Grace from whence a Believer receives a holy Heart and Life.

He that is the Image of the Invifible God, renews them by his Grace in that Image; he purgeth Confcience with his Blood to ferve the living God the Lord Jefus; being formed upon the Heart, the Defires and Delights of the Heart are changed, the Bent and Byals of the Heart is carried after Chrift: It is Christ must kindle the holy Fire upon the Altar of the Heart, before the Believer can act from a true Zeal for God.

So whether the Words be taken disjunctively from the Verse before, That he would magnify Chrift, because be had received his Life and Salvation from Chrift He would magnify the efficient Caufe of his Life, whom he was united to. Or whether conjunctively, he would live to glorify Christ, as he had refolved in the Verfe before ; in either Senfe this is plain, The Apostle's Heart was wrapt up in Chrift more than any Thing in this World.

There are many precious Truths to be fuck'd out of this bleffed Portion of Scripture: But I fhall only, through God's Affistance, draw from the Words this Point of Doctrine :

That a true Believer defires not Life, nor the Things of Life, whatever they are, no further than be may glorify and enjoy Chrift in them.

Or thus, The Aims and End of a Believer in Life or Death is to glorify the Lord Jefus Chrift: Or, Chrift is a Chriftian's Life.

I. By Way of Explication, wherein Christ is a Believer's Life; or how a Believer is thus wrapt up in Chrift.

II. Shew the Reasons why they are so.

III. Apply the whole.

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There

There are four Things wherein a Perfon is chiefly concerned as to Life.

First, His Dependency upon his Life: Ask a Man to do any Thing, yes, faith he, if I am alive or in health.

Secondly, In our natural Actions: If a Man eat, drink, put on Cloaths, take Phyfick, Food, or any Thing, it is that he may live.

Thirdly, Take Life for the Comforts of Life: A Man's Life is a Burthen to him, when his Comforts are gone; a Believer's Life is a Burden to him when he does not enjoy Christ.

Fourthly, For the Aim and End of Life: Perfons that are tractable and induftrious defire to live here, to be useful in their Places, they ferve their Generation; fo a Believer defires to live for this End, to ferve the Lord Jefus, and to glorify his holy Name.

First, To take the Dependance upon Life: James corrects the Manners of them that faid, I will go into the City, and buy and fell; they should have faid, If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that: So a Believer living depending on Chrift, faith he, in myself I am a poor dead Sin

am dead to myself and in myfelf; but I depend on Chrift for Life, I depend on Chrift for Wifdom, for Righteoufnefs, for Sanctification, for renewed Strength, I live upon him for all : For I am dead, I am dead to the Law, I have no Action to meet the Law with, nor the Law hath no Action against me, I am dead to Sin as to the Life of it, and to its condemning Power, and to its Malignity and Guilt; and I am dead to the World, I depend on Chrift faith the Apostle, that Chrift might be all in all. Alas! what can I do, all my Suits are ended in Law: It is Life

we

we depend on for the Enjoyment of our Friends; Oh it is Chrift for all, faith the Apostle, ye are dead, what then? Your Life is bid with Chrift in God, Colof. iii. 3. Ye are dead, ye are crucified with Chrift; dead to your own Righteousness. An Unbeliever, whatever Good he doth, exalts. himfelf and his own Righteoufnefs; but what Good a Believer doth, is to have Chrift's Righte oufne's exalted; he faith, no more I but Chrift; but one ignorant of Chrift, fets the Crown of all he doth upon his own Head; I faft, I pray, I give Tythes, faith the Pharifee; but when a Soul knows Chrift, no more I, faith he; you are dead, but your Life is bid with Chrift in God; what then? When Chrift our Life shall appear, we full alfo appear with him in Glory: The Believer is wrapt up in Chrift living, wrapt up in Chrift dying; if it were poffible, a Believer could be feparated from Chrift, he would be loft and undone for ever; what a poor finful naked Creature is he? No, faith the Apoftle, you are dead, and where is my Life? Safe enough in Chrift, my Life is hid with God in Chrift: When fhall my Life appear? Why, when Chrift who is our Life foall appear, we fball alfo appear with him in Glory. The Saint lives upon Chrift when he dies, he dies in Chrift, when raised up, is raifed up by Christ, clothed with Chrift's Righteoufnefs, when Chrift who is our Life shall appear, &c. A Saint cannot be feparated from Chrift, but shall appear with and in Chrift; all the Formalifts, Legalifts and Moralifts in the World shall appear at the Great Day, but it is without Chrift; you know a Man cannot speak, act, nor do any thing when his Life is gone So faith the Apostle, As you are dead to the Law, dead to Sin, and dead to the World,

