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and friendship with God, and that was the best flower in his crown; but he could lay no claim to such kindred and consanguinity as now, with reverence be it spoken, the reconciled soul can with God: this comes in by the marriage of the divine nature with the human, in the person of Christ, which personal union is the foundation of another, a mystical union betwixt Christ and the person of every believer; and this is so near an union, that as by the union of the divine nature and human there is one person, so also by this mystical union the saints and their head make one Christ: "for as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being members are one body; so also is Christ." 1 Cor. xii. 12. Ecclesia est Christus explicatus. The church is nothing but Christ displayed. Who can speak what an advance this is to the human nature in general, and to the persons of believers in particular? such a one, as leaves not only Adam but angels beneath a reconciled sinner in this respect. Adam at first was made but little lower than the angels, but by this pair of unions God hath set the reconciled soul more than a little above them both; for Christ by taking on him not the nature of angels (though the more ancient and noble house) but the seed of Abraham, made the elder serve the younger, eveu angels themselves minister to the meanest saint, as unto their master's heir. Heb. i. 14.

Secondly, As the union is nearer, so is it stronger; therefore stronger because nearer: the closer stones stand together the stronger the building. The union betwixt God and Adam in the first covenant was not so near but Adam might fall, and yet God's glory stand entire and unshaken; but the union now is so close and strong betwixt Christ and his saints, that Christ cannot be Christ without his members: "because I live (saith Christ) ye shall live also;" John xiv. 19. implying that their life was bound up in his, and it was as easy for him to be turned out of Heaven, as for them to be kept out. Eph. i. 23. The church is called there "Christ's body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." A body is not full if it hath not every member and joint, though never so little, and them in their fulness too. The saint's grace

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is Christ's glory, 2 Cor. viii. 23. and, though his essential glory as God receives no filling from his saints or their graces, yet consider him in his mediatorship, as head of his church, so Christ's glory is daily filling, as the elect are called in daily, and as those that are called in grow up to their appointed stature. Christ hath not his fulness till the saints have their perfection and complement of grace in Heaven's glory.

Secondly, In his communion with God. The nearer (we use to say) the dearer. Communion results from union; if the union be nearer and stronger between a reconciled soul and God than Adam's was, his communion must needs be sweeter and fuller. Why else is the communion of husband and wife fuller than of friend and friend, but because the union is closer? God converseth with Adam as a friend with his friend and ally, but with the reconciled soul as a husband with his wife: "Thy Maker is thy husband," Isa. liv. 5.

There is a double sweetness peculiar to the reconciled sinner's communion with God.

First, There is in Christ a foundation laid for greater familiarity with God than Adam was at first capable of. He indeed was the Son of God, yet he was kept at a further distance, and treated with more state and majesty from God, than now the reconciled soul is; for though he was the Son of God by creation, yet the Son of God was not then the son of man by incarnation; and at this door comes in the believer's sweetest familiarity with God: the Christian cannot lift up now an eye of faith to God but he sees his own nature standing upon the throne by him, in the person of Christ. And if the sight of Joseph at Pharaoh's right hand, in court favour and honour, sent the patriarchs home with such joyful news to their aged father, what a ravishing message of joy must faith carry then to the soul of a reconciled sinner, when it comes in (after some vision of love in an ordinance) and saith, Cheer up, O my soul, I see Jesus Christ, thy near kiusman, at God's right hand in glory, to whom all power is given in Heaven and earth; fear not, he is so nigh in blood to thee that he cannot be unmindful of thee, except he should do what were unnatural in thyself, that is, "hide himself from his own flesh ?" The lower a prince

