Glory sometimes afar off, now stepping in; or, The great gospel-mysterie of spirit, or Divine nature in saints

SECT. XV.

IF Saints partake with Christ in union with God, so that the same Divine Nature which dwels in Christ dwels also in Saints; then what preheminence hath Christ above Saints?

Much every way; chiefly in these things.

[Answered.] 1. That it pleased the Father by him to finish the trans∣gression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophesy of the Law and Prophets; And that as through one man, sin, death and wrath entred into the world, so he must be that son of man by whom God would put away sin, abolish the flesh and death, judge the Prince of this world, spoyl and triumph over all the Princi∣palities and Powers of darkness, and vanquish all the Ene∣mies of man out of the world again; and so by him to re∣concile all things to himself, and in the fulness of time to ga∣ther together into one in him all things, in Heaven and in Earth, in him. And in this work he hath the honour above Saints, of being Messiah, the Prince, the High Priest and Captain of our salvation, the beginning and first-born from the dead, who was the Head of the Heasts of the living God, and the only Instrument in the everlasting hand and arm of

God, to cut off the Dragons head, to slay the Leviathan in the deeps in his death, and drive all the enemies of man out of the world.

2. All those things, and all that Love that God hath pre∣pared for them whom he loves, he hath laid it up in Christ, in the Eternal Fulness of the blessed Godhead, and to him alone hath committed the administration of all things that the Father hath given unto him for us: All things that the Father hath, are ours; but they are first Christs, and given unto him; the Father loves the Son, and hath given all things into his hand; he loves Saints through and for the Son, with the same love wherewith he loves the Son, Joh. 17.26. and so he gives them the same glory in himself which he gave the Son, yet by and for the Son, Joh. 17.22. The Father as himself without Christ judgeth no man, saveth no man, does nothing in the world, but hath committed all judgement to the Son, and hath committed the authority of executing all judgement both of life and death unto the Son of man: God doth all, and all things are of God; yet so as by Christ, nothing at all without him: The glory, fulness, light and power of God comes forth upon Saints; yet so, as through the hands, scepter and face of Jesus Christ. And in this work he hath honour above Saints, to be the Head of the Body the Church, the fulness of grace and truth, the Media∣tor of the New Testament, the King upon the holy hill of Sion, anoynted by the Father.

Therefore this preheminence and honour of Christ above Saints, that he hath received the fulness of all the wisdom and power of God; that all dominion, power and authority is given into his hand; and that not for himself alone, for his own private and singular enjoyment, but to be all administred and shed abroad upon the Saints for their enjoyment and everlasting happiness: All this preheminence whereunto Christ is exalted above Saints and Angels, and every other name, doth instead of casting a cloud upon it, bring clear light and reason for the further confirming us in the truth, that Saints are partakers with Christ of the Divine Nature, it self dwelling in them: For as Christ received fulness,

glory and spirit immediatly from the Father, so we receive of that very fulness, glory and spirit from Christ; Christ is one with God through the spirit of the Father, Saints are one with God through the spirit of Christ; Christ was received up into the glory of God by the Father, Saints are received into that glory of God by Christ: God dwels in Christ glo∣riously, in a first, higher and clearer manifestation; God dwels in Saints as truly and verily, but covertly, and as yet in a second, lower and darker manifestation, through Christ in a spirit dwelling in them; yet daily leading them up into more and more glory by clearer revealings of himself in us, until he fully appear, having done away all veils from off his face; then shall we be like him, that is, we shall then be fil∣led with the glory he is filled with, for we shall see him as he is; that is, the same glory which is in him, shall come forth in us, and we shall see him by having that which dwels in him manifest in us. Thus in all things hath Christ the prehemi∣nence over Saints, and yet Saints are partakers with Christ of the same Divine Nature and spirit dwelling in them.

Notes

• Third reason against the spi∣rit in Saints.
• Dan. 9.25. Heb. 2.10. Col. 1.18.
• Joh. 5.22.27.
• Preheminence of Christ above Saints destroyes not, but con∣firms spirits in-being in Saints.
• 1 Tim. 3.16. Rom. 15.7. Joh. 17.22.
• 1 Joh. 3.2.