Beams of Divine Light, Sermon 3 – Title page 4
THE DEAD-MAN.
EPHES. 2.1.
And you hath …ee quickned, who were dead in trespasses and sinnes.
THE matter of this excellent Epistle is,T…e matter of the Epistle. partly doctrinall, and partly exhortatory: as it was S. Paules course in all his Epistles, to lay the foundation of practise in doctrine. The heart must be mooved, but the braine must be instructed first: there is a simpathy betweene those two parts, as in nature, so in grace. The doctrinall part of the Epistle sets out the riches of Christ, (chiefly in the first Chapter) in regard of the spring of them, Gods eternall election. Then in this Chapter by way of comparison; by comparing the state of grace to the state of nature. You hath hee quickned, who were dead in trespasses and sins.
Dependance of the words.The dependance of this Verse, I take it to be from the 19. Verse of the first Chapter. The Apostle there prayes that the Ephesians might have the eye of their understandings opened and enlightned, that they might know (among other things,) what the exceeding great power of God is towards us that beleeve, According to the working of his mighty power that he wrought in Christ, when hee raised him from the dead: that they might have experience of that mighty power that raised Christ from the dead. Now here in this Chapter he saith, They were raised together with Christ, and set together with him in heavenly places. His reason is in this manner. Those that are raised up and quickned with Christ to sit in heavenly places with him, have experience of a mighty power: But you are raised up and quickned with Christ to sit in heavenly places with him: therefore you have experience of a mighty power that raised Christ: for those that are raised and quickned with Christ have experience of that power that Christ had when he was raised up.
The second thing that he intends especially in this Chapter, is to shew that being raised with Christ, they are brought nearer to God, both Iewes and Gentiles, that of themselves were farre off. Now he shewes that they were raised and quickned with Christ, and brought neare to God in Christ, that they might magnifie the free grace of God in Christ; (all is by grace) and thereupon to be stirred up to a suteable, comfortable and gracious life. To come to the words, And you hath he quickned, &c. They are an application of the former comfortable truths to them, you hath he quickned, &c. These words, hath he quickned, are not in the originall in this place: they are after in verse 5. When we were dead in sinnes, he quickned us: but they are put in, in the translation; because they must be understood to make the full sence.
In the words consider these things
First of all, heere the Apostle puts them in mind of their former condition.
And then he sets downe in particular what it was, They were dead in trespasses and sins.
Then he tells them wherein they were dead, what was the cause of their death, and the element wherein they were dead, in trespasses and sins.
Lastly, not in one trespasse and in one sin; but in trespasses and sins.
And then to speake a little of quickning, to take it out of the 5. verse. You hath he quickned. There is the benefit with the condition. That which Jaime at is especially to shew our estate by nature, and how we are raised out of that. I shall touch the points briefly as I have propounded them.
Hee minds them of their former condition.Saint Paul here first minds them of their former condition, you were dead in trespasses and sinnes: For contraries give lustre one to another, and it magnifies grace mervailously to consider the opposite condition. Hee that never knew the height and bredth and depth of his naturall corruption, will never be able to conceive the height and breadth and depth of Gods infinite love in Iesus Christ. Saint Paul had deepe thoughts of both as ever man had; therefore he could never enter into the argument, of abasing man, and extolling the love of God in Christ, that he could satisfie himselfe: but his spirit carries him from one thing to another, till he set it out to the full. And every one of us should be skilfull in this double mystery, the mystery of the corruption of nature that is unsearchable, there is corruption in the heart that none knows but God only: and we must plow with his heifer that carries a light into the hidden parts of the soule, and discovers corruption: there is a mystery of that as well as of the Gospell, of our deliverance out of that cursed estate from the guilt and thraldome of it. I doe but touch it onelyonly, to shew the scope of the Apostle.
