Christ, to close with him, and to rest on him, and to give up myself to him!" Why, the Spirit of faith doth argue thy title and interest to the quickening Spirit of Christ.

3. The quickening Spirit is a Spirit of sanctification; such was the Spirit whereby Christ was raised, "He was declared mightily to be the Son of God according to the Spirit of sanctification, by the resurrection from the dead," Rom. 1:4. That same Spirit which raised up Jesus Christ, was that same divine Spirit which sanctified his human nature, wherein it dwelt; and such is this quickening Spirit to all in whom it dwelleth, it is a Spirit of holiness, and it works holiness, changing the heart, and turning the bent of it from sin to holiness, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold all things are become new," 2 Cor. 5:17. q. d. When once the believer is by an act of faith passed over unto Christ, there goes immediately from the Spirit of Christ into his soul an effectual power, which alters and changes the frame of the whole man? now he is not the same that he was, he is changed in his company, in his discourse, in his practice, he is changed in his nature, judgment, will, affections, he is sanctified throughout in soul, body, and spirit; O my soul! try thyself by this sign, dost thou find such an inward change wrought in thy soul? Dost thou find the law of God, a law of holiness, written in thy heart? Dost thou find a law within thee, contrary to the law of sin, commanding with authority that which is holy and good? So that thou canst say with the apostle, "I delight in the law of God after the inward man; and with my mind I myself serve the law of God," Rom. 7:22.25. if so, surely this is no other "but the law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ," Rom. 8:2. or the law of this quickening Spirit communicated from Christ unto thy soul.

4. If Christ's resurrection be mine, then I am planted together in the likeness of Christ's resurrection," Rom. 6:5. then do I resemble, and am made conformable to Christ in his resurrection; now if we would know wherein that resemblance is, the apostle tells us, "That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life," Rom. 6:4. Our mortification is a resemblance of Christ's death, and our vivification is a resemblance of Christ's resurrection. In this ground of our hope, concerning our interest in the resurrection of Christ, I shall propound these questions:

1. Whether in deed and in truth our souls are vivified? 2. Whether we increase and grow in our vivification?

For the first, the truth and certainty of our vivification will appear by these rules:

1. True vivification is general, both in respect of us, and in respect of grace.

1. In respect of us, it is diffused throughout the whole man, "The very God of peace sanctify you wholly, (saith the apostle) and I pray God, that your whole spirit, soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thess. 5:23. And, 2. in respect of grace, it is in every grace, I know it is a question, Whether all graces are so connected and chained together, that possibly they cannot be severed? But I suppose it is truly answered, that, in respect of habit, they cannot be severed, though in respect of the act or exercise they may be severed; some graces are more radical than others, as faith and love, and therefore they first appear; but as a man lives first the life of a plant, then of sense, then of reason, though all were radically there at first, so it is in graces; experience tells us, that some Christians are eminent in some graces, and

some in other graces; some have more love, and some more knowledge, and some more patience, and some more self-denial; but all that are true Christians, have each of these graces, in some measure or other, or, at least they have them in habit, though not in the act; if vivification be true, there is a whole work of grace both in heart and life; as the light in the air runs through the whole hemisphere, so the whole work of grace runs through, and is diffused through the whole man, soul, body and spirit. O my soul! this may put thee to thy study, because of the several constitutions or tempers of graces; thou mayest find this or that grace; this or that image of Christ clearly stampt on thy heart, but thou canst not find such and such graces; in this case fear not, for if in truth and sincerity thou hast but one grace, thou hast the whole chain of graces. But to speak to some graces in particular:

2. True vivification is a new life, acting upon a new principle of faith, "the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God," Gal. 2:20. They are the words of a man pursued by the law unto Christ; Paul seeing he was dead by the law, he speaks for a better husband; the law finds him dead, and leaves him dead; Nevertheless I live, (saith Paul) what, means he a natural life? Why, so he lived before now; no, no, it is a better life than a natural life: such a life is no contentment to a soul pursued by the law; very heathens and infidels have such a life, and in that respect are as happy as the best of saints, Paul's life is a spiritual life, and the spring of his life is the Son of God; Jesus Christ is essentially, radically, fundamentally, life itself, and by his incarnation, passion, resurrection, he is life for his saints, they live by him, and in him, and for him, and through him; he is the heart and liver of their spiritual life. But as from the heart and liver there must be arteries and veins for maintenance of life, and the conveyance of blood through all the body; so from Christ there must be a conveyance to bring this life unto us, and this is by faith, "I live by the faith of the Son of God." O my soul! dost thou live this life of faith on the Son of God? Canst thou make use of Christ in every state, and in every condition? As for instance, in thy particular calling, dost thou look to Christ for wisdom, success, blessing, ability, dost thou say, "If I have ill success, I will yet go to Christ, it is he that set me here, and it is he that will enable me?" in case of provision, Dost thou run to Christ, and dost thou hang upon him for all things needful? Dost thou say, "If I want means, God will create means, he commands all means, and he can suddenly do whatsoever he will?” In case of protection, dost thou look unto Jesus to be thy shield and protector? dost thou mind the word of God to Abraham? "Fear not, Abraham, for I am God all-sufficient, thy buckler, and thy exceeding great reward," Gen. 15:1. In case of thy children, goest thou to Christ, saying, “Are not my children thy children, and wilt thou not provide for thy own?" It is true, thou must do what thou canst, but for the rest despair not, cast thy burden upon him, who hath commanded thee" in nothing to be careful, but in all things to make thy suits known with prayer and supplication," Phil. 4:6. "When my father and mother forsake me, God will take me up," saith David, Psal. 27:10. He is a father to the fatherless, he provided for them in the womb, he provided breasts for them ere they saw the sun; and therefore, how should he but have care and compassion over thy children? In case of prosperity, dost thou see Christ's love in that state? Dost thou set him in the first place, receiving all and joining in all as coming from him? Is this it that makes thy prosperity sweet, because thou knowest and believest that thy sins are pardoned? Otherwise what is thy

