thou united to Jefus Chrift by the Spirit? then thou art a live, and in the ftate of life, made partaker of this Spiri tual life. And doeft thou know what it is to be made par taker of this Spiritual life? doeft thou know what a life it is that now thou liveft? It is a life better and beyond the life that thou shouldest have lived in the state of innocen cy: for as the fecond Adam is more excellent than the firfl 1Cor.15. Adam was; The firft man Adam was made a living foul; but 45. the fecond Adam was made a quickning Spirit. So that life that comes from Chrift the fecond Adam, is better and beyond that life that you should have had from the firft Adam in the ftate of innocency.

Rom.6.

10.

Of all lives, this Spiritual life (that now I am speaking of) is the most Pleasant life. In the 36. Pfalm, faies the Pfal. mift concerning the godly, (at the 8. verfe) They fhall be a bundantly fatisfied with the fatness of thy boufe: and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. Now, as Anfiin doth well observe upon that place, The River hath many waves, one following upon another: & fo are the pleasures of the Saints, the fpiritual pleafures; one wave, one plea fure following upon another; and it is a deep river. Oh! but a River may be dry. Nay,it cannot be dry ifit be main cain'd with a Fountain, and with Springs. Now fee what follows (at the 9. verfe) They shall satisfie themselves of the river of thy pleasures Why? for with thee is the Fountain life. So that, if a man do but enjoy God in Christ, and be united unto Chrift by the Spirit, he hath this life, which fhall be as a river of pleasures maintained with a Fountain. Yea, this life it fhall know no end. Your lives now, they run into death: but this life, this Spiritual life, it shall know no end. The Apoftle argues unto the Romans,that they should die no more, because they had comunion with Chrift in his death: And therefore (faies he) In that be died once, be fball die no more. And fo, you having communion with Chrift in his death, you shall die no more: once a live fpiritually, and ye fball die no more. Who can go to Heaven and pull Chrift out of Heaven? In the 2. Chapter

of

of Paul unto the Ephesians, the 5.ver. faies the Apoftle there, Even when we were dead in trefpaffes and fins, bath be quickned bus together with Chrift, and be hath raised us up together, and made us fit together in heavenly places in Chrift Jefus. Here's fitting together in heavenly places with Jefus Chrift; and we are raifed up in Chrift. So then, if once ye have this Spiritual life in Chrift, ye fhall never die again fpiritually.

And this life (that now I am fpeaking of) is of all other lives, the moft Communicative life. A man does communicate life unto his child; but his child is not able prefently, as foon as 'cis born to communicate life unto another child. One beaft does communicate life unto another; the Sheep communicates life unto the Lamb: but the Lamb affoon as 'tis brought forth is not able to communicate life to another, and get another. And fo, the Herb communicates life to another, but not presently affoon as 'tis an Herb. But now, no fooner does a man partake of this Spiritual life,but he is prefently able to communicate life unto another: When thou art converted, ftrengthen thy bre- Luke,22. thren. No fooner was Paul made alive by another, but he prefently goes and communicates this life unto his bre thren.

32.

And let me tell you one thing more: Though your fins have been very great while you were in the ftate of death, before you were made partakers of this Spiritual life: yet when once ye come to partake of this fpiritual life, the Lord wil look upon al your former fins under another.con fideration, a mollifying confideration. This my son was dead Luke,15. (faies the father of the Prodigal) and is now alive: that is 32. all. He does not fay, This was a Whoremonger, or this was a Riotter, or this was a Spend thrift, and now he is retur ned and come home to me for meat: No, but in mollifying terms, only thus, This my son was dead,and is now alive. And ye know what is laid of David, David committed a great fin in the murder of Uriab: and yet faies the Lord concerning David, He turned not afide to the right band or to the left, 1 Kings,

Save 15.5.