Why we should consider our …ormer condition.Now besides the consideration of it for this end; to magnifie the grace of God, and to understand what our former estate was the better: there are many other ends. As to stirre up our thankefullnesse, when we consider from what we are delivered, to glorifie God the more. There is no soule so enlarged to glorifie God as that soule that hath large thoughts of its estate by nature, and that estate by nature made worse by custome, our second ill nature and bondage voluntary: considering Gods mercy in delivering and freeing us from all sinnes and trespasses, this will make us thankefull indeed. And it is a spring of love to God, when we consider what great sinnes we have forgiven us… it will make us humble all the daies of our lives, and pitifull to others: but this may be handled fitter from another portion of Scripture. To come therefore to the words.
Who were dead in trespasses and sins.
Their condition is,Man natura…y dead. they were dead; the specification of their death, in sinnes and trespasses, and not in one, but in sinnes and trespasses. Here I might digresse and tell you a discourse of life and death at large:Death what? every man knowes by experience what they are. In a word death is a privation of life.Life what? What is life? and whence ariseth it? Not to speake of the life of God, (God is life and Christ is life) but of l…fe in us. It ariseth from the soule: first there is a soule; and then a life from the union with that soule; and then there is a secret kindled motion and operation outward, wheresoever life is. Life in man (I say) spring… from the soule: The soule h…th a double life, a life in it selfe, and a life it communicates to the body. The life in duplicate page duplicate page it selfe, it liveth when it is out of the body, it hath an essentiall life of its owne: but the life of the body is derived from its union with the soule, and from that union comes lively motion and operation.Spirituall life whence? The spirituall life of the soule is by the Spirit of Christ, when our soule hath union with the quickning Spirit of Christ, and by Christs Spirit is joyned to Christ, and by Christ to God, who is life it selfe and the first fountaine of all life: then we have a spirituall life. The Spirit is the soule of our soules, and this spiritual soule, this Spirit in us is not idle wherever life is there is motion and operation inward and outward suteable and proportionable to the fountaine of life, the Spirit of God himselfe.
So on the contrary it is with death; what is death? Death is nothing else but a seperation from the cause of life, from that from whence life springs. The body having a communicated life from the soule, when the soule is departed it must needs be dead.Spiritual death Now death (take it in a spirituall sence) it is either the death of law our sentence: as we say of a man when he is condemned, he is a dead man. Or death in regard of disposition; and then the execution of that death of sentence in bodily death, and in eternall death afterward. Now naturally we are dead in all these sences.
1In disposition.First by the sin of Adam, in whose loynes we were, we were all damned; there was a sentence of death upon all Adams rotten race, as we say damnati antequam nati, we were damned before we were borne, as soone as we had a being in our mothers wombe, by reason of our communion with Adam in that first sinne.
And then there is corruption of nature as a punishment of that first sinne, that is a death (as we shall see afterward) a death of al the powers, we cannot act and moove according to that life that we had at the first; we cannot thinke, we cannot will, we cannot affect, we cannot doe any thing that savours of spirituall life.
Hereupon comes a death of sentence upon us,2Sentence. being damned both in Adams loynes and in originall sinne, and likewise adding actuall sinnes of our owne: if we had no actuall sinne it were enough for the sentence of death to passe upon us, but this aggravates the sentence. We are dead in law as well as in disposition.3Execution. This death in law is called guilt, a binding over to eternall death: it breeds horrour and terrours in the soule for the present, which are the flashes of Hell-fire, and expectation of worse (even of the second death) for the time to come, which is an eternall seperation from God for ever, an eternall lying under the wrath and curse of God in body and soule (after they are united at the resurrection) because wee would sinne eternally if we did live eternally here: and no satisfaction being made for man after death, there must be an eternall sentence and punishment upon him, a terrible condition: if we were not afraid of the first death we should be afraid of the second death that followes, wee are all dead in trespasses and sins.
Now what is the reason of it why we are dead?
First of all, the ground of it is; by sin we are seperated from the fountaine of life, therfore we are all dead.
