2dly. The Lord Christ doth actually communicate this grace unto his saints, and bestows it on them. Of his fulness we have all received, and grace for grace;' John i. 16. For,

[1st.] The Father actually invests him with all the grace, whereof by compact and agreement, he hath 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 fulness should dwell;' Col. i. 17. that he should be invested with a fulness of that grace, which is needful for his people. This himself calls the 'power of giving eternal life to his elect;' John xvii. 2. which power is not only his ability to do it, but also his right to do it. Hence this delivering of all things unto him by his Father, he lays as the bottom of his inviting sinners unto him for refreshment. All things are delivered unto me of my Father;' Matt. xi. 37. Come unto me all that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest ;' ver. 28. This being the covenant of the Father with him, and his promise unto him, that upon the making his soul an offering for sin, he should see his seed, and the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hand;' Isa. liii. 10. and in the verses following, the pouring out of his soul unto death, and bearing the sins of many,' is laid at the bottom and procuring cause of these things. 1. Of justification; by his knowledge he shall justify many.' 2. Of sanctification; ' in destroying the works of the devil;' ver. 11, 12. Thus comes our merciful High Priest to be the great possessor of all grace, that he may give out to us according to his own pleasure, quickening whom he will. He hath it in him really as our head, in that he received not that Spirit by measure, John iii. 34. which is the bond of union between him and us; 1 Cor. vi. 17. whereby holding him the head, we are filled with his fulness; Eph. i. 22, 23. Col. ii. 19. He hath it as a common person intrusted with it in our behalf; Rom. v. 14-17. The last Adam is made unto us a quickening spirit; 1 Cor. xv. 45. He is also a treasury of this grace in a moral and law sense; not only as it pleased the Father, that all fulness should dwell in him ;' Col. i. 19. but also because in his mediation, as hath been declared, is founded the whole dispensation of grace.

[2dly.] Being thus actually vested with this power and privilege and fulness, he designs the Spirit to take of this fulness, and to give it unto us. He shall take of mine and shew it unto you;' John xvi. 15. The Spirit takes of that fulness that is in Christ, and in the name of the Lord Jesus, bestows it actually on them, for whose sanctification he is sent. Concerning the manner and almighty efficacy of the Spirit of grace, whereby this is done (I mean, this actual collation of grace upon his peculiar ones), more will be spoken afterward.

[3dly.] For actual grace,or t hat influence or power, whereby the saints are enabled to perform particular duties according to the mind of God, there is not any need of farther enlargement about it. What concerns our communion with the Lord Christ therein, holds proportion with what was spoken before.

There remaineth only one thing more to be observed concerning those things, whereof mention hath been made, and I proceed to the way whereby we carry on communion with the Lord Jesus in all these; and that is, that these things may be considered two ways.

1st. In respect of their first collation or bestowing on the soul.

2dly. In respect of their continuance and increase, as unto the degrees of them.

In the first sense, as to the real communicating of the Spirit of grace unto the soul, so raising it from death unto life, the saints have no kind of communion with Christ therein, but only what consists in a passive reception of that life-giving, quickening Spirit and power. They are but as the dead bones in the prophet, the wind blows on them, and they live; as Lazarus in the grave, Christ calls and they come forth; the call being accompanied with life and power. This then is not that whereof particularly I speak; but it is the second, in respect of farther efficacy of the Spirit and increase of grace, both habitual and actual, whereby we become more holy, and to be more powerful in walking with God, have more fruit in obedience, and success against temptations. And in this,

2. They hold communion with the Lord Christ. And wherein, and how they do it, 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 a head;' Eph. i. 20. that from him all things might be dispensed unto them. All treasures, all fulness, the Spirit not by measure, are in him. And this fulness in this Joseph in reference to their condition, they eye in these three particulars.

(1.) 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. ix. 13, 14. For if the blood of bulls, and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God, purge your consciences from dead works to 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. Hence it is called a fountain for sin and for uncleanness;' Zech. xiii. 1. that is, for their washing and taking away. A fountain opened, ready prepared, virtuous, efficacious in itself, before any be put into it; because poured out, instituted, appointed to that purpose. The saints see that in themselves they are still exceedingly defiled, and indeed to have a sight of the defilements of sin, isa more spiritual discovery, than to have only a sense of the guilt of sin. This follows every conviction, and is commensurate unto it; that usually only such as reveal the purity and holiness of God, and all his ways. Hereupon they cry with shame within themselves, Unclean, unclean. Unclean in their natures, unclean in their persons, unclean in their conversations; all rolled in the blood of their defilements; their hearts by nature a very sink, and their lives a dunghill. They know also, that no unclean thing shall enter into the kingdom of God, or have place in the new Jerusalem; that God is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. They cannot endure to look on themselves, and how shall

* Ezek. xvi. 4. 6. &c. John iii. 3. 5. Пav novouv. Rev. xxi. 27. Heb. i. 13.

they dare to appear in his presence? What remedies shall they now use? Though they wash themselves with nitre, and take them much soap, yet their iniquity will continue marked; Jer. ii. 22. Wherewith then shall they come before the Lord? For the removal of this, I say, they look in the first place to the purifying virtue of the blood of Christ, which is able to cleanse them from all their sins;' 1 John i. 7. Being the spring from whence floweth all the purifying virtue, which in the issue, will take away all their spots and stains, make them holy and without blemish, and (in the end) present them glorious unto himself;' Eph. v. 26, 27. This they dwell upon with thoughts of faith; they roll it in their minds and spirits. Here faith obtains new life, new vigour, 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. Coming to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, they come to the blood of sprinkling;' Heb. xii. 24. The eyeing of the blood of Christ as shed, will not of itself take away pollution. There is not only aiuateкɣvoía, a 'shedding of blood,' without which, there is no remission; Heb. ix. 22. but there is also aluaros pavτioμòs, a sprinkling of blood,' without which there is no actual purification. This the apostle largely describes; Heb. ix. 9. 'When Moses,' saith 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 testament 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. 19-23. He had formerly com9 Αιμα ραντισμοῦ.

pared the blood of Christ, to the blood of sacrifices as offered in respect of the impetration and the purchase it made; now he doth it unto that blood as sprinkled, in respect of its application unto 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 out upon the things and persons to be purified. As the institution also with the paschal lamb; Exod. xii. 12. Hence David, in a sense of the pollution of sin, prays, that he may be 'purged with hyssop;' Psal. li. 7. For that this peculiarly respected the uncleanness and 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. As in the case of leprosy, Levit. xiv. 6. and all other defilements, Num. xix. 18. which latter indeed, is not of blood but of the water of separation, this also being eminently typical of the blood of Christ, which is the fountain for separation for uncleanness; Zech. xiii. 1. Now this branch of hyssop wherein the blood of purification was prepared for the sprinkling of the unclean, is (unto us), the free promises of Christ. The cleansing virtue of the blood of Christ lies in the promises, as the blood of sacrifices in the hyssop, ready to pass out unto them that draw nigh thereunto. Therefore the apostle argueth from receiving of the promise, unto universal holiness and purity; 'Having therefore these promises, dearly 'beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord;' 2 Cor. vii. 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 unto them, and by the blood of Christ are they to be purged from all their sins; John i. 7. Thus far, as it were, this purifying blood, thus prepared and made ready is at some distance to the soul. Though it be shed to this purpose, that it might purge, cleanse, and sanctify, though it be taken up with the bunch of hyssop in the promises, yet the soul may not partake of it. Wherefore,

(3.) They look upon him, as in his own Spirit he is the