Sweet and Soul-Persuading Inducements Leading Unto Christ, Chapter 22
CHAP. XXII.
Chriſt living in man deſcribed.IF you demand what is the life of Chriſt, or Chriſt living in the children of God? I anſwer, it is a ſpirituall power or Principle of grace which Chriſt by his Spirit doth put into the hearts of the elect at their regeneration inabling them to move themſelves to God-ward, in knowing, willing, intending, thinking, loving, ſpeaking and doing the things which are pleaſing unto God; called the life of Chriſt, becauſe Chriſt is the Authour and the root thereof; becauſe it is a life which Chriſt commandeth and approveth, and becauſe hereby Chriſt liveth in all them that are regenerate; and this is ſometimes termed a ſRom. 6.11.being alive to God, becauſe men are hereby moved and quickned to doe what pleaſeth God; ſometimes it is ſtiled a tRom. 6.8.living with Chriſt, having communion and fellowſhip with the grace of Chriſt for newneſſe of life, or with the glory of Chriſt for eternall felicity; ſometimes it is termed a uRom. 6.4.new life, a pure and unblameable life, framed (not after the luſts of the old man, but (after the will of God in his word; and ſometimes it is called a wRom. 14.8.living unto God; regenerate man conſecrating and ordering his whole life after the will of God, and unto his glory. Chriſt living in man, doth inable, move, and worke the heart of man to acknowledge God and Chriſt to be his Lord, and himſelfe not to be his owne but Gods and Chriſts ſervant. 2. To frame and order his thoughts, words and works according to the word of God and Chriſt in every thing. 3. To referre and apply himſelfe, his whole life, and whatſoever he hath to the honour of God and Chriſt. And fourthly, in all the changes, dangers, and afflictions of his life to depend upon God and Chriſt, for counſell, ſupportment, protection and deliverance; and this is Chriſts living in man, and Chriſts keeping and continuing man in the ſtate of grace unto the ſtate of glory.
If you aske me how or in what manner Chriſt begins to live in man? I anſwer:Manner of Chriſts living in Man. 1. By awakening Man.
1. Chriſt doth awaken man, as the Angell ſmote Peter upon the ſide, and xActs 12.7.awakened him when he ſlept between the two ſouldiers, with fetters upon him in Herods priſon. This doth Chriſt by his word without, and the motion of his ſpirit within, ſmite upon the heart and conſcience of man ſleeping between two great ſouldiers, the devill on his right hand, and the world on his left hand, in the priſon of ſin; Chriſt thus ſmiting upon man, awakens man, cauſes him to open his eyes, to ſee his miſerable and wretched eſtate, to ſee the danger wherein he ſtands: As the Prophet y2 King. 6.20.opened the eyes of the Syrians, and let them ſee they were in Samaria, in the hands of their enemies. Thus Chriſt awakens man, opens the eyes of mans underſtanding, and makes him ſee himſelfe in the hands of Satan, lead away captive by him at his will, in the gall of bitterneſſe, and under the bond of iniquity, poore, blind, naked, miſerable and wretched; Chriſt makes him ſee the neceſſity he hath of his righteouſneſſe to juſtifie him, of his power to deliver him, of his interceſſion to reconcile God unto him, and of his fulneſſe to fill him. Thus when Chriſt intended to live in Paul, he firſt awakened him out of his ſpirituall ſleep and ſlumber, he made him ſee himſelfe: I was zRom. 7.9.alive once (ſaith he) without the Law, I was once ignorant of the Law, I was blind, and knew not the meaning of the law, I thought my ſelfe to be a living man in Gods family, a ſhining ſtarre in the firmament of Gods Church, and a fruitfull vine in the Lords vineyard, but when the commandement came, ſinne revived, and I dyed; when Chriſt awakened me, opened my eyes, and inabled me to diſcerne a right of the commandement, then I ſaw I was under the dominion of ſinne, as a dead man is under the dominion of death, wholly poſſeſſed by ſinne, as the dead by death. Man hath firſt the ſence of his being dead in ſinne before he hath the ſence of Chriſt living in him; Chriſt makes man to know his miſery by ſinne, before he knowes his happineſſe by Chriſt; Chriſt lives not where the ſoule is not awakened, where the eyes of the underſtanding are not opened; therefore aEph. 5.14.awake (ſaith the Apoſtle) thou that ſleepeſt and ſtand up from the dead, and Chriſt ſhall give thee light.
