Christs Exaltation Purchased by Humiliation, Sermon 2

Christs Exaltation Purchased by Humiliation · Sermon 2

p. 68THE SECOND SERMON ON

ROM. 14. 9.

For to this end Christ both dyed, and rose, and revived, that he might be the Lord, both of the dead and of the living.

I Shewed the dependance in the forenoone, a Christian by the Spirit of God in him, hee hath a blessed p. 69aime at all times, howsoever hee may faile in particulars, yet his ayme is right.

This doubt rose from difference of aymes, whether he should please God or man? his doubt rose in pleasing of God, what might please him most, and because hee sees not alwaies what might please him, therefore he carries this honesty, that whatsoever he doth, he will doe it to the Lord, and whatsoever he doth not, he will not doe it to the Lord, his ayme is for good at all times.

Now this is proved from the generall disposition of Christians, they live, and p. 70dye to the Lord, therefore their particular actions must be to the Lord, if their whole life and death, bee to the Lord, their actions must bee to him.

Now hee proves their whole life, and death are to the Lord, because they are the Lords, how doth he prove that they are the Lords? that is Iesus Christs, because the Text saith here, For this end Christ both dyed, and revived, that he might bee Lord both of the dead, and of the living.

And surely he is Lord, he will not misse of his end; God never misseth of his end, because hee can remove p. 71all impediments betweene him and his end: Now it being Christs end to be Lord of the quicke, and of the dead, hee is Lord, if he be Lord, then those that are under him, and led by his Spirit, aime both in life and death, to glorifie him in all things. This in a word be spoken, for the inference of the words.

To this end Christ both dyed, and rose, and revived.

Here you have a ground and an inference: An argument and a reasoning from it.

The argument or ground is, Christ dyed, and rose, and revived.

p. 72That that riseth thence is, that he might be Lord both of the dead of of the living.

In thē ground it selfe, I told you how Christ dyed as a publicke person, as the second Adam, &c. and now here you are to take notice likewise that hee rose againe as a publicke person, as the second Adam, &c.

And likewise hee rē vived, not to dye againe, as in his first life, when hee beganne to live, hee beganne to dye, but when hee revived he did not dye againe, he lives for ever to make intercession for us in heaven, Christ never dyes againe, p. 73Rom. 6. he rose to a life that shall never end, for the divine nature doth flow into his humane nature, and doth immediately inspire such a spirituall life into it, as it lives for ever, by vertue of the Spirit of Christ, actuating, and stirring and moving him, as his naturall life did here, when hee was upon the earth.

Christ dyed, and rose, and revived.

To what end is all this, what is grounded hence, that Christ therefore is Lord of quicke, and dead, this is inferred from all three.

Christ dyed, that hee p. 74might reconcile us to God by his death, satisfying justice, and so justice being fully satisfyed, hee might have his end in being Lord of his Church, hee had a minde to marry us, but he could not till hee had rescued us, therefore to rescue us out of divine justice, and from the tyranny of Sathan, Gods gaoler, he made satisfaction to divine justice. As for Sathan hee brought us out of his kingdome by strong hand, and so doth continually by the power of his Spirit. Now hereupon it must needes bee that hee must be Lord of that hee paid so deare a price for.

p. 75And then he rose againe, for this end that he might be Lord, because, howsoever hee had a title to be Lord of the Church by the union of the humane nature with the divine, he was Lord alway, yet in regard of the exercise of his Lordship, it was deferred till his glorious resurrection, and ascention, then that that lay hid before Christs divine power, majesty and Lordship, that appeared, and manifested it selfe, as it is Rom. 1. He was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God by the resurrection from the dead, he was the Sonne of God before, but then it was a kinde of begetting, because p. 76it was then manifest: things are sayd in Scripture and Divinity, to be when they are apparent to be, so this day of the resurrection, Christ was begotten, because it was apparent then by raising himselfe from the dead, that he was the onelyonly begotten Sonne of God, now that made way for his Lordship, for after his resurrection God gave him power over all things in heaven and earth, and then upon the resurrection he had the Spirit in more aboundance, having conquered all enemies betweene God and us, therefore he was fit to be Lord by that, because he could p. 77give the Spirit to them over whom hee meant to rule.

