Exposition of Romans 8-11, Chapter 8 · Verse 10
VERSE 10. And if Chriſt be in you, the bodie is dead becauſe of ſinne, but the ſpirit is life for righteouſneſſe ſake.
NOw followes the other part of the Amplification, which is Conſolation, which is double: The 1. verſe 10. that we are certaine of eternall life. The 2. verſe 11. that wee are certaine of the Reſurrection of our bodies. He brings in both, by an Occupation, againſt two grieuous Tentations, the firſt in the 10. verſe, Thus: You ſay that the ſpirit is in vsus. Alaſſe! what are we the better? We are ſubiect to pouerty, ſickneſſe, death it ſelfe as well as others. VntoUnto this Paul anſweres, firſt, by a Conceſſion, The bodie is dead becauſe of ſinne: Secondly, by a Correction: But the Spirit is life for Righteouſneſſe ſake.
Firſt of the Conceſſion.
And if Chriſt be in you: Before hee ſaid, the ſpirit of God, and of Chriſt; now Chriſt; becauſe Chriſt is in vsus by the Spirit and Faith: Not Corporally, but Spiritually, which manner of his preſence is the beſt. Ioh. 6.63.We need not plucke him down out of heauen by any Inchantment; as the Papiſts into their ſacrament of the Altar, that we might partake of his vertue; as not the Sunne to partake of his light.
The body. Corruption, or the vnregenerate part, ſay ſome. aChryſoft. Piſcator.But not ſo; for when Paul cals corruption a Bodie, it is with an Addition, of Sinne, or Sinnefull, or Death. Rom. 6.6. Col. 2.11. Rom. 7.24.Heere it is for the Maſſe of Fleſh and Bloud, the Naturall bodie.bAug. lib. 1. Ret. cap. 26.
Is dead: not is mortified, but dead: addicted to the Neceſſity of death, which neceſſity it had not before ſinnecTho. Aqui. et ante eum Aug. loco modo citato.. But dead is more, we dying euen from our birth; death hauing made his ſeiſure already becauſe of ſinne remaining.
doctrine Doct. Though Chriſt be in the Regenerate, yet are they ſubiect to death, Heb. 9 27. Rom. 5.12. Where ſinne (that is originall) takes hold, there death enters, by ſickneſſe and other mortalities, the forerunners, and Parts dMortes partiales. Pererius in Gen. lib. 4. de Creat. hom. num. 166.of Death, though the Curſe and ſting bee taken away: For as the lines from the Circumference determine in the Center: ſo all paines and ſickneſſes tend vntounto Death.
As God ſent to Hezekiah to put his houſe in order, Eſay 38.becauſe hee muſt die: So the Remembrance that the body is dead, ſhould perſwade vsus to thinke of death, and prepare for it. Thy liuing body is called a very Carkaſſe.Vſe.
If we ſee an old man ſtooping and ſickly, we ſay he carries his Beere on his backe: It's the caſe of vsus all, olde and young. Death the King of feare and Terrors, Iob 18.14.plants euen from the firſt houre of our life, his Ordnance of Sinne, to batter the wals of our bodies. Thou ſeeſt Death is entred into the Citie of thy Body. Take heed it Vanquiſh not the Caſtle of thy Soule; if it doe, then both bodie and ſoule muſt to the Diuell.
It's lamentable to obſerue, how many that hauehave the wals of their houſe ſhaken, and vndermined, ready to drop downe, yet prouide not for their ſoule; abate not of their pride, Couetouſneſſe, &c. practiſing ſuch things, whereby they dye more: Obrepit non intellecta ſenect. Iuuenal. ſaty, 6.Euen dying, before euer they beganne to liue, and departing this world, with as little vnderſtanding and ſenſe of God and goldlineſſe, as they came into the world. Olde age will ſteale vponupon thee! Before it comes, learne to liue well: when it is come, learne to dye well; nay, alwaies meditate thou of death, it will cut the combe of thy pride, and make thee neither to glut thy ſelfe with pleaſure, nor to be greedy of the world: For thou muſt Dye. And I counſell thee to dye quickly vntounto Sinne, that thou mayſt liue euer in righteouſnes and euerlaſting glory.
But the Spirit is life for righteouſneſſe ſake.
Now of the Correction. Where wee hauehave 1. The Thing: Life: 2. The Illuſtration. 1. By the Subiect: The Spirit. 2. By the Signe: For Righteouſneſſe ſake.
But the Spirit: The Regenerate Spirit, ſay ſomeaChryſ.: The Regenerating Spirit, ſay bMartyr. Aretius.others, but, in my opinion it is better taken for the cBeza.Soule, becauſe ſo it holds beſt correſpondence with the words of the Conceſſion, & yet if we ſo take it; both the other muſt be ſuppoſed: For hee meanes ſuch a ſoule, as is Regenerate by the Spirit.
