A03604:56
The souls exaltation A treatiseThe soules exaltation A treatise
The souls exaltation A treatise containing the souls union with Christ, on I Cor. 6. 17. The souls benefit from union with Christ, on I Cor. 1. 30. The souls justification, on 2 Cor. 5. 21. By T.H.The soules exaltation A treatise containing the soules union with Christ, on I Cor. 6. 17. The soules benefit from vnion with Christ, on I Cor. 1. 30. The soules justification, on 2 Cor. 5. 21. By T.H.
London: printed by John Haviland for Andrew Crooke, 1638London: printed by Iohn Haviland for Andrew Crooke, 1638
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Secondly, I say it is total in so much that Christ is the head, and a believer, a member; in both these regards they are joined: Christ is the head of the Church, not only according as he is God, but as he is God and man; and a believer is a member not only according to his body, but according to his body and soul: now whole Christ being the head, and the whole believer being a member, therefore a whole Christ, and a whole believer must be joined together.
Secondly, I say it is totall in so much that Christ is the head, and a beleever, a member; in both these regards they are joyned: Christ is the head of the Church, not onely according as he is God, but as hee is God and man; and a beleever is a member not onely according to his body, but according to his body and soule: now whole Christ being the head, and the whole beleever being a member, therefore a whole Christ, and a whole beleever must be joyned together.
The third is this, this union is inseparable: Jeremiah 32.40. The Lord promiseth to make an everlasting covenant with the house of Israel, and I will never part away from them to do them good: so Psalm 89.33.34. It is spoken there concerning Solomon as I conceive the Psalmist saith, If he sin against me, I will scourge him, and I will visit him with stripes; nevertheless, my loving kindness I will not take away from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail my covenant; I will not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my mouth: mark that the Lord out of faithfulness doth establish thee to him in vocation, the Lord hath made a covenant with the soul in vocation, the hand of the Lord lays hold upon the soul, and brings it home; now though the Lord correct the soul sharply, yet will be not leave it totally and finally; it is inseparably knit to Christ; what can it ⟨p. 9⟩be, what shall it be, that can separate a poor sinner from Christ? if Satan could have hindered him from coming to a Saviour, he would have then hindered him from coming to a Christ, when he had his greatest dominion over him: if sin could have let him when a man had nothing else but sin, he would not have forsaken that and have been brought home to Christ. If the world could have prevailed, Christ should never have plucked him from it; but when Satan had his greatest power over him, when a man was nothing else but sin by nature, when the world most prevailed, yet then God by his good Spirit plucked thy heart from sin and self: that soul is mine, saith Christ, Satan must give way, and shall not hinder it: that soul is mine, saith Christ, sin shall not let it from coming to me: that soul is mine, saith Christ, and the world shall not stop the work of a Saviour; and if Satan in the height of his malice, and the world in the top of its force, could not prevail to keep the soul from Christ; then much less shall these be able to pluck us from a Saviour: the point then is undeniable, that the soul is really, totally and inseparably knit to the Lord Jesus Christ.