silver and gold, so long as thy pardon is not sealed in the blood of Jesus Christ? If a prisoner, condemned to die, should abound in all outward plenty, what comfort could he have so long as his pardon were not soaled! It is the life of faith that sweetens prosperity: Who are better Christians than they, who know they enjoy these things with God's favor and blessing? Faith sees God's love in all, and so is abundantly thankful; faith makes a man to eat, and drink, and sleep, and to do all in Christ, as it cost Christ dear to purchase our liberty to the creatures, so faith sees Christ in the first place, it receives all as coming from him, it returns all as to the glory of him: in case of disgrace, dost thou commit thy credit to Jesus Christ? Dost thou look up to Jesus, and desirest no more good name, repute, or honor, than Christ will afford thec? Or, in case of death, dost thou like Stephen resign up thy soul to Christ? Dost thou see death conquered in the resurrection of Christ? Dost thou look beyond death? Dost thou over-eye all things betwixt thee and glory? O the sweet of this life of faith on the Son of God! if thou knowest what this means, then mayest thou assure thyself of thy vivification.

3. True vivification is a new life acting upon a new principle of hope of glory, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you," 1 Pet. 1:3,4. By Christ's resurrection we have a lively hope for our resurrection unto glory. Is not Christ our head? And if he be risen to glory, shall not his members follow after him? Certainly there is but one life, one Spirit, one glory of Christ and his members, "The glory which thou gavest me, I have given unto them," said Christ, John 17:22. The soul that is vivified hath a lively hope of glory on several grounds: as, 1. Because of the promises of glory set down in the word; now on these promises, hope fastens her anchor, if Christ hath promised, how should I but inaintain a lively hope: 2. Because of the first-fruits of the Spirit; there are sometimes foretastes of the glory, drops of heaven poured into a soul, whence it comfortably concludes, if I have the earnest and first-fruits, surely in his time Jesus Christ will give the harvest. 3. Because of Christ's resurrection unto glory; now he rose as a common person, and he went up into heaven as a common person, whence hope is lively, saying, Why shall I doubt or despair, seeing, "I am quickened together with Christ, and raised up together with Christ, and am made to sit together with Christ in heavenly places?" Eph. 2:5,6. Try, O my soul, by this sign; art thou lively in thy hope of glory? Doth thy heart leap and rejoice within at a thought of thy inheritance in heaven? In a lively fountain the waters thereof wilt leap and sparkle; so if thy hope be lively, thou wilt have living joys, living speeches, living delights; amidst all thy afflictions. thou wilt say, these will not endure for ever; I myself shall away ere long, glory will come at last, O! the sweet of this life of hope? If thou feelest these stirrings, it is an argument of thy vivification.

4. True vivification acts all its duties upon a new principle of love to Christ; men not enlivened by Jesus Christ may do much, and go far in outward service, yea, they may come to sufferings; and yet without love to Christ all is lost, all comes to nothing, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels,-though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge,-though I bestow all my goods. to feed the poor; and though I give my body to be burnt, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing," 1 Cor. 13:1,2,3. All the rest may be from

the flesh, and for the flesh, and fleshly ends; but a true gospel-love is from Christ, and tends to the glory of Christ, "For love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God," 1 John 4:7. But how may we know that all our actings are out of love to Jesus Christ? I answer,

1. If we act by the rule of Christ, "If you love me, keep my commandments. He that hath my commandments and keepeth them: he it is that loveth me.-If any man love ine, he will keep my commandments," John 14:15.21.23,24. He that loves Christ, he will look upon every act, every service, every performance, whether it be according to the rule of Christ, and then on he goes with it.

