An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

Christ preached the Word of Life, ¹he brought Life and Immortality to light, that is, in a more illustrious manifestation of it; Immortality, which did but dawn and glimmer under the Law, breaks forth in Lustre and Glory under the Gospel. That, Joh. 1.4. The life was the light of men, speaks not of Christ's Doctrinal Word, but of his Creative, which lighted up an excellent Reason in Man: This is clear from the Series of the Evangelist's speech, which in this place makes its progress from a state of Creation, unto Darkness or the amission of Light, and from thence to the instauration of it. Christ is the life, Joh. 14.6. not only declaring the Way to Life, but inspiring that Spiritual Life, which is a Seed of Eternal: ⟨p. 279⟩He is our Life with respect to his Sacrifice, Joh. 6. but then that Sacrifice must be applied to us, by the quickening Spirit, which unites to Christ, and by Faith, which feeds on him. He raises up those that are dead in sins to a new spiritual Life, Joh. 5.25. Not by his Doctrine only, but by his Regenerating Spirit; and when he hath raised them up, he is their Life still by the supplies of the Spirit, and influences of Grace: Hence St. Austin upon the 26. Verse, As the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself, observes, That Christ hath Life in himself, but the Believer hath not Life in himself, but in Christ, living but as a part or piece of Christ, and ever in dependence on him. Christ is called our life, Col. 3.4. that is, he is the Fountain of the glorious Life in Heaven, and withal of those Graces which are the first-fruits and buddings of it. After all this, the Author concludes thus: We must not dream of fetching Life from the Person of Christ, as we draw water out of a fountain: This is durus sermo indeed, we must not fetch Life from Christ; he calls us to come to him, nay, charges the unbelieving Jews for not coming to him for ⟨p. 280⟩