Animadversions on William Dells Book, Section 10
SECT. X.
NOw this new and Spiritual life which a crucified Chriſtian partakes of;
He hath it,
1. In Ʋnion.
2. In Manifeſtation.
Firſt, (A) A Chriſtian hath this life in Vnion, when through Faith of the operation of God, he is really knit unto Chriſt, and ingraffed into him, and made one with him. For before we are united to Chriſt, we are without life; but as ſoon as we are united to him, we have life from him, as John ſaith in his Epiſtle, He that hath the Son hath life (even that life which the Son hath) and he that hath not the Son hath not life. Now this life and union which a Chriſtian hath through faith is more hidden and ſecret, as that life is that proceeds from the firſt real union and complyance between the Stock and ſience or graft: and this is the life of Juſtification. (B) For as ſoon as ever we are by faith made one with God in Chriſt, the righteouſneſſe of God is made ours truly and everlaſtingly, and in this we are juſtified even before God.
2. A true Chriſtian, hath this life of Chriſt not onelyonly in Vnion, but alſo in Manifestation. For when a Chriſtian partakes of Chriſts life by faith, this life will not be idle in him (which is againſt the nature of all life, but eſpecially of this) but moſt active and operative, and it will manifeſt it ſelf eſpecially two wayes, viz.
Both in
Holineſſe and
Comfort.
1. (C) This life will manifeſt it ſelf in Holineſſe, in the very holineſſe of Christ, which is the holineſs of the Divine Nature, communicated to the Humane Nature; the Spirit it ſelf which is given to a Believer as the outgoing of the life of God within him, worketh its own works of grace and ſanctification in him, and communicates the ſame holineſs to him a Member as to Chriſt the Head, though in a far different degree.
2. This life of Chriſt in a Chriſtian will manifeſt it ſelf in comfort as well as in holineſſe. And this is the life of our life, and the next and neceſſary reſult of holineſſe; wherefore it is ſaid, that the Kingdom of God stands firſt in righteouſneſſe, and then preſently in peace and joy: and the ſame Spirit that is given for a Sanctifier, is alſo given for a Comforter; and Paul ſaith, Rom. 8. That to be ſpiritually minded, is not only life, but life and peace. (D) For when a Believer findes in himſelf a new nature through a new birth, and the Law of God within his heart, and ſome ſtrength to obey God, and to do his will, then he begins to finde alſo a ſweet and heavenly peace within him, and many times, joy unſpeakable and glorious. And thus is a crucified Chriſtians new life manifeſted both in holineſs, and alſo in Spiritual peace and joy.
And now (to ſpeak one word by way of Application) let us each one ſeriouſly conſider, whether he do indeed partake of ſuch a life as is riſen to him out of death? whether he finde that he hath parted with his own life, and gotten another life then his own, in his own ſoul and body? and whether the life of the firſt Adam be crucified in him, & he live the life of the ſecond Adam? that is, not a natural, but a ſpiritual life; not a humane, but a divine life; not an earthly, but a heavenly life; not a temporal, but an eternal life: for thus do all live that are truly crucified with Chriſt. (E) And I deſire we all would the rather minde this, becauſe if we part with this life ere we partake of that, the ſecond death which is everlaſting death in ſin, and the wrath of God, muſt needs ſwallow us up: and becauſe if we do not partake of Chriſts life here, we can never live with him in his Kingdom: and alſo becauſe we can never have true and immediate communion with the Father, but in the life of his Eternal Son: Wherefore let all ſuch whoſe hearts God hath touched by his Word, make it their buſineſs to ſeek from God in Chriſt another life then their own; a life infinitely better and ſtronger then their own; and a life which at the will of God will offer up their own; that we may ſay in our experience, as Paul, in his, We are crucified with Chriſt, yet nevertheleſſe we live.
Now the Apoſtle having named this bleſſed life, doth further enlarge himſelf on this matter in the words following, ſaying,
ANIMADVERSION 10.
(A) THat a Chriſtian is by faith really knit to Chriſt, and engraffed into him, and made one with him, and ſo hath eternal life from him, as the ſience from the ſtock, is old ſcripture doctrine, acknowledged by all Proteſtant Divines: But that this life which is received through union unto Chriſt is the life of juſtification, as Mr Dell here affirmeth by way of eminence at leaſt, if not excluſion, and doth not equally carry in it the life of ſanctification alſo, out of which a believer bringeth forth fruits of righteouſneſſe to the glory of God, ſeemeth not to hold accordance with John 15.4,5,8. or, if Mr Dell in his notion confound Juſtification and Sanctification, me thinks the Apoſtle plainly teacheth another doctrine; aſcribing Juſtification to Faith, in the Name of the Lord Jeſus; and Sanctification to the Spirit of our God, 1 Cor. 6.11.
