Yet not 1, but Chrift lives in me.

And this he speaks, leaft any one should think that the life he lived after his crucifying with Chrift, was only his own Humane life purified and refined. I fay, leaft any one fhould think he lived now the life of his own refined and fpiritualized Reafon and Judgment, and Prudence, and Will, &c. diftinct and apart from Chrift; therefore he adds, yet not I, but Chrift lives in me. And each of these Claufes are very confiderable.

Yet not 1.

I live, yet not 1. By which words it may appear, that a Chriftian is fo crucified with Chrift, that in this crucifying he lofes not only his own proper life, but (which muft needs follow) his Perfonality alfo. For through Faith his foul and body live no more any proper life of their own as before, but are taken up into the Nature and Perfon of the Son of God; and in him he fubfifts, lives, and acts as a Member in the Man, and as a Branch in the Vine; and fo can truly say after faith is come, Vivo ego, non amplius ego, I live, yet no more I, but it is another that lives in me, and I in him: fo that a true Christian, through true faith doth lofe his Perfonality, not his Humanity; for his nature lives, but not in his own perfon, but in the perfon of Christ.

Indeed every man by Nature, and according to his first birth, is a diftinct perfon by himself, and lives a proper life of his own; in and by himself till faith comes and knits him unto Chrift; and then he fubfifts in Chrifts perfon, and is no more a perfon distinct by himself, fo far as he is gathered up into Chrift through faith and the Spirit, and lives and acts in him. For then Chrift is made fo one with a Chriftian, and a Chriftian with Christ,

Christ, that there is no more distinction between them in this Unity, than there is between the head and a member.

Now the knowledge of this point through the Experience of faith, is of excellent ufe to a Chriftian in the matter of his falvation.

In as much as each man as he is a diftia perfon by himself, is under the Law, and appertains to the Kingdom of the Devil, and is within the reach and power of death and hell: but as he is taken into Jefus Chrift by faith, that is, as he is taken into his perfon as his member, and lofeth his own perfon, fo he is free from the Law, fin, and death, as Chrift is free. So that if the Law, fin, death, or the Devil come to a believer, to accufe, terrific, or condemn him, he (because of this moft real and near union with Chrift) may reply in truth, and fay, It is not I; I am not I, I am through faith become a member of Chrift, and I am he, and he is I; and if you have any thing to fay, fay it to the perfon himself, for I am but a Member, and do live in his perfon.

The clear and fpiritual knowledge of this matter, would be a great fupport to us in all times of temptation, and in all deep fenfe of fin and wrath: feeing we commonly in fuch fad and painful hours, do look upon our felves as perfons by our felves, and diftinct from Chrift: and then we do truly both fear and feel fin, and death, and hell within us; and then alfo the Devil, and our own evil confciences are too mighty for us, when we confider our felves in our felves. Wherefore at fuch times we must needs prevail by faith; and know that we through faith are not perfons by our felves, but that we are Parts and Members of Chrift, and live in his perfon, and confequently in fo near union with him, that Chrift cannot be faved without us, nor we perish without him. And fo none can lay a

ny

Note.

ny thing to our charge, but what Chrift hath ta ken upon himself, and overcome for us: and fo the Law, fin, Death, Hell, and Devil, can as foon prevail against Chrift, as againft us who are so joyned to him, that we are one flesh and Spirit with him.

It is true, if we were perfons by our felves, these evils and enemies would be too hard for us; but being drawn unto Chrift by the Father, and being by him alfo implanted in Christ, and made Branches of that Vine, and Members of that Person, we thus become one with him who is conquerour of all things, and we our felves alfo are more than Conquerors in him.

Wherefore let us all know that in the matter of our Adoption, Juftification, Sanctification, and of our whole Salvation, Prorfus abjicienda eft perfona, as Luther faith, We must wholly caft away our own perJon, and be united into one perfon with Chrift, yea, and lofe our perfon in his feeing out of this union Chrift profits no body, either to the efcaping fin and death, or to the obtaining righteoufnefs and life.

Wherefore for the escaping these eternal evil things, and for the obtaining these eternal good things, we muft neceffarily be fo taken up into Chrift, that we must fay with Paul, It is no more 1.

Yet not I.

And here I must needs note one thing more, e're I conclude this matter, and that is this,

That a believer must be so much taken up into Chrift by faith, that as Chrift muft work all in him, fo he must attribute all Chrifts works unto Christ, and none to himself, still saying in the midft of the excercife of all Graces and Vertues, It is not I. It is not I that live, but Chrift himself

that

that lives in me this life of Grace, Righteousness, Wisdom, Meeknefs, Goodness, Humility, Patience, Power, Love, &c. It is not I that live it in my felf, but Chrift that lives it in me; as he faith elsewhere, I laboured more abundantly then they all; yet not I, but the Grace of God that dwelleth in me.

After the fame manner, as every Chriftian muft keep his Reft in Chrift, and muft fuffer Chrift to work all his own works in him, fo he muft ftill attribute all Chrifts works unto Christ, and be ftill faying, It is not ĺ, but Chrift in me that hath done thefe works, that hath endured and overcome these evils.

And thus muft we keep our Sabbath in Christ, as Christ kept his Sabbath in God, For Christ was fo taken up into God, and filled with him, that he said of his humanity, I can do nothing of my felf; and again, The Father within me, he doth the works; and again, The words Ifpeak are not mine, but his that fent me; and fo Chrift in all his great works faid, not 1, but the Father in me; fo we in all our works that are truly Spiritual, muft fay, not we, but Chrift in us. And this only a mortified Christian can truly perform; for others will be attributing the works of Chrift to themselves, rather than to Chrift, and be glorying in themselves more than in him.

It follows,

But Chrift lives in me.

For least any should think that Paul had a new habit of life created in him, he adds this, that we must know it was Chrift himself within him that was his life, even that Word of life, and Son of God that made the world, and no created habit of life. That as that Word that was with God, and was God, and dwelt in the humanity of Chrift, was that very life of his humanity; So the fame

Word

Explica

tion.

Word of God dwelling in us through Chrift, is alfo our life as it was his. And as the body hath no habit of life in it felf, diftin&t and apart from the reasonable foul; but the foul it felf that dwells in the body, is the life of the body; and when the foul withdraws, the body is dead, and hath no habit of life in it felf afterwards; fo the life of a Christian doth as immediately flow from Christ, as the life of the body from the foul; and if Chrift should withdraw, all Spiritual life would leave him, and the Second death would fwallow him up. And as the very prefence of the foul in each member is the Life of it, fo is Chrifts prefence in all his Members their true and very life. Wherefore faith Paul here, Chrift lives in me, as God lived in Chrift, and as the Soul lives in the Body.

And fo as Paul had affirmed before, That it was not be that lived, fo here he fhows Who it was that did live in him, and that is Chrift;

Chrift lives in me.

Indeed the Soul and Body were Pauls, but Panl did not live in his own Soul and Rody, but Chrift himfelf did live in them; and fo Paul lived the life of another in himself, the life of Chrift in his own foul and body: and the foul and body of Paul were but a Temple in which Christ lived more than himself, as the humanity of Chrift was but a Temple in which God lived more than himself.

So that it is Chrift himself that lives in a true believer, and he is, and doth, and fuffers, and overcomes all in him.

Now that we may not mistake in this great matter, we must rightly understand, What this Chrift is that lives in a believer: now this is not flesh of Chrift; for that being a Creature, and in all things like unto our ficfh, fin excepted, can be but in one

place