Ver.26. the 17th Chapter of St. JO FIN. 3g7 SERMON XLV. JOHN XVII. z6. Arid I have declared unto them thy Name, and will declare it : that the Love where- with thou hall loved rue, may be in them, and I in them. N D I in them.] This is the nett Aim of Chrift, the Myftical Union. This is fitly coupled with the former Privilege. God's Love is the Fountain of all Mercy, and Myaical Union is the Means of Convey- ance. The Father's Love, and the Son's Inhabitation, are elfewheré conjoined: 'John 14. 23. My Father will love him, and we will come un- to him, and make our abode with him. God's Love cannot be in us,un- lefs Chrift be in us ; nor Chrift be in us without the Father's Love. God loveth the Elea freely in Jefus Chrift, and therefore giveth us his Spirit to work Faith in our Hearts, that Chrift may dwell there, and.be one with us, and we with him ; Love is the rife of all. And again ; without the perpetual Refidence of Chrift in the Heart; we cannot have a Cenfe of God's Love. Again ; from this Conjunftion we may learn the Prefence of the whole Trinity in the Heart of a Believer, as in a cónfecrated Tern; ple. The Love of the Father it is in us, by the Holy Ghoft given to us. Rom.5.5. The Love of God is fbed abroad in our Hearts by the Holy Ghoft, which is given unto us. Now we have not only the Holy Ghoft to affure us of the Love of God, but we have Chrift as the Head and Fountain of Vital Influence. Once more, I in them. Chrift loth not only communicate Gifts of Grace to us, but Himfelf. Obferve ; That the Gofel it made known to is to this intent, that Chrift may be in u4 Or; This is one great Privilege of the Go1eel, that Chr f may be in us by a perpetual Rfdencet as a Principle and Fountain of the Spiritual Life. I. What is meant by Chrift's being in Us ? How can one Man be in another ? I (hall Anfwer ; Firfi, Negatively ; How it is not to be under(tood, that we may remove all fill; grofs; and unworthy Thoughts. r. It is not Contiguity that we fpeak of, but Union. Two pieces of Wood lying together; are not united. Chrift is in Heaven, we on Earth ; there's no Contiguity¡ and if there were, it would not caufe an Union. There is indeed an Union of Con- taa, as when two Hands are joined together, which may referable this Union 9 for there is a mutual or reciprocal Apprehenfion, Chrift apprehendeth us, and we hire Phil. 3: 12. If that 1 may apprehend that, for which á fo 1 am apprehended of Chrift Jefas. He taketh hold of us by his Spirit, and we take hold of him by Faith. But of thid by and by. 2. It is not a Congregation, as thing may be gathered together : as Stones in an heap, they are united, or gathered into one Heap, but they do not act one upon ano Cher. And therefore the Holy Ghoft doth not refemble our Union with Chrift by Stones in an Heap, but by Stones in a Building, that afford mutual firength and fupport to one another, and Chrift to the Foundation and Corner Stone, which beareth up all the reft. r Pet. 2. j. Te alfo as lively.Stones; are built up a Spiritual Houle': And, Ephef. 2. 20, 21, 22. And are built upon the Foundation of the Apaftles and Prophets, tefus Chrift himfelf being the chief Corner Stone, in whom all the Building, fitly framed together, grow - eth unto an Holy Temple in the Lord : In Whom Ju alfa are budded together for in Habita- tion of God through the Spirit. Only here is the difference, that is but an Union of Art, Ccccc n äo$
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