Chapter VII: How it is the glory of the gospel, that Christ is not only revealed in it, but Christ s
reserved the revelation of it till then. And so much now for that particle.
I shall only here, as the coronis of all, spread before you this great truth which concerns us: that though God's primary aim in giving the gospel is to make it known to his saints, yet because the elect of nations in the succession of ages are infinitely numerous, and none knows where this inheritance will fall, or upon whose posterity, therefore the gift of the gospel unto the several nations of the Gentiles was, and is, indefinitely bequeathed to the Gentiles by God as a national endowment, as a national inheritance to every nation it takes place in. It is not to be judged given to the saints of a present age that enjoy it, but indefinitely to the whole lump of a nation, even as you call the proper native commodity of a nation a staple commodity to the nation. Although every man in that nation trades not in it, yet it is national as proper to that nation, as benefiting the nation, and no man is excluded from traffic in it. Because in process of time none knows upon whom in that nation it may fall; therefore every nation is to look upon it as a national interest and concernment.
Chapter VII:
How it is the glory of the gospel, that Christ is not only revealed in it, but Christ so known by the believer is in him.
Which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.—COL. 1:27.
The apostle, in the former words, having laid open the glory and excellency of the gospel, the riches of the glory, saith he, of this mystery among the Gentiles, he closeth up all that he had said of it with this short application, 'which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.'
He doth not only hold forth Jesus Christ as the subject of the gospel (and yet the highest glory the gospel hath is that Christ is the subject of it); he doth not content himself to say the riches of which mystery is Christ, as he saith afterwards, chap. 2:3, where he calls the gospel
'the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge;' but he addeth,
'which is Christ in you.' How excellent the gospel is, because Christ is the subject of it, I have partly shewn you all along; I shall therefore now shew you why this cometh in here, 'which is Christ in you;' and what is the apostle's meaning thereby.
In the first place, I take it, the apostle brings this in here by way of application, for their comfort. When he had shewn them all these glories which the gospel holds forth, by holding forth of Christ, he tells them, this Christ is in you if you be saints; he is your Christ, by whom you have possession of all these riches, and that in so intimate a manner, that they are not only without you, but you have them all within you by having Christ, 'which is Christ in you,' saith he, and with this addition, 'the hope of glory,' of a greater glory than yet you have received.
And when he saith, 'which is Christ in you,' the least of his meaning, if at all, is that the image of Christ is in them, as some would have it.
Though 'we are changed into the same image, from glory to glory,' yet I know no place where the image of Christ is called Christ, or Christ in us. There are many places where the image of God is said to
be in Christ, but nowhere the image of Christ is called Christ. He that is in Christ is a new creature; and in Jesus Christ there is neither bond nor free, but the new creature; and we are created in Christ
Jesus unto good works; so the apostle still expresseth himself. There is one place indeed which hath a seeming show of it, that Christ in us should be put for the image of Christ in us, and that is that in Gal.
4:19, 'That Christ may be again formed in you;' but that is not the meaning of that place, as I shall shew anon. However, it cannot be the meaning here, at least-wise not the only meaning, for it is too narrow, too poor a thing, that after he had spoken such great and glorious things of the gospel of Christ, he should go and contract all the riches and glory of it to the new creature which is in us, to the image of Christ in us; no, it is Christ personally, Christ himself certainly that is here meant, I shall as briefly as I can give you all the interpretations of this clause that have fallen into my thoughts. My scope is not to go and handle how many ways Christ is in you, but in relation to the context, to the coherence, to the gospel which he had commended before.
First, Therefore, 'Christ in you' implies that that knowledge which they had of the Lord Jesus Christ, take the object of that knowledge, it is Christ. I appeal, saith he, to your own consciences, you
Colossians that have taken in the gospel as you have done, taken in Christ, in the knowledge of him, whether yea or no, there is not abundance both of riches and glory hath been manifested to you concerning Jesus Christ; and this knowledge which you have of Christ here in this life begotten by the gospel, I appeal to you, whether it be not the greatest evidence of a future glory. It is impossible it should rest here, but as this Christ, in whom you know so much riches of glory, is now in you the hope of glory, so when you come to be with him for ever, do but think what a glory you will be
filled withal then. I take this, I say, to be the first part of the meaning, that it is Christ in you, objectivè. And this is to me clearly one part of his scope, for he speaks in respect of the gospel revealing Christ to them, whereby they behold the glory of Christ, which gives them hope of that glory afterwards with him.
