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.

SECT. XI. Yet not I, but Christ lives in me.

(A) ANd this he speaks, lest any one should think that the life he lived after his crucifying with Christ, was onely his own humane life pu∣risied and refined. I say, lest any one should think he lived now the life of his own refined & spiritualized reason and judgement, and prudence, and will, &c. distinct and apart from Christ; therefore he adds, yet not I, but Christ lives in me. And each of these Clauses are very considerable.

Yet not I.

(B) I live, yet not I. By which words it may appear, that a Christian is so crucified with Christ, that in this crucifying he loses not onely his own pro∣per life, but (which must needs follow) his personality also. For through faith his soul and body live no more any proper life of their own as before, but are taken up into the nature and person of the Son of God; and in him he subsists, lives and acts as a Member in the Man, and as a Branch in the Vine; and so 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: so that a true Christian, through true faith doth lose his personality, not his humanity; for his nature lives, but not in his own person, but in the person of Christ.

(C) Indeed every man by nature, and according to his first birth, is a di∣stinct person by himself and lives a proper life of his own, in and by himself, till

faith comes and knits him unto Christ; and then he subsists in Christs person, and is no more a person distinct by himself, so far as he is gathered up into Christ through faith and the Spirit, and lives and acts in him. For then Christ is made so one with a Christian, and a Christian with Christ, that there is no more distinction between them in this Vnity, then there is between the head and a member.

Now the knowledge of this point, through the Experience of faith, is of ex∣cellent use to a Christian in the matter of his salvation.

(D) In as much as each man, as he is a distinct person by himself, is un∣der 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 Jesus Christ by faith, that is, as he is taken into his Person as his member, and loseth his own person, so he is free from the law, sin, and death, as Christ is free. So that if the law, sin, death, or the devil come to a believer, to accuse, terrifie, or con∣demn him, he (because of this most real and near union with Christ) may reply in truth, and say, It is not I; I am not I, I am through faith become a member of Christ, and I am he, and he is I; and if you have any thing to say, say it to the Person himself, for I am but a Member, and do live in his per∣son.

The clear and spiritual knowledge of this matter, would be a great support to us in all times of temptation, and in all deep sense of sin and wrath: see∣ing we commonly in such sad and painful hours, do look upon our selves as persons by our selves, and distinct from Christ: and then we do truly both fear and feel sin, and death, and hell within us; and then also the Devil, and our own evil consciences are too mighty for us, when we consider our selves in our selves. Wherefore at such times we must needs prevail by faith; and know that we through faith are not persons by our selves, but that we are Parts and Members of Christ, and live in his Person, and consequently in so near union with him, that Christ cannot be saved without us, nor we perish without him. And so none can lay any thing to our charge, but what Christ hath taken upon himself, and overcome for us: and so the Law, Sin, Death, Hell, and Devil, can as soon prevail against Christ, as against us who are so joyned to him, that we are one flesh and Spirit with him.

(E) It is true, if we were persons by our selves, these evils and enemies would be too hard for us; but being drawn unto Christ by the Father, and being by him also 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 selves also are more then Conquerours in him.

Wherefore let us all know that in the matter of our Adoption, Justification, Sanctification, and of our whole Salvation, (F) Prorsus abjicienda est persona, as Luther saith, We must wholly cast away our own person, and be united into one person with Christ, yea, and lose our person in his: seeing out of this union Christ profits no body, either to the escaping sin and death, or to the obtaining righteousnesse and life.

(G) Wherefore for the escaping these eternal evil things, and for the ob∣taining these eternal good things, we must necessarily be so taken up into Christ, that we must say with Paul, It is no more I.

ANIMADVERSION XI.

(A) IT is such plain Scripture doctrine, that our humane rea∣son, judgement, prudence, wil, &c. is refined and spiritu∣alized in us, through the spirit of Christ, and that in the strength of that renovation through the spirit we live unto God in our humane life, and native faculties refin'd and spiritualliz'd, that to indeavour to take men off from thinking so is a very anti-scriptural attempt: See Rom. 12.2. Ephes. 4.23. 1 Thes. 5.23. If Mr Dell thinks he hath left himself a starting hole in these words [distinct and apart from Christ.] He may know that all understanding Christians acknowledge, that the refining and spiritualizing of our humane faculties to a heavenly disposition, and life proceedeth only and wholly from union to Christ through his spirit, and cannot possibly be enjoyed distinct and apart from him. These words therefore, distinct and apart from Christ, are not of sufficient vertue to secure Mr Dels pre∣sent Paradox from appearing very heterodox to judicious ob∣servers: If Paul had but one humane life in him, and were but one and the self same man, as to his native faculties, before and after Christ lived in him, which I think is undeniable; then it will necessarily follow (or I am much mistaken) that the life he lived after Christ lived in him, was onely his own life purified and re∣fined; the life of his own reason, judgement, prudence, and will, &c. refined and spirituallized through the spirit of life in Christ Jesus: the Apostles writing of such in whom Christ lives, set them forth as the self-same persons in respect of their humane life and faculties, but purified and refined, to be very different persons from what they were formerly: God be thank∣ed that you were the servants of sin, but you (the self-same you) have obeyed from the heart, that form of doctrine which was deli∣vered you, Rom. 6.17. And again, seeing you have purified (not any other, but) your souls by obeying the truth through the spirit, 1 Pet. 1.22. And again, Every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself (not any other) as he is pure, 1 John 3.3. It seems to me most evident, that the nature of regeneration, renovation, vi∣vification,