Is life: If Spirit be taken for the Regenerate part: Then, is made to liue. If for the Holy Ghoſt, then, quickneth and maketh to liue; if of the ſoule, then, Is life, ſignifieth, liueth for euer. For Righteouſneſſe ſake, of Chriſt; Imputed to vsus: Inchoated in vsus. That the Cauſe, this the Signe of this life.
doctrine Though the bodies of the Regenerate be ſubiect to mortalitie and death, yet their ſoules are not, but they doe now liue, and ſhall for euer, for Righteouſneſſe ſake, Gal. 2.20. Stephen dying, ſaith, Lord Ieſus, receiue my Spirit, Act. 5.59. This is confirmed alſo by the deſire of all the faithfull: Abrahā is ſaid to be gathered to his Fathers, Gen. 25.8. not his body; (for they were buried in Chaldea, he in Canaan;) but his ſoule.
Ʋſe 1.This Confutes beaſtly Epicures and Atheiſts, who hold a death of the Soule: Of which number was (I thinke) that Lymb of the Pope, or of the Diuell, (which you will) the Cardinall of Burbon, who ſaid he would not giuegive his part in Paris, for his part in Paradiſe.
Vſe 2.Thou art preſſed with the weight of Sinne: Bee of good Comfort. Though Sinne cling about thee as Iuy, yet by the Spirit of God thy Soule ſhall liue; yea then more, when thy Body dyes. Iohn 3.36.We are not called forth by that Spirit to deſtruction, but to victory. Thou haſt euen here, euerlaſting life. And truly hee that hath it not here in the inchoation of it, ſhall neuer hauehave it in Heauen, in the perfection of it. This is that which enables vsus to ouercome the feare of death.
Wicked men are afrayd to dye, yea, they would liue here for euer, becauſe they hauehave no aſſurance that when they dye, their ſoules ſhall aſcend into Heauen: But Gods Children, though they feare death, yet they ouercome that Feare, and deſire to dye, being well aſſured, that by death, their ſoule as a Captiue ſhall be deliuered out of Priſon: and as a Bird, eſcape out of the Cage of the Body, into the celeſtiall Paradiſe, as the Soule of Lazarus: not ſo the ſoule of Diues, which went into euerlaſting tormenting flames.
Vſe. 3There are Liuing Soules; and there are Dead ſoules. That Soule which hath the Spirit of Chriſt, is a Liuing ſoule: that which hath it not, is a Dead ſoule. For as the Soule is neceſſary to the life of the Body, ſo the holy Spirit to the life of the Soule. As the body without the Soule is dead from naturall Actions; ſo the Soule, without Chriſts Spirit, from ſpirituall. The Body dyes, when the Soule leaues it; The Soule dyes, when God leaues It: Bernard.There are two Manſions or Roomes of the Soule: The lower which it gouernes, which is the Body: the vpper wherein it reſteth, which is God. She quickneth the Body, God quickneth her: She is better then the body; God is better then ſhe. Therefore Paul ſaith, that widowes liuing in pleaſure are dead while they liue. 1. Tim. 5.6.Dead; not concerning the ſubſtance of liuing, but the Quality: not that they ſhould not be: but not be bleſſed.
Looke now to thy Soule: is it dead or aliue? Life of the body is diſcerned by ſenſe and motion; ſo in Proportion that of the Soule.
What knowledge haſt thou of Spiritual things? What taſte and delight haſt thou in the things of God? Doſt thou heare and feele that which is ſpoken out of the Word? If not, thou art Dead. He that is onelyonly aſleepe, by great noyſe and blowes may be wakened. Thou art not by the trumpet of the Word, nor by the ſcourge or diuers croſſes. Certainly thou art dead. Art thou ſtarke and ſtiffe, not ſtirring hand or foote in any good duty? Alas, thou art dead; yea, hee is not more dead that is put into his graue then thou art. Thou feeleſt it not: The more miſerable art thou. Thou ſhalt feele it; and when thou dyeſt, before thy Executors can carry thy body to the Graue; thy ſoule ſhall bee carried to hell by the Diuell. Hence is it that the Death of the wicked is called a very ill death.
We lament the bodily death of our Friends: here is cauſe of lamentation when their ſoules dye alſo. If a houſe be burnt with the goods, all hauehave compaſsion: but if the Owner alſo, his Wife and Children be conſumed with the fire, wee cry out Alas. So when the ſoule and all periſhes, here is matter of griefe. For this, (as many thinke) was Dauids mourning for Abſalon, 2. Sam. 18.33.becauſe as his body hung fearefully on the tree, ſo his ſoule might hang in hell for ought hee knew. O, what a ſweet Comfort is it ouer our Friends departed, if they hauehave dyed well, with tokens of Grace! Labour thou for ſuch a death, and be carefull for thy ſoule. A dead body is a gaſtly thing to behold; a thouſand times more vgly, if it could be diſcerned with bodily eyes, is a dead ſoule; ſuch is euen like the Diuell.