in his ordinances We sinne against Christ in his owne person either when we expect the forgiuenesse of sinnes and iustification from God for the workes of righteousnesse whiâ—h we haue done through the assistance of Goâ—s grace for by how much we flâ—â— to any thing o t of Christ by so much wee derogate from the worth oâ— Christ or when wee doe noâ— learne to know him in his natures and offices and worke as God hath set him forth to be a reconciliation through faith in his bloud Rom 3.25 Hebr. 2.3 to dâ—clare his righteousnesse c. for what is this but to neglect so great saluation or else when we returne to the lusts of our former ignorance as Peter speaketh 1 Pet. 1.14 18 19. for as this is to sinne that the merits of Christ may abound so in a manner wee doe account the bloud of Christ an impure thing and therefore doe rather cleaue to sinne than to it which is alone able to purge our consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing God Secondly wee may sinne against Christ himselfe in his ordinances both in the Word and Sacrament We sinne against Christ in his word either when we despise the ministerie thereof as a poore powerlesse and beggarly means to bring vs to saluation whereof Christ speaketh He that despiseth you despiseth me or when we apply not the promises to our owne soules in particular For what is this but to say that Christ came in vaine In vaine should â—he clouds drop fatnesse if the showres that be sent by God should not be applied vnto the earth so in vaine should our Christ be giuen if he should not be applied to euery soule by it selfe to whom he is giuen I know that Christ haâ—h not spoken vnto me by name but if when a man doth bequeath legacies to all the sonnes of my father I will come in for a share though I am not named how then can I doe lesse than sinne against the will and new testament of Iesus if I that am a sonne of my Father in heauen to whose sonnes all things are giuen doe not come in for a childes part for my selfe in particular Lastly wee sinne against Christ in the Sacrament when we doe receiue it with a prophane and vnworthy heart Yee know the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 21.27 Whosoeuer shall eat this bread and drinke the cup of the Lord vnworthily shall be guilty of the bodie and bloud of the Lord. If therefore we receiue bare signes of bread and wine and doe not discerne the Lords bodie yea and receiue it according to the spiâ—ituall manner of perceiuing and receiuing wherein God doth offer him and communicate him vnto vs or if wee doe denie the truth of these signes by transubstantiation whereby it is childishly faigned that the substance of bread and wine doth passe away and the very bodie and bloud of Iesus Christ doe come in the roome whereto besides the word of God euen our very senses doe giue the lie or if we come to eat this Lambe but without the herbes of godly sorrow or lastly if we by sealing Christ vnto vs when he belongeth not to vs doe betray him into the hands of an impenitent and vnbeleeuing heart then doe we sinne against our blessed Sauiour in the Sacrament Loe thus my brethren beloued Philip. 4.1 and longed for haue I shewed you in part how we may be said to sinne against Christ that so we may auoid the danger God stirre vs vp and sanctâ—fie our hearts and minds wisely to consider these things How miserable are we if we are not in Christ yet to be in Christ is impossible if we sinne against him Alas Lord what then can we doe to helpe our selues Plow vp we humbly beseech thee ô thou Creator of cleane hearts the fallow ground of our hearts cut vs off from the old Adam by that circumcision which is made without hands glew vs vnto thy selfe in thine only Sonne Iesus Christ by a true and a liuing faith out of his fulnesse let vs all receiue grace for grace open from him a fountaine for vs the house of Dauid for sinne and for vncleannesse that wee hauing abilitie and power of not sinning willingly either against thee our God or against him our Sauiour either in his members or in his owne person either in his ordinances or in himselfe we may doe accordingly that so we assuring our hearts that we are in Christ and new creatures we may liue like Christians and by power from on high prepare our selues for that new estate in heauen which thou at the last wilt bring vs vnto to thy eternall glory and our eternall comfort Euen so Amen A PREVENTER OF SECVRITIE VPON 1 PETER 4.7 By ROBERT ABBOT LONDON Printed by John Haviland for Nathaniel Butter 1623. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL SIR THOMAS HENDLEY Knight and to the Lady ELIZABETH his dearely beloued Wife Life Health and Saluation through Christ Iesus our Lord. RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL I DOE not know whether those that doe aduenture to publish bookes in these woefull times wherein we liue doe goe too fast or too slow I remember it was fained of old that Aeolus hauing bestowed a bottle vpon Vlysses wherein all the windes were inclosed his seruants let them out when hee was asleepe to their owne hurt so many times it falleth out that wee doe emptie our owne poore withered bottles by the Presse to our owne preiudice Howsoeuer it proues for mine owne particular I doe humbly commit the successe to God who only knoweth with what heart I doe it and being drawne out by little and little to appeare in publike I being sensible of the many fauours which aboue my expectation or desert I haue reaped both from you and yours can doe no lesse than make you publikely to appeare also together with me your Pastour who ioy in your loue and shall more ioy in the increasing of your graces and the further fitting of your soules and bodies for heauen and happinesse I know not what benefit this poore Sermon can bring vnto you yet so farre as I can be mine owne carner thus much I resolue that whatsoeuer good shal arise by it either to your selues or others it shall beare your Worships names in the forehead of it and thereby speake thus much that the world should neuer haue seene it if the loue of God together with your kindnesses had not drawne out from me who can shew little other such a kinde of fruit and acknowledgement as this is I thought it was enough for me to preach vnto my owne and now and then to lend the best dugge I had to a neighbours childe abroad I well knew mine owne weaknesse and the weight of a presses burthen Yet considering how apt the weake mud-wals of my poore house are euery yeere to fall and withall that it is not altogether impossible that I should doe some small good vnto my good people euen when I am dead
shoot in diuine spirits and infuse holinesse into his members But saith the beleeuer I haue beleeued in Christ yet I finde not my bloudy issue of sinne to be staied with this touch Listen therefore a while It is possible for vs to haue spirituall life and not to discerne it And if yet further thou doe inquire how this our communion with Christ may so be aduanced that we may finde life deriued into our soules from our spirituall touch of Christ I answer In the vse of three ordinarie meanes of saluation First in prayer Aske and I will giue If the spirit of supplication commeth once then as it bindeth Gods hands as when God said Now Moses let me alone so it openeth Gods hands as Elias did when he obtained showres yea and openeth all the passages betwixt Christ our head and vs his members whereby spirituall life is deriued into vs. Which of Gods children haue not felt sinne stabbed and dying in this dutie and Christ liuing to controll sinne and to comfort vs against all discouragements Secondly in the word of God preached Heare and your soules shall liue Where is he who hath heard of conscience and not of custome who hath not found Christ in this dutie lashing the seared conscience quickning the dead affections inclining the rebellious will and drawing out resolutions from the whole man to follow Christ Thirdly in the Sacrament the bread and cup is the spirituall communion of the bodie and bloud of Christ What faithfull man hath not felt Christ cast an inward shame vpon the soule for entertaining him into so foule an house Yea and how easie is it in that seale of Gods fauour to finde him pricking the soule for sinne past and strengthning the weake hands of faith against sin to come As thou wouldst haue comfort to thy soule markâ— how Christ deriueth holinesse in these meanes of saluation that thou maist finde it drop by experience that so thou perceiuing him to be such a fountaine opened to the house of Dauid for sinne and for vncleannesse maist runne vnto him for cleannesse and follow after for comfort and stabilitie in all thy courses Thus we haue considered our miserie to lament it and our deliuerance to worke in vs thankfull hearts As therefore the Iewes vowed If I forget thee ô Ierusalem let my right hand forget her cunning so with an humble resolution depending vpon the power of Christ for performance let vs determine to write Christ in red letters in the tables of our hearts and neuer forget him to be the well-spring of life and holinesse that all things may be losse and dung vnto vs in respect of that treasure which is in him to our endlesse ioy Soli Deo gloria THE TRIAL OF True Religion VPON IAMES 1.27 By ROBERT ABBOT LONDON Printed by John Haviland for Nathaniel Butter 1623. TO