Doctrine of a Man in the Act of the New Birth, Treatise · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. The growing of the ſoul with Chriſt.
HItherto of the firſt part of the ſouls implantation; to wit, of the putting of the ſoul into Chriſt: We are now come to the ſecond, which is, The growing of the ſoul with Chriſt. Theſe two take up the nature of ingrafting a ſinner into the ſtock Chriſt Jeſus. Now this growing together is accompliſhed by two means:
1. By an union of the ſoul with Chriſt.
2. By a conveyance of ſap or ſweetneſs (all the treaſures of grace and happineſs) that is in Chriſt to the ſoul.
Firſt, Every believer is joyned unto Chriſt, and ſo joyned or knit, that he becomes one ſpirit. 1. He is joyned; as a friend to a friend; as a father to a childe; as an husband to a wife; as a graft to a tree; as the ſoul to a body: So is Chriſt to a believer, I live, not I, but the Lord Jeſus liveth in me: Hence the body Gal. 3. 10. 1 Cor. 12. 12.of the faithful is called Chriſt, 1 Cor. 12. 12. 2. So joyned, that the believer comes to be one ſpirit with Chriſt; this myſtery is great, and beyond the reach of that little light I injoy: OnelyOnly I ſhall communicate what I conceive, in theſe three following Concluſions: 1. That the Spirit of God (the third perſon in the Trinity) doth really accompany the whole Word, but more eſpecially the precious promiſes of the Goſpel: 2. The Spirit (accompanying the promiſe of grace and ſalvation) it doth therein, and thereby leave a ſupernatural dint and power, a ſpiritual, and over-powering vertue upon the ſoul, and thereby carries it, and brings it unto Chriſt: it is not ſo much any thing in the ſoul, as a ſpiritual aſſiſting, and moving, and working upon the ſoul, by vertue whereof it is moved and carried to the Lord Jeſus Chriſt. 3. The Spirit of grace in the promiſe working thus upon the heart, it cauſeth the heart to cloſe with the promiſe, and with it ſelf in the promiſe; and this is to be one ſpirit. As it is with the Moon (the Philoſopher obſerves, That the ebbing and flowing of the Sea, is by vertue of the Moon) ſhe flings her beams into the ſea, and not being able to exhale as the Sun doth, ſhe leaves them there, and goes away, and that draws them, and when they grow wet, they return back again; Now the ſea ebbs and flows, not from any principle in it ſelf, but by vertue of the Moon: ſo the heart of a poor creature is like the water, unable to move towards heaven, but the Spirit of the Lord doth bring in its beams, and leaves a ſupernatural vertue by them upon the ſoul, and thereby draws it to it ſelf.
Hence an Uſe of Inſtruction: This may ſhew us that the ſins Ʋſe 1. of Inſtruction.of the faithful, are grievous to the bleſſed Spirit; not onelyonly becauſe of mercies, bonds and engagements which the believer hath received; but becauſe a man is come ſo neer to Chriſt and the Spirit, to be one Spirit with Chriſt: Should a wife not onelyonly entertain a whoremonger into the houſe, but alſo lodge him in the ſame bed with her husband, this were not to be endured; and wilt thou receive a company of baſe luſts, and that in the very face and ſight of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt? What? lodge an unclean ſpirit, with the clean Spirit of the Lord! the holy Ghoſt cannot endure this: Let no filthy communication come out of your mouth, Epheſ. 4. 29. What if there do? (you may ſay) what? a Chriſtian Epheſ. 4. 29.and a Lyar? a Chriſtian and a Swearer? O grieve not the holy Spirit of God, becauſe by it you are ſealed unto the day of Eph. 4. 30.Redemption: The good Spirit of the Lord hath ſealed you unto Redemption, and knit you unto himſelf, and will you rend your ſelves from him and grieve him? O grieve not the holy Spirit!
2. For Examination; If thy heart be therefore eſtranged from ſuch as walk exactly before God, becauſe they are humble Ʋſe 2. of Examination.and faithful; it is an ill ſign; when they are made one spirit with Chriſt, wilt thou be of two ſpirits with them? I confeſs a godly heart wil have his fits and excurſions now and then, but all this while this is poyſon, and the ſoul of a godly man ſees this and is weary of it, and is marvellouſly burthened with it, and ſaith, O vile wretch that I am, what would I have! and what is he, that I cannot love him? Is it becauſe the good Spirit of the Lord is there? ſhall I reſiſt the good spirit of the Lord? and ſo commit the ſin againſt the holy Ghoſt? away thou vile wretched heart, I will love him: Thus the ſoul labors and ſtrives for that exactneſs, and would fain have that goodneſs which he ſees in another.
