upon all those Doctrines, which under pretence of advancing Grace, do cry
down Duties and an holy life, making it a legal and a servile thing.
Now the Apostle bringeth an Argument against indulgence in sinne, notwith∣standing
Gods grace, Because we are dead to it, and then how can we live to it?
Would it not be a monstrous, and an afrighting sight, to see dead men come out
of their graves, to live and walk amongst us? Thus also it ought to be no less
wonderfull, yea terrible, to see a Christian give himself to any evil way. And that
we are dead to sinne, he proveth by our Baptism, concerning which he speaks
admirable and sublime matter: So that if we consider what great things are here
spoken of it, we may wonder to see, how cold and rare our meditations are about
it; for he makes it to be that Sacrament, in the right use whereof▪ we put on
Christ, yea that thereby we are ingraffed and implanted into him: Hence ver. 5.
he useth that word of being planted into him; a metaphor from the Husbandman,
who by planting his Science into, another stock, doth thereby make it partake
of the life or death of the Tree; if the Tree liveth, that liveth; if the Tree di∣eth,
that dieth; so it is with us and Christ. By the phrase then is intended no
more than our communion with, and interest in Christ, and that both in his
death, and his resurrection: For you must know, that the Scripture doth not
only make Christs death and resurrection to be the cause of the death of our sins,
and of our spiritual resurrection to holiness, but also makes them types and re∣semblances
of such things in us, That as Christ died in his passible body, so we
should die to sinne; and as Christ after his death did rise again to glory and im∣mortality,
thus we should rise out of sinne, to walk in newness of life, and both
these are signified in Baptism.
1. Our Communion with Christ in the efficacy of his death and resurrection.
2. The Representation of this; that what was corporally done to Christ,
should be spiritually fulfilled in us; and therefore some think, that the Apostle
doth allude to that primitive Rite and Custom which was in baptizing; when the
baptized party was first put under the water for a little season, which represent∣ed
Christs burial, and our death to sinne. 2. There was the emersion, or rising
again out of the waters, which signified Christs Resurrection, and also our rising
again to holiness and godliness.
This is the Summe of the Apostles discourse concerning Baptism in its sacra∣mental
signification, which he amplifieth further in my Text, and that as a rea∣son,
why we should not live to sinne who were baptized into Christ, viz. Be∣cause
our Old man is crucified with Christ; Both because Christ in being crucified
did subdue thereby the dominion of sinne, and also we are to do to the body of
sinne within us, what was done to Christs body, to crucifie it, and thereby to
destroy it. There is nothing more to be enquired into in the Text, but what is
meant by our Oldman?
They limit it too much that understand it only of the habit, or acquired custom
of sinne, which we live in before Regeneration, as Grotius seemeth to under∣stand;
But we are to take it, as both Popish and Protestant Commentators do
interpret it, for that vicious and corrupt nature, which we all derive from Adam,
putting it self forth into several lusts and ungodly actions, wherby there is an habi∣tuated,
inveterated custom at last in sin; so that although we may understand lusts
and actual impieties with long custom therin, under the phrase of the Old man, yet
principally and chiefly we are to interpret it of that polluted nature we have from
Adam; and this will easily appear to be so, if you consider the other two places,
where this expression is used, Ephes. 4. 22. That ye put off the Old man, &c. and
that ye put on the New man. Col. 3. 9, 10. Ye have put off the Old man with his
deeds, and have put on the New man. Where,
1. You see the Old man is distinguished from the effects and deeds of it, which
are actual sins. And then