his glory and service: that as Christ hath all right to dispose of us, and of all that is ours, because we are his; so we have a right to partake of Christ, and of all that is his, for our salvation, because he is ours. Communion is in the improvement of this mutual right and interest. I would name some of the blessed fruits of this interest.

(1.) By virtue of this interest, Christ's righteousness is a believer's for his perfect justification. The righteousness is perfect, and so is the justification. No glorified saint was more perfectly justified, than Paul was in the day he was made a believer on Christ. If perfect righteousness be the ground on which a believing sinner is justified (as the gospel plainly declares) the justification must be perfect also. If justification be sought by the law, and by works, the seeker of justification must still be doing, and can never have done; but is indeed undoing himself, dishonouring Christ, Gal. ii. 21. and frustrating the grace of God; and not only rendering his justification imperfect, (for the law made nothing perfect, Heb. vii. 19.) but impossible, Rom. viii. 3. It is impossible for God's holy law to justify a sinner; and never was appointed for that end, but rather to condemn, Rom. iii. 19.; to stop sinners mouths, and to bind them over to the judgment of God; till the righteousness of God, without the law, come on them, to absolve them, Rom. iii. 20, 21, 22.

(2.) By virtue of this interest in Christ, the believer receives the Spirit of Christ for his sanctification: not indeed for his perfect sanctification, but for the perfecting of sanctification. Christ's righteousness is never applied imperfectly; for to whomsoever it is imputed, it is made over wholly, and to all the intents and purposes it was wrought out, and brought in by Christ for. But the Spirit of Christ is imparted to believers, in measure, and in various degrees, as he seeth good: Eph. iv. 7. Unto every one of us is grace given, according to the measure of the gift of Christ. By this potent principle, the Spirit of Christ, sanctification is even, at first, universal in the whole man, and complete in parts: 2 Cor. v. 17. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are past away; behold, all things are become new. He is a new man; is born again; hath a new nature, a new mind, a new understanding, a new

conscience, a new heart and affections, and a new life. But though all be new in the believer, there is nothing in him that is perfectly new. He needs daily to pray, as Psal. li. 10. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Yet, notwithstanding of all the weakness of this new creature, the mixture and neighbourhood of the flesh, its contrary, and of all opposition it meets with from it, and of the low state it is oft brought into by the captivating power of sin; yet doth the power of Christ's Spirit not only preserve the holy seed in the heart, but doth raise it up again, and will certainly perfect it. There was never a saving work of Christ wrought in the heart of a poor sinner, that Christ ever left to be matter of triumph to the devil. Christ is a wise builder; when he lays the foundation, he knows what the perfecting of it will cost him, is provided with it, and resolved to lay it out, and to finish his work: Phil. i. 6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform (or finish) it until the day of Jesus Christ.

(3.) By virtue of this interest in Christ, believers have all Christ's fulness for their supply. He is all in all to them, Col. iii. 11. It pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell, Col. i. 19. And surely this lodging of all fulness should please, and doth highly please all believers: John i. 16. And of (or out of) his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. Eph. iv. 7. Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Whence had Paul and John all their grace? Out of Christ's fulness. Whence was it that they received so much grace beyond others? It was according to the measure of the gift of Christ. But the stock and treasure is common to all believers. They ate partakers of Christ, Heb. iii. 14. and called to the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, 1 Cor. i. 9. The apostle, in Col. ii. 8, 9, 10. giveth a needful warning, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit. But how shall we know and discern the snare? It is after the tradition of men, after the rudiments (or elements, or principles) of the world, and not after Christ. His argument to enforce this warning, is deep and strong, verse 9. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the God

head bodily. It dwelleth really, substantially, in this one man, Jesus Christ. So that they do deceive you, that direct you to any for supply but to him. If ye would be filled with all the fulness of God, as Eph. iii, 19. you must seek it, and find it in him, in whom all the fulness of the God-head dwelleth bodily. And this shall not be in vain: And ye are complete in him, verse 10. Never did, never could a believer use this fulness suitably to all its worth in itself, and to the gracious right he hath to use it.

But what is there in believers that Christ hath communion with? Ail good is in him, and this is the believer's all; and therefore it is easy to understand what their communion with Christ is, and what his communications to them are. He clothes and covers them with his righteousness, sanctifies them by his Spirit, and supplies them out of his fulness. But is there any thing in his people that Christ hath communion with? I answer, Yes, there is; and that is all in them, that either is consistent with their union with him, or that flows from that union.