Secondly, as there is an Ʋnion with Chriſt, ſo there is a conveyance of all ſpiritual grace from Chriſt, to all thoſe that believe in him: If you would know the Tenure of this Covenant, and how Chriſt conveyeth theſe ſpiritual graces unto us, it diſcovers it ſelf in theſe Particulars: 1. There is fully enough in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt for every faithful ſoul. 2. As there is enough in Chriſt, ſo Chriſt doth ſupply or communicate whatſoever is moſt fit. 3. As the Lord doth communicate what is fit, ſo he doth preſerve what he doth beſtow and communicate. 4. As the Lord doth preſerve what he communicates, ſo he quickens the grace that he now doth preſerve. 5. As the Lord quickens what he preſerves, ſo he never leaves till he perfects what he quickens. 6. As the Lord perfects what he quickens, ſo in the end he crowns all the grrace he hath perfected: And now may I read your Feoffment to you, You poor Saints of God, you live beggarly and baſely here: Oh! if you have a Savior you are made for ever; it is that which will maintain you, not onelyonly Chriſtianly, but Triumphantly; what you want, Chriſt hath, and what is fit, Chriſt will beſtow; if you cannot keep it, he will preſerve it for you; if you be ſluggiſh, he will quicken it in you; what would you have more? he will perfect what he quickens; and laſtly, he will crown that he perfects, he will give you an immortal Crown of Glory for ever and ever.
Hence we ſee whether the Saints of God ſhould go to fetch Ʋſe of Information.ſuccor and ſupply of whatſoever grace they want, yea increaſe and perfection of what they have already; Chriſt is made all in all to his Servants; why then, away to the Lord Jeſus; he calls and invites, I counſel thee to buy of me eye-ſalve; if thou be an accurſed Rev. 3.man, buy of Chriſt Juſtification; if thou be a polluted creature, buy of Chriſt Sanctification: With thee is the well-ſpring of life Pſal. 31.(ſaith David) and in thy light we ſhall onelyonly ſee light: it is not with us, but with thee; it is not in our heads, or hearts, or performances, 'tis onelyonly in Chriſt to be found, onelyonly from Chriſt to be fetched: I deny not but we ſhould improve all means, and uſe all helps, but in the uſe of all, ſeek onelyonly to a Chriſt, with him is the well of life; away to Chriſt, wiſdom, righteouſneſs, &c. all is in him, and there we muſt have them.
You will ſay, What are the means to obtain theſe graces from Chriſt? I anſwer: Firſt, eye the Promiſe daily, and keep it within view. Secondly, yield thy ſelf, and give way to the ſtroak of the Promiſe, and to the power of the Spirit; for inſtance, Imagine thy heart begins to be peſtered with vain thoughts, or with a proud haughty ſpirit, or ſome baſe luſts and privy haunts of heart, how would you be rid of theſe? you muſt not quarrel, and contend, and be diſcouraged; No, but eye the promiſe, and hold faſt thereupon, and ſay, Lord, Thou haſt promiſed all grace unto thy Servants, take therefore this heart, and this minde, and theſe affections, and let thy spirit frame them aright according to thine own good will; by that ſpirit of wiſdom (Lord) inform me, by that ſpirit of Sanctification (Lord) cleanſe me from all my corruptions; by that spirit of grace (Lord) quicken and inable me to the diſcharge of every holy ſervice: Thus carry thy ſelf, and convey thy ſoul by the power of the Spirit of the Lord, and thou ſhalt finde thy heart ſtrengthned and ſuccoured by the vertue thereof upon all occaſions.
For concluſion (to dart this uſe deeper into your hearts) If Concluſion.every believer be joyned with Chriſt, and from Chriſt there be a conveyance of all ſpiritual graces unto every believer; then above all labor for a Chriſt in all things: Never let thy heart be quieted, never let thy ſoul be contented until thou haſt obtained Chriſt. Take a Malefactor on whom Sentence is paſſed, and execution to be adminiſtred, ſuggeſt to him how to be rich, or how to be pardoned, how to be honored, or how to be pardoned, he will tell you, Riches are good, and honors are good, but O a pardon or nothing: Ah, but then ſhould you ſay, he muſt leave all for a pardon; he will anſwer again, Take all, and give me a pardon, that I may live, though in poverty, that I may live, though in miſery: So it is with a poor believing ſoul, Every man that hath committed ſin, muſt ſuffer for ſin, ſaith Juſtice; the Sentence is paſſed, Every man that believes not, is condemned Ioh. 3. 18.already, ſaith our Savior, What would you have now? thou ſayeſt, thou wouldſt have a pardon, but wouldſt thou not have riches? Alas! What is that to me (ſaith the ſoul) to be rich and a reprobate? honored and damned? let me be pardoned, though impoveriſhed; let me be juſtified, though debaſed, yea though I never ſee good day: Why then labor for a Chriſt, for there is no other way under heaven; get a broken-heart, get a believing heart; but O above all, get a Chriſt to juſtifie thee, get a Chriſt to ſave thee: If I could pray like an Angel, could I hear and remember all the Sermon, could I confer as yet never man ſpake, what is that to me, if I have not a Chriſt? I may go down to Hell for all that I have or do; yet take this along, and underſtand me Note.aright, Chriſt is not onelyonly a Savior of all his, but he is the God of all grace; as he is the God of all pardoning, ſo he is the God of all purging and purifying unto the ſoul of each believer: grace therefore is good, and duties are good, ſeek for all, we ſhould do ſo, perform all, we ought to do ſo; but Oh, a Chriſt, a Chriſt, a Chriſt, in all, above all, more then all. Thus I have ſhewed the way to the Lord Jeſus, I have ſhewed you alſo how you may come to be implanted into the Lord Jeſus; and now I leave you in the Hands of a Savior, in the Bowels of a Redeemer, and I think I cannot leave you better.
FINIS. Soli Deo Gloria.
End of the text · Isaac Ambrose, Doctrine of a Man in the Act of the New Birth (1650)