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fen with him through the Faith of the Operation of God, who hath raised him from the Dead: And you being dead in your Sins, and the Uncircumcifion of your Flesh, bath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all Trefpaffes. From this the Inference in the Text naturally follows: If ye then be rifen with Chrift, feek thofe Things which are above, where Chrift fitteth on the right Hand of God.

For the Explication of these Words, it will be neceffary to set before you the Reprefentation which the Scripture makes of the Natural State and Condition of Man, and of his Gospel State upon his becoming a Christian.

In the State of Nature the Scripture reprefents Men, Eph. iv. 17, 18. as walking in the Vanity of their Minds. Having the UnderStanding darkened, being alienated from the Life of God, through Ignorance and Blindness of Heart. As walking according to the Courfe of this World, according to the Prince of the Power of the Air, the Spirit that worketh in the Children of Disobedience, Chap. ii. 2. As Children of Wrath, having their Converfation in the Luft of the Flefh, fulfilling the Defires of the Flesh and the Mind, ver. 3. As Strangers to the Covenants of Promife, as having no Hope, and without God in the World, ver. 12. VOL. III. T

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As Servants of Sin, yielding their Members Servants to Uncleanness and to Iniquity, unto Iniquity, Rom. vi. 19, 20. And because the End of these Things is Death, therefore this State of Sin is called likewife a State of Death: You bath he quickened, fays our Apostle, who were dead in Trefpasses and Sins, Eph. ii. 1. The fame he repeats at the fifth Verse. Whilft Men were thus dead to God, and unto themselves, they lived only to Sin and Unrighteousness. Sin therefore is faid to reign in them, to have Dominion over them. The natural Paffions and Affections in this State of Corruption were but the Instruments of Sin, in all things fubfervient; and therefore are faid to conftitute the Body of Sin, that Body over which Sin, as the Soul or active Principle, had entire Rule and Dominion. Thus we read, Rom. vi. 6. The old Man is crucified with him, that the Body of Sin might be deftroyed, that henceforth we Should not ferve Sin. And in the second of the Coloffians, and eleventh Verse, we are Said to put off the Body of the Sins of the Flesh. The Members, of which this Body is made up, are in the next Chapter defcribed: Mortify therefore your Members which are upon Earth, Fornication, Unclean

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nefs, inordinate Affection, evil Concupifcence, and Covetousness, which is Idolatry, Eph.iii. 5. This Body is by St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, called the Body of Death, for the fame Reason that the State of Sin is called the State of Death: O wretched Man that I am, who fhall deliver me from the Body of this Death; or, as the Margin renders it, from this Body of Death, Ch. vii. 24. The Body, together with the Soul, which is the active Principle of Life, and the Influencer and Director of the Body and all its Motions, conftitutes the Man. From hence therefore, by an eafy and natural Metaphor, these depraved Appetites and Affections, which are the Inftruments or Members of Sin, and which compose the Body of Sin, together with the evil Principle ruling in us, and directing these Affections in the Pursuit of all Uncleanness and Iniquity, and which is called Sin, are said in Scripture to be the Old Man; the Man which only lived before the Regeneration by Christ Jesus. Thus, Rom. vi. 6. The old Man is crucified with him, that the Body of Sin might be deftroyed. And the Ephefians, Ch. iv. 22. are exhorted to put off, concerning their former Converfation, the old Man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lufts. This is the State of Nature,

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according to the Representation and Language of Holy Scripture: And it is easy to see what must become of this old Man, this Man of Sin, upon the Appearance of Christ Jefus, who came to deftroy the Works of the Devil, to give Light and Life to those who fat in the Shadow of Darkness and Death; he and his Works must be destroyed to make way for the Spirit of Righteoufnefs, and his holy Works. But thus to destroy the old Man, to root out all the corrupt Affections of Nature, and to implant a new Principle of Life and Holiness, to restore the decayed Image of God, to give new Defires to the Soul, new Affections to the Heart; what is it but to new-make the Man, and by a second Creation to restore him to the Rights and Privileges of the first, which were long fince forfeited by Sin and Disobedience? For this Reason the Christian is faid to be a new Creature: If any Man be in Chrift, he is a new Creature, 2 Cor. v. 17. In Chrift fefus neither Circumcifion availeth any Thing, nor Uncircumcifion, but a new Creature, Gal. vi. 15. In the fecond Chapter of the Ephesians, we are faid to be the Workmanship of God, created in Christ Jefus unto good Works. And in the fourth Chapter, ver. 23 and 24, we are faid to be renewed

in the Spirit of our Mind: To put on the new Man, which after God is created in Righteoufnefs and true Holiness. Nay, we are said even to put on Chrift, from the Similitude of Will and Affections between Chrift and his true Members: As many of you as have been baptized, fays the Apostle to the Galatians, have put on Chrift, Chap. iii. 27.

From this Account it is easy to understand the Propriety of the Words or Phrases made ufe of to express these two Conditions. Sometimes we read, that we were dead before the Knowledge of Chrift: Sometimes, that we died and were buried with Chrift: Again, that we rofe with Chrift, and are alive in him. Now, to be dead before the Coming of Chrift, and yet to die with Christ after his Coming, and yet still to be alive in Chrift, may seem to be Affertions inconfiftent with respect to the fame Perfon: And fo indeed they are. But, if we take the fame View of Man that the Scripture does, the Inconfiftency will foon vanish. Man was at firft created after the Image and Likeness of God, with a Rectitude of Mind and Will, with Inclinations. adapted to his true Happiness, and subject to the Influence and Direction of Reason: This was Man after the Image of God. But, upon Difobedience,

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