id incertum an ipso die Cicero de Senectute Mat. 28. 5 6. Mark 16. 6. Acts 2. 24 25. Rev. 1. 18. Rom. 1. 1. or alive we cannot say And that we shall all die we all know But how many here amongst us all are now both dead and alive together God knowes Indeed S. Paul was so He was both dead and alive indeed and so may some here be But it may be all here are not so Saint Pauls Condition was never Common Our Lord and Saviour dyed once and lived againe But his Servant Paul was dead and alive at once The Lord of life our Saviour Christ was crucified for Paul and lost his life But Paul the Servant of Christ was crucified with Christ his Lord and lived neverthelesse Some men have lived here the lesse by being crucified for Gal. 2. 7. Linus Episcopus de passione Petri. Eusebius Pamphil Ecclesi Histor lib. 2. 25. Christ But others much the more for being crucified with Christ The great Apostle of the Jewes was crucified for Christ and dyed But the great Apostle of the Gentiles was crucified with Christ and lived The Crosse of Christ did bring that one to death but not this other It brought Death to Saint Peter but life unto Saint Paul It can bring life as well as death It giveth life sometimes and sometimes it taketh life away It taketh life away sometimes that it may give it It taketh one away to give another It taketh this away to give a better And sometimes it kills and saves alive together It can doe both at Severall times and it can doe both at once It can doe both to severall men and it can doe both to one It can doe both by severall wayes and it can doe both by one sometimes it bringeth Life with Death and sometimes after Death it bringeth Life With the Death of sinne it brings the Life of Grace And after the Death of Nature it brings the Life of Glory True it is that the End of Life is ever by Death And yet it is as true that Death is not ever at the end of Life The Apostle dyed before his life was ended In the midst of Death a Man may be in Life And in the midst Life a Man may be in Death 1 Cor. 15. 31. I dye dayly sayd this Apostle when as yet he lived He had both Life and Death together in him He was in Death and Life at once A living dead man vivus crucifixus Crucifi'd with Christ and yet alive I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ c. This Text you see is full of turnings The Apostles Conversion is the Subject of it and well may it be the Subject of many conversions to quicken my discourse upon it Would my discourse upon it might quicken as many Conversions by it Now the Chiefe Considerables in it are these two 1. A Contradiction in Seeme 2. A Reconciliation in Substance In the first we have a Riddle Propounded In the Second we have the Riddle Expounded And in both together we may both Read the Riddle and the Reading of the Riddle I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live there 's the Riddle Yet not I but Christ that liveth in me there 's the Reading of the Riddle In the Riddle there are two Remarkables 1. The Mannr of it 2. The Matter in it It is the Manner of it that makes it seem so intricate a Riddle as indeed it is for it is proposed in a seeming Contradiction First the Apostle sayes that he is crucified with Christ and thereby seemes to say as much as that he is not living but dead For Christ was crucified to Death And then he sayes that he is neverthelesse alive and thereby seemes to say and sayes it in more then seemes that he is not dead but living Now thus to say it and to unsay it is to make a contradiction of it at least in seeme It is to speak a Paradox in it And all Paradoxes are admirable Propositions saith the Romane Oratour And this Text for a Paradox is as admirable as any other Every Riddle hath something mysticall in it But this Paradoxicall Riddle is a very mystery Yea whole Armies of Mysteries do keep their Randezvous within the quarters of this grand Paradox I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live And for the Matter in it it could not be more clearely expressed then it is by this very Manner of expression The Subject matter of it is S. Pauls Regeneration And that 's a matter very Mysterious It is mirabile magnum as Musculus calls it a John 3. 1. great Wonder When our Saviour first propounded the Doctrine of Regeneration to Master Nicodemus that great Ruler of the 3. Jewes and Master in Israel 10. it seemed a very Riddle to him and such a Riddle as he neither apprehended nor beleeved And therefore his Reply was not by unriddling but rejecting of it with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How can these things be It did so 9. puzle his Reason and so perplex his Faith that it seemed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thing impossible a thing incredible though it were proposed by Truth it selfe in the plainest Dialect of the Gospell John 14. 