have been roused by apprehensions of death, and its consequences; but now they are so far on in their way to the land of darkness, that they hardly ever have the least glimmering of light from heaven. 5. The darkness of your minds presages eternal darkness. O the horrid ignorance with which some are plagued; while others, who have got some rays of the light of reason in their heads, are utterly void of spiritual light in their hearts! If you knew your case, you would cry out, Oh! darkness! darkness! darkness! makmaking way for the blackness of darkness for ever! The facecovering is upon you already, as condemned persons; so near are you to everlasting darkness. It is only Jesus Christ who can stop the execution, pull the napkin off the face of the condemned malefactor, and put a pardon in his hand, Isa. xxv. 7. "He will destroy, in this mountain, the face of covering cast over all people," that is, the face-covering cast over the condemned, as in Haman's case, Esth. vii. 8. "As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face." 6. The chains of darkness you are bound with in the prison of your depraved state, Isa. Ixi. 1, fits you to be cast into the burning fiery furnace. Ah, miserahle men! Sometimes their consciences stir within them, and they begin to think of amending their ways. But alas! they are in chains, they cannot do it. They are chained by the heart: their lusts cleave so fast to them, that they cannot, nay, they will not shake them off. Thus you see what affinity there is between an unregenerate state, and the state of the damned, the state of absolute and irretrievable misery. Be convinced, then, that you must be born again; put a high value on the new birth, and eagerly desire it.

The text tells you, that the word is the seed, whereof the new creature is formed: therefore take heed to it, and entertain it, as it is your life. Apply yourself to the reading of the Scriptures. You that cannot read, get others to read it to you. Wait diligently on the preaching of the word, as by divine appointment the special mean of conversion; "for-it pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe," 1 Cor. i. 21. Wherefore cast not yourselves out of Christ's way; reject not the means of grace, lest you be found to judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life. Attend carefully to the word preached. Hear every sermon, as if you were hearing for eternity; take heed that the fowls of the air pick not up this seed from you, as it is sown. "Give thyself wholly to it," 1 Tim. iv. 15. "Receive it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God," 1 Thess. ii. 13. Hear it with application, looking on it as a message sent from heaven, to you in particular; though not to you only, Rev. iii. 22. "He that

hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Lay it up in your hearts; meditate upon it; and be not as the unclean beasts, that chew not the cud. But by earnest prayer, beg that the dew of Heaven may fall on thy heart, that the seed may spring up there.

More particularly, 1 Receive the testimony of the word of God, concerning the misery of an unregenerate state, the sinfulness thereof, and the absolute necessity of regeneration. 2. Receive its testimouy concerning God, what a holy and just One he is. 3. Examine thy ways by it; namely, the thoughts of thy heart, the expressions of thy lips, and the tenour of thy life. Look back through the several periods of thy life; and see thy sins from the precepts of the word, and learn, from its threatening, what thou art liable to on account of these sins. 4. By the help of the same word of God, view the corruption of thy nature, as in a glass which manifests our ugly face in a clear manner. Were these things deeply rooted in the heart, they might be the seed of that fear and sorrow, on account of thy soul's state, which are necessary to prepare and stir thee up to look after a Saviour. Fix your thoughts upon him offered to thee in the Gospel, as fully suited to thy case; having, by his obedience unto death, perfectly satisfied the justice of God, and brought in everlasting righteousness. This may prove the seed of humiliation, desire, hope and faith; and move thee to stretch out the withered hand unto him, at his own command.

Let these things sink deeply into your hearts, and improve them diligently. Remember, whatever you are, you must be born again; else it had been better for you, that you had never been born. Wherefore, if any of you shall live and die in an unregenerate state, you will be inexcusable, having been fairly warned of your danger.

PART II.

MYSTICAL UNION BETWEEN CHRIST AND BELIEVERS.

I am the vine ye are the branches.-JOHN xv. 5.

Having spoken of the change made by regeneration, on all those who will inherit eternal life, in opposition to their natural real state, the state of degeneracy; I proceed to speak of the change made on them, in their union with the Lord Jesus Christ, in opposition to their natural relative state, the state of misery. The doctrine of

the saints' union with Christ, is very plainly and fully insisted on, from the beginning to the eighth verse of this chapter; which is a part of our Lord's farewell sermon to his disciples. Sorrow had now filled their hearts; they were apt to say, Alas! what will become of us, when our Master is taken from our head? Who will then instruct us? Who will solve our doubts? How shall we be supported under our difficulties and discouragements? How shall we be able to live without our wonted communication with him? Therefore our Lord Jesus Christ seasonably teaches them the mystery of their union with him, comparing himself to the vine, and them to the branches.

