But it may be said, " That if hereby we are united unto Christ, — namely, by his Spirit, — then we must be holy and obedient before we so receive him, wherein our union doth consist; for certainly Christ doth not unite ungodly and impure sinners unto liimself, which would be the greatest dishonour unto him imaginable. We must, therefore, be holy, obedient, and like unto Christ, before we can be united unto him, and so, consequently, before we receive his Spirit, if thereby we are united to him."
Ans. 1. If this be so, then indeed are we not beholden in the least unto the Spirit of Christ that we are holy, and obedient, and like to Christ ; for he that hath the Spirit of Christ is united imto him, and he who is united to him hath his Spirit, and none else. Whatever, therefore is in any man of holiness, righteousness, or obedience, antecedent unto union with Christ, is no especial effect of his Spirit. Wherefore in this case we must purify ourselves without any appli- cation of the blood of Christ unto our souls, and we must sanctify ourselves without any especial work of the Spirit of God on our nature. Let them that can, satisfy themselves with these things. For my part, I have no esteem or valuation of that holiness, as holi- ness, which is not the immediate effect of the Spirit of sanctification in us.
2. It is granted that ordinarily the Lord Ciirist, by the dispensa- tion of his word, by light and convictions thence ensuing, doth pre- pare the souls of men in some measure for the inhabitation of his Spirit. The way and manner hereof hath been fully before declared.
3. It is denied that, on this supposition, the Lord Christ doth unite impure or ungodly sinners unto himself, so as that they should be so united, and continue impure and ungodly: for in the same instant wherein any one is united unto Christ, and by the same act whereby he is so united, he is really and liabitually purified and sanctified; for where the Spirit of God is, there is liberty, and purity, and lioli- ness. All acts and duties of holiness are in order of nature conse-
518 THE POSITIVE WORK OF THE SPIRIT [BOOK IV.
quential hereunto, but the person is quickened, purified, and sancti- fied in its union.
Whereas, therefore, the Spirit of Christ, communicated from him for our union with him, is the cause and author of all grace and evangehcal holiness in us, it is evident that we receive it directly from Christ himself; which gives it the difference from all other habits and acts pleaded for.
{2dly.) The second work of the Spirit is, to communicate all grace unto us from Christ by virtue of that union. I shall take it for grant- ed, until all that hath been before discoursed about the work of the Holy Spirit in our regeneration and sanctification be disproved, that he is the author of all grace and holiness; and when that is disproved, we may part with our Bibles also, as books which do openly and palpably mislead us. And what he so works in us, he doth it in pursuit of his first communication unto us, whereby we are united unto Christ, even for the edification, preservation, and farther sanc- tification of the mystical body, making every member of it meet for the " inheritance of the saints in light.'" And in those supplies of grace which he so gives, acted by us in all duties of obedience, con- sists all the holiness which I desire any acquaintance withal or a participation of.
(odly) There is a mystical, spiritual body, whereof Christ is the head, and his church are the members of it. There is, therefore, a union between them in things spiritual, like unto that which is between the head and members of the body of a man in things natural. And this the Scripture, because of the weight and importance of it, with its singular use unto the faith of believers, doth frequently express. " God hath given him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all," Eph. i. 22, 23. " For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the mem- bers of that body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ," 1 Cor. xii. 12. " Christ is the head, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love," Eph. iv. 15, 16. And the same apostle speaks again to the same purpose, Col. ii. 19, " Not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands hav- ing nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God." Now, it hath been always granted by all them who acknowledge the divine person of the Son of God, or the union of the human nature unto the divine in his person, that the Lord Jesus is the head of his church, in the doiiblo sense of that word ; for he is the political head of it in a way of rule and government, and he is the really spiritual head, as unto vital influences of grace, unto all his