Of Communion with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (Part II, continued) — Owen, Of Communion with God, Part II, cont.

CHAP. 6: Of Communion with Christ in Holiness.

OUR communion with the Lord Jesus, as to the grace of sanctification, is next to be considered. And herein we must show, 1. What are the peculiar actions of the Lord Christ as to this communion. And, 2. What is the duty of the saints herein.

1, There are several acts ascribed to the Lord Jesus in reference to this particular. As, (1.) His interceding with the Father, by virtue of his oblation in the behalf of his, that he would bestow the Holy Spirit on them. (2.) His prayer being granted, as the Father always hears him, he actually sends his Spirit into the hearts of his saints, there to dwell in his stead, and to do all things for them, and in them, which he himself has to dcr. For this is the Lord Christ by faith to be looked to, and, that not only in respect of the first enduing of our hearts with his Holy Spirit, but also of the continual supphes of it, drawing forth and exciting more effectual operations and actings of that indwelling Spirit. (3.) There is that which we call habitual grace, that is, the fruits of the Spirit.” That which is born of. the Spirit is spirit,.' John 3: 6. - That which is produced by the Holy Ghost in the heart of a man when he is regenerate; that which makes him so, is spirit; in opposition to the flesh, or that enmity which is in us by nature against God. It is faith, love, joy, hope, and the rest of the graces of the gospel, in their root or common principle. These things being premised, as to the nature of it, let us now consider what we are to eye in the Lord Jesus, in reference hereto, in order to our communion with him therein.

(1.) As I said of the Spirit, so in the first place I say of this, it is of the purchase of Christ, and is so to be looked on.” It is given unto us, for his sake, to beheve on him,” Phil. 1: 29. The Lord, on the behalf of Christ, for his sake, because it is purchased, and procured by him for us, bestows faith, and by the same rule, all grace upon us. Did we continually consider all grace as the fruit of the purchase of Christ, it would be an exceeding endearment on our spirits. Nor can we, without this consideration, according to the tenor of the gospel, ask or expect any grace. It is no prejudice to the free grace of the Father, to look on any thing as the purchase of the Son; it was from that grace that he made that purchase. And in the receiving grace from God, we have not communion with Christ, who is the storehouse of it, unless we look upon it as his purchase. He has obtained that we should have life in us; be humble, holy, beheving, by destroying the works of the devil in us. (2.) The Lord Christ doth actually communicate this grace unto his saints, and bestows it on them. For, the Father actually invests him with all the grace whereof he has made a purchase, (as he received the promise of the Spirit,) which is all that is of use for the bringing his many sons to glory.” It pleased the Father, that in him. all fullness should dwell,” Col. 1: 17. That he should be invested with a fullness of that grace, which is needful for his people. Being thus actually vested with this power and fullness, he designs the Spirit to take of this fullness and to give it unto us. He shall take of mine and skew it unto you,” John 16: 15. The Spirit takes of that fullness that is in Christ, and in the name of the Lord Jesus bestows it actually on, them, for whose sanctification he is sent.

2. How they hold communion with the Lord Christ,. and wherein,, shall now be declared. They continually eye the Lord Jesus as the great Joseph, that hath the disposal of all the granaries of the kingdom of heaven committed unto him; as one in whom it hath pleased the Father to gather all things unto an head, Ephes. 1: 10, that from him all things might be dispensed unto them. All treasures, all fullness, the Spirit, not by measure, are in him. And this fullness, in reference to their condition,. they eye in these three particulars

