Animadversions on William Dells Book, Section 14
SECT. XIV.
Ʋſes. NOw if we rightly underſtand this point, we may learn from it many excellent things.
4. (A) And firſt we may perceive the miſtake of thoſe who look for all the life of Chriſt in that humanity which was born of the Virgin, whereas Chriſt truly lived in Paul, and lives in all the faithful, and his very life is to be ſeen in them, as the life of the Soul is not confined to the Head, but diſperſes it ſelf through all the Members, and is manifeſt in them in meaſure, as in the head in fulneſſe.
5. (B) We may learn that Chriſt in a believer, is to him inſtead of all credted habits of Grace. Chriſt who is the true God, is all in all in a Chriſtian; and ſo a Chriſtian partakes of that righteouſneſſe which is Chriſt; of that wiſdom, which is Christ; of that power, truth, goodneſſe, &c. which is Christ; and Chriſt that dwels in believers, is truly all Grace to them. And herein they are like unto Chriſts humanity, unto whom the fulneſſe of the Godhead that dwelt in him, was inſtead of all created Grace. Wherefore let us know, that the created habits of grace in a Christian, which the Schoolmen have invented and taught, and others have received from them, are nothing but the Empty notions, and Vain ſpeculations of carnal and unbelieving hearts, ignorant of the true myſtery of the Goſpel. For Chriſt that lives in a believer, is all Grace to him; and thus the Apoſtle Paul expreſly teacheth in 1 Cor. 1.30. where ſpeaking of Chriſt, he ſaith, He is made unto us of God wiſdom, righteouſneſſe, ſanctification, and redemption; and ſo a Christian hath that Wiſdom, Righteouſneſſe, &c. which is Christ himſelf. And this grace which is Chriſt himſelf, is infinitely more high and holy, then all created habits of Grace, (C) and this is the only Grace that is acceptable to God, and that makes us accepted in it ſelf, (D) and this is the only grace againſt which the Gates of hell cannot prevail; and the only grace that can make us meet for the Fathers Kingdom. And thus you ſee that Chriſt that lives in a believer is all grace in him, and all-ſufficient grace for him.
3. (E) If Chriſt live in believers, then certainly whatever evils, and tribulations, and perſecutions are brought upon believers, by the World and the falſe Church, for the word of faith, they are brought upon Chriſt himſelf, and Chriſt himſelf is ſtill perſecuted in the fleſh throughout all Ages and Generations: and the faithful in all Ages are filling up the remainders of the ſufferings of Chriſt in his body. For believers have all along ſuffered, and do ſtill ſuffer from the World, becauſe God is in them of a truth; and the evil done to them is againſt God himſelf, who dwells in them. And againſt this Rock have all the unbelievers daſh'd themſelves in pieces all along.
4. Chriſt who lives in believers, lives in them like himſelf, that is, like the Son of the living God, and ſo thoſe in whom he lives,
1. He frees them from their own evil things, and
2. He confers upon them all his own good things.
1. He frees them from their evil things: And in reference to theſe, he lives in them as their Redeemer and Saviour; and ſo Chriſt within them aboliſhes the Law, takes away ſin, and deſtroyes death; for none of theſe things can dwell in his preſence, in that ſoul wherein he lives. (F) For he is our new Law, to make void the Old; and he is our new Righteouſneſſe to take away ſin; and our new life, to deſtroy death; and the Law, Sin, and Death can have no place nor power where Chriſt our new Law, Righteouſneſſe, and Life dwels and lives.
2. Chriſt living in believers, confers upon them his own good things (G) For Chriſt the Son of God hath nothing in himſelf, that is, in his Divine nature, which he will not communicate to our fleſh, as he hath done to his own, according to our place and uſe in his body; and ſo he communicates to all thoſe in whom he dwells, of all the things of God, till at laſt he fill them with all the fulneſſe of God. And thus is Chriſt glorified in his Saints, and admired in them that believe.
