Another help to this, of living to Christ, is to complain of ourselves to Christ, as Saint Paul, Eom. vii. 24, ' 0 wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me ? ' &c. ; to inform against our rebellions, that we live too much to the flesh and too little to the Spirit, too much to ourselves and too little to Christ, by reason of that principle of flesh and blood, and to * Qu. 'hking'?— Ed.
PURCHASED BY HIS HUMILIATION. 341
desire him to captivate all,* and bring all in subjection by his Spirit. This is alway a sign of a man led by the Spirit, that it directs him to Christ. The Spirit, as it comes from Christ, and the Father, so it directs to Christ, to the pleasing of the Father, and of Christ in all things.
Here I might take just occasion to reprove a company of men that live under the gospel, that will be saved by Christ forsooth, but will not have Christ a Lord to rule over them. They will be ruled by rules of state, or rules of flesh and blood, and their own lusts, by the rules of hell some- time, so that they may have their own aims, their own ambition satis- fied, and raise themselves to their own pitch ; a disposition cursed, and opposite to that religion which they profess. For our life should be a living to Christ, and under Christ a living to the church and state. But say they, ' Let us break their bonds, and cast their cords from us,' Ps. ii. 3. What! do they think we will be awed with a company of poor preachers ? Away with them ! We will have our own wills ; let us break their bonds in sunder. Christ sits in heaven, and laughs them all to scorn, Ps. ii. 4. They shall know at length he will be no Saviour where he is no Lord. If he may not rule them by his Spirit and holy directions while they live, he will not own them when they die. For you see the test joins both here, * he died,' and ' he is Lord.' When he died there came water and blood out of his side, to shew that he came not only to shed his blood, to die, and to satisfy divine justice, but by water to cleanse us, and to fit us to be subject to his government. Therefore those that take him as a priest to die, and will not have him as a Lord, they rentf his ofiices. I do but touch these now.
We see what it is to live to Christ. Let us see what it is to die to the Lord?
(1.) * To die to the Lord' is to know and acknowledge that Christ hath power over ns when u-e die ; thereupon to suhmit ourselves to him, and not to murmur and fret, when he comes to call for our life and soul, as if we were unwiUing to part with them.
(2.) Then again, to die to Christ, is ichen vpon any good occasion he calls for our lives in standing for a good cawse — for the church or state — to he ready to lay it down. There is not the least tittle of truth, but that it is better than a man's life. A man may not only die, in case of martyrdom, but in case of justice and truth, and so he must be willing to die if he will die to Christ.
(3.) Again, We die to the Lord when ive carry ourselves so ivhen death eornes, as we may express some graces to glorify God, even in our very death ; when we study to do all the good we can, that we may die fruitfully ; out of this consideration, my time is short, I will labour to be sowing to the Spirit as much as I can, not to die like fools, but wisely, knowing that there is no further opportunity. Here is the time of seed ; hereafter wiU be the time of reaping. Therefore there is no Christian that is master of himself at the hour of death, if some disease disable him not, but he studies how to shew himself as fruitful as he can at that time ; as you see our Saviour when he was to die, what long chapters there are, three together, of his demeanour, how he strengthened his disciples, what an excellent prayer he made to God. See Moses, how he carried himself at his death, what excellent admonitions he gives ; and good Jacob, what an excellent will he made ; and St Peter, knowing he must put off his earthly taber-
* That is, = ' subdue.' — G.
t That is, ' rend,' = divide. — G.
8-12 Christ's exaltation
nacic, 2 Potcr i. 11, he labours to put them iu miud ' to glorify God,' aa Saint Paul saith, 1 Cor. vi. 20.
A Christian ought to end his days in faith and obedience ; in faith that God will take his soul, when ho commits it to him, and ho shall reign for ever in heaven. In obedience thereupon, because he believes, he dies in fiiith, he will die in obedience. I even offer myself to thee, because I believe thou wilt care for me when I am gone hence ; for thou art the Lord of life and death, and thou art the Lord of me when I live, and when I am dead.