SERMON XLV.
And I have declared unto them thy
name, and will declare it; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in
them, and I in them.—john XVII. 26.
'and I in them.' This is the
next aim of Christ, the mystical union. This is fitly coupled with the former
privilege. God's love is the fountain of all mercy, and mystical union is the
means of conveyance. The Father's love and the Son's inhabitation are elsewhere
conjoined: [Pg. 142]
John xiv. 23, 'My Father will love him, and we will
come unto him, and make our abode with him.' God's love cannot he in us unless
Christ be in us, nor Christ be in us without the
Father's love. God loveth the elect freely in Jesus
Christ, and therefore giveth us his Spirit to work
faith in our hearts, that Christ may dwell there, and be one with us, and we
with him: love is the rise of all. And again, without the perpetual residence
of Christ in the heart, we cannot have a sense of God's love. Again, from this
conjunction we may learn the presence of the whole Trinity in the heart of a
believer, as in a consecrated temple. The love of the Father it is in us, by
the Holy Ghost given to us:
Observe that the gospel is made
known to us to this intent, that Christ may be in us; or, this is one great
privilege of the gospel, that Christ may be in us by a perpetual residence, as
a principle and fountain of the spiritual life.
First, What is meant
by Christ's being in us? How can one man be in another? I shall answer
First, Negatively;
how it is not to be understood, that we may remove all false, gross, and
unworthy thoughts.
1. It is not contiguity that we
speak of, but union. Two pieces of wood lying together are not united. Christ
is in heaven, we on earth; there is no contiguity, and if there were, it would
not cause a union. There is indeed a union of contact, as when two hands are
joined together, which may resemble this union; for there is a mutual or
reciprocal apprehension; Christ apprehendeth us, and
we him: Phil. iii. 12, 'If that I may apprehend that for which also I am
apprehended of Christ Jesus.' He taketh hold of us by
his Spirit, and we take hold of him by faith. But of this by
and by.
2. It is not a congregation, as
things may be gathered together; as stones in a heap, they are united, or
gathered into one heap, but they do not act one upon another. And therefore the
Holy Ghost doth not resemble our union with Christ by stones in a heap, but by
stones in a building, that afford mutual strength and support to one another,
and Christ to the foundation and corner-stone, which beareth
up all the rest': 1 Peter ii. 5, 'Ye also as lively stones are built up a
spiritual house;' and Eph. ii. 20-22, 'And are built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in
whom all the building, fitly framed together, groweth
unto an holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are builded
together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.' Only here is the
difference, that is but a union of art, not of nature; and though stones
orderly placed do give strength and beauty one to another, yet they do not
communicate life and influence; therefore the Holy Ghost saith, 'Ye are as
living stones.'
3. It is not
representation only, as all persons are in their common person and
representation. This is a part of the privilege; we are in Christ as our surety
and common person. He impersonated and [Pg. 143] represented us
upon the cross, and doth now in heaven, where he appeareth
for us as our agent and leiger with God. Thus what is
done to him is done to us. This is the judicial union; but this is not all, for
thus we may he said to be in Christ, but he cannot be said to be in us, Ί in them.' There is influence as well as
representation.
4. It is not an objective union, aut unio occupationis; as the object is in the faculty, the star
in the eye that seeth it, though at thousands of
miles' distance; and what I think of is in my mind, and what I desire is in my
heart, as a scholar's mind is in his books; when the mind is occupied and taken
up with anything, it is in it So when I fear God, my mind is with him; when I
love God, my heart is with him. But this is not all, partly because such an
objective union there is between Christ and hypocrites, they may think of him,
and know him. But this union is rather subjective; it maketh
us to live in Christ, and Christ liveth in us. Partly
because then we should be no longer united to Christ than we do actually think
of him, whereas Christ's being in us implieth a
perpetual residence: Eph. iii. 17, 'That Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith.' Dwelling doth not note a transient thought, a short visit, but a
constant stay and abode: John xiv. 23, \~kai\~ \~monhn\~ \~par\~ \~autw\~ \~poihsomen\~, 'We will come unto him, and we will make our
abode with him.' There Christ fixeth his seat and
residence.
5. It is not merely a relation
between us and Christ. He is not only ours, and we are his; but he is in us,
and we in him. The resemblance of head and members doth not relate to a
political body, but to a natural body. I am sure the case is clear in root and
branches, John xv. 1-3. And relations do not need such
bands and ties as constitute this union. There the Spirit and faith, and then
secondarily other graces.
