Fourthly, The saints mystical union with Christ is a fundamental union ; it is fundamental by way of sustentation ; all our fruits of obedience depend upon it, John xv. 4. " As the branch cannot " bear fruit except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except " ye abide in me." It is fundamental to all our privileges and comfortable claims, 1 Cor. iii. 23. "All is yours, for ye are " Christ's." And it is fundamental to all our hopes and expec- tations of glory ; for it is " Christ in you the hope of glory," Col. i. 27. So then, destroy this union, and with it you destroy all our fruits, privileges, and eternal hopes, at one stroke.
Frf'thJy, The mystical union is a most efficacious union, for through this union the divine power flows into our souls, both to quicken us with the life of Christ, and to conserve and secure that life in us after it is so infused.
Without the union of the soul to Christ, which is to be con- ceived efficiently as the Spirit's act, there can be no union for- mally considered ; and, without these, no communications of life from Christ to us, Eph. iv. 16. And as there is that wepyesa, or effectual working of the spirit of life in every' part, which he there speaks of, (as though you should say, the first appearances of a new life, a spiritual vitality diffused through the soul, which ere while was dead in sin) yet still this union with Christ is as necessary to the maintaining, as before it was to the producing of it.
For why is it that this life is not again extinguished, and wholly suffocated in us, by so many deadly wounds as are given it by temptations and corruptions ? Surely no reason can be assigned more satisfying than that which Christ himself gives us, in John xiv. 19. " Because I live, ye shall live also :" q. d. whilst there is vital sap in me the root, you that are branches in me cannot wither and die.
Sixthly, The mystical union is an indissoluble union : there is an everlasting tye betwixt Christ and the believer ; and herein also it is beyond all other unions in the world ; death dissolves the dear union betwixt the husband and wife, friend and friend, yea, be- twixt soul and body, but not betwixt Christ and the soul, the bands of this union rot not in the grave. " What shall separate us from " the love of Christ ?" saith the apostle, Rom. viii. 35, 38, 39. He bids defiance to all his enemies, and triumphs in the firmness
THE METHOD OF GRACE. 41
of his union over all hazards that seem to threaten it. It is with Christ and us, in respect of the mystical union, as it is with Christ himself, in respect of the hypostatical union ; that was not dissolved by his death, when the natural union betwixt his soul and body was, nor can this mystical union of our souls and bodies with Christ be dissolved, when the union betwixt us and our dearest relations, yea, betwixt the soul and body, is dissolved by death. God calls himself the God of Abraham, long after his body was turned into dust. <,
Seventh!?/, It is an honourable union*, yea, the highest honour that can be done unto men ; the greatest honour that was ever done to our common nature, was by its assumption into union with the second person hypostaticaUy, and the highest honour that was ever done to our single persons, was their union with Christ mystically. To be a servant of Christ is a dignity transcendent to the highest advancement among men ; but to be a member of Christ, how matchless and singular is the glory thereof! And vet, such honour have all the saints, Eph. v. 30. " We are members " of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones."
Eighthly, It is a most comfortable imion: yea, the ground of all solid comfort, both in life and death. Whatever troubles, wants, or distresses befal such, in this is abundant relief and support, Christ is mine, and I am his ; what may not a good soul make out of that! If I am Christ's, then let him take care for me, and, in- deed, in so doing, he doth but take care for his own. He is my head, and to him it belongs to consult the safety and welfare of his own members, Eph. i. 22, 23. He is not only an head to his own, by way of influence, but to all things else, by way of dominion, for their good. How comfortably may we repose ourselves, under that cheering consideration, upon him at all times and in all diffi- cult cases !
Ninthly, It is a. fruitful imion ; the immediate end of it is fruit, Rom. vh. 4. " We are married to Christ, that we should bring " forth fruit to God." All the fruit we bear before our ingraf- ture into Christ is worse than none ; till the person be in Christ, the work cannot be evangelically good and acceptable to Gml : " We are made accepted in the Beloved," Eph. i. 6*. Christ is a fruitful root, and makes all the branches that live in him so too, John xv. 8.
Tcnthly, and lastly, It is an enriching union ; for, by our union with his person, we are immediately interested in all his riches,
* Christ is the head, summit, and crown of all dignity, without whom there is nothing (truly) noble in all this sublunary world, who has heaven tor his throne, and the earth for his footstool. The earth, 1 say, with all the persons of high rank and sta- tion in it are put under his feet. Luur. Humplired. on JfuOility.
42 THE METHOD OF GRACE. SEBM. Tf.
1 Cor. i. 30. How rich and great a person do the little arms of faith clasp and embrace ! " All is yours/' 1 Cor. iii. 22. All that Christ hath becomes ours, either by communication to us, or im- provement for us: His Father, John xx. 17. His promises, 2 Cor. i. 20. His providences, Horn. viii. 28. His glory, John xvii. 24. It is all ours by virtue of our union with him.
Thus you see briefly what the mystical union is. Next we shall improve it.
Inference 1. If there he such a union betwixt Christ and believers, Oh then whtat transcendent dignity hath God put upon believers.
Well might Constantine prefer the honour of being a member of the church, before that of being head of the empire * ; for it is not only above all earthly dignities and honours, but, in some respect, above that honour which God hath put upon the angels of glory.
Great is the dignity of the angelical nature : the angels are the highest and most honourable species of creatures ; they also have the honour continually to behold the face of God in heaven, and yet, in this one respect the saints are preferred to them, they have a mystical union with Christ, as their head of influence, by whom they are quickened with spiritual life, which the angels have not.