Common Places, Part 3 · Chapter 3 · Section 7
VVhat is the vnion of the godlie with Chriſt.
In Rom. 8, at the beginning.35 Now muſt we ſée, what it is to be in Chriſt. Firſt commeth in place, that which is common vntounto all mortall men: for the ſonne of God, bicauſe he tooke vponupon him the nature of man, is ioined with all men. For ſéeing they hauehave fellowſhip with fleſh and bloud, as teſtifieth the epiſtle to the Hebrues, Heb. 2, 14. What maner of coniunction we hauehave with Chriſt.he alſo was made partaker of fleſh and bloud. But this coniunction is generall, and weake, and onlie (as I may terme it) according to the matter: for the nature of man far differeth from that nature which Chriſt tooke vponupon him. For the humane nature in Chriſt, is both immortall, and exempted from ſinne, and adorned with all purenes: but our nature is vnpure, corruptible, and miſerablie polluted with ſinne: but if the ſame be indued with the ſpirit of Chriſt, it is ſo repaired, as it differeth not much from the nature of Chriſt. Yea ſo great is that affinitie (as Paule in his epiſtle to the Epheſians ſaith) Ephe. 5, 30.that We are fleſh of his fleſh, and bones of his bones. Which forme of ſpeaking ſéems to be drawne out of the writings of the old teſtament: for trulie thus doo brethren and kinſfolke there ſpeake one of an other; He is my bone, Our bone and our fleſh is the Hebrew phraſe.and my fleſh. For they being come of one and the ſelfe-ſame ſéede of the father, and wombe of the mother, ſéeme to acknowledge vntounto themſelues one matter common to them all: wherevnto this furthereth alſo, that children drawe of their parents, not onlie a carnall and corpulent ſubſtance; but alſo wit, affection, and diſpoſition.
The verie which thing commeth to paſſe in vsus, when we are indued with the ſpirit of Chriſt: for beſides our nature, which we hauehave common with him, we hauehave (as Paule doth aduertiſe vsus in the firſt to the Corinthians) 1. Cor. 2, 16. Phil. 2, 5.his mind and (according as Paule requireth the Philippians) the ſelf-ſame ſenſe; Let the ſelfe-ſame ſenſe (ſaith he) be in you, which was alſo in Chriſt Ieſu. This knitting of vsus togither with Chriſt, Paule expreſſed by the ſimilitude of ingraffing, A ſimilitude.wherein are very well perceiued thoſe two things which we hauehave now rehearſed: for the yong ſlip that is graffed, and the ſtocke whereinto it is graffed, are made one thing. Neither onelie are the matters which were diuers, ioined togither; but they are alſo nouriſhed togither with one and the ſelfe-ſame iuice, ſpirit, and life. The ſelfe-ſame thing the apoſtle teſtifieth to be done in vsus, when he ſaith that we are graffed into Chriſt. Rom. 6, 15.The ſame alſo doth our Sauiour teach in the Goſpell of Iohn, when he calleth Himſelfe the vine, Iohn. 15, 5.and vsus the branches: for the branches hauehave the ſelfe-ſame life common with the vine trée; for they all ſpring out by one ſpirit, and bring forth one and the ſelfe-ſame fruit. Paule alſo, in his epiſtle to the Epheſians, Eph. 5. 23.compareth with matrimonie that coniunction which we hauehave with Chriſt ▪ for he ſaith, that the ſame is a great ſigne betwéene Chriſt and his church.
For euen as in matrimonie, Our coniunction with Chriſt, is compared with matrimonie.not onelie the bodies be made common [betwéene man and wife] but alſo their affections & willes are ioined togither: ſo commeth it to paſſe by a ſure and firme ground betwéene Chriſt and his church. Wherefore the Apoſtle pronounceth them frée from ſinne, which doo abide in Chriſt, and are in him after ſuch a ſort, as I hauehave now declared; to the end they may liue his life, be of the ſame mind that he is, and bring foorth ſuch fruit of works as differ not from his fruits. And they which are ſuch cannot feare condemnation or iudgement: for the Lord Ieſus is ſaluation it ſelfe, as his owne name declareth; wherefore they which are in him, ſtand in no perill to be condemned. Herevnto we adde, that they alſo are in Chriſt, Who are in Chriſt.which in all their affaires depend vponupon him; and who are mooued by his ſpirit, whatſoeuer they take in hand or doo: for, to depend vponupon him, is nothing els, than in all things that we go about, to hauehave a regard vntounto him, and onlie to ſéeke his glorie. And they that are led by his ſpirit, followe not the affections and prouocations of luſts. Hereby it is manifeſt, in what ſort faithfull and godlie men are in Chriſt; It is prooued that the faithfull are in Chriſt by all kinds of cauſes.and that by all the kinds of cauſes. For Chriſt and we hauehave all one matter, alſo we hauehave the ſelfe-ſame firſt entrances of forme: for wée be indued with the ſelf-ſame notes, properties, and conditions which he had. The efficient cauſe, whereby we are mooued to worke, is the ſame ſpirit whereby he was mooued. Laſtlie, the end is all one; namelie, that the glorie of God may be aduanced.
