One-Hundred Forty-Five Sermons Upon John 17, Sermon 126
SERMON CXXVI. Of Ʋnion with Christ: Shewing how, or in what reſpects Chriſt is in every Believer, and how he is not.
JOHN 17.23.
I in them, and thou in me.
OUr Saviour doth ſtill continue in prayer for Unity amongſt believers, which is not ſimply to terminate upon one another, but to aſcend higher, and all to be made one in Chriſt: Therefore in this verſe he ſheweth the original and fountain of their Unity, as alſo the manner of it. The Original of their Unity is from Chriſt being in them, and the Father in him; The Manner is ſpiritual; for as Chriſt is in them after a ſpiritual manner, ſo is alſo their union with him.
The original of their unity expreſſed in thoſe words, I in them, deſerve our ſerious Meditations, for it's a choice practical point, and although a myſtery, and ſo without any reliſh to the carnal heart, yet full of comfort and ſavourineſs to the godly ſoul; Now Chriſt is ſaid to be in his people two wayes, either Diſtributively, in reſpect of every perſon; in which ſenſe the ſoul of every believer is the Temple of the holy Ghoſt; and Paul profeſſed, That he no longer lived, but Chriſt in him, Gal. 2. Or Collectively, as they are a ſociety and a Church; over whom he is an Head.Chriſt ſaid to be in believers ſeveral wayes,
Chriſt is ſaid to be in believers ſeveral wayes:
1. By communication of the ſame nature with us.1. By communication of the ſame Nature with us; he is partaker of fleſh and blood with us: And thus Chriſt may be ſaid to be in all men: Even as God in reſpect of his Eſſence is every where, but by gracious preſence only in the godly, though the Scripture doth not uſe ſuch an expreſſion.
2. Sacramentally.2. Chriſt is in believers ſacramentally; in which ſenſe they are ſaid to eat his fleſh, and drink his blood, and thereby they abide in him, and he in them.
3. By his Spirit3. Chriſt is in them by his Spirit, for that is called the Spirit of Chriſt, and being given by him to them, they are thereby ſpiritualized, and made heavenly. The Spirit is a guiding Spirit, a ſanctifying Spirit, a comforting and ſealing Spirit to them, ſo that Chriſt becomes joyned to his by this Spirit.
4. By a gracious inhabitation and ſanctifying preſence.Laſtly, Chriſt is in his by a gracious inhabitation, and ſanctifying preſence. So that as in reſpect of our natural life, God may be ſaid to be in us, and we in him, For in him we live, and move, and have our being, Act 17.18. So in reſpect of ſupernatural life, Chriſt is in us, and we in him, and do live and move ſpiritually in him. From this laſt explication, which is moſt genuine, Obſerve,
Doct.That Chriſt is in believers, and believers are in him. Chriſt is in believers. This union of Chriſt with believers, as it is much ſpoken of in the Scripture, ſo it is indeed the fountain of all the graces, and all the comforts the people of God receive. Our Saviour John. 15. doth at large declare a Parable, wherein we may ſee, how we are in Chriſt, and that i… as branches are in the Vine, and verſ. 5, 6. he doth not onelyonly ſpeak of our being in Chriſt, but Chriſts being in us, Abide in me. and I in you; and again, He that abideth in me, and I in him; by which expreſſions it appeareth, that theſe are two diſtinct things, our being in Chriſt, and Chriſts being in us; and indeed one is the cauſe of the other, the preſerver and continuer of the other; for becauſe Chriſt is in us, giving daily influence and ſupply, therefore we are kept in him. To open this,How Chriſt lives in a believer. To open this, Conſider,
Firſt, That the Scripture doth not only ſay, Chriſt is in a believer, but he liveth in him: As Paul, Gal. 2.20. And this denoteth, That Chriſts preſence in us is operative and active; for as life in a man quoad actum primum, doth alwayes more or leſſe ſenſibly put forth life, quoad actum ſecundum; Thus it is with Chriſt, he is in the ſoul, not as he was once in the ſhip, aſleep, and ſo ceaſing from any action, but he liveth in us; for even as God in reſpect of the creatures doth ſtill work by Conſervation, as at firſt by Creation, ſo that if he did but for a moment with-draw his influence, this whole fabrick would fall into nothing. Thus it is alſo in reſpect of Grace, As Chriſt did at firſt put ſupernatural life into us, ſo did he not continually act and enliven us, we ſhould quickly become dead in our ſinnes, but Chriſt liveth in