stoops to the meanest of his subjects, the more familiar he makes himself to his subjects. It was a wonderful condescension in the great God, who can have no compeer, first to make man, and then strike so friendly a league and covenant with him. This God doth now with every reconciled soul, and that enriched with so many astonishing circumstances of condescending grace, as must needs speak the way of the believer's access to God more familiar. God doth, in this second and new alliance with his poor creature, descend his throne, exchange his majesty's robes of glory, for the rags of man's frail flesh; he leaves his palace, to live for a time in his creature's humble cottage, and there not only familiarly converses with him, but (which is stranger) ministers to him, yea which is more than all these, he surrenders himself up to endure all manner of indignities from his sorry creature's hand. And when this his coarse entertainment is done, back he posts to Heaven, not to complain to his Father how he hath been abused here below, and raise Heaven's power against those that had so ill treated him, but to make ready Heaven's palace for the reception of those who had thus abused him, and now will but accept of his grace and lest these, yet left on earth, should fear his re-assumed royalty and majesty in Heaven's glory would make some alteration with their affairs in his heart, to give them therefore a constant demonstration that he would be the same in the height of his honour that he was in the depth of his abasement, he goes back in the same clothes he had borrowed of their nature, to wear them on the throne in all his glory, only some princely cost betowed to put them into the fashion of that heavenly kingdom, and make them suit with his glorified state, giving them a pattern by this what their own vile bodies, which are now so dishonourable, shall be made another day. Now none of all those circumstances were found in God's first administration to Adam, and therefore this the more familiar.

Secondly, There is the sweetness of pardoning mercy, and the bleeding love of Christ, who by his death purchased it for him, to be tasted in the reconciled soul's communion with God. This lump of sugar Adam had

not in his cup. He knew what the love of a giving God meant, but was a stranger to the mercy of a forgiving God. The reconciled soul experiences both. The love of a father, more than ordinary kind, is a great comfort to a dutiful child, one that never displeased his father; but it carries no such wonder in it to our thoughts as the compassion and melting bowels of a father towards a rebellious child doth; and certainly the prodigal child, that is received again into his father's embraces, hath the advantage for loving his father more than his brother that never came under his father's displeasure. O this pardoning mercy, and the love of Christ that procured it, they are the most spacious and fruitful heads for a gracious soul to enlarge his sweetest meditations upon here on earth; but who can conceive what ravishing music glorified saints will make in running division on this sweet note? I am sure the song their harps are tuned to is the "song of the Lamb." Rev. xv. 2, 3. The saint's finished happiness in Heaven's glory is a composition of all the rare ingredients possible, so tempered by the wise hand of God that, as none could well be spared, so not the taste of any one shall be lost in another; but this of pardoning mercy, and the stupendous love and wisdom of God through Christ therein, shall, as I may so say, give a sweet relish to all, and be tasted above all the rest.

CHAP. V.

AN EXHORTATION TO EMBRACE THIS PEACE OF RECONCILIATION, OFFERED IN THE GOSPEL.

USE 1. Let it provoke every one to labour to get an interest in this peace of reconciliation with God, which the Gospel brings. Peace with God! sure it is worth the sinner's having; or else the angels were ill employed, when they welcomed the tidings thereof into the world at our Saviour's birth with such acclamations of joy: 'glory to God, on earth peace," Luke ii. 14. yea Christ himself was deceived in his purchase; who, if a sinner's

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peace with God be not of high price and value, hath little to shew for the effusion of his heart-blood which he thought well spent to gain this; but this we cannot believe. And yet to see how freely God offers peace and pardon to the sons of men through Christ, and how coy, yea sullen and cross, they are to the motion; one that does not well know them both, God's infinite goodness and wretched man's horrible baseness, might be ready to think it some low-prized ware, which lay upon God's bands; and this to be the cause why God is so earnest to put it off, and man so loath to take it off his hands. Ah! poor deluded wretches, who is the wicked counsellor that hardens your hearts from embracing your own mercies? None sure but a devil can hate God and you so much. And hath he sped so well in his own quarrel against God, that he should be hearkened to by thee, poor sinner? Can he give thee armour that will quench God's bullets? how then is it that he is so unkind to himself as to let them lie burning in his own bosom to his unspeakable torment? Or will he lend thee any pity, when thou hast by his advice undone thyself? alas! no more than the cruel wolf doth the silly sheep, when he hath sucked her blood, and torn her in pieces. Think and think again, poor sinner, what answer thou meanest to send to Heaven, before God call his ambassadors home, and the treaty break up never to be renewed again. And, that thou mayest not want some seasonable matter for thy musing thoughts to enlarge upon on this subject, let me desire thee to treat with thy own heart upon these four heads.

First, Consider what it is that stands before thee in offer. Secondly, Who it is that offers it.

Thirdly, How he offers it.

Fourthly, What thou dost when thou refusest it.

SECT. I.

First, Consider what it is that is offered thee: peace with God. A thing so indispensable thou canst not have less, and so comprehensive thou needest have no more than this, and what cometh with it, to make thee truly fully happy. Of all the variety of enjoyments with

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