Sacrifice, and to bear his iniquity, now he is a Prophet to teach him, now he is a King to govern him; and there are diſtinct acts of all theſe offices; but yet the ſoul hath an intereſt in them all at once: As it is in all grace; it's true, that the graces of Gods Spirit do all of them act in their places;2 Pet. 1.5. for we are to add to our faith vertue, and to our vertue knowledge, &c. foreign, it is taken ab iis qui choros ducunt, from ſuch as lead the dance, in which every one keeps his own place, and acts his own part; for grace brings the moſt glorious order into the ſoul that can be; but yet all grace is wrought together, even the whole new man is begotten at once: And ſo for all the creatures of God; it is true, that they do all in their places act for the Saints, the Stars in their courſes do fight againſt Siſera, but yet a man comes to have jus haereditarium, an hereditary right to them all at once: And this is the glory of the change at a mans firſt converſion, which a man may admire, foreign, a man that had before no intereſt in any Attribute of God, in any perſon in the Godhead, or any of the Offices of Chriſt, or any grace of the Spirit, or any promiſe of the Goſpel, or in any creature of God, yet at once in the very ſame inſtant, he comes to have a title unto all theſe; that though all the promiſes be fulfilled by degrees, and in their time, yet the ſoul hath a title unto them all, and that as true and as great as he ſhall have when he comes to Heaven;1 Cor. 13.10, 11. for it is by the ſame title that he ſhall injoy Heaven; for this is but our nonage and childhood, yet a child hath the ſame title to the land his father left him, as when he comes to be a man, only he hath not the poſſeſſion of it: and ſo the title by which you ſhall injoy God for ever, is begun in this life; only there are two great changes you muſt paſs through, the firſt is converſion, the ſecond is death; by the one the ſoul is intitled to his heavenly inheritance, and by the other he is fully put into poſſeſſion.
2. Though the intereſt of Gods people begin at once in all the perſons, yet the Lord would have us take notice, that there is a diſtinct intereſt in them all to be attained unto; for the more diſtinct our apprehenſions are, the more glory we give unto God, and the greater will our own comfort be: God delights not in generalities, neither in general confeſſions, nor in general apprehenſions or thankſgivings. As it is in the Attributes of the Nature of God, though a ſoul that hath an intereſt in God in Covenant, hath a title to them all at once, yet they are all of them as ſo many diſtinct objects for faith to work and reſt upon; as mercy, and juſtice, and holineſs, and wiſdom, and faithfulneſs; and the ſoul ſhould not only be content with a general apprehenſion that he hath an intereſt in them all, but ſhould be diſtinctly drawn forth, and exerciſe diſtinct acts of faith upon them all: And as it is in Chriſt, there are diſtinct excellencies in him, there is the Holineſs of his Nature, the Holineſs of his Life, and the fulneſs of his Satisfaction, the glory of his Merit; and a ſoul that hath an intereſt in Chriſt, and is made one with him, hath immediately an intereſt in all theſe; but yet the Lord requires that the faith of his Saints ſhould be exerciſed about them all, and have their apprehenſion raiſed by the glory of them all: As a man that believes any one part of the Word of God, doth believe the whole Word of God at the ſame time; for faith that doth cloſe with any Divine Truth aright, doth it upon this ground, to reſt upon God, tam in revelatis, quàm revelandis, as well in what is revealed, as what is to be revealed: as it was with Adam and the Angels, unto whom there are made daily new diſcoveries of the will and counſel of God, that they never knew before; but yet there is not a precept,Eph. 3.10. promiſe, or threatning in the whole Word of God, but it is a diſtinct object of faith, and the Lord would have the apprehenſions of his people particularly ſet upon them, that they may be particularly affected with them, and ſee and admire the grace of God in giving them an intereſt in this promiſe, and in that threatning: So it is true, that a man that hath an intereſt in the Son of God, hath an intereſt alſo in God the Father, and ſo a man may conſider it diſcurſivè, diſcurſively; but the Lord would have the ſoul ſtay upon the particular intereſt he hath in the Father and the glory thereof, and upon the particular intereſt he hath in the Son and the glory thereof alſo. As it is in point of aſſurance, though he that hath the witneſs of the Father and the Son, hath the witneſs of the Spirit alſo; and he that is aſſured of the love of one, may be aſſured of the love of them all; yet there is a diſtinct bringing home of the love of each perſon to the ſoul; ſo that a man doth not by way of diſcourſe only reaſon himſelf into the Father, Son, and Spirit, who having one nature have alſo one love, and if I have a teſtimony of the love of the Son in me, I have alſo a witneſs thereby of the love of the Father alſo; but when the ſoul is particularly drawn out and diſtinctly affected with the love of each of the perſons, his apprehenſions are raiſed by reaſon of this intereſt: and ſo it is in the work of faith alſo, and the ground of it is this, (1) becauſe all the glory that God hath by us here, is when he is exalted in our hearts; for Gods glory is in the hearts of his Saints, as all their melody is in their hearts, Epheſ. 5.19. when all things in the inward man are in tune, and ſet right, Exod. 15.2. He is my God and I will exalt him. Now as our apprehenſions do riſe in the conſideration of the glory of any thing that is in God, God hath the more diſtinct glory thereby; for as he hath given us variety of ordinances, and he will be honoured by us in them all; ſo he hath propounded to our faith diſtinct objects, and he will be honoured by our faith in them all; for as you heard, the glory that God hath in this world chiefly is in the hearts of the Saints, they only do glorifie him actively, all things elſe do it but occaſionally, that is, by giving them an occaſion to glorifie him. (2) Becauſe there is a diſtinct ſweetneſs and vertue that comes from every one of theſe, when the ſoul is diſtinctly drawn out to them, and they are diſtinctly exerciſed: as Phil. 3.10. ſays the Apoſtle, That I may know him, and the power of his reſurrection, and the fellowſhip of his ſufferings, being made conformable unto his ſufferings, &c. When a man looks upon the death of Chriſt, there is a vertue will come out of it; and if upon the ſufferings of Chriſt, there is a vertue will come out of them all, and they have all of them their peculiar and proper vertue upon the ſoul. The Apoſtle ſpeaks of foreign,2 Cor. 2.14. a ſavor of knowledge: now it is here as it is in a Poſie, there are many flowers put together, and they do yield a very fragrant ſmell, that is very refreſhing and delightſom; but he that will be affected with each flower muſt take them all apart, and he will find that each of them hath its diſtinct and proper ſavor, which unleſs the man had taken apart he would never have known: and ſo it is alſo in all the glorious excellencies that are in God and in Chriſt.