Secondly, by sinne we lost that first originall righteousnesse which was comproduced with Adams soule: when Adams soule was infused, it was cloathed with all graces, with originall righteousnesse: the stampe of God was on his soule, it was connaturall to that estate and condition, to have that excellent gratious disposition that he had. Now because we all lost that primative Image and glory of our soules we are dead.
We are dead likewise not onelyonly in regard of the time past, but for the time to come: No man by nature hath fellowship with the second Adam, till he be grafted into him by Faith, which is a meere supernaturall thing. In these regards every man naturally is dead.
Sinne it selfe a death.Nay sinne it selfe, it is not onelyonly a cause of death, of temporall death, as it is a curse; and so of eternall death: of that bitter sentence, and adjudging of us to, both that we feele in terrours of conscience, and expect after. But sinne it selfe is an intrinsicall death: Why? Because it is nothing but a seperation of the soule from the chiefe good, (which is God) and a cleaving to some creature. For there is no sin but it carries the soule to the changeable creature, in delight, and affection to its pride, and vanity, one thing or other. Sinne is a turning from God to the creature, and that very turning of the soule is death, every sinfull soule is dead. In these and the like considerations, you may conceave we are all dead.
And you hath hee quickned, who were dead, &c.
Let us consider a little what a condition this is, to be dead in trespasses and sinnes. Not to speake of the danger of the death of sentence, when a man by the state of nature lies under the wrath of God, that hanges over his head, and is ready to crush him every moment.Signes of spirituall death. But to speake of that death that seizeth upon our dispositions, wee are dead by nature.1Coldnesse. And what doth death worke upon the body? unactivenesse, stiffnesse; so when the Spirit of God is severed from the soule, it is cold, and unactive, and stiffe. Therefore those that finde no life to that that is good, no nor no power nor strength; it is a signe that they have not yet felt the power of the quickning Spirit, when they heare coldly, and receive the Sacrament coldly, as if it were a dead piece of worke and businesse; when they doe anything that is spiritually good coldly, and forced; not from an inward principle of love to God (that might heate and warme their hearts:) but they goe about it as a thing that must be done, and thinke to satisfie God with an outward dead action.
2Vnlovelinesse.Againe, death makes the body unlovely, Abraham would buy a piece of ground that hee might bury his dead out of his sight, hee could not indure the sight of his owne beloved wife when shee was dead. Death takes away the beauty and the honour that God hath put upon the body, so that it is not honourable to those that behold it after death. The Image of God stamped upon the soule of man by the Spirit, it is the glory of a man: after sin it is an unlovely soule. We are all deprived of the glory of God, as S. Paul saith.
3Loathsomenes.And not onelyonly so; but there is a loathsomenesse contrary to that honour that was in it before. Though all art and skill be used that may be to set out a dead body, (with flowers, or whatsoever you will) to please the fancy of the living: yet it is but a dead body, and the stench will be above all other sweete smells. So let any naturall man be as witty, and as learned, and as great, and as rich as you will; or as he can be set out with all these ornaments and flowers: yet hee is but a carrion, a loathsome creature to God, if his soule be seperated from God, and inwardly cleave to the creature. If he have not a new heart, he is abhominable and loathsome to God, and to all that have the Spirit of God. A dead soule is abhominable to all Gods sences, (the Scripture thus familiarly condescends unto us,) hee will not behold him, hee lookes upon the proud afarre off. And hee smells no savour from their performances, the very sacrifice of the wicked is abhominable, he lookes upon them as wee doe upon a dunghill, as a loathsome thing. The prayers of the wicked are an abhomination to God, he turnes away his face from them, hee cannot indure them. And for his eares, hee will not heare the prayers of the wicked. And for feeling, he is wearied with their sinnes, as a cart is with sheaves. Nay, he is wearied with their very good actions, as it is Isa. 1.8. Whatsoever wicked men performe it is abhominable to God, hee cannot behold them, hee cannot indure them, hee is burdened with their sinnes; and those also that have the Spirit of God in them, as farre as they see the foulenesse of their sins they loath them.