and sanctification, necessarily require that the subject of them, the man which is begotten again, renewed, quickned from the dead, and sanctified, be the self-same as to his humane life and faculties, before and after this blessed change be wrought in him: for if the subject in this change be not identically the same, what can be imaginably said to be chang'd? The words of Zanchius on the 23. verse of the 4. chapter to the Ephesians, seems to me to carry much light and reason in them; who shewing why the Apostle expressed the renovation of belee∣vers by the putting off of the old, and putting on the new man, writeth thus: ut significaret, sicut vestis res est diversa ab eo qui eam induit &c. The Apostle used this form of speech, that he might shew, that as a garment is a different thing from him that putteth it on, so also the old and new man are different things from us who put off one wherewith we were clothed, and again put on the other which before we had not upon us. I take it that Austins words are fully consonant to Scripture doctrine: Sit igitur in primis positum atque firmatum virtutem quâ rectè vivitur ab ani∣mi sede membris corporis imperare, sanctumque corpus usu fieri sanctae voluntatis: Let this be in the first place laid down, and firmly held unto, that the vertue whereby a man lives well com∣mandeth over the members of the body from the throne of the minde, and that the body is made holy by the use of a holy will, Aug. de civ. dei lib. 1. cap. 16.

(B) By the words of the Apostle it doth appear, that a Christian crucified with Christ, as to the life of the old man, liveth not unto God from a principle of life which is properly his own or from himself, but from a principle of life which he hath from Christ, and in Christ; namely, from the spirit of Christ which dwelleth in all his. But that a believer loseth his personality by being crucified with Christ, it appeareth not from this or any other Scripture that I know, 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] understanding these words according to Mr Dels explication Sect. 13. (D) that Christ in a believer is not the flesh of Christ, for that being a creature, can be but in one place at a time, but this Christ is the Eternal Word and Son of the living God, the

power, wisdom, and righteousnesse of God and the true God and eternal life, seems to me a very dreadful position; For if a be∣lievers soul and body be taken up into the nature and person of Christ the Son of God in distinction from his flesh, then he must needs in nature and person be the Son of God, and the true God, as our Lord Jesus Christ is; which I am not willing to believe that Mr Dell will positively and plainly affirm, though his words evidently speak so much: Whereas it is here further asserted by Mr Dell, that in Christ a believer subsists, lives, and acts as a member in the man, & the branch in the Vine, that is acknow∣ledged in a Scripture sence, sc. that a believer hath his spiritual life wholly in Christ, and from Christ as his head and mediatour, through his spirit, as a member hath its life from a man, and a branch from the Vine; but from hence to conclude that a belie∣ver through faith doth lose his personality, and lives in the per∣son & personality of the Son of God, is utterly inconsequent; for though a believer doth retain his humane nature and personality, and doth truly live and subsist in the same, yet is it likewise true, that that person subsists, lives, and acts in Christ, as to the life of God in him, as a member in the man, or as a branch in the Vine.

(C) This assertion here reiterated by Mr Dell, that a belie∣ver after faith comes, is no more a person distinct from Christ, needs not again to be proposed peremptorily, but to be proved sufficiently by Scripture, and me thinks those words, so far as he is gathered up into Christ, do utterly overthrow the former assertion, and prove that a believer in some degree or respect, is not gathered up into Christ, and therefore must needs be a per∣son distinct from Christ: If here be not contradictio in adjecto, a contrariety in the end, to the beginning of this sentence, I am much mistaken.

(D) I utterly deny, and doubt not but the Scripture will bear me out in it, that a believer though admitted to be a distinct person from Christ, is within the reach and power of death and hell; for the humane person of a believer being by faith, and the Spirit united unto Christ, as his member, truly and yet mystical∣ly is through Christ as his head and mediatour, fully put out of the reach of death and hell, and of the Law and sin as binding

over thereunto, so that if the law, sin, death, or the Devil come to a believer, to accuse, terrifie or condemn him, he, by rea∣son of his most real and near union into Christ, may reply in truth, and say, It is not I, I am not I, I am through faith a member of Christ; I am in him, and of him; If you have any thing to say, say it to Christ my head and mediatour, for I am a member of his, and do live in him. And this doctrine I doubt not, is as full and effectual as what Mr Dell here suggests, to bring on that conclusion in regard of believers, that none can lay any thing to their charge, but what Christ hath taken upon himself, and overcome for them, and so the law, sin, hell, and the Devil, can as soon prevail against Christ, as against them who are so nearly joyned to him, as to be one flesh and spirit with him, in a Scripture sence; much different from the mind and meaning of Mr Dell in this point.

(E) Those words being not overstrained beyond Scripture meaning, are very true and good, and conformable to the judg∣ment of those who judg Mr Dels doctrine of a believers having no personality, but in the person of the Son of God, to be very unsound and dangerous. Indeed if we were persons by our selves, that is, persons not united unto Christ as our head and mediatour, we should be very miserable; but blessed be the Lord, though we know believers to be distinct persons from Christ, yet we also know them to be persons spiritually and mystically united unto, and even into Christ as their head, be∣ing made parts of that body which is his fulnesse who filleth all in all, Eph. 1.23. and that is unto them matter of everlasting and invincible rejoycing.

(F) Where to look this place in Luthers works, I know not; but upon what I know of the general tenour of Luthers doctrine, I dare adventure the reproach of a grosse mistake, if the words being duly weighed, do import more then this; that all personal works, worth, merit, and righteousnesse, is to be wholly disclaimed, by those who partake of the spiritual benefits of Christ: And this is very sweet Gospel doctrine assuredly, which hath no affinity with Mr Dels new paradox.

(G) Agreed, if these words be taken in the plain Scripture sence of them; there is no doubt but for the escaping of eternal

evils, and obtaining eternal good things, believers must be taken up into Christ; and found in him not having their own righte∣ousness, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righte∣ousnesse which is of God by faith, Phil. 3.9. at what time they may in their particulars, comfortably and confidently say with the Apostle, It is no more I.