6. What would it have done if it had beene lapped up in Aenigmaticall Language like this of Saint Paul How would Rationis humanae in mysteriis regni dei caecitas in Nicodemo apparet cui omnia ista quae de regeneratione proponuntur absurda apparent Theodoricus in Analys Evangel Domin Trinit 1 Cor. 15. 45. it have posed his Mastership had it beene proposed in the Wonderment of a Riddle or seeming contradiction Yet in this Seeming Contradiction we may plainely see the parts of Saint Pauls Conversion and in that the parts of a perfect Regeneration The first part is Mortification The second is Vivification The first is a Death unto Sinne The Second is a New Birth â—nto Sanctimonie The first is the killing of the first Adam The Second is the Quickning of the Second in him I am crucified with Christ there 's his Mortification His Death unto sinne The killing of the first Adam in him Neverthelesse I live there 's his Vivification His New Birth unto Righteousnesse The quickning of the Second Adam I an crucified with Christ there 's his putting off of the Old Man which Ephes 4. 22. is corrupt concerning the former Conversation Neverthelesse I live there 's the putting on of the New-Man which after God â—â— Ephes 4. 24. created in righteousnesse and true holinesse I am crucified 〈◊〉 Christ there 's the Mortifying of the flesh The members upon the Coloss 3. 5. Rom. 8. 13. 4. Earth The deedes of the Body Neverthelesse I live there 's the Quickning of the Spirit The walking after the Spirit The life of righteousnesse by the Spirit for the spirit is life because of righteousnesse Rom. 8. 10. I am
crucified with Christ and so broken for sinne neverthelesse I live and so am broken from sinne In the first there is a true Humiliation in the second a reall Reformation In both together there is a present Change of the State of Nature into the State of Grace Yea he is so Changed that he is not himselfe any longer not the man he was but â— new man a new Creature and hence it is that he saith I livâ— 2 Cor. 5. 17. Galat. 6. 15. Yet not I non amplius ego not I any longer not I the same man I was but another Not Saul now but Paul Not a persecutour of the Gospel but a Preacher of it Not an Enemy to the Phil. 3. 18. 2 Cor. 11. 30. Crosse of Christ But a friend unto it A lover of it one that gloryeth in it God forbid that I should glory save in the Crosse of Christ by whom the world is crucified in me and I unto the World Gal. 6. 14. I am crucified with Christ that is baptized into the death of Rom. 6. 3 5 6 7. Christ or planted in the likenesse of his Death which was by crucifixion that the old Man might be crucified with him that the sinne of the body and the Body of sinne might be destroyed that henceforth I might not serve sinne for he that is dead is freed from sinne Neverthelesse I live not the lesse but the more Coloss 2. 12 13 by being quickened with Christ and risen with him through the faith of the operation of God Transplanted in the likenesse of his Rom. 6. 4. 5. Resurrection to walke with him in newnesse of life Now the Rom. 7. 24. Body of Death being thus killed in this holy Apostle and the spirit of his minde being thus renewed hee reckons himselfe to â—e dead indeed unto sinne but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Ephes 4. 23. Rom. 6. 12. Uno verbo dici potect concrucifixus Faber Stapulensis in Examin Lord which in other tearmes hee signifieth saying Christo concrucifixus suâ—â— vivo autem as Montanus has it I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am Crucified with Christ there 's his Mortification or the first pat of his Regeneration and in these words we may observe two Remarkables 1 Exemplum A Patterne  and 2 Exemplatum A Parallel The Patterne is our Saviours Crucifixion The Parallel in S. Pauls concrucifixion Our Saviours Crucifixion was in example to S. Pauls And S. Pauls concrucifixion was in imitation of our Saviours Christ was crucified for Paul and Paul was crucified with Christ and wee should all be crucified with both The crucifixion of our Saviours Body for sinne was a patterne to every one of us as well as to S. Paul that all wee might learne to crucifie the Body of sinne in our selves His dying upon the Christus crucifixuâ— est idaea nostrae mortificationis Climac Crosse for our sinnes should teach us all the Apostles way of dying unto sinne Christs crucifixion is the true Idaea of out mortification and a Christian truly mortified is to the life the likenesse of Christ crucified Christ was crucified for all true Christians and all true Christians are as Paul in this was crucified with Christ Our Saviours crucifixion and S. Pauls concrucifixion were both mysterious both full of Paradoxes and our Saviours Person was as paradoxicall as his Passion They are both the subjects of many and many seeming contradictions In his Person hee was made a very contradiction for sinners and at his Passion hee endured the contradictions of sinners In his Person hee Heb. 12. 