Chrift's Mouth, was the very Voice of the Divine God-head itself, reconciling the elect loft Ifraelites, in the Man Christ Jefus, to himfelt through Death.

Furthermore, when Lazarus, according to Chrift's Words, was dead and buried, four Days in the Grave; (as it is written) if his Soul was alive, in Paradifical, or heavenly Places, of divine Glory, furely that Glory was in the Grave; and from thence was Lazarus raised from Death to Life. My Words (faith the Lord Jefus Chrift) are Spirit and Life. And he was the Refurrection and the Life, as he faid unto Martha.

Wherefore you may know, that Man's Body and Soul, being but one living Substance, they are effentially one in Death alfo. And it was that everlasting Vertue of Chrift's, Word only, which was that God that raifed the Soul and Body of Lazarus, out of the Grave, or Sleep of Death, unto Life, again. The Words that I speak unto you, faith Chrift, are Spirit and Life. That is, as if he should have faid, My Words alone are all fpiritual Life, Love, Peace, with Variety of glorious new Joys, beyond all Comprehenfion, in the Spirits of Men and Angels. Or, as if he fhould have faid, My Words principally tend to the fatisfying of the Soul, with all divine Excellencies, which are eternal. I have Power, faith Christ, to lay down my Life, and have Power to take it again. That is, as if he fhould have faid, I Only have all the God-head Power, in my own Perfon, to die, and to command Life out of Death itself. Again,

Moreover, If there be but only One Perfonal Majesty, or glorious Power, over Heavens, Earth, Angels, and Men, who then befides the Lord Jefus could fpeak thefe Words? For alas! you may know, it is impoffible for any Creature, whether Men or Angels, to have Power in themselves in the least, either to live or die.

Furthermore, the Lord Jefus being the only God over all Life and Death, did verily believe, or undoubtedly, know, that whatever he faid fhould come to pass, that rather than he would or could be prevented in his. Words, not only Heaven and Earth, but all Things elfe, may fooner pafs away, and be no more feen. That moved him to fay, Heaven and Earth

Shall

fball pass away, but my Words fhall not pass away. And to fay, But after that I am rifen, I will go into Galilee before you.

Hence you may underftand, if the God-man Chrift Jefus alone be your living Life, that, as aforefaid, it was his Faith, in the ever-living Vertue of his Word speaking, which impowered him to lay down his divine Soul, or God-head Life, in the Hell of the Grave, for a Moment, with his bleffed Body; and from thence, as the most pure Grain, even naturally to quicken and revive that Life again out of Death itself, that it might live, in a new and glorious Manner, in Immortality to Eternity; even in that Body that died, and no other.

For now I may boldly fay, with unfhaken Confidence, that the Variety of all unutterable Joy, or ravishing Glory, that God himself eternally poffeffeth, naturally floweth in him, only from the Vertue of his manifold Deaths, of deadly Sufferings, formerly endured in that very Body of Flesh and Bone, now glorified,

Again, Chrift Jefus being the only God, the everlasting Vertue of his Word fpeaking, gave him all Power over Life and Death, by his moft precious Life, poured forth in his Blood unto Death, that he alone might purchase from his Divine Self, in a new Way, to become the only Lord, both of the Dead and Quick. It is not the natural Life, or half dying of a God, or of his Son, if they were distinct; but it must be the Blood, or whole Life, of an infinite Power itself, that can cleanse the Confcience from dead Works, to enable a Man spiritually to obey the ever-living God, according to that in the Twentieth of the As, where it is thus written, For I have kept nothing back, but have shewed you all the Counsel of God. And in the Twenty-eighth Verse are these Words: To feed the Church of God, which he hath purchafed with his own Blood.

With aftonishing Admiration, behold a divine Wonder! God himself was abfolutely dead, and buried, out of the Sight of all Men and Angels, and yet was virtually living, every where at one and the fame Time, but was not fenfible of it in his own Perfon, until he was rifen from the Grave. But this fpiritual Food is for strong Men in Chrift, and not for Babes.

Moreover,

Moreover, by Vertue of his Word of Truths fpeaking only, he created out of a confufed Chaos, both Worlds, and all in them, which were created, whether for a Time, or for Eternity. Who, by the fame Power, alfo twice changed the Condition of his own glorious Perfon.

