Joh. 1. 4. in him we live and move and have our being and therefore it is a great sinne not to be thankfull to him for our naturall life David blesses God for his naturall life very often life is a very great blessing a poor thing that hath life a living dog is better then a dead Lyon A man will give skinne for skinne and all that he hath for his life I am sure many of us may be very glad of life for if it were gone now we should be in hell and therefore we had need to make much of our naturall life yea every houre of it least we dye before we be converted and brought home to God But this is not the life that we doe speake of we speak of spirituall life and God is the author of that more especially when a man is alive towards God he is the onely cause of it He spiritually moveth our hearts by the holy Ghost and begets us againe after a strange and an inessable manner by joyning his spirit to our spirits his minde to our mindes and his will to our willes he revives all the powers of the soule with his presence and therefore this life is called the life of God which the world are strangers to and aliens from being alienated from the life of God Eph. 4. 18. so likewise it is called the life of Iesus 2 Cor. 4. 11. He onely is the author of it Thus ye see the efficient cause of it Secondly the Instrumentall cause of this life is true faith this is the ligament that couples this life and a man together that now he is said to be a living man ye know God is the onely living God they that are not united unto him remaine in the congregation of the dead now faith unites a man unto him faith is the having of him He that hath the Sonne hath life and he that hath not the Sonne hath not life 1 Joh 5. 12. when a man cleaves unto God by a true and lively faith this man hath life as Moses sayes That thou mayst love the Lord thy God and that thou mayst obey his voyce and that thou mayst cleave unto him for he is thy life Deut. 30. 20. Though a man hath not that strong faith that some have whereby he hath a cleare evidence of Gods love and favour in Jesus Christ though a man have not this faith yet if he have a faith of adherence and cleaving unto God this man is a living Christian this man is joyned unto the true life This is the true God and even life and therefore whosoever cleaves to him hath life if he will not away from him he will still seeke him still pray unto him still make him his refuge though he have no feelings that is not it if a man will never give over seeking of God He beleeves God is the fountaine of all life and peace and grace and comfort and Gods way is the onely way he beleeves himselfe is a cursed wretch in himselfe and that all hope is in Christ now if this man have such a faith whereby he adheres though with never so much weaknesse this man is a live This is the faith whereby a Christian lives as Paul sayes the life that I live I live by the faith of the Sonne of God Gal. 2. 20. Thus ye see the Instrumentall cause of it Thirdly now for the parts of it The parts of it are three The first part is the life of Justification ye know every man by nature is a dead man as a malefactour that hath committed an offence that is death by mans Law we say he is a dead man so we have all offended God from the womb which is death by Gods Law and therefore we are dead men now when God hath justified a man freely by his grace when God hath given him a pardon in Christ Jesus now he is a live man and therefore Justification as ye heard is called Iustification of life Rom. 5. 18. now beloved this life is not in the man that does live but in Christ that he lives by this life supposeth no life in this party no it lookes upon him as a dead man in himself But God counts him alive in Jesus Christ as the Apostles sayes Christ is our life Col. 3. 4. q d this life is not in us but in Christ so that this life denominats aman alive as Christ denominated the demosel alive that was yet dead The Damosell is not dead sayes he Matth. 9. 24. ye know the Damosell was dead at that time when Christ said so and yet he said she was not dead because he had life for her she had life in him now when he raised her up then she had life in her too And so I come to the second part of this life and that is the life of Sanctification and this life is in him that doth live for though he were dead before to all goodnesse and holinesse and alive unto sinne yet now he is made dead unto sinne and alive unto God as the Apostle speakes likewise also reckon ye your selves to be dead indeed unto sinne but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6. 11. this life is called the life of grace and new obedience when a man is quickened up to all the wayes of God you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2. 