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to be, and exist for ever. No, but it will be a deftruction of their well-being, fo as that they fhall be moft miferable to all eternity. In the unquenchable fire of hell, they fhall endure moft exquifite and neverending torments, under the lofs of all good and fenfe of all evil. This will be the fecond death; which will be confequent upon fpiritual death, if continued in, What need then have we to make hafte in getting out of this ftate of fpiritual death, that we perifh not eternally? When Lot lingred, the Angels took hold of him and brought him out of Sodom, and bid him to baften for his life, left he fhould be confumed in the burnings of Sodom? So fhould we haften, as for our lives, out of this ftate of fpiritual death, left we perish in the eternal burnings of hell fire. Delays in this cafe are exceeding dangerous. For fudden deftruction may come upon us, fo as there fhall be no way left for an efcape; and the more fearlefs and fecure we are, the nearer, in all probability, is the dreadful deftruction unto us. Now, for Direction I would fay briefly,

Direct. i. Attend on the word of God. This is one way to pass from a ftate of fpiritual death, to a state of spiritual life. Hear, fays God in our text, and your foul fball live. Attentive hearkning to the word of God, is an appointed means, for recovering from fpiritual death. In this way therefore we must be found waiting on God for fpiritual life. But of this more under the following doctrine from the words.

Direct. 2. Go to Chrift, for deliverance from fpiritual death, and participation in fpiritual life. Jefus Chrift is the refurrection and the life, Joh. xi. 25. He is the raifer of the dead, both bodily and fpiritually dead; and he is the giver both of bodily and fpiritual, as alfo of eternal, life. 'Tis he that gives life, and that gives it more abundantly, Joh. x. 10. With him is the fountain of life. O then go to Chrift by carneft prayer, begging of him that he would quicken your dead fouls. Goto him firmly believing his power and ability to bring you from death to life. A certain ruler of à fynagogue,

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when his daughter lay dead, went to Chrift and worfhipped him, faying, My daughter is even now dead, but come and lay thine hand upon her, and fhe fhall live, Matth. ix. 18. He believed, that Jefus Chrift was both able and ready to restore his dead child to life; and he found it according to his faith, though mixed with fome infirmity, in tying Chrift to that way of reftoring to life, by coming to her and laving his hand on her. In like manner, if we go to Chrift, begging him to give life to our dead fouls, believing his power and readiness to give it to us, we may hope to fpeed in our addrefles to him. O then let us follow the Lord of life, with our prayers to him for fpiritual life and then, though we are ever fo dead and loathfome, we may hope that he will speak a word of life to us. And let that be our encouragement, in Ezek. xvi. 6. When I palled by thee, and faw thee polluted in thine own blood, I faid unto thee when thou waft in thy blood, Live. Yea, I faid unto thee when thou waft in thy blood, Live. We may

be ready to think, that Chrift is not willing to bestow fpiritual life upon us. But, in truth, all the unwillingnefs is on our fide. He is more willing to beftow fpiritual and eternal life upon us, than we are to receive it. If therefore we mifs of life, it will be, because we are unwilling to apply ourfelves to him for it. And that which Chrift fays, will be found a truth, Joh. v. 40. Te will not come unto me, that ye might have life. Do not then, on any pretence, neglect feeking to Chrift for life. Though you are ever fo unworthy, filthy and vile, yet this will be no hindrance to your obtaining life from Jefus Chrift. Remember what he once faid to a lewd woman, and let it be an encouraging confideration to you, Joh. iv. 10. If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that faith unto thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldeft have asked of him, and he would have given thee living waters.

DOCT. IV. Hearing the word of God is the way or means for men's fouls to live. God himfelf here directs

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to this, as the means to attain the life of the foul; Hear, and your foul fball live. Two propofitions are

implied in this.

PROF. I. Men fhould be concerned, that their fouls may live. This is clearly intimated in the text: for, God's fetting this before us, as an argument and encouraging motive, to hearken to him, is an evidence that we ought to be under a concernment for the life of our fouls. And in truth, this ought to be our great concern; as will hereafter appear. Two things may here be enquired into.

Queft. 1. What is that life of the foul here fpoken of, which men thould be concerned for?

