A55299:287
An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…
An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ, and our union and communion with him by Edward Polhill ..., Esquire.
London: printed for Ben. Foster, 1675
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Let us now consider in what sense Christ is called our Life; 1he is called Life with respect to his Doctrine; he preached the Word of Life, and brought life and immortality to light by the Gospel: In him was life, and the life was the light of men, Joh. 14.6. that is, he preached the Word of Life, which enlighteneth the dark Minds of men, it is not imaginable how Life should be Light ⟨p. 277⟩in any other sense. Christ tells his Disciples, I am the way, the truth, and the Life, Joh. 14.6. that is, I declare the true way to Life: Thus he calls himself the bread of life, Joh. 6. with respect to the Doctrine he preached, ver. 33. and with respect to that Sacrifice he offered for the Life of the World; The bread I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world, ver. 51. Christ is also our Life, because he hath power to bestow immortal Life upon all his sincere followers: Joh. 11.25. I am the Resurrection and the Life; Joh. 5.25. The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live: He first raises those who are dead in sin, to a new spiritual Life by the power of his Doctrine, and then hath Authority to raise them to an immortal life: Thus Col. 3.3, 4. Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God: When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory: That is, you profess your selves dead to the world in conformity to Christ's Death; and though that immortal Life, which you expect to enjoy with Christ, who is now risen again from the dead, be at present concealed from your ⟨p. 278⟩view; yet when Christ, who is the Author of Eternal Life, and hath power to raise us up from the dead, shall appear the second time to judge the world, then shall ye appear with him in glory. We must not dream of fetching Life from the Person of Christ, as we draw water out of a Fountain; but we must steadfastly believe and obey his Gospel, which is a Principle of divine Life in us, and then we may expect a Resurrection and immortal Life.