Evidence for Heaven, Treatise · Part 6
Death to Sinne.
Rom. 8.10.
If Christ be in you, the body is dead, because of sinne; But the Spirit is Life, because of righteousness.
IN these words, the Apostle lays down two great Characters of our Union with Christ, or Christ resident in us; The first this, The body is dead, because of sinne; The second this, The Spirit is Life, because of righteousness; Christ is in you (saith the Apostle) except ye be Reprobates, 2 Cor. 13.5. If Christ be in you, it will appear thus, The body is dead, because of sinne.
The Body, here spoken of, is not a body of flesh, not a body Celestiall, nor a body Terrestiall, but a body Diabolicall, a body of sin, as the members, mentioned Col. 3.5. demonstrate; and likewise the language of the Apostle, Rom. 7.24. where he calls corrupt nature the body; and more plainly, Rom. 6.6. stiles it, The body of sinne, Ephes. 4.22. The old man; This is the body here meant.
The body of sinne, is the depravedness and corruption of our whole nature, by reason of which we are naturally averse to all good, and prone to evill continually, and so liable to all misery, and therefore the Apostle calls it, A body of death.Rom. 7.24.
The body is alive in all those, in whom Christ lives not; but where Christ lives, this body dies. If Christ be in you, the body is dead, because of sinne, &c.
Death to sinne is double; There is a death to the guilt of sinne; And a death to the power, reign, and dominion of sinne.
Death to the guilt of sinne, is a perfect fredome from all sinne, by the death of Christ for our sinne; thus all in whom Christ lives, are dead to sinne totally.
We are dead to the guilt of sinne, by the body of Christ, who died for us: Heb. 10.14.The death of our dear Saviour hath purchased, and perfected this death for us: The bloud of Iesus Christ cleanseth us from all sinne; 1 Joh. 1.7. From all sinne past, present, and to come; He that is thus dead, is freed from sinne, as the Apostle speaks, Rom. 6.7. Redeemed from all iniq…ity, Tit. 2.14. And this is the great priveledge of all those in whom Christ lives, of all the true member… of Jesus Christ: Christ undertakes for them, as Iudah did for Benjamin, I will be s…rety for him; of my hand shale thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever, said Iudah to his father, Gen. 43.9. Thus Christ undertakes for all his members, for all his elect, so as they may, and ought, to turn all charges brought against them, over to Christ; all inditements from God, or Satan, or conscience abused by Satan over to Christ their surety.*…. Who shall lay any thing, to the charge of Gods elect? (saith the Apostle) it is God that justifieth, who is he t…at condemneth? &c. So may he that is thus dead to the guilt of sinne, say, What sinne is it that can condemne me, that can b…ing in an in…ictment against me? it is Christ that died, it is Christ that died for me, and by his death, perfected this death for me, I am now compleat in him; in this resp…ct, who is it, or wh…t is it then, that can lay any thing unto my cha…ge, that can seperate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus? Sin, my worst enemy cannot do it, for I am totally dead to the guilt of it, by vertue of my Union with Christ; Is Ch…ist be in y…u, the bo…y is dead, because of sinne perfectly …ead to the guilt of sinne.
Though Just…fication acquits a sinner from all sinne,…. in Gods determination, yet is not his p…r…n formally granted, nor actually; put in ex…u…i…n un…ll sued out, and the tr…bute of ac…u…ll Repentance, for k…own sinne is …aid,… (except in some cases) viz. in case of the want of t…e use of … as in children, and dis…cted persons, in whom conscience cannot do its …ffice, be…us… of debility in the under…anding: Thi… (with submission to a better ju…gement) I humbly conceive to be according to t…uth, and no…e it, to vindicate my s…l…, and cau…ion the Reader concerning that Antinomi… Tenet, about Justification, so common in these daies.
Thus is a true believer perfectly dead to the guilt of sinne, by the death of Christ for his sinne, But to the power, dominion, and being of sinne, no child of Adam is totally dead in this life, no not the best of the children of God, but dying daily; therefore (saith the Apostle,) I die daily, &c. If any man thinks himself freed from sinne, or perfectly dead to sinne in this sence, He deceives himself, and the truth is not in him, 1 Joh. 1.8.
For totally dead to sinne, in this sence, was never any sonne of man, in this life, but he that was the Sonne of God (to wit) Jesus Christ.