5. (H) If it be Chriſt the true God that lives in believers, then we learn hence what true juſtification is; and that is, to be ſo one with Chriſt by faith, that Chriſt himſelf may live in us, and we in him; that he may communicate his nature to us, and our nature may be taken up into his: for we cannot be Juſtified before God by our own living, but by Chriſts living in us his own life; and his righteouſneſſe which is the righteouſneſſe of God, muſt dwell in us e're we can be Juſtified before God.
(I) Laſtly, ſeeing Chriſt himſelf lives in all true believers, let us all who profeſſe our ſelves to be ſuch, ſo live that Chriſt may be ſeen to live in us, more then our ſelves; that they that have known us may know us no more, but may know Chriſt in us; and that they that have communion with us, may acknowledge Chriſt himſelf ſpeaking, working, and living his whole life in us, in all ſelf-denyall, humility, holineſſe, love, reſignation of our ſelves to the will of God, and in all diligence to do the work of God, and readineſſe to ſuffer the will of God: for thus Chriſt lived in his own fleſh; and thus alſo he will certainly live in ours, if he live there at all: and when Chriſt lives in our fleſh, as he did in his own, ſomething of his glory will be ſeen upon us.
Now ſuch a Chriſtian in whom Chriſt lives, and he lives not himſelf, how amiable would he be in the ſpiritual Church? but how unlike would he be to all the men in the world, yea, to the moſt Profeſſors in that which is called the viſible Church? but I proceed to that which follows.
ANIMADVERSION 14.
(A) MAſter Dell ſhould do well to name the men, who look for all the life of Chriſt in his humanity, and do not acknowledge that Chriſt lived truly in Paul; and doth live in all the faithful by his ſpirit. If none ſuch appear, as I am confident there will not, amongſt knowing Proteſtants; he might have ſaved his uſe of rectification, at leaſt wiſe in reſpect of them.
(B) That Chriſt the true God, is inſtead of all created habits of grace, yea, that he is truly all grace unto believers, ſeems to be a poſition very diſſonant from Scripture doctrine, and which, to my beſt remembrance, I never ſaw Printed, nor heard uttered until now. Paul fully diſtinguiſhed the ſpirit in believers, from the ſanctifying graces of believers, which he calleth the fruits of the ſpirit, Gal. 5.22,23. and in divers places he teacheth, that the graces flow by way of creation from Christ through his ſpirit, 2 Cor. 5.17, Epheſ. 2.10. and 4.24. Might the Scriptures be heard, I think, created graces and Chriſt in believers, would not be oppoſed or confounded; but Chriſt dwelling in believers by his ſpirit be acknowledged, not to be all grace, but the fountain of all created graces in them; for of his fulneſſe have we all received, and unto every one of us is grace given, according to the meaſure of the gift of Chriſt, Epheſ. 4.7. That the Godhead which dwelt in our Saviour, was in him instead of all grace, as Mr Dell confidently affirmeth, needs proof before it be believed. The fear of the Lord, fiducial hope in God, and other holy graces, ſeem plainly, according to Scripture doctrine, to have been wrought habitually in our Saviours humane nature by the Spirit, which was given him without meaſure, Eſay 11.2. and 61.1. Acts 10.38. It is quickly affirmed that created habits of grace in a Chriſtian, are empty notions and vaine ſpeculations of School-men, and of carnal and unbelieving hearts. But doubtleſſe, men of holy and believing hearts, have conceived that God in the Scripture, makes mention of the habitual grace of righteouſneſſe, wrought by the Lord Chriſt in his people, Phil. 1.11. Eph. 4.24. as alſo the habitual graces of faith and love, 1 Tim. 1.14. Acts 18.27. and of patience, James 1.4. and the like, flowing all from the Lord Chriſt, as the vine which hath the ſap of all grace originally in himſelf: But that the Lord Chriſt is all grace to a believer, I never yet read in any Scripture. As to the place here produced by Mr Dell, as expreſly teaching the ſame, ſc. 1 Cor. 1.30. I find it not there ſaid, that Chriſt is all grace to a believer; nor do I imagine how it ſhould be convincingly argued from that text; which as far as I yet ſee, only ſetteth forth our Saviour as made by God to his believing people, the author and object of ſaving wiſdom, the treaſure of Gods righteouſneſſe unto juſtification, the root of ſanctification through his ſpirit, and the worker of the ful redemption of his people; All which may be granted, and is believed of thoſe who yet believe that there is habitual operative grace, wrought by …hriſt through his Spirit, in his believing people, enabling them in ſome meaſure, unto every good work, acording to 1 Cor. 15.10.
