4o8 The Mitad Fonntain, or, of 3. Exhortation, dreedtlon. ,Quell. ,Anfw. the duty of a Chrifiian towalk on daily in hisChriftian;eourfe, Rom.6. j. we muff walk on in newnef oflife. Ifthott find this progrefs in tby mortification, and vivi- fication, it is a good fign indeed that thou haft attainedto the first Refurredion ofthe Soul to a fpiritual life. Therefore let me intreat you to let upon this work; ofexamination of your own hearts diligently,and faithfully. Let not the multitudes ofworldly bufiuefs: let not the allurement ofvain obje&s, and vain company ; let not the appetite and dcfireofbafe pleafures drive there thoughts out ofyour heads: but examineyour ownhearts whether you partake ofthefirft Refurrcétion, or no. Deceive not thy own foul : for though Confcience may now fiecp, thou maift think thou art ima good eftate yet let me tell thee ; the timewill come when thy. Confcience will awake, that if thou continue towallow in any one fn, if there be no change in thee in thy life,, in thy heart if iufteadof growingbetter,:hoe grow worfe, and be hardned more and more in finful courfes,thyConfcicnce'will tell thee to thy face, thouait a dead man, thoulcal} no part inGhcift t for Chrift is the Kefur. redion , the Fountain of fpiritual tifç : thou haft aiöryet attained: the' firft Refur- re&ion to the life Ofgrace, and therefore if thougo,i twin this cc ufe, thou lhalt not attain to the fecond RefurreEtion, to the,Jifc óf.,glory. So much for that Elfe.; . The third, and the laft Life ofthe.peint is for ezhottation,andelicedion. if now uponexamination, thou find that thou :hall not yet attained to this fpiritual Refur- redion; then let me counfelthee to give no reft tothy foul,till chouhaft attained it: for remember that this is the firftftep to heaven, and if thou let not the finit fiep to heavén,furelythou (halt never come thither, As theRefurreEtion of Chrift was the firft degreeof his exaltation : fo this fpiritual Refurrc&ion that we have fpoken of, it is the firft degree ofaChriftians exaltation : thereforeget this in thefrrftplace; yea, get this, andall will follow. If thou attain this, thou maif'be affuredof the fecóndRefurre &ion alfo,to the life ofglory. Remember that Chrift by railinghim- fell from the dead by his own power , declared himfelf,to be the eternal Son of God : Hewas declared mightily to be the Son ofGod by hi;. eftrrreblion :: So if thou canft by a power andvertue drawn fromChrift, rife out of thegraveof thy fin, then thoulhaltdeclare thy.felf to be the member ofChrift,theSon ofGod,the daughter' ofGod : therefore labourto attain this firft RefurrecS ion. tEut here this<ttteftionmay be demanded: but by what means now dothChrift convey this fpirituaallife to his children ? and how thall I get to be partaker of this Refurceâion ? by what meansaloft I attain this 4ift Rcfurredtion to this fpiritual lifex ;Tat/do I anfwer briefly, that by the fame means by which Chrift works faith in the foul, by the fame means he raifeth a Goner to life: for he that believeth liveth, and he tha liveth believeth ; he that believeth is railed to life : therefore by the fame means that Chrift works faith, by the faine means he raifeth a finner to life. Therefore the outward means is the Preachingof theWord; the inward,the Spirit ofgrace. . By filch means as Chrift will raife the bodies of the dead at the laft day, by the like means henow raifeth the fouls of thofe that aredead in fin. Now Chrift will raife the bodies that are now dead in the Grave, at the laft day. Firft, by his voyce, Job. 5. z8, ay. and by the found of the Trumpet, s Cor. t5. 5z. The Trump fhallfound, and the dead fba!! be railed incorruptible. And he shall raife them by his qnickning Spirit. So by the like means Chrift now raifeth our fouls that are dead in fins: therefore if thou delire to be railed out of the.grave of fin, let me counfel thee; Fir(t, toattenddiligently to the wordofGod,upon the preachingofthe Gofpcl. The wordof Chrift, is a quickningword, as Chrift faith, fob. 3.63. e.24yy word is.ljìirit andlife. Thevoyce of Chrift is a quickningvoyce: as Chrift by his voycc fairedLazarut out ofhis Grave ; when Chrift Paid to Lazarru, Comeforth ; pre- lently Lazarauquickned,and came forth: fothe voyce ofChrift in the miniftery of theWord bath a quickningpowet, to raife (innersfrom the death of fin : therefore when the Ivlinifters cry aloud, and the Prophets lift up their voce as a Trumpet,. then hearken. Secondly
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