6. It is not only a consent or
agreement; Christ agreeth to love us, and we to love
him: 'My love in them,' and 'I in them;' they are propounded as distinct.
Confederation maketh way for union.
7. It is not a union of dependence
merely, such as is between the cause and effect. The effect dependeth
on the cause, and is in the cause, and the cause is in the effect. This is
general to all creatures; for it is said, Acts xvii. 28, 'In him we live, and
move, and have our being.' Such a union there is between God and all creatures.
And not merely a dependence in regard of special and gracious
influences. That doth much open the privilege; but that is not all, for
then our union would be immediately with God the Father and the Spirit on whom
we depend. And so a union there is between God and the holy angels. And Christ
is in an especial manner the head of the church; it is a notion consecrated for
our conjunction with him.
8. It is not
merely a communion in the same nature. So he is Immanuel, God with us. But he
saith, 'I in them' He not only came into our natures, but he must come into our
hearts. This union is common to all, though I confess it is only reckoned and
imputed to the sanctified: Heb. ii. 11, 'For both he that sanctifieth,
and they that are sanctified, are all of one; for which cause he is not ashamed
to call them brethren.' And to the children of God: Heb. ii. 14, 'Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself took
part of the same.' [Pg. 144]
9. It is not
a mixture, as if Christ and we were confounded, and mingled our substances
together. That is a gross thought, and suiteth with
the carnal fancies of a corporeal eating his flesh and drinking his blood. We
are not mixed, his substance with ours, and ours with his; he remaining still a
distinct person, and we distinct persona
10. It is not a personal union, as
of the two natures in the person of Christ. We are not united to Christ so as
to make one person, but one mystical body: 1 Cor.
xii. 12, 'For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of
that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ' The whole is Christ
mystical, but every believer is not Christ
Thus I have endeavoured
to remove all gross and unworthy thoughts.
But now
Secondly,
Positively. What it is. I answer—We cannot fully
tell till we come to heaven; then we shall have perfect knowledge of it; then Christ
is all in all: John xiv. 20, 'At that day ye shall know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you.' Then our union is at
the height. But for the present we may call it a union of concretion and
coalition, for we are \~sumfutoi\~ 'planted into him,' Rom. vi. 5, and \~kollqmenoi\~, 'joined to the Lord,' 1 Cor.
vi. 17. It is immediately with Christ; we are united
to Father and Spirit, but by Christ, as the foot is united to the head, but by
the intervention of other members; so we are united to the Father and the
Spirit, but by Christ; as an arm or foot of the Son belongeth
to the Father, but as the Son belongeth to the
Father. The love of the Father is the moving cause of it, the Spirit is the
efficient cause of it, but it is with Christ And it is by way of coalition, as
things are united so as they may grow and live in another, as the branches grow
in the vine, and the members, being animated and quickened by the soul, grow in
the body; so are we united with Christ as our vital principle, that we may live
and grow in him, that we might live in him: Gal. ii. 20, 'I live, yet not I,
put Christ liveth in me; and grow in him: Eph. iv. 15, 16, 'But speaking the truth in love, may grow up
into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ From whom the whole body
fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint snpplieth, according to the effectual working in the
measure of every part, maketh increase of the body,
unto the edifying of itself in love.' So that this is enough
in general to call it a union of concretion and coalition, such a union whereby
Christ remaineth and liveth
and dwelleth in us as a vital principle. As
the soul is \~tou\~ \~zentov\~
\~swmatov\~ \~aitia\~ \~kai\~ \~arch\~, a cause and
principle of life to the body, so is Christ to us. Before God breathed the soul
into Adam, his body, though otherwise organised and
formed, lay but as a dead lump, without breath and life; but no sooner was the
soul put into him, but he began to live. So Christ being mystically united, enableth us to live, to
act to grow, and increase more and more. More particularly to open it to you is
hard, because it is a great mystery. Life natural is a mystery not sufficiently
explained, much, more life spiritual. But now
1. I shall
show how it is wrought and brought about, and in what order; for there is a
difficulty there to be cleared. For since union is said to be by faith: Eph.
