before me,—a man in Christ. Even fo be it, O Lord! As the knowledge of Chrift, as fet forth in the gofpel, is a moft invaluable bleffing; fo alfo to know Christ to be ours, or, in other words, to know our perfonal intereft in him, is of vaft importance. No one can call Jefus Lord (my Lord, and my God) but by the Holy Ghoft. My defign is, to point out how this is made known to any of us, from the word, and by the Spirit of God. Therefore from these words, or this definition of a real believer, a man in Christ, I will fet before you the following particulars :

First, I will confider the words themfelves, a man in Chrift; the very phrafeology being vaftly inftructive and fignificant.

Secondly, I will inquire into the original of being in Chrift.

Thirdly, how our being in Christ is manifefted by regeneration and a new creation in us.

Fourthly, in what way and manner the Holy Ghoft gives us evidence and proofs thereof. And,

Laftly, the bleffednefs and fruits thereof.

According to what is propofed in my divifion of the subject, I am first to confider the words themselves, a man in Chrift; the very phrafeology being very - inftru&tive and fignificant. A man in Christ. This is the only place where this peculiar phraseology occurs. We read of believers in Chrift; of being in Chrift; of being one Spirit with the Lord, i. e. with the Lord Jefus, but no where of a man in Chrift, but in the paffage before us. And as it is ufed but this once in

all the Bible; and when an account is given of the

apoftle's being favoured with vifions and revelations of the Lord, it is the more remarkable, and worthy of our notice. The phrase, a man in Chrift, ferves to point out and fuggeft the vaft difference of a man in Chrift, and a man out of Chrift. It implies, that what a man in Chrift is, he is, in confequence of his being in him. It points out his high original. It fhews that our apostle would confider of no being he had, but what he had in him. That he confidered himself as having being and well-being in him. He fpeaks fuitably to this, when he elfewhere fays, Therefore if any man be in Chrift, he is a new creature. Suggefting that a new creature, or a new creation in the foul, arifes from being in Chrift. Thefe two words, in Chrift, are as important as any in the New Teftament. These words in our text come home fill clofer unto us. We are either in Chrift, or out of him. As Mr. Romaine used to fay, "Sirs, you are either in Adam, or in Chrift. If in Adam, you are in your fins; and dying in union with him, you will "perish everlastingly. If in Chrift, you are not in

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your fin, because he hath faved you in himself "with an everlating falvation." The expreffion, man in Chrift, is moft fully adapted to keep up in our minds the valt difference and diftinction between a real believer, and a nominal one; it contains also in it matter for the mind to contemplate on. As the phrafes, Lord's day, Lord's table, Lord's fupper, Lord's word, Lord's people, carry with them a stamp of dignity and majefty; fo the expreffion, a man in Chrift, does the fame. It is inftructive, as it implies

that being in Chrift is a matter of the greatest importance. It is very fignificant, as it fhews from whence the believer's all comes, even from Chrift, in whom it hath pleafed the Father that all fulness fhould dwell. Let then this title, a man in Christ, be confidered by us, in its importance and fignificancy. Let us learn to make a proper use of this phraseology. Let us make the true and only diftin&tion between man and man by it. And may the Lord himself fanctify the ufe of it unto us, for his own name, his truth and mercy's fake. I proceed according to my divifion of the subject before us,

Secondly, to inquire into the original of being in Christ. If we make the inquiry, and fearch the facred records for it, we fhall find, that our being, and well-being in Chrift, our union to his perfon, and interest in him, are founded on the everlasting love of Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft; and that it is the fruit of that eternal act in the mind and will of God, which is ftyled in Scripture, election; whereby, from eternity, God, out of the love wherewith he loved us, chofe us in Chrift before the foundation of the world. By which choice of our perfons in Chrift, our head, we had a virtual fubfiftence in him, as members in an head and being thus in him, we were united to him, and had life in him before the world was. Hence we find thefe expreffions made ufe of by the Holy Ghost on thefe fubjects: Chofen in him, before the foundation of the world: bleffed in him with all Spiritual bleffings predeflinated to the adoption of children by Jefus Chrift: accepted in the beloved. All which are afcribed to the

praife of the glory of JEHOVAH the Father's grace, Eph. i. 6. The apostle gives us a fummary of it in thefe words: Who bath faved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Chrift Fefus, before the world began, 2 Tim. i. 9. As the elect were in Chrift before the world began, fo they had being and well-being in him, such as they could not, and did not lofe in time, although they fell in Adam, their nature head, and loft all their nature purity in him. To give the ele&t being in Chrift, is the foundation of all the grace they receive from Clift their head. They had life in him, and he received the promife of life for them before the world began; fo Paul declares. In hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie, promifed before the world began, Titus i. 2. This is the high original of being in Chrift: it fprings from the infinite love of the effential and co-equal Three in the incomprehenfible Godhead, which is moft freely and fully fet before us in the word of truth; and which we are enlightened into the knowledge of by the Holy Spirit of truth: whofe preroga. gative royal it is to lead his people into all truth. Hereby the word of truth as it is in Jesus, enlightens the mind of the regenerate, into the knowledge of God, and of the Father, and of Chrifi: in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. To be in Chrift; to be related to the perfon of Chrift, God-man; to be one with him; to be interested in all his communicable titles, grace, and glory, is to be bleffed beyond expreffion; yea, beyond the uttermoft ftretch of con

ception and yet this honour have all his faints. It well becomes them therefore to say to each other, Praife ye the Lord. As all the elect were in Christ before the world was; and out of the riches of grace which the Eternal Three were pleafed to exprefs towards them, they had a fupercreation union and being in Chrift, and thereby were predeftinated to the uttermoft bleffedness of well-being in him; fo they were ordained to receive and partake of fupernatural bleffings from him, and therefore they must receive a fupernatural birth from him, that may fuit them to participate of the bleffings and benefits which belong to both the ftate of grace, and the state of glory. This leads me, therefore,

Thirdly, to fhew how our being in Christ is manifefted by regeneration and a new creation in us. Beloved, it is an important truth, and one which should be preferved in the mind, and kept clear and distinct in our views, in preaching, hearing, converfation, prayer, and in all our worfhipping acts, that there is a fecret being in Chrift, as the ground of an open, manifestative being in him. The former is founded, as hath been already declared, on the love of all the persons in the Godhead, to the persons of the elect; out of which they were chofen in him: and which love is the bond of union between the perfons in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, and the church. The open manifeftation of this takes place in the day of God's power; when, according to the fettlements of grace in the will, council, and fettlements of the Effential Three, the Holy Ghoft is