But herein a wicked man agrees with a dead body, a dead body is not loathsome to its selfe. So take a carnall man, hee pranks up himselfe, hee thinkes himselfe a jolly man, especially when hee is set out in his flowers, those things that hee beggs of the creatures, he sees not his loathsomenesse; hee thinkes himselfe a brave man in the world, in the place he lives in: and hee hath base conceits of others, of God, and all things of God. Dead men are not loathsome to themselves, because they want sences. As in a prison, the noisome savour is not offensive to them, because they are all acquainted with it; it hath ceazed upon and possessed their sences: So wicked men they smell no ill savour and sent one from another: because they are all dead persons, one dead man is not loathsome to another: as a company of prisoners they are not offended with the noysomenesse of one another.
4They are seperate from God and Gods people.Againe, we sever dead persons from the rest: so indeed a dead soule as he is severed from God, so ae jure, he should be severed from the company of others: there should be a seperation, and as soone as the life of grace is begun, there will be a seperation betweene the living and the dead. Let the dead follow the dead, and bury the dead, saith our Saviour in the Gospell.
5Sencelesnesse.Where bodily death is, it deprives of all sences, there is no use of any, either of the eye or tongue,Without speech &c. it makes them speechlesse: So he that is spiritually a dead man, he can speake nothing that is savoury and good of spirituall things, if he doth he is out of his element, if he speak of good things he speakes with the spirit of another man; if he speake of the writings of other men, it is with the spirit of the writer. He cannot speake to God in praise, or to others in experience of the worke of grace, because he hath a dead soule. Put him to his owne arguments, to talke of vanity, to sweare or to talke of the times, you shall have him in his theame: but to talke of God and divine things (unlesse it be to sweare by them and to scorne good things) he cannot; he is speechlesse there, it is not his theame.Without sight. And as he is speechlesse so he hath no spirituall eyes to see God in his works. There is nothing that we see with our bodily eyes▪ but our soules should have an eye to see somewhat of God in it, his mercy and goodnesse and power, &c. Without taste.And so he hath no relish to taste of God in his creatures and mercies: when a man tasts of the creatures he should have a spirituall taste of God and of the mercy in him, Oh how sweet is God! A wicked man hath no taste of God.Without bearing. And he cannot heare what the Spirit saith in the Word, he heares the voice of man, but not of the Spirit when the trumpet of the Word sounds never so loud in his eares. These things ought not to be overmuch pressed, much curiosity must not be used in them, but because the Holy Ghost raiseth the proportion from these things, some thing must be said of them.
As there is no sence nor mooving to outward things,6Immooveable. so no outward thing can moove a dead body: offer him colours to the eye, food to the taste, or any thing to the feeling, nothing mooves him: So a dead soule, as it cannot moove to good, so it is mooved with nothing, that that affects a child of God, and makes him tremble and quake, it affects not a carnall man at all.
And as in bodily death,7Growes worse. the longer it is dead, the more noysome and offensive it is every day more then other: So sinne it makes the soule more loathsome and noysome daily, till they have filled up the measure of their sinnes, till the earth can beare them no longer. We say of a dead body it is heavy: so dead soules I am sure they are heavy, heavy to God and to Christ that dyed for sinne, and heavy in themselves, they sinke to earthly things in their affections, and thereby they sinke lower and lower to Hell, and never leave sinking till they be there. As the life of grace is like the Sunne when it riseth, it growes still till it come to full perfection, till it come to the life of glory: So on the contrary this death is a death that is more and more increased in the loathsomenesse and noysomenesse of it every way: so that the longer a carnall man lives the more guilt hee contracts, A child of a hundred yeares old (as the Prophet saith) the longer he lives the more vengeance is stored for him; he treasures vengeance up against the day of vengeance, and it is a curse for a man in his naturall estate to live long, for he growes more and more abhominable every way. These things helpe to understand the Scripture, and therefore so far we may well thinke of them.