(I.) In the preparation unto the dispensation mentioned, in the expiating, purging, purifying efficacy of his blood; it was a sacrifice not only of atonement as offered, but also of purification, as poured out. This the apostle eminently sets forth, Heb. 9: 13, 14,” For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot unto God, purge your consciences from dead works, that you may serve the living God” This blood of his is that which answers all typical institutions, for carnal purification, and therefore hath a spiritually purifying, cleansing, sanctifying virtue in itself, as offered and poured out. The saints see that in themselves they are still exceedingly defiled; and indeed to have a sight of the defilements of sin is a more spiritual discovery, than to have only a sense of the guilt of sin. This follows every conviction, and is commensurate to it, especially such as reveal the purity of God, and his ways. Hereupon they cry, with shame within themselves, Unclean in their natures, unclean in their persons, unclean in their conversations. For the removal of this, they look in the first place to the purifying virtue of the blood of Christ, which is able to CQ cleanse them from all their sins,” 1 John 1: 7; being the spring from whence flowed all the purifying virtue, which in the issue will

take away all their spots and stains. This they dwell upon with thoughts of faith; they roll it in their minds and spirits. Here faith obtains new life, new vigor, when a sense of vileness hath even overwhelmed it.

Here is a fountain opened; draw nigh, and see its beauty, purity, efficacy. Here is a foundation laid of that work, whose accomplishment we long for. One moment's communion with Christ by faith herein, is more effectual to the purging of the soul, to the increasing of grace, than the utmost self-endeavours of a thousand ages.

(2.) They eye the blood of Christ as the blood of sprinkling; without which there is no actual purification. This the apostle largely describes, Heb. 9:” When Moses” (says he,)” had spoken every precept to the people, according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant, which God hath enjoined unto you; moreover, he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry; and almost all things are by the law purged with blood; it was therefore necessary that the patterns of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these,” ver. 19, &c. He had formerly compared the blood of Christ to the blood of sacrifices, as offered in respect of the purchase it made; now he compares it unto that blood as sprinkled, in respect of its application to purification and holiness. And he tells us how this sprinkling was performed, it was by dipping hyssop in the blood of the sacrifice, and so dashing it upon the things and persons to be purified. Hence David, in a sense of the pollution of sin, prays that he may be purged with hyssop, Psal. 11. 7. For that this peculiarly respected the defilement of sin, is evident, because there is no mention made in the institution of any sacrifice, after that of the lamb before mentioned, of sprinkling blood with hyssop, but only in those which respected purification of uncleanness. Now, this branch of hyssop, wherein the blood of purification was prepared for the sprinkling the unclean, is, unto us, the free promises of Christ. The cleansing virtue of the blood of Christ hes in the promises, as the blood of sacrifices in the hyssop, ready to pass out to them that draw nigh thereto. Therefore the apostle argues from receiving the promises to universal holiness.” Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God,” 2 Corn 8: 1. This then the saints do; they eye the blood of Christ as it is in the promise, ready to issue out upon the soul for the purification thereof; and thence is purging and cleansing virtue to be communicated to them, and by the blood of Christ are they to be purged from all their sins.

(3.) They look upon him, as he is the only dispenser of the Spirit, and of all the grace of sanctification and holiness. They consider, that upon his intercession it is granted to him that he should make effectual all the fruits of his purchase, to the sanctification, the purifying, and making glorious in holiness, of his people. They know that this is actually to be accomplished by the Spirit, according to the innumerable promises given to that purpose. He is to sprinkle that blood upon their souls; he is to create the holiness in them that they long after; he is to be himself in them” a well of water springing up to everlasting life.” In this state they look to Jesus; here faith fixes itself in expectation of his giving the Spirit for all these purposes; mixing the promises with faith, and so becoming actual partakers of all this grace. This is their way, this is their communion with Christ; this is the life of faith as to grace and holiness. Blessed is the soul that is exercised therein,” He shall be as a tree planted by the waters, that spreadeth forth her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green, and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit,” Jer. 17: 8. Convinced persons, who know not Christ, nor the fellowship of his sufferings, would spin an holiness out of their own bowels; they would work it out in their own strength. They begin it with trying endeavors, and follow it with vows, duties, resolutions, engagements, sweating at it all the day long. Thus they continue for a season, and often end in apostasy. But the saints of God do, in the very entrance of their walking with him, reckon upon it, that they have a threefold want.