That which must make good this interpretation is this, that the knowledge which the saints have of Jesus Christ is called Christ, and Christ in you. I told you before that the gospel is compared to a glass, and it is called the gospel of Christ, because it representeth him; and the doctrine of the gospel is ordinarily and familiarly called Christ in the Scripture. Now that knowledge, that representation which is taken from Christ himself in the gospel, by the eye and faith of a believer, is called Christ in him. And as the gospel itself, being the glass of Christ, is called Christ, so the sight of Christ, that image of Christ (I call it now image, as being an objective image, as I may so express it, not subjective, the grace that is in you, but), that knowledge that is in you of him, taken from himself in the gospel, which a believer hath, is called Christ in him. In Gal. 1:16, Paul, speaking there of the revelation of the gospel to him, at the 12th verse, saith, 'I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ;' Christ himself revealed it; now at the 16th verse he saith, 'It pleased God to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen.' The knowledge that he had of Jesus Christ by revelation in the 12th verse is called in the 16th verse the revealing of Christ in him; mark the expression; and it is the revealing of Christ in him, that he might preach him to others. God gave him an intimate knowledge of Christ in his own heart, the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Christ did shine in his heart, that so he might preach it unto others; and therefore when he saith,
'He revealed his Son in me,' it is all one as if he had said, 'He revealed the gospel,' for it was that he might preach the gospel. And he speaks
not only of an experimental knowledge; I mean, that is not all the purport of it, that he had experience of it, and what it wrought, for that he might have had without revelation. Neither doth he mean only that the image of Christ was in him, and that God revealed his
Son in him by enabling him to walk as Christ walked, for it was not the image of Christ only which he preached, but it was Christ himself. Therefore now it is the gospel, and the knowledge of Christ in the gospel, that is called the revealing of his Son in him; and it is said to be revealed in him, because he had it immediately; that is the reason why it is said so here of Paul, in opposition to other apostles.
There is another place that I shall give you for this, and that is Gal.
4:19, 'My little children, of whom I travail in birth again, until Christ be formed in you.' They had not lost the image of Christ in respect of sanctification in their hearts, for certainly they were men that were holy, but the truth was this, they had been diverted from the knowledge of Christ which at first they had received, they were diverted to another gospel, as he saith, chap. 1, and so to another
Christ; Moses had been formed in them. He doth not say, until you are formed in Christ, but until Christ be formed in you. He cannot mean the person of Christ dwelling in them. Why? Because that is not formed, that was formed in the womb of the virgin, and now is glorious in heaven; therefore it must be the right notion and apprehension of Christ in the gospel that he meaneth. It is as if he had said, till you be fully evangelised; and as both Piscator and Pareus interpret it, till you be fully restored to your former true knowledge of Christ; now you are full of Moses, he is formed in you; that appears by the 21st verse, for there were some amongst them that were so full of the law, that there was nothing but law almost in them; now in opposition to this, saith he, I long till such time as Christ be formed in you, till there be a complete knowledge of Christ,
according to the nature and genius of the gospel begotten in you. And this is called Christ.
Now, why should the knowledge of Christ in the gospel be called Christ in us, speaking of spiritual knowledge?
