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A78551 Animadversions on Mr. William Dells book intituled The crucified and quickned Christian. By Humfry Chambers, D.D. Pastor of Pewsy in the county of Wilts. Novemb. vicessimo, 1652. Imprimatur John Owen Vicecan. Oxon. Chambers, Humphrey, 1598 or 9-1662. 1653 (1653) Wing C1912; Thomason E686_3; Thomason E686_4; ESTC R206849 85,353 100

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a believer by Christ and Christ himself dwelling in a believer by his spirit for I take it through the Spirit of Christ dwelling in a believer he is born again to a new habit of a spiritual life which is called the spirit born of the spirit John 3.6 I see no cause therefore why we may not think that Paul had a new habit of life created in him and yet that Christ lived in him by his spirit as the fountain of that life The Philosophie whereby Mr Dell illustrateth his divinity seems as strange to me as what he intendeth to explain by it for though the body hath no habit of life in it apart from the soul yet I think it hath a habit of life in it distinct from the soul even that habit of life which floweth from the soul even as the habit of spiritual life flows from Christ dwelling as the fountain of this life in his believing people by his spirit B I take it that in these words those things are made to clash which do sweetly accord sc Pauls living a natural and personal life in his own soul and body and Christs living in Paul by his spirit as the fountain and as I may say the soul of a spiritual life I conceive that this position hath no self contradiction in it Christ by his spirit lived in Paul whilest Paul lived in his own soul and body a natural and personal life For notwithstanding Mr Dels confidence I take it it will hold for truth that when Christ lived in Paul Paul then lived in his own soul and body that text assureth so much 2 Cor. 4.11 C These words of Mr Dell are very sound being not overstrained for questionlesse Christ himself by his spirit lives in a true believer and by reason of the spiritual and mystical union of a believer as a member to Christ as his head the Lord Christ is originally as to the being of the new creature and doth and suffers and overcomes all in him D Doth not Mr Dell in these words too much divide the Godhead from the manhood in our blessed Saviour whilst he maketh the eternal word and Son of God in opposition to his flesh that Christ which lived in Paul and liveth in believers Me thinks it is evident that the Apostle spake not of Christ under the notion of the eternal Word alone but as the word made flesh when he wrote that Christ lived in him and that he lived by the faith of the Son of God seeing he immediately added who loved me and gave himself for me for it is clear that it was Christs flesh which he gave for the life of the world John 6.57 And though the flesh or humane body of our Saviour in the Capernaits sence carnally partaken of could profit nothing John 6.63 yet our Lord Jesus as the word made flesh is the mediatour head and saviour of his people who dwelleth in them and acteth in them by his spirit as the fountain of their spiritual life And therefore our Saviours flesh is not to be put by in the matter of believers vivification through him as if it had no part or place in that work for the flesh or humane nature of our Saviour having an incomprehensible worth put upon it and power into it by his Godhead or divine nature united to it became in and through these sufferings which it sustain'd the effectual means of eternal life to all those who believe on the name of the Lord Jesus as our Saviour himself hath fully testified saying The bread that I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world John 6.51 And again Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his bloud you have no life in you who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day for my flesh is meat indeed and my bloud is drink indeed He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in him vers 53 54 55 56. upon the last of which verses Calvin hath thus written Neque enim ad Christum Deum unquam perveniet qui Hominem negligit quare si tibi vis cum Christo aliquid esse commune cavendum inprimis nè carnem ejus fastidias He shall not come to Christ as God who neglecteth him as man wherefore if thou wouldst enjoy any communion with Christ thou must especially beware that thou despise not his flesh SECT XIV Vses NOw if we rightly understand this point we may learn from it many excellent things 4. A And first we may perceive the mistake of those who look for all the life of Christ in that humanity which was born of the Virgin whereas Christ truly lived in Paul and lives in all the faithful and his very life is to be seen in them as the life of the Soul is not confined to the Head but disperses it self through all the Members and is manifest in them in measure