Christ the fountain of lifeChrist the fountaine of life

The first is motion,¹ when a creature is able to move it self unto the duties of its place; it is an effect of natural life, when it is able to move it self in its place, then it is said to live such or such a life; if you see a Creature stirs, and moves not further then by the help of another, then you say, it lives not; but if it stir of it self, then you say, it lives: Nor is it strait way alive if it move, unless it be in its place, for you see earthly things will move downward, if they be upward, and light things will move upward; but these are out of their places, they are rather moved then themselves do move, when they are out of their place; and it is not so much from a power of moving, but rather an affection to rest, then a power to move themselves. And further, suppose they should move themselves, meet it is they should move themselves to such actions as argues as argue this, and that life which they express; suppose a Tree moves it self, and nourish it self, and grow, and that in its place, yet it doth not move it self to see, nor hear; and beasts that do move themselves to see, and hear, yet ⟨p. 128⟩they cannot move themselves to acts of Reason; and men that can move to acts of Reason, yet cannot move themselves to any spiritual duty and work of grace, so that that motion which argues the life of the soul, is a power to move it self, and in its place unto spiritual duties, that is the true nature of the life of sanctification; do you therefore see a creature no further moving it self then according to its lightness. You shall sometimes have men to move themselves out of their levity, come to an eminent duty in the pride of their natures,² and will lift themselves up to some duties; but this is not out of an inward principle, but out of the lightness of their spirits desire to be above,³ will move them to this and that duty, and rather move from hence then from any inward principle of grace; and so sometimes creatures out of their heaviness, and baseness of mind, will be doing spiritual duties; but as the one doth them to be seen of men, and perform the mere letter of the duty, and in the pride of his heart, not out of any inward affection to such duties; so there be others that for profit sake will move themselves basely unto spiritual duties, as Christ said of his Hearers, they followed him for loaves,