(might he fay) is the Alpha and Omega of my life, the beginning and the end of it; the author and finisher of it; Chrift is the principle of my life, from whom I live; Chrift is the end of my life, to whom I live; Chrift is the pattern of my life, according to whofe example I live; Chrift is the giver of my life, the maintainer of my life, the reftorer of my life; after decays, he reftores my foul, and makes me to walk in the paths of righteousness for his name's fake. Chrift is the food of my life; I fhould die, if he did not feed me with his flesh and blood, which is living bread and water to me; Christ is the medicine of my life; it is by renewed touches of the hem of his garment, and renewed applications to him, that my foul is healed; for there is healing under the wings of this fun of righteoufnefs. Chrift is the All of my life; for to me to live is Chrift; he is my light, my ftrength, my righteousness: It is the glory of the believer, to acknowledge Chrift the Alpha and the Omega, and the ALL of his fpiritual life. 3. Sometimes it is defigned from the Spirit, and fo it is called a living in the Spirit, Gal. v. 25. If we live in the Spirit, let us alfo walk in the Spirit. It is a living in the light, and leading of the Spirit; Thy Spirit is good, lead me to the land of uprightness. It is a living in the graces and fruits of the Spirit, which are defcribed, Gal. v. 22. and a bringing forth these fruits of the Spirit. It is a living in the strength and power of the Spirit, which is therefore called a law, The law of the Spirit of Life in Chrift Jefus bath made me free from the law of fin and death. The power of the Spirit hath the force of a law within the man, infomuch that when he walks in the Spirit, he does not fulfil the lufts of the flesh; he

fets the power of the Spirit againft the power of fin. It is a living in the comforts of the Spirit, and joys of the Holy Ghoft; and when he thus lives, the joy of the Lord is his ftrength. It is a walking in the liberty of the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty: When a man hath this life, then he hath liberty to hear, read, pray, believe, mourn, and liberty to ferve the Lord; Truly I am thy fervant, thou haft loofed my bonds. In a word, it is a living in the love of the Spirit, and in a conftant dependance on the Spirit. 4. Sometimes it is defigned from these names that fignify other special qualities and properties of it: And here, I might bring in a multitude of fcriptures. It is called a boly life, Be ye holy as I am boly: It is called a humble life, walk humbly with thy God; a heavenly life, our converfation is in heaven; the man is heavenly in his thoughts, and fpiritually minded; heavenly in his speech, defiring to edify thofe that are about him; heavenly in his affections, which are fet upon things above, his defire and delight being fet upon heavenly things; heavenly in his hope, Looking for that bleffed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God; heavenly in his trade, trading daily to the heavenly country, by faith, prayer, and drawing bills of exchange upon Chrift, as it were, for all that he ftands in need of. It is called an upright life, No good thing will be with-bold from him that walketh uprightly. A well-ordered life, To him that orders his converfation, &c. It is called a circumfpect life, See that ye walk circumSpectly. It is called a gofpel life, Let your converfation be as it becometh the gospel, that is, as it becomes a gofpel-ftate, gofpel-principles, gofpel-rules, and golpel-patterns, golpel-motives, and gofpel-ends ;

and under the influence of gofpel-grace, adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour. But, omitting all these, I only inftance in one fcripture, wherein this living unto God is defcribed in such a manner as includes all other properties of it, yea, and comprehends all the duties of obedience we are called to, Tit. ii. 11, 12. The grace of God hath appeared unto all men, teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lufts, we should live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world; where you fee, this living unto God comprehends all thefe duties of piety towards God, fobriety towards ourselves, and righteoufnefs towards our neighbour, which we are obliged to by the law as a rule of life and holiness, and all under the influence of the grace of God revealed in the gofpel, teaching us these things efficacioufly: For the law teacheth them only preceptively; but it is the gofpel that teacheth them effectively, working in us both to will and to do. O that we knew this life more than we do.

The third thing here was, What is imported in its being called a life in general? Indeed this living to God, is the only life that deferves the name of life. In vegetative life, the trees of the field do excel men; for from little plants, they turn to stately oaks. In fenfitive life, the beafts of the field do excel man, for they go beyond him in these natural faculties; as the dog in fmelling, the eagle in feeing, the hart in hearing, and other creatures in other fenfes. In rational life, many heathen philofophers may excel the Chriftian. So that it is not the ve getative life, whereby plants excel us; nor the fenfitive life, whereby beafts excels us; nor the rational life, which reprobates have as well as we; but the SPIRITUAL divine life, that deferves the name,

without which, our life is but a death. However, this fpiritual life, or living to God, may be called life, because it hath all these things in it fpiritually, which natural life hath in it naturally; as, 1. Life hath motion in it; and fo here, this fpiritual life imports motion; where-ever the fpirit of life comes, there is a motion among the dry bones. Now, there are fome duties he moves in, fuch as prayer, Behold he prayeth, who never prayed to purpose before: he moves in the duties of hearing, reading, examination, and mortification. Now, there are fome graces that move in him: Faith begins to move, faying, I believe, Lord help my unbelief: Hope begins to move, He is begotten to a new and lively hope: Love begins to move, perhaps in fighs and for want of love. Now he moves, and groans the term he moves from, is fin, Satan, and the world, and felf, and felf-righteousness; and the term he moves to, is God and Chrift, and heaven, and heavenly things. So far as this divine life takes place, fo far all the faculties of the foul move towards God; the understanding to fee him, the will to ferve him, the affections to embrace him, and all the members of the body to be employed for him. The eye is lift up to heaven in prayer and fupplication; the ear is open to receive inftruction; the mouth enlarged to fing his praifes; the tongue will be no more the trumpeter of idle communication; the hand and heart will be inftruments of devotion; the knees will be bowed to the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift; the feet will delight to carry the man to the houfe of the Lord; all is in motion for God, so far as this life takes place. You may here fee, by the way, whether you have or want this life, which is a living to God.

Tho'

Tho' I fee an image lively reprefenting a man, having eyes, ears, mouth, nofe, hands and feet, yet I know it hath no life in it, because it hath no motion; fo if we fee a profeffor without practice, we may fay he is an idol, he is no Chriftian, but the image of a Chriftian. It is true, a hypocrite may have all thefe external motions, like a painted puppet, that may by fome engine be made to dance, and move up and down, but from no vital principle of life. 2. Life hath breath in it, James ii. laft. The body without breath is dead, as it may be rendered; fo in this life there is breath. If a man's breath be held in a little while, the perfon cannot live; fo the believer would die, if he had not breath in a spiritual fenfe. What is the air he breathes in? It is juft the Spirit of God; Awake, O north-wind, come thou fouth, &c. What is the breath that is put within him? It is the Spirit of God; the Holy Ghoft is that to the believer, which breath is to the body, yea, which the foul is to the body. God breathed into Adam the breath of life; and he breathes on the believer, faying, Receive ye the Holy Ghoft; I will put my Spirit within you. What lungs does he breathe with? It is faith, We receive the promise of the Spirit by faith. And what things does he breathe after? Indeed the earthly man breathes after earthly things, faying, Who will fhew us any good? But the heavenly man breatheth after heavenly things, Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me. Many people have a ftinking breath; it hath the smell of earth, yea, the fmell of hell; fome breathe out blafphemies, and oaths, fome breathe out cruelty and wrath; but the man that hath this life, and lives unto God, his breath is a sweet breath; fo far as he lives unto God, his breath fmells of heaven,