* The Lord is that Spirit,' 2 Cor. iii. 17. Christ doth all in the church by his Spirit. Now, the Spirit is the union of Christ, he strengthens all ; all our strength is by Christ's Spirit. Now, this Spirit of God first sanc- tifies Christ, the human nature of Christ, before he sanctifieth us. We have all grace and power and strength at the second hand. It comes not from Christ as God immediately. And grace comes not from the Holy Ghost immediately to us ; but the Holy Ghost first sanctifies Christ his human nature and then he sanctifies us, and we out of Christ's fulness receive grace for grace. The same Spirit that sanctified his nature in the womb of the virgin, and that sanctified his holy nature that now he hath in heaven with him, the same Spirit is sent from him to sanctify every member of the church. All is in the head, John i. 16. As first the ointment was poured on Aaron's head, and from thence it ran down to the skirts of his garments, Ps. cxxxiii. 2, so all grace is poured upon the head of Christ first, and then from him upon the skirts, even upon the meanest Christian, as answerable to their portion ; and to those things that God means to call them to, they have grace to carry them. You see then how to conceive of this, how we have all in Christ, that is, by the Spirit of Christ, and how it comes by the Spirit.
Use 1. First of all, then, you see here how these two agree : a Chi'istiaUj
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when lie is a Christian, hath freedom of will and i^owcr. He hath power and free will. As far as ho is freed by the Spirit of Christ, so far he is free. For, 2 Cor. iii. 17, * where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.' So, John viii. 3(5, Christ says, ' If the Son shall make you free, then you shall be free indeed.' ' lie can do all things,' therefore ho is free. But it is in Christ ; therefore his freedom is from him. We speak, but it is Christ's Spirit that openeth our mouth. Wc believe, but it is Christ by his Spirit that opens our hearts to believe. We are mighty, but it is in God. We are able to do great matters, but it is in Christ that strengtheneth us. We are strong, but it is in the Ijord ; as it is written, ' Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might,' Eph. vi. 10. The understanding is ours, the aQ'ections are ours, the will is ours ; but the sanctifying of all this, and the carriage of all these supernaturally above themselves, to do them spiri- tually, that is not ours, but it is Christ's. So we see what is ours, and what is not ours. We are able to do ; but the strength, and the grace, and ability is from Christ. A wind instrument sounds, but the man makes it sound by his breath. We are like wind instruments. Indeed, we sound, but no further than we are blown upon ; and we yield music, but no fur- ther than we are touched by the Spirit of God. We are light, but as the air is, as it is enlightened by the sun ; and therefore we must understand these points, that God may have glory, and that we may know what is ours.
And then again we see here, that we have in Christ not only a general ahility, that ice are able, hit we have the very act itself, the deed itself. He strengtheneth us. There is a spiritual life and a spiritual power and will, and then the act and deed itself. Now, we have not only from Christ the life of grace at the first, and then a spiritual power answerable to that again, whereby our powers are renewed, so as we are able to do something in our will, but we have the deed itself. The doing is from Christ ; he strengtheneth us for the present. Now, you have some that teach loosely this point, that we have general universal grace, whereby we are enabled, if we will, to believe, and to do this thing, if we will. But I say that is not all ; but we have the will and the deed itself from Christ by his Spirit, and in every holy action Christ helps us to do these things in very deed.
First, He moves the soid to the action, and applies the soul to the thing. By the Spirit he doth this. For though we have power, we could not exercise it but by the Spirit, in this or that particular act.
Second, Again, he trorks a jnrserviug of the grace in that act. God pre- serves his own work against temptation, and against impediments ; for there is no act but it is opposed. The devil is in every good work, either at the beginning to hinder it, or at the end to defile it, one way or other. Now, God preserves his own work by his Spirit. First, He moves us to do, and then he preserves us in doing, and arms us against the impedi- ments of good works. Then he determines the good work, and limits it, how far we shall do well, thus far, and thus far ; the degrees come from Christ. For sometimes he doth it by his glorious power, as Paul saith, Eph. i. 19. Sometimes we are strengthened to do more, and sometimes less, as he will. Not only the act itself, and the application of the soul, and the preserving of grace in every act, we sink else, but the degree that we do sometimes better, it comes from Christ now strengthening of us more, and now less, as he sees good.