Furthermore, his divine Soul died in the Flefh, and quickened in the Spirit, not only to prove the infinite Power of Truth, fpeaking thro' his fpiritual Mouth, but also for the confounding that carnal Reafon in Man, which upon all Occafions contends against his divine Wisdom, and all other his unfearchable Counfels. It being a common Saying among Men, that it is Blafphemy for any Man to fay, that God could poffibly die; notwithstanding the Scripture fays, Is any thing too hard for God; and with God, faid Chrift, nothing shall be impoffible. And why think you do Men fay, the God-head neither did, nor poffibly could die? Truly, because they by no means can imagine which Way the Creator fhould live again, if once dead. Thus they measure the Almighty Power of an Infinite Majesty by the narrow Compass of blind Reason, proceeding out of the bottomless Pit of their own lying Imagination, which neither doth, nor poffibly can understand any thing of the fpiritual Power of Truths fpeaking. And because the Lord Jefus Chrift's wonderful Power, divine Faith, or Truth, is hid from them, therefore they are at Enmity with him, and his Elect, unto whom alone his Secrets are revealed; and fo they always call the Divine Majefty a Liar to his Face, both in his Perfon and People. And because they fee no Power in themselves to live or die, from this their no fpiritual Power at all, impudently, or ignorantly, they take upon them to judge the God of all divine Power over Life and Death, who is bleffed for ever.

And because he could not poffibly lie, therefore by the Word of his Power he did die, and live again. Or elfe what mean the Scripture Sayings, Because he poured forth his Soul unto Death. For Christ therefore rofe again and revived, that he might be Lord both of the Dead and of the Quick. I am that firit and that last, and I am alive but was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore. Thefe Things faith he which is first and laft, that was dead, and is alive. Thou wilt not leave my Soul

in the Grave, neither wilt thou fuffer thy Holy One to see Corruption. He knowing that, before fpake of the Refurrection of Christ, that his Scul should not be left in the Grave, nor should his Flefh fee Corruption. More Scriptures might be mention'd to this Purpofe; but if this faving Truth, concerning the whole God-head and Manhood dying, and living together again, by its own quickning Power, be not fufficiently cleared, from the true Record itfelf, I would it were. Sure I am, thofe that fhall vilify this glorious Truth, after the Perufal of tihs Epiftle, (according as it is written) they have Eyes and fee not, Ears and bear not, Hearts and understand not; and account the Scriptures but meer Fancies, and human natural Wisdom, whatsoever they fhall pretend to the contrary.

Again, unless the Divinity had died with the Humanity, how could the glorious God experimentally, in his own Perfon, have known what Condition the Dead are in, whether they be the Elect or Reprobate? How could he, being in a creaturely Condition, be capable of entering into the Glory of the Creatorfhip again, any other Way but through Death, that from thence he might live again, and in the room of a Crown of Thorns, wear upon his Head a double Crown of immortal and eternal Glory, in the vifible Sight of elect Men and Angels;. which could not poffibly be attained unto any other Way but through Death? Is it therefore any Thing elle but the Devil in Man that wars against this divine Secret? If it be not fo, when Peter faid, Mafter, fpare thyself; why did Chrift fo fharply reprove him, faying, Get thee behind me, Satan, thou favoureft not the Things that be of God, but the Things that be of Men?

Morcover, that elect Men and Angels might more admire the Creator's Wisdom, Power, and Glory, in raising such tranfcendent eternal Excellencies out of Death itself, than all other Things!

Furthermore, you may know it was the God-head's Suffering under all Conditions, which gave him his prerogative Power over all Conditions, and from thence the Lord did experimentally know what Crowns of immortal Glory were most suitable for all fuffering Conditions, that his Chofen ones are to undergo in this Vale of Tears, for Truth's Sake; alfo, what Measure

of

of eternal Death, in utter Darknefs, was moft meet for curfed Cain, and his Generation of angelical merciless Men and Women, whofe ferpentine Wisdom is that wicked one that is no way able to endure thefe Salvation-Myfteries, because they discover their hypocritical Gloryings in gilded Words only, that perish, inftead of glorious Things, which are eternal.

This will be that gnawing Worm of Confcience, that never dies, and fiery Curfe of the Law, that will never be quenched in Men's Souls, when the Lord Jefus Chrift fhall appear, with his Saints and Angels to eternal Judgment.

And fo much at prefent concerning the Spirituality of Words fpeaking, through the heavenly Mouth of the only and everliving God-Man Chrift Jefus our Lord, who fits in the Midft of the Throne of Crowns, of all Varieties of immortal Glory, and Majefty, in the highest Heavens, and lowest Hearts, even to all Eternity.