28 SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. [SeR. X.
our life, and supplying us with all things necessary to godliness. By love he dwelleth in us objectively, by such a union as is between the object and the faculty. A star is in the eye that seeth it though it be ten thousands of miles distant ; and what you think of is in your minds, and what you desire is in your hearts. A scholar's mind is in his books when he is absent from them, and a wicked man's mind is in his sin when he is not practising it, Col. i. 21 ; and we usually say, the mind is not where it liveth, but where it loveth. When you fear God, your mind is with him ; when you love God, your heart is with him. This is an objective union, but by faith there is a union of concretion and coalition. Christ is the stock, we the graft ; we are said to be planted into him, Eom. vi. 5, he being to us the fountain and principle of a spiritual life, or the root of vivifical influence.
III. Why they ought not nor cannot allow themselves in known fcins.
1. Tliey ought not, because a great obligation lieth upon them above others. The apostle telleth us : 1 John ii. 6, ' He that saith he abideth in him, ought to walk as he walked.' Zanchy observeth it is not only utile, profitable to walk as he walked, but dehiium, a necessary and express duty ; they ought to walk. Why is it their duty mOre than others ? First, Lest they displease Christ, and forfeit the sense of his love, who hath done so much for them as to reconcile them unto God, and hath taken them into his mystical body that he may give them his Holy Spirit. And after all this, shall we break his laws and grieve his Spirit ? This is to abide in Christ against Christ, with Judas to kiss him and betray him. He is best pleased when we obey his laws rather than fondly esteem his name and memory: 1 John V. 3, ' For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments ; ' John xiv. 21, 'He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me ; ' John xv. 10, * If you keep my commandments ye shall abide in my love.' His is a love of bounty, ours a love of duty. This is the course that is best pleasing to him, and the ready way to continue the sense of his love to you. Secondly, Lest they dis- honour Christ. What! when you are taken into the cabinet of Christ's mystical body, wdl you yet sin when you are one with God and Christ? 'Let them be one with us,' John xvii. 21. You sin in God; and though j'ou are planted into the good vine, yet bring forth the clusters of Sodom and grapes of Gomorrah. What ! sin in Christ ? He was holy and you profane, he was humble and you proud, he was meek and you contentious, charitable and you malicious; he did ever please God, and you do nothing but displease him. Christ came to make you saints, and you live like beasts for sensuality, yea, like devils for envy and hatred. Is this the fruit of your being in Christ and living in Christ ? You entitle him to your disorders, and pollute his name thereby.
2. They cannot; union with Christ is inconsistent with a life of sin. The apostle saith, ' he sinneth not,' making it not only the duty, but the property of those that abide in Christ. It must needs be so, because otherwise the communion is but pretended. And it is on our parts interrupted and broken off.
[1.] It is but pretended: 'He that saith he abideth in him, ought to
Vj:r. G.] sermons upon i john hi. 29
walk as lie walked.' Otherwise you do but say it, it is not a reality. I prove it thus: Because where there is union and communion with Christ, there his Spirit is given to us, and they that have the Spirit of Christ will be like him ; the Spirit worketli uniformly in head and members. Therefore if the same Spirit and life be in us that was in Christ, there must needs be a suitableness. If the spirit of the living creature be in the Avheels, the wheels must move as the living creature raoveth. Surely if we have not the Spirit of Christ, we are not united to him, Kom. viii. 9. If we have, we shall be such in the world as he was, have the same mind that he had, and walk as he walked. It was an old cheat of the heathens to pretend to secrecy with their gods when they would promote any design they had in hand. Many talk much of communion with God and Christ, but where are the fruits ? So that unless we will delude ourselves with a bare notion and empty pretence, we must endeavour to find that it is in sincerity.
[2.] It is on our part interrupted and broken off; we do what in us lieth to provoke Clirist to withdraw, for the condition of this com- munion is holiness : 1 John i. 6, 7, ' If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. But if we Avalk in the light, as he is in the light, then we have fellowship one with another ; ' John xiv. 23, ' If any man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him ; and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.' Conformity maketh way for communion, and likeness is the ground of love. Therefore, if we sin, if we walk contrary to God, we do not abide in him ; for there is a contradiction, that we should abide in him, and yet break off from him as we do by wilful sin.