But then in his owne person he rising, triumphed over all opposite enemies whatsoever, over death the last enemie, and over Sathan, sinne, and the Law, having cancelled all, surely he hath over-ruled all for himselfe, he will over-rule all for his Church and people, and therefore hee rose againe, to bee Lord of quicke and dead: and he may well be, because he is Lord of quicke and dead in his owne person, hee is Lord over all in his owne person; and therefore he is Lord over the p. 78Church, and all the enemies of the Church, so farre as the enemies seized upon his person, so farre hee overcame them all, he hath as much care of his misticall person the Church, as he had on his owne body, and more too, for he gave that for the other.

And then he revived to be Lord over all, that is, he lives for ever to make good what hee hath gotten by his death, hee will not lose the price of his owne blood, he is in heaven to appeare before God, and sits at the right hand of God, and rules there till he have made all his enemies his footestoole, p. 79till he draw his Church home to heaven, to himselfe, he lives for ever as the Apostle saith, to make intercession, hereupon it must needes bee that by living for ever he is fitly qualified to bee Lord over all the quicke: now I proceede.

That he might be Lord both of quicke and dead.

Christ is Lord both of the dead and of the living, you see upon what ground he is Lord of all, as well as of his Church, he is an eternall Lord over the dead and the living, he is a transcendent Lord, above all other Lords p. 80whatsoever, and he is independant, he is not obnoxious to any, all have power from him, and in some sort indeed Christ hath redeemed even all other creatures, they are Christs, and in some sort even proud wicked men, that live in the Church, that have perhaps some parts (which are the occasion of their damnation, because of and by them, they are proud and insolent,) they are redeemed by Christ, thus farre to be serviceable to his Church to use their parts to his owne ends, they goe a great way in salvation, that so by their parts, they may be fit to doe service to the p. 81Church, so he is Lord, not onelyonly over the Church, but of others for the service of the Church.

Now this point, that Christ is Lord of the dead and of the living, it yeelds many comfortable uses, I spake of some things in generall, and then wee came to some particulars, as

First, seeing Christ is Lord of the quicke and of the dead, wee may comfort our selves under the Soveraignty of Christ: To be Solomons servant, was accounted a great happynesse, those that did observe the governement of Solomon, did thinke so, as the Queene of Sheba: Alas, p. 82what shall we thinke of those that are under Christ, who is greater then Solomon? A most great, a most wise, a most loving, a most gracious and powerfull Lord over all, therefore it is a most comfortable condition, here in this life, (to adde a little to that point) however it be service, it is against the nature of man to serve a man, yet not to serve a more noble, to serve God is to reigne.

Besides while we live here, such is our disposition, such is the weakenesse of base sinners, that they must be ruled by another, and indeede our happinesse and security consists p. 83in being ruled by another higher than our selves, we are not fit to bee our owne governours, S. Paul saith to the Galatians, an heire in his none-age differeth little from a servant, so it is with Christians till they be in heaven, they differ little from servants, and therefore they must bee under tutors, and government.

And as it is a comfortable, so it is an honourable condition, for Christs Servants are so many Kings, Christ is served of none but Kings, and such Kings as doe not rule over slaves, but such Kings as in Christ rule over the greatest, and terriblest p. 84enemies of all, a Christian can thinke with comfort and incouragement upon those enemies, that make the greatest tyrants of the world to quake; he can thinke of death, of sinne, of damnation, of judgement, of the Law, of all these things: Christs Kingdome is another manner of Kingdome than the Kingdomes of the world, they are poore Kingdomes, their Monarchs heads must lye as low as the basest subject they have, they know not how soone, and perhaps have a more terrible account to give, than any other under them: it is not so in Christs Kingdome.