2. If we act to the honor of Christ, we may pray, and hear, and preach, and act selfmore than the honor of Jesus Christ; whilst Christ showed miracles, and fed his followers to the full; they crid up Jesus, and none like Jesus; but when Christ was plain with them, "Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled," John 6:26. When he pressed sincerity upon them, and preparation for sufferings, "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him," verse 66. It is no news for men to fall off when their ends fail; only they that love Christ look not at these outward things in respect of the honor of Jesus Christ; and hence it is, that in all their actings, they will carry on the design of the Father, in advancing the honor of the Son, whatever it costs them. O my soul, apply this to thyself! If thou livest the life of love, if in all thy actings, duties, services, thou art carried on with a principle of love to Jesus Christ, it is a sure sign of thy vivification.

For the second question, Whether we increase and grow in our vivifi cation? We may discover it thus,

1. We grow when we are led on to the exercise of new graces: this the apostle calls adding of one grace unto another, "Add to your faith, virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity," 1 Pet. 1:5,6,7: At first a Christian doth not exercise all graces; though habitually all graces may be planted in him, yet the exercise of them is not all at once, but by degrees; thus the church tells Christ, "At our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved," Cant. 7:13. she had all manner of fruits which she had reserved for Christ, new and old; she had young converts, and more settled professors, as some; or she had new and old graces, as others; she added grace to grace, she was led on from the exercise of one grace, unto another new grace: as wicked men are led on from one sin to another, and so grow worse and worse, so godly men are led from one grace to another, and so they increase, "Knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope," Rom. 5:3,4.

2. We grow when we find new degrees of the same grace added; as when love grows more fervent, when knowledge abounds, and hath a larger apprehension of spiritual things; when faith goes on from a man's casting himself on Christ, to find sweetness in Christ, and so to plerophory, or full assurance of faith: when godly sorrow proceeds from mourning for sin, as contrary to God's holiness, to mourn for it as contrary to him who loves us, which usually follows after assurance: when obedience enlargeth its bounds, and we abound more and more in the work of the

Lord, "I know thy works (saith Christ to the church of Thyatira) and the last to be more than the first," Rev. 2:19.

3. We grow when the fruits and duties we perform grow more ripe, more spiritual, and more to the honor of Christ; it may be we pray not more, nor longer, than sometimes we used; it may be, our prayers have not more wit or memory, than sometimes they had, yet they are more savory, more spiritual, and more to Christ's honor, than sometimes they were; now we must know that one short prayer put up in faith, with a broken heart, and aiming at the honor of Christ, argues more of growth in grace, than prayers of a day long, and never so eloquent, without the like qualifications. In every duty we should look at their ends and aims; for, if we debase ourselves in the sense of our own vileness, and empti ness, and inability, and if we aim at God's honor, and power, and praise, and glory, it is a good sign of growth; we call this the spiritual part of duty, when it is from God, and through God, and to God.

4. We grow when we are more rooted in Christ; so the apostle describes it, "A growing up unto him in all things," Eph. 4:15. This is scripture phrase; growth of grace expressed by growing unto Christ, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 2 Pet. 3:18. As if to grow in grace without him were nothing, as indeed it is not. Philosophers, moral men, and others may grow in virtues, but not in Christ. Coine then, search and try whether we are more rooted in Christ; when a young plant is new set, the roots are a small depth in the earth, one may pull them with his hands; but as the tree shooteth up in height, so it strikes the root deeper and deeper down. ward, that no force can move it; so it is with us, we have not for degree so firm and near a conjunction with Christ, at our first union; but the more we live in him, like good trees spreading in the sight of all men, and bringing forth the fruits of righteousness, the more we come to root downwards by a more firm faith, and firm confidence. Our union is answerable to that which uniteth us; now at the first, faith is but weak, like a smoking wick, or a poor bruised reed, but while faith is drawing the spirit from Christ, the more it exerciseth, the more it is strengthened; even as in babes, their powers every day, at first are feeble, but the more they feed and exercise, by so much the more they put forth their strength in all their operations; time was that Peter's faith was so weak, that at the voice of a damsel Peter was shaken; but by walking a while in Christ, he was so rooted that neither threatenings, whippings, imprisonments, conventings before great powers, nor any other thing, could shake him: you may object, if we are not at first rooted in Christ, a weak faith may be quite overthrown, we may then fall away; true, if we be not rooted in any manner; but this we are not at our first setting into Christ by faith; only this I speak of, is an higher degree of rooting, which doth not only shut out falling away, but very shaking, and tottering in a good measure; surely this is not the state of every believer; No, no; it is only the condition of such who have long walked in Christ, and are grown in grace, holiness and vivification.

O my soul! try now the growth of thy vivification, by these few signs;. art thon led on to the exercise of new graces, adding grace to grace? Dost thou find new degrees of the self-same grace? Is thy love more hot? Thy faith more firm? All thy boughs more laden and filled with the fruits of righteousness. Are all thy duties more spiritual? Are thy ends more raised to aim at God, to sanctify him, and to debase thyself? Art thou more rooted in Christ? In all thy duties, graces, and gracious actions,