the fountain, and original of all my fpiritual life. And thus indeed you fhall find: for if you look into those three Epiftles of Paul, To the Romans, the Galatians, and the He brews; yehall find, that the Apostle does give this as the rifeunto all his exhortations unto Holiness of life. In the latter end of the Epiftle to the Romans, the Apoftle does exhort unto holy practiles, and to a godly converfation: but in the beginning, he does frate, and prove this Do&rine, of Juftification by faith alone. So in this Epiftle to the Gala tians; So in the Epistle to the Hebrews: As if the only rife of all our Holiness, and Godly Converfation were this, Our Free-juftification through the Blood of Chrift, by faith alone.

For the opening,and cleering of this great Truth; I fhall
fpend a little time in the explication of the terms.
Firft. Juftification by faith alone.

Secondly. I fhall labor to demonftrate this Truth unto
you, That Justification by faith alone, Is the Fountain, and
Original of all our Holines, and Spiritual life.
Thirdly. Anfwer to fome Obje&ions.

Fourthly. Labor to fhew ye, What there is in this Freejuftification by faith alone, that may, can, or doth advance our High Holiness.

What is meant by this Juftification by faith alone?

That I may be understood by the meaneft. By this juftifiQueft. 1. cation, I mean,7bat act ofGods grace, wherby through the imputa- Anfw. tions of our fins to Chrift, and Chrifts righteousness unto us,God the bfather doth pronounce us righteous in his fight. This is justification. And this is done by the Righteousness, and the Blood of Chriftonly, as the Material and Meritorious caufe, Tisdone only by Faith asthe Inftrumental caufe,fo we are faid to be juftified by Faith alone. Yet not fo,as that a man is juftified by faith which hath no works; for all juftifying faith is full of works: but thefe works do not come into our juftification: As now,amans fervants, they have him to bed Servants have their Mafter and Miftris to bed, tend upon them to bed, but they do not go into the bed with

G 2

them:

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 shouldeft have lived in the ftate of innocen cy: for as the fecond Adam is more excellent than the firft 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 second 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 fpeaking 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 Anfin doth well observe upon that place, The River hath many waves, one following upon another: & fo are the pleafares of the Saints, the fpiritual pleasures; 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 bat enjoy God in Chrift, and be united unto Chrift by the Spirit, he hath this life, which shall 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 fhall know no end. The Apoftle argues unto the Romans,that they fhould 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 Ephefians, the 5.ver. faies the Apoftle there, Even when we were dead in trefpaffes and fins, hath be quickned 5 us together with Christ, and be hath raised us up together, and made us fit together in beavenly places in Chrift Jefus. Here's fitting together in heavenly places with Jefus Chrift; and we are raised up in Chrift. So then, if once ye have this Spiritual life in Chrift, ye shall never die again fpiritually.

And this life (that now I am speaking 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 'tis born to communicate life unto a nother 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 prefently 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, strengthen thy brethren. No fooner was Paul made alive by another, but he prefently goes and communicates this life unto his brethren.

Luke,22.

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. (laies 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,

Jave 15.5.

Applic.

Page

How little is this Nation beholding to those that are of froward and perverfe fpirit.

Exhortation.

To meek ones, go to God improve your interest

31

33

The Titles of the first and second Volumns of the Works of Mr. WILLIAM BRIDG,

lately publifhed.

I. The great Gospel-Myfterie of the Saints Comfort and Holines, opened and applyed from Chrifts Priestly office.

II. Satans power to Tempt; and Chrifts love to, and care of his people under Temptation.

III. Thankefulness required in every condition.

IV. Grace for Grace; or, The overflowings of Chrift Fulness received by all Saints.

V. The Spiritual actings of Faith through Natural I poffibilities.

VI. Evangelical Repentance.

IN-BEING of CHRIST
In all BELEE VERS.

GALATIANS, 2. part of the 20. verse.
Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Chrift liveth

in me.

Nhis Epifle, the Apostle Paul does induduftriously prove, That a man is justified by faith in Chrift alone, and not by the works of the Law. Which he plainly affirms at the 16. verfe, Knowing that a man is not justi 3fied by the works of the Law, but by the faith pe of felus Christ, even we have beleeved in Je fu Chrift, that we might be justified by the faith of Chrift, and not by the works of the Law for by the works of the Law shall no fefb be justified. But if a man be not justitied by the works of the Law, then a man may live as he lifts, may cease from working. Not fo (faies the Apostle) for so, we our selves D

fhould

Preached

at

Stepney July, 2. 1648.