HIS MVCH RESPECTED FRIENDS Master PETER CVRTHOPE Gentleman and Mistresse IANE his most deare and beloued Wife Grace in this world and glory in the world to come through Christ our common SAVIOVR My right worthy friends HOW can I be vnmindfull of you who finde you still mindfull both of me and mine My studies are much refreshed by you both if then amid my studies I acknowledging others kindnesses should be forgetfull of yours my thankfulnesse would bee neere a wracke Receiue therefore this my poore Preseâ—t and if I cannot shew my selfe in what I would I hope you will accept of what I can Bookes were neuer more plentifull as knowledge they doe abound as waters of the Sea yet there was neuer more need of good ones as being one speciall meanes to pull downe sinne and Antichrist I cannot commend mine to be such yet as Gods gifts I can commend my desires to be forward as I am able to doe God seruice both by tongue and pen. I see the iustice of God giuing ouer some who had no loue to the truth to beleeue the lies of the Man of Sinne. And God hauing made me a poore Watchman in his Church I would willingly warne mine owne sheepe of the danger both by word and writing yet before it goeth to others it doth come vnto you both acknowledging your furtherances of it and crauing your fauours both to entertaine and vse it as your owne We poore Schollers doe wearie our bodies many waies by writing amongst the rest But a valiant man will not stand vpon the breach of his weapon so he may get the victorie nor we vpon the wearying and wearing of our bodies if we may gaine what we fight for to wit the acceptance of our labours by them to whom wee doe intend them together with the saluation of their soules How-euer the successe may be my hope shall lift vp my head amid all my faintings Neither doe I feare but that good people will giue approbation to what I haue rather laboured to doe than done My aime is but to striue for Religion and for that Religion which will giue vs comfort before God I haue considered many times the danger of Idolatrie as first that Idolaters are a sottish people who through Gods iust iudgement Esay 46.6 7 8. Esay 54.9 c. withhold the truth in vnrighteousnesse and will not walke in the light of reason Secondly that they are a cruell people Dan 3. like Nebuchadnezzar who garded his Idoll with a fiery fornace and heat it seuen times hotter for the true worshippers of God and like the ancient persecutors vnder the Romane Emperours who put Christians vpon crosses and stakes who did teare and scratch their sides with nailes and clawes who cast them vnto beasts and burnt and broyled them with fire and the like Thirdly that they are an alluring people who haue their vermilion Images like those that tempted Ierushalem and their great rewards like the Deuill Matth. 4. All this will I giue thee saith he to Christ if thou wilt fall downe and worship mee In which respects as Images or Idols are called Louers so Idolaters Whore-mongers who will spare for no cost or paine to satisfie their lusts like Nebuchadnezzar who made his Image of gold Dan. 3. and countenanced it with varietie of musicke to wooe the minds of the simple and to stirre vp superstitious affections And hauing laid vp these things with my selfe and seeing withall that Poperie cannot with all its subtill euasions wash it selfe from deepe staine in this kinde equalling if not exceeding euen Heathenisme it selfe in varietie of Idolatrous louers as we may see by comparing the multiplicitie of heathenish and Romish Idols When I haue considered I say Vide Wolfgang Muscul in Psal 16. Episc Der. in diat de Antichr cap. 7. l. b. 3. cum multis alijs that as the Heathens had protecting Idols for Nations as Belus for the Babylonians Isis and Osyris for the Aegygtians Neptune for the Africanes the Sunne for Rhodes Iuno for Samos Venus for Paphos Apollo for Delphos Quirinus for Rome Minerua for Athens and
purge sinne as well as pacifie Gods wrath for sinne These and the like odious lies doe they put vpon vs and our religion But blessed and beautifull are we when such men as they are speake all manner of euill against vs falsely We cannot thinke our selues the more deformed for their false charges whose whole Apostacie is a mixture of lying and vanitie from head to taile They call the Pope the Head of the Church when he is neither able to be present with the whole bodie nor infuse capitall spirits into any one member The Pope calleth himselfe A seruant of seruants when yet he seemes to be a prouder Lord than the Turke breathing out nothing but soueraigntie and vnlimited iurisdiction and would thinke foule scorne that any earthly Potentate or King should