In the Spirit.: Light from heaven discovering the fountain opened. Angels… by Richard Sibbes | AskReformation

Skip to content

:174p. 72–73

³The Spirit is taken likewise for the third Person in the Trinity, the Holy-Ghost, the holy Spirit: And indeed, whatsoever God the Father, or God ⟨p. 73⟩the Son doth graciously to man, it is done by the Spirit: For, as the holy Spirit is in the order of the Persons, so he is in the order of working: the Father works from himself, the Son works from the Father, the holy Spirit from them both; the holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, and the Son, as a common Principle: Therefore, sometimes the Father is said to raise Christs Body, by his Spirit; Christ is said to do things by the Spirit. Here in this place, it is especially to be understood of Christs Divine Nature, not excluding the Holy-Ghost: For, as the Holy-Ghost, in the Incarnation, sanctified his flesh, the second Person took flesh, but the third Person sanctified it; so in the Resurrection of Christ, the second Person that raised it self up, but yet it was by the Holy-Ghost too. So, when there is mention here of Christ justified by the Spirit, that is, by his God-head, and by the Holy-Ghost, which he alway used, not as an instrument, for the Holy-Ghost is a common Principle with himself, one with himself, of equal dignity, only differing in the order of Persons: Whatsoever Christ did, he did with the Spirit; that must not be excluded. Christ was as well justified in the Spirit, as God, as manifest in our nature to be man.

³The Spirit is taken likewise for the third Person in the Trinitie, the Holy-Ghost, the holy Spirit: And indeed, whatsoever God the Father, or God ⟨p. 73⟩the Sonne doth graciously to man, it is done by the Spirit: For, as the holy Spirit is in the order of the Persons, so he is in the order of working: the Father workes from himselfe, the Sonne workes from the Father, the holy Spirit from them both; the holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, and the Sonne, as a common Principle: Therefore, sometimes the Father is sayd to rayse Christs Body, by his Spirit; Christ is sayd to do things by the Spirit. Here in this place, it is especially to be understood of Christs Divine Nature, not excluding the Holy-Ghost: For, as the Holy-Ghost, in the Incarnation, sanctified his flesh, the second Person tooke flesh, but the third Person sanctified it; so in the Resurrection of Christ, the second Person that raysed it selfe up, but yet it was by the Holy-Ghost too. So, when there is mention here of Christ justified by the Spirit, that is, by his God-head, and by the Holy-Ghost, which he alway used, not as an instrument, for the Holy-Ghost is a common Principle with himselfe, one with himselfe, of equall dignitie, onely differing in the order of Persons: Whatsoever Christ did, he did with the Spirit; that must not be excluded. Christ was as well justified in the Spirit, as God, as manifest in our nature to be man.

3For the third Person in Trinity.For the third Person in Trinitie.

:178p. 75

Nay,¹ at the lowest degree of abasement of all, when he struggled with the wrath of God, and wat beset of Devils; then he triumphed: when he was visibly overcome; then invisibly he overcame: he was an invisible Conqueror, when he was visibly subdued: For, did he not on the Cross satisfy the wrath of God, and by enduring the wrath of God, free us from it, and from Satan, Gods Gaoler, and reconcile us by his blood? The chief works of all, were wrought in his chief abasement. At length he died, and was buried: I, but he that died, rose again gloriously; therefore he was mightily declared to be the Son of God, by raising himself from the dead: That was the greatest abasement, when he lay in the Grave; and especially then he was justified, by his Resurrection from the dead, and his Ascension, in his state of Glorification especially. So, if we go from Christs birth, to his lowest degree of abasement, there was alway some manifestation of his justification by the Spirit.

Nay,¹ at the lowest degree of abasement of all, when he struggled with the wrath of God, and wat beset of Devils; then he triumphed: when he was visibly overcome; then invisibly he overcame: he was an invisible Conqueror, when he was visibly subdued: For, did he not on the Crosse satisfie the wrath of God, and by enduring the wrath of God, free us from it, and from Satan, Gods Gaoler, and reconcile us by his bloud? The chiefe workes of all, were wrought in his chiefe abasement. At length he died, and was buried: I, but he that died, rose againe gloriously; therefore he was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God, by raysing himselfe from the dead: That was the greatest abasement, when he lay in the Grave; and especially then he was justified, by his Resurrection from the dead, and his Ascension, in his state of Glorification especially. So, if we goe from Christs birth, to his lowest degree of abasement, there was alway some manifestation of his justification by the Spirit.

1Christ at the lowest, did the greatest works.

