god's dwelling in us is a motive to holiness.
Rom. viii. 12. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
IN the Scriptures, privilege and duty are insepa- rably connected. By this means we are kept at an equal distance from presumptuous confidence and painful servility ; and the best feelings of the soul are rendered subservient to our eternal welfare. This observation is verified, as in many other passages3, so particularly in that before us ; which is a conclusion from very important premises.
We propose to consider,
I. The grounds of the conclusion —
Believers have God himself dwelling in them —
[God is here represented as a Triune Godb; and he dwells in all his believing people0. This is a most inestimable privilege to themd.]
By means of this they enjoy the richest blessings —
[Their souls are quickened from their death in trespasses and sins, and, by a new principle of life infused into them, are enabled to live unto God : and this " life they have because of Christ's righteousness" wrought out for them, and imputed to them. Their bodies also, though doomed to " death, as the penalty of sin," " will be raised again by that very Spirit who now dwelleth in them :" and these shall participate with the soul the glory and felicity of the heavenly world.]
a Rom. xii. 1. and 1 Cor. vi. 20. with the two verses preceding the text.
b The Father raised Christ : Christ dwells in all believers at the same instant : and the Holy Ghost will raise the saints at the last day. Can any one of these be less than God ? Their distinction and equality may be further proved from Matt, xxviii. 19. It is observ- able also that in ver. 9. the Spirit of Christ is called the Spirit of God.
c 2 Cor. vi. 16. 1 John i. 3. and 2 Cor. xiii. 14. They do not indeed pretend to distinguish the agency of one of these divine per- sons from that of another (for indeed no one of these persons acts separately from the others) but they exercise faith on the Father, as their protector and governor; on the Son, as their mediator and advo- cate ; and on the Spirit, as their guide and comforter.
d Far greater than that mentioned 1 Kings viii. 27.