J SERMON on is an Honour _proper to him, But further, that there is Come fpecial peculiarity m the Umon 1t felf wh1ch be bath w1th us, that 1s not found in the Union of the other two Perfons with us; for he unites bimfelfto us as our Hu!band,and fo in an appropnateway the R.elauon of Hu!band !peaks Umon, as the fpecial Fruit of it . or indeed in which it con(i{\s, and diftinguillies the Perfon of him, that is fo,fron: H.c 1 ,,,..x all others. Now that R.elanon as Za11cby ob~erves, 1s properly Cbrift's, and fo, as Jll" "": w· not the Fathers nor the Spmts; It was the V01ce ofthe Son before the Human Na– ;,;;; ~u~~:,J ture Jffumed., H?f. 2. 19, 20. I w~Ubetroth thee unto tJ~e for ev~r, yea I wiU betroth Ec&tam. t)jee unto me m RtghteoufiJefi, and 1n Judgment, and tn Lovmg Kindnefs,· and in #:~~~;;~;,~en- :lHercie.r. 1wrl~ eve11 betroth thee unto m_e in Faithfulnefl, "'md thou Jbalt ftnow the 1 ,,;,, L ord. And he ts the Lord there utters 1t, whom they fhould know, as a Wife her Hufband; there muft be fome further fpecially eminent thing in our Union with Cbrift as our Hufband, that is not in our Union with the other two · for as the Relatien of Union is, fuch muft the Union it felfbe. ' 3· !hat it isby virtueofhis being <;>ur Mediator in both Natures,that hisDivine Nature cometh todwellJmmed~ately m us,and all the whole virtue befundamental– ly in him as he is God,and fecond Perfon,and that is the virtue ofdrawing us into Union with himfelf; as it is the Load-fione it felf, that draws the Iron,yet it exerts this more efficaciouOy, when Cet in Steel,yet frill fo, as ~a~h Nature w.orks in every Medtatory Act proper to each Nature ; hence the D1vme Nature 1n the fecond Perfon dwells in_us as be is God. !~e.Man. Jefus dwells in ~s according to his CapaCity, as be IS Man, yet both JO!Omg !hll fo to do accordmg to their hability proper to eacl1. · Thefe things have been conoerning our Union with Chrift, but the main thing Fourth!y,is Chrift's dwelling in our Hearts by F;aith;let there be an Union of Cbrift in us, as bath been fpoken before, yet you will fay, what is all this to his dwelling in us by Faith? why do you make this QQery? Why his dwelling by Faith in us, is only on our parts; whereas now hisPerfondwelling in us, as bath been dif– courfed, that as his dwelling in us is on his part; and the Apofile cloth not pray here that Je!iiS Chrift's Perfon might dwell in our Perfons, but that we acting Faith upon him on all occafions (and we have all occafion fo to do) he might thereby manife([ himfelfin our Hearts; Chrift dwelling in us by Faith is not the dwelling of his Perfon in our ~erfons; for he takes hold of us btfore we believe, and works Faith in us, but it is when our Faith bath taken hold ofhim. He dwells in us by the continual aaing ofour Faith upon him ; and this is after our Converfion. My Brethren, There i• a three-fold Union with Chrifi; The Firft is Relative: whereby we are laid to be His,and Heours: As you know he is called our Hufband, and the Church is called his Wife; and before Hu!band and Wife company together there is fuch a Relation made by Marriage.; and the Hu!band may be in one,place, and the Wife in anmher,fo that there can be no communion between tbem,and yet be Man,and Wife.So is the Union between Chrift and you as compleatinthe Rela– tion, before he act any thing upon you (though he be in Heaven,and you onEarth) as ifyou were in Heaven with him. The fecond is an actual In-being of his Per– Ion : which is as the Soul dwells in the Body. The third is Objeaive .• by way of Object: when by Faith we view Chrifr, as the Faculty cloth view an Object ; as the fight ofa Perfon cloth let down the Idea of him into the Heart ofanother: Cbrift as the Object ofFaith is faid to dwell, and to dwell in us fo far as we aCl: Faith towards him; this is that the Apoftle prays for. He prays not that his Per– IOn may dwell in them, but that he might dwell in them by Faith. Brethren, to explain this to you, what is it for Chrift to dwell by Faith: I !hall give you thefe Affertions to explain it. 1. Affertion; it is an operative dwelling: the Perfon ofChrift may be in us, and is in us when Faith cloth not operate, and work in us ; there may be that realln-boing: As when a Man is in a Swoon, his Soul is in him: and ~hen the Arm is out of Joint, it is ((ill united to the Body, and the Head, but.tt cannot operate ; which is the cafe of Men when they fall into pr~fumpruous Sms. ~or Chrifl to dwell in us by Faith, is that there may be •. contmual eym~ of Chnft, and aCting on Chrifr by us, as an ObjeCt who hath vtrtue to convey m to us, and to.
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