Ʋſe 2 §. 2. The ſecond Uſe is of Exhortation, and that 1. To ſtir you up to conſider the glory of this intereſt in the Perſons; this was that did moſt affect Chriſt, Pſal. 16.5. The Lord is the portion of my inheritance: it is his intereſt in the Father that mainly his heart doth glory in. He had ſeveral other intereſts that he might have boaſted of; for he was Heir of all things;Heb. 1.3. but in a more ſpecial manner he hath a glorious inheritance in the Saints, Eph. 1.18. which may be interpr… either that his inheritance is in them, for they are his both dono and merito, by a gift and by a purchaſe alſo, or elſe foreign for inter, as it is rendred, Acts 26.18. To give them an inheritance amongst them that are ſanctified, foreign, and ſo the Saints have a great inheritance to glory in, they are heirs of promiſes, yea they inherit all things; but the main of Chriſts glory is his inheritance in the perſon of the Father, and that ſhould be alſo the glory of the Saints; and here conſider, (1) that the high advancement of the creature lyes in union with the perſons, as the higheſt advancement of the humane nature of Chriſt lyes in the perſonal Union; the grace of Union is far greater than the grace of Unction, that he was made one with the ſecond Perſon in the Trinity; and the advancement of our nature is more by our myſtical Union with the Perſon of Chriſt, than in all the benefits we receive from him; but there is a higher union that this tends to, and that is an union with all the perſons in the Trinity thereby, for communio fundatur in unione. Now having communion with all the perſons, it argues that we have an union with them all; and as we have a higher union with the perſon of the Son than the Angels have, ſo we have a nearer union with the Father, and with the Spirit alſo; and herein lyes the greateſt exaltation. (2) There is more in union with the perſons, than there is in all other benefits whatſoever, and all other intereſts: as there is more in the perſon of Chriſt than there is in all the benefits of Chriſt; ſo there is more in giving of the perſon of Chriſt, than in giving of all the benefits that he beſtows. Thus there is more in our title to the perſons, than in all other intereſts whatſoever, whether we have an intereſt in promiſes, in creatures, in ordinances, nay it is more in ſome reſpect than an intereſt in Attributes; for under the firſt Covenant the Attributes were after a ſort made over to Adam, that they ſhould all work for him, they were his portion; but under the ſecond Covenant it is that the intereſt in the perſons comes in; for if Adam had ſtood, he had had an intereſt in God in common, whatever was in the Nature of God, all the Attributes of his Nature ſhould have been his; but it is the ſecond Covenant that brings in union with the Son of God, that gives us a diſtinct union with the Father and with the Spirit; and therefore it is a perſonal intereſt that is the great mercy and glory of the new Covenant. (3) It is our title unto the perſon that gives us a title unto all the benefits: as it is in our union with Chriſt, 1 Joh. 5.12. He that has the Son has life, it's our union with the Son that gives us a title unto life for him; for the Covenant is matrimonial, and it is the union with the perſon only that intitles the woman to her husbands honour and eſtate: ſo it's in this alſo, having an intereſt in all the perſons gives a man a title unto all the promiſes and unto all the priviledges of the Saints; and therefore the jus haereditarium of the Saints unto all other good things from God lyes in this, that they have an union with all the perſons; for they that are not intitled unto the perſons, do in vain hope to intitle themſelves to the benefits. (4) This gives a man a threefold title and intereſt, [1] in all the Attributes, [2] in the Divine Nature, [3] in their actings: for as they are all made over unto the Saints, ſo they know that all theſe attributes are to be found in all the perſons. There is in the Father infinite wiſdom, and infinite power, and infinite mercy, and infinite grace, &c. ſo there is in the Son alſo, for the attributes of the nature are in common to them all, they having all of them but one and the ſame ſimple and undivided Eſſence; and it is glorious to a Saint to ſee all the attributes in them all, and thereby he is aſſured, that in all the actings of the Father he will improve all the attributes, and ſo it is in all the actings of the Son and the Spirit alſo, and ſo they become ours in the actings of them by reaſon of our intereſt in all the three perſons. (5) This is the proper ground of our communion with God: wherein lyes the ſweetneſs of a Chriſtians life here, but mainly in that fellowſhip that he hath with God, that he walks with God, and that he is not alone, but the Father is with him, &c? Now all communion is perſonal, and is a mutual intercourſe between perſons:1 Joh. 1.5. Our fellowſhip is with the Father, and with the Son Jeſus Chriſt. And there is a fellowſhip of the Spirit, 2 Cor. 13.14. It's true, we have an inheritance in attributes and in promiſes, but we cannot properly be ſaid to have fellowſhip with him but in regard of the perſons: Adam had in his creation an inheritance in all the creatures, but yet he could not have communion with them, there was none meet for fellowſhip with him but Eve: ſo it's here, there is nothing but a perſon that a man can have communion with. It's true, our communion is in things; as we have communion with Chriſt in his righteouſneſs and in his priviledges, in his graces, in his victories, that is, we have a ſhare together with him in them all, and they are as truly ours as they are his, according unto our neceſſity; but yet remember, our communion is with the perſon of Chriſt, not with the benefits: ſo it is in this alſo, we have a communion with Father, Son, and Spirit in the attributes of the Nature, ſo that they are as truly ours according to the tenour, and for the ends of the new Covenant, as they are his; but ſtill our union and communion is with the perſons in them, therein doth properly the foundation lye: as if a husband marry a wife, ſhe ſhall have a communion with him, that is, a common ſhare in his honour and in his eſtate, in whatever is his; but yet the communion that ſhe hath is with the perſon of her huſband.foreign. Now man being a ſociable creature, we know what ſweetneſs there is in fellowſhip with the perſons of men, to have the communion of thoſe he takes moſt delight in: as nature doth inable a man to taſte the ſweetneſs of that fellowſhip; ſo doth grace, being a Divine nature, and fitting the ſoul for communion, it doth inable a man to taſte the ſweetneſs that is in fellowſhip with the Divine nature, with all the perſons in whom only there is all fulneſs and joy unſpeakable, and full of glory.
