hath overcome Death by Death. Like unto the ftrong Sampfon, he hath deftroyed all the Enemies of his Glory by his Death, 1 Sam. xvii. He hath overcome in dying, him who had the Empire of Death; that is, the Devil, Heb. ii. and hath delivered them, who through Fear of Death were all their Life time subject to Bondage; then was fulfilled this Saying of Hofea, O Death, I will be thy Plague, O Grave, I will be thy Destruction, Hof. xiii. And that of Ifaiah, He will fwallow up Death in Vitory, and the Lord God will wipe away Tears from off all Faces, and the Rebuke of his People fhall be taken away from off all the Earth, Ifa. xxv. 1 Tim. vi. This Bleffed Prince, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, who only hath Immortality, and dwelleth in an inacceffible Light, hath deftroyed Death, and brought to light Life and Immortality by the Gospel, 1 Tim. i. O Death where is thy Sting! O 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 Jefus Chrift, 1 Cor. xv.

?

This Great God and Saviour has perfectly redeemed us from eternal Death, as he himself teaches us in the Gospel of St. John, He that heareth my Word and believeth on him that fent me, bath everlasting Life, and fhall not come into Condemnation, but is paffed from Death unto Life, Chap. v. 24. I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven, if any Man eat of this Bread, he fall live for ever, Chap. vi. 51. v. 40. Your Fathers did eat Manna in the Wilderness, and are dead, this is the Bread which cometh down from Heaven, that a Man may eat thereof and not die, Chap. viii. Verily, verily, I fay unto you, if a Man keep my Word,he hall never taste of Death. I am the Refurrection and the Life, he that liveth and believeth in me fhall never die, and be that believeth in me, although he were dead, yet fhall be live, Chap. xi. The Wages of Sin is Death, but the Gift of God is eternal Life through our Lord Jefus Chrift. Bleffed and holy is be that bath Part in the first Refurrection, Rev. xx. The fecond Death fhall never have any Power upon

him. In a Word, the Gates of Hell, that is to fay, Death, cannot prejudice them who are fettled upon Jefus Chrift, the Rock of Eternity. This merciful Saviour hath also delivered us from the Spiritual Death, Eph. ii. For we being dead in our Trefpaffes and Sins, he hath quickened us, and raised us up together unto newness of Life, Coloff. ii. He hath carried our Sins in his Body upon the Crofs, that he dying unto Sin, we might live unto Righteousness. We are buried with him in his Death by Baptifm, that as Jefus Chrift is raised from the Dead by the Glory of God the Father, we alfo fhould walk in newness of Life, i Pet. ii. Awake thou that sleepest, and rife from the Dead, and Jefus Chrift fhall enlighten thee, Rom. vi. For by his Death he hath not only reconciled us to God the Fathe Epb.v. Coloff. xi. but he hath alfo procured to us the Holy Spirit that creates in us a new Heart, and imprints the Image of his Holiness, Ezek. xxxvi. 2 Cor.v. He makes us become new Creatures, and regenerates as by the uncorruptible Seed, 1 Pet. 1. This is that which the Scripture names the first Refurrection, Rev. xx. St. Peter was ravished in Admiration at this great and wonderful Benefit, and therefore he acknowledged it, Bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which, according to his abundant Mercy, bath begotten us again unto a lively Hope, by the Refurrection of Jefus Christ from the Dead, 1 Pet. i. God difcovered to the Prophet Ezekiel a Field covered with dry Bones, and commanded him to prophefy upon these Bones, Ezek. xxxvii. At the Prophet's Command they began to draw near to one another, then the Nerves began to appear, the Flefh to grow, and to be covered with Skin, but there was no Life till God commanded the Prophet to prophefy again, Thus faith the Lord, Spirit, come from the four Winds, blow upon thefe dead Bodies, and let them rife from the Dead. Then the Spirit entred into them, they began to revive, and they ftood upon their Legs. This is the lively and true Image of the firft Refurrection. For the Spirit of God that blows whither

it

it lifteth, regenerates us by Degrees, Job. iii. and the new Man is created in our Hearts by little and little, as the Child grows in its Mother's Womb.