3. was the great Creatour himselfe that formed every creature yet was a Creature formed by that Creatour His Body was made of his Mothers substance yet hee it was that made the substance of his Mothers Body of which hee was made Hee was made after the World was what hee was not before the World was made yet was hee still after hee was made what he was before the World was made or hee so in it Hee was begotten before his Mother was borne yet was hee borne of his Mother before hee was begotten of her As old hee was as Daniel 7. 9. John 1. 14. 3. 16. the ancient of dayes his Father that begat him and older hee was then his Virgin Mother that gave birth unto him Begotten hee was of his Father and borne hee was of his Mother yet was hee not begotten by his Father as hee was borne of his Mother not yet borne of his Mother as hee was begotten of his Father He was the onely begotten Sonne of his Father and he was begotten of his Father onely His Father begate him without Virgo Mater utiqâ—e admirabilis singularis a seculo non est auditum quod virgo esset quae pâ—perit Mater esset quae virgo permanfit S. Bernard Ser. 10. Isaiah 9. 6. the office of his Mother And hee was the onely Sonne of his Virgin Mother and the Sonne onely of his Mother as hee was her Sonne and borne of her His Mother did bear him without the office of a Father On his Fathers side hee was God and not Man and on his Mothers side he was Man and not God yet betwixt both hee was both God and Man to mediate betwixt both at his first comming and to arbitrate betwixt both at his second No wonder then it was that his Name was called Wonderfull for every thing in him was full of Wonder and his Passion was as wonderfull as any thing His comming into the world had a world of wonder in it and so had his being in it and his leaving of it did leave as many behind it Hee was crucified yet was not crucified Hee suffered yet did not suffer Hee dyed yet did not die and hee rose againe saith S. Ambrose yet did not rise againe And are not all these S. Ambros de Spirit sancto seeming contradictions Is not every period a very Paradox yet all very orthodox and easie to be unriddled Two Natures were united in that one Person of Christ And Christ endured that in one of his Natures which the other could not endure As Man or in his Manhood he suffered was crucified and dyed and rose from Death But as God or in his Deity he could doe neither Thus the Life and Death of Christ were very mysterious full of mysteries and so are the Life and Death of every mysticall Member of Christ Every true Christian is such a Member and this Vessell of Election our holy Apostle was such a Christian Hee was one that had the characters of Christs sufferings in his mortified Body I beare in my Body the markes of the Lord Iesus saith hee Galat. 6. 17. conformed to the mysticall Head of the Church in sufferings Christo concrucifixus crucified with Christ and his estate now was very Mysterious he was both dead and alive at once Crucified
saith our Apostle God forbid ye we establish the Rom 3. 31. law Indeed they that are in Christ and have Christ living in them are not under the law but under Grace But how Not Rom. 6. 14. under the law to seeke for justification by it but yet they are under it to encrease their sanctification by it They are not under the Curse of the law to Condemnation but under the Course of the law they are for Commendation Not under the Rigor of it but under the Rule of it And he can never be a true disciple of Christ that will not be ruled by it He that would live with Christ in Heaven must live with him on Earth first He that would be like him in the life of Glory must be like also in the life of Grace And he that would be so must labour to be like him in his Moralls He that is Crucified with Christ must live like one that is so Crucified like one that is dead to sinne like one that is dead unto himselfe like one that hath Christ living in him and that can never be untill the life of Christ be represented in his life in the manner or morality of it It is this that our Apostle S. August Serm. 13. de verb. Dom. cheifely points at in the Text when he sayes Christ liveth in him Vnumquodque secundùm hoc vivat unde vivit Saith Saint Austine every thing ought to live according to that by which it liveth The Body liveth of the Soule And the Soule liveth of Christ Let both then live according to those things that give them life let the Body live so after the Soule and the