took our nature and our iniquities upon himself, and underwent death in the behalf of all: he dying therefore upon the crofs for all, all are faid to be crucified with him. He, as the Apoftle to the Hebrews tells us, tafted death for every man, Heb. ii. 9. And it is St. Paul's inference, that if one died for all, then were all dead, 2 Cor. v. 14. And the way to attain to the benefits of the death of Christ, is, as we learn from the fame Apoftle in his Epiftle to the Philippians, to be conformable unto his death. This conformity confifts, as we have already feen, in dying to fin, and the affections of it; in putting off the old man, in putting on the new man, who is created after righteousness. This St. Paul, in the fixth of the Romans, ftyles, being planted in the likeness of his death, and being planted in the likeness of his refurrection. To this likewife he plainly refers in the 29th verfe of the eighth chapter: For whom he did foreknow, he also did predeftinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firft-born among many brethren. There are many precepts likewise in Scripture, founded upon this notion of our conformity with Chrift. The text is one instance: another you have in the thirteenth of the Romans; But put ye on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and make not provifion for the flesh to fulfil the luft thereof. And again; How fhall we, who are dead to fin, live any longer therein? And many other places there are, which must be opened with this key.

Nay, the very effence of Christianity confifts in this conformity with Chrift; and therefore baptifm, which is our admiffion to the Gofpel, is nothing else but a folemn taking upon ourselves this confor

mity. This we learn from St. Paul in the fixth of the Romans: Know ye not, fays he, that fo many of us as were baptized in Jefus Chrift, were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptifm into death; that like as Chrift was raifed up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even fo we alfo fhould walk in newness of life, chap. iii. 4. To walk in newness of life is our conformity to the refurrection of Chrift, which was to new life and glory. For thus the Apostle preffes the argument: Chrift being raised from the dead, dieth no more: death hath no more dominion over him. Likewife reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto fin, but alive unto God through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Let not fin therefore reign in your mortal body, ver. 9, 11, 12. As the refurrection of Chrift was to perpetual life, never more to be expofed to death; fo muft our firft refurrection, according to this pattern, be to perpetual holinefs, and a conftant freedom from fin.

If we bear in our minds this account of the Scripture language, and of the reasons upon which it is founded, it will be a key to open unto us the meaning of many, otherwise intricate, paffages of Scripture. For inftance: we fhall not be to seek, when we find mention made of two deaths which we muft undergo, of two refurrections which we must partake in: we shall easily distinguish between the natural death of the body, and the death unto fin; between the refurrection to life eternal hereafter, and the refurrection to holiness and righteousness in this present world. I am crucified to the world, fays St. Paul, and the world to me. Whofo

ever is born of God, fays St. John, i. e. whoever is begotten to this new life in Chrift by the power of God, overcometh the world. St. Paul tells us, that the Spirit of God will quicken our mortal bodies, as well as our dead bodies. Which is not to be understood without having recourse to the firft refurrection, which is to a new life of holiness here, and which must be the forerunner and introducer of the fecond refurrection to glory. The Apostle to the Philippians tells us, that he willingly fuffered the loss of all things, that he might know Chrift and the power of his refurrection. And this he defired to know, that he might attain to the refurrection of the dead, Phil. iii. 10, 11. Where, if you remember what has been faid of our being made conformable to the death and refurrection of Chrift, by rifing to holiness and righteousness, you will not be at a lofs to understand what it is to know, or feel, the power of Chrift's refurrection; or to underftand, how the knowing the power of Chrift's refurrection fhould be a means of attaining to the refurrection of the dead. Such is the power of Chrift's refurrection, that those who feel it have, as the Apostle in the 20th verfe informs us, their converfation in heaven; whence alfo we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jefus Chrift. This, which St. Paul calls knowing the power of Chrift's refurrection, and having our conversation in heaven, the author to the Hebrews calls, tafting the powers of the world to come, Heb. vi. 5. The refurrection is indeed one of the powers of the world to come, which all partake in, and tafte of, whofe mortal bodies are quickened by the Spirit of God. In the verse

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after this it is faid, that those who fall from their faith, crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to open fhame. How does he who falls. away crucify Chrift, or put him to open fhame? This cannot be understood, but by having recourse to the Scripture reprefentation already explained. But, if we remember that all who are baptized crucify the old man with his deeds; that they put on the new man created after holinefs; that the Apoftle to the Galatians exprefsly fays, that as many as are baptized put on Chrift; it will readily appear, why it is that those who fall away crucify Christ afresh for, by receiving the faith, they put on Chrift, and crucified the old man and his deeds;. but if they defert the faith, and return to their former deeds, and again put on the old man, they do then crucify Chrift again with his deeds, and put him once more to open fhame.

This notion of the different states and conditions of man, of the death of the old man, of a new creature in Chrift, runs through the precepts, exhortations, and doctrines of the Gospel, which cannot be understood but by analogy to this notion and therefore I hope I may be excused in spending fo much of your time in the illustration of it. You have heard already of our death, and burial, and . refurrection with Chrift; but the Apoftle in the text carries the metaphor ftill one degree higher; If ye be rifen with Chrift, feek thofe things which are above, where Chrift fitteth at the right hand of God. As if he had faid, It is not enough that ye are rifen from the dead with Chrift, you must also afcend after him into heaven; for there is your life hid in

Chrift, there are your true riches, and thither muft you go to take care of them. You are dead to the world, and can no longer live to it; your life is spiritual and heavenly as is your life, fuch muft be the actions which flow from it, the inclinations that attend it. Since therefore you are dead to the world, alive to Chrift through the Spirit of holiness, you must act like members of Chrift, and fet your affections on things above, where Chrift your life is afcended. Hence it is that St. Paul often exclaims against the abfurdity of a Chriftian's living in fin. You may juft as well fay, that all the actions of life may be performed in the grave, when a man is dead and buried, as fay that a Chriftian may continue in fin: for the Chriftian has crucified and buried the body of fin. How then, as the Apostle cries out, fhall we who are dead to fin continue any longer therein? Sin is the only poifon by which the life of Chrift, which is in us, may be deftroyed. It is a life which no man can take from you but yourself. Those who kill the body cannot reach it not all the powers of darkness, fin only excepted, can separate believers and our Lord. But every unmortified luft, every unfubdued vice, is a cancer that eats into our very vitals, and, if we do not cut them off, will in the end destroy us quite. Holiness is as neceffary to our fpiritual life, as eating and drinking are to our natural; and therefore the Apostle's conclufion in the text is juft, If we be rifen with Chrift, if we live with him, we must seek the things which are above.