JLoolttng unto jj£fn.s. Book lV. 16~ earth 1 1 1 ad we the bell: natures, pureft converfations, happitflendowmenrs thlli: accom– pany rhe Sainrs, pride overthrows all; it thruft proud _Nekuchadmu.ar out of _B.Wtl, proud Haman out of the Court, proud Saulout <if h1s Kmgdom., p~oudL_uclferout of Heaven; poor man how ill it becom:s thee robe proud, when God h1mfelf 1:_beco~e thus humbler 0 learn ofme (faith Chnft) for I ammeek_, and lmmble, andlowly m jpmt, Malth.tt.•9! andyou Pulilfind reft tmroyour fault. . . . . • . 5 . The rwo natures ofChrill, though really dlfttngUJihed, yet ~ere they mfeparably joyned , and made not two, bu~ one perfon_ i fo muft ou~ natures and>perfons though at greateft diftance from God,' be mfeparably Joyned and unJted to Chnft, and thereby . alfo to Gad. I pray (faith Chrill) that they all may be ~ne tu tho~ Father ·art in John 11 ; ,r; me and I in thee that they alfo may be one m us. That umon ofChrtfh tWO natures we' call aperfonal hypollatical un~on, and ~his union o~~hrill wit? us_, we call a myll:ical and fpirimal union; yet_th6ughttbe_myili~al and fp1mual , th1s hmders noE b~t th~t it is a true , real , etfenttal, fubftant1al umon, whereby the perfon of the beltever IS inditfolubly unired ro t~e glorious perfon of the Son of G?d· ~oroar better u~erfianding we may cofllider (•f you pleafe) of a threefold umty, ~tther of ~e~fon~m one nature, or ofnarures in one perfon, or of natures and perfons l1l one fpmt ; ttl the firfl is one God; in thefecondisoneChrift; in the third is one Church with Chrift; our union unto Chrill: is the la!l: of rhefe , whereby he and w~ are all fpiritually united to the making up of one myll:ical body, 0 what a priviledge is this! a poorpel'iever, be he ne.er fo mean or miferable in the eye of the world , yet he is one with Cbrift, as ' Chrill is one with the Father; our fe/lowjhip i< with the Father, and with hi< Son r John r: J• [efuJ Chri}f , every Saint is Chrill:s-fellow; there is a kind of analogi"!l proportion between Chrift and his Saints in every thing; ifwe- take a vLew ofall Chrift,-whar he is in his perfon, in his glory, in his Spirit, ·in his· grac'es, in his Fathers love, and in the accef< he bath to the Father, in all thefe we are in afort fellow~ with Chrifi; only wich this difference that Cluift bath the preheminen.;e in all things ; all coni~ from the Father firft to Chri!l:, and all we have is by marriage with Jel'us Chrift; Chrift by his union h.ath all !l?od things without meafure, but we by our union have them only in meafure, as it pleafeth him to diftribute. But herein if we refemble Chrill:, whether ln his union with the Father, or w his union of the two natures in one perfon ofa Melfiator; ifby looking onChrift, wecome to this likenefs , to be one with Jefus Chrift, Oh what a priviledge is this ! had we not good warrant for fo high a challenge, it _could be no lefs than a blafphemous arrogance to lay claim to the royal blood ofhcavcn:but the Lord is pleafed to dignifie apoor worm, that every believer may trucly fay, I""' ont with je[HS Chrift, and [efuJ Chrift if omgith me. To fweeten this union to ourthoughts, I lhall acquaint you with the priviledge How-· .ing from it, and Jet the fame flir you up to conform. -- .Hence it is that Chrifllives in us , and that Chrift both gives life, and is oUr life. WhenChrift which iJ Mr life fha/1 appear, Chriftuto,.tolive, and Jlive, yttnotl,coi'J: 4 ~u: Chrift liverh in me, There is afpiritual and a natural life; for the natura! life what Phil: ' · ,',,· ~s lt b\tt abubble, _a_vapour, a ~addow, a d~eam, a ~othing?.but this fpirituil lifeGal.,;: •o, ts an excellent hfe,1t 1s wroughrm us byt~e SptrltofChnft; there 1s a world of difference betwiXt the natural and the fpirituallife, and that make<the difference betwixt what I do as aman~andwhat I de as a Chrillian; as a man I have eyes, cares, motions affeCl:ioHs~un– derllandmgs, naturally as myown; but as a Chri~ian I have all thefe 'from hiln with whom Ia_m fpirirually one, the Lord Jefus Chrif!; as aman I have bodily eyes, and.! behold bod•ly and material thi_n&s, ~ut as a Chrilliani have fpiritual eyes, and I feeinvifi_- ble _and eternal thmgs , a:s lt IS fafd of Mofes, that he endured, '" (eei11g him who u Heb. u ~ ; mvijible; as a man I have outward ears, and I hear outward founds of all forts ' 1 wherner articulate , or inarticulate ; but as a Chri!lian I have inward ears-, and "fo I hear the voyce of Chrift, and of Gods Spirit , fpeaking to my foul; asa man I h~ve bodtly fe_e~, and by them Tmove in my own feculu wayes ; but as :t C!)rifilan I .have fptrtnial feet , and on thtm I walk with God ip all rhe wayes of his co~mandemems; as a man I have natural affections, and fo I love beailty, and fear J?am_, and hate laft enemy, and I rejoyce in outward profperity or t~elike; b'ut as a Chn[han I have 'renewed _affeffions, and fo I loved goodn~fs, and hate nothing but fin, fsnd I fear above •!I the Mpleafure_of my God,_ and I rejoyce in Gods favour, ,which ltmer than ·l1fe. Surely thts 1s a bleffed ltfe . and as foon as ever I am ti:mted to Chrift, why then l!iv,e, .}'et not I, but Chrij/liveth in me. Flrfi; Chrift is·conc~ed',a'nd y z -- ·- - theti
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