Soule so after Christ that both soule and body may live together with Christ for ever hereafter It is from this kinde of life that a man may have hope in death And it is by this kinde of life that a man may assure himselfe that he is dead Death unto sinne is best attested by the life of Grace It was by this that Saint Paul could ascertaine himselfe of his concrucifixion By this it was that he knew himselfe to be a Mortified member of the mysticall body of Christ He found Christ living in him and that made him say that he was crucified with Christ It is no easie matter for a man to be as this Apostle was a Mortified Man Crucified with Christ But easie it is for a Man to know he is so if he be so yet many are mistaken in this matter and take themselves to be so when they are not but the reason is they doe not observe the Manners of a Man concrucified They doe not observe how it was with Christ when he was crucified or with Saint Paul when he was crucified with Christ They doe not enquire whether it be so with themselves When Christ was crucified he was Patient and so was Paul Isal 53. 7. in all his sufferings for Christ when he was concrucified Are all we so Are we patient in tribulations Can we suffer our 1 Pet. 2. 23. losses and crosses with patience When our Saviour was reviled he revlied not againe When he suffered he threatned not but Committed himselfe to him that Judgeth righteously Doe we doe so So did S. Paul Being reviled we blesse saith he and being Persecuted we Suffer it and being defamed we intreate 1 Corinth 4. 12 13. Againe when Christ was crucified he was very pious Are we Luke 23. 34. so He prayed for the pardon of his Persecutors doe we so So did the Protomartyr Saint Steven and so did Paul and Acts 7. 60. so doe all that are conformed to our Crucified Saviour And if we do not so it is a signe we are not crucified with our Saviour Againe when Christ was crucified he left the world He neither reckoned of the Pompe nor of the Glory of it And so it was with Paul when he was crucified with Christ The world Gal. 6. 14. was crucified to him and he unto the world Now is it so with us If it be so the world may fawne upon us but we will not S. Aug. lib. de Salu. doc cap. 16. fancy it and it may frowne upon us but we will not feare it If we be crucified to that and that to us we will not Court it for any Pleasure nor Covet it for any Profit We will not Chrysost in Math. hom 55. flatter it nor yet be flattered by it We will not seeke to win nor suffer our selves to be wonne by the alurements of it With Paul concrucified we will esteeme all worldly things as Phil. 3. 8. dung and drosse in comparison of Christ Againe when Christ was crucified he was a dead Man and Crucifixum esse est mortuum esse Musculus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Photius Ephes 4. 19. so was Paul and a dead man does not sinne he that is crucified with Christ as Paul was is dead indeed unto sinne and alive unto God Though sin it self be not departed yet the life of sin is gone Sin is mortified in him Now how is it with us How is sin now committed by us Doe we still sinne with greedinesse Does sinne still live in us and we still love to live in sinne If so we are not yet concrucified True it is that the old sinnes of Man as well as the old man of sinnes must have a time to dy after they be crucified There will be sinne in any Regenerate Man as long as he liveth though he be never so long concrucified before his death For if we say we have no sinne we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Yet if we be truly Crucified with Christ the love of sinne will abate in us yea our loving will turne into a loathing of it and though we carry sinne every whither about with us yet we will not be carried every whither about with sinne There will appeare the power of godlinesse in us Counter-manding the Commanding power of sinne though it cannot alwayes prevaile The flesh lusteth against the spirit Gal. 5. 17. and the spirit against the flesh and these two are so contrary that a man cannot doe the things that he would There is a continuall See Perkins in his combate of the Flesh and Spirit Combate between the Regenerate and the Unregenerate parts of any Regenerate Person Such a Person is like that mysticall purse that has both old and new coyne in it The first and second Regenetatus duplici constat homine interiore nimirum ut â—xteriore Zanch. Miscellan lib. 3. Adams are both in the old new Man a living dead man a renewed man crucified with Christ and yet alive Such a person was S. Paul a person that had both sin and sanctitie at once A person crucified with Christ and so dying daily unto sin but not quitedead unto it or dead it may be unto many sins but not to all or dead to all it may