Not to speak of the life of justification, which is a life of sentence, and not here principally intended, though it be the spring of all the rest, for we are dead in law, and we must be quickened by sentence. We are dead in our sins. Guilt is upon us, and the guilt must be removed in justification. We must live in law, and in sentence, and in absolution. God must forgive our sins for Christ's sake, and remove the guilt of all death, before we can have inward grace, which is the life of sanctification. Though it be not here meant, it is supposed, as that which leadeth to all the rest. But here is meant the life of grace in us which is from the work and func- tion of the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Jesus is the Spirit of every Christian. As there is one soul in the head and all the members, so there is one Spirit in Christ and all the members, and one spiritual life in Christ and aU the members. Now this Spirit of Christ conveyeth to us the Spirit of life, and Christ is the life of our life, the soul of our soul, the union with our spirits. For even as the body liveth by fellowship and communion with the soul — for what is life but the vigour of the soul in the body by reason of union ? — so doth our souls and bodies live a spiritual life by union and fellowship with Christ, [which] is the vigour of the Spirit in our souls by virtue of Christ. And therefore that spiritual life b)' which we live here is the life of Christ, not only exemplary, because it is like Christ's life, but by way of efiiciency. Christ is the head of it, and conveyeth it to us. There is no better comparison than to express it by the life of the body which hath communion from the soul. The soul hath a distinct life of its own. It hath a life when it is out of the body. It hath reason, it hath discourse, it wills, it understandeth, it joyeth, it dehghteth, 3-et notwith- standing, distinct from the body. That is not a life that it liveth in the body that is severed.* The body's life is that that is communicated by con- junction and communion. So the life of Jesus [is] not the life that he liveth
* The meaning seems to be, that it is not the life of the soul apart from the body,
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in himself, but in lliis place specially, the life that wo have by communion and friendship with him.
And this life that we have, the life of Jesus, it admitteth of a double consideration.
First of all, it is that JiaJiitiial life as nr may coll it, that iiiirard frame of divine nature whidi is in us Christians, nhich raiseth tis above other men, as other men by a rational life are raised above other creatures ; that temper and composure of soul whereby they mind heavenly things, and have a supernatural end and aim in all things, have enlargements of understand- ing, enlargements of will and affections, larger souls than others. Narrow- spirited men they arc that arc carried only to the things of tliis life ; and this is a constant life, by reason of the constant dwelling of the Spirit in us, as there is constant life in the body by the constant dwelling of the soul in it. And it is besides that, a perpetual influence of life from Christ, espe- cially in dangerous and difficult times, as Saint Paul speaks of here. It is a power above nature conveyed to uphold and carry us along through all dangers till we come to heaven ; so that it is a life first in us, and then the life of Christ drawing out the life in us to all kind of grace, and addeth a divine strength.
1 For, beloved, it is not that life that is in us doth all the gi-eat matters, but it is the life of Christ as it joincth with the life of grace, supporteth it, strengthens it, draweth it forth, increasethit. For the life that is in us it is a created thing, it is a new creature, but a creature ; but the life that maintaineth a Christian, that upholds him specially in the dangerous matter, ay, in the ' dyings of the Lord Jesus,' in great difficulty, that is not a thing created in us, but the life of Jesus as it hath influence from him, and is conveyed from him by a perpetual kind of derivation. For if troubles grow, then the quickening power must increase with them, and habitual grace in us must be raised, and strengthened, and quickened ; and besides the graces formerly in us, there must be an addition of strength from the spring, still more and more. In natural life we do not only live in God, but move in God : ' In him we live, and move, and have our being,' Acts xvii. 28. So in regard of spiritual life, we not only live by Christ, but our motion and the prompting of our power being sanctified to any particular action, it is from the quickening power of Christ, which is a quickening Spirit quickening us. Sometimes this quickening power must be shewed in way of strength, when the trouble is great that the strength may be suitable ; sometimes by way of comfort, when the discouragement is great; sometimes by way of joy and peace, when the discouragement is to assault us with the contrary. So that perpetually there must be quickening power in oui" lives from Christ our quickening head, besides the habitual, constant grace we carry about with us always. We know, in the body, if there be obstructions that hinder the spirits from the brain, whence motions come, there is an apoplexy or lethargy, causing a cessation of motion. So if there be ceasing of the quickening powers continually derived from Christ our head, there would be an apoplexy or lethargy in our spiritual life, and a kind of death. Therefore when we speak of the life of Christ, we must not understand the life that he lived; 'because I live, therefore you shall live also ; ' but to think of the habitual grace wrought in ourselves, whereby we are conformed to Christ, and to think of a quickening power that Christ sheweth continually, he being the Sun of this world. Though the things