1. and this is the quickening that I would faine open to you The third part of this life is the life of joy and comfort ye know when a mans eyes are opened to see his sinnes and his damned estate by reason of them the Law comes and that kils him his very heart dyeth in him now when God propounds to him a Saviour and causes him to beleeve in him this revives his heart againe this yeelds him some joy and comfort so that true joy is a life too we may see this in the Children of God let their joyes and comforts be all gone this makes them all amort this makes them very heavy and sad as if they had no life at all in them as the Church sayes Wilt thou not revive us againe that thy people may rejoyce in thee Psal 85. 6. Now my brethren all this is onely by way of preface to come then to the question what is it to be a quickened Christian a Christian that hath not onely a name to live but is dead dead towards God dead to all good duties no But is quickened up to them I answer that as death is taken in a metaphoricall sense when we say such a one is dead to God dead to the holy ordinances of God we doe not meane properly dead as if he were naturally dead and had no soule in his body but we take it in metaphoricall sense so is life here to be taken too namely for the activenesse of a thing when a thing is not active we use to say it is dead as
Churches in Asia to Ephesus to Smyrna to Pergamus to Thyatira to Sardis to Philadelphia and Laodicea The third is the conclusion of every Epistle Where it is said thus Hee that hath an eare let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches Rev. 3. 6. and so it is at the closure of every Letter to all the rest of the Churches and therefore the Holy Ghost there accuses the Church of Sardis of deadnesse I know thy works that thou art dead and yet hee directs it to the Minister of the Church as a thing that concernes him and that may bee laid to his charge and that hee is faulty in To the Angel of the Church in Sardis write I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead That is thou hast a dead-hearted people and thou art the cause of it Thou dost not doe thy duty thou dost not doe what lies in thee for to quicken them But thou art too remisse in thy Ministery and therefore their deadnesse may bee imputed unto thee Thus you see the Doctrine is very plain from the words The good or bad estate of a people dependeth much upon the Minister Commonly wee see it so fall out as the Prophet Hosea said Like people like Priest Hos 4. 9. Like sheepherd like sheep Such as the builder is such is the building as is the Husbandman so is the husbandry This wee may finde throughout all these Epistles where the Minister is commended the people are commended Where the Minister is taxed the people are taxed And therefore they stand and fall together they swim and sink together a wicked Minister a wicked people an ignorant Minister an ignorant people and so a good Minister the people either are a good people or else they are Monsters nay if the Minister bee good though the world in his Parish bee never so wretched yet hee hath a good people the Church of God in his Parish is very good commonly Well then wee have gotten our point out The Minister may bee in fault that the people are dead I doe not say it is alwaies thus For first the Minister may bee lively and yet the people dead The Lord tells us that Ezekiel had a stiffe-hearted people Ezek. 2. 4. and yet hee was not to bee blamed themselves were in all the fault So Isaiah had a dull-hearted people All the day long have I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and gain-saying people Rom. 10. 21. and therefore I doe not say it was alwaies thus Nay Secondly sometimes the people are the cause of the Ministers deadnesse The Jewes hardnesse of heart under the Ministery of Jonas was the cause why Jonas had no heart to goe unto Niniveh O thought hee if Israel will not heare mee much lesse will Niniveh heare mee Thus the people deaded Jeremiah at one time that hee had little or no heart to preach for a fit Then I said I will not make mention of him nor speak any more in his name Jer. 20. 9. Thus Ezekiel was deaded a while by his people too I came to them of the Captivity at Telabib and I sate where they sate and remained there astonisht among them seven daies Ezek. 3. 15. The Lord was fain to rowze his heart up and to tell him hee would require their blood of him before hee could pluck up a good heart to Preach livelily among them The people deaded him Nay more Thirdly sometimes the Lord locks up his good Ministers and suffers them to bee straitned in their utterance and other gifts May bee the people are ready to lay all the blame upon their Ministers O how tongue-tyed are they and it is their negligence and torpor Whereas it is for the peoples sinnes thus the Lord lockt up Ezekiel for the peoples sinnes I will make thy tongue cleave to the roofe of thy mouth and thou shalt bee dumb and shalt not bee to them areprover for they are a rebellious house Ezek. 3. 