(B) If by Union with God in Chriſt, the righteouſneſſe of God be made ours truly and everlaſtingly, and therein we be juſtified, How then are we made righteous through the obedience of our one mediator Jeſus Christ? Rom. 5.19. yea, how are we juſtified freely by Gods grace, through the redemption which is in Chriſt Jeſus? Rom. 3.24. I fear this paſſage of Mr Dell inclineth too much towards the preaching of another goſpel. For the Lords acquitting of a ſinner from his ſins, through the forgiveneſſe of them, is plainly laid down by the Apoſtle, as an act of juſtification, Rom. 4.5,6.7,8, which according to the Goſpel, the Lord who juſtifieth, doth not paſſe upon men in relation to their being one with God in Christ, or the communication of his righteouſneſſe everlaſtingly to them, or (as he afterwards ſpeaks) Chriſt living his own life in them; but in relation to the ranſoming death of Chriſt for them, only and wholly. This is the Goſpel which the Apoſtles have preached to us, which alſo we have received, and wherein we ſtand, by which alſo we ſhal be ſaved; how that Chriſt died for our ſins, 1 Cor. 15. 1,2,3. and in him we have redemption through his bloud, the forgiveneſſe of our ſins, Epheſ. 1.7. and by him all that believe are juſtified from all things, from which they could not be juſtified by the Law of Moſes, Acts 13.39. Seeing our Lord Chriſt was delivered for our offences, and raiſed again for our juſtification. Rom. 4.25. Chriſtians ſhould have their hearts and ears cloſly ſtopt up againſt the hearing and receiving of any other Goſpel or Doctrine of Juſtification whatſoever; yea, though brought by an Angel from heaven, Gal. 1.8,9.
(C) How can they which have the divine holineſs, the ſame holines of the divine nature in the ſame manner (though not in the ſame degree) as Chriſt had, and hath, not be in their degree God as he is? I profeſſe my preſent inability to anſwer this queſtion, and abſolve Mr Dels words from being very dangerous, and derogative from the peculiar honour of our Saviour. Was not the holineſſe of the divine nature, or which is all one, the holy divine nature by perſonal union, ſo communicated to the humane nature in our Saviour, that though he was man, yet in his holy divine nature he was alſo God bleſſed for ever? Will he affirm ſo much of any believer? I hope not.
(D) Theſe words of Mr Dell are ſo pure and precious, that every believer cannot but imbrace them for truth; And methinks they do ſo plainly ſhew that the wil of God which a believer doth obey, that is to ſay, his revealed will is the law of God within his heart, put into his inward parts by the ſpirit, as to the knowledge and love of it, and ſtrength in ſome degree to fulfil it, that I can hardly believe that ſuch words ſhould proceed from him, as we find in the 3. Section of this book viz. God himſelf which dwelleth in them, is the new Law according to which they live. For is the will of God which a believer hath ſome ſtrength to do, God himſelf? It is very ſtrange if any underſtanding man ſhould ſo apprehend, ſeeing the will of God which believers are ſtrengthened to obſerve, and obey, is only his will of command made known to men as the rule of their ſanctification, which is a different thing from God himſelf, as a Lord, and his law differ, 1 Theſ. 4.2,3.
(E) The former words in this paragraph, I conceive, in a ſound ſence may be admitted; But theſe words ſeem to carry in them an incredible miſtake: for if by this, and that life in theſe words, be meant the life of the firſt Adam which is crucified in believers, and the life of the ſecond Adam imparted to believers, according to what immediately goeth before; they then ſpeak thus much; to wit, that the life of the firſt Adam crucified in believers, is the natural life of man, of which he is deprived in corporal death, and with which a man may part ere he partake of the life of Chriſt; whereas there is nothing more clear in the Scriptures, then that the life of the firſt Adam crucified in believers, is the life of ſin, with which no man can poſſibly part ere he partake of the life of Chriſt; and which is a very different thing from that life with which a man parteth at the hour of death; in relation to which life alone it is true, according to Mr Dels words, that if we part with it ere we partake of the life of Chriſt, the ſecond death muſt needs ſwallow us up.