Sweet and Soul-Persuading Inducements Leading Unto Christ, Chapter 21
CHAP. XXI.
THe third thing in theſe words, is, an Act, liveth. Chriſts living in man; the ſoule liveth in the body, enlivening, preſerving, and ſtrengthening the body; and Chriſt liveth in man, enlivening man with the life of grace, preſerving man in the eſtate of grace, ſCol. 1.11.ſtrengthening him with all might according to his glorious power. Chriſt is the ſoule of our ſoules, the t1 Cor. 15.45.quickning Spirit, by whom we are ſpiritually enlivened; Chriſt by the ſupernaturall, gracious, and powerfull operation of his Spirit, raiſing us to newneſſe or life, and living in us, by this powerfull and holy worke of his. Whence obſerve,
That Chriſt lives in Gods children by his holy and powerfull worke of Sanctification.Doct.
The uEzek. 1.20.Spirit of the living creatures in Ezekiels viſion was in the wheeles, and when the living creature went they went, and when the living creature was lifted up, they were lifted up, becauſe the Spirit of the living creature was in the wheeles. Thus the Spirit of Chriſt is in the children of God, and they live as Chriſt lives, they move according to Chriſts preſcription, becauſe the Spirit of Chriſt is in them, becauſe Chriſt lives in them, and works effectually by his Spirit upon them, putting a Principle of ſpirituall life into them: The Prophet Eliſha applyed himſelfe to the woman of Shunems ſonne that was dead; w2 King 4.34.He lay upon the childe, and his mouth upon the childes mouth, and his eyes upon the childes eyes, and his hands upon the childes hands; he ſtretched himſelfe upon the childe, and the fleſh of the childe waxed warme; the childe neeſed and opened his eyes. Chriſt applyeth himſelfe and his benefits to the underſtandings of men, to the ſoules and conſciences of men, and their cold hearts are warmed, their blind eyes are opened, their ſoules are enlivened, and Chriſt lives within them, raiſing them from the death of ſinne, and reſtoring them to the life of God, from which they are alienated by ſinne; therefore Saint John ſaith, x1 Iohn 5.12.He that hath not the Sonne, hath not life; He that hath not the Son graciouſly poſſeſſing him, ſpiritually quickning him, powerfully working upon him, and cauſing a holy change in him; he hath not life, the life of God, that holy and gracious life, which God through Chriſt communicates to the ſoules of his ſervants; but he that hath the Sonne, he that beleeveth in the Sonne is united to the Sonne, and hath the Sonne living in him; he hath life, he is ſpiritually quickened and enlivened; And God (ſaith the Apoſtle) hath y1 Iohn 5.11.given us eternall life, and this life is in his Sonne: God hath placed this, and the fulneſſe of all divine and heavenly good things in his Sonne; he diſpenſeth all theſe by the Sonne, that no man may live before him, without the Sonne living in him, and the Sonne is called zIohn 1.4.Life, having in himſelfe the fulneſſe of all life, having the power of life and death, being the Authour and the root of life in all them that live the life of grace, no man comming to the Father, receiving life from the Father, finding grace and favour with the Father, but in and through the Sonne, who is to us, the aIohn 14.6.Way, the Truth, and the Life; the way by whom we walk; the truth by whom we are guided, and the life by whom we are quickned, called by Saint Paul our bCol. 3.4.life, becauſe we live not the life of grace of our ſelves, but by Chriſt: It is a life which ariſeth not from our fleſh, but is derived to us from Chriſt; Chriſt liveth in us, begetteth, preſerveth, and perfecteth this life in all beleevers; and for this end Chriſt came, that all the choſen of God might cIohn 10.10.have life, and that they might have it more abundantly; Miniſtring not onelyonly an inchoation, but a daily increaſe of the life of grace, untill they come to the life of glory; and Chriſt is termed eternall life; having life eternall in himſelfe,d1 Iohn 5.20. working life eternall, and living for ever in us, we enjoying the true and eternall God in and through Chriſt.