26. Nay Fourthly Sometimes peoples sinnes are the cause why their Ministers are quite dead and have no life at all in them the Lord sends foolish Ministers among them meerely because of their sinnes So it was in Hosea's time The Prophet is a foole the spirituall man is mad for the multitudes of thy iniquity Hos 9. 7. Mark they had fooles for their Ministers fooles besotted Ministers giddy Ministers Ministers that were wilde and like mad men you will say these were the causes of much sin to the people No saith the Text the peoples sinnes were the cause of such Ministers The Prephet is a foole the spirituall man mad for the multitude of thine iniquity These foure exceptions then there been of the point Otherwise the point is too too true that the Minister may bee in fault that the people are dead You see here the Church of Sardis was grown dead and the Lord faults the Angel of the Church for it I know thy works that thou art dead The like is said of Laodicea Loadicea was grown horrible lukewarme no zeale of God they were neither hot nor cold and the Lord imputes it to the Angel of Laodicea I know thy works that thou art neither hot nor cold and therefore I will spue thee out of my mouth Revel 3. 14 15 16. The same is said of the Church of Ephesus that they had left their first love and yet the Lord hits the Angell in the teeth with it I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love Rev. 2. 4. Beloved the last day I spake of the Ministers concord and unity to the Angel of the Church all the Ministers should bee as one man as if they made up one and the same Angel And therefore our Saviour Christ made choyce of Brethren and Kinksfolkes Simon and Andrew his Brother James and John his Brother St. Peters bark is a fisher-boat not a man of Warre it is not furnisht with mortall Engines but onely with nets to catch fish If Peter were reproved for drawing upon Malchus what reproofe had hee been worthy of if hee had drawn upon any of his fellows this was the Theme that wee spake of the last day Now then let us speak of the influence that a Minister hath in his people hee may bee the cause of his peoples deadnesse if hee doe not take heed And this hee may bee three waies first by his not preaching secondly by his dead manner of preaching thirdly by his dead manner of Life and Conversation First I say by his not preaching yee know the Word of God is the word of life Phil. 2. 16. The Word is that which quickeneth the heart as David saith Thy Word hath quickned mee Psal 119. 50. Now when Ministers doe not preach it this deads peoples hearts Wee see this in those places where the due preaching of the Word is wanting people are dead to all goodnesse nay they that had some quicknesse in them before doe lose them
their wages therefore must set them on work ibid. 4. They cannot otherwise look for his assistance Page 166 5. Nor have peace of Conscience ibid. 6. The people can have no pleasure under such a Ministery Page 167 Vse 1. Ministers ought to look for Christs placing ibid. 2. It condemnes intruders Page 168 3. Use to them that have Ministers of Christs placing among them ibid. 4. Never complain of gracelesse Ministers Page 168 2. What is the reason there is no more able Ministers every where Page 169 5. God hath the placing of Ministers then we know whether to goe for good Ministers Page 170 The Reasons Page 171 Vse 1. Ministers should not feare to bee deprived of their liberty Page 173 2. A Reason why the Gospel continues any where when the world cannot abide it Page 174 3. Christ hath the continuing of his Ministers Page 175 4. Reason to be earnest with God to have his Gospell continued Page 176 Christ hath the removing of Ministers And how Page 177 Vse 1. If Christ remove Ministers we ought to mourne before him Page 178 2. Look to the meritorious cause our sins Page 179 3. Christ takes away Ministers we ought to repent of our sinne Page 180 Doct. 1. The Lord knows every mans ill courses Page 185 How Page 186 Why. Page 188 Vse 1. If God knows all mens sinfull courses then men cannot dawb before him Page 192 2. To condemn those that doe not consider of this truth Page 194 3. A terrour to all that goe on with a selfe-condemning heart Page 195 4. Comfort to good people that if he see sins he sees goodnesse much rather Page 196 5. It should make us affraid at any time or place even the secretest Page 198 Doct. 2. The knowing