1. Of the Spirit of holiness, to dwell in them.

2. Of an habit of holiness, to be infused into them.

3. Of actual assistance, to work all their works for them; and that if these should continue to be wanting, they can never, with all their might, power, and endeavors, perform any one act of holiness before the Lord. They know that of themselves they have no sufficiency; that” without Christ they can do nothing;” therefore they look to him who is entrusted with a fullness of all these in their behalf, and thereupon by faith derive from him an increase of that whereof they stand in need. Thus, I say, have the saints communion with Christ, as to their holiness. From him do they receive the Spirit to dwell in them; from him the new principle of life, which is the root of all their, obedience; from him have they actual assistance for every duty. In waiting for, and. receiving these blessings, they spend their lives and time with him. In vain is help looked for from other mountains. In vain do men spend their strength in following after righteousness, if this be wanting. Fix thy soul here! thou shalt not tarry until thou be ashamed. This is the way, the only way, to obtain full, effectual manifestations of the Spirit's dwelling in us; to have our hearts purified, our consciences purged, our sins mortified, our graces increased, our souls made humble, holy, zealous, like to him; to have our lives fruitful, our deaths comfortable; let us herein abide, eyeing Christ by faith, to attain that measure of conformity to him which is allotted us in this world, that when we shall” see him as he is, we may be like him.”

CHAP. 8: Of Communion with Christ in Privileges.

The third thing wherein we have communion with Christ, is grace of privilege before God. The privileges we enjoy by Christ, are great and innumerable. To insist on them in particular would be work for a whole life. I shall take a view of them only in the head. This is our adoption:” Beloved, now we are the sons of God,” 1 John 3: 2. This is our great and fountain privilege. Whence is it that we are so It is from the love of the Father; ver. 1,” Behold what love the Father hath given unto us, that we should be called the sons of God!” But by whom immediately do we receive this honor” As many as beheve on Christ, he gives them this power to become the sons of God,” John 1: 12. Himself was appointed to be the” first-born among many brethren;” and his taking us to be brethren, makes us become the children of God. Now that God is our Father, by being the Father of Christ, and we his children, by being the brethren of Christ, being the head and sum of all the honor, privilege, and title we have, let us a little consider the nature of that act whereby we are invested with this, namely, our adoption..

Now adoption is the authoritative translation of a behever by Jesus Christ, from the family of the world and Satan, into the family of God, with his investiture in all the privileges and advantages of that family. To the complete adoption of any person, these five things are required:--1. That he be actually, and of his own right, of another family than that where into he is adopted. He must be the son of one family or other in his own right, as all persons are:

2. That there be a family unto which of himself he hath no right, where into he is to be grafted:

3. That there be an authoritative legal translation of him, by some that have power thereto, from one family into. another.

4. That the adopted person be freed from all obligations to the family, from whence he is translated, otherwise he can be no way serviceable to the family where into he is engrafted.

5. That by virtue of his adoption, he be invested in all the rights, privileges, and title to the whole inheritance of the family into which he is adopted, in as full and ample a manner as if he had been born a son therein. Now all these circumstances concur, and are found in the adoption of behevers.

1. They are, by their own original right, of another family than that whereunto they are adopted. They are by nature the children of wrath, Eph. 2: 3; sons of wrath; of that family whose inheritance is wrath; called” the power of darkness,” Col. 1: 13; for from thence doth God GQ translate them into the kingdom of his dear Son.” This is the family of the world and of Satan, of which by nature behevers are. Whatever is to be inherited in that: family, as wrath, the curse, death, hell, they have a right thereto.

