tion from him, as the Moon is firft enlightned by the Sun, and then reflects its light to the Earth.

MOREOVER, the Sun is the firft Caufe under God, not only of Light, but also of all the Life that is in any Creature upon Earth, without which nothing could live, no, not fo much as a Vegetable, much less an Animal Life; for that which we call Life, wherewith fuch Creatures as have Organs fitted for it, are actuated and quickned, fo as to be faid properly to live, it all depends upon the heat and influences of the Sun; fhould the Sun once cease to be, or to influence the World, all living Creatures would immediately expire and die. So is Chrift the Sun of Righteoufnefs, the Fountain of all fpiritual Life. In thee, faith David, is the fountain of life, in thy light we shall fee light, Pfal. xxxvi. 9. Where we see that Light and Life in this fenfe alfo go together, they both proceed from the fame Fountain, the Sun of righteousness, who therefore faith, I am the light of the world, be that followeth me shall not walk in darknefs, but shall have the light of life, Joh. viii. 12. that Light which hath Life always proceeding from it, and accompanying it; fo that he is both Light and Life it felf. I am, faith he, the way, the truth, and the life, Joh. xiv. 6. And our Life, as the Apoftle

ftle calls him, Col. iii. 4. even the life of all that believe in him. The life that I now live in the flesh, faith the fame Apostle, I live by the faith of the Son of God, Gal. ii. 20. And therefore be who believeth, and fo hath the fon, he hath life, and he that hath not the fon, bath not life, 1 Joh. v. 12.

FROM all which it appears, that All men by nature are dead in trefpaffes and fins, Eph. ii. 1. But when any arife from the dead by faith, it is Chrift that gives them life, C. v. 14. Who came into the world on purpofe that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly, Joh. x. 10. more abundantly, that is, in the highest and most excellent manner that it is poffible for Men to live. For this Life which the Sun of Righteousness raiseth Believers to, is the Life of Righteousness, an holy, an heavenly, a fpiritual, divine Life; it is the Life of Faith, whereby they live to other purposes, and in a quite different manner from other Men; they live to God, and not unto the World; they live in a conftant dependence upon him, and fubmiffion to him; they live with a firm belief of his Word, and fincere obedience to his Laws; they live altogether in his Service, fo that whether they eat, or drink, or whatsoever they do, they fill do it to the glory of God, I Cor. x. 31. In fhort, they ftrive all they

can

can to do the Will of God upon Earth, as the holy Angels do it in Heaven, and so have their Converfation there, where their Saviour and their Treafure is.

BUT this Life is infused into them, only by the Rays of the Sun of Righteousness, by that Holy Spirit which proceedeth from Chrift, whereby they being born again, and made the Children of Light, thus waik in newness of Life; and fo it is nourished alfo, preferved and strengthned only by him, who therefore calls himfelf the bread of life, Joh. vi. 35, 48. And the Bread of God, which cometh from heaven, and giveth life into the world, v. 33. the living bread, of which if any man eat, he fhall live for ever, V. 51. And this Bread which he gives is his flesh, which he gave for the life of the world, ibid. For his flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed; so that whofó eateth his flesh and drinketh his blood bath eternal Life, and he will raise him up at the laft day, that he may live for ever, v, 54, 55, 58. For Chrift is the refurrection and the life, whofoever believeth in him, though he were dead, yet fhall be live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in him fhall never die, c. xi. 25, 26. Though his Body may die, yet not his Soul. And his Body also at the laft Day fhall be raised again to Life, by the power of this glorious Son. For as

in Adam all die, even fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive, Cor. xv. 22.

SEEING therefore that Jefus Chrift is the Fountain of the Life of Righteousness, the Author of that fpiritual and eternal Life which the righteous live, as the Sun is of our natural, he alfo may moft properly be called the Sun, and the Sun of Righteoufnefs, as he is in the words before us. And fo he may be likewife from his chearing and refreshing our Spirits in the inward Man, as the Sun doth in the outward. The light of the eyes, faith the Wife Man, rejoiceth the heart, Prov. xv. 30. And truly the light is fweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the fun, Ecclef. xi. 7. This we all find by daily experience, and fo we do too, that the light and heat of the Sun agitate or move our animal Spirits in fo benign and delicate a manner, that we are always more chearful and pleasant when the Sun fhines clearly, than we are in a dark Night or cloudy Day. But in this the Sun of Righteousness infinitely exceeds the other, for he is the Fountain not only of fome, but of all the true Joy and Comfort that his faithful People have or ever can have in the World. It all ceeds from him, whom having not feen they love, in whom, though now they fee him not, yet believing they rejoice with joy unSpeakable,

pro

Speakable, and full of glory, 1 Pet. i. 8. For upon their believing in him, as having been delivered for their Offences, and raised again for their Juftification, he manifefteth himfelf, and his fpecial love and favour to them, in the pardon of their Sins, and their Reconciliation to Almighty God, whereby their Souls are filled, not only with unfpeakable, but glorious Joy, of the fame nature with that which the glorified Saints in Heaven are continually tranfported with. This is that which is called the lifting up the light of God's countenance, and his caufing his Face to fhine upon them, Pfal. iv. 6. Pfal. lxvii. 1. Pfal.lxxx. 3. Num.vi. 25. When the Sun of Righteousness thus fhineth upon them, refreshing and comforting their hearts, by the fweet influences of that Holy Spirit that proceedeth from him.

BUT the Sun doth not only refresh the Earth, but makes it fruitful; it is by his means under God, that Plants grow and bring forth Fruit, and that Animals do the refpective Works which God hath fet them. So is Chrift the Cause or Author of all the good and righteous Works that are done in the World; he himself faith, without me ye can do nothing, Joh. xv. 5. And his Apoftle could fay upon his own experience,