John Owen · 48 of 157

Sermon VI. Isaiah lvi. 7. · Part 3

Observation 1. Though Christ be united unto the persons of the saints by the indwelling of the Spirit, yet the saints have not that which is called personal union with him, nor with the Spirit. Personal union is by a person of the Deity assuming the nature of man into one personality with itself, that having of its own no personal subsistence. Things are here clean otherwise: Christ doth not assume the saints into a personal subsistence with himself, but dwells in their persons by his Spirit.

Observation 2. That the operations of the indwelling Spirit of Christ, and all his manifestations, are voluntary. He worketh as he will, and revealeth what he will, even where he dwells. He doth not work in us naturally, but voluntarily, unto what proportion he pleaseth; therefore, though he dwell equally in all saints in respect of truth and reality, yet he doth not in respect of working and efficacy.

(2dly.) By his graces. Christ dwelleth in this house, and in all the stones thereof, by his graces. He “dwells in our hearts by faith,” Eph. iii. 17. He dwells in us by his word “in all wisdom,” Col. iii. 16. All the graces we are made partakers of, we receive from his fulness, and by them he inhabits in us. They are indeed the ornaments of the living stones of this house, to make them meet and fit for such an indweller as the Lord Christ. Christ will not dwell in a soul whose mind is darkness, his will stubbornness, and his affections carnal and sensual. He puts light, and life, and love upon the soul, that it may be meet for him to dwell in. Christ dwells in all the world by his power and presence, but he dwells only in his saints by his Spirit and grace.

(3dly.) By his ordinances. Where two or three of his are assembled together, there is he in the midst of them. The ordinances of Christ are the Meat ornaments of his kingly court; by them he is glorious in all the assemblies of mount Zion. Some would fain cast out this indwelling of Christ from among his saints; — in due time he will thoroughly rebuke them. Some, again, would thrust him out into the world; but he will make men know that his ordinances are given unto his. It is true, the benefit of some of them extends to the world; but the right and enjoyment of them is the privilege of his saints. Thus Christ dwells in his house. Hence, observe, —

Observation 1. The intimacy of the Lord Jesus with his saints, and the delight he takes in them. He dwelleth with them, he dwelleth in them, — he takes them to the nearest union with himself possible: he in them, they in him, that they may be one. He hath made many an admirable change with us. He took our sin, and gives us his righteousness; he took our nature, and gives us his Spirit. Neither is it a bare indwelling, — he thereby holds with us all acts of the choicest communion. “If,” saith he, “any man hear my voice, and open to me, I will come in to him.” And what then? “I will sup with him, and he with me,” Rev. iii. 20.

(1.) “I will sup with him;” — I will delight and satisfy myself with him. Jesus Christ takes abundance of delight and contentment in the hearts of his saints. When they are faithful, when they are fruitful, he is marvellously refreshed with it. Hence is that prayer of the spouse, “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my Beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits,” Cant. iv. 16. She would have the spices, the graces she hath received, breathed on by a fresh gale of the Spirit, that they might yield a sweet savour. And why so? That her Beloved may have something for his entertainment, — that he may come and sup, and eat of his pleasant fruits. A poor soul, that hath received Christ, hath not any desire so fervent as that it may have something for the entertainment of him; that he who filled it when it was hungry may not (as it were) be sent away empty. And the Lord Jesus is exceedingly taken with those refreshments. “The King is held in the galleries,” Cant. vii. 5. He is detained, yea, bound with delight; — he knows not how to pass away. Therefore “he rests in his love,” Zeph. iii. 17. He is exceedingly satiated in the delight he takes in his mints. Neither is this all, that when Christ comes he will sup with us, (though this be a great deal; for what are we, that we should entertain our Lord?) but also, —

(2.) The saints sup with him: he provides choice refreshments for them also. When Christ comes in unto us, he will entertain a soul bounteously. He provides love for us. When the Spirit of Christ is bestowed on us, he sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts, Rom. v. 5. He sheds it abroad, — pours it out abundantly. Friends, love is a choice dainty:— he that knows it not is a stranger to all spiritual banquets:— it is a choice dish in the feast of fat things that Christ prepareth. He provides “righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost,” for us That [is] his kingdom, Rom. xiv. 17; and this kingdom of his is within us. Of such precious things as these doth Christ provide a supper for them with whom he dwells. If Christ be in you, more or less, you shall not want this entertainment. We are, indeed, sometimes like mad guests, that when meat is set on the table, cast it all down, without tasting a morsel. When Christ hath prepared sweet and precious dainties for us, we cast them on the ground; we throw away our peace, our joy, by folly and unbelief: but this makes not the truth of God of none effect.