2. There is another family whereunto they are to be translated, and whereunto, of themselves, they have neither right nor title. This is that family in heaven and earth which is called after the name of Christ, Eph. 3: 15; the great family of God: God hath an house and family for his children, of whom some he maintains on the riches of his grace, and some he entertains with the fullness of his glory. This is that house whereof the Lord Christ is the great dispenser, it having pleased the Father” to gather together in one all things in him, both which are in heaven and which are in earth, even in him,” Eph. 1: 10. Herein live all the sons and daughters of God, spending largely on the riches of his grace. Unto this family, of themselves, they have no right nor title, they are wholly ahenated from it, Eph. 2: 12, and can lay no claim to any thing in it. God driving fallen Adam out of the garden, and shutting up all ways of return with a flaming sword, abundantly declares that he, and all in him, had lost all right of approaching to God in a family relation. Corrupted, cursed nature is not vested with the least right to any thing of God; therefore they have an authoritative translation from one of these famihes to another: a judicial exalting into' that family where God is the Father, Christ the elder brother, all saints and angels brethren, and fellow-children, and the inheritance a crown immortal and incorruptible, that fades not away.

Now this, as unto us, has sundry acts. (1.) The giving a behever a new name in a white stone, Rev. 2: 17: they that are adopted are to take new names; they change the names they had in their old famihes, to take the names of the famihes whereunto they are translated. This new name is, A child of God; that is the new name given in adoption; and no man knows what is in that name but only he that doth receive it. And this new name is given, and written in a white stone; that is the tessera of our admission into the house of God. It is a stone of judicial acquitment. Our adoption by the Spirit is grounded on our absolution in the blood of Jesus, and therefore is the new name in the white stone; privilege grounded on discharge. The white stone quits the claim of the old family; the new name gives entrance to the other. (2.) An enrolling of his name in the catalogue of the household of God, admitting him thereby into fellowship therein. (3.) Testifying to his conscience his acceptance with God, enabling him to behave himself as a child.

3. The two last things required to adoption are, that the adopted person be freed from all obligations to the family from whence he is translated, and invested with the rights and privileges of that whereto he is translated. Now, because these two comprize the whole issue of adoption, wherein the saints have communion with Christ, I shall handle then together, referring the concernments of them -unto these four heads:-Liberty; title, or right; boldness; correction: these are the things the adopted person receives by his adoption, wherein he holds communion with the Lord Jesus.

1. Liberty. The Spirit of the Lord, that was upon the Lord Jesus, anointed him to proclaim liberty to the captives, Isai. lxi. 1; CQ and where the Spirit of God is,” that is, the Spirit of Christ, given to us by him because we are sons,” there is liberty,” 2 Cor. 3: 17. All spiritual liberty is from the Spirit of adoption. Whatever else is pretended is licentiousness. So the apostle argues, Gal. 4: 6, 7,” He has sent forth his Spirit into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father;” wherefore ye are no more servants,” no more in bondage, but have the liberty of Sons.

(1.) Behevers are freed from the instituted law of ordinances, which, upon the testimony of the apostles, was a yoke which” neither they nor their fathers,” in the faith,” could bear,” Acts 15: 10. Wherefore Christ blotted out this hand-writing of ordinances that was against them, which was contrary to them, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross, Col. 2: 14; and thereupon the apostle, after a long dispute concerning the liberty that we have from that law, concludes with this instruction, Gal. 5: 1,” Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.”

(2.) In reference to the moral law. The first thing we have liberty from is its rigour and terror in commanding, Heb. 12: 18-22;” We are not come to the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, to the whirlwind, darkness, and tempest, to the sound of the trumpet, and the voice of words, which they that heard besought that they might hear it no more; but we are come to mount Sion,” &c. As to that administration of the law wherein it was given out with dread and terror, and so exacted its obedience with rigor, we are freed from it, we are not called to that estate. Secondly, from the impossibility of the accomplishment, and its insufficiency for its primitive end by reason of sin. Or we are freed from the law as the instrument of righteousness, since by the impossibility of our fulfilling it, it is become insufficient for any such purpose, Rom. viii. 3, Gal. 3: 21, 23. There being an impossibility of obtaining life by the law, we are exempted from it as to any such end, and that by the blood and righteousness of Christ, Rom. viii. 3. And we are freed, thirdly, from the issue of its transgression.