Save only in the matter of Uriah. He does not fay, Save only in the murder of Uriah; but in a mallifying term, he faies only fo,Save only in the matter of Uriab:a mollifying term: Why because that David had repented of the fin, and now the Lord does not look upon it, but under this mollifying term; Save only, in the matter; not in the murder of Vri ab, but in the matter of Uriah. And fo, if thou do repent, and turn unto the Lord thy God, though thy fins have bin very great in the ftate of thy death, yet if once ye come to be made partaker of this Spiritual Life,the Lord will look up. on all thy former fins under other terms, and mollifying confiderations: He will not fay, Here's this poor wreth, that now I do look upon as a Drunkard, or a Swearer; but he will fay thus; This my fon was dead, but is now alive: this my Daughter was dead, and is now alive. Thus the Lord will look upon your former evils, if once ye come to be made partaker of this Spiritual life. Oh! therefore, what a bleffed condition are the Saints and people of God in, that are made partakers of this fame Spiritual life. Ire member it is written of a certain Martyr in the Primitive times, a woman; when he was brought before the enemies of the Gospel, they put divers queftions to her, and the anfwered al their questions with one answer,which was this: Chriftiana fum, I AM A CHRISTIAN. When they faid unto her, Woman, Art thou married or no? I am a Chri ftian, faies fhe. What Parents haft thou, Woman? Iama Chriftian, faies fhe. Woman, Where doeft thou live? I am a Chriftian, faies the. She answered all their queftions with this, I am a Chriftian. And fo, me thinks a man may an(wer all objections that are made unto him with this: I am alive in Chrift. But, thou haft a dead Eftate, much of it is loft at Sea, or at Land. Well, but I am alive in Chrift. But, baft thou not a dead Husband, or a dead Wife, or a dead Child? I am alive in Chrift. But, is not thy name dead and buried under reproaches? I am alive in Chrift. A poor foul may anfwer all with this; I am alive in Chrift. Oh! what a blessed thing is it, for a man to be made partaker of this Spiritual

Spiritual life! This is the condition of all the Saints. Art thou therefore alive, and made partaker of this Spirituallife bleffed art thou from the Lord,and thou shalt be blefled to all eternity.

I am affraid that I have not this Spiritual life; for my heart is Object. Dead, and Cold, and Stiffe: and dead men, they are Cold and Stiffe, very Stiffe: and truly fo'tis with me; My beart is Cold, and Dead, and Stiff and therefore I fear I am free among the Dead, and not free among the Living.

Have ye not heard, That there is a deadnefs which is op- Answ. pofite to Livelineß,aswel as a death that is oppofite to Life? And were thine heart dead, with a death oppofite to Life, thou couldst not feel it. And I appeal to thee; If that thy foul be alive in oppofition to death; haft thou not more caufe to be thankful, that thy foul is alive in oppofition to death, than to be difcouraged, that thy foul is dead in oppofi ion to Livelineß?

But there is a difference(ye know) between the coldness of a Living man, and the coldness of a Dead man. Take a dead man,and if he be cold,'tis not al your fires wil put warmth into him, or your Aqua vite, or your chafing or rubbing of him, or your warm beds that will make him warm. But now,take a man that is cold, and Living; and if ye chafe him, or bring him to the fire, or lay him in a good warm bed; he recovers his warmth again. And fo it is with a godly heart,though cold,yet bring it unto the Ordinance, either Publickly, or Privatly, and it recovers its warmth again and hath it not been even fo with fome of ❘ you?

It's true, A Dead man is Stiffe. But have you found your felves in a way of fin,an evil way; and are you so stiff therein,as ye will not be put out of your way, no not by admonition? then ye are stiffe indeed. There are two men that are out of the way, (fuppofe) The Traveller, and the Thief: The Traveller is out of his way: and if you come to him and fay, Sir, you are much out of your way: He hearkens to ye, and he thanks ye, and he returns into his way

again. But if ye come to a Thief and fay, Sir, you are ous of your way; He laughs, and icorns, and comes not into the way. So, there are fome indeed, that are out of their way; and if you do come to them and tell them, that they are out of their way; they will bleffe, and praife the Lord for your admonition, and labor to return into their way again. But fome there are, that if ye tell them, that they are out of their way, they will rather fcorn and jeer at it; What have you to do to meddle with me? what have you to do to meddle with my waies? meddle with your own matters. These men are ftiffe, they are fiffe indeed; why? because they are dead, they are fliffe in the way of their fin, and they wil not be ftird out,no,not by Admonition,why? because they are dead. But I appeal to ye, whether is t thus with ye or no? Don't ye fay rather, I praife the Lord, though fometimes, (yea many times) I am out of the way, and in the way of fin; yet I can rejoyce in an Admonition, and bleffe the Lord for an Admonition: Yea, this I can fpeak,though my heart be fometimes very cold, yet I have found heat, and warmth recovered again, either under a Publick, or under a Private Ordinance: Well then, be of good comfort, thou art not dead; though thou mayeft be afleepe yet thou mayeft be among the living.

Object. I am affraid that I am not alive fpiritually,that I am not made partaker of this spiritual life, because I do not grow in grace, and this is the difference between a Living child and a dead child: the Dead,painted child grows not, but the living child grows: and the Lord knows I do not grow in grace, and therefore I fear that I am but the painted child of God, and I am not the Living

Answ.

I.

child.

If this were true, it were ill: for growth (indeed) is a fign of life. But whoever you are that make this Obje&ion,and lie under this fear: Give me leave to propound to ye Two or Three Queftions.

Firft. Doye not grow more out of love with your own Righteoufnefs,and with your own Duties, as to the refting on them? The ftronger a man grows in grace,the more he

grows