He compares, 1. Himself to a vine. "I am the vine." He had been celebrating, with his disciples, the sacrament of his supper, that sign and seal of his people's union with him; and had told them, "That he would drink no more of the fruit of the vine, till he should drink it new with them in his Father's kingdom :" and now he shews himself to be the vine, from whence the wine of their consolation should come. The vine has less beauty than many other trees, but it is exceedingly fruitful; fitly representing the low condition in which our Lord was in, bringing many sons to glory. But that which is chiefly aimed at, in his comparing himself to a vine, is to represent himself as the supporter and nourisher of his people, in whom they live and bring forth fruit. 2. He compares them to branches; ye are the branches of that vine. Ye are the branches knit to, and growing on this stock, drawing all your life and sap from it. It is a beautiful comparison; as if he had said, I am as a vine, you are as the branches of that vine. Now there are two sorts of branches: 1. Natural branches, which at first spring out of the stock. These are the branches that are in the tree, and were never out of it. 2. There are ingrafted branches, which are branches cut off from the tree that first gave them life, and put into another, to grow upon it. Thus branches come to be on a tree, which originally were not on it. The branches mentioned in the text, are of the latter sort; branches broken off, as the word in the original language denotes, namely, from the tree that first gave them life. None of the children of men are natural branches of the second Adam, that is, Jesus Christ, the true vine; they are the natural branches of the first Adam, that degenerate vine: but the elect are all of them, sooner or later, broken off from their natural stock, and ingrafted into Christ, the true vine.

DOCTRINE. They who are in the state of grace, are ingrafted in, and united to, the Lord Jesus Christ. They are taken out of their natural stock, cut off from it; and are now ingrafted into Christ, as the new stock.

In general, for understanding the union between the Lord Jesus Christ and his elect, who believe in him, and on him, I observe,

1. It is a spiritual union. Man and wife, by their marriageunion, become one flesh; Christ and true believers, by this union, become one spirit, 1 Cor. vi. 17. As one soul or spirit actuates both the head and the members in the natural body, so the one Spirit of God dwells in Christ and the Christian; for, "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his his," Rom. viii. 9. Earthly union is made by contact; so the stones in a building are united; but this is a union of another nature. Were it possible that we could eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ, in a corporeal and carnal manner, it would profit nothing, John vi. 63. It was not Mary's bearing him in her womb, but her believing on him, that made her a saint, Luke xi. 27, 28, "A certain woman-said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it."

2. It is a real union. Such is our weakness in our present state, so much are we sunk in sin, that in our fancy, we are prone to form an image of every thing proposed to us and as to whatever is denied us, we are apt to suspect it to be only a fiction. But nothing is more real than what is spiritual: as approaching nearest to the nature of him who is the fountain of all reality, namely, God himself. We do not see with our eyes the union between our own soul and body; neither can we represent it to ourselves truly, by imagination, as we do sensible things: yet the reality of it is not to be doubted. Faith is no fancy, but "the substance of things hoped for," Heb. xi. 1. Neither is the union thereby made between Christ and believers imaginary, but most real: "For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones," Eph. v. 30.

2. It is a most close and intimate union. Believers, regenerate persons, who believe in him, and rely on him, have put on Christ, Gal. iii. 27. If that be not enough, he is in them, John xvii. 23, formed in them as the child in the womb, Gal. iv. 19. He is the foundation, 1 Cor. iii. 11; they are the lively stones built upon him, 1 Pet. ii. 5. He is the head and they the body, Eph. i. 22, 23. Nay, he liveth in them, as their very souls live in their bodies, Gal. ii. 20. And what is more than all this, they are one in the Father and the Son, as the Father is in Christ, and Christ in the Father, John xvii. 21, "That they all may be one; as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us."

4. Though it is not a mere legal union, yet it is a union supported by law. Christ, as the surety, and Christians as the princi

When the elect had debt to the justice of

pal debtors, are one in the eye of the law. run themselves, with the rest of mankind, in God, Christ became surety for them, and paid the debt. When they believe on him, they are united to him in a spiritual marriage union; which takes effect so far, that what he did and suffered for them is reckoned in law, as if they had done and suffered it themselves. Hence, they are said to be crucified with Christ, Gal. ii. 20; buried with him, Col. ii. 12; yea, raised up together, namely, with Christ," and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," Eph. ii. 6. In which places, saints on earth, of whom the apostle there speaks, cannot be said to be sitting, but in the way of law reckoning.

5. It is an indissolute union. Once in Christ, ever in him. Having taken up his habitation in the heart, he never removes. None can untie this happy knot.-Who will dissolve this union? Will he himself? No, he will not; we have his word for it; "I will not turn away from them," Jer. xxxii. 40. But perhaps the sinner will do this mischief to himself? No, he shall not; "they shall not depart from me," saith their God. Can devils do it? No, unless they be stronger than Christ and his Father too; "Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand," saith our Lord, John x. 28. "And none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand," verse 30. But what say you of death, which parts husband and wife; yea, separates the soul from the body? Will not death do it? No: the apostle, Rom. viii. 38, 39, is "persuaded that neither death," terrible as it is, nor life," desirable as it is; "nor" devils, those evil" angels, nor" the devil's persecuting agents, though they be "principalities, nor powers" on earth; "nor" evil" things present," already lying on us; "nor" evil "things to come" on us; "nor" the "height" of worldly felicity; "nor depth" of worldly misery; nor any other creature," good or evil, "shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is Christ Jesus our Lord." As death separated Christ's soul from his body, but could not separate either his soul or body from his divine nature; so, though the saints should be separated from their nearest relations in the world, and from all their earthly enjoyments; yea, though their souls should be separated from their bodies separated in a thousand pieces, their "bones scattered, as one cutteth or cleaveth wood;" yet soul and body shall remain united to the Lord Christ; for even in death, "they sleep in Jesus," 1 Thess. iv. 14; and "he keepeth all their bones," Psalm xxxiv. 20. Union with Christ, is the grace wherein we stand," firm and stable, "as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed."