Animadversions on William Dells Book, Section 17 – Section 18
SECT. XVII. I live through the faith of the Son of God.
HEre the Apoſtle ſhews the way or means how Christ came to live in him, and he in Chriſt, and that is, through Faith.
Chriſt (ſaith he) ſo lives in me, that yet I live in the fleſh, but the life I live in the fleſh, is not the life of the fleſh, but I live in the fleſh the life of faith in the Son of God.
Now touching this excellent Grace of Faith, much might be ſaid; but I ſhall endeavour to give you the ſum of all in as few words as may be.
And firſt I ſhall ſhew you, That the right faith is not any work of ours, but it is wholly the work of God in us: and therefore it is called by Paul, Col. 2.12. Faith foreign, of the operation of God, and that according to that mighty power which he put forth in Chriſt when he raiſed him from the dead; as the ſame Apoſtle ſpeaks in Epheſ. 1.19.20. It was a work of the mighty power of God to unite Chriſts humane Nature to the Divine, though it were wholly free from ſin, But it is a greater work of power to unite us to God in Chriſt, who are full of ſin; and yet God doth this through faith in all true Believers, as I ſhall ſhew in the next place.
2. As faith is wrought in us by God, and is his conſtant work in us, ſo this faith doth apprehend God in Chriſt, even the Divine nature of Chriſt in the Humane; and the Son of the living God in the Son of man, as the Apoſtle ſhews here, ſaying, I live by the faith of the Son of God: Shewing that the chief thing that faith reſpects, and apprehends in Chriſt, is the Son of God. And Peter in 1 Pet. 1.21. ſaith that the faithful, through Chriſt, do believe in God who raiſed him from the dead. (A) So that that only is true faith, which doth apprehend and receive the true God in Jeſus Chriſt.
And thus from theſe two things we may in ſome meaſure underſtand the true nature of faith, which is nothing but this. The Fathers laying hold on us by his Spirit, and drawing us to the Son, and inabling us to receive the Son, and ſo making us one with the Son, to abide and live in him for ever. So that through true faith we have the neareſt union and conjunction with the Son of the living God, that any Creature can have, next after the Humanitie of Chriſt.
Now from this Ʋnion, which we have with the Son of God through faith, do flow many excellent advantages to Believers; ſome of which I ſhall name now; As,
1. (B) Hereby they are made the Sons of God, as John ſaith, John 1. As many as received him, that is, the Word that was with God, and was God, and was made fleſh; as many as received him by believing, to them he gave power to become the ſons of God. As that Word or Son of God, coming into the Humanity of Chriſt (which was in all things like ours, ſin excepted) gave it authority and power to become the Son of God: ſo the ſame Word coming into us, through Chriſt gives us power to become the ſons of God in him, as the fire gives the iron in which it dwels, power to be light and hot.
And ſo through faith, we have not only the Name, but alſo the Nature of Sons. For faith uniting us to Christ, changeth us into a new Nature, and takes from us what we are in regard of ſin, and makes us what Chriſt is in regard of righteouſneſſe, and ſo it makes us new in heart, minde, will, affections, ends, and in our whole converſation; for it brings Gods Nature into ours, and this changeth our nature into its own likeneſſe, (C) ſo that whatſoever we do, or whatever our condition in the world is, we ſhall ſtill carry our ſelves in all things as the children of God in ſome demonſtration of the Divine Nature.
2. (D) Through this faith in the Son of God, we are made not only Sons, but Heirs; Heirs of God, and joynt-Heirs with Chriſt: That as Chriſt according to his Humane nature, being made One with the Son of God, by whom, and for whom all things were made, was in Him made Heir of all things; ſo we through that faith whereby we receive the Son, are made Heirs with Chriſt in ſuch ſort, that all things are ours, 1 Cor. 3.21.whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things preſent, or things to come, all are ours whilſt we are Christs, as all is Chriſts whilſt He is Gods. Now, this is a very glorious inheritance, which as faith onelyonly apprehends, ſo faith onelyonly underſtands.
And this inheritance happens to us, not through the works of the Law, that is, not through any outward works of outward righteouſneſſe whatſoever, but through the righteouſneſſe of faith, through which faith we are truly made one with the Son of God in Chriſt (as hath been ſaid) and in and with Him, do truly inherit both God and the Creature.
3. (E) This true faith carrying us into the Son of God, and placing us in him to abide in him, doth truly carry us out of the utmost reach of all evil things; out of the reach of the Law, Sin, Death, and Hell, ſeeing theſe can have no place nor preſence in the Son of God; and though theſe evils may reach us whilſt we dwell in our ſelves; yet we are got out of their reach ſo far forth as by faith we dwell in Him.