Observation 2. Doth Christ dwell in us by his Spirit? — should we not be careful lest we grieve that Spirit of his? The Spirit of Christ is very tender. Did the saints continually consider this, that Christ dwells in them, — that he is grieved and troubled at all their unbelief, unruly passions, worldly desires, foolish imaginations, — surely they could not but be much more watchful over themselves than generally they are. He is refreshed when we walk with him, and hold fellowship with him. To turn aside from him, to hold fellowship with the world or flesh, — this grieves him and burdens him. Oh, “grieve not the Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed to the day of redemption.” And let me tell you, if you do, though he will not utterly depart from you, nor take his kindness away for evermore, yet he will do that which shall make your heart ache, your joints tremble, and break all your bones in pieces. For, —

(1.) He will depart from you as to all sense of his presence, that you shall have neither joy, nor comfort, nor peace. He will hide his face, and make you believe (as we say) that he is gone utterly from you. And this he will do, not for a day, or a night, or so, but for a great while together. You shall go to seek him, and you shall not find him; yea, beg and cry, and have no answer. Now all the world for one smile from Christ, for one impression of his presence upon my heart, — and all in vain. When the Spirit of Christ was thus departed from David, upon his miscarriage, as to the sense and joy of it, how cloth he cry out, “Make me to hear the voice of joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice!” Ps. li. 8. If thou valuest the presence of Christ at no greater rate but to jeopard it upon every occasion, thou mayest haply go without the comfort of it all thy days. Examine yourselves, — is it not so with some of you? Have you not lost the sense of the presence of Christ by your folly and uneven walking? Perhaps you value it not much, but go on as Samson with his hair cut, and think to do as at other times; but if the Philistines set upon thee, it will be sorrow and trouble; in every assault thou wilt find thyself a lost man; — sooner or later it will be bitterness to thee.

(2.) He will depart as to the efficacy of his working in thee, and leave thee so weak that thou shalt not be able to walk with God. His Spirit is “a Spirit of grace and supplications.” He will so withdraw it that thou shalt find thy heart in a poor condition, as to those things. To be cold in prayer, dead in hearing, estranged from meditation, slight in all duties, — this shall be thy portion; — a frame that a tender soul would tremble to think of. Ah, how many poor creatures are come to this state in these days, by their neglect and contempt of Christ dwelling in them! They have lost their first love, their first life; their graces are ready to die, and their whole soul is asleep, in a heartless, lifeless, zealless frame. They shall be saved, but “yet as through fire.”

(3.) He will depart as to assurance of what is to come, as well as to a sense of what is present. It is the indwelling Spirit of Christ that gives assurance: hereby are we “sealed to the day of redemption.” He “beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God.” Upon our grieving him, he will withdraw as to this also. We shall be bewildered, and in the dark, not knowing what will become of our souls to eternity. For if Christ by his Spirit do not speak peace, who shall?

Observation 3. Doth he dwell in us by his grace?

(1.) Let us first know whence all graces are, that in a want or weakness of them we may know whither to go for a supply. “Of his fulness we receive, and grace for grace.” All supplies of graces are from Christ. “Lord, increase our faith,” say the apostles. Not only faith originally is from him, but all increases of it also. “I believe; help thou my unbelief,” says the poor man. We wrestle and struggle with a little grace, a little faith, a little love, a little joy; and are contented if we can keep our heads above water, that we be not quite sunk and lost. How sweet would it be with us, if, upon a serious consideration from whence all these graces flow, we would apply ourselves to draw out farther degrees and heightenings of them, whereby he might dwell more plentifully in us, and we might always converse with him in his gracious train of attendants! How this may be done in particular, is not my business now to show.

