The point that I am now to take in hand is this : That Christ doth mani- fest his Father's name, his love, his mercy, his goodness and truth, ' that God's love may be in them, and himself in them.'
We see, then, that God's love and Christ do go together. Wheresoever
THE MATCHLESS LOTE AND INBEING. 401
his love is in the best things, there it is in Christ, and with Christ : ' That thy love may be in them, and 1 in them. ' This is eternal life, to know thee, and whom thou hast sent, Jesus Christ,' John xvii. 3. All comes from God's love to us, together with Christ and in Christ. "Where Christ is not, there is not the love of God ; and where the love of God is, there is Christ. The sweet combination of the Trinity is not only a pattern of love and agreement to us, that we should love one another, but a main ground of comfort likewise ; for they join in love for our good. The Father loves us as he loves his Son, and with his Son. Where Christ is, there is his Father's love ; and where his Father's love is, there is Christ. ' I am in the Father, and the Father in me,' John x. 38. All that the Father hath is mine, and all that I have is the Father's.
I say, it is not only a pattern of agreement, that we should labour to agree as the Trinity, which is an exact form of unity, but it is a ground of special comfort; they agree in our good and eternal salvation. The Father looks upon us as we are in his Son ; as he hath given us to him to bring us to salvation by his merit and passion. Christ looks on us as we are in the Father's love. ' Thou gavest them me ; ' and we look on ourselves, first, in Christ, and then in God's love, when we see ourselves in Christ. So that there is this mutual interview, God loves us as we are in his Son : he is in the Father, and we in Christ. We see ourselves in Christ, know ourselves in him, and love ourselves in him, as having our being and living in him, and we are known by him, and his love is known by us, because they go both together. ' That thy love may be in them, and I in them.'
' And I in them.'
We are in Christ, as the branch in the vine, as the members in the head, knit to it in the body ; and he is in us as the vine is in every particuhu' branch ; as the head is in the members by his influence, imparting unto them life, regiment,* and motion. ' In them ; ' that is, for the explication of the term, ' that I may be in them,' and dwell in them as in a temple, in a house ; that I may infuse strength into them, as the vine into the branches ; that I may impart spiritual life into them, as the head into the members. This is tlae end of my manifesting thy name, that I may be ia them, that so thy love may be in them. I might hence observe — I will but touch it — that whosoever knows not Christ, nor hath a being in him, hath nothing to do Avith the Father, by combining of these two parts to- gether, ' That thy love may be in them, and I in them.'
' I in them.'
Doct. The end of Christ's manifestinf/ his Father s name is, that he may be in them, and that his Father's love may he in them. To unfold the connec- tion a little.
Quest. How doth this hang together, ' I have manifested thy name to them, that I may be in them ' ?
As thus :
Sol. God's mercy and truth in the gospel, the covenant of grace, are all in Christ, and for Christ. This being discovered and manifested to the soul, the soul sees the love of God in the gospel. There it is opened and discovered. There is offered God's love and mercy in forgiving sins, and in giving all privileges in Christ, not only discovered, but offered to all believers that will receive Christ. Thus all the good in him being dis- covered and ofiered to the soul, hereupon it comes to lay hold upon Christ, * That is, ' government.' — G.
VOI^. VI. c c
402 THE MATCHLESS LOVE AND INBEING.
and to embrace him, as oflcrcd of the Father, and presented unto it by the Spirit of God, given together with the gospel and the manifestation of it. The Spirit works faith and behef in the heart, which closeth with Christ thus ofi'ered ; so Christ dwells in the heart by faith. Faith ascends to heaven, and lays hold on Christ ; faith goes back to Christ crucified, and Christ dwells in the heart by faith, Eph. iii. 17. Upon the manifestation and discovery of the Spirit, it being given with manifestation, faith is wrought, by which Christ dwells in the heart. ' I have manifested thy name, that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them,' &c. Now, for some observable points, observe this,