4. (F) This right faith carries us into the Son of God; and doth carry us into all his Perfections and Excellencies, into his nature, and life, and righteouſneſſe, and wiſdom, and power, and glory, and into all the fulneſſe of the Son of the living God; and ſo true faith inriches a Believer in Chriſt with greater treaſure then the heart of a carnal Chriſtian can poſſibly give credit to; for through faith we are carried into the Son of God, to have all that He hath, and He again comes and fills us with all that he is and hath.
5 True faith carries us into Chriſt, and makes us one with him, as the Author and Original of all our good works. For through this, God dwels in us, and works his own works in us, and we again dwell in him, and work his own works in him; and thoſe only are true good works, which God that dwels in us works in us, and which we dwelling in God work in him.
(G) Yea, a Believer who is one with Chriſt, not only doth good works, but doth them continually: for Chriſt in him is alwayes active, and whilſt he is in Chriſt, he muſt be alwayes active, and therefore ſaith Chriſt, Joh. 15. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the ſame bringeth forth much fruit: For through this mutual abiding of Chriſt and a Chriſtian in each other, a Chriſtian as naturally, and as neceſſarily doth the works of God, as the fire burns, or the Sun ſhines.
And theſe are ſome of the Advantages a Chriſtian hath, through faith in the Son of God.
ANIMADVERSION 17.
(A) THat that only is true faith which doth apprehend and receive the true God in Jeſus Chriſt: And alſo that true faith is not of our ſelves, but is wrought in us by the Father through the Spirit, is very true and certaine: But to define faith, or deſcribe it as Mr Dell here doth, only and wholly by acts of God the Father, is plainly to make God not only the authour, but the ſole actor of faith, and ſo to deny any acting of the hearts of believers to Chriſt-ward by faith, which (as I conceive) is doctrine very new and ſtrange, from the truth of the Goſpel, Gal. 2.16. Eph. 1.13. Rom. 10.10. It is true that here is mention made by Mr Dell of believers receiving of Chriſt, but he ſaith not (as he might) that therein ſtands the nature of faith; but in Gods inabling a man to receive Chriſt, which is wholly and ſolely Gods act as is alſo his making us one with the Son, to live and abide in him for ever; which being one with, and abiding in the Son, though it be an effect, yet containeth nothing in it of the nature of faith.
(B) That by faith through Chriſt, believers are adopted to be the Sons of God, is certainly true: But that [as the Word or Son of God coming into the humanity of Chriſt, gave it authority to become the Son of God, ſo the ſame Word coming into us through Chriſt, gives us power to become the Sons of God in him, as the fire gives the iron power to be light and hot] is plainly to take off believers ſon-ſhip, in relation to God, from the ground of adoption through grace, and to found it upon the communication of the Divine nature to them in the ſame manner, though not ſo immediately, nor in the ſame meaſure as to the humanity of our Saviour; which is a doctrine of ſuch ill conſequence, that ſtill me thinks Mr Dell ſhould tremble and abhor to own it nakedly: For if the Son of God coming into believers as into the humanity of our Saviour, give them power to become the ſons of God, as it gave him power to be the Son of God, as the fire gives the iron in which it dwels, power to be light and hot; then it follows, that though believers have the Son of God in them through Chriſt, yet having the Son of God in them, they have power to be the Sons of God immediately and in themſelves, as the iron hath immediate power from the fire to be light and hot: which being granted, overthrows the doctrine of believers adoption by Chriſt, and putteth all believers into the peculiar honour of the immediate Sonſhip of our Lord Chriſt.
(C) Do believers in whatſoever they do, ſtil carry themſelves in all things in ſome demonſtration of the divine nature, as Mr Dell here peremptorily affirmeth? I do believe the Apoſtle, that in many things we offend all; and that the beſt of believers have their ſad miſcarriages, as the Apoſtle Peter had, Gal. 2. and give too often demonſtration of the reliques of corrupt nature in them: If Mr Dell can reconcile theſe things together, I ſhall leave that labour to him.
(D) Believers, no doubt, through faith in the Son of God, are made heirs of God, and joynt heirs with Chriſt of all things: But that as our Lord Chriſt, according to his humane nature was made heir of all things, by being made one with the Son of God, ſo believers likewiſe receive the Son, underſtanding thereby, the Godhead of our Saviour, and ſo are made heirs with Chriſt of all things; though it conſent will with Mr Dels former doctrine, yet I find no Scripture doctrine agreeing thereunto. The ſcripture doctrine in this point (as I apprehend) is this, that all true believers, through faith in Chriſt, are gratiouſly adopted to be the ſons of God; and if ſons, then are they heirs of God, and joynt heirs with Chriſt of all things, and ſpecially of the eternal heavenly glory which is to come.
