[1.] His Spirit is the cause of it, who quickeneth our dead souls, therefore if you be entered into God's peace, have sued out your atone ment, you may expect to be saved by his life : Rom. v. 10, ' If wha;; we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life ; ' that is, b;, him who now liveth, and sitteth at the right hand of God, and then intercedeth for grace necessary, that we may live unto God. He tha intercedeth wanteth no will ; and he that saith that all things are pu. into his hands, wanteth no power.
[2.] Christ is the pattern of this new life which we are to live iv the world. Christ is the great agent to promote God's kingdom an^ glory ; but his Spirit engageth us in the same design. As long as Wf live, we should live unto God ; we aie raised up from the grave of sin that we should be to the praise of his glorious grace. The christian'^ life is a life whereby we glorify God. See this life be begun in you, ani! see it perfected more and more. Be Christ's, as Christ is God's : Heb. vii. 25, ' He is able to save unto the uttermost all those that come unt( God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for us. Christ liveth ; we need not doubt of a supply. He gives life as creatoi to the smallest worms : ' In him was life,' John i. 4. He can quicken us when dead and dull ; he came into the world for this purpose : John X. 10, ' I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly ;' and he is gone out of the world to heaven for tliis purpose : Eph. iv. 10, ' He ascended far above the heavens, that he might fill all things.' He is filled with the Spirit to communicate it to his members ; he is not weak when we are weak, but able to do above what we can ask or think.
3. As concerning the life of glory, we have it by Christ also : 1 John. V. 11, ' This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.' The door which is shut against us by our sins is opened by Christ. Let us follow his precepts and example, and depend upon his grace, and you cannot miscariy. Christ hath brought life and immortality to light, assured us of an endless happiness after death. Heathens had but a doubtful conjecture of another life ; we have an undoubted assurance, and that is some great stay to us.
4. Concerning the troubles and afflictions that we meet withal. As to the troubles of the church of God, he is alive and upon the throne ; he can never cease to live and reign : Ps. ex. 1, ' The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right liand until I make thy foes thy foot- stool.' The enemies of his kingdom must bend or break, first or last.
5. Against death. Christ hatii broken the power of it ; as it hath no dominion over him, so it cannot totally seize upon his members ; in
228 SERMONS UPON EOMANS VI. [SeR, IX.
their better part tliey still live to God as soon as they die ; and* as to their bodies, ' The body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness,' Kom. viii. 10, 15 ; 1 Cor. xv. 55-57, ' 0 death, where is thy sting ? 0 grave, where is thy victory ? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law ; but thanks be to God, who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ ; ' Job xix. 25, ' I know that my Kedeemer liveth, and that he shall stand the last day upon the earth,' &c. But what is this to us ? As it hath no dominion over him, so not over us ; the power is broken, the sting is gone. If our flesh must rot in the grave, our nature is in heaven. Christ once died, and then rose again from the dead. Now this doth mightily secure and support us against the power and fears of death, that we have a saviour in possession of glory, to whom we may com- mend our departing souls at the time of death, and who will receive them to himself ; one that hath himself been upon earth in flesh, then died and rose again, and is now in possession of endless blessedness. He is lord of that world we are going into. All creatures there do him homage, and we ere long are to be adjoined to that dutiful happy assembly, and partake in the same work and felicity.
SEKMON IX.
Likeivise recJcon ye also yoicrselves to he dead indeed unto sin, hut alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. — Kom. VI. 11.
The protasis or foundation of the similitude was laid down ver. 9, 10 ; the apodosis or application of it to the case in hand in this verse. The foundation is Christ's example and pattern, dying and rising ; now, after this double example of Christ's death and resurrection, we must account ourselves obliged both to die unto sin and rise again to new- ness of life : ' Likewise reckon ye also yourselves,' &c. In which words —