46 SERMONS upon Serm. VII. He is blind and cannot fee afar of, and hath forgotten that be was purged from his old fins. These things are fitly coupled. 4. Obferve how we have all with Chrift, we dye with him , and we live with him: as we mortifie fin by virtue of that Gracé , which he purchafed for us by his Death , fo we hold Heaven by his gift , or the Grant of that Covenant which he hath confirmed by his Blood : his Dying is the Pattern of our Mortification, and his Life of our Happi- nefs and Glory : if by his Example we firft learn to dye unto fin , according to his Pat- tern and Example we (hall have a joyful Refurre &ion to eternal Life, for Rill we fare as Chrift fared : he would not be a Pattern to us only in his worn ¢Rate, but in his bell allot we [hall be partakers of the fame glory , which Chrift hath at the right hand of the Father , and as we (tall live eternally , fo we (ball eternally praife our Redeemer, who deriveth influence to us all along both in dying and riling. HI. The certain Apprehenfionwe have of this [we believe.] Here I !hall handle, I. The nece(fity of this Faith. 2. The grounds of it. 3. The profit of believing this. i. The nece(lity of believing , (i.) This life is not matter of Senfe, but of Faith, whether you take it for the life of Grace, or the life of Glory. r. The Life of Grace. If you confider the nature of it , which is of the order of things fpiritual , and men that judge according to things of fenfe , fee no glory in ir, i Cor. 2. 14. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit , for they are foolifhnef to him, neither can he know them , becaufe they are fpiritually discerned. Alas ! the rich preparations of Grace, which God hath made for us in the Gofpel , a carnal heart hath no favour for them , nor value and esteem of them , is nothing moved with the tender and offer; we mull have a higher light to fee thefe things. Betides,. the new Nature is hidden under manifold infirmities and afli&ions, Col. 3.3. Tour life is hid with Chrift in God : and i yob. 3. 2. It doth not yet appear what we (hall be. Once more, it is Gods gift, and a matter full of difficulty for them to apprehend that are fenfible of their own vilenefs, and are daily confli&ing with fo many lulls g that they (hould be quickened and inabled to live to God , is a matter which they cannot easily believe : Shall thefe dead bones live ? 0 Lord ! thou knowefi, Ezek. 37.3. It is an hard matter to perfwade them that have a great fenfe of the powerof their bewitching lulls, they (hall ever over- come. 2. For the Life of Glory , that is allo a matter of Faith , becaufe it is a thing future, unleen, and to be enjoyed in another World. Now faith is the fubflance of things not feen, and the evidence of things hoped for, Heb. 55. t. (a) The Perlon , Office and Power of our Redeemer are all mylical Truths, yob. 2 g, 26. I am the refurretlion and the life, he that believeth in me , though he were dead, yet (hall he live. And whofoever liveth, and believeth in me (hall never dye, believes} thou. this ? That Chrift is able to rail the dead ta life again now or hereafter. 3. The matter is difficult to be believed , that after worms have confumed this flefh, it (hall be railed again in Glory, and at length reign with Chrift for ever. Therefore Abrahams Faith is fo often propounded to the Faithful, Who confdered not his own body now dead, noryet the deadnefs of Sarah, womb, Rom. 4. 59. and the Apofle (heweth us, That filch a kind of faith shall be imputed to us for righteoufnefs , verf 24. who believe Chritts Refurre &ion , and then ours. All this (heweth the neceffity of Faith in this cafe. 2. The grounds of believing this bleffed ERate , which is referved for the morti- fied. t. The infinite Love of God , which prepared these Mercies for us , Luke 52. 32. Fear not little flock, it is your Fathers good pleafure to give you a kingdom. And i Cor. 2. 9. Eye hash not fien, nor ear heard, neither have.entred into the heart of man the things which God bath prepared for them that love him. Mat. 25.34. Come ye bleffed of my Fa- ther, inherit a kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. God prepared this Glory for us, and by degrees traineth us up for it. 2. The everla ing Merit of Chrift , Heb. 9. 55. For this caufi he is the Mediator of the new Tefbament , that by means of death for the redemption of tranfgre'ons that were under the fir.fl Teflament, they which are called might receive the promise of the eternal inhe- ritance. It is by his means that we are redeemed from the guilt and power of fin, and have an eternal Inheritance Rated upon us. It behoved Chrift for the honour of the Divine Government, by the intervention of his Merit and Intercefüon to fatisfie Gods
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