306 THE POSITIVE WORK OF THE SPIRIT 2. It is granted, that ordinarily, the LordChrist, by the dispensation of his word, by 'light and convictions thence ensuing, doth prepare the souls of men, in some measure, for the inhabitation of his Spirit. The way and manner hereof hath been fully before declared. 5. It is denied, that, on this supposition, the Lord Christ doth unite impure and ungodly sinners unto him- self, so as that they should be so united, and continue impure and ungodly: for, in the same instant whereby any one is united unto Christ, andby thesame act where- by he is so united, he is really and habitually purified and sanctified; for, where the Spirit of God is, there is liberty, and purity, and holiness. All actsand duties of holiness, are, in order of nature, consequentialhereun- to; but the person is quickened, purified, and sanctifi- ed 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 evangelical 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. Sect. 68. (2.) 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 granted, until all that hath been before discoursed about the work of the Holy Spirit, in our regeneration and sanctification, be dispro- ved, that he is the author of all grace andholiness; 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 its pursuit of his first communication unto us, whereby we are u- nited unto Christ,: even for the edification, preservation, and further sanctification of the mystical body, making every member of it meet for the inheritanceof thesaints in light.- And in those supplies of grace which '.he so gives, acted by us in all duties of obedience, consistsall the holiness which I desire any acquaintance withal, or a participation of. Sect. 69. (8.) There is a mystical spiritual body, whereof Christ is the head, and his church are the members of it. There is therefore an 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 thefaith of believers, doth frequently express. God hathgiven hint tobe the headover all things to thechurch,which is his body, thefulness ofhim that filleth all in all, Eph. i. 22, 28. Foras thebody is one; and bath many members, and all themembers of that bodybeing many, are one body; so also is Christ, 1 Cor. xii. 12. Christ is the head, fromwhom the whole bodyfitlyjoined together, andcompacted, by that which eveyjointsupplieth, according to the effectualwork- ingofeverypart, maketh increaseof thebody, unto the edi- fying of itself in love, Eph. iv. 16, 16. And the same apostle speaks again to the same purpose, Col. ii. 19. Not holding the head, fromwhich the body, byjoints and bands, having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase ofGod. Now, it hath been always granted, by all them who acknowledge the di. vine person of the Son of God, or the union of the hu- man nature unto the divine in his person, that the Lord Jesus is the head of his church, in the double sense of that word; for he is the political headof it in a way of rule and government; and he is thereally spiritual head as unto vital influences of grace unto all his members. The Romanists indeed cast some disturbance on the for= mer, by interposinganother immediateruling, govern. ing head, between him and the catholic church; yet do they not deny, but that the Lord Christ, in his own person, is yet the absolute supreme King, head, and ruler of the church. And the latter the Socinians can= not grant; for, denying his divine person, it is impos. sible to conceive, how the human nature, subsisting a- lone by itself, should be such an immense fountain of grace, as from whence there should be an emanation of it intoall the members of the mystical' body; but, by all other Christians, this bath hitherto been acknow- ledged; and therefore there isnothingbelongs unto gos- pel-grace or .holiness, but what is originally derived from the person of Christ, as he is the head of the church. And this is most evidently expressed in the places before alleged: for, 1 Cor. xii. 12. it is plain- ly affirmed, that it is between Christ and the church, as it is between the bead and the members of the some natural body. Now, not only the whole body bath guidance and direction in the disposal of itself from the head, but every member, in particular, bath influences of life actually, and strength from thence, without which it can neither act nor move, nor discharge its place or duty in the body: So also is Christ, saith the ,apostle;
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=