36 Furthermore, In 1. Cor. 12, 12.euerie aſſemblie and congregation of men, which tendeth to a definite and certaine end, and is gouerned by preſcript lawes, may be called a bodie. What ſocieties are ſaid to be one bodie.Wherefore a citie, a common-weale, & a kingdome, are called certaine bodies; bicauſe they hauehave a certaine end, to wit, that men may both be in good ſtate as touching the bodie, and may liue according to vertue. But the bodie of Chriſt, A declaration what the bodie of Chriſt hath reſpect vntounto.which is the church, hath not onlie reſpect vntounto this, but vntounto eternall life alſo: and it hath all theſe things in common; namelie, God, Chriſt, the holy Ghoſt, the word of God, grace, the ſacraments: and it hath reſpect vntounto the things of this world, which pertaine to mutuall helping one of an other. And this bodie is gouerned by the ordinances and ſaiengs of the holy ſcriptures; and it liueth by the ſpirit of Chriſt. Of this bodie we hauehave an article of the faith. Two maners of coniunction of the members of this bodie.And of this thing we hauehave an excellent article of our faith, wherein we confeſſe the catholike church, to be the communion of Saints. But in the members of this bodie there is obſerued two ſorts of coniunction; one is that, which they ought to retaine among them ſelues; and the other, that which they ought to hauehave with Chriſt. Touching this thing we are verie well inſtructed in the fourth chapter to the Epheſians, verſe. 16.where it is written, that By the head Chriſt, is miniſtred life and ſpirit, by the ioints and knitting togither of the members into the whole bodie, that according to the meaſure of euerie part, there may be an increaſe in the bodie. The ſame is alſo ſhewed in the ſecond chapter to the Coloſſians.
verſe. 19. The wicked are not verelie of the bodie of Chriſt, which is the church.By which words it appéereth, that wicked men are not verelie of the church, ſéeing the ſpirit is not inſtilled into them by Chriſt the head. Indéed they may be conuerſant in the church, but they cannot be of the church. It is a méere imagination brought by our aduerſaries, that there can be withered and dead members in the bodie of Chriſt, the which may be reuiued againe. A dead part of a body is no more called a member of the bodie. 1. Cor. 6, 15.A member that is dead, is a member no more, neither yet ought to be called a member; vnleſſe thou wilt hauehave it all one, that to be a man which is but the ſigne of a man. And Paule ſaid in the epiſtle vntounto the Corinthians; Shall I take the member of Chriſt, and make of it the member of an harlot? As if he had ſaid; Theſe things are repugnant one with another, that we ſhould be the members of each of them. A moſt neere coniunction betweene Chriſt & vsus.Wherefore this ſimilitude declareth, what maner of coniunction ought to be amongſt vsus, and with Chriſt. And certeinelie, euen as we hauehave ſaid, we be ſo ioined with Chriſt, as we be called fleſh of his fleſh, and bone of his bones; bicauſe through his incarnation we are made of the ſame nature and kind that he is of: and afterward, his grace and ſpirit comming to vsus, we are made partakers of his ſpirituall conditions and properties, Cyrill.as it hath béene aboue declared. Wherefore Cyrill writing vntounto Reginas of the right faith, ſaid that Our fleſh is togither in one ſubſtance with the fleſh of Chriſt; and thoſe that otherwiſe would iudge, he held them accurſed.
37 And for the proouing of ſo great a coniunction betwéene vsus & Chriſt, there is no néed of the corporall and ſubſtantiall preſence of the bodie of Chriſt; as manie indeuour to prooue in the Euchariſt. For we ſhould hauehave neuer a whit the more profit or cōmoditie by the ſame, than if we confeſſe Chriſt to be in heauen as touching his bodie. A ſimilitude.For we ſée that chriſtians may be members one of another, and that moſt néerelie knit togither, although ſome of them liue in England, ſome in France, and ſome in Spaine. But if ſo be this be granted as touching the members themſelues, whie ſhall it be an abſurd thing to grant the ſame touching the head; that by this ſpirituall coniunction it may both be in heauen, and alſo be ioined ſpirituallie with vsus? A ſimilitude.The verie which thing we ſée come to paſſe in matrimonie, wherin the holie ſcripture declareth, Matt. 19. 6.that Man and wife are one fleſh: which thing our aduerſaries are conſtrained to grant no leſſe to be true, when man and wife are ſomtimes in ſundrie places diſtant one from another, than when they dwell in one houſe togither. If ſo be then it be ſo in them, To this coniunction betweene Chriſt and vsus, there is no need of his corporall preſence.whie ſhould we denie, that the bodie of Chriſt may be ioined vntounto vsus in ſuch ſort, as we may be one with him; although by ſubſtantiall and corporall preſence in the Euchariſt he be abſent from vsus? They are euer flieng vntounto that ſentence of the Lord; This is my bodie, as though it may not otherwiſe be vnderſtood, but that there muſt be affirmed a naturall preſence; when neuertheles we will confeſſe it to be the bodie of Chriſt, into the which we neither be tranſubſtantiated, neither is it required that any of vsus in corporall preſence ſhould be ioined with other, as concerning place. But of theſe things we will ſpeake verie largelie elſe-where.