It is true, there are some things in Christ which are pecuhar to himself, and incommunicable to any creature, as his eternity, con- substantiality with his father, &c. neither have we fellowship in his mediatorial works ; we have the fruits and benefits of them, but no partnership with him in the glory and honour of them ; that is peculiarly his own : And though it be said in the scriptures, that believers are righteous as he is righteous, yet the meaning is not that they can justify others as Christ doth ; no, they are justified by him, but cannot communicate righteousness to others as Christ doth to them. But there are other things wherein there is a part- nership betwixt Christ and his people ; among others, they partake with him in the spirit of sanctification on earth, and glory in hea- ven: the same spirit of holiness which dwells in Christ without measure, is communicated by him to the saints in measure, 1 John iv. 13. " He hath given us of his Spirit.'"' And as Christ com- municates his Spirit to the saints, so he communicates the glory of heaven to them ; not that they shall be as glorious in heaven as Christ is: no, he will be known among the saints in glory, as the sun is known from the lesser stars. Thus briefly of the state of communion, which is called in scripture our being made nigh, Eph. ii. 13. and indeed we must be made nigh before we can actually draw nigh. We nuist be put into a state of fellowship before ever* we can }vd\'d actual communion with God,
2. Beside this state of communion, there is also an actual com- inunion which the saints have in this world with the Father and the Son in the duties of religion. This is that I am here engaged to open : tliis is our supping with Christ, and his with us : and> for clearness sake, I shall open it both.
1. Negatively, what it is not.
2. Positivel}", what it is.
1. Negatively, what it is not ; for I find persons are hugely apt to mistake in this matter, taking that for communion with God which is not so : and here let it be noted,
(1.) That communion with God doth not consist in the bare per- formance of religious duties. I do not say that men may have communion with God in this world without duties, it is a de- lusion of Satan to think so ; but this is what I say, that commu- nion with God consisteth not in the mere performance of du- ties. Communion and duties of religion are two things, sepai-a- ble one from the other. Men may multiply duties, and yet be strangers to communion ^Aath God in them ; even humiliation and fasting days may be kept by souls that are estranged from commu- nion with the Lord, Zech. vii. 5. " Speak unto all the people of " the land, and unto the priests, saying. When ye fasted and *' mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even these seventy '' years, did ye at all fast unto me, even unto me ?'"' q. d. Had your souls pure intentions and respects in those duties to my glory ? Had you special communion with me, or I with you in those du- ties.'^ Did you ever feel your souls in these days wounded for sin ? Or did you not fast out of custom, and mourn for company ^ God may be near in men^s mouths and at the same time far from their reins, Jer. xii. 2. Religious words may flow out of men's lips when not one drop of religion touches their reins and hearts ; that is, the secret inward powers of their souls ; you cannot there- fore safely depend upon this, Christ rejects this plea, Matth. vii. 22. Get a better evidence of communion with God than this, or you will certainly come vshort of your expectation. / Jcnow you not, saith Christ ; there was never any spiritual acquaintance betwixt your souls and me ; 1 know you not in a way of approbation.
(2.) Neither do all stirrings and workings of the affections in du- ties infallibly evidence and prove comm.union betwixt Christ and tliat soul ; for it is possible, yea, common, to have the affections raised in a natural way, and by external motives in the duties of religion ; this you see in that example, Ezck. xxxiii. 32. " And lo, thou " art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant »' voice, and can play well on an instrument : for they hear thy *' words, but they do them not." The sweet modulation of the prophet's voice was like the skiJful touch of a rare musical instru-
ment, which in a natural way, moved and excited their affections. Thus John's hearers rejoiced in Ills ministry for a season; I con- fess this is very apt to cast souls into a mistake of their condition. They distinguish not betwixt the influences that come upon their affections from without, from extrinsic things and those that are purely inward, divine, and spiritual. But then,
2. To shew you positi'vely what communion with God is. Here we must consider two things,
1. What tilings it pre-supposes in us.
2. Wherein the nature of it consists.
1. There are divers things pre-required and pre-siipposed unto all actual communion with God in duties ; and where these things are wanting, men have no communion with God. You may have communion with his people, and communion with his ordinances, but not communion with God and Christ in them. And these pre-requisites are three.
(1.) Union with Christ is fundamentally necessary to all commu- nion with him. All communion is founded in union ; and where there is no union, there can be no communion. ^ You know
* (saith an excellent * person), the member receives nothing from
* the head unless it be united to it ; nor the branch from the root"* " All is yours, and ye are Chrisf s,'" 1 Cor. iii. 23. ' Here is a vast
* possession, but all founded upon union : as all communion is ' founded upon union, so all union terminates in communion : and
* the closer the union the fuller is the communion.'
Before our union with Christ we are strangers unto God, Eph. iL 13. " We hve without God in the world,"" it is in Christ that we are made nigh ; it is in the beloved we are made accepted. Whilst we ai'e in the state of alienation from Christ, we have no more to do with the communications of joy and peace, with the seals and earnests of the Spirit, than a native Indian hath v/ith the privi- leges of London. " If any man open to me, (saith Christ) I will " come in to him and sup with him, and he with me.""
(2.) Communion with God pre-supposes the habits of grace im- planted in the soul by sanctifi cation ; a sound and sincere ch.ange of heart No sanctification, no communion ; 1 John i. 6. " If we *' say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, " and do not the truth.'' The apostle gives the lie to such bold pretenders. *' The Lord is nigh to all that call upon him, unto '' all that call upon him in truth ;"" the latter clause restrains all spiritual communion unto upright souls. " For an hypocrite shall *' not come before him," Job xiii. 16.
(3.) Communion with God dotli not only suppose grace ini-
* Dr. Jacotnb on Koiu. viiL page 69.
240 ' England's duty.