To know what we are by nature.If this be so, I beseech you let us learne to know what we are by nature; not to make our selves in our owne conceits better then indeed wee are. We judge of our selves as we are to civill things. A man that hath naturall parts, that can discourse and understand the mysteries of law and of the state, we value men by these. Alas poore soule thou mayest be dead for all this; what are all these abilities for? Are they not for the spirituall life? What is this to the life of grace? They onelyonly blow thee up with pride and set thee further off, and make thee uncapable of grace. If thou talke of learning; the Divell is a better scholler then any man, he knowes matters of state and other things better then thou doest, and yet he is a Divell for all that, therefore never stand upon these things. But there is a company that are more to blame then these; one would thinke that these have something to be proud off, that they might set themselves against God and goodnes: but there is a generation that have little in them, that yet think themselves the only men in loose licentious life, despising all, caring for none, & think it the only life to live as they list, to goe where they list, in what companies they list, to have bounds of their owne: these think themselves the onelyonly men, when indeed they are no body; they are dead loathsome creatures; (it is the mercy of God that the ground doth not sinke underthem;) and yet they carry themselves, as if they only were alive.
Againe if we be all dead by nature,To avoid intimate society with carnall men. and there ought to be a separation of the living from the dead; let us take heed in our amity and society that we converse not with naturall men too much, that have not spirituall goodnesse in them; that we converse not with them with delight and complacency. It is a tyrannicall thing to knit dead and living bodies together, and he was accounted a tyrant that did so: surely in choosing our society, conjugall or friendly, any intimate society to joyne living and dead soules together, we are tyrants to our owne soules. Wee wrong our soules to joyne with dead persons, who would converse with dead courses, and corps? The very creatures startle at the sight of a dead body; nature startles at that that is dead. If wee had the life of grace (further then the necessity of civill conversation, and the hope of bettering them forceth it upon us) wee would have no society with those that we see are in the state of nature. What issues from them but stench? eyes full of adultery, nothing that is pleasing can come from them; nothing can come from all their sences but rottennesse, and stench; what comfort can a man (that loves his owne soule, and hath any desire to be saved) have by intimate converse with such persons? let them have never so good parts, they hurt more one way then they doe good another: you see wee are all dead by nature, and what this death is.
Object.But you will say there is a difference betweene naturall death, and spirituall death: for in naturall bodily death, there is no mooving; but in this spirituall death of the soule, men have sences, and motion, &c.
Answ.Jt is true, thus farre they differ; though a man be spiritually dead,Difference in naturall and spirituall death. yet notwithstanding he hath feete to carry him to the house of God; he hath eares to heare the Word of God; he hath abilities of nature upon which grace is founded. God workes grace upon nature. Now a man living in the Church of God, that is a grace when a man hath grace to live within the compasse of the meanes: he can by common grace, without any inward change of nature, come and heare the Word of God, and when he is there he may yeeld an eare to listen, and he hath common discourse and understanding to know what is said and upon what ground, he can offer himselfe to the worke of the Spirit; he can come to the poole (though he be not thrust in this day, or that day) when God stirrs the waters: this by common grace, any man living in the Church may doe.