Totally dead to the power, and being of sinne is not he, that is totally dead to the guilt of sinne, untill this earthly house be quite pulled down, and death that last debt, and wages of sinne to the godly paid, then, and never till then, is he, in whom Christ lives, totally freed from the power and being of sinne.
By the mercy of God, death, which was to man the wages and punishment of sinne, is made unto all true believers, the end of sinne; the worker of death (to wit, sinne) doth perish, by its own workes sinne is slain, and abolished by death.
Totall death, to the power, and being of finne, is one great part of the privative gain, which death brings to all that are in Christ, to all that die in the Lord: death the devorcer of soul and body, brings perfect death to the power and being of sinne, the enemy and burden of soul and body.
Perfectly dead to the power and being of sinne, is no man here, this death belongs to that other world; But truly dead to the power and reign of sinne, are all those here, in whom Christ lives; and this is that death which this Text points at,When sin is sentenced to death and dying, then is it dead in Gods account, and in Scripture phrase. If Christ be in you, the body is dead, because of sinne, &c.
All in the state of nature, are dead in sinne; All in a state of grace, are dead to sinne, according to the meaning of this Text, dead to sinne, in a Gospel sence.
Death to the power and reign of finne, is one part of the renovation of our natures, consisting in that which the Scripture calls mortification, by vertue of which, the love of sinne, and delight in sinne, which is indeed, the life of sinne, is destroyed; At this death the Apostle points, Rom. 6 2. How shall we that are dead to sinne, live any longer therein? As if he had said, How shall we that are dead to the guilt of sinne, take pleasure in the filth of sinne, or wallow in any sinne with delight? It is impossible; for death to the guilt of sin, alwayes produceth death to the power and dominion of sinne; If Christ be in you, the body is dead, because of sinne. Is Christ be in you, as a Iustifier, he is in you, as a Sanctifier also, The body is dead, because of sinne.
Note.Christ and sinne, may dwell in the same subject at the same time; yea Christ may live, where sinne doth dwell; Christ liveth in me; sinne dwelleth in me, Gal. 2.20. Rom. 7.17.saith the Apostle; but Christ and sinne cannot both live, and reign together, in the same subject at the same time. Caesar and Pompey might better have lived and reigned togeher, than Christ and sinne; where either of these lives, it reigns, and both cannot reign together; If Christ be in you, the body is dead, because of sinne.
This body (to wit) sinne, whilest alive rules and reignes, as a Husband, as a Lord and Master, and is obeyed freely and willingly, (with the consent of the whole will,) so much that phrase of the Apostle,Rom. 6.16. To whom ye yeeld your selves servants to obey, doth imply. But when Christ once espouseth a soul unto himself, he divests this Lord of his power, He puts this Husband to death, and assumes all the rule and domination to himself: And the soul thus espoused, yeelds to obey him, as her sovereign Lord and sole Commander; We have no king but Caesar, said the Iews; So saith the soul dead to sinne. I have no King but Christ, I yeeld my self willingly to no other; Therefore saith the Apostle, If Christ be in you, the body is dead, because of sinne, That is the desire, and bent of the soul, which is naturally to sin, and for sinne, is turned from sinne, and against sinne; so that the body of sinne cannot without much reluctancy and opposition bear sway, where Christ dwells.
1. The body of sinne, whilest alive, makes a willing sinner, but when dead, a nilling sinner; I do that, which I would not, saith the soul dead to sinne; Rom. 7.16.The evill which I would not, v. 19. The soul alive to sinne, in sinning, doth the evill which it would do; but the soul dead to sinne in sinning, doth the evill which it would not do.
2. The soul alive to sinne, allows it self in sinne; in some sinne or other, every soul in whom this body is alive allows it self; But the soul dead to sinne, allows not it self in any known sinne; What I do, I allow not, saith a soul dead to sinne, Rom. 7.15. I do this, and I do that, which I should not, through humane frailty, and the violence of temptation, from without and from within, or true necessity; but I allow not what I do, I do not resolve in cold bloud, that thus and thus I will do, but the quite contrary. The soul that is truly dead to sinne, allows not it self in any one known sinne.
