An Expojition of the Epiflle •~-fdted and compleated; and in the mean time ~e co~forts himfelf with this, that ~ we !hall be fuch one day, and he goes over It m hts Thoughts again and again. and fo !hould we. Reck,olt your filves, faith the Apo111e, go and take a Leap ov · the flate ofthis World, and rec~n ;·ourfilvcs alive inChr!ft; we tranOate it, thrOH e~ Chr!ft, but the Truth ts, It ts m Chrifl, for he !peaks there of Chrifi's being raif~d again, and fitting at God's righ~ hand; Rec~n yourjilves, faith he, alive in Chr!ft 11 s he if. And we 01ould do thts both to provoke us to attain to this Life, (fori~ did provoke Paul) to labour to have asmuch ofyour Portion here as you could to get as much ofthe Refurrection as you can. Therefore faith the Apofile i~ Phi!. 3· Our Converjdtion is in Heaven, why ? becaufe Chrifi hath comprehe~ded us, as fimng mHeaven for us, and he bath comprehended us, for to attain to whatever he bath done for us : That IS another Confequence Paul makes ofJefus Chnfi comprehendmg us. .My Brethren, when y<;m come to die, reckon your !elves, I a~ nfen With Chnfi,and this Grave mufi gtve up my Body again; I com– mit It unto It as to a Jaylour : I thank._my God through Chr!ft, faith Paul, that hath given me vitlory over the Body ofDeath; and he gives the fame thanks, in I Cor. I 5· for the victory over the Death ofthe Body. God would have us confider thefe things, that we might act all as Men in Heaven: Would a Man fitting in Heaven do this. Ifyou be rifin with Chrifl (faith the Apofile, inCol. 2.) Why as though living in the World are ye fuhject to Ordinances? Take you as Wor!hippers, faith he, you are not to receive neither the Doctrine ofFait~, from Men in a worldly \vay, neither areyou to ~ecetvetheCommands orlnventtons of Men in Wor!hip; and he urgeth tt upon thiS Ground, becaufe they were rifin tn Chr!ft, therefore faith he, act accordingly; Seek._ the things that are above. Obferv. 4· Obferv. 5· c •• :ci The fourth Obfervation, I have out ofthefe Words, is this in General; forthefe are but Generals. You fee now that \~e may apply all in Chrift, piece by piece, to the like to be done in our !elves. The Apofile here cloth apply Jefus Chrifi his being railed in his Body, and that Body railed aSpiritual Body, to this, that we alfo !hall be raifep, and that we are railed in him: the Refurrection of Chrifr, to our Refur– reftion ; and his fitting down in Heaven at God's right hand, to our fitting there, as the caufe of it. It is aQyefiion now, whether yea or no, we !hould reckon the active Obedience ofChrifi, as that which fiandeth in fiead ofour al.l:ive Obe– dience; the paffive Obedience ofChrifi, as that which fiandeth in fiead of what we !hould have fuffered? I anfwer, yes, even as his fitting in Heaven, is thecaufe ofour fitting, th.1t part is the caufe ofthis part, in a more eminent manner. It is not but that the whole, is the caufe ofthe whole; my Sins are forgiven by the active Obedience of Chrift, as well as the paffive; and the paffive Obedience of Chrift, fia,ndethforthefulfilling ofthe Law: yet for my Comfort, I may apply every piece in Chrift, to what I would have from him; So the Apofile you fee cloth, for what is in Chrift is but the Idea, the meer Pattern al)d Exemplar of a Chrifiian. The !aft Obfervation I will make is this. You fee the difiinction between in Chrift, and with ChriJI. We are faid to be quickned with Chr!ft, why? becaufe thanhat work as it is wrought in Chrifionce fur us, bath now Come accompli!hment in us ; but fpealcing ofthe Refurrettion to come, he cloth not fay, we are raifid up with ChriJf, but raifid up in Chrijl. Do but learn to difiingui!h, for the want of this makes many Men mifiakc. A Man before he is called, he is jufiified in Chr!ft, but not with Chr!ft, that is, it is not :(ctually applyed to the Man's Perfon, his Perfon is not put in Foro verki in the srate of Juflificati~n. .Learn I fay, to difiing~i!h. b~ween. receiving. '! t)ling "' Chr!ft, an>! teC~IVIJ1g tt wzt!J Chrift. You recetve lt mth ehr,zfl, when It 1s actu• ally apJllye.;t tQ your Per(on. We now fit together in Chr!ft, in Heaven;, w6uld you defire nt> other fitting'~n Heaven, with Chri.fi, than nowy?u ha':e? cert:li'nly you Wo)IId ;· A;;,you fit inChrifl, (o'hkewlfe you would fit rrzthChr~fl.'- -S6 take fMan be(Q~e· fdch time as lte lielieveth, and is converted to· God, would he- have · * no
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