2. By humbling Man.2. Chriſt intending to live in man doth humble man, and cauſeth man to dye to ſinne: Saul firſt dyed before David reigned in Iſrael: The death of ſinne in order of divine operation, precedes the life of Chriſt, and his grace in the ſoule of man; firſt we are buried with Chriſt, and then we are raiſed with Chriſt to walke in newneſſe of life; firſt we are planted into the likeneſſe of Chriſts bRom. 6.death, and then into the likeneſſe of his reſurrection Chriſt therefore in the diſpenſation of ſpirituall life, doth firſt kill, and then make alive, firſt wound, and then heale; he makes man ſenſible of his ſinne, as of a heavy burthen, before he doth eaſe him, as of a body of death, before he doth raiſe him, as of a mortall diſeaſe before he doth cure him; he chargeth ſinne upon the conſcience of man, he ſets it upon him, to purſue and follow him, as the avenger of bloud under the Law purſued the malefactor. The Lord let looſe Pharaoh and the Egyptians upon Iſrael to impoſe heavy burthens upon them, to deale hardly with them, to beat and ſcourge them, to purſue and follow them, when he intended to ſet them free from Egypt: Chriſt lets looſe Satan and corruption upon man, to tempt and vexe, to accuſe and torment man, when he intends to free man, to reſtore ſpirituall life and liberty unto man. The Iſraelites were firſt led into the red Sea, and the Egyptians there drowned, before Iſrael triumphed; Man is led into a ſea of griefe and ſorrow for ſinne, and his ſinne there drowned, and then he triumpheth in Chriſt, then Chriſt lives in him, and he in Chriſt. When Chriſt therefore doth humble man as he cActs 9.cast Paul to the earth, emptieth man of all thought of his owne worth, and makes man abhorre himſelfe below the duſt, cauſeth man with the Jewes at Peters Sermon to cry out, dActs 2.37.men and brethren what ſhall we doe; to accuſe and condemne themſelves, to loath that ſinne as a eIſa. 30.22.menſtruous clout, which was formerly worne by them as a garment of great choiſe, to fIob 20.15.vomit up that ſinne (it is Jobs expreſſion) as the gall of Aſpes, which he formerly kept in his mouth, and ſwallowed downe like ſweet meat; to hate his ſinne more then ever he loved it, and to thruſt it out of the doores of his heart, as Amnon hated Thamar more then ever he loved her, and thruſt her out of his houſe. When Chriſt doth thus humble man, thus ſet the heart of man againſt ſin, and mortifie ſinne in man,2 Sam. 13.15. then Chriſt begins to live in man. When a man puls downe a houſe that is ruinous and unhabitable, and begins to lay a new foundation, then we know he uſually intends to dwell and live there. Thus when Chriſt puls downe the old man, a ruinous and unhabitable dwelling, unfit to entertaine Chriſt; when Chriſt puls downe our pride, when our old man (as S. Paul ſpeaks) is crucified with Chriſt, when all high thoughts are caſt downe, and Chriſt hath laid another, a new foundation of ſelf-denyall and true humility, then Chriſt meanes to dwell there, then undoubtedly Chriſt begins to live there.