The soul that is alive to sinne, is in league with finne, it makes leagues with sinne, as the Israelites did with the inhabitants of Canaan; there is no unregenerate person, but he is in league with some sinne or other, and though he lay some tribute upon his sinne, or upon himself for his sinne, yet he continues his league with sinne still, and intends not the ruine of sinne, nor the utter extirpation of sinne: But the soul that is dead to sinne, doth not make a league with any one sinne, but his design is to ruine sinne, all sinne; he will not covenant to sinne, as Iudas and the chief-Priests did, but covenant against sinne, as Iob did, Iob. 3 1.…. This is the second Character of a foul dead to sinne.
Note.As Saul should have dealt with Amalek, so doth the soul dead to sinne, deal with sinne; it spa…es none, it warrs against the whole body of death, against every sinne.
3. The soul alive to sinne, in sinning, doth the evill which he loves; but the soul dead to sinne, in sinning, doth the evill which he hates; What I hate, that do I, saith a soul dead to sinne, Rom 7.15. The soul alive to sinne, though he refrain from sinne, yet he loves it still; But the soul dead to sinne, though he fall into sinne, and be many times overpowred by sinne, yet he doth not love sinne, but hates it, so farre forth as regenerate.
Object. But conscience may here reply in some soul, and say; I cannot by this conclude that I am one dead to sinne, but rather, that I am one alive to sinne, for I find much inclination in my will to sinne, and much adhering in affections to sinne.
Answ. 1. If this alone were sufficient to give the denomination of a soul alive to sinne, then no soul living in a body of flesh, could conclude, that he were truly dead to sinne, for their is no soul inhabiting this earthly house, no not the best alive, but hath cause thus …o complain.
2. But secondly, Every soul, dead to sinne; doth bear the image of a double person, he beares the image of the first Adam, and the image of the second Adam: he is partly flesh, and partly spirit, and he is thus in every faculty of his soul; there is flesh in every faculty of his soul, sinne dwelling in every faculty; this therefore doth not render the soul alive to sinne.
3. Then thirdly, Thou speakest in this, as one seeking after a perfect death, to the power and being of sinne in thy self; But the Apostle, in this Text, points only at a true death to sinne; and truly dead to sinne, he may be, and is, to whom sinne is a burthen. So much for …swet to this Objection.
4. In the fourth place, The body of sinne, i… truly dead, wastes and decayes; there is a decaying in this body, and a wasting away, as in the natural body, when once dead; therefore saith the Apostle, I die daily, thereby implying, that where there is a true death to sinne, there is a true decaying of sinne.
Object. But conscience in some may here reply again, and say, I cannot hence conclude, that I am one truly dead to sinne; but rather see cause to conclude on the contrary, for I do not find that corruption doth decay and wast away in me, but rather that it grows stronger and stronger.
Answ. Strong apprehensions of corruption, are no argument of the strength of corruption, at least, if they be accompanied with loathing of them, and warring against them, in the strength of Christ; but rather symptomes of a new Life; This therefore should not cause any to conclude, That there is no death to sinne in him, but rather excite him to cleave closer to Christ, who hath begun this death in him, and will at the length perfect it.
5. In the fifth place, The soul that is truly dead to sinne, is universally dead to sinne; he is dead to every sinne, and he is dead to sin in every faculty of his soul, though but in part, yet in every part of soul and body; This, and no less then this, will serve to demonstrate a man truly dead to sinne, in a Gospel-sence.
6. Finally, The soul that is truly dead to sinne, is alive to righteousness; the soul that is dead in sinne▪ is alive to sinne, and the soul that is dead to sinne, is alive to righteousness; If Christ be in you, the body is dead, because of sinne, But the Spirit is Life, because of righteousness.
This is the next thing to be spoken of, and it is the second Character, laid down by the Apostle, to demonstrate Christ resident in us, The Spirit is Life, because of righteousness.
By Spirit in this Text, is meant (as I conceive) the regenerate part of man, and nothing else (to wit) that which is born of the-Spirit: in this sence, I take the word Spirit here, because it is set in opposition to the forementioned body; which body (as is evident) is the unregenerate part, or old man; So this word Spirit is used by the Apostle unto the Galathians, The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; The regenerate part lusteth against the unregenerate; So Christ useth the word Spirit, Joh. 3.6. That which is born of the Spirit, is Spirit, but the Spirit is Life, because of righteousness: It is, as if the Apostle had said, If Christ be in you, it will appear by this, the Spirit is Life, because of righteousness. that is, the regenerate man is alive because of righteousness; he is alive because of a double righteousness, or because of righteousnes in a double sence.