iii. 17, 'That Christ may dwell in your [Pg. 145] hearts by
faith,' and faith is an act of spiritual life, it seemeth
there is life before our onion
with Christ; so that this union seemeth to be the
effect rather than the cause of the spiritual life; and some say it is the
effect of the beginning, and the cause of the continuance and increase of it, and
conceive the order thus: That Christ is offered in the gospel, and by receiving
Christ we come to be united to him, and then to be possessed of his
righteousness, and receive further influences of grace; and that the first
beginning of spiritual life is not from union, but regeneration, by virtue of
which faith is given to us, that we may be united to Christ. But I suppose this
method is not right Briefly, then, for the manner and order now it is wrought,
take it thus: Union it is by the Spirit on Christ's part, and faith on ours; he
beginneth with us as the most worthy, as having a
quickening and life-making power in himself: 1 Cor.
xv. 45, 'The last Adam was made
\~pneuma\~ \~zwopoioun\~,
a quickening spirit.' By the Spirit he infuseth
spiritual life, the first act of which is faith; that is the first grace that acteth upon Christ, and maketh
the union reciprocal, that so in him we may have righteousness and grace: Phil.
iii. 9, 'And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of
the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God by faith.' All graces flow from union with Christ, so doth faith. Believing
is an act of the spiritual life, but it is at the same instant of time, and not
before. The first band of union is the Spirit, for the gift of the Spirit is
the cause of faith, and every cause is before the effect in nature, though not
in time; for, posita causa
in actu, ponitur effectus. But the Spirit is not given us in the least
moment of time before the being of faith; for the Spirit being infused,
immediately excites faith to take hold of Christ.
2. What is
that act of faith by which we close with Christ? I answer—The
apprehending, embracing, taking hold of Christ: 'To as many as received him,' &c.,
John i. 12, trusting him with our souls; that is the
faith that gives us an interest in gospel privileges. But what is this
receiving Christ? I answer—Receiving presupposeth
offering; it is a consent to what is offered, an
accepting of what is given. Receiving is a word used in contracts, and noteth the consent of one part to the terms which the other
offereth. The scripture chiefly delighteth
in the similitude of the matrimonial contract As a woman accepteth
a man for her husband, so do we receive Christ When a man's affections are set
upon a woman, he sendeth spokesmen to tell her of his
love, and that he is ready to give her an interest in himself, and all that is
his, if she will accept him for an husband. So Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
the heir of all things, sendeth messengers to treat
and deal with us about a spiritual marriage, to tell us how he loved us, gave
his life for us, established an everlasting righteousness, whereby we may be
accepted with God, and that he is ready to bestow it upon us, if we will
receive, and honour, and obey him as Lord and
husband; which if we do, then we are interested in this great privilege. Yea,
Lord, I give up myself, body and soul, to thee, and I take thee for Lord and
husband. For these are the terms: Hosea iii. 3, 'Thou shalt not be for another man, so will I also be for thee.'
You will think this is easy, because you do not understand what it is to
receive [Pg. 146]
Christ. Alas
t Christ stretcheth forth his hands to many that
never take him by the hand again: Isa. lxv. 2, 'I
have spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that is not good, after their own
thoughts.' He inviteth,
clucketh, spreads his wings, but to no purpose, till
he puts his fingers upon the handles of the lock: Cant v. 4, 'My beloved put in
his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.' Herein he differeth
from ordinary suitors, that he doth not only woo and
invite, but draw by the secret and prevailing power of his Spirit; he must
enlarge the heart and open the hand, or else we shall not receive him. Why! what is there
in this receiving? A renouncing of all
others: 'Thou shalt not be for another.' Christ findeth us
entangled with a former love of the world, addicted to carnal pleasures, in
covenant with death and hell; this must be renounced, for God is jealous, and
cannot endure a rival; it is spiritual adultery to have any thought of other
lovers; as when the ark was brought into the house, Dagon was thrown to the
ground. Christ will be entertained
alone; you must not only renounce your former loves, but hate them. In ordinary marriages, if
a woman loved one, and afterwards marry another man. it
is enough that she withdraw her former love, though she be not an enemy to him
whom before she loved. In some
covenants, if you come off from such a side, it is enough. But here is a league offensive and
defensive: when we receive Christ as our captain, his enemies must be our
enemies; if as dear as a right hand, or a right eye, it must be cut off and
plucked out And again, Christ himself
is to be received, not his gifts and benefits; you must not come to him as to a