us: And if you ſay, How then comes it about, that ſo many times Chriſt ſeemeth to be gone from the ſoul, that he hath left his habitation, that no life or workings of Chriſt appear? That may be anſwered afterwards; OnelyOnly for the preſent know, That Chriſt is the Sunne of Righteouſneſſe, Mal. 4.2. which ariſeth with healing in his wings; and he is the Tree of Life; yea he cals himſelf in the abſtract, I am the life, John 11.25. And therefore if thy heart be dead, dull, formal, the defect is not from Chriſt living, but by ſinfull obſtructions, by ſinne in thee: Even as it is ſaid of Chriſts Countrey, He could doe no miracles there, becauſe of their unbelief, Mark 6.6. But as Chriſt is ſaid to live in believers, ſo to abide in them, and that denoteth more then living; for Chriſt (were it not for the Covenant of Grace made ſure in his blood) might have lived in the godly, but his life in us might have paſſed away, as our life, and like a ſhadow; As God for a long while was with the people of Iſrael, in a Tabernacle, that moved up and down, before he was in a Temple fixed. Thus God was graciouſly preſent in Adam, in the Apoſtate Angels; but this preſence was ambulatory, onelyonly now through Chriſt, he hath fixed his abode with us; he comes, and ſo dwels with us, that he will never go from us: When therefore Chriſt hath once begun to live in thee, he will alwayes abide ſo; Chriſt is alwayes in thy ſoul, though thou mayeſt not perceive it; yea the Scripture doth not onelyonly ſay, Chriſt abideth in us, but that he dwelleth in us, Epheſ. 3.17. Now dwelling doth denote that intimateneſſe and familiarity, as alſo that care and coſt Chriſt is willing to beſtow on our ſouls: No man that is able will ſuffer his houſe he liveth in to runne to decay, and to fall into utter ruines, and indeed the houſe cannot take care for it ſelf, but the maſter doth: Thus it is here, Chriſt will not ſuffer his own dwelling-place to fall into decayes, he will ſee it be repaired: It will be Chriſts loſſe, as well as the beleevers.
Secondly,The falſe ways of Chriſts being in his people. Becauſe there are erroneous and dangerous conceits about Chriſts being in his people: Let us firſt remove the falſe wayes, and then aſſert the true. As
1. When Chriſt is ſaid to be in his people, That is not to be underſtood, as if there were a confuſion of their beings, or as if they were made one reall and phyſical perſon with him; for thus ſome have dangerouſly affirmed, That we are Chriſted with Chriſt, and made one reall perſon with Chriſt. It is true, Chriſt and his people make up one ſpiritual and myſtical Perſon; They are not to be conſidered as two, no more then the Head and the body, yet it's an hainous errour, as alſo high non-ſenſe, to affirm ſuch a being of Chriſt in us, as that we are turned into Chriſt. There are among the Popiſh devout Writers, thoſe that are called M…ſti…i Theologi, as if they onelyonly did enter into the Holy of Holies, and all other Writers were but meer literariſts, and theſe ſpeak much of ſuch raptures, and elevation of the ſoul, that in theſe pangs it doth loſe its own being, and is tranſeſſentiated into God: Many ſublime and unintelligible expreſſions they have, ſuch as the Paracelſians amongſt Phyſicians: Now what theſe ſay about God, many have an imitating language of in reſpect of Chriſt, but when Chriſt is ſaid to live and dwell in us, you muſt not conceive, as if we were turned into Chriſt, or Chriſt in us; we muſt not fancy ſuch an imagination as the Papiſts do about Tranſubſtantiation, thinking that the bread is turned into the very body of Chriſt.
Hence in the ſecond place, It's horrible blaſphemy which ſome would inferre from Gods or Chriſts being in us, That they doe not ſinne at all; They work not, but God or Chriſt in them. Calvin of old wrote againſt ſuch Libertines, affirming, That by their horrid doctrines, they made God worſe then the Devil: And of late there have been ſome, who have boldly vomited this poiſon of the red Dragon; let them commit never ſuch abominable and notorious crimes, they doe not ſinne, Why? Becauſe Chriſt is in them: But though Chriſt live in the godly in a ſpiritual ſenſe, yet they do not loſe their perſonall being or operations: It's not Chriſt that repents or believeth in them, but they themſelves, though he efficiently help to theſe duties, much leſſe is it Chriſt that ſinneth or commits iniquity in them.