that God knows our works is the powerfull meanes to all Gods Elect to quicken them Page 199 Reasons 1. Gods knowing our works is not a meer knowing but a marking Page 200 2. God sees our sins with a pure eye ibid. 3. He records them in a book Page 201 4. If God see them all one as if the world should see them too ibid. 5. Our disposition we cannot indure any should know of our Wickednesses that cannot indure them Page 202 Vse 1. They that this point cannot work on are gracelesse Page 203 2. If such meanes can work on our hearts let us not harden them ibid. The Reasons why God knows all our works Page 210 What is meant by dead Page 214 A horrible thing to rest in the name of being Religious Page 215 The Reasons Page 216 An unexcusable thing not to be alive Page 217 The Uses Page 218 2. What is meant by dead Page 219 Doct. 1. A dead Ministery none at all Page 222 2. The Scripture calleth it no Ministery in effect Page 223 3. It doth little or no good ibid. 4. God seldome goes along with it Page 224 5. It prophanes the word of God ibid. Vse 1. We see a reason why a dead Ministery is applauded in the world Page 225 2. To reprove Ministers that are no more lively in the Ministery Page 226 3. Of Exhortation to labour for a quickning Ministery Page 228 Motives ibid. 4. How to get a Ministery to be quickning Page 240 What meant by deadnesse of guilt Page 245 What by deadnesse of minde Page 246 What by deadnesse of heart ibid. What by deadnesse of conscience ibid. What by deadnesse of affection Page 247 Doct. 1. A dead Christian as good as none at all ibid. 2. All duties of Religion must be done with life Page 250 Reasons why a dead Christian none at all Page 253 Vse 1. If dead Christians be none what then that are not Christians in name Page 255 2. How dangerous to be a dead-hearted Christian Page 267 For 1. All we doe with a dead heart is nothing ibid. 2. It does not please God Page 269 3. It cannot yeeld us any true comfort Page 271 4. Though it comfort us in time of prosperity it cannot in adversity Page 272 5. We can never blesse God with a dead heart Page 273 6. So long Religion is irkesome to us Page 274 7. If a dead heart take it up it will soon be weary of it Page 276 Causes of living Christianly 1. Efficient God Page 278 2. Instrumentall Faith Page 280 The parts of it 1. Justification Page 281 2. Sanctification ibid. 3. Joy and Comfort Page 282 2. What is the life of man Page 283 Six stirring acts in the mindes of men Page 289 1. Application ibid. 2. Meditation Page 291 3. Considering Page 292 4. Remembring Page 294 5. The Inventing of the heart Page 295 6. The judgeing of the minde Page 296 Vse 1. How rude or profane wicked Christians are rejected for deadnesse Page 297 2. Condemnation of the sins wherein most part of the people are dead Page 298 3. What to be a living Christian ibid. Every act of an heart not an argument of the life of it Page 304 No not her wouldings Page 306 When wishing is an argument Page 308 The same proved Page 310 The acts of the heart living if converted to God Page 312 Five other acts of life in the heart towards God Page 319 What the life of a Conscience Page 327 1. A Conscience some what awakt may like of God and his wayes Page 328 2. It may oblige a man to all manner of good things Page 329 3. It may be troubled about his sins Page 330 4. It may urge one to good things Page 332 5. It may be very eager in urging Page 333 6. It may prevaile far by its cagernesse Page 334 7. It may make one look a great way as it prevaile ibid. But these cannot be the life of conscience and why Page 335 Signes of a living conscience Page 341 Two kindes of Conscience in a godly man Page 346 Foure effects of a lively Conscience Page 351 Effects of a good conscience Page 355 What is an humbled Conscience Page 356 How to know quicknings of Conscience Page 358 Arguments of a live conscience Page 360 Vse 1. How few have live Consciences Page 362 When the memory is dead Page 363 When the memory is alive Page 364 Memory a great blessing Page 367 And that for 8 Reasons Page 368 There must needs be the office of the memory Page 370 Vse 1. The onely living memory that remembers God Page 378 2. We can never retain Gods Commandements without some memory ibid. 3. The want of this cause of sin ibid. Seven causes of an alive memory Page 379 CHRIST'S ALARM To Drowsie SAINTS REVEL 3. 1. And unto the Angel of the Church in Sardis write These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead SAint JOHN being banisht into the Isle of Patmos though the persecuters of the Gospel thought to doe him a displeasure yet the Lord turned it unto his great good