3.3 By putting a reſtleſneſſe into the heart of Man.Chriſt beginning to live in man puts a restleſneſſe into the heart of man in his naturall and corrupt eſtate, makes him out of love with himſelfe, fils him with diſlike of his owne wayes and works, alienates and takes him off from creature, and works him to an earneſt longing after Chriſt, as the chaſed Hart panteth after the water-brookes,gPſal. 4….1. being chaſed and frighted with the ſence of his ſinne, and the hideous noiſe of his guilty, accuſing and tormenting conſcience; he begins to thinke of Chriſt, to betake himſelfe to Chriſt, for comfort, pardon and ſalvation, as the guilty malefactor under the Law, being purſued by the avenger of bloud, betooke himſelfe to the City of Refuge for ſhelter and defence, now his ſoul… followeth hard after Chriſt, hPſal. 62.8.now he prizeth intereſt in Chriſt farre above intereſt in the creature, now he would take Chriſt upon any termes, he would gladly leave all for Chriſt, he ſees there is no other Phyſitian can heale him, no other ſurety can make ſatisfaction for him, no other ſhield and buckler can protect him, no other friend can comfort him; and therefore he flies to Chriſt, as Joah to the hornes of the Altar; he preſſeth after Chriſt, labours to lay hold on Chriſt, as the diſeaſed woman did, whom no Phyſitian could cure; and as there went a iMar. 5.vertue out from Chriſt, that healed her bloudy iſſue, when ſhe touched the hemme of Chriſts garment, ſo there goes a vertue out from Chriſt, healing and enlivening the ſoule, longing after Chriſt, and touching Chriſt by faith, though it may ſeem to be but weakly and afar off: For as when the iron comes neare the loadſtone, there goes a virtue from the loadſtone, that moves and drawes the iron to it: ſo when man comes neare Chriſt, in hearing, in prayer, in humiliation and earneſt longing, there goes a vertue from Chriſt, which moves, enlivens, and drawes the ſoule of man home to Chriſt, and Chriſt begins to live in man, to ſuſtaine and ſtrengthen the ſoule of man.
4. By a Revelation of Chriſt in Man.4. Chriſt beginning to live in man, there is a revelation of Jeſus Chriſt in the ſoule of man. The Sonne of God (as S. Paul ſpeaks) is kGal. 1.15.revealed in man. There goes a light forth from the Sunne in the Firmament which reveales the Sunne to the eye of man, and there goes forth a ſpirituall and heavenly light from the Sunne of Righteouſneſſe into the ſoule of man, which reveales Chriſt unto man; which the Apoſtle cals a l2 Cor. 4.6.ſhining of Chriſt into our hearts. Chriſt revealing himſelfe unto the ſoule, as the only Saviour miniſtring ſalvation to the ſoule, as the only Prophet inſtructing man, and filling him with heavenly knowledge, as the only Jordan, bathing and cleanſing the ſoule from ſinne, as the only Prince of Peace, ſweetly and powerfully ruling in the heart of man, and graciouſly reconciling God and man, as the only beloved Husband, marrying himſelfe to man, as the only precious pearle, in whom is all the treaſure of the ſoul of man, as the only rocke, in whom is all the ſtrength of man, and by whom man is ſupported, as the only rich and royall roabe, by whom mans ſinne is covered, and the ſoule of man juſtified; and as the onelyonly fountaine, in whom man meets with fulneſſe of ſatisfaction; and where Chriſt is thus revealed, there he liveth. This Revelation of Chriſt in man miniſters life and comfort unto man.
5. By changing Man.5. Chriſt beginning to live in man doth very powerfully and graciouſly change and reforme man; he doth cauſe his Goſpell to come to man not in m… Theſ. 1.5.word only but in power alſo, humbling man, breaking and bruiſing the ſtony heart, plowing up the fallow ground of mans heart, making it of barren to become good ground, cauſing the choiſeſt plants of his grace, and fruits of righteouſneſſe to grow there. Chriſt doth not onelyonly proffer his grace, and ſtirre up good deſires and purpoſes, but he infuſeth ſupernaturall qualities of holineſſe into the ſoule of man; he makes him a new creature, cauſing old things to paſſe away, and making all things become new; he puts not a forme, but a power of godlineſſe into man; he dyes the heart in graine with grace and holineſſe; he makes him a living man indeed for his life and power of grace, for his unfained love to God, for his burning zeale for God, for his gracious progreſſe in the wayes of God, for his ſweet and bleſſed delight in God, and for his full and through conformity to the will of God: Chriſt cauſeth his Spirit to come upon him mightily, as it came upon nIud. 14.Sampſon, inabling him to overcome the Devill, the world and his owne corruption, as the Spirit inabled Sampſon to overcome the Lyon, transforming man into the Image and likeneſſe of God, not as the Devill transformed himſelfe into the Image and likeneſſe of Samuel, remaining a Devill ſtill; but as Chriſt oIohn 5.turned water into wine, graciouſly changing the qualities of man, making him of a dead a living man, of proud humble, of ignorant wiſe, of obſtinate ſoft and tender hearted, of prophane holy, of cold fervent, of barren fruitfull, of weake and impotent, untoward and indiſpoſed, he makes him ſtrong and able, apt and ready to every good duty, and this is the manner of Chriſts living in man.