3 8ó. ThePriljileclgé of the Faithful, or; robe dead ; jonah iivedwhn he was.caff into the fwallowed up bya Whale, andwaseven as it were in hell; fo the Saints, though fwallöwedup as wemay fay, in the tempeftuous feaof this worldby cruel whales, yet notwithftanding they Rill live that life that is begun here in theworld,Whereof you heardbefore : And to this purpofe the Apoftle Saint Paul, in z Cor.4.y,tó,rt,tz, fhevreth plainlyfthat though they are given up unto deathdaily for fefùe fake, yet they are not deflroyed,not clean fwahhowedup, but that they hive in Chri, and that Chrift hiveth in them we are perplexed, but not in defjiairr perfecuted, but not forfaken, &c. And this is it that doth comfort them , both the fruition of that life that they havé here and their expeftatioti of the accomplifhment , and fulncfs thereof in the kingdom dt' heaven. N ow (mybrethren) this is the ratherto be obfervedofus, becaufeofall others, the Saints Item to be tnoff fubje& to death. And the truth is, here is matter of ad- miration in regard of their happfnefs, that notrvithftandingthat conditionwhereto they are fubjeCt, there is a life they enjóy in thisWorld ; there is a better lifepre- pared for them hereafter. And what can bemore clefired ? Life of all things elfe ismoff efteemed : Men are ready in.ftcknefs, and inother diffreffes, to (pend all that theyhave ,(as the Woman Milk ç. as, that was troubled with the bloody iffue,fßeistallthatfhe hadupon the ¶Pbjfti4ns)to preferve life,torecover health. Solonion (fpeaking aecording tothe conceitof men) Ecdef.9.4. faith, that a living Deg;;isbetterthanädeadLyon, any life betterthaaadeath, thus they imagine ; and Satan well knew mens account of life; when he could fay, Skin Job 2.4. for skin, yea allthat amanbath, will he give for his life. Now, . iffo:be that this terhporal life here,that is butaflower, but a bubble, butablaft, but abreath, yea, that life that in the thortnefs thereofisfübjecì to fo much perplexityas it is, be not- vvithffanding fohighly efteemed ; vvhat is the life herepromifed,that vvhilehere in theenjoying, in regardof the firfffruits thereof is accompaniedvvith filch apace as Pbil.4i7: paffethunderflanding, accompanied vvith the veryjoy of theHolyÇbofl; and in the Rom. 4. 57. confummation thereof,fuch contentment, fuch glory, as the tongue,ofman cannot exprefs, the mind ofman cannot conceive? It is noted of the Apoftle Saint Paul, vvhen he vvas caught up to the third heaven, and fart but a glimpfeofthis life, hedid a Cot; f2. a. there fee (they arehis oven vvords)unuiterablematrer,things that cannot b'e expreff. And therefore in this refpeft he faith (and thatvvhich he faith may bemolt fitly ap- t Cot: s, 9. plied to' this) the things which eye hashnot feen, nor ear heárd,neitherbath entredinto theheart ofthan; arefu4 as. Godbathpreparedfor them that:love him. This is that Life vvhich vve are to confider ofas it may make us fayvvith theApoftle, Iaccount Ron%t. tß. that the fufferings ofthisprefesft time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which(hall be revealed in us ; forour light afjiia7ion which is butforamoment,warketh s Cor. 4. i7. forusafar more exceedingand eternal weightofglory. The krona It vvill be here faid, vvhence comet' this ? or vvhat may be the ground there- branch of the of? Text. My Text telleth you s It is Riled here, GraceofLife. Neither vvîll I here infift upon the divers acceptations ofgrace ; as it is in man, as it is Gratis data; oras it is in God, as it is Gratisfaciens, making usaccepted vvith Eternal life himfelf: It is more clear than need tò baproved, that eternal life it cometbfrom di- corneal horn vinegraci: Grace if the groundof it. ei ng'juflifiedbygrace ,(faiththeApoffle) divine grace. and again,by.. Grace you are faved. And indeed allthings that bringus thereto,ace in Ephz4. Scriptures attributed to Grace. And needs mutt it be fo. For, Ìt,eaf r. Firft,out ofGod there can be nothing done to move him to do this or that, as if itfhould be done for ourfakes,either meritingor procuringof it.He is independanr, and vveare dependingupon him; and vvhatfoever vve have is out ofour'felves, and tometh from him. Rjaf z. ' Again, in Man therecan be nothing. What isthere in manbut mifery? vvhat- Cos. I. s foevermanhad, or bath ; ifthere beany goodthing, he bath it from thisfountainof ZJfe r goodnefs; allourfu4ciency is ofGad. - And this is briefly to be noted againft that proud andarrogant pofition ofou Foi-confutati i on. Adverfarics, concerning the merit of mans vvorks ; as ifman, by any thing inisim
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