And Chriſt liveth in all them that are the children of God.
Grounds of Chriſt living in us. 1. By way of Originall1. By way of Originall. The life of grace is originally from Chriſt; Chriſt being not only the Author of this life, with the Father and the Holy-Ghoſt; but alſo the root of this life in us, living in us as the root liveth in the branches, as the parent liveth in the childe; therefore Chriſt is called the eIohn 15.1vine, and we the branches: As the life of the branches is originally in the vine, ſo is our life originally in Chriſt; and as the branches live by the vine living in them, ſo we live by Chriſt living in us: And the Apoſtle termeth the ſecond Adam, which is Chriſt, a f1 Cor. 15.45quickning ſpirit: For as the life of the body of man is originally from the ſoule, the ſoule quickning and living in the body: ſo the life of grace is originally from Chriſt, Chriſt ſpiritually quickening, and living in all beleevers; and as the body without the spirit is dead, ſo is man without Chriſt ſpiritually dead in ſins.
2. By way of Coniunction. 2 By way of Conjunction.Chriſt liveth in vsus by being united to us, and made one with us: The ſtocke liveth in the graft, by union with the graft, we being takengRom. 11.24. out of the wilde Olive, ſeparated from our naturall and corrupt eſtate, called and gathered home to Chriſt, and grafted in the true Olive; we live in him, and he lives in us: If ye hIohn 15.5.abide in me, and I in you, ye ſhall bring forth much fruit, ſaith Chriſt:1 Pet 2.5. If ye be united unto me, and I united unto you, then you ſhall live, and be very fruitfull. By being built upon Chriſt the living ſtone, they become lively ſtones.
3. By way of influence, infuſion, and tranſmiſſion. 3 By way of influence.The heavens by an influence into the earth, doe quicken and enliven the earth, and make all the ſeeds and roots hidden in the earth to revive and put themſelves forth, to ſprout and flouriſh; there is an influence going forth from the Sun of righteouſneſſe into the ſoules of men, reviving and quickning them, and making them of dead to become living, of barren to become fruitfull: To iM…l. 4.2.you (ſaith the Lord) ſhall the Sun of Righteouſneſſe ariſe with healing in his wings, and ye ſhall goe forth and grow up as the calves of the ſtall. There is an influence goeth forth from the skill ſeated in the mind, and ſtrength ſeated in the hand of the Artificer, which paſſeth upon the worke, whereby he moulds and faſhions it, and ſets a ſtamp upon it, according to his pleaſure; Thus there is a heavenly influence, a holy vertue, and power comming from Chriſt, and his Spirit, that new moulds and faſhions, that mightily quickens and enlivens the ſoule of man, by which Chriſt ſets his owne Image upon man; and this is called the kPhil. 3.10.power of Chriſts Reſurrection; That I may know him ſaith Paul, and the power of his Reſurrection, that I may know Chriſt, and be made partakers of the good things which come by Chriſt, that I may know him as a Prophet inſtructing me, as a Prieſt ſanctifying me, as a King reigning ſpiritually within me; and that I may know the power of his Reſurrection, in the vivification of my ſoule, in the abolition of my ſinne, in the taking away of the guilt of my tranſgreſſion, in the acquiſition of righteouſneſſe, and in the reſtoring of me to the aſſured hope of future glory and immortality; There is a virtue flowes from the Reſurrection of Chriſts body from the grave, to the reſurrection of the ſoules of men from the death of ſinne: As Chriſt lRom. 6.4.was raiſed from the death by the glory of the Father, even ſo ſhould we walke in newneſſe of life, ſaith the Apoſtle; and this influence of Chriſt into the ſoule of man is called the mEph. 1.19.exceeding greatneſſe of his power; an exceeding great power for the omnipotency of the Agent; for the mightineſſe of the Devill, ſinne, death and the world, who are overcome by it; for the greatneſſe of the holy and gracious change wrought thereby in the ſoules of men, changing the whole frame of the hearts of men, from death to life, from darkneſſe to light, from bondage to liberty, from uncleanneſſe to holineſſe, from earthlineſſe to heavenlineſſe; and by this powerfull and mighty influence doth Chriſt live in the ſoules of Gods children.