p. 85Therefore those Christians that are afraid of death, they forget their dignity, they forget him on whom they depend; for Christ is Lord both of the quick and of the dead, if so be Christ be their Lord when they dye, what neede they feare to dye, and therefore let us comfort our selves when God calls for us, he is our Lord as well when wee dye, as while we live, and more too: for then our soules have more immediate communion with him, can there bee more comfort than this, that we have a Lord ever, that dyed for us, that rose for us, and lives for ever, p. 86and doth immortalize his subjects too? joyne these together, an ever-living Lord, and ever-living subjects, coexistent I meane for the time to come, we indeed have a beginning, (Christ had none as God) but we have an eternall state to be for ever, and an eternall Lord to rule us for ever, and to make us happy forever, what comfort is more than this, that howsoever there be varietie of conditions in this world, wee live, wee dye, we are in prosperity, we are in misery, yet there is no varietie in the state of Salvation, Christ is not a Lord to day and none to morrow, but yesterday, to p. 87day, and the same for ever.

Againe as it is a point of comfort, so it is also of duty, if Christ be our Lord in life and death, our duty is to looke to him in life and death, to live and dye to him: for our ayme must answere his ayme if we ever intend to come to heaven: for we are understanding creatures, and have a communion with him in a poore measure; therefore what he will make his end must be our end, his end was that whether we live or dye, hee might rule over us, our end should be in life and death to bee ruled by him.

p. 88How shall we live to Christ?

We live to Christ, (this is a ground of all other duties that follow) when we know, and acknowledge Christ hath a full interest in us, by being our head, by being our husband, by being our King, our elder brother, he hath all the sweete interest to us, that any relation can inright him to, for all other relations among men are but shaddowes of that grand relation, there onelyonly is the realty of things, he is a true head, a true King, a true elder brother, a true husband of his Church, all ours are but, poore representations of those glorious p. 89things, then know and acknowledge so much, that is the ground of all living to him.

VponUpon knowing and acknowledging, issues all other obedience in our life to Christ, those that thus acknowledge Christ, they must be directed by his will, and not their owne, as a servant as farre as he is a servant, and a wife so farre as she is a wife, they have no will of their owne; so he that lives to Christ, and acknowledgeth him to be a Lord, he must have no will of his owne, but hee must live according to the will of Christ, as you have it excellently set p. 90downe, 1 Pet. 4. Christ suffered for us in the flesh, let us arme our selves therefore with the same mind: for he that suffered in the flesh, hath ceased from sinne that he should no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh, to the lusts of men, but to the will of God: It is a comment upon this place, Christ dyed and rose and revived, that he might be Lord of the quicke and of the dead, that is, that we might live according to his will, and not after our owne, doe you thinke our Saviour Christ would so farre deny himselfe, to leave heaven, to take upon him our base nature, and be so farre abased in it, to p. 91let us live as wee list? oh no, we must live the rest of our dayes, not according to the lusts of men, or our owne lusts, but according to the wil of God; and therefore as the Apostle admonisheth, Rom. 12. we must search what is the acceptable will of God in all things: what is the end of our hearing Sermons, of our reading, and all the paines wee take in the meanes of Salvation? not onelyonly to know what God will doe to us, but what he will have of us, he will have the directing of our lives, and therefore if wee will live to Christ, we must labour to know his good pleasure to p. 92us, what he meanes to doe for us, and so his good pleasure with us, what he will have us doe againe by way of thankefulnesse, Christ squared his life immediately according to his fathers will (It is written, in the volumne of thy booke that I should doe thy will oh God) so all that are Christs must have the same Spirit, to direct all their lives according to his will; now the most grand things of his will (for his will is in the Scriptures) are that we repent, he commands all to repent: his will is that we beleeve in him, his will is our sanctification, as it is 1 Thes. 4. his will is that p. 93we suffer, and in suffering submit our selves to him, and the Scripture is expresse in many other particulars, but these especially are named, to shew something, wherein wee must direct our selves according to his will, but (not to insist upon particulars) in all things wee must labour to direct our lives according to his will.