be preferred before him Their Iesuites will be so lyingly called of Iesus the Truth when as it hath beene often told them and cannot be disproued as Abshalom was vniustly called the Fathers peace being the Fathers warre so they are not without blasphemie so called seeing they doe nothing more than cunnicatch the wealthy gull the poore disloyalize subiects conspire against Princes vndermine States and Kingdomes and vnder the hood of Religion kindle warres and closely lay the cause vpon others Yea and what is their religion but like these grand practisers one thing in shew another thing in truth and none other but a draught of deadly wine in a golden cup. Secondly our Religion striues by all might and maine to keepe the head whole and that is Christ only Yee know that hee is called beautifull whose head is so though hee haue a crooked bodie a withered hand and a gowtie toe so may our Church and Religion well be accounted because we cleaue vnto keepe whole and sound to our power our whole head both God and Man by nature Priest Prophet and King by office that hee might be the alone Sauiour of his people We know how the Church of Rome doth share out his honour with his offices and diuide them betweene Christ and others See of this subiect Dr. Fownes his Trisagion His Kingly Office is parted betweene him and the Pope his Priestly betweene him and the Saints his Propheticall betweene him and their traditionall Church But for vs Ephes 1.23 we desire that he may fill all in all things we doe striue that he may increase though we and all the world perish decrease and come to nothing yea as Dauid said of the sword of Goliah which was laid vp behind the Ephod there is none to it so say wee of our blessed King Priest and Prophet there is none to him neither shall there be any but hee in whom wee will seeke the least dragme of beautie Thirdly our Religion is not only beautifull in the head but scoureth off the least blot from the whole bodie It keepeth all the Commandements entire When wee consider that they were written with Gods owne finger and deliuered with so many miracles we neither dare change the first Commandement See for this Hispa Refor Bellar. Ample declaration of Christian Doctrine nor dash out the second as the Church of Rome doth We dare not admit of the Masse for feare of hauing any other god saue the true God We dare not embrace Popish Traditions for feare of giuing God that worship which is not his owne our consciences will not so farre abuse vs as to giue vs leaue to entertaine a seruice vnknowne lest we should serue God in vaine and not giue him his worship in the right manner we cannot spend the Lords day in seeing Masse or only in praying though it be the sweetest of our seruice knowing that because God doth in the Commandement of the Sabbath chiefly aime at our edification Es 2.3 we must goe vp to the house of the Lord that he may teach vs his waies and wee may walke in his paths We settle the Chaire of State vpon Princes renouncing a superiour power among men to excommunicate them and put case the Pope doe to his vtmost hunge them with his Bulls we renounce and hate the not accounting of them Kings and the executing of them as delinquents to him and to his Pope-holy-Church Yet lest wee should flatter them we tell them that they must be Fathers not Tyrants that so they may not be wilfull hinderers of that honour which is due vnto them Hauing thus pressed vpon the head for orderly politique gouernment we learne of God to presse vpon the heart the seat of valour that there be no taking away of life through base cowardise Can we thinke of poisonings stabbings vnderminings strengthning the hands of wickednesse sadding the hearts of the good by lies and impostures We can sooner looke vpon the persons of our enemies without malice their wrongs without desire of reuenge their prosperitie without enuie and digest all our griefes by venting them into Gods bosome by feruent and faithfull prayer We presse vpon the seat of Lust and teach our appetites that as we must liue so we must liue honestly lest we be a burthen to the earth We cannot abide the slighting of Fornication the blanching of Priests Minions and Concubines the stinke of Stewes with that cursed caution If thou canst not liue chastly yet carrie it warily Si non castè tamen cautè We teach that honest persons must haue honest maintenance by possessing their owne that they must maintaine their right by truth As we cannot maintaine our Religion by lying Legends or our persons and causes by equiuocation so can we not but be carefull to presse and teach that there be no lyer amongst vs for gold or gaine yea wee will not suffer the