4. By way of Gubernation.4. By way of gubernation and direction. The head liveth in the members, acting and guiding the members to move, and worke according to the dictates of the head; and Chriſt as head liveth in beleevers, his members, acting and guiding, framing and diſpoſing them to move and walke, and doe the things pleaſing in his ſight; the will moves the members of the body too and fro by a commanding active power, that goes from the will, acting and ſtirring the members, according to the diſpoſition of the wil, the Pilot by his preſence in the ſhip, and by his activity, ſtrength and skill, turnes the rudder of the ſhip, and guides the courſe therof to a quite contrary point of the Compaſſe; the King by an influence from his Majeſty, authority, power and Laws, lives and reigns in the hearts of his loyall and obedient Subjects, binding and bowing them to the obſervation of his Edicts. That there is a commanding active power paſſeth from Chriſt upon the ſoules of all ſanctified perſons, whereby he lives and reignes in them, acts and moves them, according to the diſpoſition of his will, turnes the rudder of their affections, and guides the courſe of their lives to a quite contrary point, then what they formerly moved and tended to, hence it is that our Saviour ſaith, the nLuke 17.21.kingdome of God is within you; Chriſt by his Spirit enlightening their hearts, and effectually moving, working, and framing their ſoules to beleeve his promiſes, and doe his will; and they are ſaid to have the Law in oPſal. 40.8.their hearts; Chriſt ruling and commanding there, by putting into their hearts a diſpoſition of holy and humble ſubjection, ſutable to the holineſſe of the Law: And it was prophecyed of Chriſt, that in the day of his pPſal. 110.3.power, when Chriſt ſhould be preached, and his kingdome erected in the hearts of men: The people ſhould be willing, voluntarily and freely ſubject and obedient unto Chriſt, as the members to the head; and thus Chriſt lives in men by his holy gubernation, raigne and rule in the ſoules of men.
5. By way of preſervation and continuance unto perfection. 5. By way of preſervation.The ſoule lives in the body, preſerving the body from putrefaction, continuing the body unto its appointed perfection; Chriſt liveth in the ſoules of Gods children, preſerving them from ſinne, that they doe not putrifie in ſinne, though annoyed with ſinne, as the body with naſty humours, and keeping them from the death of ſinne, that it never get dominion over them, as death over dead men, though it abide like a diſeaſe within them; perfecting alſo the life of grace in them, untill they come to the life of glory: Thoſe thou gaveſt me (ſaith Chriſt) I have qIohn 17.12.kept, and none of them is loſt. Whom God the Father gives to Chriſt by eternall election, and effectuall vocation, them Chriſt keeps in the ſtate of grace, in them he nouriſhes and maintaines ſpirituall life, them he keeps in the knowledge of Gods truth, in the ſaith of Gods promiſes, in the love of Gods teſtimonies, in the obedience of Gods precepts; them he keeps in proſperity, that they ſwell not; in adverſity, that they repine not; in temptation, that they deſpaire not; in all changes, that they change not; he doth r1 Pet 5.10.perfect, stabliſh, ſtrengthen, and ſettle them; he makes ſpirituall life more full and active, ſtrong and vigorous in them; the longer Chriſt liveth in them, the more perfection he miniſters unto them, the more abundantly he fils them, the more he manifeſts the power of his grace towards them: and thus Chriſt lives in Gods children, by preſerving and perfecting the life of grace in them. And thus you ſee it is apparent that Chriſt doth live in Gods children, by his gracious and powerfull worke of Sanctification.