The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 377

;

THE MYSTICAL UNION WITH IMMANUEL not attain

Him

see

for then

its fullest

as

He

He

is;

unfolding until every lack be supplied and

and

in that blissful vision

He

will give us all that

us partakers

first

337

of Hitnself

shall

we

be like Him,

Therefore faith makes

has.

and then

we

of all His gi/ts, as the Hei-

delberg Catechism clearly teaches.

The

3d.

this

we

third point to which

call attention is the

nature of

union with Immanuel. has a

It

naXViXQ,

peculiar to itself;

may

it

be compared to other

can never hQ fully explained by them. Wonderful is the bond between body and soul more wonderful still the sacramental bond of holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper; equally won-

unions, but

it

;

between mother and child in her blood, like growing branches wonderful the bond of wedlock; and much more wonderful the union with the Holy But the union with ImmanSpirit, established by His indwelling. uel is distinct from all these. the ear fails to perceive It is a union invisible and intangible yet it is very real union and comit, and it eludes all investigation munion, by which the life of the Lord Jesus directly affects and controls us. As the unborn babe lives on the mother-blood, which derful the vital union

that of the vine

and

its

;

;

;

has

its

heart-beat outside of him, so

which has

its

we

also live on the Christ-life,

heart-beat not in our soul, but outside of us, in heaven

above, in Christ Jesus. 4th. In the

fourth place, altho the union with Christ coincides Him as the Head, yet it is not identical

with our

covena?tt-vela.tion to

with

Our

it.

relations of fellowship to Christ are

many.

There

a fellowship of feeling and inclination, of love and attachment are disciples of the Prophet

;

we

;

is

we

are His blood-bought possession

and members of the Covenant of Grace of which He is the Head. But instead of absorbing the " u7no mystica," they are all based M'^on it. Without this real bond all the others are only imaginary. Hence, while we know, feel, and confess that it is glorious to be safely hid in our Covenant-Head, it is sweeter, more precious and delightful to live in the mystical fellowship of the subjects of the King

Love. 32

;

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