as in the head in fulnesse 5. B We may learn that Christ in a believer is to him instead of all credted habits of Grace Christ who is the true God is all in all in a Christian and so a Christian partakes of that righteousnesse which is Christ of that wisdom which is Christ of that power truth goodnesse c. which is Christ and Christ that dwels in believers is truly all Grace to them And herein they are like unto Christs humanity unto whom the fulnesse of the Godhead that dwelt in him was instead of all created Grace Wherefore let us know that the created habits of grace in a Christian which the Schoolmen have invented and taught and others have received from them are nothing but the Empty notions and Vain speculations of carnal and unbelieving hearts ignorant of the true mystery of the Gospel For Christ that lives in a believer is all Grace to him and thus the Apostle Paul expresly teacheth in 1 Cor. 1.30 where speaking of Christ he saith He is made unto us of God wisdom righteousnesse sanctification and redemption and so a Christian hath that Wisdom Righteousnesse c. which is Christ himself And this grace which is Christ himself is infinitely more high and holy then all created habits of Grace C and this is the only Grace that is acceptable to God and that makes us accepted in it self D and this is the only grace against which the Gates of hell cannot prevail and the only grace that can make us meet for the Fathers Kingdom And thus you see that Christ that lives in a believer is all grace in him and all-sufficient grace for him 3. E If Christ live in believers then certainly whatever evils and tribulations and persecutions are brought upon believers by the World and the false Church for the word of faith they are brought upon Christ himself and Christ himself is still persecuted in the flesh throughout all Ages and Generations
truth I have now made publike thou wilt find many positions laid down with greatest confidence by him called into question by me as concerning their truth such as these 1. That all the powers on earth have no power to protect the truth being brought forth Epist Dedicatory A 2. That believers do work out of justifying righteousnesse Section 1. E 3. That a believer is wholly dead to the law and as a dead man hath no more to do with the law as to the giving of laws to him Sect. 1. F and Sect. 2. B 4. That the law of the spirit makes a believer truly dead to the law Sect. 2. D 5. That Libertines and licentious persons are to be restrained by the Civil Magistrate when they transgresse wickedly and presumptuously against their neighbour and civil society but in other things concerning the things of God they are to be left to the immediat judgement of God only Sect. 3. C 6. That the humanity of Christ knew no law but the presence of the Godhead in it Sect. 3. F 7. That God himself is the new law according to which believers walk Sect. 3. G 8. That our Lord Christ owed nothing to the law of Moses by way of debt Sect. 4. A 9. That the living word and spirit which dwelt in the flesh of Christ was the true crucifying of him Sect. 4. B 10. That Christians are dead to whatsoever is not God himself Sect. 4. D 11. That Christ was crucified before his crosse and that his outward crucifying was but a sign of what done before within Sect. 5. C 12. That the divine nature of Christ was the constant crosse of his humane nature and his humane nature was fully crucified in his divine Sect. 5. E 13. That the man Christ lost all his own things in God through immediate union with God Sect. 5. F 14. That the living word and spirit is the glorious crosse of the Church the body as of Christ the head Sect. 6. D 15. That the word which faith receives is the word of righteousnesse and life in opposition to the outward word which is alwayes accompanied with the spirit Sect. 7. C 16. That their own life is extinguished in believers by the living word and spirit Sect. 7. I And yet 17. That sin hath its full power in the humane life of believers Sect. 7. M 18. That the Devil can find nothing in believers to do them harm Sect. 7. P 19. That the flesh crucified in believers is Christs own flesh Sect. 7. Q 20. That the flesh crucified in believers is the only temple and habitation of God Sect. 7. S 21. That the flesh crucified in believers keeps the true Christian sabbath Sect. 7. T 22. That the flesh crucified in believers is able to endure the will of God and to suffer for his name Sect. 7. W 23. That the flesh crucified in believers hath the very glory of Christ upon it Sect. 7. Y 24. That the flesh crucified in believers is the only subject of the glorious resurrection Sect. 7. Z 25. That the humanity of Christ was deprived of its own proper life through the word and spirit that dwelt in it Sect. 10. A 26. That instead thereof it had the life of the Son of God communicated to it Sect. 9. A 27. That the son of man parted with his own proper life