1. He is alive, because of the righteousness of Justification, And, 2. Because of the righteousness of Sanctification.
That man is truly and perfectly alive, because of the righteousness of Justification, which hath Christs righteousness imputed unto him for righteousness.
A man thus alive to righteousness, lives either the life of hope, the life of faith, or the life of sence; and this life Satan doth labour much to deprive him of.
Where the soul is thus alive, because of the righteousness of Justification, that soul is alive indeed, because of the righteousness of Sanctification; and this is that life which this Text points at, If Christ be in you, &c. the Spirit is Life, because of righteousness; If Christ be in you as a justifier, He is in you as a sanctifier; If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sinne, but the Spirit is Life, because of Righteousness.
The truth of this assertion, doth further appeare thus; Whom he justisieth, them he also glorifieth, saith the Text, Rom. 8.30. But without holinesse no man shall see the Lord, therefore it follows by necessary consequence, That he that is justified hath this qualification in him, to wit, sanctification, otherwise he could not see the Lord or be glorified.
To whom Christ is made righteousness, he is made sanctification also, 1 Cor. 1.30. This may suffice for the confirmation of this Truth.
That man is alive, because of the righteousness of sanctification, which hath the righteousnesse of the quickning spirit imparted unto him, for the inlivening and regulating of his whole man.
A Christian, in this world, is alive, because of the righteousnesse of sanctification truly, but imperfectly, his spirit is alive, because of righteousnesse, that is, his understanding, will, and affections, &c. all the members of his body, his whole nature, so farre forth as regenerate, is alive, because of the righteousnesse of sanctification (I say) so farre forth alive, (that is) so farre forth, he approves of righteousnesse, imbraceth righteousnesse, and lives in the practise of righteousnesse, out of Love to the God of righteoufnesse.
This is evident in the Apostle Paul, as soon as Christ had taken up his dwelling in Paul, and he was once alive to righteousnesse, his whole man so farre forth as regenerate, was turned about to another point, he had another judgment of the things of God than he had before and accordingly imbraced, what he before refused; his heart was warmed with a love to the will and wayes of God, and desire to walk therein; Lord, What wilt thou have me to do? (saith he) command what thou wilt, I am ready prest to obey thy will. And his great care was, to have alwayes a conscience void of offence towards God, and towards man, as himself affirms, Act. 24.16. And thus it is with every man alive to righteousnesse, he hath the same frame of spirit that Paul had, the same grace that he had, as a man alive to righteousnesse, though not in the same measure.
Every man in whom Christ lives, is alive because of righteousnesse,Note. but every one is not alike alive, every one in which Christ lives, is truly alive, because of righteousnesse, but every one is not strongly alive to righteousnesse, some are more vigorously alive then others.
As Christ is more or lesse in a man, so is he more or less alive to righteousnesse.
A man truly alive to righteousnesse, hath these appearances; 1. He is of all other men the most sensible of his own unrighteousnesse, he sees more unrighteousnesse, then righteousnesse in his best actions, more flesh then spirit in himself, as appears in Paul, Rom. 7.
2. The body of sinne, which is dead, stinks in the nostrils of him which is truly alive to righteousnesse, as the dead Corpse of a man doth in the nostrils of him that is alive, in a natural sense.
3. Lastly, a man truly alive to righteousnesse, is a new Creature, of whom I shall speak in the next place.
Wouldest thou then know whether Christ be resident in thee, yea or nay; Consider seriously what the holy Ghost doth in this Text affirm; If Christ be in you▪ the body is dead, because of sie… but the spirit is life, because of righteousness… ; and go through what hath been here said, on this …ubject, and if it hereby appear, that thou are one truly dead to sin, and alive to righteousnesse, conclu…e thou mayest safely, That the Lord is thy portion, that Christ is resident in …ny soul, who having once taken possession there, will not be …uted; Christ in thee, the hope of glory, will assuredly bring the soul and b…dy, to live with him in glory; If we be dead with him, we shall also live with him, saith the Text▪ 2 Tim 2.11 therefore i… we be dead with Christ, and risen again with him, we shall assuredly live together with him in glory.