many parties, divided and shattered, broken this way and that, all one entire piece. How passionately longing do the apos tle's expressions import him to be, in reference to this one thing, that is, the union composed of the two things I have mentioned, of a union in mind and judgment, and of a clo sure in heart and love, in Col. 2. 1, 2. I would, that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh: that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ. This is the union that he covets; and we must know, that that Spirit, who is to be the author of this union, was no doubt the author of these very desires and longings of the apostle's soul about it: it acts agreeably to itself. He desired and longed so earnestly for this, that they might be knit together both in love and understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, both the Father and the Son. And what have there been, even from the dictate and direction of the Spirit, so earnest longings for? why, though so long before, we are to account these very longings to be the earnests of the thing desired, and so to expect that whereof they are the

earnest.

We thus far see, what union we are not to expect, what already is, and what we are to expect and look for farther than yet there is, or than yet we see.

Upon all this, while as yet we behold so little of so desirable a thing, we have reason to account that it is with the church of God a time of his hiding his face, and of the restraint of his Spirit. I will no more hide my face, I will pour out my Spi rit. While the Spirit is not poured forth, even with reference to this blessed end and work; this is the notion which we ought to have concerning the present state of the Christian church; it is a time of God's hiding his face from them; the bright and glorious face, that hath shone upon it sometimes, and that we are to expect should shine, is yet obscured and hid. And what should our posture be upon that account? while we must reckon this the common state and case of the Christian church at this day; in what posture should our souls be; and surely,

1. It ought to be a very mournful posture. How hath he covered with a cloud in his anger the daughter of his people? how is her glory confounded? when he did decline to go with the people of Israel farther on in their way towards Canaan, saying, I will send an angel before thee, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, &c. He shall destroy them for

you.

"But I will not go up in the midst of thee, I will not go with you any further :" the people, it is said, when they heard these evil tidings, mourned, and no man did put on him his ornaments, Exod. 33. 2, 3, 4. It is a mourning time, when the bridegroom is withdrawn: and there is no sadder token, that he is withdrawn, than to behold the confusions, which have ensued in his absence.

2. It ought to be an expecting, a waiting posture. Sure this dark and gloomy night will be succeeded by a morning: it will not be a perpetual, eternal night; there will be a time, when the hid face will again appear, and the cloud remove. I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him, Isa. 8. 17. And it should be an earnest, desirous, longing expectation. There can be no more dismal token upon us, than to be indifferent: he is gone, his face is hid, he is not to be seen; and whether he come towards us again, whether we shall see him again any more, we matter it not; this would be the most dismal token.

SERMON XIII.*

BESIDES the principles, which the Spirit of God, when copiously and generally poured forth, will work in each individual person, tending to create a happy state of things in the church; we proposed to speak of two general effects, that must have the Christian community as such, for the subject of them, and not individual persons only,' namely, union and order.

Much hath been said upon the former, the desirable effect of union. It hath been shewn, that the happiness of the church doth much depend upon this, and that it is the proper work of the Spirit of God to effect it: and then the last time we came to speak to a twofold inquiry:-to what kind of union this is to be. This we have gone through, and now proceed,

To consider, secondly, in what way the Spirit of God poured forth may be expected to effect this union.

And there is no doubt but it will effect it by the same means, by which it shall revive and recover religion; of which we have so largely spoken. + At the same time when it makes. the Christian church a living church, it will make it one, that is, in that higher and more eminent degree, whereof we have

Preached October 2, 1678. † See page. 256, &c.

been speaking. It is but one and the same thing, or is done eadem opera, the making the church more holy and the making it one what brings christians nearer to God and Christ, will certainly and infallibly at once bring them nearer to one another. For it is manifest, that the greatest differences, that are to be found in the Christian world, lie between the godly and the ungodly, the converted and the unconverted, the sincere and the insincere: whatever differences there are amongst the people of God themselves, those are still the greatest differences which lie between them and those who are not of them for there the disagreement is about having the Lord for our God. Every ungodly man is his own idol; he hath yet this first step to take in religion, the choosing of God alone to be his God: now the difference must needs be vast, between those that take the Lord for their God, and those that take him not, but serve a base and despicable idol, self, and make all to their very uttermost subservient unto that. The sincere and insincere differ about their last end; which is the greatest difference that can be imagined. All men's courses are shaped and directed by the ends, which they propose to themselves: and to have the Lord for our God, and to have him for our supreme and ultimate end, is all one. Now how vastly must those ways needs differ, that lead to two directly contrary ends? therefore still the greatest difference cannot but be between the godly and the earthly carnal-minded man, who hath himself for his God, and all the world, if he could compass it, for a sacrifice to his own idol, himself. Men of that temper and complexion of soul are the men that stand most off from union, and that are the greatest schismaties in all the world; it cannot but be so. Therefore, whensoever the Spirit of God poured forth shall make men agree in having the Lord for their God, this God shall be our God; when men shall become more generally sincere and thorough christians; then it cannot but be, that they shall be united with one another, and agree in far greater things than it is possible they can differ from one another in. And therefore in the forementioned, Jer. 32. 38, 39. at the same time when it is said, they shall be my people, and I will be their God; it is immediately added, And I will give them one heart and one way. This union cannot but be the result of more lively, serious religion, and of deeper impressions of godliness and of the divine image upon the souls of men. Not only as that union between the blessed persons in the Godhead is the pattern of union amongst the people of God; that they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, John 17.21. But also as such a union is the certain and necessary result of other excellencies, wherein the

divine image doth consist, and wherein holy ones do and cannot but resemble God. One apostle giving an account of God, how we are to conceive of him, gives it us under these two notions, that he is light, and that he is love, 1 John 1. 5. chap. 4. 8, 16. The image of God in these two things, more generally and vividly impressed upon men, doth this whole business, makes them all one. How blessed a union would there be, when christians shall generally appear the representations of the blessed God himself in these two things, a composition, as it were, of light and love.

Therefore, to give you more distinctly the account, how or in what way the Spirit poured forth should bring about this union; it will be,-By increasing of light and knowledge. amongst them that bear the Christian name every where in the world and-By giving greater measures of grace. By the former, men shall generally come to be more knowing in things necessary to the union; and by the latter, they shall be more patient of dissent from one another in things less necessary to be known.

This will be, first, by an increase of light and knowledge in things more necessary to be known. I do not mean here merely notional knowledge; as the apostle doth not mean that of God, when he saith, that God is light; but I mean that knowledge received in the minds of christians, that lies in the next immediate tendency to holiness; the knowledge of the truth that is after godliness, as such, in that designed and direct tendency, as it doth attemper and dispose the minds of men unto the reception of truth as sanctifying. Sanctify them by thy truth; thy word is truth, John 17. 17. We are bound to give thanks always to God for you,-that he hath chosen you unto salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth, 2 Thes. 2. 13. The truth, as it lies in an immediate tendency to godliness, and is transformative of the soul into a holy and godly frame; so we must conceive it to be impressed in order to this blessed work: otherwise there wants the cement, and that which should hold hearts together, as intent and directed all towards one common design and end. And unto this purpose, we must suppose the Spirit poured forth shall heal the disaffection of men's minds unto such truth, or unto truth considered under that notion and upon that account. It hath a great work to do for this end upon the minds of men; the union that is to be brought about (as was observed upon the foriner head,) being necessarily intellectual first, and then cordial. It is in the mind that the first concoction of truth must be wrought, in order to a further and more perfect concoction in the heart afterwards. And whereas there is à