Animadversions on William Dells Book, Section 9
SECT. IX. Nevertheleſs I live.
EVery true Believer is as well quickned with Chriſt, as crucified with him; I am crucified with Chriſt, nevertheleſſe I live. (A) So that as the humanity of Chriſt (which is the firſt Example and Pattern, to which the whole Church is conformed) being deprived of its own proper life through the Word and Spirit that dwelt in it, had inſtead thereof the life of the Son of God communicated to it: and that Son of man having parted with his own proper life out of himſelf, did yet truly live in the ſame ſoul and body, the life of the Eternal Word; and was ſo crucified, that nevertheleſſe he lived; ſo alſo it is with all Chriſtians: And therefore Paul ſaith out of his own experience, I am crucified with Chriſt, nevertheleſſe I live: as if he had ſaid, I am not crucified to death, but to life; my crucifying with Chriſt is my quickning; for by this means I am ſo killed that I live the more; yea now onelyonly I do truly live, being formerly dead. My own proper life in my ſelf was my death, but Chriſts life in me is my true life. For I was dead with the worſt death, to wit, in treſpaſſes and ſins, but now I live in the best life, even the life of righteouſneſſe.
(B) Whence it is manifeſt, that the living Word and Spirit of Chriſt in a Chriſtian do ſo kill the life of his fleſh (which is a life of ſin and ſorrow, and darkneſſe, and death) that at the ſame time they communicate to the ſame man, to the ſame ſoul and body, a true, and ſpiritual, and holy, and heavenly, and eternal life.
(C) For no man is crucified with Chriſt, but he alſo lives with him: ſeeing the ſame Word that kils our life, communicates Chriſts: and Chriſt crucifies us with himſelf, not that he may kill us, but that he may quicken us: and our quickning is the end of our crucifying, and our crucifying is the way to our quickening.
(D) Indeed the killing of the fleſh by the ſword or famine, or the Law, or any way elſe is death indeed, or death unto death; but the killing of the fleſh by the living Word and Spirit, which is its crucifying with Chriſt, is death unto life.
And here again we may note this alſo, That the true life of a Chriſtian, begins from his crucifying and dying with Chriſt; and alſo the true crucifying and dying of a Chriſtian begins from his life in Chriſt. For both theſe inſeparably go together, to wit, our crucifying and our quickening with Chriſt. But our crucifying with Chriſt is named firſt in order, becauſe it is firſt in manifeſtation, ſeeing after we believe, Chriſts death is firſt manifeſted in us, before Chriſts life; though Chriſts life be firſt in us in order of nature: the crucifying of our fleſh, flowing from the life of his Spirit
This then is the ſum of this matter, (E) That the living Word dwelling in us, deſtroyes the proper life of the fleſh, and takes up the fleſh into the life of it ſelf and the Spirit. And ſo a man in union with Chriſt, hath his own life deſtroyed out of him, and Christs own life communicated to him. So that in the true Believer, the ſoul and body of man live in the life of the Son of God, as was done in the fleſh of Chriſt our elder Brother.
And thus the fleſh lives a life that is not of the fleſh; yea thus the creature lives in it ſelf the life of God. For as that eternal life that was with the Father, was manifeſted in the Son, that is in his fleſh or humanity, and all Believers have ſeen and known it; ſo alſo that very life of the Father and the Son, is both communicated to the Saints, and alſo manifeſt in them, as faith very well knows. (F) And this is the great myſtery of the Goſpel; let them receive it, that can receive it.
ANIMADVERSION 9.
(A) IN theſe words, Mr Dell hath couched together ſix ſtrange poſitions, to which I would ſay more in this place, but that the matter of them is diſcuſſed, and the errour of them, as I conceive, diſcovered in my Animadverſions on other paſſages of this book.
1. That the humanity of Chriſt was deprived of its own proper life, through the word and ſpirit that dwelt in it.
2. That in ſtead thereof, it had the life of the Son of God communicated to it.
3. That the ſon of man parted with his own proper life out of himſelf.
4. That he did yet live truly in the ſame ſoul and body, the life of the eternal word.
5. That the whole church is conformed to the pattern of the humanity of Chriſt, in point of living the life of the eternal word.
6. That the Son of man, was ſo crucified, that nevertheleſſe he lived whilst he was crucified.
If Mr Dell can produce one Scripture in proof of any one of theſe Poſitions, I am utterly unacquainted with it: I think it may be truly ſaid of them, recitaſſe eſt refutaſſe, the reciting is a ſufficient refuting of them.
