Religion & morality > Human nature in its four-fold state ... in several practical discourses

Head II, The EleSl taken out^ &c. 295
Similitude of a fiery Sword, which at) once cuts and
burns: Cutting it burneth, and burning it cutteth;
the Steel cuts, and the Fire burns. Wherefore
Chrift God-Man, is the Stock, whereof Believers
are the Branches: And they are united to whole
Chrift. They are united to him in his human Na¬
ture, as being Members of his Bodyy of his Flejh,
and of his Bonesy Eph. v. 30 and they are united to
him in his Divine Nature; For fo the Apoftle fpeaks
of this Union, Col. i. ay. Chriji in you the Hope of
Glory. And by him, they are united to the Father,
and to the Holy Ghoft, i John iv. 15. Whofoever
fhall confefs that Jefus is the Son of God, God dwel-
letb in him, ana he in God. Faith, the Bond of
this Union, receives whole Chrift God-Manand
fo unites us to him as fuch.
Behold here, O Believers, your high Privilege.
Ye were once Branches of a degenerate Stock, even
as others: But ye are, by Grace, become Branches
of the true Vine,]ohn xv. 1. Ye are cut out of a dead
and killing Stock; and ingrafted in the loft Adam,
•who was made a quickening Spirit, 1 Cor. xv. 45.
Your Lofs by the firft Adam is made up, with great
Advantage, by your Union with the fecond. A'¬
dam at his beft Eftate, was. but a Shrub, in com-
parifon with Chrift the Tree of Life. He was but
a Servant, Chrift is the Son, the Heir, and Lord
of all Things, the Lord from Heaven. It cannot
be denied, that Grace was Ihown in the firft Cove¬
nant : But it is as far exceeded, by the Grace of
the fecond Covenant, as the Twilight is, by the
Light of the Mid-Day.
III. What Branches are taken out of the natural
Stock, and grafted into this Vine ? Anf. Thefe are
the Eletf) and none other. They, and they only,
T 4 are