Secondly, that we may live to God, we must aime at the glory of Christ in all things, and at the credite of religion, not at our owne credit; if Christ be Lord of the quicke, and dead, while we live wee must not seeke our owne glory but his: the contrary p. 94to this the Apostle complaines of, All seeke their owne, saith he, and not the things that are of the Lord Iesus Christ, we must consider what is for the credite of religion, and the honour of Christ, and not what is for our owne advantage: is it not good reason that wee should seeke the glory of him that is Lord over us, naturally proud man is lead with a Spirit of selfelove, and he seekes himselfe in all things, even in his religion, so farre as it stands with his owne lusts he will be religious and no further, so long as Gods will is not contrary to his, he will doe God Service, p. 95but if it crosse his will once, then hee will give God leave to seeke him a servant.

Thus man makes himselfe an Idoll, he sets up himselfe in the roome of God, he doth all things, as from himselfe, so for himselfe, nor indeede can he doe otherwise, (till hee put off himselfe wholly, and deny himselfe) a man cannot goe beyond himselfe but by grace, that ray seth a man above himselfe, it makes him have an eye to some excellency, out of himselfe, conformity whereto, and interest whereinto will make him happy.

Now that we may aime p. 96at Christ in all things, it is good to call our selves to account for our aymes, wherfore we live, & wherfore wee have are, or doe any thing, either in grace or nature, it is or should be, not onelyonly that we may be saved our selves, but that Christ in all may bee glorified, wee neede not sever these, for Christ joynes them both together, and he that seekes his owne Salvation, seekes the glory of God, because God will be glorified in saving us, the end hath a maine influence into all actions, and as it differenceth man, from other creatures, that though he doth the same action as a p. 97beast, he eates, and drinkes and sleepes, all for another end, for an end beyond himselfe, because he is a reasonable creature, whereas other creatures rest in themselves, so it differenceth betweene naturall men, and Christians, they differ in their aymes not in their actions, both doe the same thing, one doth it for base ends of his owne, keepes within the circle of those ends, the other having a light discovering excellencies better than the world can afford, and having another Spirituall life above, hee is thereby directed to further aymes in all, yea even in his civill actions.

p. 98Saint Paul gives a rule, that Whether we eate or drinke, or whatsoever wee doe, we should doe all to the glory of God: though the action bee common and civill not tending directly to the glory of God, as eating, &c. yet our ayme should be in it, at Christ and at God, that the body thereby being refreshed may bee fit to serve God.

And indeed there is not the commonest action of this life, but we may shew that we have a good end in it, and therein glorifie God, therefore in Scripture, it is put as a kinde of limitation, Obey in the Lord, marry in the Lord, p. 99doe all things in the Lord, that is in Christ, he shewes that wee should doe all such things, intimating that as we must goe about such enterprizes with invocation of the name of the Lord, &c. so chiefely we should doe them so farre and no farther, as they may stand with the favour and glory of Christ: In subordinate things, the rule of subordinate things is to doe them so farre as they may helpe to the maine end: Now the Service of all other is subordinate to the Service of Christ, and all other bonds are serviceable to the maine bond in marriage, or whatsoever p. 100we may not prejudice the bond of marriage in the Lord, marry not rich, nor honourable, but in the Lord, all things must have their limitation to bee done in the Lord, that is, so farre as they may stand with pleasing the Lord, thus we see what it is to live to the Lord with his good pleasure and likening.

Now an assistant helpe (of living to the Lord) is a perpetuall selfe-deniall of our owne wisedome, will, and affections in all things, else wee shall live to our selves, and to the Lord we shall never attaine.

But you will say this is a p. 101hard saying; True, but consider this one thing, that we are the greatest enemies to our selves of all, and wee carry in our selves a cursed enmity to all that is divine, and supernaturall, naturally we are trained up to our owne will, therefore we cannot indure the yoake of Christ without: supernaturall strength.

Againe divine things perpetually crosse the liking of the soule, whereupon there is an antypathy betweene us and Christ, and divine things, therefore there must bee selfe-deniall of necessity. Now the knowledge of this will bee a good p. 102meanes to inable us to the duty.

