1. The privilege of life is a believers: that is, life to a child of ⟨p. 32⟩God, is an advantage for heaven: this life is given him to make provision for a better life. Life is the porch of Eternity; here the Believer dresseth himself, that he may be fit to enter in with the Bridegroom. We cannot say of a wicked man, (unless catachrestically) that life is his. Though he lives, yet life is not his, he is dead while he lives. He doth not improve the life of nature to get the life of grace; he is like a man that takes the lease of a farm, and makes no benefit of it. Diu fuit in mundo, non vixit; he hath been so long in the world, as Seneca speaks, but he hath not lived. He was borne in the Reign of such a King, his father left him such an estate, he was of such an age, and then he died; there's an end of him, his life was not worth a prayer, nor his death worth a tear. But life is yours; 'tis a privilege to a Believer, while he hath natural life, he lays hold upon ⟨p. 33⟩*eternal life, how doth he work out his salvation? what a do is there to get his evidences sealed? what weeping, what wrestling? how doth he even take heaven by storm? So that life is yours: It is to a child of God a season of grace, the seed-time for eternity; the longer he lives, the riper he grows for heaven. The life of a believer spends as a lamp, he doth good to himself and others; the life of a sinner runs out as the sand, it doth little good. The life of the one is as a figure engraven in marble; the life of the other as letters written in dust.
1. The priviledge of life is a believers: that is, life to a childe of ⟨p. 32⟩God, is an advantage for heaven: this life is given him to make provision for a better life. Life is the porch of Eternity; here the Believer dresseth himself, that he may be fit to enter in with the Bridegroome. We cannot say of a wicked man, (unlesse catachrestically) that life is his. Though he lives, yet life is not his, he is dead while he lives. He doth not improve the life of nature to get the life of grace; he is like a man that takes the lease of a farm, and makes no benefit of it. Diu fuit in mundo, non vixit; he hath been so long in the world, as Seneca speaks, but he hath not lived. He was borne in the Reigne of such a King, his father left him such an estate, he was of such an age, and then he died; there's an end of him, his life was not worth a prayer, nor his death worth a tear. But life is yours; 'tis a priviledge to a Believer, while he hath natural life, he layes hold upon ⟨p. 33⟩*eternal life, how doth he work out his salvation? what a do is there to get his evidences sealed? what weeping, what wrastling? how doth he even take heaven by storme? So that life is yours: It is to a childe of God a season of grace, the seed-time for eternity; the longer he lives, the riper he grows for heaven. The life of a believer spends as a lamp, he doth good to himselfe and others; the life of a sinner runs out as the sand, it doth little good. The life of the one is as a figure ingraven in marble; the life of the other as letters written in dust.
- *1 Tim. 6.12.