physician, to give ease to the conscience, but as a husband; not marry the
estate, but the man; otherwise you do not take what God offereth. He hath given us his Son,
and all things with him: Rom. viii. 32, 'He that spared not his own Son, but
gave him up to the death for us all, how will he not with him also freely give
us all things?' The father doth not offer
the portion merely, but his daughter, and the portion with his daughter; as you
cannot have life without the Son, so you cannot have the Son without life, and
you must receive him gladly. Marriage importeth not a forced, but a free consent; you do not
receive Christ as a land receiveth a conqueror for
prince and king against their will, but as a woman for husband, as being
convinced her state will be much bettered by him. So doth the soul receive Christ, as knowing
in whom we believe, and what we enjoy by him: Ps. lxxiii. 25, 'Whom have I in heaven but thee? and
there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.' Neither angels in heaven, nor any creatures
upon earth are so lovely, and fit for the soul's love and trust. Thou cannot
live without him. If a woman can live
without a husband, she doth well if she marrieth not,
saith the apostle, 1 Cor. vii. 8; but you cannot, you
are undone for ever if you have him not
And you must receive him sincerely to obey him,
and serve him as Lord and husband, and not be ashamed to own him: Acts ii. 41,
'Then they that gladly received his word were
baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand
souls.' When articles are agreed and
sealed, and the marriage completed, a woman is content to go into her husband's
house, and leave her kindred, and father's house; so must you profess [Pg. 147]
Christ openly, and then live in constant communion
with him. This is to receive Christ; and is this easy? Can all this be done
till God enlarge the heart? O my Lord t I am willing to receive thee; do thou
open and enlarge my heart so to do.
Again, it is expressed by
apprehending Christ: Phil. iii. 12, 'If that I may
apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus;' by taking hold
of him, leaning upon him: Ps. xxii. 8, 'He trusted in the Lord,' or rolled
himself upon the Lord; by running for refuge: Heb. vi.
18, 'Who have fled for refuge, to lay hold upon the hope set before them;' as Joab laid hold on the horns of the altar, or the man that
casually killed another ran to the city of refuge; by a being found in him as
in an ark, when the flood came upon the world: all which expressions imply a
sense of danger. This effect of faith is sensible in a time of trouble, bodily
or spiritual, as things are more sensible one time than another. Horses draw
the coach, but down the hill apace. The strength of an anchor is seen in a
storm, the courage of a soldier in a fight .The child runneth
and claspeth about the mother when anything affrighteth it.
Sometimes it is expressed by coming
to Christ, and coming to God by him: Heb. vii. 25, 'Wherefore
be is able to save unto the uttermost all those that come to God by him;' by
choosing Christ as mediator, owning him, and consenting to God's eternal decrees,
that he is alone a sufficient mediator. This was represented by laying hand on
the head of the sacrifice: Lev. i. 4, 'He,' that is,
he that brought the sacrifice, 'shall put his hand upon the head of the
burnt-offering, and it shall be accepted for him, to make an
atonement for him, q. d. This is me, I deserve to die, but here
is my sacrifice. All prayers were to be made in or towards the temple: 1 Kings viii., Deut. xii. 13, 14, 'Take heed that thou offer not thy
burnt-offerings in every place that thou seest; but
in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt-offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.' Daniel his windows being
open towards Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and
prayed, and gave thanks to God, Dan. vi. 10; he would not omit that
circumstance. In all our addressee to God we must make use of Christ.
Sometimes it is expressed by
committing ourselves to him: 2 Tim. i. 12, 'For I
know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that
which I have committed to him against that day.' It is an advised act, it is
fit the soul should be in safe hands. We are sensible that as long as this life
lasts we are subject to many trials and changes; therefore we put our souls
into Christ's hands, in a confidence of his all-sufficiency. It is a knowing
trust
Use 1. To press us to mind this great privilege,
'Christ in us.' This should be our chief care. We cannot mortify sin
till we be in Christ; he is our sanctification. We can
have no security against God's wrath till then: Acts iv.
12, 'Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.' Whatever shifts they
made against the flood, it would not serve, nothing
but the ark could save them. Make this the business of your lives; wait upon
the word and other ordinances with this aim: improve providences to this end,
to draw you the nearer [Pg. 148] to God by Christ Let
this be the constant breathing of your souls: 'Yea, doubtless, and I count all
things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of an things, and do
count them but dung that I may win Christ.' Phil. iii.
