Goodwin - BX9315 G6 v1

The Second SERMON on turned to God, and when Chrifl: firfl: takes us, as ever it !hall be. Your Re– latton cloth not increafe, 1t bath not degrees; your Ur:1on With Chrifl:, that he Is one With you, and you With h1m, m refpeCl: of the relatton to him, iscorn– pleat. As in Marnage, you know that Perfons, before they come to commun· one with the other, are as much Man aud Wife as ever they !hall be, for the 1~e~ !ation ; but then he takes her home to hts own Houfe, and dwells with her for– fJkes Father and Mother, andde.aves to his Wife, and, as the Apofile Pete; fays, they dwell together : Jufl: fo tt ts here, the relauve Union, whereby Chrifl: is one with us, and we with him, (as Man and Wife) as all Relations elfe that fpeak Oncnefs, is full and compleat at firfl:; when you are in Heaven, you are not more in Chrifl:, than when firft turned. But after he bath taken you,' there is both a fubfl:antial Union, and a commu– nicative Union, which is expreffed here by ln-dweUiltg,whereby he communicates to you all thofe things, which the relative Union ferves for. A Man ismarried but once, but they do commumcate one w.tth the other all their Lives, dwel!in together, being Helps one to the other, bemg one Fle!h, &c. This gives fom~ light to Jobn 17. 22, 23. The Glory thon gavefl me I have given them that th 111ay be perfeU in one : Perfect in one ! not till th~y are in Glory. S~ then, ti7e Communication of Holmefs, and the Co':'mumcauon of Glory, are but fiill con!i.1mmating that Union which the Relation firfl: brought in. So then you may nnderfl:and, what it is for Chrifl: to dwell in the Heart: Take the fi~fi it is for him to communicate all good thin~s,. that the Father horh appointed him to befl:ow upon us; but then, fecondly, It Imports, that we receive them by Faith and by Faith fetch them from him. This is the Ground why it is called an In: dwellmg, and what is meant by it. . The next ~tefl:ion will be, What Faith iJ towards Chrifl, hy which he dwells in tH, as the Apojlle here prays? Brethren, It is not Faith juO:ifying only, I do not find that Chrifi is faid to dwell in us by that, ( tho it ispart of it) but it is that Faith wherewith we any way deal with Chrifl:, for any thing whatfoever. Faith in Chrifl: is not only Faith jufl:ifying ; Faith hath to do with Chrifl:. for a .Multitude of things to be communicated to the Soul, befides Jufl:Jficatlon. I ufe to fay, there are three things adequate one to the other: There is God the Father's Grace befl:owing, Jefns Chrifl:'s Redemption meriting and bellowing, and there isFaith in us to ap– prehend and apply all thefe. Thefe three are adequate, that is to fay, of like extent in the fubordination of the one to the other. For example: All that was in God's Heart to befl:ow, all Grace,ofwaat kind foever,that Jefus Chrifl:was made the Infl:rument ofpurchaGng; there is not any thing which God the Father means to befl:ow, t God the Son hath purchafed it, and fervcsGod and his Pur– pofes in bellowing it upon us : So as there is not that thing in the Heart of God to be given to us, but Jefus Chrifl: anfwerably procures it, and endows us with it. So that Chrifl: is adequate to all God's Purpofes whatfoever. Then come we to our !i.:lves: There. is a little Principle called Faith, which goes out of it felf both unto God and unto Chrifl:; and (mark what I fay) all that ever Jefus Chrifl: purchafed, and that Jefus Chrifl: !hall bellow on us, Faith isthe Infl:rument that !hall receive it, and go to Chrifl: for it. There isnot that thing in the Heart of God, but Chrifl: bath purchafcd ; there is not that thing Chrifl: bath purcha– fed, and means to befl:ow, but Faith is the Infl:rument to apprehend and apply it. Now Jufl:ification is but one piece, but there are many things, I know not how many things elfe, which Chrifl: hath to befiow upon us beGdes jufl:ifying us; and we have a Principle, namely, Faith in us, that ferves not only for ju!li– fy ing, but (JnCl:ifying, for Strength, Obedience, every thing. Hence then, it is not only Faith juflifying, but Faith upon Chrifl: all forts of ways; Faith anfwers to the whole of Chrifl:, and it is not only Faith jufl:ifying, but Faith in the whole extent of ir, wherein we do receive, or may recei,•e any thing fi·om Chrifi, and thereby he dwells. The

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