I will add this farther, that wheresoever on good title we can say, ' I am God's,' there is a reflect act of the soul to say, ' God is mine.' God hath put a light of reason and friendship into man. Now friendship standeth in mutual office of duty and gift. Where this is not, there is no friend- ship, no reconciliation, no owning on good terms. The end why God saveth a company of men, and bringeth them to heaven ; the body of
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Christ, which we call the church ; it is, that he Biay have eternal com- munion with them in the heavens, as he hath with the blessed angels ; and in Christ a nearer communion than he hath with them. Now how can this communion be, unless we turn to God, unless we have something to answer God's love ?
Again, Note, God is ours, because Christ is ours. The covenant is made first with Christ, and then with us. Whence we see a ground of particular application of that which we call particular faith ; a ground of particular application by a Spirit of faith of God to us, and Christ to us ; that God in Christ is my God and your God.
The ground of this is, as God offereth himself, we must apprehend him ; but Christ offers God, and he knoweth how to offer him. He teacheth us how God is to be presented, and he presenteth him as our God and our Father; and therefore let us entertain him as ours. Thus you see a good ground of particular application of God the Father, and Christ to us in particular, in two respects ; not only that every one in particular ought to have a particular faith, and not to think a general faith is enough, to believe as the church believeth, but to have a particular faith of the object ; not only of the subject, but of the object ; that that is his in particular, ' I go to my Father and your Father.'
God is the Father and the God of all the elect, and only the elect, and of every one of the elect, as we say, in solidum. That is said to be in soli- dwn, when every one applieth the whole to himself, without diminution of any part. The sum is in solidum to every one that will make use of it, to enlighten every creature that shutteth not his eyes. Aff a common foun- tain is no man's in particular ; for no man can say, This is my fountain, and yet every man can say, This is mine ; so every saint can say of God, He is mine in solidum. Though he were alone, he may say, God is mine. If ten thousand have him, yet God is his God. God careth for all, as if there were but one, and for one, as if none but he. God offers himself, not only to his whole church, but to every one in particular, and therefore of every one he ought to be apprehended.
This is founded in all the great points and mj'steries of religion. As for instance, what is the ground of all the petitions in the Lord's Prayer ? ' Our Father.' What interest have we to all the petitions, and to every article of the creed ? If there be not a particular application, — ' I believe God the Father to be my God, Jesus Christ my Saviour, the Holy Ghost my sanctifier ; remission of sins and life everlasting is mine,' — we do no more than the devils. Now every truth in Scripture is written for our comfort, and shall it be no more comfort to us than to the devils ? Doth the Scripture intend us no more comfort than the devils ? Yes. But the devil may say, for the church there is remission of sins, and a God and Saviour, but not for me ; and that is his torment ; he cannot come to par- ticulars. So the sacraments are to seal a particular faith. As every one in particular taketh the bread and wine, so by a particular faith every one may say, Christ is mine ; his death is mine ; bloodshed mine ; remission of sins and interest of Christ is mine. It doth not seal a general faith in the clouds, but a particular assurance, that it belongeth to every one. And BO in the words of the catechise,* the ministerial questioning of sinners is intended, that every one that believeth should apply it, If thou believest, and if thou believest, thou shalt be saved ; and thy sins shall be forgiven thee. So that if we regard prayer and faith, if we regard the sacraments, * That is, the Churcli Catechism, — Ed.
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