! And so for our mil. He is Lord of the quick and dead. We say of a wife she hath no will ; and a servant is not a distinct person, as it were, in law, he is another's. We are Christ's servants, his subjects, and his spouse ; and when we begin to be Christ's we have lost our own wills, we resign them up to Christ. Thy will shall be mine in all things. If thou wilt have me do this, I will do it ; if thou wilt have me suffer, I will suffer ; if thou wilt honour thyself with my goods and with my life, thou shalt have them. Of thee I had this body, this soul, this state, this reputation ; I have whatsoever I have from thee ; it is maintained by thee. Thou art mine, and I am thine ; therefore I give up all to thee back again. It is a ground of perfect resignation, that Christ is Lord of the quick and of the dead. Therefore stand not upon terms with Christ. When he calls for anything, in case of suffering and sealing the truth, let him have it. It is not lost. We have a better foundation in him than we have in ourselves. When we give anything to him, life, or state, or credit, or whatsoever, we have a better life, a better state and condition in him ; because all is more emi- * That is, ' wonder.'— G. f That is, ' stumble.'— G.
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nently in laim, the primitive fountain, tlian in the derivation and beams from him. When we lose anything it is but a beam from the sun, and whatsoever we lose in particulars we have in the whole, in the fountain again, in Christ. Therefore faith would help all this. In case of suffer- ing and trial, what ! is the cause good or no ? Then I will resign myself and all that I have and am to Christ. He is Lord both of the quick and of the dead.
We must know, beloved, that we are redeemed from ourselves ; and therefore make this use of it when we are tempted by any sin : Christ is my Lord ; I am redeemed from my base lusts. What have I to do with this anger ? what have I to do with this ambition ? I am no debtor to the flesh. I am under Christ. I am under grace. He hath redeemed me from my vain conversation. I owe it nothing but mortification and denial. Therefore, in all solicitations of corruption, learn this lesson, fetch argu- ments hence. Christ hath done great matters for me. He lived and died, and lives for ever, that is Lord of me living and dying. There is no greater slave than he that is a slave to his own flesh and to his own lusts. There- fore when we are stirred to anything by our base nature, which must die, or else we shall never live eternally, we must kill it more and more daily ; and death is the svim and accomplishment of mortification. When we are stirred to anything, go to Christ and complain to him. Blessed Saviour, thou didst die, and rise, and revive, that thou mightst be Lord of the living and of the dead. I beseech thee, claim thine own interest in me. Bring all into captivity to thine own Spirit. What hath this base afiection to do with me ? What have I to do with it ? I am freed from it ; I am redeemed from myself. What have I to do with myself but deny all ? I am thine altogether ; therefore take thine own interest in me, possess me, fill me with thy Spirit, be all in all in me ; let pride and ambition and such things have no footing in me. It is good pouring out the soul to God to that purpose : to complain to Christ when it is thus with us, because it is his office to rule us. Now, Lord Jesus, do thine office. Thy office is to be king ; to rule in me. Other lords would fain rule in me. Pride, and lust, and base covetousness would fain rule, as the prophet saith, Isa. xxvi. 13 ; but what hath other lords to do with me ? Thou art my Lord, and hast right to me living and dying.
It is a point of wondrous comfort likewise to us in all afilictions whatso- ever, especially such as concern the state of the church. We are now in ill times, if we look about us. However, God continues better to us than we deserve. We are as the three young men in the fiery furnace, un- touched, when all is in a combustion round about us. Where is Christ's ruling now, when his poor church is thus used and trampled upon in France, in the Palatinate, in Bohemia, and the Princes of Germany (k).
Beloved, it is our faults. Perhaps we waken not Christ as the disciples ; they awaked Christ when there was a mighty storm, and moved him to rebuke the winds and the waves, and there followed a calm ; so should we. Christ loves to be awaked by our prayers ; and if the church would join in forces, one church with another, altogether they might work wonders. Let us offer a holy violence to Christ by prayer and the use of holy means. He is Lord still of the church ; and take things at the worst as they are, he is but carrying things to his own ends. Beloved, if we consider things aright, it can hardly be otherwise with the church than it is. If we consider the former security, and dulness, and want of prizing the great things of Christ, the ministry of the word, and the sacraments, we live under the gospel in