whole soule to be at rest with her concupiscence Can wee flatter the heart with the neglect of the first motions of sinne by the flesh though the spirit doe not consent as if a knaue be not a knaue because an honest man reproues him for it No wee will labour that there be peace at home without mutinie that there be such soundnesse of minde and such a peaceable possession of our owne soules in the enioyment of God as nothing that is others may or doe disquiet vs. Thus doth our Religion rub off the rust of all sinne pressing this as a note of an vpright man to haue an equall respect to all Gods Commandements yea that the least rubbish of Hypocrisie may not by our good wills sticke vpon our Church wee aime at and endeuour the through mortification of the whole bodie of sinne and reformation of all our hearts The Popish Church whatsoeuer it talke of mortification and what glorious shewes soeuer it doth make to that end either by whippings wherein yet Baals Priests went beyond them or by drawing their bloud like Pharisee draw-blouds or by going bare-foot like the Heathens in their bare-foot solemnities Nudepedalia sacra or by their precious Pilgrimages forced Fastings and the like yet it is farre
in minde of that Axiome which was registred amongst the Ciuilians in the daies of Iustinian 〈…〉 That it waâ— nâ—t conuenient for any man to looke after what was done at Rome but to examine iustly what ought there to be done Thâ—s politike rule was maâ—e to vphold Romes creâ—it 〈◊〉 Româ—s villanies I would a little alter it vnto your Worship and say that it is conuâ—nieâ—t for you to looke after what is done amâ—nâ—â— vs and to examine iustly what ought to be done This is the next way to giue you to see the idlenesse drunkennâ—sse and o her dâ—sorders that doe abound through Ale-houses those cursed nurseries of villanie which doe compassâ— vs in on euery side and prouoke you to vnshâ—ath the sword of iustice which God hath put into your hand Câ—ra â—â—â—â—â—â—nteâ— nemâ—â—◠〈◊〉 Dâ—◠〈…〉 â—â—stâ—â— aâ—â—â—â—â—â—â—â—quam inducâ—re Oh how well would it become you how much would it honour God and how would it cheere the spirits of the good who are sadded with this burthen vpon vs MADAME let me put you in minde of that speech of Iohn to the elect Ladie If there come any vnto you and bring not the doctrine of our Lord Iesus receiue him not to house neither bid him God speed and let your speciall care be that your children be found walking in the truth To you both I haue as a Minister of the Gospell Onus vel ipsis Aâ—gâ—â— soâ—mâ—oâ—â—â— a fearefull burden which lieth vâ—on me God is my â—ortion if I shall vnder goe it with an honest heart This shall also adde vnto my reward if in your places you shall still carry your selues as the beloued of God This therefore he prayeth for who desires for euer to remaine Your Worships poore friend and carefull Shepherd ROBERT ABBOT THE HID MAN OF THE HEART 2 CORINTH 5.17 If any man be in Christ he is a new creature NOT to stand vpon the coherence of these words there is decided in them a case of conscience which being well conceiued will giue great satisfaction to a tender soule The case is this How I may know my selfe to be in Christ The resolution is this If any man be in Christ he is a new creature Which resolution that we may conceiue and apply I shall take this course First I shall open the doctrine of it and secondly apply it 1 Explication The doctrine of it is this He that is in Christ is a new creature For the opening whereof consider two things First the subiect or party spoken of that is he that is in Christ secondly the predicate or thing spoken of him to wit that he is a new creature To conceiue aright of the party spoken of consider three points First what it is to be in Christ Secondly the necessitie of it And thirdly how many waies we may be in him As to the first To be in Christ is to be in the state of grace Whâ—t it is to be in Christ that is to be conuerted from sinne to be glewed by faith vnto Iesus Christ and so to haue fellowship with him in righteousnesse and holinesse As to be in the Lord Apoc. â— â—â— is to bâ— in a gratious estate cut off from thâ— old man and grafted into â—esus Christ so is it likewise to be in Christ Rom. â— There is no cond mnation to them that are in Christ saith Paul thaâ— is to them thaâ— are in the â—taâ—e of grace And no other thing doth Paul â—ignifie by sleeping in â—esus 1 Thess 4.14 16. and dying in Christ but dying in a conueâ—ted and gratious estate Now secondly for the necessitie of our being in Christ it shall appeare three waies It is necessarie that we bâ— iâ— Christ First because if we be not in Christ we shall perish for euer for which cause the Apostle chiefly desired to be found in him as he saith I haue accounted and I doe iudge all things to be losse and dung Philip. 