1. The reason is clearly this, there is no knowledge else in the world can be called the thing that is known.
2. I shall shew you that Christ as thus revealed in the soul may truly be called Christ. There is no knowledge else in the world can be termed the thing that is known. When a man hath the species or image of an horse or man in his mind, or the thought thereof, you cannot call that image a man or a horse, because all natural knowledge is but a mere phantasm; but the knowledge of Jesus
Christ in the heart of a Christian is Christ in him. Why? Because that faith which we know Christ by doth give a being, a reality, and a subsistence to the thing that is known. I mentioned it upon another occasion, in opening that place, 'Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord;' and I shall enlarge upon it now, that you may still see how one thing follows another. In Heb. 11:1, faith is there called hypostasis, that which doth give a subsistence to the things hoped for; so as indeed in the beholding of Christ, and by beholding of Christ, he is in me, there is a reality, a subsistence to me of him. To open and explain this to you a little, the difference of the spiritual knowledge of Christ, and of all natural knowledge whatsoever, I hall give it you as briefly and as plainly as I can. You must know this, and you do know it, for you feel it within yourselves, that God hath annexed to the understanding of a man a fancy, which we call phantasia, I speak it in opposition to that other phrase in the Hebrews, where faith is called hypostasis. Now the other word, phantasia, cometh from phanos and stasia, it sheweth its office, for it
makes things absent from the mind to appear, and yet but to appear; it doth not give a subsistence to them, it is but phanos stasia. Think where you will of any thing; if you hear a story told you of a thing done at Rome in a church, of such a person, or the like, your mind will be thinking of a church, or framing the image of some person of whom the story is told, though you were never there. This is natural to the mind of man to do it. This is the work of the fancy, which is annexed and joined to the understanding of man in his natural knowledge. And the reason why God did annex to the understanding of man that faculty of the fancy, which makes things which the understanding would understand appear to it (for so the word implies), is because the mind of man would still behold something; and because the thing is not present itself, hence therefore God hath made the fancy to give an appearance, still to feed the mind with a view of the thing it would understand, and so the mind is supported in the understanding of what it doth understand by the assistance of the fancy. Now the Lord having prepared for his people and children spiritual objects of another world, himself and Christ; alas, the fancy is not able to take in the image of himself and of Christ; it will not serve the understanding to any other knowledge of him than merely notional or literal, hence therefore he hath put in that grace of faith, which is not phantasia to the understanding, but it is hypostasis, so the word is, Heb. 11:1. It doth not give an appearance, but a real subsistence to the things the mind would know; and as the fancy helpeth natural knowledge in the understanding of natural things, so doth faith spiritual knowledge, and indeed is all one with it. And hence therefore the beholding of Christ, and of the glory of God by a believer, is not by way of fancy merely, but it is by way of subsistence; the heart findeth a reality in what it believeth, and it hath so great an impression, as it changeth the heart into the same image, which all the fancies of natural knowledge in the world will never do. And, my brethren, this is Plainly 'Jesus Christ in you,' in
one sense; and therefore now we find in Eph. 3:17, that Christ is said to 'dwell in our hearts by faith;' for faith hath, by the help of the Holy
Ghost, that sight of him that makes him real to a man's soul. As now how doth the sun dwell in the eye, or in a house? The sun is in the heavens; so is Jesus Christ, as Acts 3 hath it, 'the heavens must receive him, until the times of restitution of all things;' and yet he is in the heart of a Christian, 'Christ in you,' saith the apostle. How comes this to pass? Why, look as though the sun is in heaven; if it shine into the eye, it dwells there, for there is the real image of the sun begotten in the eye; and as it is said to be in the house, when it comes in with its beams and its light, which if a man put his eye to he may see the sun; so is it here, there is the light of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ, that shines into the heart. And I say, this is the first thing that is here intended, when he saith, 'which is Christ in you;' he doth appeal to those that had known Christ in the gospel, if there were not an unsearchable riches of glory, a vast glory in him, even so far as they had known him, which did give them a hope of infinite glory yet to come, though this knowledge was yet imperfect, and therefore was ordained to be built up in the world to come; for (as I hope to make plain and clear to you) there is nothing is a greater evidence of a hope of glory to come in heaven, than that knowledge we have now of so great a glory in Jesus Christ. Jesus
Christ in us now is an imperfect thing, and yet hath so much riches and glory in the sight of him, as gives us a certain hope that there is a perfection of it to be one day. So you have it in 1 Cor. 13:12, 'Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face; now we know but in part; it is an imperfection which must be built up; but, saith he, 'then shall we know, even as we are known.' So now that is the first meaning of this phrase, why it is that he having spoken of the riches of the glory of the gospel in itself afore, addeth, 'which is Christ in you;' that is, that knowledge which the gospel hath begotten of Jesus
Christ in you, I appeal to you how rich and glorious it is, though you
do not see all of it, and it doth give you a hope of a future glory to come.
