Ev'id. 2. There is a co-habitation of Christ with behevers ; he dwells with them, yea, he dwells in them, 2 Cor. vi. 16. " I will " dwell in them, and walk in them.'' The soul of a believer is the temple of Christ : yea, his living temple, 1 Pet. ii. 5. And if Christ dwell with them ; yea, if he dwell in them and walk in them, then certainly there must be communion betwixt him and them; if they live together they mast converse together. A man indeed may dwell in his house, and yet cannot be said to have com- munion with it ; but the saints are a living house, they are the liv- ing temples of Christ ; and he cannot dwell in such temples capa- ble of communion with him, and yet have no communion \vith thcHL
Evid. 3. The reality of communion betwixt God and tlie saints iB undeniably evinced from all the spuitual relations into which
God hath taken them. Every beUever is the child of God and the spouse of Christ. God is the beUever's Father, and the church is tlie LamVs wife. Christ calls the believer not only his servant, but friend ; henceforth I call you not servants, but friends, &c. Now, if God be the believer's Father, and the believer be God^s own child, certainly there must be communion between them. If Christ be the believer's husband, and the behever be Christ's spouse, there must be communion between him and them. What, no communion between the Father and his children, the husband and the wife ? We must either renounce and deny all such rela- tions to him, and therein renounce our Bibles ; or else yield the conclusion, that there is a real communion betwixt Christ and believers.
Evid. 4. The reality of communion with God evidently ap- pears from the institution and appointment of so many ordinances and duties of religion, on purpose to maintain daily communion betwixt Christ and his people. As to instance but in that one in- stitution o^ prayer, a duty appointed on purpose for the souPs meet- ing with God, and communion with him : James iv. 8. " Draw " nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." Now, to what purpose can it be conceived such an ordinance is appointed for the souFs drawing nigh to God, and God to it ; if there be no such thing as communion to be enjoyed with him ? If communion with God were a mere phantom, as the carnal world thinks it to be, what encouragement have the saints to bow their knees to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ? But surely there is an ac- cess to God in prayer, Eph. iii. 12. " In whom we have boldness, *' and access with confidence.'"* Access to what ? If God be not there, and that there can be no communion v/ith him, what means that access .'' " I will meet with you, saith the Lord, and I will ^' commune with you in every place where I record my name," Exod. XXV. 22. Certainly duties had never been appointed, but for the sake of God's communing with us, and w^e with him.
Evid. 5. This is yet further evidenced from the mutual desires both of Christ and his people to be in sweet and intimate commu- nion one with the other. The scripture speaks much of the saints vehement desires after commuion with Christ, and of Christ's de- sires after communion with the saints, and of both jointly. Tlie saints' desires after communion with him are frequent in all the scriptures, see Psal. Ixiii. 1, 2, 3. Psal. xlii. 1. Psal. cxix. 20. and the like tliroughout the New Testament. And Christ is no less desirous, yea, he is much more desirous of communion with us than we are with him. Consider that expression of his to the spouse, in Cant. viii. 13. " O thou that dwellest in the gardens^
" the companions hearken to thy voice ; cause me to hear it.'^ As if he f5hould say, O my people, you frequently converse one with another, you talk daily together ! why shall not you and I converse one with another : You speak often to men, O that you would speak more frequently to me ! " Let me see thy counte- '^ nance, let me hear thy voice; for thy voice is sweet, and thy " countenance is comely." And then these desires are mutually expressed one to another, Rev. xxii. 20. Surely (saith Christ) / coiue qiicklj, amen : Even so come, Lord Jesus, saith the church. Now if there be such vehement mutual desires after communion betvvixt Christ and his people in this world ; then certainly there is such a thing as real communion between them, pr else both must hve a very restless and dissatisfied life.
Evid. 6. The mutual complaints that are found on both sides of the interruption of communion, plainly prove there is such a thing. If God complain of his people for their estrangements from him, a iU the saints complain to God about his silence to them, and the hidings of his face from them ; surely then there must be a com- munion between them, or else there could be no ground of com- plaints for the interruptions of it. But it is manifest God doth complain of his people for their estrangements from him, Jer. ii. 5. " Thus saith the Lord, I remember thee, the kindness of thy " youth, and the love of thy espousals. What iniquity have your " fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me ?"" As if he should say, You and I have been better acquainted in days past ; what cause have I given for your estrangements from me ? And thus Christ in like manner complains of the church of Ephesus ; after he had commended many things in her, yet one thing grieves and troubles him, Rev. ii. 4. " Nevertheless I have somewhat against " thee, because thou hast left thy first love." And then on the other side, when the Lord hides his face, and seems to estrange himself fi-om his people ; what sad lamentations and moans do they make about it, as an affliction they know not how to bear ? Thus Heman, Psal. Ixxxviii. 14. " Lord, why castest thou off my soul? " Why hidest thou thy face from me .?" So Psal. xxvii. 9- " Hide " not thy face from me ? put not thy servant away in anger." This is what they cannot bear.
Evid. 7. The reality of communion with God is made visible tp others, in the sensible effects of it upon the saints that enjoy it There are visible signs and tokens of it appearing to the conviction of others. Thus that marvellous change that appeared upon the very countenance of Hannah, after she had poured out her heart in prayer, and the Lord had answered her ; it is noted, 1 Sam. i. 18. *^ She went away, and her countenance was no more sad." You might have read in her Jace that God had spoken peace and
satisfaction to her heart. Thus, when the disciples liad been with Christ, the mark of communion with him was visible to others. Acts iv. 13. " Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, " they marvelled, and took knowledge of them that they had been " with Jesus." It is sweet, Christian, when the heavenly cheer- fulness and spirituality of thy conversations with men, shall convince others that thou hast been with Jesus.