Another helpe to this, of living to Christ, is to complaine of our selves to Christ, as Saint Paul Rom. 7. Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me, &c. To informe against our rebellions, that we live too much to the flesh, and too little to the Spirit; too much to our selves, and too little to Christ, by reason of that principle of flesh and blood, and to desire him to captivate all, and bring all in subjection by his Spirit, this is alway a signe, of a man lead by the Spirit, that it directs him to Christ, the Spirit p. 103as it comes from Christ, and the father, so it directs to Christ to the pleasing of the Father, and of Christ in all things.

Here I might take just occasion, to reproove a company of men that live under the Gospell, that will bee saved by Christ forsooth, but will not have Christ a Lord to rule over them, they will be ruled by rules of state, or rules of flesh, and blood, and their owne lusts, by the rules of hell sometimes, so that they may have their owne aimes, their owne ambition satisfied and raisethemselves, to their owne pitch p. 104a disposition cursed, and opposite to that religion which they professe, for our life should be a living to Christ, and under Christ a living to the Church and state: But say they Let us breake their bonds, and cast their coards from us, what doe they thinke wee will be awed with a company of poore preachers, away with them, we will have our wills, let us breake their bonds in sunder. Christ sits in heaven, and laughes them all to scorne, Psal. 2. they shall know at length hee will be no Saviour, where he is no Lord, if he may not rule them by his Spirit and holy directions while p. 105they live, he will not owne them when they dye, for you see the text joynes both here, he dyed, and he is Lord, when hee dyed there came water and blood out of his side, to shew that hee came not onelyonly to shed his blood, to dye, and to satisfie divine justice, but by water to clense us, and to fit us to be subject to his government, therefore those that take him as a Priest to dye and will not have him as a Lord they rent his offices, I doe but touch these now.

We see what it is to live to Christ, let us see: what is it to dye to the Lord?

To dye to the Lord is p. 106to know and acknowledge that Christ hath power over us when wee dye, thereupon to submit our selves to him, and not to murmure and fret, when he comes to call for our life and soule, as if we were unwilling to part with them.

Then againe to dye to Christ is when upon any good occasion, he calls for our lives, in standing for a good cause, for the Church or state, to be ready to lay it downe; there is not the least tittle of truth, but it is better than a mans life, a man may not onelyonly dye, in case of martyrdome, but in case of justice and truth, and so p. 107he must be willing to doe, if he will dye to Christ.

Againe wee dye to the Lord when we carry our selves so when death comes, as wee may expresse some graces to glorifie God, even in our very death, when wee studdy to doe all the good we can, that wee may dye fruitefully, out of this consideration, my time is short, I will labour to bee sowing to the Spirit, as much as I can, not to dye like fooles but wisely, knowing that there is no further opportunity, here is the time of seede, hereafter will bee the time of reaping: therefore there is no Christian, that is master p. 108of himselfe at the houre of death, if some disease disable him not, but he studdies how to shew himselfe as fruitfull as he can at that time; as you see our Saviour when he was to dye, what long chapters there are three together, of his demeanour how hee strengthned his Disciples, what an excellent prayer he made to God, see Moses how hee carryed himselfe at his death, what excellent admonitions hee gives; and good Iacob what an excellent Will he made, and S. Peter knowing he must put of his earthly tabernacle, he labours to put them in minde to glorifie God as p. 109Saint Paul saith.

A Christian ought to end his dayes in faith, and obedience; in faith that God will take his soule, when he commits it to him, and he shall reigne for ever in heaven: In obedience thereupon, because he beleeves, he dyes in faith, he will dye in obedience, I even offer my selfe to thee, because I beleeve thou wilt care for mee when I am gone hence, for thou art the Lord of life and death and thou art the Lord of mee when I live, and when I am dead.