out of himself Sect. 9. A 28. That he did yet live truly in the same soul and body the life of the eternal word Sect. 9 A 29. That the whole Church is conformed to the pattern of the humanity of Christ in point of living the life of the eternal word Sect. 9. A 30. That the son of man was so crucified that neverthelesse he lived whilest he was crucified Sect. 9. A 31. That in a believer the soul and body live in the life of the son of God as was done in the flesh of Christ our elder brother Sect. 10. E 32. That no man should think that the life which Paul lived after his crucifying was only his own humane life purified and refined Sect. 11. A 33. That a christian is so crucified with Christ that in this crucifying he loseth not only his own proper life but his personality also Sect. 11. B And so 34. That through faith a believers soul and body live no more any proper life of their own but are taken up into the nature and person of the son of God Sect. 11. B And so 35. That a believer subsists in Christs person and is no more a distinct person by himself Sect. 11. C 36. That Christ in a believer is to him instead of all created habits of grace Sect. 14. B And so 37. That Christ who lives in a believer is all grace to him Sect. 14. B 38. That the created habits of grace in a Christian are nothing but empty notions and vain speculations of carnal and unbelieving hearts ignorant of the true mistery of the Gospel Sect. 14. B 39. That Christ himself is the only grace that is acceptable to God Sect. 15. C 40. That this is the only grace against which the gates of hell cannot prevaile Sect. 14. D 41. That true justification is to be so one with Christ by faith that Christ himself may live in us and we in him that he may communicate his nature unto us and our nature may be taken up into his Sect. 14. H And so 42. That we are justified before God by Christs living in us his own life Sect. 14. H 43. That Christ and a Christian are made so much one that what one doth the other may be truly said to do Sect. 15. A 44. That as it is between God and Christ just so it is between Christ and believers who are as nearly united as God and Christ Sect. 15. B 45. That the true nature of Faith is nothing but this the Fathers laying hold of us by his Spirit and drawing us to the Son and inabling us to receive the Son and so making us one with the Son to abide and live in him for ever Sect. 17. A 46. That as the Word or Son coming into the humanity of Christ gave it authority and power to become the Son of God so the same Word coming into us through Christ gives us power to become the Sons of God in him as the fire gives the iron in which it dwels power to be light and hot Sect. 17. B 47. That right faith carrieth a believer into all the perfections and excellencies of the Son of God into his nature and life and righteousnesse and power and glory and into all the fulnesse of the Son of the living God Sect. 17. F 48. That right faith is infinite and everlasting righteousnesse the first and last and all in all in the kingdome of the Son Sect. 18. C These and divers other Positions many of which respect not barely the circumference but as it seems to me lie very close to the heart and center of Christian
shall most gladly so understand him for the future and shall say of him as Austin once wrote of another Linguam corrigat sententiam teneat Let him correct his expression and retain his opinion C Where doth the Scripture speak of our Saviours crucifying before his crosse or so slight our Lords outward crucifying as to call it but a sign of what before was done as Mr Dell here doth I think the Scripture giveth no countenance to such new doctrine but ascribeth far greater honour to our Lords outward crucifying then to be but a sign of somewhat else and sets it forth as an effectual means of the healing of Gods people 1 Pet. 2.24 D That our Lord Christ did deny himself in his humane will wholly resigning himself to the will of the Father and thereupon did freely give up his flesh to the crosse is most certain John 5.30 and 6.38 But where is this or the taking up of Christs flesh into the word which Mr Dell speaks of called or made the crucifying of Christs flesh A proof for that E That our Saviours Divine nature was his crosse and that his humane nature was crucified in his divine are bold strange and peremptory affirmations for which I know not any shew of proof in the Scripture which speaketh of no other proper crosse of our Saviour but the tree on which he suffered Phil. 2.8 1 Pet. 2.24 nor crucifying but that which is charged upon the Jews as the Authors of it by the Apostle Peter Acts. 2.36 F Did the man Christ lose all his own things in God through immediate union with God What his humane life too This indeed is fully accordant with Mr Dels former words if not with his meaning that the humanity of Christ did live in it self the life of the eternal word And