2. If there be ſuch an intereſt in the perſons to be had, then let every man examine himſelf, whether he have ſuch a title unto the perſons or no. In all other titles we do uſe to try, becauſe we would not be deceived, and upon the tryal of a title a man doth conclude it is good; illud certum quod ex dubio certum, that is certain, which out of doubtful is made certain. Let us therefore examine our title, which we have ſo much the greater cauſe to do, becauſe there is this vanity in the heart of a man, that it's very apt to ſuppoſe a title here without trying; and this is the overthrow of many a ſoul: the fooliſh Virgins did ſuppoſe that they had been eſpouſed unto Chriſt, and ſhould have gone unto the marriage with him, as well as the wiſe, &c. as men do in the benefits of Chriſt, they are willing to ſuppoſe that their ſins are pardoned, and their perſons are accepted, and ſo they deceive their own ſouls: there is a fallacy when a man diſputes ex falſis ſuppoſitis, from falſe ſuppoſitions, and then all the concluſions that he doth build upon them are unſound; and that's the very condition of moſt Chriſtians, they argue ex falſis ſuppoſitis, from falſe ſuppoſitions all their life time,Jam. 1.22. foreign. and that's the fallacy ſpoken of, Jam. 1.22. But be you doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own ſouls, &c. which is to diſpute and gather concluſions from falſe and corrupt premiſes; becauſe they were hearers of the word, though they were not doers, yet from this falſe principle they did reaſon and argue all their life time that their ſtate was good: and ſo did the fooliſh builders, Mat. 7.22. Lord, we have propheſied in thy name, and in thy name caſt out devils, we have eat and drank in thy preſence, and thou haſt taught in our ſtreets; therefore there is no doubt but we ſhall attain an entrance at his coming; and ſo the ſoul is under a fallacy all his days, and this is the great deceit of the old Serpent, to deceive a man in reference to his eternal ſtate; for as Satan by his inſtruments doth endeavour to beguile you in the matters of truth, Col. 2.4. foreign, he deceives a man by falſe reaſonings; ſo alſo he endeavours to deceive a man in matter of his ſtate, that he might deceive himſelf by falſe reaſonings alſo: and upon this ground it mainly is, that there is that extraordinary averſneſs in the hearts of men unto the duty of ſelf-examination, and a far greater averſneſs to the examination of a mans ſtate, than of his actions; for there are many men that will make conſcience to review their actions and conſider their ways, and yet theſe very men are willing to go upon a ſuppoſition in the matter of their ſpiritual ſtates, and to be content to take that for granted, though it be the ground of all. And here we are to conſider alſo, that many that are true Believers may not know that there is a diſtinct intereſt in the perſons to be had; they in general do believe in God, and cloſe with Chriſt, who is offered them in the promiſe, but as for ſuch a diſtinct title unto all the perſons, it is a thing that they are not acquainted with; it ſeems it was this that Chriſt reproved in his Diſciples, Joh. 14.1. Ye believe in God, believe alſo in me: their faith in the acting of it was not ſo diſtinct and particular as it ought to have been. As it is in witneſſing, there is many a man that never knew that there was a diſtinct witneſs of all the perſons in the hearts of the Saints, and therefore they did never look out for any ſuch thing; ſo it is in the point of faith alſo: but now this is a truth diſcovered to you, and the Lord will expect the fruit of Goſpel-diſcoveries, he will come and demand fruit of his Vineyard, and he doth expect it; he it is with whom, Heb. 4.13.in the word read or preached, that you have to do; he looks what power it hath upon your hearts after it is diſpenſed.
(1) We are to conſider, that the way by which we can come to have an intereſt in all the perſons, is by cloſing with the Son; for it is our union with the Son, that as it gives us a title unto all good things, ſo it gives us in the firſt place an union with all the perſons, and it intitles us unto them all; it is he that hath the Son hath the Father alſo, 1 Joh. 2.23.and he that hath not the Son, hath not the Father: for it is only the bleſſing of the ſecond Covenant, and it comes upon none but thoſe that are in Covenant, as the promiſes come upon none but thoſe that are heirs of promiſe; therefore we ſhould firſt inquire, whether we be one with the Son or no. Now there is no union with him but by believing in him; for it is the eating the fleſh of Chriſt, and drinking his blood that gives us life by him. Joh. 6.54.Now though believing be an act of the whole ſoul, for the ſubject of faith is the whole ſoul, with the heart man believes, yet it is ſpecially ſeated in the will; as unbelief alſo is ſpecially ſeated there. There is a double infidelity: (1) Purae negationis, of pure negation, which ſome have ſaid is no ſin; but yet if there is a command to believe, then bare not-believing is a ſin, becauſe it is the tranſgreſſion of the Law. (2) Pravae diſpoſitionis, of depraved diſpoſition; and that lyes mainly in the will. Now when the will opens aright, it is unto two things: [1] It does conſent to receive and accept of Chriſt upon his own terms, not only Chriſt with his righteouſneſs, but Chriſt with his graces, not only Chriſt with his priviledges, but Chriſt with his inconveniencies, Chriſt to all the ends for which the Father hath ordained him, he would have him glorified in them all in his heart. [2] With the ſame hand of faith that he doth receive whole Chriſt, he doth give up whole ſelf unto Chriſt again, ſo that he is his own no more, but put out of his own power for ever; and he rejoyceth in this, that I am my beloveds as well as my beloved is mine; he would have his happineſs in him, and he would enjoy nothing apart from him for ever, he would live in him, and bear fruit in him, and work for him, and be into him, and that to eternity; for he ſaith to him, as Ruth to her mother-in-law, Where thou goeſt I will go, where thou lodgeſt I will lodge, thy people ſhall be my people, thy God my God, and where thou dyeſt I will dye, &c. Where there hath been ſuch an acceptation and ſuch a reſignation, there the work of faith is wrought with power, and he that is thus one with the Son, is thereby madelone with the Father alſo; for our union is by him, as our acceſs and communion alſo is all by him with the Father.
(2) If a man be intitled unto the perſons, there will be drawings out of his heart towards each perſon: for there is an impreſſion of the love of them all left upon the ſoul; We love him, becauſe he loved us firſt; and this love will warm our hearts with love again; there will be the workings of it in the ſoul, though there be not the witneſſing;1 Joh. 4.19. for Phil. 1.6. there is a good work begun, and it's begun by all the perſons, and it is to glorifie the perſons mainly in the hearts of Believers, and therefore ſuch workings the Lord will draw forth in them: O that ever God the Father ſhould give his Son to me! Joh. 3. God ſo loved the world! and that I ſhould be called the Son of God, that the Son ſhould lay down his life for me, ſhould bear my ſins and my ſorrows, that his Spirit ſhould abide in me, inlightning mine eyes, renewing me in the ſpirit of my mind; there will be ſuch a ſpiritual warmth wrought in the ſoul towards all theſe perſons, becauſe there is a principle of the love of them all kindled in the ſoul. But yet,
(3) There will never be the fulneſs of aſſurance, till the perſons that have given you an intereſt in themſelves, do alſo themſelves witneſs their intereſt, 1 Joh. 5.7. and they will ſurely do ſo to all thoſe that wait for them; the Father will ſay, I am thy Father, and the Son ſay, I am thy Saviour, and the Spirit, I am thine: therefore exerciſe faith upon your intereſt in all the perſons, and in particular upon your intereſt in God the Father, and be much in communion with the Father; ſeeing communion is perſonal, and there is a diſtinct intereſt in all the perſons, therefore a diſtinct communion; that which was the happineſs of theſe perſons communion, and the infinite ſatisfaction that they took one in another, that ſhall be thy happineſs and thy portion for ever.
