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A81101
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The Christian laver. Or, a discourse opening the nature of participation with, and demonstrating the necessity of purification by Christ By T. Cruso.
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Cruso, Timothy, 1656?-1697.
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1690
(1690)
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Wing C7434; ESTC R225717
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25,680
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95
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ground We need no more to certifie our propriety in him than the receiving of such a benefit from him Therefore the Reverse of what our Saviour here says is also true The Observation which I propose to insist on is this that It is absolutely necessary Doct. that we should be washt by Christ in order to our being partakers with him The Method which I intend in the handling of this Point is I. To shew what it is to partake with Christ II. How are we washed by him III. Why is there such a necessity of this washing IV. To Apply it First To explain what it is to have a part with Christ Answ In general it may bear the same sense as partaking of him which was an encouragement that the Apostle laid before the converted Hebrews Heb. 3.14 And that way of expression is usual both in the old and new Testament The two tribes and half were afraid lest the children of the other Tribes should say to theirs in the time to come Josh 22.27 ye have no part in the Lord. Peter tells Simon Magus who would have bought the Gift of the Holy Ghost with money Thou hast neither part nor let in this matter Act. 8.21 So 't is threaten'd at the close of the Revelation Rev. 22.19 that if any man should take away from the words of the book of that prophesy God would take away his part out of the book of life and the holy City c. All these passages though upon different occasions help to illustrate the phrase here 'T is very plain that it must not be taken in so grosse a sense as if our Lord Jesus were divided and shar'd among believers as his Garments were taken and parted among the Souldiers It is an whole and entire Saviour which is given to Every one He and all that belongs to him Is made ours if any thing of his be ours All the members derive asmuch from this Head as if there were but one member for this Head to communicate to If we have Righteousness from him we have Holiness also if we have Grace we shall have Glory if we are buried with him we shall be quicken'd with him if we are planted into his death we shall reap the fruits of his Resurrection to To partake of Christ therefore is tob e possessed of or entitled too all that Christ is or hath which is communicable 'T is no small thing in it self it ought not to be a small thing with us To have the Blessed Jesus and his purchase for our portion is more than to be Lords of the world or to have Empires and Kingdoms at command A Title to Christ gives a right to every thing else that 's worth enjoying a right to the favour of God to all the Promises of God a right to Sacraments the best right to Creature Comforts and an undoubted right to heaven it self But more particularly To have part with Christ comprehends these five things First Vnion to his person They that have no part with Christ are not part of him 1 Cor. 6.17 Whereas to be joyned to the Lord himself is the great priviledge of a Christian as the Apostle said to that Cori-thian Church now ye are the body of Christ chap. 12.27 and members in particular Being in Christ is primarily supposed before there can be a participation of him i.e. Being in him not by visible profession within the pale of the Church as Souldiers in an Army but as Branches in a vine by real and vital conjunction That that onely which separates from the person of Christ does strip us of all his benefits If we are not united to him we can claim no share in any thing that 's his They who talk against this union of which they have no Experimental knowledge as a fiction or an absurdity do in effect destroy all the blesseings of the Gospel and fruits of Christ's mediation Without him John 15.5 i.e. without a living Implantation into him we can do or receive nothing The Glorious mistery of Christ's Incarnation lyes in the taking of our nature into union with the divine nature in one person i.e. in himself as God-man the mystery of our Spiritual Incorporation with Christ lyes in uniting the persons of Beleivers with the person of Christ So that the Head and the members make but one Body we are compleat in him who are the members he as an Head Eph. 1.23 is not compleat without us As he fills all in all with himself to the Church is his Fullness Secondly To have a part with Christ implies Communion with him in the honour and priviledge of Sonship Not that the same filial relation to God the Father can be put upon Creatures which is Essentiall to him but something like it is allowed and indulg'd to us We cannot be the Children of God by nature as Christ is but we may be advanc't into such a Relation by Grace Christ was begotten of God from everlasting we may be Adopted in time His Eternal Generation made him Gala. 3.26 a Son by faith in him we become Children also The standing Angels are not the Sons of God upon so good a bottom Gal. 3.26 as we are they are such by Creation we by a special Adoption they have this title as a common Grant from their maker which Adam once had but after his fall it was no longer usefull to him we now have it from the distinguishing bounty of our Redeemer To as many as receive him Joh. 1.12 he gives power to become the sons of God All believers are such favourites though none besides The Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Rom. 8.15 is given to every one of them We are all raised up to a fellowship with Christ in this matter of Sonship than which nothing can be more honourable or beneficial to us The little ones of the family are as truly the Children of the Highest as those that are of fuller age and a larger growth It was happy news to all the followers of Christ when Mary Magdalen told them what she had heard at the Sepulcher from his own mouth John 20.17 I ascend unto my Father and your Father and to my God and your God Thirdly it includes an Interest in his perfect performances Christ was to do all that was Commanded as well as to suffer what was threatned now what he did as well as what he suffered we are partakers of if we have any part with Christ himself The Apostle Paul assures us that it was the great end of God's sending his Son into the world Rom. 1.3 4. that the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us He had said before that there is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus vers 1 they that are become one with him can no more be condemned than he now can but are justified upon the same score Here 't
