lL'Fim. f ,6, CQI. ~. 13. Ga\.z.zp. Phil+:lO, B..om.6.9.·II· R,om 8, to. Jolt 1,4 . ~uh., H,· Book.IV.Part.IV. Looking1mto JeftU. Chap.2.Sect,9 quicknings, encouragiogs-, filling thy heart with gladnelfe, and glorying, and thy mouth with praifes and fongs ofrejoycings ; Oh what fountaine& oflife a' e the promifcs to a hving man, to a foul that is vivified ? what food ? what ftrength ? what life is a thought of Chrift, of heaven, and of Gods love to a fpiritual man ? whereas all thefe glorious things of the Gofpel are to the natural man but as a withered flower, a lealed book, a dry and empty cifterne; ·he hath no ufe of them. 6 . It is a life ofanother kinde, or manner. Before vivificat-ion our life was but death, becaufe we our fd ves were but dead in fin even whilell: aliYe. She th~tt liveth in pleafure ir-dead while foe liveth; and pu were de~tdin your jim, and the uncircumcifion of yoHr fiejb. But after vivification we live, how live ? a fpiritual life,I live h] the faith of thi Son ofGod; an heavenly life, for our converfation is in heaven, from whence alfo we look_Jor the Saviour, the Lord 1efm Chrift; an immortal life, Chrift being raifed from the de~~ddyeth no more, death hath no more dominion over him;- Jik.,ewi{e rec~on your fe[ves to IPe de4d indeed untofin, hut alive unte' God thrwgh 'fefm Chrift our Lord, You know the meaning of Chrift, wh6[oever liveth, and beleeveth in me, fh~t/1 never dye; he fit aU never dye a fpiritual death, never come under the dominion offin, neve.r totally, fall away from grace; 'that incorr!lptible feed by which he i~ regenerate fuall abide in him for ever. If Cbrift be in you, the body io dei!td becaufe offin, but t he fpirit io life becaufe of rightroufnef[e; the body indeed is fubject to corporal death, through the remainde~s of [In, but the Spirit io life, even t hat little fparke of gr:tce, through the moil perfect righteouf- .nc!feofChrift imputed, is life here, and fuall be life hereaf~er, even for ever.And herein is our vivification anfwerable to Chrifts; refurredion; /ikf MChrift wa.~ rai(ed up from the dead by the glor] 'Df theFttther, raifed up to a new life, e7)en fo we alfofhould wallze in newmf{e of life. For the fecond queilion how is this conformity or vivification wrought? I fhall anfwer only to the ft~te, and fo our vivification isufually wrought in us in this _manner. As firft , in the under· fianding. Secondly in the will. fi rft; the underftanding lets in the verity and truth of what the Gofpel hath recorded. In him wMlife, .tnd the life wM thelight 4 men•.- 14m the bread of life, he thAt comuh to me/hall never · hHnger,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=