to the EPHESIAN S. So m~ch in general for tfie explaining this Qllickning. But now if you would know, what kind of Life this is, Brethren, you may take much help from what Death is. When I opened the lir£1: Verfe, our being dead in Sins, I told you, the Fountain of all fpiritual Life was God, fo he was to Adam ; therefore carnal Men are . Strangers to the Lift of God. We are faid to be dead in Sins, why? becaufe Sin cuts us off from God, fo all fpiri· tual Life lies in God. Now confider, what it is to be dead, and What it is to be living. I will only give you fummarily, all the ways ofquic~ning that God be~ins in thisLife : fum– marily all the Works of Grace, from the hrfl: to thclafl:, ttlltt come to Glory, ts here to be underfl:ood: He hath quick.!zed 111, • Now, firfl:, How is Man dead ? Firfl: ; In refpel.l: of Sin. He is cafl: out of the favour· of God, which is his Life ; to be in the favour of God, is to live. 0 that he might live in thy Sight; it is the Scripture·Phrafe: In thy favoHr iJ Lift, Pial. 63. Now for a Man to be cafl: out ofthe favour ofGod, is to have the Sentence of Death upon him, it is to be dead in the Guilt : On the other fide, for~ Man t<l> be in the .fdvour of God, and to have an Abfolution from God, and to have all his Sins pardtmcd; this is to be guickned, this is one part of it. •' .. ·' · ·· · • I ilia!I give you Scripture for it by and by: .·John 5. '>4, faith he, He that heareth my Word, and bdieveth on bim that flnt me, bath everlafling I:ift, and jbaO not come into Condemn_ation, bHt foal! pafl from Death to Lift. His paffing from Death to Life is exprefs'd negatively, by not entring into Condemnation, the Sentence of Condemnation is taken offfrom him. Now compare it with John3. Be that believu in the Son uf God hath etema/ Lift ; he that helieveth not ill the Son of God, the Wrath of God abidCJ on him. Here, the Wrath of God ' abiding on a Man is oppofed to having Life. Now therefore, in Row' 5· 18. :dur being jufl:i. fied from all our Sins, is called the Juftification ofLife ; a Man is tnade, ofa dead Man, of a condemned Man, a living Man in the Sight of God. Now to come home to the Point, Col. 2. I 3· where the Aportle ufeth the fame expreffion, He hath q11ick_ned ;,, with~Chrifl; what cloth he underfl:and by tjhick_ning there? namely, Having forgiven you all your Trefpaffes; there lies the greatefl: of our Life and Qy:ick:ning, it is the Life of Jufl:ification, that by Faith God giveth us. :. : I <· Agai·n, ln the fecond place, there is~ all the Joy, and all the Evidences that God givel us ofhis Favour,and the Affurance of his Love in guickning·alfo. I told you, I.eannot fl:and upon the Order. Now you fuall find in Scripture, thar freedom from Trouble, by tbnrraty Joy infufed by God, is called Qy:ickning ; you have an eX'J'refs place, rpJii. 143· 3· ~iuk.gn me, bring my Soul 0111 of Trouble. Pial. 119. MySoulcleaveth~othe D,ifl, tjuick$nme. Whtn his Soul did cleave to the dull:, under the fence of Death, and the Wrath of God, he calls for quickning : !!2!f.ick.git me; With what ? with his Lovil1g-kjndnefl, as it is in another Verfe ; and, according to thy Loving-l{!n!lnefl: And, Pfal. 63. Thy Favo11r iJ better than Lift. So you have it in Rom. 8. 6. for I can btu quote Scriptures, To be JPiritu•llj f11inded iJ-Lift ond PeJce; •having faid before, The carnal Man wmot pleafe God. In the third pla~e, all the fellO\yfuip the Holy-Ghofi vouchfaf~s us in this Life, With God attd Cht]ft, a!Id the enjoym~ht of t!iem in th"emfelves, and their own Excel\ency, which be~des ar~ difl:inl.l: from the a!furance ofhis Love and Favour. Mahy.tlines lh~fu are ail!ed Life ! ' 'Pfol. 22. Your Heart-J Jball live, and ye foa/1 eat ·~f'tlte Pat, and ablllldant!y enjoy 'Gtid. He j!Ja/1 fbew me the Path of Life; pit.!. 16. Fntnep bf 'Joj n atthy ri,ghthand. I will give you but a Scripture or tWo: ' John I4, ~· Chrill's Difdp1es•were troubled; faith he, I wiO give .JOlt the C~t11ff1tet'; irnil hetdtlje1lfive, jt jffJO liVe: And! wliat follows ? [,, that day ye - ~Aa · f/Ja/1
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