When Joshua brought the Children of Ifrael into the Land of Promise, he destroyed not all the Canaanites, Jofh. xxiii. there remained fome who became Scourges in their Sides, and Thorns in their Eyes. Thus our true and fpiritual Joshua, who had led us into the Kingdom of his Grace, hath not altogether destroyed all our evil Affections; fome yet remain that are like Prickles in our Sides, and like Swords that pierce thro' our Souls. They yet render our Life bitter and unpleafant, therefore we often defire Death to come and put a Period to this Conflict. Sin was in Poffeffion of us as a strong Man armed in an House; but Jesus Christ is entered into our Souls, and become Mafter; he hath therefore bound and chained Sin, and hath nailed it to his Cross. But this furious Beaft, tho' he hath received a mortal Wound, and is ready to give up the laft Galp, it ftruggles and foams within us. Our Bleffed Saviour hath extinguished with the real Stream of his Blood, the infernal Flames of our curfed Affections; but yet there remains in the Afhes fome Sparkles of this devilish Fire, that yet cause in us feverish Fits. Only this merciful Redeemer, of his infinite Goodness hath loofed us from the Devil's Chains; but that we might have Cause to be humble, to defire the Increase of Grace, and long for the Arrival of his Glory,he leaves about us fome of the troublesome Fetters: By his Holy Spirit he files them off by degrees; but one Day he will take them away from us.

At the Voice of this Prince of Life, that reaches to the very Bottom of our Hearts, we are rifen from the Sepulchre of our Vices with our Grave-cloaths about us, as Lazarus when he came out of his Tomb. We are like the ancient Slaves who were fet at Liberty; we bear upon our Foreheads the visible Marks of our ancient Bondage; but one Day our Lord Jesus Christ shall cover these Marks of Infamy and Disgrace with

an

an heavenly Diadem. If you defire another Image of our fpiritual Condition, fancy to yourselves a dead. Man caft into a foul Pit or Sink, unto whom Life is reftored in a Moment; afterwards by degrees he is washed and cleanfed of that Filth that covered his Body. We were not only dead of a fpiritual Death, but we were also overwhelmed in an Abyss of Corruption and Filth. The Son of God hath pulled us out of this Abyss, and already restored us to Life; but the Dirt and Putrefaction with which we are disfigured, he washes away with the Water of Grace, Zach. xiii. For there is a Fountain opened for Sin in the House of David, Ifa. iv. in the which God hath promifed to wash away all the Filth of the Daughter of Sion, and all the Blood of Jerufalem. And as it happened to the cruel King Adonibezeck, when the Tribe of Judah took him Prifoner, he loft the Thumbs of his Hands, and the great Toes of his Feet, but he suffered not Death till he came to Jerufalem; thus our Great God and Saviour, the Prince of the Tribe of Judah, hath cut off the Strength and Power of the old Man who tyrannized in our Souls, and hath deprived him of his venomous Nails, with which he wounded our Hearts; he hath alfo given him his mortal Wound, but he fuffers him to enjoy a languishing Life, and will not take away his laft Breath, until we bring him to the Gates of the heavenly Jerufalem.

But to fpeak more openly, Sin is yet in us, but it reigneth not: For our Lord and Saviour Jefus Christ hath broken its Sceptre, and pulled it from the Throne; and as he hath taken from it all Command in us, he constrains it to leave the Poffeffion of our Souls by degrees. As a strong and mighty King, who having won the Battle, pursues and drives the Enemy until he hath totally expelled them out of his Kingdom; fo doth our Saviour deal with Sin.

And as it happens to a Woman with Child in her old-Age, there is in her Body two contrary Lives, that of the Mother, and that of the Child; the one de

cays and dies infenfible, the Child's Life grows and increaseth by Degrees; fo it is in the faithful and regenerate Soul; there are two Lives, that of Sin, that the Scripture names the old Man; and that of the new Man, which is created according to God, in Righte oufness and true Holiness: The one diminishes and draws to its final End; but the other grows and gathers Strength, until we arrive to the perfect Stature of our Lord Jefus Chrift; the Spirit of God every Day gets Ground of our Corruption and Weakness.

CHA P. V.

Why we are yet fubjected to the corporal or natural Death, and what Advantage we thereby receive in Jefus Chrift.

TH

HE wife King teacheth us in the Ninth of Eccle fiaftes, That the fame Accident happens to all, to the Righteous and to the Wicked, to the Clean, and to the Polluted, to him that facrificeth, and to him that facrificetb not. These Words are to be understood of the feveral Afflictions unto which we are expofed during this mortal Life; but we may apply it to the natural Death: For it is appointed unto all once to die, and after that Judgment follows, Heb. ix. By one Man Sin is entred into the World, and by Sin Death; and thus Death is come upon all Men, because they have all finned, Rom. v. Therefore when Joshua felt himself feeble and decaying, he told the Children of Ifrael, That be was going the way of all Flesh, Jofh. xxiii. And Job complains unto God, I know that thou wilt reduce me to Death, and to the Houfe appointed for all Living, Job xx. It was upon this Subject that the Royal Prophet was exercifing his Meditation when he cried out, Who is he that liveth and fhall not fee Death? Shall be free bis Soul from the Power of the Grave? Pfal.

lxxxix.