3.9 that I might winne Christ and that I may be found in h m. Why shall we perish if we be out of Christ I answer secondly because if we be our of Christ we haue no sauing right either to our naturall ciuill gratious or glorious liues All our sanctified right is by purchase all our purchase comes from our price and all our price from the God-Man Iesus Christ who hath giuen himselfe for vs. But why doth all our sauing right to all things come from Châ—ist our price I answer thirdly Because all the true good we haue comes vnto vs by couenant Be it spirituall things Iâ—â—â—â— 3â— God puts the law in our inward parts for our illumination he writes it in our hearts for our sanctification he taketh charge of vs for our protection he manifesteth the inward graces of the Spirit in vs by his knowledge and worship he forgiueth our iniquities and remembreth our sinnes no more for our iustification Ier. 32.40 41. he will delight to doe vs good and neuer depart from vs for our perseuerance and all this comes to vs by couenant Be it temporall anâ— bodily things Hosea 2.21 22. I will heare the heauens saith God and they shall heare the earth and the earth shall heare the corne and the wine and the oyle and they shall heare Israel â—hat is they shall haue plentie of the things of this world and all this comes vnto vs by couenant and by Gods mariage of himselfe vnto vs as the Prophet speaketh Now then seeing â—ll things come vnto vs by couenant let mee aâ—ke you what difference is there betweene comming to vs by couenâ—nt and comming to vs by Christ Surely noâ—e at â—ll For therefore the Prophet calleth Christ Esay 42.6 Esay 49.8 The Couenant of his people that is of the Iewes the seed of Abraham according to the flesh first because to them belong the Promises and to their Children next and in reuersion to vs who are Abrahams seed acâ—ording â—o the Spirit If you a kâ—â—e why Christ is called the Couâ—nant of the people I answer First because he doth reâ—â—iue the Promises from God in Abraham Isaack and Iaacob in the behalfe of the Church In which respect the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 1.20 Which as I â—â—ke it may be â—xtâ—ndâ—d â—oth to the â—â—â—â—â—t and to the acâ—omplishment of â—heâ— Gal. 6.15 that in him that is in Christ are all the Promisâ—s yea and in him they are Amen Secondly because in him the Church doth bend her selfe to performe couenants yea and doth it in him and as his bodie In which respect the Apostle saith In him a new creature aâ—aileth So that not onely the promises oâ— God are in him but our performances also Thirdly because as Christ â—ade this Couenant so he confirmed it by his death In which respâ—ct his bloud euen in the shadow is called the bloud of the Couenant Heb. 9.20 and the remembrancer and seale of it is called the New
is able to receiue it for the nourishment of his soule which communion doth in this differ from a bare spirituall communion Signis adhibitis vel non that all sacramentall communion is spirituall but all spirituall is not sacramentall because this is in the lawfull vse of Gods signes to this purpose So we haue a spirituall fellowship with Chirst when the spirit of God doth apply Christ vnto vs by faith and doth so bring home and concorporate him vnto vs that from the fountaine of his holinesse in whom all fulnesse dwelleth we finde our selues inclined and quickned to all holy obedience and can feelingly say That in that we forsake sinne it is from the power of Christ and in that wee purpose and endeuour good it is by the same power also And of this spirituall communion doth the Apostle speake in this place The fourth phrase is in these words I liue in the flesh He doth not say that he liued of the flesh or after the flesh as if he danced after natures pipe but In the flesh As all are not Israel that are in Israel so all are not of the flesh or after the flesh that are in the flesh What therefore is it to liue in the flesh It is to liue in the body for as flesh is taken for corrupted man when the Apostle saith That flesh and bloud cannot inherit the kingdome of heauen and for the corruption of man as when the holy Ghost saith The flesh lusteth against the spirit so is flesh taken for the body of man by an elegancy of speech when a member is taken for all the parts integrall or for the whole And thus it is taken in this place I liue in the body The fifth hard phrase is in these words I liue by the faith of the Sonne of God What doth he meane by this I liue by faith which