------- 388 An Expofttion of the Epiftle ___:._----------:----:--'- - --- --- - - - ~' Now, my Brethren, if this poor Soul under defcrtion was left thus dead, then Sermo11 much more at fir!\:. I do not mean, that there IS the fame fenftblenefs of it; but XXIX. a man is much more unable to lay hold on Chri!l: when he beginneth to believe ~ at fir!\: than this man was in temptation. The phrafe in the 1 otbVerfe, as the Septu;gint t~anOates it, is exceed in(?: emphatlcal. Saitl1 he, W;lt tbou fbew wotr– ders to tbe dead? Sba/1. thePivfmans ar1Je and prarfe thee 1 So they read it· and fo fome good Hebrecimts read it allo; that is, Go fend for all the Colledge of Phyftcians, all the Angels out of Heaven, all the skilful Mini!l:ers and Prophets that were then upon the Earth, Gad and 'David, (for he lived in 'David's time;) fend for them all: All thefe Phyficians may come with their Cordials and Balms they will never cure me, never heal rny Soul, never raife me up to life again' - except thou raife me; for I am free amotrgj/ tbe dead, faith he. Now then: my Brethren, to work Fatth m fuch a one, for this poor Soul bemg thus dead to go out of himfelf, and by naked and fheer Fatth to go to Jefus Chri!l: alono whom God raifed from the dead,and to believe on him alone; this is now as grea~ aPower as indeed to raife a man up from death to life. I 010uld have enlarged my fclf much here, by giving you fome general Scri– rtures, that prove it a w?rk parallel with raiji11g up Chnfl from tbe dead; and fheweditlikcwifebytheFaithof Abraham, Rom+24. andRom,Io. 9· Butat prefent I [hall oAly demonfirate it unto you in Particulars. To raife up this Soul now, what will do it? My Brethren, Nothing in a man's Self will do it, therefore God's Power alone mufl: do it: Saith he in Gat. 2. 20. Tbelijewbicb I twwlive, I livebytheFaitbof tbeSonof God. It i; tJOt I that live, faith h~. fV!ark thofe words, It. i; 110t I: All in my Self, faith he,could never have wrought this Faith, could never have begotten this life; but it is Faitb i11 thr So11 of God only, and Faith alone that mu!\: put this life into me. My Brethren, All in aman'sSelf is againfl: Believing, therefore it mufi be put in immediately by God. All in a man is againfr it. To demonfirate this unto you. Firfl:, The way of living by Faith, meerly upon Chrifi, which only lhall raife this man, is clean contrary to the way of Nature, to what Self was brought up in. What, to go out of my felf, to live in another, that all the comfort I have, all the power I have mu!\: arife out of my felt, in another, and not in my felf? Nature was neverthus brought up at its be!\:; take pure Nature, faith Nature, I was never brought up to that, for Adam did not live fo, he lived in himfelf; he might fay, It i; I tbat lived, But to mal<e this (1] a Cipher to all eternity, all in a man's fdf a Cipher, and a roan to be nothing in himfelf till this Figure Cbrifl be joyned to him. He that !mows this, lmoweth it is the harde!l: thing in the world; for to live in himfelf, is the way that pure Nature it felf took, therefore Corrupt nature much more, You 01all find this, my Brethren, try it when you will, When you go to be· lieve nakedly upon Jefus Chri!l:, you had rather do any thing elfe; you will go I know not how far about, you will take all the pains in the world that you might find comfort from Doing. Why? Becaufe by believing you mu!\: go out of your felves, and look for all your comfort in another: And a man will never go out of himfelf, to ea!\: himfelf wholly and meerly upon Jefus Chri!l:, that all the comfort he bath fhall come from thence. Saith Chri!l:, ]oh11 5.40- lim will11ot come tmlo me that you migbt have life. They would take all pains, Pray and Fa!\: twice a week, (for fo you know the Pbarzj'ees did,) they would fetch •all the circuits they could, by way of Doing; but to come to Chrifl nakedly and fheerly, to tru!l: their Souls with him, and not to look to them· felves, this they would not do. Let m10tber mrm come i11 bis ow" uame (faith he) him yotl will believe; but J'' Will 1101 come unto me tbat ; ·e migbt have life. My
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