§. 3. We are to exerciſe faith upon all the perſons in this manner made over under the ſecond Covenant, and to live upon this principle in all our ways. (1) That they are all of them objects of faith is clear: for the ultimate object of faith is God, 1 Pet. 1.21. Now as we are to take in the whole Scripture, as objectum immediatum, the immediate object, and every part of the Scripture is to be believed as an object of faith; ſo the whole Godhead, all the attributes of God, and all the perſons in the Godhead are by faith to be reſted upon; for there are, 1 Theſſ. 3.10. foreign, defects of faith, ſo long as faith takes not in its whole object, it hath not its perfect work, Jam. 1.3. (2) We are to worſhip them all, though not as apart one from another, yet as in our apprehenſion diſtinguiſhed; and we are to give unto them diſtinct worſhip, as Chriſt ſays, Joh. 4.23. The time cometh, that you ſhall neither in this mountain, nor in Jeruſalem worſhip the Father; he that will worſhip God, muſt worſhip him in ſpirit and in truth; for the Father ſeeks ſuch to worſhip him, &c. Now worſhip is twofold, either cultus naturalis, qui ex ipſa Dei natura pendet, natural worſhip, &c. There is no man that did ever worſhip a God, but he did acknowledge, that this God he was to believe in, and hope in, love, and pray to, and to hear and obey him in all things: and there is a cultus inſtitutus; qui ex liberrima Dei voluntate pendet, &c. inſtituted worſhip, which depends on the will of God. Now the higheſt act of worſhip is in believing, and it's unto this that all the Inſtitutions, which are but media cultûs, means of worſhip are properly ſubordinate; for cultus inſtitutus medii locum tantùm ſupplet ad cultum primarium: being to worſhip the perſons we muſt give to each of them that which is the main of worſhip, and that is to believe in them. (3) It is from the objects of faith that the life of the ſoul comes in, Eſa. 38.16. By theſe things men live, and in all theſe things is the life of my ſpirit: for the Prophet Eſaias had ſaid, Take a lump of figs, and lay it upon the boil, and he ſhall recover, by this promiſe I ſhall live, and many others that come after ſhall live upon the promiſes by this experiment that I have had, and found of them; for faith is foreign, the mouth and eye of the ſoul. Now the delight of the eye in ſeeing comes from the object, and the nouriſhment of the body comes in by the mouth; and therefore it's ſaid,Eccleſ. 6.7. That all the labour of the man is for his mouth: it's from the meat that a man eats, that the ſtrength of his body is derived; and therefore Chriſt, as the object of faith, ſaith, That his fleſh is meat indeed, and his blood drink indeed, it notes ſtrength and nouriſhment comes from the object of faith, and the way of conveyance is by union; it is by ſucking the ſap and the ſweet of it, crede & manducâſti, and if any object of faith do not contribute its part, and the ſoul lives not upon it, it will in its ſtrength decay; and therefore we live by the faith of the Son of God, Gal. 2.20. becauſe it is from the direct acts of faith that life comes in: and here are two things to be ſpoken to: (1) What the objects of faith are that the ſoul is to take in, in the making over of each perſon under the ſecond Covenant? (2) What acts of faith the ſoul is to put forth upon them?
1. The objects of faith that the ſoul is to take in in each of the perſons are theſe: (1) The perſons themſelves, we are to believe the record of them all, 1 Joh. 5.10. Joh. 5.45. we are to hear and learn of the Father, and we are to believe in the Son: To him give all the Prophets witneſs, 1 Joh. 5.6.Act. 10.43. that whoſoever believes in him ſhall have remiſſion of ſins, Joh. 3.16. and we are to believe in the Spirit, it is the Spirit that bears witneſs, becauſe the Spirit is truth; and ſo we are to come unto them in duties, in prayer, and hearing, and in all acts of worſhip; and the ground of it is, becauſe we are to believe in him; for they cannot pray to him in whom they have not believed,Rom. 10.14. Rom. 10.14. Now though the benefit that we have by all theſe perſons is exceeding great, the Father adopts and juſtifies us by the imputation of the righteouſneſs of Chriſt, and the remiſſion of ſins, and the Son is Jehovah our righteouſneſs, and he gives us power to become the ſons of God, and the Spirit is the bond of our union, the principle of our ſanctification, and the guide of our way; yet the ground of all this intereſt in their benefits is our intereſt in their perſons: ſo that as our intereſt in the Mediator, and union with his perſon is far greater than all the benefits that we receive by him, becauſe it is the fountain from which they do all flow, and the root upon which they do all grow, 1 Joh. 5.12. ſo it's here alſo, intereſt in the perſons is the foundation of all our intereſt in their benefits; for if we had no title unto the perſons, we could have no benefit by them, or any part thereof: and therefore as they are perſonal promiſes that are the great promiſes of the Goſpel; ſo they are perſonal intereſts that are the great priviledges of the Goſpel, and that in which the main of the life of a Saint lyes: ſo that as when Chriſt is ſet forth by God the Father as a propitiation lifted up in the Goſpel, foreign, Rom. 3.25. the ſoul by the recumbency of faith caſts it ſelf upon him, leaves it ſelf with him;Pſal. 10.14. ſo the Father and Spirit are ſet forth in the Goſpel as the God of conſolation, and the ſoul is to rely, roll, and caſt it ſelf upon them; and as we are not barely to look upon the benefits that come by Chriſt, ſo neither are we to the benefits that come by them, but it is their perſons, ens incomplexum, not things that the ſoul is to reſt upon.
(2) The ſoul is to reſt upon all the promiſes that in Scripture are made concerning theſe perſons: there are promiſes that have a peculiar reſpect unto them all. [1] There are promiſes that ſpecially concern the Father, which though they be formally made unto the Son, yet it is with ſpecial reſpect unto the Saints: as the promiſe of giving Chriſt unto their ſouls, and nouriſhment and life by him; for he ſays,Joh. 6.32. Moſes gave you not the bread that came down from heaven, my Father gives you the true bread: promiſes of juſtification by him, Eſa. 53.11. By his knowledge ſhall my righteous ſervant juſtifie many, that is as much as to ſay, as many as believe in him ſhall receive remiſſion of ſins, and a promiſe of guidance, Exod. 23.20. Behold I ſend my Angel before you. They were in a ſtrait; for they were in the wilderneſs where there was no way; now the Father doth promiſe the Son ſhould undertake their guidance, and it is not a promiſe that is peculiar unto thoſe times only, though there was ſomething peculiar in it. And there is a promiſe of gifts,Acts 1.4. Wait for the promiſe of the Father. The extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghoſt that were to be poured out to fit men for office in thoſe times, it's called the promiſe of the Father: and the promiſe alſo of preſervation and perſeverance, My Father that gave them me is greater than all, Joh. 10.29.and no man can pluck them out of my Fathers hand. [2] There are ſome promiſes that do more eſpecially belong unto the Son, as that of grace, and a continual ſupply; he ſhall go in and out and find paſture; and ſays Chriſt, I am come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly; and a promiſe of a conſtant preſence, I will dwell in them, and walk amongst them; Joh. 10.9, 10.what concord hath Chriſt with Belial? I am with you to the end of the world; that he will beautifie his Church and ſanctifie it, and cleanſe it, that he may preſent it unto himſelf a glorious Church without ſpot or wrinkle, or any ſuch thing, Eph. 6.26, 27. and that he will ſubdue our enemies, Eſay 63.3, 4. I will take them in my arms, and keep them from their enemies fury; their blood ſhall be ſprinkled upon my garments, and I will ſtain all my raiment; for the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come: he ſhall be cloathed with a garment d pt in blood, and his name ſhall be called the word of God, Rev. 19.13. [3] There are ſome promiſes that in a more ſpecial manner reſpect the holy Spirit: he has promiſed them a ſpirit of ſanctification, and he will purge the filth of the daughter of Sion by a ſpirit of burning, Eſa. 4.4. promiſes of direction, The Spirit ſhall lead you into all truth, Joh. 16.13. he ſhall undertake to be the guide of your way, and you ſhall hear a voice crying behind you, This is the way, walk in it: a ſpirit of liberty alſo you ſhall have;2 Cor. 3.17. for where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty; and a ſpirit of victory, Eſa. 59.19. when the enemy doth break in as a floud, the Spirit of the Lord ſhall lift up a ſtandard againſt him, ſo that they ſhall conquer, not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, Zac. 4 6. Now all theſe lead a man unto the perſon of the Spirit, and his intereſt in him, as ſo many lines into a centre; for as all the promiſes do lead a man to union with Chriſt, by which means he becomes an heir of promiſe, ſo do all the promiſes lead a man to an intereſt in his perſon, without which he can lay no claim unto the promiſe that is made by any of the perſons, for they are not univerſal, and made unto all; but as the promiſes of Chriſt belong unto thoſe that are one with him, ſo all the promiſes of the perſons belong only unto thoſe that have an intereſt in them; and therefore we are to caſt our ſelves upon the perſons for the accompliſhment of the promiſes.