(B) That the ſpirit of Chriſt in a Chriſtian doth ſo kil the life of his fleſh, that is, of his body of ſin, that at the ſame time it doth communicate to the ſame man, to the ſame ſoul and body, a true, ſpiritual, holy, heavenly and eternal life, is a known truth, acknowledged by thoſe, whoſe ſouls have not entred into Mr Dels ſecrets: If this be all he meaneth and mindeth, he ſhould but uſe old plain words, and he ſhould find conſent of judgement in all his brethren. Me thinks the words of the Lord to Job, ſhould ſound loudly in the ears of ſome men in our dayes, who are of a deeper language in matters of Religion, then that their brethren can well underſtand them; Who is this that darkens counſel with words without knowledge? Job 38.2. It is the glory of the Miniſters of the Goſpel, not to be vail'd like Moſes, but to uſe much plainneſſe of ſpeech in their doctrine, ſeeing the Lord ſhineth in their hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jeſus Chriſt.
(C) All this in a ſound ſence, is ſound doctrine; If the words be not put upon new tentors, they do not outreach the old apprehenſions of Gods ſervants amongſt us.
(D) Is it the ſame fleſh (as theſe words import) which is killed by the ſword or famine, and which is killed by the Law and Spirit of Chriſt, and ſo crucified with him? Me thinks no Chriſtian which ever looked into the Scriptures, ſhould upon ſecond thoughts ſay ſo: The one is evidently the material body, and the other the body of ſin, which are things vaſtly different.
(E) That Chriſt by his Spirit in believers deſtroyeth the proper life of the fleſh, underſtanding thereby the old man, is very true; but then it is utterly falſe, that Chriſt takes up that fleſh into the life of the Spirit of God. And in theſe words, if Mr Dell underſtand by fleſh, the nature, or natural body of man, then they carry in them a falſhood throughout; for neither doth Chriſt dwelling in us by his Spirit, destroy the proper life of our humane nature, or natural body; neither is our humane nature or natural body taken up into the life of the Word and Spirit, as is here confidently affirmed: And to ſay, that in the true believer the ſoul and body of man live in the life of the Son of God, as was done in the fleſh of Chriſt our elder brother, is to make believers the ſons of God, and partakers of the divine nature, in the ſame manner as our Lord Jeſus was, which cannot be mentioned without trembling; and me thinks ſhould not be the judgement of any Chriſtian. Doubtleſſe the Apoſtle Paul underſtood that God was manifeſted in the fleſh in the perſon of our Saviour, in a ſpecial, peculiar, and incommunicable manner, when deſcribing the myſterie of Godlineſſe, relating to our Saviour, he made the firſt branch of it God manifeſted in the fleſh, 1 Tim. 3.16.
(F) This is the great myſtery of the Goſpel: for certain? would it be a degree of infidelity to doubt, or deny that this is Goſpel? It ſeems Mr Dell thinks ſo, by adding, Let them receive it who can receive it. But who gave him warrant with ſuch abſolute peremptorineſſe to impoſe his notions upon others as Goſpel, the great myſterie of the Goſpel? I cannot but ſtand amazed at the ſtrange confidence of ſome men, who dare aſſume unto themſelves our Saviours authority, or at leaſt, the boldneſſe to make uſe of his authoritative words, without any preface, in preſſing of their new and ſtrange doctrines, to ſay no worſe, upon others, as high points and great myſteries of the Goſpel. Such high confidence in points wherein men may poſſibly be brought to an after conviction of their errour, I take to be one of the moſt dangerous pinacles upon which men are liable to be tempted to caſt themſelves down through the medium of ſcepticiſme, into the bottome of Atheiſm; wherein we have many ſad examples before our eyes. Who can but love and reverence the learned Chriſtian modeſty of aged Auſtin? who wrote thus of himſelf, Lib. de bono perſeverantiae, cap. 21. Quamvis neminem velim ſic amplecti omnia mea, ut me ſequatur, niſi in tis in quibus me non errare perſpexerit. Though I would have no man ſo to imbrace all that I affirm, as to follow me in any other points, but ſuch only wherein he perceiveth that I do not go aſtray. And again in the ſame chapter, Quandoquidem arrogantiùs loquor quam veriùs ſi vel nunc dico me ad perfectionem, ut ſine ullo errore ſcriberem jam in iſtâ aetaete veniſſe. I ſhall ſpeak more arrogantly then truly, if I ſhall even now ſay that I am at this age arriv'd to that perfection that I do write without all errour. How happy would it be if ſuch a ſpirit were more commonly to be diſcerned in our dayes.