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purses, but by their hearts. And so is it in all other duties, and services. Defires and indeavours (where they are reall,) with God go for actuall performances. Now this is the Christian's defire: He defireth nothing more then to be freed from the body of fin, O wretched man that I am! who Shall deliver me from the body of this death? And this he seriously indeavours; he doth what in him lieth to kill and destroy it. Now this in God's gracious acceptation is death unto fin.

As it is in the committing of fin, Intentions in God's account go for actions: Wanton looks are Adultery: Whosoever looketh on a wo man, to lust after her, bath committed adultery with her already in his heart, Mat.5.28. Митdering intentions are murder: Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, i John 3.15. He is so, though not before man, yet before God; who judgeth men by their hearts. Even so is it in the killing, mortifying of fin: He that hath designed the death of it, defiring and indeavouring it, he is in God's gracious acceptation looked upon as deud to fin.

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fure exhaufted and spent, such a one may be faid to be a dead man, dead whileft he liveth. So, though sin do still live in a regenerate person, yet in as much as it is in a conSumption, the power and strength of it gone, it may be faid to be dead. It lieth a dying. Now we say of a man in that cafe, a man that is drawing home, that he is a dead man. He hath begun to die.

3. In respect of Afsurance. Sin in a regene- 3. In respect rate person having begun to die, it shall cer- of Affurance tainly die, it shall (peedily die. Certainly, The wound which it hath received is incurable, a deadly wound, fo as though it may live for a time, yet it shall languish and decay more and more till it be utterly extinct: which it shall be, and that speedily; The death of fin is not far off to fuch a one. The story in the Gospel tels us of a certain Disciple, who af. ked leave of his Master Christ, that before fuch time as he followed him, he might first. go and bury his Father, Mat. 8.21. Now here Tome move the question, What, was his Father dead, that he would go bury him? Most probably he was not, onely he was very aged, having one foot in the grave, so as in course of nature he could not live long, and in that regard he looketh upon him, and speaketh of him as a dead man, ready for the grave. So is it with the body of fin in a regenerate person; It is dying, and cannot live long: It is much infeebled already, and by death (which is not far off from any) it shall utterly be extinguish

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ed and abolished. Death separating the fou! from the body, shall separate fin from both He that is dead is freed from fin, (faith the Apostle, ver. 7. of this Chapter:) which is true (as to the regenerate) in a literall, as well as a mysticall sense. Thus you fee the former of these Propositions briefly opened and cleared: All that are Christs, are dead to fin, as he died for fin. As briefly of the later.

Doct. 3. D.3. This their death to fin, is from the death The Believer sof Chrift for fin.] So much the Metaphor in death to fin, is the Text imports. Believers are planted toge from the death ther with Christ in the likenesse of his death;

of Chrift.

that is, they are made conformable to Chrift in his death, and that by a vertue flowing from his death. Thus the Graft dieth with the Stock; it dieth in it, and by it. The death of the one is the cause of death in the other. Thus is the believer said to be engrafted with Christ in the likenesse of his death; he dieth with Chrift, and the death of Christ is the cause of that death in him. This is that which the Apostle faith of himselfe, Gal.6.14. God forbid that I should glory, save in the Crofft of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I unto the world.] Paul was a mortified man, dead to the world, and dead to fin; But how came he so to be? why this he attributes to the Crosse of Jesus Chrift; Sis, by whom, or by which; it may be referThe death of red to either. It was the Croffe of Christ, the Chrift the cau se Death of Jesus Christ, which was the cause of of this death's this death in him. And fo is it in all other

be

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believers. The Cause of it. And that not only, Not onely, 1. The Meritorious Cause. True, so it is. 1. Meritori

This is one of the benefits which Jesus Christ ous.
merited and purchased for his Elect by his death,
that they might die unto fin; He bare our fins
in his own body upon the tree, that we being dead
unto fin, should live unto righteousneffe, 1 Pet.2.
24. Chrift by his death merited for his people
not only a deliverance from the guilt, but also
from the power of fin. But not only fo;

2. Nor yet onely the Exemplary Cause of it, 2. Exemplary. (as as Pelagians of old, and Socinians at this day would have it.) True, it is so also; Christ was a pattern and example to the Christian, as in his life, so in his death: He suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we Should follow his steps, 1 Pet.2.21. He died for us, leaving us an example, that we should die to fin, as he died for fin, But this is not all.

not. in Text.

3. In the third place then, it is the Efficient 3. But also, Cause, working this death in the believer, by a Efficient. fecret vertue iffuing from it. Thus are Chriftians here faid to be engrafted with Chrift in the likenesse of his death; Non tantum imitatione, Sed& virtute, (as Beza rightly,) not only by Beza Gr. Anway of Imitation, conforming themselves unto his death, as the pattern of their Mortification; but also by way of Efficacy, being conformed thereunto by a vertue flowing from Christ, and his death. And so much the word in the Text, (as Beza notes upon it) doth here infinuate, which is not ὁμοιότητι, but ὁμοιώμαζι, a word Ibid. (faith he) of passive signification, importing

not barely a conformity, but a conformation, (as Conformazione, he renders it,) not only a being like, but be mortis ejus. Beza. ing made like, and that by a power and vertue

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out of themselves; viz. the power and vertue
of Chrift, and his death, working an answer-
able death in them. And so much that word
used by the Apostle to the fame purpose, Phil.
3. 10. implies, Being made conformable unto his
death; Συμμορφόμενος, conformis factus, or con-
figuratus; not conforming my selfe, viz.by way
of Imitation, but being made conformable, viz.
by a power out of my felfe, the power and ver
tue of Christ's death. And this is that which
the Authour to the Hebrews plainely afferts,
Heb.9.14. where he layeth down this as one of
the fruits of Christ's death, The blood of Jef
Chrift purgeth our consciences from dead works,
to serve the living God.] Dead works; So he
calleth finfull lufts, not formally, as if they had
no life, no activity in them; but effectively, be
cause they are deadly works, bringing death
upon the finner that liveth in them. Now, from
these, (faith the Apostle) the Blood of Chrift
cleanfeth the confcience of the sinner; and foit
doth not only in respect of the guilt of fin in
Justification, but also the power of it in Sanctif
cation; from which it so freeth the sinner, as that
he may now serve the living God. The former of
these is done by the merit; the later by the ver-
tue of Christ's death. The death of Christ being
applied unto the foul by faith, there issueth a
Vertue from him, a mortifying vertue, caufing fuch
a death unto fin in the believer. Thus are they in-
grafted in the likenesse of his death.
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