that Ministers should thus hang together in one that if one be a Boanerges a son of thunder another should be so too For Ministers may be different in different auditories Husband-men sow their seed according to the diversity of their ground the Physician tempers his Physick according to his patients constitution as long as people are of sundry dispositions so certainly the Ministers manner of preaching may be various And therefore I doe not mean such an unity neither that all Preachers should be moulded alike nay the same minister may and must differ from himselfe sometimes come with cordials sometimes with corrasives to sing of mercy and judgment to preach comfort to whom comfort and vengeance to whom vengeance belongs to some hee must give milk to others strong meat Heb. 13. 14. Paul had a rod as well as the spirit of meeknesse Zacharies Pastor was to have two staves the one called Beauty the other cal'd Bands so he was to feed the flock Zach. 11. 7. A Chirurgian hath aking tents as well as suppling oyle The Apostle Paul when he was to deale with Elymas the Sorcerer he set his eyes on him and called him the child of the Devil but when he was to deale with Sergius Paulus he was mild with him Our Saviour Christ preach't the acceptable yeare of the Lord to some and to other some as though he were not the same Preacher he had nothing but woes in his mouth There were two mountains in Canaan there was the blessing on mount Gerizim for some and the cursing on mount Ebal for others Again thirdly we doe not mean that all ministers should be the same in gifts and parts and measure of knowledge and sanctification for that can never bee looked for every Parish can never be provided for alike Starres are of different magnitudes some starres are greater some lesser The Angels are not all of one rank some are ordinary Angels some Arch-angels some are Principalities some are Dominions some are Thrones Coloss 1. 16. and may be those that are meanest so they be godly and sent of God may doe as much good as those that are more excellent nay more convert more awaken more settle more for it is not they that work but God by them who is not tied unto Organs unity is not hindred by disparity Paul calls Epaphraditus who was much inferior to him his brother and companion in labour and fellow souldier Phil. 2. 25. Though Clement were a minister much meaner then he yet he calls him his fellow-labourer Phil. 4. 3. Though Tychicus came never so much short of him yet he terms him his fellow-servant Col. 4. 7. So that there may be unity for all this and a gracious sympathy and agreement betweene ministers though of never so different parts so they be sincere and cordially minded to doe good You will say then What is that unity that must be among ministers I answer 1. They must be all competently endued with ability for the work of the ministery all must agree in this that they be able men in some measure Hee hath made us able Ministers of the new testament 2 Cor. 3. 6. able to preach to the conscience able to doe it with power and might able to divide the word aright able to give every one his portion in due season They are none of Gods ministers that are not able men that are not able to teach and to apply to be the mouth of God unto the people and the mouth of the people unto God that are not able to seek that which was lost to bring again that which is driven away to bind that which is broken to strengthen that which is sick Those that are not able to doe this they are blind guides Idol-shepheards and no ministers Paul sayes that a minister must be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers Tit. 1. 9. Faithfull men able to teach others 2 Tim. 2. 2. This was one of the ends that Christ ascended upon high that he might give gifts unto men for the ministery as one Apostle speakes Eph. 4. 8. and so as it followes He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers All Ministers should agree in this that they be able Secondly they must be all sent of God though a man be never so able yet if he be not sent of God he is not a Minister Private Christians many of them have excellent abilities as the text sayes I am perswaded of you my brethren that ye are full of goodnesse filled with all knowledge able to admonish one another Rom. 15. 14. he speakes of private Christians I say they are able many of them and there is very great use of their abilities too for the good of their families for the good of Christian communion and the like yea it is a shame that privat Christians living under good means of grace doe not grow able to teach When for time yee ought to be teachers yee have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the Oracles of God Heb. 5. 