For application.

Would you know then whether you have life? Why, if you have Christ, you have life; and if you would know whether you have Christ or no, you must consider, God hath exalted him to be both Saviour and Prince. Dost thou find thy heart looking up to him for help in all thy miseries? Then thou hast him as a Saviour. If in cases when thou knowest not what to do, yet thy eyes are towards him? Why, this very looking towards him, is of an healing nature, as was the looking towards the brazen Serpent, Numb 21.9. The Conies are but a feeble folk, and yet they make their nests in a rock; so, it's good for us in our distresses, to have recourse to the rock that is higher then we.

Would you know then whether you have life? Why, if you have Christ, you have life; and if you would know whether you have Christ or no, you must consider, God hath exalted him to be both Saviour and Prince. Dost thou finde thy heart looking up to him for help in all thy miseries? Then thou hast him as a Saviour. If in cases when thou knowest not what to doe, yet thy eyes are towards him? Why, this very looking towards him, is of an healing nature, as was the looking towards the brazen Serpent, Numb 21.9. The Conies are but a feeble folk, and yet they make their nests in a rock; so, it's good for us in our distresses, to have recourse to the rock that is higher then we.

Again consider, are there any lusts in us that we desire to be spared in, and would not be saved from? Why, then we have not Christ for our Saviour. So consider, Have we Christ for our Prince? Do we subject every thought unto him? Dost thou not entertain an evil thought? if they rush in upon thee, dost thou strive to thrust them out? Then thou hast Christ for thy Prince. But if thou findest evil thoughts in thy heart, and sufferest them to rest in thee. Dost thou make God to serve a wearisome service from month to month, and year to year, and over burden his patience and mercy? Then Christi ⟨p. 396⟩not thine. If thou lookest at him as thy Prince, he should have the best service thou couldst afford him.

Again consider, are there any lusts in us that we desire to be spared in, and would not be saved from? Why, then we have not Christ for our Saviour. So consider, Have we Christ for our Prince? Do we subject every thought unto him? Dost thou not entertain an evill thought? if they rush in upon thee, dost thou strive to thrust them out? Then thou hast Christ for thy Prince. But if thou findest evil thoughts in thy heart, and sufferest them to rest in thee. Dost thou make God to serve a wearisome service from moneth to moneth, and year to year, and over burthen his patience and mercy? Then Christi ⟨p. 396⟩not thine. If thou lookest at him as thy Prince, he should have the best service thou couldst afford him.

This Life is fourfold: Of Justification, Of Sanctification, Of Consolation, and Of Glorification.

If we have good evidences of the three former, we may have assurance of the latter.

The signs of life are of three sorts, our spiritual life may be discerned three ways: By the causes. By the effects. By the properties.

The signes of life are of three sorts, our spirituall life may be discerned three wayes: By the causes. By the effects. By the properties.

For the causes, the holy Ghost gives us three causes of our spiritual life, which if we find, we may assure our selves that we have life, and so consequently we have the Son.

For the causes, the holy Ghost gives us three causes of our spirituall life, which if we finde, we may assure our selves that we have life, and so consequently we have the Son.

1 Cause of our spiritual life, is Gods own good pleasure. Of his own will hath he begot us▪ Jam. 1.18. This St. John proves by denying all other causes of our begetting to life, John 13 Not of blood: that is, not of parentage, for godly parents may have wicked children; though Gods commandment do much, yet it is not from their good parentage, but from Gods pleasure in the covenant. Nor of flesh, that is not of corrupt nature: nor of the will of men; that is, not of the will of our best friends, that desire it, and pray for it, unless God set in with all those of his good pleasure, he shall not have life, Ezek. 16.6. It was od that said to us when we were in our blood, Live. This is an evident sign of the life of grace. Such a mans heart acknowledgeth all the grace he hath to be of Gods good pleasure. Take a natural man, he thinks well of him elf, that he hath always had a good nature, and towardly, and hopeful, and all his friends could say no less But now a regenerate Christian acknowledgeth that he had no heart to goodness by nature, only some outward correspondency towards his friends, to please them; but he acknowledgeth what Paul doth, Gal. 1.15, 16. When it pleased God to call me by his grace, and to reveal Christ in me, then I lived, but not before. A living soul never attributes any thing to his good nature or towardliness, but when it pleaseth God to call him to his grace.