doth its right office to spie out to run vnto and to receiue the Sonne of God For whereas vpon the former speech that Iesus liued in him it might be said Must not the heauens containe him Yes saith the Apostle for he liueth in me by faith not by sight But you will say why is it called the faith of the Sonne of God Not because wee should conceiue that faith which Iesus Christ had in himselfe but that faith in vs whereby he is had and possessed of vs and is so called for three reasons First because the Sonne of God hath purchased it for vs. The Father would not haue willed it vs the Holy Ghost would not haue wrought it in vs if Christ had not bought it for vs. Secondly because only the Son of God in Christ doth make our faith to be lawfull and laudable As Christ is man he is a creature and we must not flie to any creature for life and saluation and therefore not beleeue in him This then is it which makes our faith in him to be warrantable that hee is the onely Sonne of God Thirdly because it is not beleefe in any other person in the diuine nature that doth conueigh life vnto vs. As veines arteries sinewes muscles and the like doe not conueigh life sense and motion into the parts of a mans body but as they doe receiue them from their owne proper head and heart from whence they are shot so faith doth not conueigh spirituall life but as it doth receiue it from our spirituall head Christ Iesus Thus you may see our faith Relativè Obiectivè Instrumentalièr called the faith of Christ in respect of that relation which is betwixt him and it he being the sauing obiect of it and that being the instrument to conueigh life from him to euery beleeuer Thus we haue the seuerall phrases of the Text which in their totall sum make vp the Apostles meaning to be thus much Summe of the Text. Doe not thinke that by the doctrine of Iustâ—fication by faith alone in Christ I doe abolish the doctrine of Sanctification by the same Christ for by vertue of my vnion with Christ by faith I doe finde that from the fountaine of his holinesse out of whose fulnesse I doe receiue grace for grace my sinful lusts are crucified and I perceiue my selfe so quickned in the inner man translated from one glory to another into the Image of God that I dare say It is not I that now liue but my Sauiour who liueth in me by faith whereby hee purifieth my heart to make mee a peculiar Christian to himselfe chosen vnto good workes We hauing now stayed long enough vpon the sense may it please you from the seuerall deductions to desire further benefit And to this end in these words let vs consider two things First Paul his method which is this He was first killed and then he was made aliue Secondly Paul his matter in which he doth in his owne person set downe a double estate of ours First our estate in nature which is implied and may â—e thus expressed that vntill we haue faith we are but dead men For if wee liue only by faith in Christ then before we haue it we are but dead men Secondly our estate in grace which is expressed and may be set downe in three chiefe points of doctrine First that wee haue communion in the death of Christ Secondly that by vertue of this communion we liue by Faith Thirdly that it is from the vertue of Christ that we are quickned vnto all holy obedience To come first to Pauls method we are to obserue that as Paul saith He is crucified before he liueth So We must die before we can be made aliue I might here distinguish betwixt death naturall death ciuill as it is termed in Law death spirituall and death eternall that so I might signifie what death I meane but that it is plaine enough without that labour Only remember that it is one thing to die for sinne as malefactors who are put to death another thing to die in sinne as finally impenitent sinners and another thing to die vnto sinne as the godly In which sense we must die before we can be made aliue As it is with the bodie we must all die or all be changed 1 Cor. 15. before we must liue for euer which the holy Ghost maketh plaine by the similitude of Wheat or some other graine so is it with the soule Hence is it that God doth both exhort vnto this death Coloss 3.5 when he saith Mortifie your earthly members and also promiseth life vpon that death when hee saith Rom. 8.13 If yee mortifie the deeds of the bodie by the Spirit yee shall liue Neither may we wonder at this truth whether we consider the goodnesse of grace or the malice of sinne First if we respect the goodnesse of grace it is expressed by two effectuall words for this purpose For sometimes it is called a Resurrection Apoc. 20.6 Iohn 5.25 as Iohn saith Blessed are those that haue part in the first Resurrection And