12. Mark he shames privat Christians that doe not grow able to teach But yet this is not enough to make ministers true ministers agree all in this that they are sent of God How shall they preach except they be sent Rom. 10. 15. I have not thrust in my selfe for a Pastor sayes Jeremy They are intruders and not ministers that cannot prove their commission from God as the authour to the Hebrews sayes No man takes this honour to himselfe but he that is called of God as was Aaron Heb. 5. 4. Christ himselfe alledged this to beare out his ministery He hath sent me to preach deliverance to Captives Woe be to those of whom the Lord shall say I have not sent these Prophets and yet they run It will be sayd to them one day as to the man without a wedding garment Friend how camest thou in hither The want of this is the reason that so many ministers make no more conscience of their duty they make no conscience of taking paines of strict preaching of pressing the word upon peoples hearts of using all manner of means to root out sin in their Parish because they have no dispensation from God committed unto them if their consciences were charged with this it would make them doe otherwise then they doe The want of this is the cause that the ministery of many is impotent they may preach all the dayes of their lives and not one soule turned unto God but themselves and their workes perish together whereas Ministers that are sent make the Devils roare and flesh and bloud chafe their Sermons are links of iron to bind Nobles and Princes and stubborn hearts The want of this is the reason why so many ministers are vile in the peoples eyes people care not a whit for them dare drink and be drunk in their
to doe good nay does he not shrinke and winch and draw back we see thus in the Jewes how irksome the Sabbath was to them when they were held from buying and selling O that the Sabbath were over Am. 8. 5. it may be men doe not finde the Sabbath so tedious now because they help themselves by talking of the world by taking liberty that way but if they were held to it as they ought to be would they not wish it to be over The like we may see in the young man what an irksome thing was it to him to heare that he must fell away all the Text sayes he was sad at that saying Mark 10. 22. now is not this too a very hideous thing to be dead-hearted when it makes all the wayes of God tedious nothing should be more delightfull unto us then they they are perfect freedome there is great reward in them they are the best wayes in the world all his wayes are wayes of pleasantnesse and all his pathes are peace and if we were quickened in our hearts we would say so too as the Apostle speakes when he had said that none of Gods Commandements are grievous 1 Joh. 5. 3. in the next words he gives a reason of it O sayes he He that is borne of God overcometh the world that is he that hath the life in him that cometh from above he hath gotten above the world he hath past all the irksomnesse of them The irksomenesse of any commandement does not lie in the commandement that is sweet and pleasant but it lyes in the deadnesse of the heart a dead heart will ever count them grievous Seventhly as religion is an irksome thing to a dead heart so a dead heart if it should take it up it will in the end be weary of it as we see in the example of Israel when they grew to be dead-hearted towards God at last they were weary of his worship they went and devised othergets worships an easier kinde of religion they were weary of his Thou hast beene weary of me O Israel Isa 43. 22. we see this in Judah too Behold what a wearinesse is it Mal. 1. 13. this is too plaine and palpable how are we growne weary of God and of his pure service we have had the Gospell so long till we are even weary of it weary of sanctity weary of spirituall truth whence are all innovations but because people are weary of the old way many that have been very forward in preaching and in hearing and very zealous of good courses they begin to abate to side with the times to remit of their former strictnesse whence is all this whence is it that we see so many apostates that once loved good people now doe not once were very zelous against disorders now are not once were against humane devises now are not now they can brook any thing well enough they are weary of their first pitch they were wound up too high now they let themselves downe againe all this is because men have no life in them they are dead to what they did professe you shall see many a man smitten at the word and there he is knockt downe and sees what wretched courses he hath taken that will lead him to hell well he goes and reformes and growes very precise and now there shall not be a Sermon but hee 'l heare it There shall not be any good Christian duty but he will take it up hee 'l leave his old acquaintance hee 'le joyne himselfe to good people hee 'le have very good orders in his Family all this is well if 't would hold I but if this man doe not goe on to get the grace of life in the end hee 'le be weary a dead heart be it never so forward it will end in wearinesse It is meerely for want of quickening that any man growes weary of well-doing as the Apostle sayes Be not weary of well-doing for in due time ye shall reap if ye faint not Gal. 6. 