Now to cast in other additional imports, which will come in and stand with this, and help to fill up the meaning of it.
Secondly, It is 'Christ in you;' that is (he speaks still by way of application to them for their comfort), this is for your comfort, that whatsoever glory, and whatsoever riches of Jesus Christ the gospel lays open, it is all yours, it is all in you, and for you. Which riches of glory, and which mystery, and all, is 'Christ in you,' and in you the hope of a further glory. When Marcion the heretic had wrote a gospel, as the rest of the evangelists had done, said an orthodox
Christian of him, it is my Christ that is in your gospel; implying, that he had no part in him, though he had written so of him. But all that this gospel saith of Christ is your Christ, it is Christ in you; as the apostle saith, 1 Cor. 3:23, 'All is yours, for ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's. The gospel (saith he) which I commend to you, it doth not only tell you of riches and glory, it doth not only talk of it as other stories do, but it makes all this yours; 'The riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which riches is Christ in you,' Christ made yours. It is a deep phrase this, and it imports the possession that a Christian hath of Christ, and of all riches of glory in him.
I shall open, as parallel to my text, another scripture, Col. 3:11, 'Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision; Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all and in all.' His scope is this, as Rollock hath well observed upon the place, that all outward external privileges, belonging to the new creature, were nothing at all valued by him; it is not the privilege of any nation that is so much to be considered, therefore, saith he, 'it is neither Greek nor Jew.' It is not the privilege of any profession of
religion, that a man is of this opinion, or of that opinion, that he is circumcised or uncircumcised. It is not the privilege of tongues, or learning, or wit, 'neither Greek nor Barbarian.' The Greeks were a wise and learned people, the Barbarians rude, but men of spirit, as the Turkish nation now. It is not riches or honour, or any external condition, that is valued by the new creature, 'there is neither bond nor free,' saith he. But then what hath the new creature, that undervalueth all these privileges, in lieu of them? He hath Christ, who is all in himself, and is in all. He doth not only say, that Jews
Christ alone is all, the meaning whereof is this: Go take the old man, though it hath a thousand things to make it happy, yet it hath not one thing alone that is instead of all to make it happy, but it hath several thousand things that must always go to make a creature happy; but saith he, one Jesus Christ doth it, 'Jesus Christ is all.' But that I note it for is this, to remark the phrase in all; he is not only said to be all unto all, but he is all in them all, 'He is all, and in all,' saith the apostle. He puts an emphasis upon it by way of difference from all outward things whatsoever. He is not only instead of all to Christians, but he is all in all Christians, and in every Christian. He is ail in them, that is, they may find Jesus Christ in themselves to be that to them which all things else are. As for example, go take a king, or any great person in the world, though he hath all things that this world can afford him, yet all these things are but all to him; they are not all in him, for all that goes to make them comfortable are out of himself: honour is out of himself, riches out of himself, dainty fare and beauty all out of himself, the wisdom he hath, indeed, that is in himself. But now take a Christian, as Jesus Christ is all things to him, so Jesus Christ is in him. All other things and a man may be severed, because they are but all to a man, but if all things were all in a man, a man could never be but completely happy. But so it is here, 'which is
Christ in you.' He is not only all to you, but all in you; go whither you will go, you carry him about with you, that is all to you. And so now,
that is a second thing which this phrase importeth, why the apostle addeth it here; saith he, if you have Christ in you, you carry about with you, wherever you go, him that is all to you; come what will to you, you can never be parted from this Christ, for he is in you. He is
Christ in you, all these riches, and the hope of glory likewise.
Again, this phrase, 'which is Christ in you,' is thus added upon the commendation of the gospel; because, when a man comes fully to know the gospel, the more still he knows of the gospel and of Jesus
Christ savingly, the more he comes to be nothing else in himself, and to himself, but Christ. My meaning is this: take a man that hath his spirit evangelised (as the Scripture phrase is), that is, that is gospelised, the more his spirit takes the gospel in, the more all he is, and all he hath, and all he doth, becomes to him nothing but Christ.