Well, as it implies duty, so it implies a gracious effect, that wee shall be inabled to this duty, he p. 110indeed in himselfe is a Lord, wee ought to acknowledge him so, nay, we shall have the Spirit if wee be his, to cause us to acknowledge him, you have a notable place, 2 Cor. 5. 15. to this purpose, The love of Christ constraines us, because wee thus judge, If one dyed for all, then we are all dead, if hee dyed to redeeme us from death, to what end did he dye? he dyed for all, that they that live, might not live to themselves, but to him that dyed, and rose againe: It is nothing but this in the Text, we should live to him. Now this that wee should live to him, it is not an aime of ours onelyonly, p. 111but an effect that hee workes in us, he dyed that we might live to him, for he dyed, and rose, that he might obtaine the Spirit; by this Spirit hee inableth us to live, and dye to God, as you have it, Rom. 8. at large proved, those that are Christs, have the Spirit of Christ, and are led with it.

Beloved, it is a part of the new Covenant, that whatsoever ourduty is, we shall have ability to performe it, by the Spirit of Christ, for all the gracious promises of the Gospell, are not onelyonly promises upon condition, and so a covenant, but likewise the covenant of grace is a te p. 112stament, and a will, a will is made without conditions, a covenant with conditions, that as hee hath made a covenant what he would have us to doe, so his testament is, that wee shall have grace to doe so, he will put his Spirit into us, and circumcise our hearts, or else beloved, there would bee no more strength of the covenant of grace, then there was of that of nature in Adam, why did Adam fall? he had not the Spirit to uphold him, nor had he the promise of it, to keepe him that hee should not fall, therefore the covenant of workes was frustrate, but now the covenant of grace p. 113is this, that whatsoever God requires, he will give his Spirit, to inable us to doe it, that the covenant may not bee frustrate, if God shold not make good our part as well as his, we shold not be saved. Therefore, now in the covenant of grace, wee may boldly goe to God, and Christ, and alleadge unto him, when any duty is pressed upon us, and when wee are about to performe any duty, and finde want of strength, Lord thou knowest I have no strength of my selfe, I am a barren wildernesse, but thou hast entred into a covenant of grace with me, which covenant now is a testament, p. 114a free will, that thou wilt give what thou requirest Lord, in the use of meanes that thou hast ordained, in attending upon thee, and looking up to thee, I desire that thou wouldst give me strength to submit to thee, to live, and dye to thee, to direct my course, as I should, this should be the course of a Christian, and not to set upon things in his owne strength, but when duty is discovered, looke to the promise of grace, and of the Spirit, and put them into suite, and alleadge them to Christ, in the use of sanctified meanes, as reading, hearing, holy conference and the like, and hee will p. 115enable us to doe that that is our duty.

Therefore a man may know, who is indeed under Christs governement, by this, for he that is actually under Christs government, and acknowledgeth him to bee his Lord, hee hath ability to live, and dye to him, in some comfortable measure, to deny himselfe, to goe out of himselfe, to live and to dye to the glory of God. The Spirit of God hath given him this victory, and tryumph over his owne heart.

Last of all, if this be so, here see the wondrous secure state of a Christian, Beloved, that as Christ is p. 116his Lord, both in life and death, and it is his duty to subject himselfe, so Christ wil give him grace, so to direct his life. Therefore let us doe our duty, attend upon the meanes, and lift up our hearts to God, let God and Christ alone with all the rest, let Christ alone with ruling us, and with inabling us to be ruled by him; hee is Lord not onelyonly over us, but in us, by his Spirit. But theSpirit breatheth where it listeth, there must bee waiting upon God in his Ordinances, till we finde ability to holy duties, and those that have so much patience to honour God and Christ, so farre as to p. 117attend in the use of good meanes, till the good houre come, till the Spirit come to subject their spirits to duty, no doubt but God intends well to them, but those that are so short spirited, that if they finde not ability to deny themselves, and to live to God, and to breake off their course of sinne, but give over in a kinde of base dispaire, it is just with God to leave them to themselves, that they shall even live and die to themselves, that is, they shall live without respect to Christ, and dye without respect to Christ at all, as if there were no Christ to take care for them.

p. 118Now out of this branch of holy security, upon the care & power, and Lordship that Christ hath over us, for the time to come, it riseth that a Christian may be assured of his salvation, of his perseverance because Christ is Lord of all, he is Lord of his heart, hee is Lord not onelyonly of the things without us, but of our spirits within us, and hee will inable us to subject our selves to him, that neither things present, nor things to come, or any thing, shall ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ, not onelyonly from Gods love to us, but from our love to God.

