And then New Creatures. Chrift is mine, and I am Chrifts,then we are in Chrit, for thenwe are his. Now that this may be done, there mull be a mutual! at of giving and receiving, that is, it is God that gives his Sonne, and Chrift that gives himfeffe, as the Apoftle fpeakes, He loved me, and gave himrelfe, for me. When this is done on Gods part, and we have taken him, that makes Chrift ours; So there muff bee a giving and taking to unite us unto Chrift there mull bee a giving, that is, the Father muff give Chrifl : now giving is nothing elfe but Juod meum e.Fe, of cere tuum nullo jure cogente.This definition the Civ il Lawyers give of it, and it is a true one : So the Lord gives Chrift to us, he makes him ours, nothing com- pels him to it, for if it were by Law, it were not by gift but by debt : I fay, he gives Chrift, and freely,and to give him, is nothing elfe,but to make him ours. But to give him is nothing, it is not enough except we take him likewife, for giving and taking are Relatives, re- move one, and the other is taken away. Though God give his Sonne freely, yet except we take him, that gift is no gift; therefore theremull be a taking on our part, and when there two are done, when God hath given Chrift, and we have taken him, then we are united to Chrift; and we are in Chrift, and he in us; as in mar- riage, the husband gives himfelfe to the Wife, and the takes him ; again, the Wife gives her felfe to the Hus- band, and hee takes her; and when this is once done, and done really, they are united together. And fuch a match is made between Chrift and us, there is a mu- tuall giving and taking on both fides; and when this match is made, Chrift is Paid properly to be in us, and wee in him : Yea, to goe a little further, Marriage is a E 4 net re What gi- ving is.
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