Thirdly, When Chriſt is ſaid to be in us, this is not to be underſtood, as if he were bodily living in us, as if his body were received into our body; No, the body of Chriſt is now exalted at the right hand of God in glory. And howſoever the Lutherans do hotly diſpute for the ubiquity of Chriſts body, yet that is to kick againſt the pricks. The Scripture is clear, That his body is ſo in Heaven, that it is not corporeally any where elſe. It's true, all beleevers do partake of whole Chriſt, of his Perſon, and therefore of his body, as well as of his Divine Nature; but the participation of his body is not after a bodily manner, he doth not live and dwell in us bodily. It's true, in the Virgin Mari…s womb, Chriſt was there once bodily, but not ſo in the wombs of other women; Neither had ſhe been happy meerly through that, had not Chriſt even then lived ſpiritually in her heart.
Fourthly, Neither is Chriſt in the godly, as if he did poſſeſſe our ſouls and bodies in the ſame ſenſe, as we reade of the Devils being in ſome perſons; for the Devil was ſo in them, that he wholly poſſeſſed their bodies, ſometimes tormenting of them, and in others ſtrangely raiſing them up, to ſpeak in ſtrange tongues, and to do many wonderfull things above the ordinary courſe of mans ability: Chriſt is not thus in beleevers, and no wonder if Chriſt be not, ſeeing that the Learned obſerve, Though the Devil be ſuffered to poſſeſſe mens bodies, yet we never reade of any good Angel that poſſeſſed the body of any man, whereas God might have ſuffered the one as well as the other, if he had pleaſed. Let us then take heed of affirming any indecent, or falſe wayes of Chriſts being in us. Theſe latter dayes give inſtance of ſad deluſions in this kinde, men perſwading themſelves of Chriſts being in them after ſuch a palpable and bodily manner, that at laſt they are delivered up to think they are Jeſus Chriſt himſelf, and whereas there is but one Chriſt, now there are many that ſay themſelves to be the Chriſt.
Fifthly, Neither may we conceive of Chriſt being in us, as if he were a forme inwardly informing, or inclining us, as if our actions were Chriſts actions. Though the Apoſtle, Galat. 2. uſeth that expreſſion, I no longer live, but Chriſt in me, yet that is to be underſtood onelyonly metaphorically, you muſt not take it ſtrictly and philoſophically, as if Chriſt were either the forme aſſiſting or informing of beleevers; not aſſiſting, as when Angels aſſumed bodies, and did ſpeak or act in them, and by them; or as ſome Philoſophers tell us of an intellectus agens, that is the common form to all mankinde, nor as a form informing, for that is made part of a man, but Chriſt is not ſo, and this is the reaſon, why though it be Chriſt living and working in us, that makes to repent, and to believe, yet we cannot ſay, it's Chriſt that repents or believes, becauſe theſe actions come from us vitally and formally, whereas Chriſt is the efficient cauſe of them; and it's a Rule, Efficiens non poteſt ſupplere vicem formae & materiae: So that as in reſpect of our naturall conſideration, though by God we live and move, yet we cannot ſay, it's God that ſpeaketh, it's God that walketh, becauſe theſe are vital, formall actions; ſo neither can we ſay, it's Chriſt that believeth, that repenteth, that liveth in us: So that the believers work is to be diſtinguiſhed from Chriſts work in him.
Laſtly, It's one thing for Chriſt to be with us, another thing in us. When Chriſt promiſed to be with his Apoſtles to the end of the world, that is, in reſpect of divine aſſiſtance, protection, and ſucceſſe, and thus he was with Judas, while he preached the Goſpel, and wrought miracles; for as God is providentially with many men, in whom yet he is not graciouſly preſent, as in Cyrus, Nebuchadnezzar, Jehu, and others. Thus Chriſt is alſo operatively with many, in whom he doth not graciouſly dwell: So that we are not to conclude Chriſt is in us, becauſe of many gifts and extraordinary abilities. It is true, John 15. Even a branch not bringing forth fruit, is ſaid to be in Chriſt, and ſo may hypocrites and reprobates be ſaid to be in him, but this is onelyonly externally and by profeſſion, not internally and really.