Therefore though we be all dead,To use the naturall parts God hath given us. even the best of us by nature: yet let us use the parts of nature that we have, that God hath given us, to offer our selves to the gracions and blessed meanes wherein the Spirit of God may worke. Let us come to heare the Word of God, Iohn 5.25. The time is come and now is that the dead shall heare the voice of God, where the voice of God is in the Ministery, and so they shall live. As in the latter day the noyse of the trumpet shall raise the dead bodies: So the trumpet of the Word of God sounding in the eares of men (together with the Spirit) shall raise the dead soules out of the grave of sin. Therefore J beseech you as you would be raised up out of this death, heare the noyse of Gods trumpet come within the compasse of the meanes. As God is the God of life, and Christ calls himselfe the life and the Spirit, the Spirit of life: So the Word is the Word of life, because together with the Word God conveyes spirituall life. The Word of God in the Ordinance is an operative working Word. As it was in the creation, God said, Let there bee light and there was light: So in the Ministery it exhorts and stirres up to duty, and there is a cloathing of the ministeriall word with an almighty power, it is a working word. As when Christ spake to Lazarus, when hee stanke in his grave, he said Lazarus come foorth, it was an operative working word, there went an almighty power to raise Lazarus. Therefore though we finde our selves dead and have no worke of grace: yet let us present our selves more and more to the Ordinance of God. God will be mighty in his own Ordinance: the blessed time may come, let us waite when the waters are stirred, and take heede that we despise not the counsell of God, which is to bring man to spirituall life this way.
God can raise old sinners.And object not I am dead and rotten in sin many yeares, I am an old man.
You know many were raised in the Gospell, some that had beene dead few daies: Lazarus was rotten and stanke. It shewes us that though a man be dead and rotten in sinne, yet he may be raised first or last, the blessed time may come, therefore waite; never pretend long custome, and long living in sinne, All things are in obedience to God, though they have a resistance in themselves, yet God can take away that resistance and bring all to obey him. All things in the world though they be never so opposite to Gods grace, they are in obedience to his command. Therefore though there be nothing but actuall present resistance in the soule to that that is good and a slavery to the bondage of sin: yet attend meekly upon the Ordinance, God can make of Lions Lambs, he can take away that actual resistance. As Christ when he was raised, the stone that lay upon the grave was remooved: So when God will quicken a man, he will remoove the stone of long custome that is upon him; though he have beene dead so many yeares, yet God can rowle away the stone and bid him rise up. Therefore let none despaire, God is more mercifull to save those that belong to him, then Sathan can be malicious to hinder any way.
The best of us all,The best men have some remainders of death. though we be not wholly dead, yet there are some relicks of spirituall death hanging upon us, there be corruptions which in themselves are noysome. Therefore let all attend upon the meanes, that the Spirit of God by little and little may worke out the remainders of death; the remainders of darknesse in our understandings, and of rebellion in our wills and affections. For there bee usually three degrees of persons in the Church of God.Three degrees of men in the Church. Some open rotten persons that are as graves, open sepulchres, that their stincke comes foorth and they are prophane ones. There are some that have a forme of godlinesse that are meerely ghosts, that act things outwardly but they have not a spirit of their owne; they have an evill spirit and yet doe good workes: they walke up and downe and doe things with no spirit of their owne. The second are more tollerable then the first in humane society; because the other stinke and smell to common society: common swearers and prophane persons that stinke to any except it be to themselves. But the godly have this death in part; the life of sentence is perfect, the life of justification: but spirituall life in us is by little and little wrought in the meanes, the Spirit of life joynes with the Word of life and quickens us daily more and more. A word of these words
And you hath he quickned.