(1.) Of the first sort is all the bad that is remaining in them. For as the grace of union with, and relation to Christ, was not suspended and delayed till they were faultless; so this grace when dispensed, doth not presently remove faultiness, as it will when this union and communion is perfect, which Christ here prays for. Christ's body is made up of sinful members; and they are, even while sin and infirmity cleaves to them, united to a sinless, glorious head. And it is the great glory of his grace, that he takes such members into union with himself, and maintains that union by communion with them as their need requires, till the blessed day comes that is here prayed for, when this union shall issue in that communion that shall quite remove fault and infirmity in his people. To deny that Christ hath any interest, and concern, and work about what is bad in his people, is to deny our fellowship with him, in those things wherein we are most needy of it, and most sensibly benefited by it: for our own sinfulness and infirmity is better known to us, and sensed by us, than his righteousness and perfect fulness; neither is the latter so well known to us, as by its gracious application to

our relief under the former. So our sinfulness (I mean, that that remains in believers, even in the best of them) serves for magnifying his forgiving grace. He that bids us forgive our brother that sinneth against us, not only seven times, but seventytimes seven, Matth. xviii. 21, 22. doth forgive his people many more times, and many sins, even all of them, Psalm ciii. 3.; all our trespasses, Col. ii. 13. And how blessed is that communion, when the blood of sprinkling speaks peace and pardon to a troubled conscience! Our corruptions and spiritual diseases are the subjects of Christ's care. And his care about them, is to cure them, and to keep his people from dying under them. The greatest care is used by tender parents, about their sick and wounded children. That man never knew the guilt of sin rightly, that thinks that any thing less, or else, than the blood of the Son of God can cleanse from it, 1 John i. 7. And that man never saw the corruption and plague of his heart rightly, that is not persuaded, that only the great Physician, Christ, can cure it. And no man can employ him rightly for the one, and not for both. And they do but deceive themselves in their reli gion, whose main heart-exercise is not with Christ for both. Alas! there are many disquieted consciences, and many defiled hearts and lives, in many that are called Christians; and some of them are oft complaining, and sometimes sinking in their complainings; and that because they do not believe, and lay this truth to heart, that the cleansing and purging the conscience from the guilt of sin, and the purifying of the heart and life from the dominion of sin, are Christ's proper works. The first he doth by the sprinkling of his blood, the other by the power of his Spirit, 1 Cor. vi. 11. Tit. iii. 4,-7. And all that use any other means for these ends, not only labour in vain, but sin greatly against God, who hath made Christ unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption; that no flesh should glory in his presence; and that he that glorieth, might glory in the Lord, 1 Cor. i. 29, 30, 31.

Not only are our infirmities, sinfulness, and diseases, under the gracious care and cure of our Lord Jesus Christ; but our persons, our souls, our bodies, and all our lots and con

cerns, are at his disposal, to his glory and service. And every believer, in every distinct acting of faith, doth yield up himself, and all he is and hath, anto Christ's dominion. "Grant me thy salvation according to thy promise, and "guide me in the way according to thy will:" Psal. cxix. 94. I am thine, save thou me.

(2.) Christ hath communion with his own good in them. All that is in us that is our own, is bad and all that is good in us, is of his giving and working. All our graces, are his fruits, Cant. iv. 16. aud v. 1. They are all of Christ's planting, watering, and ripening: and he feeds on them as his pleasant fruits. All the spiritual services and duties that believers perform, are all of them fruit growing from their abiding in the vine, Christ, John xv. 4, 5. and are pleasing to him. And surely when it is so, the believer finds sweet profit by it: Rev. iii. 20. I will sup with him, and he with me. It is easy to conceive how we may feast with him; for he hath all. But how can he feast with us, who are nothing, and have nothing? He doth it two ways. 1. He feasts with his people on his own store of grace he brings with him. As David said, 1 Chron. xxix. 14. Of thine own have we given thee; so doth Christ say, "It is of "mine own I feast with thee, O believer. All thy faith, "love, repentance, service, are my gifts, my grace, that I "bring with me, and am delighted in." 2. Christ may be said to feast with his people, in and by that pleasure he hath, not only to give, but to see them feed on what he brings with him. Would you feast Jesus Christ, believers? Feed on him with holy hunger. Is a kind mother delighted with her hungry babe's sucking at her breasts? Is it not as a feast to a charitable man, to see a person eat heartily of the food he gives him? Much more is it a feast to our Lord, to see starving simmers feeding on the bread of life, and drinking of the water of life? Hear his voice, Cant. v. 1. I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice, I have eaten my honey-comb with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. "It is all mine, all of my preparing; use it freely, feed plentifully; you are highly