(3) Faith is to reſt upon the love of them all; for though they are eſſentially one, and therefore have but one will, yet as they are perſonally diſtinguiſhed, ſo they are three, and have diſtinct wills and diſtinct loves; and therefore Chriſt diſtinguiſhes between his will and the Fathers will: I am come not to do my own will, but the will of him that ſent me; not my will, but thy will be done; eſſentially his will and the Fathers are one, but they are perſonally diſtinguiſhed: ſo they have eſſentially one love; but if we look upon them as perſons, ſo they have each of them his own proper and peculiar love: He that loves me ſhall be loved of my Father, and I will love him: if any man love me, my Father will love him, Joh. 14.21.&c. ſo that faith is not only to cloſe with the love of God in general, as it is an Attribute of the Divine Nature, as his Wiſdom and Holineſs, Mercy and Power are; but faith is alſo to cloſe with the love of each of the perſons, as they are relatively diſtinguiſhed one from another, the love of the Father, and the love of the Son and Spirit: and as it is the love of God eſſentially, that is the ground of all that God has wrought for us, it was his foreign, Tit. 3.4. and though Eſau was Jacobs brother, yet I loved Jacob, Mal. 1.2. ſo it is the perſonal love of all the perſons that is the ground of all thoſe workings of the perſons for us; and therefore you are to take in that love alſo as an object of your faith.
(4) Faith ſhould reſt upon the appropriated acts of each of theſe perſons, and rely upon them for the performance of them. We have formerly heard, that each perſon hath undertaken ſome ſpecial and peculiar acts for mens ſalvation, as [1] the work of Vocation, Adoption, Juſtification, Preſervation, Glorification; for it is your Fathers pleaſure to give you the Kingdom, they are all of them undertaken by God the Father. And [2] the work of Satisfaction, Preſentation, Oblation, Interceſſion, Conqueſt, Judgment, all theſe the Son has undertaken. [3] The work of Sanctification, Direction, Conſolation, Supplication, they are all of them undertaken by the Spirit. Now we are not only to rely upon the eſſential faithfulneſs of God for the performance of it,Heb. 6.17. but upon the perſonal faithfulneſs of each of theſe undertakers, for they are all of them ingaged in it: and here is a farther and higher conſideration to be taken in the acts of the perſons, and they are of two ſorts. [1] Acts ad intrà, internal acts; and they are acts of nature, which are acts one towards another, as the generation of the Father in reſpect of the Son, and the proceſſion of the Holy Ghoſt, as from them both. [2] There are acts ad extrà, which are terminated in the creatures, and are meerly acts of will: now faith is not only by this means to be exerciſed, and taſte the ſweetneſs of the acts of will ad extrà, but the acts of nature ad intrà: for I have an intereſt in that Father, as the Father that did from all Eternity beget the Son, and I have an intereſt in that Son that was begotten by the Father; ſo that thoſe acts of nature that were of God before the world was, they have all ſome reſpect unto me, and I can taſte a ſweetneſs in them all; that as I have not only an intereſt in the abſolute perfections of God, which are his Attributes, but in the relative perfections of God alſo, which reſpect the perſons; ſo I have not only an intereſt in, and benefit by all the actings of the Atrributes of God, but by the eternal actings of the perſons alſo, that we may ſee how high it reaches, and that there is nothing in God but it is as truly for our good, as it is for his own glory, therefore we may rejoyce in them all.
(5) A mans faith ſhould expect all the Attributes of God to be diſtinctly exerciſed for him by all the perſons: a man has an intereſt in them all, in all the works that they do put forth; for as they are three in their ſubſiſtence, ſo they are but one in their Eſſence; and therefore all the Attributes of God come in unto them all: the Son thinks it no robbery to be equal with the Father,Phil. 2.6. for he is found in the form of God, that is, in the nature of God, ſubſiſting in the nature or eſſence of God; and therefore Divines do commonly, when they prove the Deity of the Son and Spirit, ſhew, that the Attributes of God are in Scripture given unto them, as Eſa. 9.6. Wonderful Counſellor, the mighty God, the everlaſting Father, Prince of peace, that's given to the Son; and to the Spirit is given Omnipotency, Omnipreſence, and Omniſcience, &c. Now when the Father comes to work, he has the power of God, the wiſdom of God, the holineſs of God put forth for the accompliſhment of his work: and ſo have the Son and Spirit alſo; and therefore we ſee that the Son could not miſcarry in any thing that he did; and though he dyed, yet it was impoſſible that he ſhould be held by death,Acts 2. becauſe he had the power of the Godhead to carry him through; and ſo it is with the Perſons in all their operations and undertakings for men in the work of our ſalvation; and therefore it is good for a man not only to exerciſe faith upon the Attributes of the Divine Nature in common, as they are infinite and abſolute perfections, but as thoſe Attributes are to be found in each of the perſons, and to be exerciſed for us in all their appropriated actions; and by this means the Attributes of the nature are made over not only by the Eſſence, but alſo that they ſhall be all of them exerciſed by each perſon, acting according to their own acts which they have undertaken, and ſo we have an aſſurance of the acting of the Attributes for us in a threefold way, and a threefold cord is not broken.
(6) As it is the recumbency of faith, ſo it ſhould be in the aſſurance of faith alſo, it ſhould diſtinctly cloſe with them all in their witneſſing, as well as in their working, 1 Joh. 5.6, 7.1 Joh. 5.6, 7. There are three that bear record in heaven: it is not only a teſtimony to the truth of the Goſpel, but it is a teſtimony alſo given unto the ſtate of the Saints; for they have the witneſs in themſelves, for it is, that they may know that they have eternal life, verſ. 13. which could not be unleſs the teſtimony were given in the heart, and a mans ſtate put out of controverſie. Now though they be one in Eſſence, and though their teſtimony do agree in one, yet they are three in their witneſs in the word and in the heart: now under the Law, in the mouth of two or three witneſſes every word ſhall be eſtabliſhed: we receive the witneſs of man, but the witneſs of God is greater; the ſame God who hath but a few witneſſes amongſt men, but two witneſſes, Rev. 11.3.yet he will not let a mans aſſurance go without a full teſtimony, there ſhall be two claſſes of witneſſes, ſome on Earth, and ſome in Heaven, and they ſhall be three of each of them: therefore as in acts of recumbency we are to cloſe with the love of all the perſons, ſo in acts of aſſurance we are to cloſe with the witneſs of all the perſons; and thus we ſee that there are diſtinct objects of faith upon which it is to work in them all.
