dn Exp~(ition of the Epi[Ue ~ from J?:'lth to Life: He bath indeed a body of Death, as the living you know ~ were JOmed to the dead, or as tf a Man fi1ould have a Body that is half-dead. . But it is clear by the Context here, that it is proper to the State ofUnregeneracy to be dead in Sins and Trefpaffes. T herefore you fhall find the expreffions tha; the Scripture ufeth of regener~te Men to be otherwife : As he faith, he hath a Body of Dc<~th, [o he calleth tt a Sleep, not a being dead, Ephcf. 5· I 4· Awakg th01t th,,t jleepejl, and ftand up from the dead. For my part, I have long fincc' thought that Sc.ripture meant and fpoken to regenerate Men, and my reafon is this, becaufe before and after he fpeaks to the Ephejans, as Children of Light not tO have any FeUowfhip 1vith the unfr11itf111 Wor4r of Darlznefi, but to reprO'O; them rather, verCit. And in the 151hVerfe, (the Verfe after the I'flh) See ;e walk, circumjpeaty : And between thefe two he interpoft:th, Awakg thou that fleepeH, &c. That is, Thou that art a Child of Light, and art a regenerate Man, if there be any fuch amongl:t you, ar;d that are fallen amongfl: the dead, and that converfe wtth carnal People m thetr carnal way ; lie not among Graves faith he, but rife, and Chrifl fhall give you Life. I quote it for this, that they are faid tobe a!leep ; as there m the Cantrcles, I f/eep, lmt "'J Heart wak.eth. She waked, but yet fo, as !he might be faid to be a!leep ; as the five Virgins flept but dead they were not. And in a regenerate Man things may be ready to die: as in Rev. 3· 2. Strengthen the tbi11gs whrch remarn, that are ready to die; but frill they never come to be dead in Sins a."d TrefPa!fes, but if they be once alive in Chrifi, as Death bath no more dommton over them, no more bath this Death dominion over them. And fo I have done wholly with this firfi Verfe. 1now come to th~ fecond Verfe. (There is one thing I forgot to mention, that's this: There ts a very great Controverfy upon that firfi Verfe, Whether yea or no, every unregenerate Man·be a dead Man, in refpell: of all ability to do good ? Whether there beno principle of Life in him, yea, or no ? Whether he be not as a Man afleep or wounded? It is a Controverfy, both with the Tap;Hs, and with the 'J?:monftrants. ~ut .becaufe I have mpt it, I will refer it to the fifth Ver(e, where I !hall meet wtth 1t ; and therefore I will now go on to the fecond Verfe.) D ead in Sins and Trejpa!fes, whmi!J in time pafJ ye walkgd, accordi11g to the Co11rje of this World, &c. Now in this fecond Verfe here is : I. A continued courfe of Life, exprefs'd by walkj11g. ll. The Path, in which they walked, in Sins and TrefPa!fes. Ill. The Guides which they were guid~d by in walking : r. The World, the Cqurfe uf it. 2. The Devil, the Pri11ce of the Power of the .Air. 3· The Flelh, which in Rom. 8. is called, Walkj11g after the Flejh. I. Their continued Courfe, exprefs'd by walkj11g. It is firange that dead Men !hould walk, (we call it, if a dead Man appear, walking,) it would affright us all to fee a dead Man walking; yet you fee, dead Men here are faid to walk. Walking therefore firfl of all irnporteth Life: tho it be a Death in Sin, yet itis a Life in Sin too, Col. 3· 7· In which ;e alfo walk,ed fometime, when J'' lived rn them. And fo, in I Tim. 5· 7. She is de<~d, whilff fbe livet!J. That I may ope_n this u,nto you, you mull kn~w, that Sin is in it felf but ' meer privation offpt· ritual Life, yet it is a Privauon m a pofit1ve bemg that hveth. The Soul ts ahve as it is a Soul all the all:ivity of it rcmaineth flill, no naturals are taken away ; jt is dead only in refpell: of God, and fpiritual Go?d. It isnot in t,his, asit is in the Death of the Body, that there is no L•fe rcmammg; yes, here IS a Ltfe remam· ing, but it is not Life fpiritual. It is as if you !honld fuppofe the reafonable Soul only
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