Suteable to the *Easter-day.occasion. This being our estate, let us know how much we are beholding to God who hath quickned us. God quickens us with Christ and in Christ. It is a comfortable consideration. In that God hath quickned Christ and raised him from the grave, it shewes that his Fathers wrath is pacified, or else he would not have quickned him, he gave him to death, and quickned him againe, therefore we may know that he hath paid the price for us. And he quickens us with Christ and in Christ, whatsoever we have that is good it is in Christ first, That Christ in all things might have the preheminence. Christ first rose and ascended and sits in Heaven, and then we rise and ascend and sit in heavenly places with Christ, *See the Sermons upon Rom. 8.2.Therefore as St. Peter saith well, in 1. Peter 1.20. God hath raised Christ, that our faith might bee in God. If Christ had not beene raised up, our Faith and Hope could not have beene in God, that he would raise us up, we are quickned and raised in Christ, all is in Christ first, and then in us. The ground of this is, that Christ was a publike person in all that he did, in his death, therefore we are crucified and buried with him; in his resurrection and ascention, therefore we are quickned with him and sit in heavenly places with him. He is the second Adam; And if the first Adam could convey death to so many thousands, so many thousand yeeres after; and if the world should continue millions of yeares, he would convey death to all: shall not Christ the second Adam convey life to all that are in him. So thinke of all things both comfortable and uncomfortable in Christ first, when we thinke of sinne, thinke of it in him our Surety and when we thinke of freedome from death and damnation; thinke of his death, when wee thinke of our resurrection, thinke of his, when he rose againe; in his resurrection the acquittance from our sinnes was sealed: thereby we know that the debt is paid, because he rose againe, let us see an acquittance of all in the resurrection. And if we thinke of the glory that God hath reserved for us, thinke of it in Christ, see Christ glorious first, and we in him. See Christ at the right hand of God, and wee in him, carry Christ along with us in our contemplations. We are quickned with Christ, Christ takes away all the deaths J spake of before. Christ by his resurrection tooke away the death of sentence, he rose againe for our justification, so that now there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ. So againe in regard of that deadly disposition that is in us, Christ quickens us in regard of that, by infusing grace by his Spirit: for Christ is an universall principle of all life: Now Christ by his death pacifying his Father obteined the Spirit, and by that Spirit which he infuseth as a principle of life, he more and more quickens our nature and makes it better and better till it be perfect in Heaven. As Adam was a principle of death, and the more we live in the state of nature, the worse we are, til we come to hel: So when we are in Christ, the Spirit sanctifies us more and more till he have brought us to perfection. And as we are quickned from the death of sentence and of dispos…tion, so we are quickned in regard of that hope of glory that we have: For now in Christ we are in Heaven already, and though there come bodily death betweene, yet notwithstanding that is but a fitting us for glory, the body is but fitted and molded in the grave for glory. This very consideration will quicken a man in death, my head is in Heaven above water, therefore the body shall not bee long under water. And Faith makes that that is to come present, and affects the soule comfortably. Christ is in Heaven already, and J am there in Christ, and J shall be there as verily as he is there; I am there de jure, & de facto I shall be there; in these considerations Christ quickens us: Therefore saith St. Peter, Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath begotten us againe through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, to a lively hope of an inheritance immortall, &c. We are begotten againe to this inheritance by the resurrection of Christ, who is risen againe to quicken himselfe and all his. The consideration of this should affect us as it did Saint Peter, to blesse God.
Now all this quickning power ariseth from our union with Christ, we must have a beeing in Christ before we can have comfort by death with him, or by rising with him. Our union with Christ springs from faith: faith is cherished by the Sacrament: the Word and Sacrament beget faith: faith unites us to Christ: union with Christ makes us partake of his death, and the benefits of it, and of his resurrection and ascention to glory: therefore the more we attend upon this ordinance of the Word, and the seale of the Word, the Sacrament, the more our faith is increased: for God invites us to communion and fellowship with Christ, and all his benefits and favours: and the more wee find faith assured of Christ, the more union and fellowship wee have with Christ, and the more wee seele that, the more Christ is a quickning Spirit: quickning us with the life of grace here, and the hope of Glory afterward. Therefore let us comfortably attend upon the ordinance of God sanctified for this purpose, to strengthen this our union with Christ.
FINIS.
THE FRVITFVLL LABOVR FOR Eternall Foode.
In two Sermons, By the late Reverend and Learned Divine RICHARD SIDS, Doctor in Divinity, Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher at Grayes-Inne.
ESAY. 55.2.
Why doe you spend money for that which is not Bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto mee, and eate yee that which is good, and let your soule delight it selfe in fatnesse.
JOHN 6.55.
For my flesh is meate indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
LONDON, Printed by G.M. for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford, 1639.