what life then did our Lord give for his sheep John 10.11 Certainly not the life of the eternal word G This crucifying of our L rds humane nature in his divine nature here mentioned by Mr Dell for all his confidence was never as I think read of in the Scriptures or heard of unto this day amongst those nations who by the preaching of the Gospel have been brought to the obedience of Faith And I trust he would not have men now to take up any new gospel H The outward crucifying of Christ is not preached barely and alone as Mr Dell here intimateth but together with his self-denying obedience as the original and the glory of it by those who never learned from the Scriptures to call his inward prostrating of his will at the feet of his Fathers will his crucifying Though two Thieves were outwardly crucified with our Lord Christ yet is his outward crosse most glorious before the eyes of all that believe the Gospel Gal. 6.14 And it seems very strange and derogatory to the honor of our Saviours death that a Christian should judge of the lovelinesse of the outward crosse of our Mediator by the crosse of malefactors though crucified with him I These words shew that our Lord Christ had a humane life distinct from the life of God in him which seems directly contrary to Mr Dels former doctrine if his meaning be according to his words and proveth that the man Christ did not lose al his own things through immediate union with God but after that union retained his own humane life to be offered up for us which is good and Gospel truth steadfastly to be embraced by all true Christians K What is here asserted is very true but hath no affinity with Mr Dels foregoing words Our Saviours crucifying had been nothing if God in Christ had not humbled his humane nature to the death of the crosse and he had not offered up that flesh of his to God without fault by his eternal spirit as Paul speaketh Heb. 9.14 These words and those which immediately follow are sweeter then honey and the honey comb They expresse the constant Doctrine of those men whom Mr Dell despiseth as grosly ignorant of the crosse of Christ and they shew that the humanity of Christ did not live in it self the life of the eternal word but that life which appertaineth to the nature of man which he gave for the life of the world SECT VI. Our crucifying with Christ I Am saith Paul crucified with Christ that is with that Humane nature of his that was taken up into the Word Now as the most excellent crucifying of Christ was through the Word and spirit that dwelt in him so likewise the true and glorious crucifying of all the faithful is through the same Word and Spirit of Christ dwelling in them A For to have the Word and Spirit of Christ that is the Word and Spirit that is true God dwelling in us is the greatest crucifying of flesh and bloud that can be And when we are thus crucified with Christ by his Word and Spirit dwelling in us then afterwards the body will be ready and willing to suffer the crosse or fire or Lions or racks or torments or any thing as we see in the blessed Martyrs who if they had not been first crucified with Christ through the Word and Spirit had never delivered up their bodies so readily as if they had not known them to suffer so many grievous and intollerable things for Christ For that flesh that is truly crucified by the Spirit is fitted for all sufferings though never so grievous and intollerable to it self Wherefore let us learn B That no outward sorrows or tribulations or prisons or rackings or killings are such real crucifyings to a believer as his faith hope and love the fruits of the Word and Spirit in him which will not suffer him to live in himself or in the creature but do carry him with great force out of all these things to live in God which thing is the greatest mortification and crucifying of the flesh that can be And as Christs outward crucifying on the crosse without his inward crucifying by the Word of God had been nothing worth no more would all the sufferings and Martyrdoms of all the believers in the world be of any worth in themselves or of any account with God without this inward spiritual daily and constant crucifying suffering and Martyrdom of theirs C Seeing nothing doth so truly and throughly restrain hamper mortifie crucifie kill and destroy the flesh and all the corruptions lusts and affections of it as the living Word and spirit do D And this is the glorious crosse of the Church the Body as well as of Christ the Head without which all Martyrdom is nothing and of which all the bodily sufferings and torments of the Saints have been but a demonstration to the world for the glory of God and for the comfort support and encouragement of other Christians And where this inward crucifying hath not been first wrought and accomplished Christians could suffer nothing outwardly as hath been very evident in many Christians who having in times of persecution been