There is a liberty in the family of God, as well as a liberty from the family of Satan. Sons are free, their obedience is a free obedience, they have the Spirit of the Lord, opposed to the Spirit of bondage, Rom. viii. 15. Now this liberty of our Father's family, which we have as sons and children, being adopted by Christ through the Spirit, is a spiritual largeness of heart, whereby the children of God freely, willingly, genuinely, without fear, terror, bondage, and constraint, go forth unto all holy obedience in Christ. This son-like freedom of the spirit in obedience, consists in sundry things.

First, In the principles of all spiritual service, which are life and love; the one respecting the matter of their obedience, giving them power; the other respecting the manner of their obedience, giving them joy and sweetness in it. (1.) It is from life, that gives them power as to the matter of obedience, Rom. viii. 2.” The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets them free from the law of sin and death,” it frees them, it carries them out to all obedience freely. So that they walk after the Spirit, ver. 1, that being the principle of their workings, Gal. 2: 20,” Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, is by the faith of the Son of God;” the life which I now live in the flesh, that is, the obedience which I yield unto God, whilst I am in the flesh, -it is from a principle of life, Christ living in me. There is then power for all living unto God, from Christ in them, the Spirit of life, from Christ carrying them out thereto.

Hence you may see the difference between the liberty that slaves assume, and the liberty which is due to children. Slaves take liberty from duty; children have liberty in duty; there is not a greater mistake in the world, than that the liberty of sons in the house of God, consists in this, that they can perform duties, or take the freedom to omit them; they can serve in the family of God; that is, they think they may if they will, and they can choose whether they will or not. This is a liberty stolen by slaves, not a liberty given by the Spirit unto sons. The liberty of sons is in the inward spiritual freedom of their hearts, naturally and kindly going out in all the ways and worship of God. When they find themselves straitened, and shut up in them, they wrestle with God for enlargement, and are never content with the doing a duty, unless it be done as in Christ, with free, genuine, and enlarged hearts. The liberty that servants have is from duty, the liberty given to sons is in duty.

Again, the liberty of slaves, or servants, is from mistaken deceiving conclusions; the liberty of sons is from the power of the indwelling Spirit of grace; or the liberty of servants is from outward dead conclusions, the liberty of sons from an inward living principle.

(2.) Love, as to the manner of their obedience, gives them delight and joy.

1. Love is the source of all their duties, hence our Savior resolves all obedience into the love of God, and our neighbor; and St. Paul upon the same ground tells us,” That love is the fulfilling of the law.” Where love is in any duty, it is complete in Christ. How often doth David, even with admiration, express this principle of his walking with God; 11 Oh,” says he,” how I love thy commandments!” This gives saints delight, that the commandments of Christ arc not grievous to them. Jacob's hard service was not grievous to him, because of his love to Rachel; no duty of a saint is grievous to him, because of his love to Christ. They do from hence all things with delight and complacency, hence do they long for advantages of walking with God, pant after more ability, and this is a great part of their son-like freedom in obedience. It gives them joy in it; there is

no fear in love,” but perfect love castes out fear;” when the soul is influenced to obedience by love, it expels that fear which is the issue of bondage. Now when there is a concurrence of these two, life and love, there is freedom, liberty, largeness of heart, exceedingly distanced from that strait and bondaged frame, which many walk in all their days.

2. The object of their obedience is represented to them as desirable, when to others it is terrible. In all their approaches to God, they eye him as a Father; they call him Father, Gal. 4: 6, not in a form of words, but in the spirit of sons. God in Christ is continually before them, not only as one deserving all the honor and obedience which he requires, but also as one exceedingly to be delighted in, as being all-sufficient to satisfy all the desires of the soul; when others bury their talents, as having to deal with an austere master, they draw out their strength to the uttermost, as drawing nigh to a gracious rewarder. They go from the principle of life and love, to the bosom of a living and loving Father; they do but return the strength they receive unto the fountain, unto the ocean.

3. Their motive to obedience is love, 2 Cor. 5: 14: from an apprehension of love they are effectually carried out by love, to give up themselves unto him who is love. What a freedom is this P What a largeness of spirit is -in them who walk according to this rule Darkness, fear, bondage, conviction, accompany others in their ways; the sons by the spirit of adoption have light, love with complacency in all their walking with God; the world is an universal stranger to the frame of children towards their Father's house.