8. Measure all the business and employment of your lives by this. A tender
mother that nurseth her child, she hath other work to
do, but still she remembereth her child; when she awaketh, she thinketh of her
child; when she is abroad, when employed in the affaire of her family, her mind
is on her child: God is pleased to resemble his love to us by this. So a true
Christian saith, My work is to get into Christ When he
is about business of the world, he still remembereth
that this is his great care, and it must be minded every day; when he riseth, when he goeth to sleep,
this should run in his mind. This is \~to\~ \~ergon\~,
his work: John vi. 29, 'This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.' All other
business is \~parergon\~, his by-work, that he may get or lose
it Make more room for Christ in the soul.
Use 2. Examination.
1. Is Christ
in you? Who liveth there, and worketh,
Christ or Satan? These two divide the world between them, the strong man, and
the stronger than he. The heart of man is not a waste. Christ ruleth in the church, and the
devil in the world; and yet all that are hi the church are not in Christ: John
xv. 2, 'Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away.' They that are where Christ is in honour will make a general profession. The devil hath a
great party in the church. Therefore, who is in you, Christ or Satan? Satan is
in all carnal men; their hearts are his forge or work-house: Eph. ii. 2,
'According to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience;' 2 Cor. iv. 4, 'The god of this world
hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.' He blindeth
them, and hardeneth them, and leadeth
them captive by their own lusts. Consider there is no neutrality. We are under
Christ or the devil. The devil is a spirit; he possesseth
men when they do not feel him. He is called 'the prince of the power of the
air;' and infected air is drawn in without pain, and we get a disease before we
feel it, and die of a pestilent air. Were you never changed? Conversion is a
dispossession. The devil is in all the children of disobedience. Did you ever
consent to choose Christ for your mediator and Lord and king? When you refuse
Christ offered, the devil is most ready to entertain
you, and to enter into you, and possess you the more securely. There is a
tradition upon your refusal; God giveth you then up
to Satan, to be blinded and hardened. Therefore consider this, observe your
course. Some are Satan's slaves, they that walk in the ways of their own
hearts, and according to the lusts of the world: John viii. 44, 'Ye are of your
father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.' Satan's mark and
brand is upon them that live in malice and envy against God and good men. Satan
was a murderer from the beginning; in filthiness and uncleanness, he is an
unclean spirit; in railing, swearing, cursing, whose tongues are set on fire of
hell; tempting, seducing, lying. Satan is a liar, and a tempter, enticing to
drink and gaming. [Pg. 149] Again, is Christ in you? A great
deal of bran will remain, if we use too coarse a bolter. Doth Christ dwell in
your hearts? You will know it by the effects of his presence.
[1.] Doth Christ fill the heart?
So great a guest is enough; the believer desireth
no more to his peace of conscience, joy, and complete blessedness. There is a
full acquiescency of the soul in Christ; he desireth above all things to enjoy him. There is \~autapkeia\~: 1 Tim. vi. 6,
'Godliness with contentment is great gain.' There is nothing in heaven or earth
that can fill the hungry soul of man but Jesus Christ. He that hath his heart
full of Christ, all things seem base and vile to him; a little portion of the
world serveth his turn. They are cheap things to
Jesus Christ after which the world runs a-whoring: 1 Sam. xix. 30, 'And Mephibosheth said. Nay, let him
take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his house.'
Mephibosheth is contented to see the king's face in
peace. They have the pearl of great price; there is little room for other
things. Christ filleth every corner of the heart:
Phil. iv. 12, 13,'I know both how to be abased, and I
know how to abound; everywhere and in all things I am instructed, both to be
full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me.'
[2.] He ruleth,
and acteth, and swayeth all
these. He doth not dwell as a stranger or guest in another's man's house, or as
an inmate, but as a lord in his possession; therefore he still directeth, counselleth, quickeneth, destroyeth the
2. What entertainment do you give
him? The more faith is enlarged, the more room hath Christ in thy heart. With
great cheerfulness should you receive him, not always frowning; he looketh for
reverence, not constant mourning. Do not grieve him by sin, by such things by
which the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience. If an earthly
king lie but a night in a house, what care is there taken that nothing be
offensive to him, but that all things be neat, clean, and sweet. How much more
ought you to be careful to get and keep your hearts clean, to perform service
acceptably to him; to be in the exercise of faith, love, and other graces, that
you may entertain, as you ought, your heavenly King, who comes to take up his
continual abode and residence in your hearts?