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Show I I There is a Con)HgalHnion, a moral ,.,tio/1: from whence yoll may obferve, . 1• The blafphemy and wildoefs of them, who tellu~ Behev~rs are Cbrijled, a1:d Godded; this.mufl argu_e a natllral Umon wluch is impollible. 2. You may obfcrve that naturally we are {\rangers to God, alicnlted from the life of God, chzldren of wrath :y nature, as the A poflle exprelfeth it, otherwife rhe1e would be no need of any fu<h moral Union. 2. But f"ondly I added, That the Conju.galunion is a legal "" nion; the Husband and Wife are not one in nature:'. they are two diflintl: perfons, but they are One in Law. Such. ·~ the U • nion between Chrill and a Belie vet: they are two dtlltntl: fub• fiances, but yet in Godt iaw one, and this is a point of infinite com· fort to a poor Soul; for I pray obfervc amongfl m7n w~at fo_llows upon this, upon this, I [Jy, that the man _and hts wrte are 10 / 6 ,., one. I w'ill touch upon but two or three thmgs. . 1. Tbe Wivu intmft in her Husb•ndt goo~s : The ~tfe can go 1o any thing that is her Husbands, and calltt hers, !he ts end~wed with his goods and hath a joint pr?priety in t.hem. The B~hever alfo by this Union can go to any thmg of Chnfls, and calltt hers for her ufe, for her good; he can go :o. the_meritt,_ righteoll{H~{t and Satisfaction of Chrifl, and fay, Thts rs nllne : mme for my )U' (fification. He can go to the ·Spirit of Chrift; To .the fulnefs ~f Chrifl, and fay, Thlr Spirit is mine for my Sar.chfi~atton: Thts ful.efi is mine, 1 John 16. Of bit fulnefi we recerve grace for grace. b , d r :r Secondly, From the legal union betwixt the. uwan a1~~ rr11,e ful!ows lhe husbandt cottcern in his wiver dtbts: tf {he were tn debt before he married her, he mull pay it: if !he runs in debt after marriage 1\ill he mufianfwer. The Law makes them both one, and f1Us ~pan the head of the woman which is the man: T~us I am fure it is in this Union, Rom. 8. 33· Who foaU lay any thzng to tbe cb4 rge of Gods ElelJ l it is God that jufiifieth; 'rtlb9 u he tbat condt~nneth 1 it ir Chrift t bat died, yea rather tbgl tJ rifen agatn. Thirdly The La,., fojfereth not the HusbaHd and Wife to part, ( unlefs in'cafe of Adultery;) whc~e there is ~ true lcg_al Marriage- union' there can be no feparatton: fuch IS the Umon b.ctween Chrill and the believing Soul. The Apollle fpeaketh to tins, Rom. 8. 3 5. Whu foaU feparate us [rem the love of Chrzfl ? And~gain, ver. 3$>• Only in two things the legal Union between Ch:,:~ hetwem Chrifl a11d a-~e/iever. ' and th~ believing Soul hath the advanuge of the legal Union whrch ts betwixt the Husband and the wile: 1. Adultery, either on the Husbands or the Wives part may break the union betwixt the Husband and the Wife, and often doth diffolve it. 2. Death fh'U dif{olve that Hnim. I· I fay, Adultery may diffilve the union betwixt the Husband •nd Wife. Thus it is by the laws of men and that according to the Law of God, but it is not fo as to the union between Chrill and the _Soul: Now this dependeth upon the Covenant God lllth made wah Ius people; and here is a,little difference betwixt the Collecttve Spoufe of ChriH, ( underflanding by it a plrticular ,Church,):rnd the Individual Spoufe of Chrifi,viz.the truly believIng ~oul. Undoubtedly,there may be fuch a degree of !inning in a parucul., Church,as may wholly unchurch it. God hath faid unto his ancient people the Jews L•ammi,Y.u are not my pee pie. He hath done the like to the Churches in Afia, the name of Chrifi is not known uow in thofe places. There is a degree of Apoflacy >nd I· dolatry which utterly deflroyeth Churches : but the cafe is ~therwife between Chrill and the particular Soul; Tf/bom I lov• (faith Chrill)I love to the end.lc was Gods Covenant of old: I ,.,;o put my ~ear Into their hearts, and they foaU never depart from me, and I wtll never depart from them to do them good: They foal/ be ktpt by the poR'er of God to Salvation; they lhall{tand, for God is abletomakt them fland. God may indeed as to his providencer, or as to the gradual nunifeftationr of bir grace put an>ay a Soul as it were from him, but the union by it is not dilfolvcd. The Com· munion of a Soul with God may be interrupted, and frequently is by Sin, but the Union cannot be dill'olved. You have an excel· lent Scripture. !er. 3. 1. If a man put a"'•Y hi< wife and foe go from him, and become aaotber mans, foaU be return unto her agai11 ? fo~U not that l•nd be poUrmd greatly? But thou h.j1 played the harlot. JPtth many Loverr : yet ret11rn unto me foitb the Lord. Ver.I 4· Tttrn 0 backJ!iding children (faith the Lord;) Mark the foundation of this in the next words: For I am m.rried unto you, foith the Lord. Divo~ce quite untied the Marriage-knot. betwixt the Hufband and Wtfe, they were now feparated and none mull join them. It was the pollution of a Land for a man to take his wife again after he. had put her away, and !he had become another mans;_ But faith the Lord, Thou bafl plai'd the harlot, and that not With fer.!, but J:"i~h '!!any lovm, yet returuttnto me, A grad- . Kkkz ·· ous |