4. The manner of their obedience is willingness. They yield themselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, Rom. 6: 13; they yield themselves, give up themselves willingly, cheerfully, freely;” with my whole heart,” says David; they present themselves a living sacrifice, and a willing sacrifice.

5. The rule of their walking with God, is the law of liberty, as divested of all its terrifying, threatening, condemning, cursing power, and rendered in the blood of Jesus, sweet, tender, useful, directing, helpful as a rule of walking in the life they have received, and earnestly seeking the life they have not. I might give more instances. These may suffice to manifest that liberty of obedience in the family of God, which his sons and daughters have, that the poor Gibeonites are not acquainted with.

2. The second thing which the children of God have by adoption, is title. They have a title to all the privileges of the family whereinto they are translated; this is the pre-eminence of the true sons of any family. The ground on which Sarah pleaded the ejection of Ishmael, was, that he was the son of the bondwoman, Gen. 21: 10; and so no genuine child of the family, and therefore could have no right of heirship with Isaac. The apostle's arguing is,” We are no more servants, but sons, and if sons, then heirs,” Gal. 4: 7, then have we right and title, and being not born hereunto (for” by nature we are the children of wrath” ) we have this right by our adoption. Now the saints hereby have a double right and title; proper and direct, in respect of spirituals: consequential, in respect of temporals.

(1.) They have a title unto the whole administration of the family of God here. The supreme administration of the house of God, is in the hand of the Lord Christ; as to the institution of ordinances and dispensation of the Spirit, to enliven those ordinances for the end of their institution. And hereof they are the prime objects, all this is for them; and exercised towards them; God hath given Jesus Christ to be the” head over all things unto the church, which is his body,” Eph. 1: 22, 23. He hath made him the head over all these spiritual things, committed the authoritative administration of them all unto him, to the use and behoove of the church, that is, the family of God. This is the aim of the Lord Christ in the institution of all gospel-ordinances, that they may be of use for the house and family of God, and all his, children and servants therein.

They, and they only, have right and title to God's administrations, and the privileges of the family of God, as they are held out in his church according to his mind. The church is the house of God; herein he keeps and maintains his whole family, ordering them according to his will. Now, who shall have any right in the house of God, but his children We will not allow a right to any but our own children in our houses; will God, think you, allow any right in his house, but to his children” Is it meet to take the children's bread and to cast it unto dogs” We shall see that none but children have any title to the privileges and advantages of the house of God, if we consider, 1. The nature of that house: it is made up of such persons, that it is impossible any but adopted children should have right to a place in it; it is composed of” living stones,” I Pet. 2: 5.” A chosen generation, a royal people, a holy nation, a peculiar people,” ver. 9. A people that are all righteous, Isa. 9: 21. The way of the house is a way of holiness, which the unclean shall not pass through, chap. xxxv. 8. Yea, expressly they are the sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty, 2 Cor. 6: 17, 18. It is true that oftentimes at unawares other persons creep into the great house of God; and so there becomes in it not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, &c. 2 Tim. 2: 20. But they only creep in, as Jude speaks, ver. 4, they have no right nor title to it.

2. The privileges of the house are such as will not suit nor profit any other. To what purpose is it to give food to a dead man Will he grow strong by it The things of the family and house of God, are food for living souls. What will outward signs avail, if life and power be away Look upon what particular you please of the saints' enjoyments in the family of God, you shall find them all suited to behevers, and being bestowed on the world, would be pearls in the

snouts of swine. It is then only the sons of the family that have this right; they have fellowship with one another, and with the Father and the Son Jesus Christ. They” set forth the Lord's death till he come;” they are entrusted with all the ordinances of the house, and the administration of them; and who shall deny them the enjoyment of this right, or keep them from what Christ hath purchased for them 3. They have a title to the future fullness of the inheritance that is purchased for this whole family by Jesus Christ. If you be Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed,” and heirs according to the promise,” Gal. 3: 29: heirs of the promise, that is, of all things promised unto Abraham in and with Christ.