2. Now let us come to conſider the acts of faith that are diſtinctly to be put forth upon them all: as 1. There is to be a fiducial knowledge hereof, that the perſons are made over to us: for as faith without works is dead, ſo faith without knowledge is blind; therefore faith is commonly ſet forth by knowledge in the Scripture, Joh. 17. ult. and Phil. 3.8, 9. To know him, and be found in him, &c. But it is not every knowledge, but that which is deſcribed, Col. 2.2. and Tit. 1.1. A knowledge of the myſtery of God, and the Father, and of Chriſt, a knowledge that draws an acknowledgment with it, that carries the conſent of the ſoul with it, and he ſits down under it, and lies under the power thereof, a ſapida ſcientia, a knowledge of a truth that lets in the ſavour of the goodneſs of it with the truth.
2. The ſoul is diſtinctly to caſt it ſelf by diſtinct thoughts upon each of theſe perſons: as when a ſoul comes to Chriſt, he ſees his need of him, that he is undone without him, he ſees the excellency that is in him, and thereupon he doth leave himſelf with Chriſt, and will look out for ſalvation in no other, there is an excluſive reſolution againſt all other ways, and a full determination to go this way only, and if I periſh, here I will periſh; ſo when a ſoul ſees all this, and ſees his need of the perſons, and the glory that is not only in Chriſt, but in the Father and the Spirit, and ſees that without an intereſt in them he is undone; for elſe there are no benefits by them; thereupon he doth diſtinctly reſign himſelf unto each of them: for as all the promiſes of the Goſpel being diſtinct objects of faith have not their due honour, unleſs we exerciſe diſtinct acts of faith upon them; ſo it is true alſo of all the perſons much more; becauſe Chriſt is ſet forth as an object of faith, therefore we rely upon him; ſo we ſhould upon the Father and Spirit alſo; and therefore Chriſt looks upon it as a diſhonour, that being ſet forth to them, they did not diſtinctly believe in him.
3. Faith draws virtue from all the objects of it: Eſa. 66.11. It will ſuck, and be ſatiſfied with the breaſts of conſolation. It's true, that we are now in a ſtate of childhood,1 Cor. 13.12. our manhood is to come, but yet there are breaſts of conſolation agreeable unto our condition; as Chriſt cannot be touched by faith but virtue comes out of him,Luke 8.46. there is a power and efficacy that goes out of him, there is life to be drawn from the living Father, and from the Son, and from the Spirit; a man can exerciſe no act of faith upon any of the objects of faith, but he can find there is an influence that it hath upon the man that believes; as it is in all the acts of Chriſt, Phil. 3.9, 10. ſo it is in this much more; how ſhould a man rejoyce to ſee the influence of each perſon upon his ſoul?
4. There is alſo an act of reſignation; for faith hath two hands, one to receive, and the other to return: I am my beloveds, and my beloved is mine, ſays the believing ſoul:Cant. 6.3. a man doth as well give up himſelf to God, as he doth receive an intereſt in God. David ſays as well, Lord I am thy ſervant, as O Lord thou art my God; and therefore a man ſhould give up himſelf to the praiſe and glory of Father, Son, and Spirit; for to be baptized in the name of them all, is for a man to give up himſelf unto the obedience of them all: there is a judging and reaſoning alſo in faith; ſays the Apoſtle, Becauſe we thus judge, 2 Cor. 5.13, 14.if one dyed for all, then were all dead: if the Father, Son, and Spirit give up themſelves to work for our good, and we have an intereſt in them all, how much more ſhould we give up our ſelves to be to the praiſe and glory of them all, and ſtill keep up the eye of our faith open to ſee the Lord making himſelf over to us, and the ear of faith open to hear and receive the teſtimony that is given, and be not indulgent to the unbelief, doubtings, and the miſgiving of your own ſpirits, receive the witneſs of God within you, and having received a teſtimony of thy intereſt, then triumph in God, for there is a triumph of faith, Eph. 1.3. bleſſed be God the Father by Chriſt, who was rich in love, loved me, and gave himſelf for me, glory be to the Father, Son, and Spirit.
§. …. Be much in exerciſing diſtinct acts of communion with all the perſons: ſeeing there is a diſtinct intereſt in them all, we ſhould labour for a diſtinct fellowſhip with them all. The ground of all unions and relations amongſt all rational creatures is, that they might have a fellowſhip one with another by their intereſt one in another, for their intereſt muſt be improved and exerciſed modo rationali, in a rational way. It is true, that there are relationes aequiparantiae, as well as diſquiparantiae, between inferiour and ſuperiour, and between equals; but yet the end is communion in them both: therefore the man and wife are made one fleſh, and therefore friends do become one heart and ſoul; therefore in the Church the members do become one body, 1 Cor. 12.12, 13. as the body hath many members, even ſo is Chriſts body: We are baptized into one body; and all is, that they might by mutual conſent enjoy a communion of Saints amongſt themſelves; and for this cauſe we become one body with the Angels, Eph. 1.10. foreign, that he might gather them all together under one head: ſo that the Saints and the Angels do make but one glorious Church; and therefore it is Bernards apprehenſion, That God did elect as many men as ſhould ſupply the places of the Angels that fell, and they ſhould be in Chriſt taken up into the ſame body with them in glory; and therefore we are ſaid to come to the innumerable company of Angels, Heb. 12.23. and all that we might enjoy a communion with them; and ſo much the words aſcending and deſcending imply, Joh. 1. ult. and this is the end of our intereſt in Chriſt the Mediator, and we are married to him, that we might have fellowſhip with him, and by this means we riſe to an higher intereſt, and that is in the Father, Son, and Spirit; and this alſo is that we might have a diſtinct communion with them all.
§. 4. Here we will conſider, (1) That there is a diſtinct Communion with them all, that a Believer may and ought to have with all the perſons grounded upon his intereſt in them all. (2) Wherein this Communion doth conſiſt, and what are the actings of it. (3) Give you ſome arguments that may perſwade the people of God to be much in the improvement thereof; that as you have a fellowſhip with Chriſt and with the Saints, and you look upon that as ſweet, ſo you would not neglect this, which is the higheſt fellowſhip that you do attain by faith, and is the end of all your union and communion whatſoever.
