I have put this objection as strong as possible, that its full weight may appear. Let us now examine it, part by part. And 1 “That which is born of the Spirit, is spirit, is altogether good.” I allow the text, but not the comment. For the text affirms this, and no more, That every man who is born of the Spirit, is a spiritual man. He is so. But so he may be and yet not be altogether spiritual. The Christians at Corinth were spiritual men. Else they had been no Christians at all. And yet they were not altogether spiritual. They were still (in part) carnal. “But they were fallen from grace.” St. Paul says no. They were even then babes in Christ. 2. “But a man cannot be clean, sanctified, holy, and at the same time unclean, unsanctified, unholy.” Indeed he may. So the Corinthians were. Ye are washed, says the apostle, ye are sanctified: namely, cleansed from fornication, idolatry, drunkenness, and all other outward sin, (1 Cor. vi. 9, 10, 11.) And yet at the same time, in another sense of the word, they were unsanctified: they were not washed, not inwardly cleansed from envy, evil-surmising, partiality. “But sure they had not a new heart, and an old heart together.” It is most sure, they had. For at that very time, their hearts were truly, yet not entirely renewed. Their carnal mind was nailed to the cross. Yet it was not wholly destroyed. “But could they be unholy, while they were temples of the Holy Ghost?” Yes, that they weretemples of the Holy Ghost, is certain. (1 Cor. vi. 19.) And it is equally certain, they were, in some degree carnal, that is, unholy.
2. “However, there is one scripture more, which will put the matter out of question. If any man be (a believer) in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are past away: behold all things are become new, 2 Cor. v. 17. Now, certainly a man cannot be a new creature and an old creature at once.” Yes, he may. He may be partly renewed, which was the very case of those at Corinth. They were doubtless renewed in the spirit of their mind, or they could not have been so much as babes in Christ. Yet they had not the whole mind which was in Christ, for they envied one another. “But it is said expresly, old things are past away: all things are become new.” But we must not so interpret the apostle’s words, as to make him contradict himself. And if we will make him consistent with himself, the plain meaning of the words is this. His old judgment (concerning justification, holiness, happiness, indeed concerning the things of God in general) is now past away. So are his old desires, designs, affections, tempers, and conversation. All these are undeniably become new, greatly changed from what they were. And yet though they are new, they are not wholly new. Still he feels, to his sorrow and shame, remains of the old man, too manifest taints of his former tempers and affections, though they cannot gain any advantage over him, as long as he watches unto prayer.
3. This whole argument, “If he is clean, he is clean,” “if he is holy, he is holy;” (and twenty more expressions of the same kind, may easily be heaped together) is really no better than playing upon words: it is the fallacy of arguing from a particular to a general; of inferring a general conclusion, from particular premisses. Propose the sentence entire, and it runs thus: “If he is holy at all, he is holy altogether.” That does not follow: every babe in Christ is holy, and yet not altogether so. He is saved from sin; yet not intirely: it remains though it does not reign. If you think it does not remain (in babes at least, whatever be the case with young men, or fathers) you certainly have not considered the height and depth and length and breadth of the law of God; even the law of love, laid down by St. Paul in the thirteenth of Corinthians and that every ἀνομία, disconformity to, or deviation from this law, is sin. Now is there no disconformity to this in the heart or life of a believer? What may be in an adult Christian is another question. But what a stranger must he be to human nature, who can possibly imagine, that this is the case with every babe in Christ?
4. “But believers walk after the Spirit.[27] Rom. viii. 1. and the Spirit of God dwells inthem, consequently they are delivered from the guilt, the power, or in one word, the being of sin.”
These are coupled together, as if they were the same thing. But they are not the same thing. The guilt is one thing, the power another, and the being yet another. That believers are delivered from the guilt and power of sin we allow; that they are delivered from the being of it we deny. Nor does it in any wise follow from these texts. A man may have the Spirit of God dwelling in him, and may walk after the Spirit, tho’ he still feels the flesh lusting against the Spirit.
5. “But the church is the body of Christ, Col. i. 24. This implies, that its members are washed from all filthiness. Otherwise it will follow, that Christ and Belial are incorporated with each other.”
Nay, it will not follow from hence, “Those who are the mystical body of Christ, still feel the flesh lusting against the Spirit,” that Christ has any fellowship with the devil, or with that sin which he enables them to resist and overcome.
6. “But are not Christians come to the heavenly Jerusalem, where nothing defiled can enter?” Heb. xii. 22. Yes; and to an innumerable company of angels, and to the spirits of just men made perfect: that is,
Earth and heaven all agree;
All his one great family.