(2.) Besides this principal, the adopted sons of God have a consequential right unto the things of this world, that is, unto the portions of it, which God is pleased to entrust them with. Christ” is the heir of all things,” Heb. 1:

3. All title to the things of the creation was lost and forfeited by sin. The Lord by his sovereignty, bad made an original grant of all things here below for man's use. Sin reversed this whole grant; all things were set at liberty from the subjection unto him; yet that liberty being a taking them off from the end to which they were originally appointed, is a part of their vanity and curse. It is evil to any thing to be laid aside as to the end to which it was primitively appointed; by this means the whole creation is turned loose from any subordinate ruler; and man having lost the whole title whereby he held his dominion over, and possession of the creatures,

has not the least color of interest in any one of them, nor can lay any claim unto them; but now the Lord, intending to take a portion to himself, out of fallen mankind, to be heirs of salvation, he doth not immediately destroy the works of creation, but reserve them for their use in their pilgrimage. To this end he invests the whole right and title of them in the second Adam, which the first had lost; he appoints him heir of all things. And

thereupon his adopted ones, being fellow-heirs with Christ, come also to have a right unto the things of this creation.

This they have by,, their adoption, that, 1. Look what portion so ever God is pleased to give them, they have a right unto it, as it is re-invested in Christ, and not as it hes wholly under the curse and vanity that is come upon the creation by sin, and therefore can never be called to an account for usurping that which they have no right to, as shall all the sons of men, who violently grasp those things which God has set at liberty from under their dominion.

2. By this their right they are led to a sanctified use of what thereby they enjoy, inasmuch as the things themselves are to them pledges of the Father's love, washed in the blood of Christ, and endearments upon their spirits to live to his praise, 1~ who gives them all things richly to enjoy.”

Unbehevers have no true right to any thing of what kind so ever that they possess. They have no true right even to the temporal things they possess; it is true they have a civil right in respect of others, but they have not a sanctified right in respect of their own souls. They have a right that will hold plea in the courts of men, but not a right that will hold in the court of God, and in their own conscience. It will one day be sad with them, when they shall come to give an account of their enjoyments. When the God of glory shall come home to any of them, either in their consciences here, or in the judgment that is to come, and speak with terror: I have suffered you to enjoy corn, wine, and oil, a great portion of my creatures; you have rolled yourselves in wealth and prosperity, when the right heirs of these things lived poor, and low, and mean at the next doors; give in now an answer, what and how you have used these things, what have you laid out for the advancement of the gospel What have you given unto them for whom nothing was provided What contribution have you made for the poor saints Have you had a ready hand, and willing mind to lay down all for my sake They shall be compelled to answer as the truth is; Lord, we had indeed a large portion in the world, but we took it to be our own, and thought we might have done what we would with our own; we have eat the fat, and drank the, sweet, and left the rest of our substance for our babes; we have spent somewhat upon our lusts, somewhat upon our friends, but the truth is, we cannot say that we have made friends of this unrighteous mammon, that we used it to the advancement of the gospel, or for ministering unto thy poor saints.

3. Boldness with God by Christ is another privilege of our adoption; but hereof I have spoke at large before.

4. Affliction also as proceeding from love, as leading to spiritual advantages, as conforming to Christ, as sweetened with his presence, is the privilege of children,’ Heb. 12: 4-6.

This, I say, is the head and source of all the privileges which Christ has purchased for us, wherein also we have fellowship with him; fellowship in name; we are, as he is, sons of God: fellowship in title; we are heirs, co-heirs with Christ: fellowship in likeness and conformity; we are like the first-born of the family: fellowship in honor; “he is not ashamed to call us brethren:” fellowship in sufferings:” he learned obedience by what he suffered;” and every son is to be scourged that is received: fellowship in his kingdom; we shall reign with him.