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World, fo you are dead to your own Righteouf nefs, when Chrift who is our Life fkall appear, we fhall appear with him in Glory; you fhall not go one Step further than Chrift goes, you are Members of his Body: My Friends, there is a great Difference between a Man hearing and praying, and knowing Chrift only by reading; and a Saint living upon Chrift in every Duty, in every Affliction, living upon him in Life, living upon him in Death, faith our Bleffed Lord, John vi. 9. Your Fathers eat Manna in the Wilderness, and are dead; they depended on the Manna for Life; but be that eats this Bread fall live for ever, (as if he had faid) you that depend on any Thing below me fhall die: When Perfons live on any thing below Chrift, they have dead Souls living, and damned Souls dying: If any depend on me as the living and immortal Food of their Souls, they fball live for ever; your Fathers eat Manna and are dead: Ordinances perifh with us, Duties perifh with us, and all below Chrift will perish; the Believers All is to have Chrift in them, Jefus Christ the Bread of Life, that came down from Heaven I am the living Bread, that came down from Heaven, if any eat of this Bread be fhall live for ever; and this Bread the Spirit of the Lord in the Word reveals to the Soul, and the believing Soul lives by it for ever; it is the Spirit of Christ that reveals and applies to the believing Soul the Righteoufnefs, Grace and Blood of Chrift, to juftify and cleanse them from all Unrighteousness, and make known to them, that their Name is written in the Book of Life; the Knowledge of which doth draw forth a Believer's Heart to depend upon Chrift for daily Strength to exercife Grace in every Condition. Saith the

Apostle

Apoftle, Phil. iv. 12. I can do all Things; Paul, you are a brave Man indeed, what can you do? I can do all Things, I know how to want, and how to unbound; you hear me fpeak, what I can do, pray don't mistake me, I depend on Chrift for it; I can do all Things through Chrift that strengthned me. The Believer lives through Chrift: You may fee a natural Man praying, a natural Man hearing or performing a Duty; but this Man depends on his own Strength and on Duty; and you may fee a Believer in Duty, and it may be the natural Man hath greater Parts and finer Expreffions than the Believer; but the Believer lives on Chrift for all, and the other on himself: Saith the Believer, I can do all Things through Chrift that ftrengthens me; he would have Chrift in all, he would have Chrift foremoft in all; fo that a Believer is girt with the Strength of Chrift: Perfons may preach, others may hear, pray, difcourfe; we may have fine Matter, curious Divinity wrapt up; but if Jefus Chrift is not preached to poor Souls and depended upon, it is all nothing; what can this poor Creature do when he comes to die, and look Death in the Face, that ftrong Champion, that King of Terrors? He cannot fee him but in great Horror and Fear. A formal Chriftian, thar ftrives to fpeak fine Words, have fine Expreffions, learn fomething by rote; they can difpute of Religion, therefore think they are brave Chriftians; but comes a Temptation or a Trial on them, they know not how to go thro' the Battle; but take a real Chriftian that is meaner in Expreffions, that lives on Christ, and is girt about with the Strength of Chrift, how does he go thro' the Battle? I Sam. xvii. What Armour was there put on to go out against that mighty D 4 Cham