(2.) Learn to tender [make much of] the graces of Christ, as those which hold out his presence to us. Let us tender them in our own hearts, and prize them in whomsoever they are. They are pledges of the indwelling of Christ. Certainly, if men valued Christ, they would more value his graces. Many pretend to love him, to honour him, yea, with Peter, to be ready to die with him, or for him; but what evil surmises have they of the graces of Christ appearing in others! how do they call them hypocrisy, humour, folly, pride, singularity, with other terms of a later invention! I cannot so easily believe that any one can love the Lord Jesus and hate the appearances of him in others. Where is any thing of Christ, there is also Christ.

5thly. Jesus Christ is the great avenger of this house, and of all the injuries or wrongs that are done unto it. “All,” saith he, “that devour Israel shall offend,” Jer. ii. 3. He will not hold him guiltless that rises up against it. See Isa. lix. 15–18. He takes upon him the avenging of his house, as his own proper work: “Shall he not avenge his elect? He will do it speedily.” See also Isa. lxiii. 2–6. How dreadful is he in the execution of his revenging judgments against the enemies thereof! So also is he described, Rev. xix. 13–15. He hath promised to make the stones of this house heavy stones; they shall burden all that touch them, Zech. xii. 3. He comes forth of “the myrtle-trees in the bottom” (his lowly people in a low condition) with the “red horse” following him, Zech. i. 8. Upon this account he fearfully broke the old Roman-pagan empire, Rev. vi. 12–17; and will as fearfully destroy the antichristian Roman power, with all its adherents, Rev. xvii. to xix. Sooner or later he will call to an account every instrument of persecution in the world. Hence he is said to be a lion in the behalf of this house, that treads down all before him, Mic. v. 8. Jacob says of him in Judah, “He is a lion, as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?” Gen. xlix. 9. Suppose any do rouse him up: how then? “He will not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain,” Num. xxiii. 24. Many poor creatures have, by their opposition to his house, roused up this lion: and what hath been the issue? What attempts have been to cause him to lie down again! — All in vain. If he be once roused up, he will not couch down until he eat and drink the blood of the slain. But suppose great opposition be made unto him, — will he not give over? Not at all. He will be as a lion that cometh upon his prey, if a multitude of shepherds be called forth against him, he will not be afraid at their voice, nor abase himself at their noise, Isa. xxxi. 4. In brief, sooner or later, temporally or eternally, he will avenge all the injuries and destroy all the enemies of his holy dwelling, 2 Thess. i. 6–10.

And these are some of the relations wherein the Lord Christ stands unto this house of God, being made thereby unto it beauty and glory, comeliness and excellency. The carrying on of this building, by the union of all the stones thereof to the foundation, and their cementing one to another by faith, love, and order, I shall not now treat of, nor of the following points of the text.

The general uses of what hath been said are three; the heads whereof I shall name.

Use 1. See the eminent privilege of them which are indeed stones of this house, which is living, strong, and glorious, — which is so nearly related to the Lord Christ. There is more of duty, dignity, and safety, in this thing, than can easily be expressed. To do service unto Christ as his, to have the honour of being his, and to be safeguarded as his, are great privileges. Let them who have any sense of these things farther draw out these particulars, from what hath been spoken.

Use 2. Learn hence the vanity of resting upon outward church privileges, if we are not withal interested in this spiritual estate. Where men are living stones indeed, they lie in beauty and order in the assemblies; — where they are otherwise, where assemblies are made up of dead rubbish, and yet cry, “The house of the Lord, the house of the Lord,” — the Lord Jesus abhors those assemblies; he stands not in these relations unto them.

Use 3. See hence the ruin of persecution that hath appeared in the world in various forms. It hath put on all manner of colours and pretences, and prevailed with all sorts of persons at one time or other to close with it. What hath been the issue? what is like to be? The house, indeed, hath been battered sometimes; but they who have come against it have been broken all to pieces. Shall the residue of men who, under new pretences or old ones new painted, drive on the same design, — shall they prosper? Thou, O Lord Jesus, in thine anger wilt cut them off. The Lord open the eyes of the sons of men, that they may not hope any more to separate between Christ and his saints, between whom there are so many everlasting relations!

Μόνῳ σοφῷ Θεῷ, διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.