Let the gospel have its full and perfect work, and Jesus Christ full admission into your hearts by faith, if he be fully formed in you, you shall see neither law nor nothing else in comparison of Christ, he will swallow up all; that though other things be in you, the law is written in your hearts, and the image of Christ is in you, yea, but Christ is all;
'Christ in you,' saith the apostle, all things are turned into Christ, and he gives the glory of all to Christ, all is Christ in you. 'I live,' saith the apostle, 'and yet not I, but Christ liveth in me,' Gal. 2:20. He doth not only say, he lived a life to Christ, as you have it in 2 Cor. 5:15, 'that we should not live to ourselves, but to him that died for us,' but he saith, that 'Christ liveth in him.' What life is it that is in title branch or in the buds? It is the life of the root. So saith he, 'It is not I that live,' I am but a branch, 'it is Christ that liveth in me.' Jesus Christ converteth the life of nature, the civil life, assimilateth all the actions of a Christian to himself, he liveth in him. When a man cometh to be perfectly evangelised, it is Christ in him. Even as the members of the body do live a reasonable life, but the reasonable life they live is merely from the head, it is the life of the head in the members. The
tongue talketh reason. Where hath the tongue that reason? It is the life of the head in the tongue. That these dull members of ours live rationally, it is because they live the life of the reasonable soul. So now thus doth Jesus Christ to me, he liveth in me; it is not I that lives that spiritual life that I have in all that I do in matters of religion, it is
Christ that liveth in me. He doth not only say that he liveth with Christ, as if Christ was the author of his life (and so it is, for I having had a life from him, I live with him), no; but he is the author of my life, as he is the root of my life, and he liveth in me, rather than I live, as having had life from him. And his scope was to shew that he was dead to the law; saith he, I can never be a Jew again while I live.
Why? Because I have received Christ into me, and there is a life of Christ in me, so that I can never return to my works, return to the law again. That is his scope in that coherence. And therefore, you know, he defineth one that is of the true circumcision, that he rejoiceth in the Lord Jesus Christ: Philip. 3:3, 'And God forbid that I should rejoice in anything, saving in the cross of Christ;' so Gal. 6:14.
Why? If I live, it is Christ that liveth in me; and if I die, to me to die is Jesus Christ, is gain; if I act anything, it is not I, but the grace of Jesus Christ in me; if I have any strength, it is the strength of Christ,
'Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,' 2 Tim. 2:1. If I be sanctified, it is not grace, so much as Christ, is made sanctification.
The truth is, that as a man still grows up more and more gospelised in his spirit, so Jesus Christ is in him, and works out all things else, till there be nothing but Christ in him, melteth the soul into Christ as sugar is melted into wine. All a man's graces, whatsoever he doth, he turns it all into Christ, as it is all from Christ. As a beam is nothing if it be cut off from the sun, so there is nothing in what the soul is, or desireth to be, but so far forth as it is knit to Christ, and cometh from him, and is received from him. My brethren, I use to say that grace is nothing but a company of nothings, and a company of alls, as I may so express it to you. It makes the heart to be nothing in its own
righteousness, but Jesus Christ to be all. It makes the heart to be nothing in its own abilities to do anything, but Jesus Christ to be all.
It makes the heart to be nothing in its own ends, but to set up Jesus Christ in all. It makes the heart to be nothing, in respect of being accepted for anything in itself, but to be graciously accepted in the beloved, to be all in that respect. It brings the heart to be nothing in comfort, to seek for nothing of comfort, but what is to be had in Christ, in the face of Christ. It makes the heart to be nothing in valuation of itself, but Jesus Christ to be all. These things indeed we all fall short of, but this will be your pitch, that there shall be nothing but Christ in you, not you in Christ, but Christ in you, if your spirits be truly and fully turned to the gospel, if they be evangelised. 'That you may know,' saith he, 'the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you.'
Lastly, It may also come in here by way of special instance, to shew that that union which Jesus Christ hath with the saints, and in the saints, whereby he and they are all one, and by which all the glory he hath, and riches in him, are made theirs; that that union, I say, of Jesus Christ and his saints, 'Christ in them,' is one great and eminent mystery of the gospel, and the greatest hope of glory. There are, saith he, a world of glorious riches and mysteries in the gospel, but I will give you one instance, which of all other is the greatest, or at least the comfortablest to you, and that is this, that Christ and you are one, that Jesus Christ is in you, and so the hope of glory. So that he speaks, I say, of the union that is between Jesus Christ and believers, as of all other the greatest and the richest mystery, at least the most comfortable into as which the gospel holds forth, and is the foundation of all glory and of all grace, it is the hope of glory.
