presence, and which should afterward be excited in them by the Holy Ghost.
Secondly, Why it is a privilege proper to them that keep his com- mandments, for the clause is exclusive of others.
1. Because this is God's instituted order. Now all God's institutions carry a condecency to his nature. God is holy, and requireth holiness, and delights in holiness, and therefore vouchsafeth his intimate presence with them that are holy, as the reward of their fidelity and obedience to him : Ps. xi. 7, ' The righteous God loveth righteousness, his counte- nance doth behold the upright.' God's heart is toward the holy and the righteous, they are most amiable in his sight, and he puts most of the marks of his favour upon them, and such marks as they most value and esteem, which is his comfortable and holy presence. The same is true of Christ, for the name and nature of God is in him : 1 John ii. 6, ' He that saith he abideth in him, ought also to walk even as he walked.' If we would have Christ dwell in us, we must imitate him in obedience to God.
2. Communion presupposeth union, and union agreement : Amos iii. 3, ' How can two walk together except they be agreed ? ' If not walk together, not dwell together, not dwell one in another. What concord and agreement between Clnist and Belial, between a holy God and Saviour and the workers of iniquity ? There is none, there can be none : 2 Cor. vi. 16, it is enforced out of this, ' I will walk in them, and I will dwell in them ; ' that excludeth all that is unsuitable.
3. The end and fruit of tliis union, which is that we may live unto God, and bring forth fruit unto God ; that is the end of the spiritual marriage, which is one notion by which this near conjunction is set forth : Rom. vii. 4, ' That ye should be married to another, even to him that is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.' It is the end of the spiritual engrafting ; John xv. 1, 2, ' I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman : every branch in me that beareth not fi'uit, he taketh away ; and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it,that it may bring forth more fruit.' This is another notion used ; the members receive influence from the head for motion, a free intercourse of blood and spirits, that every part may do its offices. Now if we would keep the commandments, and live unto God, and bring forth fruit unto God, this would not be in vain : Christ hath works to be done by us, as well as comfort to bestow upon us.
4. One part of this privilege would contradict the other ; it is a mutual inhabitation spoken of, ' I in him, and he in me.' Now many would have Christ to dwell in them when they are not in him but against him. Our being in him imports duty as well as privilege, that we should be for him, our hearts set upon him and his glory ; he is in us by his Spirit, and we are in him by faith and love, both which produce new obedience : Gal. v. 6, ' For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith, which woiketh by love.'
5. Wherever Christ is, he will be as Lord and sovereign ; he will rule where he dwelleth, and dwell alone : Col. ii. 6, ' As ye have received Christ Jesus theLord,so walk in him.' He ruleth in us as Lord, therefore
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lie must be obeyed, his commandments kept. Many times in travel- ling, when we see a great house we ask who dwelleth here, meaning the master of the family, not the ,servants, the scullions, but the owner and governor of the house ; so where Christ dwelleth he will be chief. We intend it in saying, He dwelleth here. When men cool and decline in their affections to him, when they take in another inmate and indweller, whose interest shall command the interest of Christ, and whom they are more ready to serve and obey, this is to discharge Christ, not to suffer Jesus Christ any longer to dwell in them.
6. This near, intimate, and constant conjunction with Christ doth necessarily beget a likeness to him : 2 Cor. v. 17, ' If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature ; old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.' And according to our pattern they are ci'eated anew ; Christ is formed in them. Gal. iv. 19. The stamp of Christ is left upon them. So John i. 16 ; some expound tliat ' grace for grace,' for each gi'ace in Christ there is the like and answerable grace in the heart of a believer. As in the wax there is word for word, letter for letter, syllable for syllable, answerable to what was in the seal ; or in the body of a child there is limb for limb, part for part, answerable to the parents ; so in us and Chi'ist there is patience for patience, humility for humility, obedience for obedience. Now this doth neces- sarily infer holiness, or keeping the commandments.