(C) It is certain that our Lord Chriſt is the only ground of acceptation with God unto believers; but that he is the only acceptable grace to God, as Mr Dell here affirmeth, is never, as I know, ſaid in Scripture. Love acting towards the Saints, is pointed at as acceptable to God, Heb. 6.10. and called a grace, 2 Cor. 8.7. which yet certainly is not Chriſt.
(D) Queſtionleſſe there is the grace of Gods eternal love, whereby we are ſaved; againſt which the gates of hell cannot prevail; which though believers are partakers of in Chriſt, yet is not the Lord Chriſt this grace, but the chief gift of it, John 3.16. and the 4th 10.
(E) The third uſe made here by Mr Dell of his doctrine, ſtandeth in full force for the comfort of believers, upon the ground of the doctrine, of Chriſts living in his people by his ſpirit; as it is taught by thoſe who ſee no footing for his doctrine in the Word of God; for they all know that Chriſt is afflicted in his members according to the Scriptures.
(F) If Chriſt being himſelf our new law within us, makes void the law of God without us, as old, as Mr Dels words in this place ſeem to import, then both the law of works and faith too, as it is outwardly diſpenſed; yea, the whole Scripture, as to the mandatory legiſlative part of it, is made void to believers; which whether Mr Dell will nakedly affirm, I know not; If he do, I doubt not but it will appear an anti-ſcriptural affirmation, and an open road to a ſtate beyond ordinances, and above duties; in which men are apt in a miſt of imaginary perfection to loſe their way to that real perfection of righteouſneſſe and bleſſedneſſe which believers enjoy in Chriſt Jeſus, according to the Goſpel, Col. 1.28.
(G) Theſe words, as I conceive, in a ſound Scripture ſence may be admitted: for it is certain that our Lord Chriſt doth communicate himſelf wholly to believers according to their place and uſe in his body; and will do ſo, till at the laſt he fill them with all the fulneſſe of God: yet is it not to be admitted for truth, that the divine nature is communicated to our fleſh as it was to his own; that is to ſay, after the ſelf ſame manner: If Mr Dell decline this ſence of his words, I will not preſſe it, or the dangerous conſequences of it upon him: If he own it, I ſee not how he can avoid the avowing of believers to be God, even as our Lord Chriſt is God; which I hope he will not affirm.
(H) It ſeems to me by theſe words, that Mr Dell either hath not learned, or (which I rather think) doth not like the Proteſtant doctrine of juſtification; juſtified by ſo many of our worthies againſt Popiſh advocates. Proteſtant Divines generally (having learned from the Apoſtle Paul, that Juſtification is verbum forenſe, a word taken from humane judicatories, and oppoſed to comdemnation, Rom. 8.33,34.) Do teach that we are juſtified freely by Gods grace, through the redemption that is in Chriſt Jeſus. But Mr Dell here teacheth, that we are juſtified by Chriſts living in us his own life, and by his righteouſneſſe, even the righteouſneſſe of God dwelling in us; which as I know it not to be down-right Popery, ſo I am ſure it coaſteth much nearer upon Popiſh, then upon Proteſtant; which I truſt I may call Scripture doctrine, ſince it acknowledgeth the righteouſneſſe whereby believers are juſtified, to be reſident in their own perſons; which is a poſition very wide from the apprehenſion of Proteſtants, who believe that we are juſtified freely by Gods grace, through the redemption which is in Chriſt Jeſus.
(I) This exhortation directed to believers, as to the matter of it, is very ſound and good: But I would ask, to what perſons Mr Dell intends to give this exhortation? If to the perſons of believers, he would perſwade us that there are none ſuch, for he teacheth, that believers have loſt their own perſonality, and are taken up into the nature and perſon of the Son of God, Sect. 11. (B) (C) And I believe M Dell doth not look upon the perſon of the Son of God, as one that needs his exhortation.