9. take heed ye doe not let quickening goe if ye let your quickening goe directly you 'le grow weary if ye suffer your selves to faint if ye doe not get aqua-vitae to cure your fainting sits you 'le be weary of well-doing now beloved what a pitifull thing is this that we should be weary of well-doing if any of us have begun to doe well O how should we labour that we may never grow weary how ever things goe though persecution arise what ever dealings we meet with at the hands of the wicked world yet never to give in what ever flesh and bloud say what ever discouragements we meet with from without or from within we should earnestly labour that we may never be weary of wel-doing never weary of preaching to their conscience never weary of attending on the word or of preaching of our hearts or of resisting of sinne or of redeeming our time or of keeping our garments never weary of washing our hands in innocency and keeping of our selves that the wicked one touch us not and therefore what a dangerous thing is it to be dead-hearted for that 's the high way to be weary of well-doing at the last This then is the second use that we are to make of this point to see what a dangerous thing it is to be a dead Christian REVEL 3. 1. And art Dead I Come now to the fourth thing and that is this what it is to be aliving Christian First I will describe it by the efficient cause Secondly by the Instrumentall cause Thirdly by the parts of it For the first the efficient cause that makes one a liveing Christian is God as the Psalmist sayes he is the fountaine of life Psal 36. 9. He is the fountaine of al life it is he that makes one a living man He giveth life and breath to all Act. 17. 25. if he should take away our naturall life we dye and turne againe unto our earth as long as he breatheth on us we live as Elihu speakes the breath of the Almighty gives me life Job 33. 4. yea all the world would be a dead Chaos if he did not quicken it there 's a kinde of life in every thing that hath being But it would be a dead Masse if he did not concurre with it what is money and meat and clothes and friends and life and health it selfe men thinke they are well to live when they have them all True if he blesse them and quicken them unto us but if he be wanting to them they are dead things and can doe us no good nay the word of life it self it is but a dead letter without him all the ordinances of God we see they Minister life to some because God puts life into them but if he doe not put life into them they are sappelesse and cadaverous things so that God is the author even of our naturall life as John sayes in him is life and his life is the life of men
should be so Fourthly we began to shew you the uses of this point First how wide then are they that are profanely wicked if they that are Christians and do the things contained in the Gospell are rejected because they doe them with a dead heart where shall they appeare that will not doe them at all Secondly another use was to condemne these times of ours wherein for the most part people are dead There be not many that doe live like Christians at all in outward appearance and yet how many of that little number are even dead and without life they draw neere unto God with their outward man but their hearts are farre from him Matth. 15. 8. Thirdly another use was to shew you the danger of being a dead Christian I shewed it in seven things But I will not name them againe In the fourth place we are come to shew you what it is to be alive Christian a Christian quickened up towards God and here I shewed you First who is the principall and prime cause of this life and quickening and that is God who quickeneth the dead God the Father quickens whom he will God the Son he quickens whom he will and God the Holy Ghost he is the spirit of life Secondly I shewed you what is the Instrument of this life and that is faith this faith when it is a true and a lively faith it makes a man adhere to the fountaine of life That thou maist cleave unto him for he is thy life Deut. 30. 20. Faith is the having of God for our God as the Apostle sayes He that hath the Sonne hath life Thirdly I shewed you the parts of this life and the parts of it I shewed you were three The first is the life of justification Rom. 5. 