Cartwr in locum So the same Expressions must be understood not only in several other places but in the same Book Mercy and Truth shall be to them that devise good c. 14.22 And therefore it seems to be meant only of Gods Mercy in promising and his Truth in performing his free Grace in Christ and faithfulness to his own word The scope of that whole verse appears in this short Paraphrase upon it God out of his meer benignity agreeable to his standing Revelation does purge the sins of Men that they for the future being restrain'd by an holy fear may not return to them 2. If we should understand it of Mercy and Truth in us the sence of it amounts to no more than this that True Faith working by Love is the means of purifying the heart through the blood of Christ It purges Sin not by it s its own power but the efficacy of its Object our Lord Jesus Our Faith hath an alloy of Unbelief and our Repentings a mixture of Sin which require apurgation for themselves Sixthly Another Inference from the main Doctrine may be that the washing of Water in Baptism is no sufficient security that we shall partake with Christ He shall baptize you says his forerunner with the Holy Ghost and with Fire Mat. 3.11 Multitudes come under that Ordinance who know not what this means and yet without this our participation with Christ is impossible I cannot but conclude that the wide door of Baptismal Regeneration hath let in vast numbers of Souls to Hell Men being taught to elieve that when they are Baptized they are certainly Regenerate and born again they rest contented and look no further The Apostle Peter tells us plainly how Baptism saves 1 Pet. 3.21 not as it is the putting away of the filth of the flesh but as it is attended with an holy restipulation or the answer of a good Conscience towards God It is not the outward administration of the Element of Water but inward operation of the Spirit and application of Jesus Christ which makes a sinner clean What do we think of that woful Impostor Simon Magus After he was baptized he yet remained in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of Iniquity Acts 8.13 with 23. The same may be perceived and pronounc'd of thousands besides upon as notorious grounds as it was of him Why should this Sacrament be more constantly and infallibly accompanied with cleansing Grace than that other Institution of the Supper which Hypocrites many times partake of and the Devil enters into them afterwards with greater force Seventhly It is easie to collect from hence that Jesus Christ is not meerly the Pattern of our Purification but also the Author It is very true that He is the Pattern of it therefore we are called to purifie our selves 1 John 3.3 even as he is pure but this is not the whole truth nor the principal part The entire Mystery is set forth in those words of the Apostle 1 Pet. 2.21 He suffered for us leaving us an Example c. Indeed Christ in suffering left us an Example but his great end was to suffer for us i.e. in our room and stead as our Substitute and Surety as one that represented us suffering that which was due to us and which if he had not we must have born our selves I condemn none for magnifying the Example of Christ but I must declare an abhorrence of and enter a caution against that Socinian fallacy and cheat which would subvert the Gospel under this pretence Christ does not does not wash us by being a Pattern of absolute purity in himself but by the applying of his merit to us and the workings of his Grace in us The benefit of his Example would be utterly lost and come to nothing if his doing no sin and dying for sin were not accepted by God as the just and valuable price of our Redemption Eighthly This warrants us to infer that those Churches which come up to the highest degree of Reformation are the most likely to share in the glory of the latter dayes These Days are in a special and peculiar manner called Christ's Times 1 Tim. 6.15 Then his Kingdom will be most eminently set up and he shall take to himself his great Power and Reign subduing all that make opposition to him The question now it who shall partake with him to this kind of Heaven upon Earth Whom will the King of Saints delight to honour in those times which will be so glorious I think I may very safely Answer Those that are counted the filth of the World but in truth are most purged from it Rev. 3.4 Thou hast a few names ever iâ— Sardis says Christ to that Church or the Church in that period which hav not defiled their Garments and they shall walk with me in white for they are worthy Walking with Christ in white does note a prosperous and flourishing State as on the contrary a sad and doleful State is often signified by covering with blackness and clothing in Sackcloth and they who have taken care to keep their garments unspotted are the persons whom Christ will reckon worthy of Communion with himself in this State Who are the Hundred and forty four thousand that stand with the Lamb upon Mount Sion c 14.1 but such as are not defiled with Women v. 4 i.e. have had nothing to do with the Mother of Harlots and such as are without fault i.e. have not partaken of Babylons sins Some of the terms of reproach in this Generation will become Characters of honourable distinction and marks of renown when Christ comes in his expected Kingdom for his Measures and Methods of Advancement will not be as Mens are When the Lord dwells in Sion Joel 3. ult our Reformations must be carried on to an higher pitch and he will cleanse what he hath not yet cleansed Isa 4.3 4. He that remaineth then in Jerusalem shall with more reason be called holy because the remainder of our silth will be washt away The Second Improvement of this Point VSE 2 may be by way of Exhortation to those Duties which should be learnt from it First Labour to be deeply sensible of your defiled Natures and Lives Till we are brought to a serious acknowledgment of this we are not fit to be washt tho' we need it If we confess our sins 1 John 1.9 he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness The faithfulness of God does not bind him to cleanse us from that which we will not confess David bewails his secret faults as well as those that were known and open and prays for cleansing from them Psal 19.12 He who is pure in his own eyes shall continue filthy still Till we come to see our own Leprous Faces and thereupon to loathour selves there is no hope of our being clean Methinks that Challenge which God put to