LIFE, to Live: These two Words, as well as those of Death and to die, which have been spoken of in another Place, are equivocal, and understood in a proper and figurative Sense for the Life of the Body, and the Life of the Soul; for the Life of Faith, Grace and Innocency, for temporal Life, and Life eternal. A living Soul signifies a living Animal, a living Person, and my Gen. xii. 13.Soul shall live because of thee. My Life will be preserved in Consideration of thee. No Man shall see me and live; that is to say, if a Ex. xxxiii. 20.Man has a supernatural Vision, if God appears to him, he is in Danger of losing his Life. No Man will be able to sustain the Splendor of my Majesty. As the Lord liveth, and as thy Soul liveth. I swear by the 1 Sam. xx. 3.Life of God and by thine. The Lord swears by his own Life; I lift up my Hand to Deut. xxxii. 40Heaven and say, I live for ever.
The Lord is called the living God in Opposition to the Gods of the Gentiles, who were but dead Men, or Stars or Animals, whose Lives are of a borrowed Nature, and transitory; whereas the Lord is living, immortal, and the Author of Life, to every Thing that enjoys it; it is in him we live, from him we derive Motion and Existence, Acts xvii. 28.In him we live and move, and have our Being.
Rom. i. 17.The just Man lives by Faith, says Saint Paul: It is Faith which gives Life to the Soul, but this Faith must be animated by Gal. v. 6.Charity, and accompanied with Works; for Faith without Works is dead. Even they James ii. 20. John xi. 25, 26.who are dead in Sin rise again, and lead a new Life, if they believe in Jesus Christ; and they who have a lively and entire Faith never dye, or rather after Death enjoy eternal Life. I am the Resurrection and the Life, he that believeth in me, though he was dead; yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never dye. The Widow who lives in Delights is dead, though she appear to be alive; vivens mortua 1 Tim. v. 6.est. Jesus Christ, says Saint Paul, is my Phil. i. 21.Life, To me to live is Christ: I desire nothing passionately but his Glory, I live only for him, and if I can lay down my Life for him I shall be happy: To die is Gain. See VIVIFICO.