(E) That true faith uniting us as members to the Lord Jeſus, doth carry us out of the reach of the law, ſin, death, and hell, ſo far, that none of them ſhall prevail againſt us, being believers, unto deſtruction, is doubtleſſe a ſweet Goſpel truth: But that faith putteth us out of the reach of theſe evils, by putting us into the Son of God, or Godhead of our Saviour, is barely Mr Dels aſſertion without the Scripture; which teacheth that believers are carried out of the deſtroying reach of the law, ſin, death, and hel, through the redemption which is in Chriſt Jeſus; not through any ſuch union into the Son of God, as he here drives at.
(F) That right faith carrieth believers into the Son of God, into all his perfections and excellencies, into his nature, life, wiſdom and glory, and into all the fulneſſe of the Son of the living God, is a poſition which before this time, I think never dropped from the tongue or pen of any Chriſtian. Mr Del ſeems not to have arrived to the height of ſuch an apprehenſion by what we read, Sect. 16. (F). ſc. So that the life of the Son of God is communicated truly to all the faithful, and is to be ſeen in their fleſh in ſome meaſure, as wel as in his in all fulneſſe; But it is here plainly and peremptorily affirmed, that believers are carried into all the fulneſs of the Son of the living God, the neceſſary conſequences whereof, how dreadful they are, I leave to him to conſider; I truſt he doth not believe, that in believers dwelleth all the fulneſs of the Godhead bodily, which the Apoſtle pointed at as the peculiar incommunicable honour and excellency of our Lord Jeſus the Son of the living God, Col. 2.9.
(G) Where is that believer that doth good works continually? The Apoſtle Paul found not in himſelf a continual ability to do good works, Rom. 7.15,18. and pointed at the ſame impotency in the believing Galathians, Gal. 5.17. And me thinks, to affirm that a Chriſtian, as naturally and neceſſarily doth the works of God, as the fire burneth and the Sun ſhineth, which creatures we know have no ſeeds of oppoſition againſt their native operations in them, is plainly to make a Chriſtian perfectly ſpiritual and holy, free from all reliques of native corruption, oppoſing in him the willings of grace: And if any ſuch Chriſtian be to be found, according to Mr Dels doctrine, he muſt needs exceed the meaſure of the Apoſtle Pauls holineſſe, which I think, no true humble Chriſtian will pretend unto.
SECT. XVIII.
BY all which we may perceive, that true faith is a greater matter then the moſt are aware of. (A) For men uſually think, that when they hear the Goſpel in the outward Miniſtry, and aſſent to it that it is true, that this is Faith, and that then they do believe; but the true faith of Gods elect is a greater matter then ſo; for through that we are truly made one with the Son of the living God, and do abide and live in him for ever. (B) And ſo this right faith is a moſt high and precious grace, and is the firſt manifeſtation of the Fathers eternal love to the Soul, and the firſt grace whereby we have entrance into the Kingdom of God: it is the Sabbath of Sabbaths: it is the greateſt and higheſt worſhip of God: (C) it is infinite and everlaſting righteouſneſſe; it is the mortification of the fleſh, the quickening of the ſpirit; our mighty victory over the Law, Sin, Death, Hell, the World, and Devil; it is the firſt and laſt, and all in all, in the Kingdom of the Son: And he that believes as the Scriptures have ſaid, is already truly paſſed from ſin to righteouſneſſe, from death to life, and from Satan to God.
So that right faith is a moſt precious grace, and is found in very few of the common Profeſſours of the worldly Church; So that Chriſt himſelf makes this queſtion, The Son of man when he comes, ſhall he finde faith upon earth? And therefore it concerns all to inquire and try, Whether we partake of this Faith or no? And whether the life we live in the fleſh, be in the Faith of the Son of God? otherwiſe we muſt know, that as he that believes ſhall be ſaved, ſo he that believes not ſhall be damned.
It follows,
ANIMADVERSION 18.
(A) MAſter Dell, I ſuppoſe, whatever he intimateth in theſe words, cannot but know that the generality of Proteſtant Divines, place the nature of ſaving faith, not in a bare aſſent to the Goſpel, but in an act of the whole heart receiving Jeſus Chriſt, according to the Goſpel, John 1.12. And as for ſuch men who wreſt the nature of ſaving faith, ſhort of the receiving of Jeſus Chriſt with their whole heart, their doctrine is as unſatisfactory to the generallity of underſtanding Proteſtants, as to Mr Dell.
(B) If true faith be a moſt high and precious grace, as is here affirmed by Mr Dell; How then is Chriſt in believers truly all grace? which is aſſerted by him, Sect. 14. (B) Is Chriſt a believers right faith too? That were very ſtrange.
(C) The praiſe of a right faith is very great in the book of God: But to ſay of faith that it is infinite and everlaſting righteouſneſſe; and again, that it is the firſt and the laſt, and all in all in the kingdom of the Son, is no Scripture expreſſion, and theſe poſitions ſeem to trench very far upon the glory of the Lord Jeſus, of whom alone theſe high things are, and can be truly affirmed, Jer. 23.6. Rev. 1.11. Coloſ. 3.11.