He instanceth, I say, in that, both because it so much concerned them, and their comfort by way of application; and also, because in
itself it is one of the greatest mysteries, and a thing of the greatest moment for believers to know.
First, It is one of the greatest mysteries of the gospel.
I observe this, that all divines, when they come to speak of the union that we have with Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ with us, they do generally make this apology, if they handle it anything largely, that of all others it is one of the greatest mysteries. Still, I say, they make that apology, that great is the mystery of our union with Christ, and Christ with us. Therefore the apostle might well, in the close of all, say, by way of one instance of the greatness of this mystery, 'which is
Christ in you.'
There are two things in the New Testament which the Holy Ghost doth put an emphasis upon, and calleth them great mysteries, and they are two unions. The first is, the union of the human nature with the Godhead in the person of Christ, 1 Tim. 3:16, 'Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness.' What is that mystery?
'God manifest in the flesh,' that is, the Godhead was manifested in the human nature of Christ, uniting it to itself, and in that human nature shining gloriously as God. This thing, that God was made flesh, that the Son of God was made man, he saith, is a great mystery.
The second great mystery is, that this Son of God made man should be united to a body of men, his church, his saints; that Christ should be in them as God is in Christ; and for that you have Eph. 5:32, 'This is a great mystery,' saith he, having discoursed before of the union of Christ and his church under the representation of the first marriage of Adam and his wife in paradise, and so he interpreteth himself; and saith he, 'I speak of Christ and his church,' for the but there is not adversative, but explicative, that is, when I speak of a great mystery,
I mean the union of Christ and his church. It was a mystery that that
union should be infolded in Adam's marriage, and it is a great mystery in respect of the thing itself. To give you a scripture or two for this.
The mystery of the union of Christ with his church is so great, that Christ himself parallels it, and setteth it out by the union which the Godhead had with him, and his union with the Father. So you have it in John 6:56, 'He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, he dwelleth in me, and I in him.' Here is now the union between us and Christ, here is 'Christ in us.' How doth he parallel this union? Read ver. 57, 'As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.' The scope is plainly this,
All life, saith he, is by union with the fountain of life. I being united to my Father, who is the living Father, do live by my Father. He speaks of himself as he is sent, as he is man, as he took up a human nature. 'The living Father,' saith he, 'hath sent me,' and so knit and united mo to himself, and to the Godhead, and as thus sent, 'I live by him;' and you, saith he, 'do live by me,' and (as he saith elsewhere)
'because I live, you shall live also.' Why? Because, as it is John 14:20, 'I, am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you.' That which I quote it for at this time is this, that he parallels our union, and the life we have by virtue of our union with him, with that union of his human nature with the Godhead, and with the Father.
And because I am fallen upon this place of John 6, I shall a little open it to you. You shall find that this is the great mystery that stumbled the world, yea, that stumbled his very disciples, many of them, so that they went and left him. In that chapter you have a sermon of his, in which he told than that they must, by eating his flesh and drinking his blood, come to be united to him, and whosoever did so was united to him. Now saith ver. 60, 'Many of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who
can bear it?' It is a hard saying, for how can one believe it? Nay, say they, it is an intolerable, an insufferable saying; whose ears can bear it? And they were disciples too, 'many of his disciples said.' And the saying is not only the eating his flesh, but it is all his whole sermon about it, that he would dwell in them, and they should dwell in him, by eating of his flesh. Saith Christ, 'Doth this offend you?' I will make the wonder yet greater; ver. 62, 'What and if you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?' He poseth them with a greater mystery, and that is the near union of the human nature with the divine, so near that he that is now on earth is also in heaven by communion of properties, though all those that were reprobates did not see him ascend with bodily eyes, nor all the saints neither; but I am gone, saith he, and when ye hear that I am gone to heaven, verily you will think then that there can be no union between me and those that believe in me, for there can be no eating of my flesh or drinking of my blood. If therefore you wonder at it now, how will you conceive of it when I am gone up to heaven? But, saith he, I will solve the mystery to you, if you will understand it; 'It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing.' I have a Godhead in me, a divine nature (for that is meant by Spirit often, when Christ is spoken of, as, 'He was put to death in the flesh,' that is, in his human nature, 'but quickened by the Spirit,' that is, by his Godhead), I have, saith he, a Godhead dwelling in this human nature, though this flesh you cannot eat; and though, if I have nothing else but flesh, I could not dwell in you, nor quicken you, nor give life to you, yet having a Spirit, a Godhead in me, it is that which quickeneth. And how doth he quicken? And how doth he cause you to dwell in him, and himself in you? Why, saith he, by the words which I speak unto you, while you by faith chew upon the word that describeth me, as I am the Saviour of the world, as I give my flesh for the salvation of the world, the Godhead that is in me, and the Holy Ghost that dwelleth in me, causeth me by faith to dwell in you, and so to give you life; for so it
follows in that 63d verse 'The words which I speak unto you, they are spirit,' and spiritually to be understood; and saith he, 'they are life.'