1 Cause of our spirituall life, is Gods own good pleasure. Of his owne will hath he begot us▪ Jam. 1.18. This St. John proves by denying all other causes of our begetting to life, John 13 Not of bloud: that is, not of parentage, for godly parents may have wicked children; though Gods commandement do much, yet it is not from their good parentag•, but from Gods pleasure in the covenant. Nor of flesh, that is not of corrupt nature: nor of the will of men; that is, not of the will of our best friends, that desire it, and pray for it, unlesse God set in with all those of his good pleasure, he shall not have life,

A second cause of life is a word of promise; for, all that are of Abraham are not the Children of Abraham, only the seed of promise, such as are begot of a word of promise, as Isaac was, and least you should think it belongeth to Isaac only, he makes it common to all the elect, that they are all children of promise, Gal. 4.28. But yet Isaac had the peculiar, in that even his birth was by promise to Abraham and Sarah: But the Apostle would thereby infer, that all our spiritual birth, is by a word of promise. Here therefore try thy life, thou sayest thou livest, but what word of promise wert thou begot of? Faith comes by hearing, Rom: 10 17. Gal. 3.5. There is some word of promise dispersed in the word preached, which the soul lays hold of, and is thereby knit to Christ by faith: Indeed, many a good soul cannot tell what word of promise he was first begot of, yet sure it was by a word of promise; and though thou dost not know this promise, yet there is no Christian but he sustains himself by some promise, which shows plainly that he was bred of a promise which is fed by a promise. Many times a word of grace and wise admonition sinks so deep into the heart, as that it makes many a one amend his wicked ways, ⟨p. 397⟩and take better courses, and reform his life; but this is no evident sign of spiritual life. So an hypocrite may be so far convinced as to turn the stream of his life, and yet without all power of godliness, and the ground is, we cannot receive life from the words or works of the Law, it's altogether impossible, Gal. 3.21. All true spiritual life is from some word of promise that hath been dispensed to us in the Word. The word of the Law may reclaim us from giving outward offence, but yet without all respect or obedience to God. But when we are quickened by a word of promise, then the love of God constraineth us.

A second cause of life is a word of promise; for, all that are of Abraham are not the Children of Abraham, onely the seed of promise, such as are begot of a word of promise, as Isaac was, and least you should think it belongeth to Isaac onely, he makes it common to all the elect, that they are all children of promise,

Obj. Is it not ordinary for the word of the Law to cast down and humble us, before we can lay hold on a promise.

Answ. True. Yet this is not that which makes a man a new man, this may reach to the reformation of many outward sins, but yet it gives not spiritual life, till we begin to think of, and long after Christ, and meditate and talk of him, till at length the sight of Christ, doth so work on us, that we do not only long after him, but we so receive him, and embrace him, that we are enlightened by him.

Answ. True. Yet this is not that which makes a man a new man, this may reach to the reformation of many outward sins, but yet it gives not spirituall life, till we begin to think of, and long after Christ, and meditate and talk of him, till at length the sight of Christ, doth so work on us, that we do not only long after him, but we so receive him, and imbrace him, that we are inlightned by him.

A third cause of life, is the Spirit of God, John 3.6. There is a shedding abroad of the Spirit into the heart of every regenerate man, that he hath not the same spirit he had before. Now a mans spirit is the bent and inclination of the soul. Eph. 4.23. Be ye renewed in the spirits of your minds. The soul and the body is the same: But there is another spirit, they see other things they never saw before, judge otherwise then they did before; now they have new thoughts, and judgements, and affections, so that their heart is far off from earthly things, and let on spiritual things. All things are become new. A new heart, new conference, new employment, new company, the whole man hath another frame of spirit in him. He that finds it thus hath life.

A third cause of life, is the Spirit of God, John 3.6. There is a shedding abroad of the Spirit into the heart of every regenerate man, that he hath not the same spirit he had before. Now a mans spirit is the bent and inclination of the soul. Eph. 4.23. Be ye renewed in the spirits of your minds. The soul and the body is the same: But there is another spirit, they see other things they never saw before, judge otherwise then they did before; now they have new thoughts, and judgements, and affections, so that their heart is far off from earthly things, and let on spirituall things. All things are become new. A new heart, new conference, new imployment, new company, the whole man hath another frame of spirit in him. He that finds it thus hath life.

For application.

Consider therefore how you find your hearts speaking concerning your estates. Do you find indeed that sometimes you have had good motions cast in, but before God was pleased to call you to his grace, nothing did you good. Do you find your life wrought by a spirit of promise. Do you find that you are renewed to a new inclination and frame of spirit, then you have life. Your life springs from true causes, if not you have not life.

Consider therefore how you finde your hearts speaking concerning your estates. Do you finde indeed that sometimes you have had good motions cast in, but before God was pleased to call you to his grace, nothing did you good. Doe you finde your life wrought by a spirit of promise. Do you finde that you are renewed to a new inclination and frame of spirit, then you have life. Your life springs from true causes, if not you have not life.

A second sort of signs of life is from the effects of spiritual life; And,

A second sort of signes of life is from the effects of spirituall life; And,