Marshall - BT765 M37 1788

Ét Cofpel-Myßery D;rea. II!. be harfh and unpleafing, becaufe it cofts fo much ftruggling with their own hearts and affeaions, to new frame them. If they knew that this way of entrance is not'only harfh and unpleafant, but alto! ge. her impcflible ; and that the true way of mor. tifying fin, and quickening thetnfelves to holincfs, is by receiving a new nature, out of the fulnefs of Chrift ; and that we do no more to the production of a new nature, than of original fin, though we do more to the reception of it if they knew this; they might fave themfelves many a bitter agony, and a great deal of mif-fpent burdenfome labour; a-.d employ their endeavours to enter in at the ffrait gate, in fuch a way as would be more pleafant and fuccefsful Another great myftery in the way offanaiñca- tion, is, the glorious manner of our fellowfhip with !Chrift, in receiving an holy frame of heart from him. It is by our being in Chrift, and having Chrift himfelf in us ; and that not merely by his univerfal prefence as he is God, but by loch a clofe union, as that we are one fpirit and one flefh with him; which is a privilege peculiar to thofe that are truly fanetified. I may well call this a myftícaí unôn, becaufe the Apoftle calleth it a great myftery, in an (-piffle full of myfteries, Eph. v. 22. intimat- ing, that it is eminently great above many other tnyt eries. It is one of the three myflical unions that are the chief myfteries in religion, The other two are, the union of the Trinity Of Perfons in one Godhead, and the union of the divine and human matures in one perfon, Jefus Chrift, God and man. Though we cannot frame an aXac`t idea of the map- per of any of thefe three unions in our itragina- tions, becaufe the depth of thefe m)fteries is beyond our comprehenfion ; yet we have caufe to believe them all, becaufe they are clearly revealed in .scrip- lure, and are a ñecefary foundation for other points of Chriffian doctrine. Particularly, this union 4-

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