:181p. 76–77

²And then he was justified by the Spirit, from all imputations of men, from the mis-conceits that the World had of him; they thought him to be a mere man, or a sinful man. No; he was more then a mere man; nay, more then a holy man, he was God-man. Whence were his Miracles? Were they not from his Divine Power? He overcame the Devil,² in his temptations: Who can overcome the Devil, but he that is the Son of God? He cast out the Devils, and disposest them with his Word. All the enemies of Christ that ever were, at length he conquered them, and so declared himself mightily to be (as he was) the Son of God. ³He healed the outward man, and the inward man, by his Divine Power; he caused the spiritual as well as the bodily eyes to see, the dead to live, and the lame to go, &c. Whatsoever he did in the body he did in the soul likewise; in those excellent Miracles he was justified, and declared to be the Son of God, especially in his Resurrection and Ascension, and daily converting of souls by his Ministry; all being done by his Spirit, which is his Vicar in the World, ruling his Church, ⟨p. 77⟩and subduing his enemies; so that he was every way justified in the Spirit to be God, to be the true Messiah prophesied of, and promised to the Church. Therefore he was justified in his Truth, that all the Promises were true of him; and in his faithfulness, that he was faithful in performing the Promises he made; he was justified in his goodness, and mercy, and all those attributes; he was justified in the Spirit.

²And then he was justified by the Spirit, from all imputations of men, from the mis-conceits that the World had of him; they thought him to be a meere man, or a sinfull man. No; he was more then a meere man; nay, more then a holy man, he was God-man. Whence were his Miracles? Were they not from his Divine Power? He overcame the Devill,² in his temptations: Who can overcome the Devill, but he that is the Sonne of God? He cast out the Devils, and dispossest them with his Word. All the enemies of Christ that ever were, at length he conquered them, and so declared himselfe mightily to be (as he was) the Sonne of God. ³He healed the outward man, and the inward man, by his Divine Power; he caused the spirituall as well as the bodily eyes to see, the dead to live, and the lame to goe, &c. Whatsoever he did in the bodie he did in the soule likewise; in those excellent Miracles he was justified, and declared to be the Sonne of God, especially in his Resurrection and Ascension, and daily converting of soules by his Ministerie; all being done by his Spirit, which is his Vicar in the World, ruling his Church, ⟨p. 77⟩and subduing his enemies; so that he was every way justified in the Spirit to be God, to be the true Messias prophesied of, and promised to the Church. Therefore he was justified in his Truth, that all the Promises were true of him; and in his faithfulnesse, that he was faithfull in performing the Promises he made; he was justified in his goodnesse, and mercy, and all those attributes; he was justified in the Spirit.

2In regard of men.
2By overcoming the Devil.By overcomming the Devill.
3By healing the outward and inward man.

:183p. 77–78

I answer;¹ when we speak of the justifying of Christ,² it is meant to those that have eyes to see him, to those that shut not their eyes; he was justified to be so great as he was to those whose eyes the god of the world had not blinded, to all that were his: as it is excellently set down, John 1.14.³ The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory as the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father, full of Grace and Truth. We beheld his glory; we did, others did not take notice: but they were those, whose eyes the god of this world hath blinded, the malicious Scribes and Pharisees, that sinned against the Holy-Ghost, and would never acknowledge Christ; an ignorant people, that had not Faith, nor the Spirit of God. He was justified by the Spirit of God, to all that had spiritual eyes to see and take notice of his course; as S. John saith in one of his Epistles, What we have seen and heard, ⟨p. 78⟩and our hands have handled, the Word of Life, that we declare to you: So, that he was God manifest in the flesh, and he showed himself to be the Word of Life, to those that were his Apostles and Disciples, and those that were converted by him. As we see S. Peter, when he had felt his Divine Power upon his heart, by his Preaching: Lord (saith he) thou hast the words of eternal life, whither shall we go? He felt the Spirit, in his preaching. And so another time, S. Peter, in Matth. 16.⁴ he confessed him to be the Son of the living God. You see to whom he was justified, and declared to be the true Messiah, to be God as well as man, by his Spirit.

I answer;¹ when we speake of the justifying of Christ,² it is meant to those that have eyes to see him, to those that shut not their eyes; hee was justified to be so great as he was to those whose eyes the god of the world had not blinded, to all that were his: as it is excellently set downe, Iohn 1.14.³ The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glorie as the glorie of the onely begotten Sonne of the Father, full of Grace and Truth. We beheld his glorie; we did, others did not take notice: but they were those, whose eyes the god of this world hath blinded, the malicious Scribes and Pharises, that sinned against the Holy-Ghost, and would never acknowledge Christ; an ignorant people, that had not Faith, nor the Spirit of God. He was justified by the Spirit of God, to all that had spirituall eyes to see and take notice of his course; as S. Iohn sayth in one of his Epistles, What we have seene and heard, ⟨p. 78⟩and our hands have handled, the Word of Life, that we declare to you: So, that he was God manifest in the flesh, and he shewed himselfe to be the Word of Life, to those that were his Apostles and Disciples, and those that were converted by him. As we see S. Peter, when he had felt his Divine Power upon his heart, by his Preaching: Lord (sayth he) thou hast the words of eternall life, whither shall we goe? He felt the Spirit, in his preaching. And so another time, S. Peter, in Matth. 16.⁴ he confessed him to be the Sonne of the living God. You see to whom he was justified, and declared to be the true Messias, to be God as well as man, by his Spirit.

1Answer.
2To whom Christ is justified.
3John 1.14.Iohn 1.14.
4Matth. 16.