18. The second is the life of sanctification Eph. 2. 5. The third is the life of consolation or comfort Psal 85. 6. Now because the life of sanctification is here principally intended when a man is quickened up towards God and all his holy wayes therefore I descended downe to the branches of this life and quickening in all the powers of the soule The last day we began to search about the understanding what is the life and quickening of that towards God And first we shewed you that bare knowing is not it a man may know God all his ways contemplatively yet not be quickened up to them as Israel said my God we knowledge thee Hos 8. 2. and yet as it followes they were not quickened up for all that the Gentiles knew God Rom. 1. 21. I but they did not glorifie him as God it was dead knowledge nay we shewed you that bare knowledge is not so much as the light of the understanding much lesse the life of it as our Saviour Christ sayes if the light that is in thee be darknesse how great is the darknesse Matth. 6. 23. that is a man may have that light and yet be in darknesse and therefore much more in deadnesse Secondly I shewed you that approving of God and his wayes is not the quickening of the understanding neither Saint Paul shewes that a man may approve the best things and yet be dead Rom. 2. 18. The Devill approved admirably of Jesus Christ I know thee who thou art even the holy one of God Mark 1. 24. suppose thou provest and allowest of all goodnesse O sayes the Apostle Happy is the man that condemneth not himselfe in that which he alloweth Rom. 14. 22. so may I say thou mayest allow of strictnesse and of all the strictest orders of God and yet have a dead minde and condemne thy selfe I but I am not strict though Thirdly I shewed you that thinking of God and of heavenly things this is not the life of the minde neither a man may thinke of them all now and then and yet be dead to them all notwithstanding nay this may increase thy condemnation therefore when a sinner sins it may be he thinkes of Gods word at some time Gods word forbids this and yet he does it though this increases his condemnation Fourthly I shewed you that studying of God and of faith and all the Doctrine of life this is not the life of the minde neither and this is that which deceives indeed when a mans studying is practicall this is an argument of life the heart of the righteous studieth to answer Prov. 15. 28. Schollers because their minds are not of the world may be all the day long but from morning till night their mindes are about God and all Divinity And they think it may be they are heavenly minded alas no their mindes may be as dead towards God for all this as the worldlings that is musing on his pelfe as long a time Then I came to shew you affirmatively what the life of the minde is the life of the minde is when it is stirred up towards God and all his gracious wayes as Peter sayes I will stirre up your pure mindes 2 Pet. 3. 1. that is I would quicken up your mindes when the minde is stirring towards God it was stirring towards other things before but now it is stirring towards heaven towards repentance and amendment of life and Christ and how to please God and the like now it is quickened up towards him I shewed you there be six stirring acts of the minde The first is the applying of the minde when the minde does not onely know a thing but it applyes it to ones selfe this is a stirring Act of the minde looke where the minde of man is alive if it be alive towards the world if it know any way unto profit or preferment or the having of what it likes presently it will apply it so when a man is alive towards God now his minde hath a applying disposition looke what he knowes about God he applyes it to himselfe for his owne edification instruction humiliation direction and guide as Eliphaz sayes so this it is heare it and know it for thy good Job 5. 27. that is doe not onely know it but be quickened up to apply it to thy selfe hath thy minde an applying disposition doest thou apply the word of God to thy selfe to make it thine owne Thou knowest what God is I but hast thou a disposition in thy minde to apply him to thy selfe this is a quickened minde a man will not let his knowledge lye swimming in his minde but he turnes it upon himselfe and makes it his owne 2. The meditating of the mind the minding of the minde a naturall man may thinke of God and his commandements as ye heard I but doest thou minde them if thou doest minde them from day to day now thy minde is quickened indeed carnall men think it may be of heavenly things alas that is nothing but frigus socordia as Calvin speakes I sayes as Saint Paul but they minde earthly things looke what a man is alive unto his minde