WE have said, that what the Lord hath given us to
understand in the eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood, is, that we
should dwell in him and he in us. Now we dwell in him, when we are his members,
and he dwelleth in us, when we are his temple. But, that we should be his
members, unity doth knit and compact us together. That unity may knit us in
one, what save love effects? And the love of God, whence is it? Ask the
Apostle: The love of God, saith he, is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy
Spirit which is given us.
THEREFORE, It is the Spirit that quickeneth: It is
the Spirit that maketh living members. Nor doth the Spirit make to be living
members any save those which the Spirit itself doth find in the body which it
quickeneth. For, the spirit which is in thee, O man, whereby it consisteth that
thou art man, doth it make alive any member which it shall find separated from
thy flesh? By thy spirit I mean thy soul; thy soul quickeneth not, save the
members which are in thy flesh; if thou take one away, now is it no more
quickened of thy soul, because it is not coupled to the unity of thy body
THESE we may things love unity, are said, and that
fear separation. For there is nothing that a Christian ought so much to dread
as to be separated from the Body of Christ. Since, if he be separated from the
Body of Christ, he is not a member of him, he is not quickened by his Spirit:
for, Whoso, saith the Apostle, hath not the Spirit of Christ, the same is none
of his. The Spirit, then, it is that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing.
The words which I speak unto you, they are Spirit and Life. What meaneth this,
Are Spirit and Life? Are spiritually to be understood. Hast thou spiritually
understood? They are Spirit and Life. Hast thou carnally understood? Even so,
those are the Spirit and Life, but not to thee.
No comments:
Post a Comment