1. That there is a diſtinct fellowſhip and communion to be had with all the perſons. That will clearly appear from 1 Joh. 1.3. Our fellowſhip is with the Father, and with his Son Jeſus Chriſt: ſo that we have not only a communion with Chriſt the Mediator, but through him with the Father: and 2 Cor. 13.14. we do read of a fellowſhip with the Spirit alſo, which muſt be mutual; he hath a fellowſhip with us and we with him; we are ſaid to have acceſs unto the Father, which are terms of communion, and that diſtinct communion which we have with all the perſons,Heb. 12.22. as well as they one with the other; and therefore 'tis ſaid, Heb. 12.22. Ye are come unto mount Sion, &c. Now to come unto the three perſons, notes (1) faith in them, and ſo we come unto Chriſt, Come unto me all ye that labour, Mat. 11.29. that is, that believe in him. (2) It notes a communion with them; and ſo we have acceſs by him,Ad gratiam, ad gloriam Patris. and thus we are ſaid to come unto God by him, Heb. 7. and no man comes unto the Father but by me, Joh. 14.6. for he is the Mediator of Communion, as well as of Reconciliation: and we have as much need of him for the one, as for the other. If we look upon God and man as enemies, then there needs a Mediator, that may be as a days-man, to lay hold upon both; but being reconciled and made friends, he having made us near by the blood of his Croſs, yet we cannot come unto God but by him, it is he that gives us foreign, Eph. 3.12. Here to come to them is to be taken into favour and fellowſhip with them all, as appears in theſe particulars. (1) We are come unto mount Sion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jeruſalem, that is the Church of Chriſt, under the New Teſtament, called therefore Jeruſalem that is above, Gal. 4.26. and in alluſion to it we read of a new Jeruſalem that comes down from God out of heaven, Rev. 21.1, 2. (2) To the Church of the firſt-born, whoſe names are written in heaven, that is, we are taken into fellowſhip with all the Elect of God, we do make up one body with them. (3) Ʋnto God the Judge of all: we have not only communion therefore with Chriſt, as Mediator, and with the Angels and Saints, but we have a further communion, and that is with God himſelf, which is a term of his Eſſence when it is put without a term of reſtriction, and refers us to all the perſons in the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoſt.
2. Wherein doth this Communion and fellowſhip conſiſt? I ſhall deſcribe it to you according to the fellowſhip that is between men, from whence this Metaphor is borrowed. 1. The great communion that perſons have is in the love one of another; that was the great thing in which David and Jonathan had communion, and not ſo much in their perſons; for David lived a perſecuted life,2 Sam. 1.26. but he was ſure of Jonathans love, Thy love to me was wonderful, paſſing the love of women: therefore is no fellowſhip like that that is by interchanging of love; for love is the ſouls byas, it carries it with it whereſoever it goes, it is an interchanging of hearts, an interchanging of love: tranſit amans in amatum, the lover paſſeth into the beloved. Now though the Father be in Heaven, yet he loves not, though we be ſtrangers from the Lord, while we are in the body, yet the Father himſelf loves you, ſays Chriſt, Joh. 14.21, 23. I will love him, and my Father ſhall love him; and though we be upon earth, yet we can walk in his love: 1 Pet. 1.8. Whom having not ſeen you love, and though now you ſee him not, yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unſpeakable, &c. and this is the communion that we have with the Angels, though they are Spirits, and we ſee them not, yet we know that they bear a tender love to the Saints; for they do as Nurſes bear them in their arms: and in this was the fellowſhip of the perſons one to another much ſeen, they delighted themſelves in the love of each other, Joh. 14. ult. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleaſed; and that is the communion that the Saints have with Chriſt,1 Joh. 3.1. Joh. 3.16. he is my beloved, Eſa. 5.1. I will ſing to my beloved a ſong of my beloved touching his vineyard, &c. he it is whom my ſoul loveth, my beloved is mine and I am his: and this was the great thing that delighted the Lord from Eternity; his delights were with the ſons of men, Prov. 8.30.his thoughts of love were his delight towards them: and as the Lord had communion with our love in the thoughts of it, ſo may we have communion with his love alſo; and therefore we do read of walking in love, and dwelling in love, 1 Joh. 4.16.1 Joh. 4.16. that upon which the ſoul is conſtantly ſet, it is ſaid to dwell upon it, Job 17.11. the thoughts are called the poſſeſſions of the heart, that which the thoughts do dwell upon, the heart is ſaid to poſſeſs. Now as the Lord is ſaid to inhabit the praiſes of Iſrael, becauſe they praiſe him conſtantly; and therefore he is ſaid to dwell in praiſes; ſo becauſe his love doth daily refreſh ſinners, therefore they are ſaid to dwell in love alſo: as a man hath communion with Satan by thoughts, the goings forth of his heart are after him and his ways; ſo a man hath communion with each perſon alſo by the goings forth of the ſoul to them: there is therefore a communion by interchanging of love, and they that ſo do interchange hearts.
2. There is a communion in their actings one for another; for there are mutual offices of love that this amor benevolentia doth bring forth, and the ſoul is never ſatisfied in either of them. God the Father acts in love in giving his Son, and making over himſelf to thy ſoul in juſtifying thy perſon, and adopting thee to be his own ſon, and eſtating upon thee a Kingdom; for it is the Fathers pleaſure to give you a kingdom: and all theſe acts of love the ſoul opens, and conſiders them apart, and ſays, What ſhall I return unto the Lord for all theſe things? and then love doth unlock the heart, and it ſaith, the love of bounty from the father calls upon me for a love of duty; is any thing too much for him, that hath done ſo much for me? and then in all theſe he taſtes the love of God,Rom. 5. for it is ſhed abroad in his heart, and the ſoul in the gift taſtes the love of the giver; and therefore the ſoul is willing to ſpeak for him, and act for him, and live to him, and dye for him: What ſhall I return to the Lord for all his benefits? And then his own poverty comes in with bitterneſs to him, he is willing beyond his ability, he would be bountiful, but he hath it not; and therefore he doth as it's ſaid of Aeſchinus, that when he ſaw other hearers of Socrates give gifts to him, he ſaith, Nihil te dignum quod dare poſſum invenio, & hoc modo pauperem me eſſe ſentio; itaq, dono tibi quod unum habeo, meipſum, &c. I have nothing worthy of thee to give, but I give my ſelf: and the ſoul ſaith, as Cicero to Lentulus, Caeteris in officiis omnibus ſatiſfacere poſſum, nunquam mihiipſi, &c. And this alſo is the communion that Chriſt hath with the Father, the Father ſays, Sit thou at my right hand, and I will give thee the heathen for an inheritance, &c. and I will hold thee by the hand: and Chriſt ſaith, I muſt do my Fathers buſineſs, and it's my meat and drink.
3. They have a communion in viſitations; for we ſay, that amongſt men friendſhip is maintained by viſits, and increaſed thereby; and ſo it is between God and the Saints alſo, there is indeed a viſitation in wrath, as the Lord ſaith, Jer. 5.9. Shall I not viſit for theſe things? and there is a viſitation in mercy and compaſſion, Zac. 10.3. The Lord hath viſited his flock, the houſe of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horſe in the battel, &c. Luk. 1.68. He hath viſited and redeemed his people. Now God is ſaid to viſit us, when he comes to manifeſt his love, and to beſtow upon us ſweet and ſpiritual bleſſings, Cant. 5.1. I am come into my garden, &c. and when the ſoul comes to God of purpoſe to enjoy communion with him; for we can never come to God but we have need of him, and when we are moſt ſenſible of our wants, and mans intereſt carries him to God; but ſurely to deſire to ſee God for himſelf is an act of pure friendſhip, to ſee thy power, O God, and thy glory; for thy loving-kindneſs is better than life. When a ſoul is thus taken with a ſight of God, that if a man had no dependence, and were put into a condition as perfect as the Angels, and had need of nothing, yet then to come into his preſence, and to behold his face, becauſe we delight in him, this is properly an act of friendſhip and of familiarity that ſhould be between God and the Saints.