Anfw. 1. Negatively: Not the natural life of the foul. There is no need of our concern for this. For the foul of man is an immortal fpirit. It is not fubject to death, as the body is. It will not die, it canpot die; but will affuredly live for ever. The fouls of all men, the bad as well as the good, are of an immortal nature; and therefore will eternally live. No creatures, men nor devils, can poffibly take away the natural life of the foul. Matth. x. 28. Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the foul. "Tis in the power of men to kill the body, but 'tis beyond their power to kill the foul, becaufe this cannot be killed. Indeed, God can annihilate the foul, or turn it into nothing, if he pleafes: but this he will not do. He has made it capable of exifting and living for ever, and has. ordained that it fhall fo do; and therefore fo it muft do. Our concern then for this natural life of the foul, is needlefs and fruitlefs. This therefore cannot be that life of the foul, which is propofed and promifed in the text. Wherefore,

Anfw. 2. Affirmatively: The fpiritual life of the foul is that which men fhould be concerned for. This is that life of the foul, which they should moft vehemently defire, and most industrioufly labour for. The fouls of finners, though naturally alive, yet are fpiritually dead. Now,

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the main concern of every man fhould be, that his foul may fpiritually live. Particularly here,

1. Men fhould be concerned, that their fouls may partake of a principle of fpiritual life. A principle of fpiritual life, is that which difpofes and inclines the heart of man to live unto God. Such a principle of fpiritual life, or grace, is wrought in the foul, in the work of regeneration or fanctification. It is in fcripture called a vivification, or quickning. Eph. ii. 1. You hath be quickned, who were dead in trefpaffes and fins. When God converts a dead foul, he puts into it a principle of heavenly and divine life, whereby it is dif pofed, no longer to live unto fin, but intirely to live unto God. Now men fhould be concerned, that their fouls may partake of fuch a gracious principle: that their minds may be renewed in knowledge, after the image of God, and that their whole fouls may be fanctified, and made alive unto God.

2. Men fhould be concerned, that their fouls may put forth acts and operations of fpiritual life, in living unto God. They fhould defire a principle of fpiritual life, for this end, that they might actually live to God. And this fhould be the great bufinefs of their lives in this world, that they live to the Lord, Rom. xiv. 8. Men fhould lay out themfelves for God. This fhould be the Sum, and the All of their lives. It confifts in thefe three things.

1. They fhould endeavour to live after the example of God. Their lives fhould be conformed to the life of God. They fhould take God for their pattern, and imitate him, in all his imitable perfections. Matth. v. 48. Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. So in Eph. v. 1. Be ye followers of God, as dear children. And 1 Pet. i. 15. As he who hath called you is holy, fo be ye holy in all manner of converfation. Our lives fhould be an exhibition, or holding forth, of the vertues and praifes of God. As God is holy, juft, wife, kind, gracious, merciful, true and faithful; fo fhould we be, in our whole converfation. Such a life of conformity

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to God, is a living to God. For, it terminates on him, as the most excellent pattern of life and is the highest way of fetting our feal of approbation, to that life which God lives.

2. They should endeavour to live according to the will of God, What the mind and will of God is, we have made known to us in the holy fcriptures. This will of God, is given to us, as the rule of our lives, according to which we are to act. 1 Pet. iv. 2. We fhould not live to the lufts of men, but to the will of God. Whatever is agreeable to the will of God, we fhould carefully do and whatever is contrary to the revealed will of God, we should studioufly avoid. When we do thus regulate our lives and actions according to the declared will of God, then do we live to God. To work for God, in doing his will, is a living to God. He that does the will of the flesh, lives unto fin. He that does the will of God, lives unto God. To him we live, by whofe will we choofe to be governed. If therefore our conduct be regulated by the will of God, we do live to God. We therein practically own his fovereignty over us, and acquiefce in his commanding will as holy, juft and good. And this is to live to God, as our fupream and rightful Lord.

3. They should endeavour to live to the glory of God. Man was made nextly and immediately to ferve and glorify God. And this every man fhould make his great fcope and end. I Cor. x. 31. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. All our actions, are to be fubordinated, and fubfervient, to the glory of God. We ought to keep an eye to his glory, in the whole courfe of our lives; that God may therein and thereby be glorified. Matth. v. 16. Let your light fo fbine before men, that they fecing your good works, may glorify your Father which is in heaven. When God's glory is thus propounded and profecuted, as the end of life, then do we live to God. If we make felf our end, the pleafing or the advancing ourselves, then we live to our felves. If we make men our end, feek

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