Beloved, let this incourage p. 119us, to come under the governement of Christ: There is no security or safety, but in his governement, wee are sure of nothing in this world, but we are sure of this, that Christ, if he be our Lord, is our Lord for ever, and that nothing in the world shall ever be able to separate us from him.

I will close with this, you see Christ is ours, whether wee live or dye, hee is Lord of quicke and dead, let us labour to live to him, that hee may rule over us while we live, else when wee come to dye, though we never so much (perhaps out of principles of selfe love) desire him p. 120to be ours, it is to no purpose: while we live, therefore let us submit to his government, and if we live to him, we shall easily dye to him: if we doe not inure our selves by daily selfe deny all, and practising of the duties of obedience to live to him, how shall wee come to dye to him? our life may bee snatched from us against our wills, wee may dye with a kinde of fretting and indignation, that we can live no longer, that wee can enjoy our pleasures no longer, but to dye meekely, and quietly, as to a Lord, submitting our selves to him that is the Lord of life and death, a p. 121man can never doe it, that hath not lived to the Lord Therefore I beseech you every day be acquainted with the actions of living to the Lord, whatsoever you doe to men, doe it as to the Lord, in the Lords strength, to please him, and as it may stand with his favour and no further: And especially take the advantage of your younger yeares, to roote out lusts, that will grow to that head else, that God in his judgement, giving you up to your selves, (after long rebellion) you shal never bee able to deny your selves to live to Christ, and when death comes to dye to Christ, p. 122therefore let us inure our selves, to deny our selves, in the practice of every holy duty, as to the Lord betimes, that so we may get the upper hand of our flesh, in these holy performances, that they may be easie and sweete to us, as indeed the yoke of Christ is after it is worne a while, the subjection of Christ is the sweetest subjection in the world, it breedes the greatest peace, and joy, and love, and contentment to the soule, and which is more then all, a blessed hope, for the time to come, he that is life, is inured to holy duties, and hath overcome the rebellions of his base flesh, p. 123when he comes to dye, he can say with Simeon, Lord now let thy servant depart in peace, that is, thou Lord of life, now thou wilt have me dye, I am even content to dye, to resigne my selfe to thee, who can say so, but he that makes Christ his Lord, all his life time? then when death comes, he is content to yeeld unto him as a Lord, else it will be just in the houre of death for Christ, to say as it is Iudg. 10. doe you come to mee, and commend your soules to me? goe to the lords you have served, you have served the humours of such a one, you have alliena'ed your soules to such a one, you p. 124have given your soules to sinne, and to such men as are instruments of the devill, you have denyed your honesty, your faith, your religion, goe to him, goe to the gods you have served, they are your lords, I am not your Lord, I was not al your life time, though these speeches be not uttered, the effect of them will, the soule will conclude, I have served mine owne lusts, and the humours of others all my life time, how can I looke that the Lord should take my Soule, therefore let it be our daily practise, to live to the Lord, to have the chiefe aime of our life in our eye, p. 125to direct our actions so, as they may be serviceable to the maine, else not to performe them.

Herein consists the maine happines of a Christian, that whether hee lives or dies hee is not his owne, but hee is his, that can dispose of him, better then ever he could of himselfe, for if wee had the disposing of our selves, as Adam had, what would become of us? what became of Adam, when he was master of himselfe? he lost himselfe, and all. The second Adam hath bought us with his blood, and life, to rule us for ever, will hee then suffer us to bee disposed off by p. 126our selves? No, whether wee live or dye, wee are his, if we yeeld our selves sweetely to his governement, in life and death.