There is a great question amongst divines, whether we are first united to the human nature of Christ, and by it to the Godhead, or immediately to the Godhead? For my part, this place mightily helpeth me to resolve the question. 'It is the Spirit,' saith he, 'that quickeneth,' that is, the Godhead (now he had spoke of union before); and so by virtue of uniting to the Godhead of Christ, there is a quickening of us, and though we are united to whole Christ, yet to the Godhead first.
I shall give you another scripture that this is the great mystery of the gospel, it is in John 14:20 (a place I named afore, and did but name it). The greatest mystery that is in the gospel was reserved for the apostles to know it, when Jesus Christ should be ascended, for then the Holy Ghost fell upon them, for to reveal to them the great and glorious things of the gospel. Now what saith Christ there? 'At that day,' saith he, (namely, when the Holy Ghost if come, for he had promised to send the Comforter in the words before) 'ye shall know that I am in my Father, and yon in me, and I in you.' These two are made parallels. The apostles had had their union with the Father and with Christ before now, they had it at this time when he spake unto them; but saith he, then you shall know it, you shall understand it, both experimentally in your own hearts, and you shall know the mystery of it, so as to teach it unto others; for so the apostles did, they received this knowledge by the Holy Ghost to communicate it to others. And this great mystery (which the apostles then did not so clearly understand, but should fully know it when they received the Holy Ghost) he reduceth, you see, to three heads, and all are matters of union, and indeed the one dependeth upon the other. First, saith he, you shall understand this great mystery, that there is an union
between me and my Father, and the human nature and the Son of God, and so that I am one with him, and that is the foundation of all your comfort. This they understood not at first. 'Ye believe in God, believe also in me,' saith he. Secondly, You shall know that as I am in my Father, so you are in me; that is, that God the Father did from everlasting make me a public person for you, and I stood in your stead, and you all were in me, when I did whatsoever I did here upon the earth, and you are in me when I go to heaven; it is an union representative between you and me. And thirdly, you shall know that I am in you, and you shall feel it; and that is a communicative union, as I may so express it. And every one of these is the foundation of the other; you shall find, saith he, that as the union of myself with the Father, and the union of the human nature with the Son of God, is the foundation of my being a public person for you, why I was able to die, and my death to be effectual, so you shall find the power and virtue of all these communicated to you by my being in you; you shall be sensible of this union. This, I say, is the great mystery, which was reserved for the Holy Ghost to reveal unto the apostles themselves.
And because that the comfort of all lies in this latter, to feel Christ is in me, for by that I climb up to the other, hence the apostle singleth it out, when he would hold forth and bring home to their hearts the riches of the glory of the gospel as theirs, and that Christ is theirs, and that they are one with the Father, and that Christ did represent them from everlasting, &c. He instanceth only in the latter, 'which is
Christ in you.'
My brethren, this is so great a mystery, as that the angels do not know it as we do, for they are not united with so near an union to Jesus Christ as we are. As he took up our nature into a greater nearness with God, and did not take up the nature of angels, so he takes us up into a nearer union with himself, and so with God. It is a mystery indeed, that the angels stand and admire at; 'seen of angels,'