4. There is an imparting of counſels between the perſons: Chriſt was given out of the boſom of the Father. There is not any diſcovery that is made to the Saints,Joh. 1.18. but it comes out of the ſame boſom; Shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I mean to do? Gen. 18. ſurely the Lord will do nothing, but he reveals his ſecrets to his Prophets, Amos 3.7. 1 Sam. 9.15. The Lord told Samuel in his ear; there is a Ʋrim and Thumim for the Saints ſtill, and the Lord gives them a ſpiritual skill here to make uſe of it, ſo as to know the ſecrets of the Almighty; We took ſweet counſel together, &c. and the Saints alſo do impart their counſels to God, 1 Sam. 1.15. I have poured out my ſoul before the Lord. There are indeed a generation of men that dig deep to hide counſel from the Lord. Iſa. 29.15.It is true, that there is no ſecret hid from him, but it is their endeavour ſo to carry it, as they might not only blind the eyes of man, but of God alſo; but a Saint opens his heart to him, there is no ſecret that he is willing to hide from God, but there are ſuch ſighs and groans that he doth open when he hath to do with him.
5. There are mutual delights in their intereſt one in another, and they do love to profeſs it, The Lords portion is his people, Iſrael is the lot of my inheritance, the Lord is my portion, ſays my ſoul: and ſays God, They are the firſt-fruits of the creatures unto me, and they are thoſe that do conſecrate all the reſt to me, without which all the reſt were profane, and have a curſe upon them, &c. O Lord, thou art my Lord, ſays the ſoul, early will I praiſe thee; I am thy ſervant, and the ſon of thy handmaid, Eſa. 4.4, 5. A man often glories in his intereſt here in this world; but herein doth the Saint glory, that he can ſay, I am the Lords, and that he can call himſelf by the name of Jacob, and can ſubſcribe with his hand to the Lord: and a great part of the fellowſhip of love is in a mutual profeſſion of their intereſt each in other: And I will be yours for ever, there is nothing in me, or that I can do but is at your commandment.
6. They call upon one another for further fellowſhip and communion. There is a call of the Father's upon vocation,Joh. 6.44. which is called drawing, vocatio alta & ſecreta, a ſecret and deep vocation, Auſtin. And there is a calling unto communion, as Rev. 22.17. The Spirit ſaith, Come, and the Bride, Come. Now as in witneſſing, 1 Joh. 5.7, 8. For there are three that bear record in heaven, &c. they do all give a teſtimony, but it is done by the Spirit, in the Name of the Father,Joh. 16.13. Son, and Spirit; for Chriſt ſays, He ſhall take of mine, and give it unto you; ſo he doth in calling alſo, he doth ſpeak ſometimes in the Fathers name, and ſometimes in the Sons name; Open unto me, come away my beloved, &c. and the ſoul always ſaith, Come; and therefore draws near unto God continually, and all is but to ſee the face of God, and that he may have ſome fellowſhip with him, who is the God of his life: God is his centre, and there is a tendency of ſoul to God; for godlineſs is nothing elſe but tendentia animae in Deum, the tendency of the ſoul to God, there is ſomething in the heart that doth echo unto God again; when he calls a ſoul to communion to ſeek his face, the ſoul anſwers, Thy face, Lord, will I ſeek. But it may be objected, How can it be, ſeeing God is in Heaven, that we ſhould ſee him, and have ſuch intimate fellowſhip here below? (1) God hath ſaid, I will dwell with you, the heart is the habitation of the great King of Heaven and Earth;Joh. 14.23. he hath ſaid he will come to you, and dwell with you, and ſup with you. (2) There is a Spirit alſo that will carry your ſouls up to him again, as the Prophet Ezechiel was carried in the viſions of God to Jeruſalem, Rev. 1.10.and John was in the Spirit on the Lords day, &c. though the body be upon Earth, the ſoul may be in Heaven with the Lord, and there all the Saints long to be, all their delight is in the mean while in the intercourſe that paſſes between God and their ſouls by ſweet fellowſhip and communion here.
3. The Arguments to ſtir you up thereunto are theſe. (1) Conſider this is the great end of the Covenant of Grace: it is not only peace, but good will, it is a Covenant of Friendſhip, and the end of friendſhip is fellowſhip; and our end ſhould not fall below Gods end. (2) See the great preparation that the Lord hath made thereunto: all that Chriſt is ſaid in Scripture to have done, is but to give us acceſs unto God, and all that he hath ſuffered, it is all but to bring us to God, 1 Pet. 2.21. And we have acceſs by him to the throne of grace, Eph. 3.12. and it is the great end of all the workings of the Spirit alſo to bring us to God, and ſtrengthen us with might; for through him we have an acceſs by one Spirit to the Father.Prov. 5.18. (3) There is a ſweetneſs in fellowſhip; as 'tis ſaid of the wife, Let her be to thee as the young Hind and pleaſant Roe, let her breaſts ſatisfie thee at all times, and be thou raviſhed always with her love: and 2 Sam. 1.26. Thou waſt very pleaſant to me, thy love to me was wonderful, &c. and yet there are no men but have burdenſom diſpoſitions, which they diſcover ſometimes more than at others; but who would not walk with the great God, who is Love, and Holineſs, and Wiſdom in perfection, whoſe paths are all pleaſantneſs, and whoſe ways are peace? There are pleaſures at his right hand for evermore, Pſal. 16. (4) All mercies are obtained by it: when the Lord doth meet his people, he doth bleſs them,Exod. 20.24. there is no communion with him but there is bleſſing from him, and there is no bleſſing from him but by communion with him; but the ſpecial bleſſing of all other is an Aſſimilation; a man is made like him; When he ſhall appear, we ſhall be like him, 2 Cor. 3.18.&c. 1 Joh. 3.3. We are choſen to ſhew forth the praiſes of God;1 Pet. 2.9. therefore being ſo highly advanced as to be enjoyers of communion with God, be exalted [1] to grow in your conformity to Jeſus Chriſt; for that is the ground of all communion; What fellowſhip hath light with darkneſs? O 'tis a bleſſed thing to have this teſtimony from God himſelf, which David had, I have found David the ſon of Jeſſe a man after my own heart, which ſhall fulfil all my wills. [2] Accuſtom your ſelves to communion with him,Job. 22.21. acquaint now thy ſelf with him, and be at peace, thereby good ſhall come to thee, receive the Law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thy heart: we cannot have too much communion with God, who is our life, our joy, our peace, who is our all, &c. and the more communion we have with God, the greater bleſſings we ſhall be to the Nation wherein we dwell, not only to procure bleſſings for them, but to divert Judgments.