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new creature, says, "If any man be in "Christ he is a new creature"." Of a believer he speaks thus, "I knew a man "in Christ". Of spiritual life, he speaks thus, "Christ liveth in me." Of the new creation he saith, "We are "his workmanship created in Christ Je

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sus unto good works." All which very peculiar exprefsions point out, how high and truly divine that life is which Christ bestows upon us. That, consequently, it is in all its acts holy, spiritual, and supernatural. "Your life," saith the apostle, "is hid with Christ in "God"." Believers are styled, "The "temples of the Holy Ghost." The Holy Ghost is said to "dwell in them." He is the soul of their souls. He quickens them together with Christ; with the very same life wherewith Christ was quickened when he was raised from the dead.

The Holy Ghost is the fountain of all spiritual life in us, and of all our spiritual quickening and enlargements in the whole course of our walking with God. It may be said of all the regenerate, God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even "when we were dead in sins, hath quick

v 2 Cor. v. 17. * Gal. ii. 20.

y Eph. ii. 10.
a 1 Cor. vi. 19.

w 2 Cor. v. 17. z Col. iii. 3.

"ened us together with Christ"." It is an act pafsed, and is so everlastingly complete, that all after-quickenings are but the fruits and effects of it.. The Father is the fountain of life, which the Godman hath and communicates to his members. "As the Father hath life in him"self; so hath he given to the Son to "have life in himself." The God-man hath life in himself. He is the Prince of life. Yet he hath not this life in himself originally as God-man, but from the Father: he is the fountain of it.

Hence

our Lord thus speaks, "As the living. "Father hath sent me, and I live by the "Father; so he that eateth me, even he "shall live by med." As Christ lives in the Father, as the elect live in Christ, and as Christ lives by the Father; so he bestows life on his people, which the Holy Ghost conveys to them by his regenerating power: and thus Christ gives life to them, and they live by him; and thus they are made partakers of Christ by an admifsion into divine communion with him. They have communion with him in his death, and also in the virtue and efficacy of his resurrection. Their union with him is the foundation of all their communion with him. His being their head, surety, and representative, is c John v. 26.

b Eph. ii. 4, 5.

d John vi. 57.

66

union.

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the ground and cause of all the blessings of his grace being freely imparted to them. Hence arises that communion, which they are admitted to in spiritual regeneration. On this account the apostle says, "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of "his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." The Holy Ghost is the great witnefs of this He it is who gives the evidence of it. He dwells in the saints, and carries on all the communion betwixt Christand them, which they have the experience and enjoyment of both on earth and in glory. Our Lord, when he spoke concerning his sending his Spirit to his apostles, told them and us in them, "At "that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you'.' And again, treating on the same subject, he said, "When he the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: "for he shall not speak of himself, but "whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall "receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall "take of mine, and shew it unto you." The elect in regeneration are partakers

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e 1 Cor. i. 9.
f John xiv. 20.
8 John xvi. 13, 14, 15.

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of a supernatural birth; they are cut off and removed from their old stock Adam, and transplanted into Christ: so that speaking personally of one who is regenerate, it may be said, He is a man in Christ, and hath a supernatural communion with God agreeable to the state to which he is advanced. "And as the Lord' "hath chosen him that is godly for him"self;" so he is pleased to impart hist love to the regenerate in the sense, experience, enjoyment, and consolations of it in a manner and degree which are ineffable. They find in their own souls that communion with God is the quintefsence of blefsednefs; and it is what his children have an experience of in the state of grace. So saith John, "Truly σε our fellowship is with the Father and "with his Son Jesus Christ"." Fellowship with God the Father is thus exprefsed by the beloved apostle, " God is love," " and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth "in God, and God in him. Communion with Christ is so close, that Paul saith, "I am crucified with Christ"Christ liveth in me, and the life which "I live in the flesh I live by the faith of "the Son of God." Communion with the Holy Ghost is exprefsly mentioned by the apostle Paul. And as he dwelleth in us and abideth with us for ever; so h 1 John i. 3. i Chap. iv. 16. Gal. ii. 20.

his communion with us and our communion with him must be most close and intimate. He glorifies Jesus, takes of the \things that are his and shews them unto us, reveals unto us our interest in him, sheds abroad the love of the Father in our hearts, bears witnefs to our spirits in believing, that we are the children of God, and seals us unto the day of eternal redemption. In the manifestation of which glorious and divine acts of grace within and upon his people, he is pleased most sweetly to admit his beloved ones to some gracious communion with himself. Thus Heaven is begun on earth, and the regenerate are in a state of actual fitnefs and preparation for eternal glory, which they will enter upon the very moment death hath done its office on their bodies. This led Paul to say for himself and other new-born souls, "We know, that if our "earthly house of this tabernacle were "difsolved, we have a building of God,

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an house not made with hands, eternal “ in the Heavens. For in this we groan, "earnestly desiring to be clothed upon "with our house which is from Hea"ven: if so be that being clothed we "shall not be found naked. For we "that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burthened: not for that we "would be unclothed, but clothed up

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