The Soules Exaltation

p. 1THE SOVLES union with CHRIST.

He that is joyned to the Lord, is one Spirit.

WE told you that the application of the merits of Christ, consists especially in two things:

First, the preparation of the soule for Christ.

Secondly, the ingrafting or the knitting of the soule to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Of this preparation wee have heretofore largely treated: partly in contrition, where the soule is cut off from sinne: partly in humiliation, whereby the soule is cut off from it selfe; whereby the Lord rases the foundation of all carnall confidence, whereby a man rests upon his owne privileges and performances, and makes his services his Saviour; either the soule seeth no need to depart from sinne, or else it thinke it can helpe it selfe out of sinne: when both these are removed p. 2from the soule, then it is fitted to receive the Lord Jesus Christ.

Secondly, the soule comes to be ingrafted into Christ: and that hath two parts:

First, the calling of the sinner; or the putting of the soule into Christ.

Secondly, the growing of the soule with Christ: these two take up the nature of ingrafting a sinner into the stock:

First, it is put into the stock.

Secondly, being put into the stock, it growes together with the stock: these two things are answerable in the soule. The former of these two wee have largely treated of, and fully finished in the great worke of vocation, when the Lord brings the sinner to himselfe by the call of mercie, and the voice of the Gospell: we are now to proceed; and we have made some entrance into the second; and that is the growing of the soule together with Christ: for though the graft be in the stock, yet it cannot be fruitfull, unlesse it grow together with the stock: now this growing together is accomplished by two meanes:

The first is the union which the soule hath with Christ.

The second is a conveyance of sap, or sweetnesse, or a communion with Christ, and all the treasures of grace and happinesse that is in him: then to make up the growing together of the graft and the stock; First, the graft is put into the stock. Secondly, there must bee a communicating of the moisture that is in the stock, to the graft, and p. 3so they grow together; otherwayes it growes not at all, but withers away: now wee are first to describe the nature of the worke in generall, and then we will descend to particulars, and the severall parts of it: now wee will define this union so farre as it concernes our purpose, not int◊enching into particulars.

p. 3It is such a joyning of the faithfull soule in such a meanes to Christ, that it becomes one spirit: these are not by way of collection to be gathered, but they are plainly expressed in the text: and two points of doctrine I meane to prosecute: the first point is from the first part of the text.

Every true beleever is joyned unto Christs the word in the originall is, glued; he is glued, he is waxed, he is firmly and neerly combined and knit to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The second part of the description, is the second point in hand.

He is so joyned unto the Lord, that he becomes one spirit: as the adulterer and the adulteresse is one flesh; so he that beleeves in Christ, is so neerly joyned to him, that he becomes one spirit: so we see the verse offers two doctrines:

First, that a faithfull soule is firmly and neerly knit unto Christ.

Secondly, hee is so knit that he becomes one spirit.

But first of the first doctrine.

What ever by way of comparison can be alleaged, concerning the neere combination of one thing with another, they are all tyed to this knitting p. 4of the soule to Christ: looke what a friend is to a friend; looke what a father is to a childe; what a husband to a wife; looke what a graft is to a tree; and that is neerer than a husband to a wife: nay, goe yet farther, Galat. 2.20. what the soule is to the body; the soule is not only knit to the body, as one member to another, as the hand is knit to the arme, and the arme to the shoulder; but the soule doth communicate it selfe universally thorow the least part of the body: so the Apostle saith, Christ is the very soule of a beleever, I live, yet not I, but the Lord Iesus liveth in mee; so that looke as the body liveth by the soule, the soule closing, and communicating, and quickning of the same, so Christ is in a Christian, and speaks in a Christian, and enableth a Christian to the performance of that he doth; hence the body of the faithfull is called Christ, 1 Corin. 12.12. but we will open this a little further in two passages:

p. 4First, the carriage of the soule in this closing.

Secondly, the manner how it doth close.

The carriage wee shall desire to discover in three particulars, which may bee expressed in a graft, when it is put into the stock: and I say, therein observe three particulars:

First, there is an exercise of the elements that are in the graft upon the stock, and are so farre mingled one with another, and doe so farre close one with another, that they become one.

Secondly, the graft joynes to the stock, and none other.

Thirdly, they doe not onely act thus, but are p. 5bound one to another: and this makes them act answerably to these three particulars. There is also an expression of the knitting of the soule to Christ in three particulars:

First, the soule gathers up it selfe, and all its spirits, its faculties, that doth exercise in the worke thereof upon Christ, and that makes the soule to grow unto the Lord: when the soule turnes the promise into good bloud, it doth not only chew the meat, but disgest it, and it becomes good bloud: a true beleever gathers up all the faculties of his soule, and imployes them upon Christ: hope expects Christ, and desire longs for Christ, and love and joy imbrace Christ, and the will closeth Christ; thus the soule settles it selfe upon Christ, hoping, expecting, longing, desiring, loving, embracing: looke as it is with a woman that kneads dowgh, if there be two parts of it, the moulding and the kneading knits them together, and makes them one lump: so there is the moulding of the soule to the promise, hoping, and desiring, and longing, and chusing; faith kneads all these together, and knits them unto God, and drawes the soule to him.