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SERM." thank worthy, if a man for confcience toward CLXXXIX. « GOD endure grief, fuffering wrongfully. For

"what glory is it, if when ye be buffetted for "your faults, ye fhall take it patiently? but if " when ye do well, and fuffer for it, ye take it "patiently; this is acceptable with GoD. For even "hereunto were ye called: because CHRIST alfo "fuffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye "fhould follow his fteps."

But though the example of our SAVIOUR be here propounded to us upon a particular occafion, and with a more especial regard to the particular virtue of patience under unjust fufferings, which did fo eminently appear in our bleffed SAVIOUR, the moft meek and patient endurer that ever was, of the greatest and moft wrongful fufferings; yet the ароstle does not limit this great pattern of all righteousness to the fingle virtue of patience, but propounds it to us, as an example of univerfal holinefs and goodness; for fo he extends it in the next words, leaving us an example, that ye fhould follow his steps, who did no fin, neither was guile found in "his mouth."

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In this latitude and extent I fhall difcourfe of it at this time, and that under these following heads ; I. That his life is a moft abfolute and perfect pattern.

II. That it is a very eafy and familiar example. III. Very encouraging to the imitation of it. IV. An univerfal pattern fitted for the imitation of all forts of perfons, of what rank or condition foever.

V. In the nature of it very powerful to engage and oblige men to the imitation of it.

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I. The

CLXXXIX.

I. The life of our bleffed SAVIOUR is a moft SERM, abfolute and perfect pattern of holiness and goodness, complete and entire in all its parts, and perfect to the utmost degree, in the following whereof there is no danger of being mifguided, no fear of mifcarriage: whereas all other examples of mortal men are fallible and uncertain guides, which if we follow too clofely, will fometime or other mislead us. In the lives of the best men recorded in fcripture, we may difcern fome spot and blemish, fome error and overfight, fome fall or flip; fo that the lives of the ho lieft men are no fure rule, no perfect measure of our duty, and are therefore to be imitated with great wifdom and warinefs, left we follow all their actions indifferently and implicitly, in confidence they are good, because they are theirs, we may fall into great errors and failings; and therefore in following the lives and examples of the best men, we muft have an eye to the rule, and by that judge of the example which we propose to imitate; otherwife we may eafily be feduced by the authority of a great example.

But the example of our LORD is a living law and rule, his precepts and pattern are of equal perfection, and the imitation of his life and actions, is the very fame thing with obedience to his laws. For the life of our bleffed SAVIOUR here on earth, is the life of Gop in the nature and likenefs of man; he was GoD as well as man, and the divine nature is certainly the pattern of all perfection. As he was the Son of GOD, he was "the brightness of his "FATHER'S glory, and the expreis image and "character of his perfon;" and as he was the Sox of man, though he had natural frailties and infirmi

SER M. ties, and was fubject to hunger and thirst, weariness. CLXXXIX and pain, like other men; yet he had all the moral

perfections belonging to humane nature, without any of the evil inclinations, and finful frailties to which it is incident; and his humane nature was affifted in an extraordinary manner by the SPIRIT of GOD, which "was not communicated to him by "measure," but "he was anointed with that holy "unction above his fellows," above all the fons of men, above all the prophets and meffengers of Gop that ever were fent to mankind; "he had no "fin, neither was guile found in his mouth." And indeed it was requifite, that he that "was manifested "to take away our fins," and to make expiation for them, fhould himself be "without fin," as the apostle to the Hebrews reafons, Heb. vii. 26. "Such "an high-prieft became us, who was holy, harm

lefs, undefiled, separate from finners:" and had he not been fo, he could neither have been an example, nor an expiation.

And this is no finall advantage to mankind, to have fo excellent a pattern of the fame nature with ourselves to imitate, fo perfect a copy to write af

ter.

For whoever would excel in any kind, muft (as Quintilian fays) optima quæque exempla ad imitandum proponere," propofe to himself the highest and "moft perfect examples of that kind for his imitation;" and the example of our bleffed SAVIOUR is unquestionably fuch a perfect pattern of all goodness and virtue, to the perfection whereof though we can never attain, yet it is a great advantage to have it always before us, and in our eye, that we may correct the errors and deformities of our lives, by the unfpotted purity, and perfect innocency of

CLXXXIX.

his life, and that we may be always afpiring after SERM. farther degrees of goodness; for furely we can no way better learn how God would have men to live in this world, than by feeing how GoD himself lived, when he was pleased to become man, to affume our nature, and dwell among us.

II. As the life of our bleffed SAVIOUR is a most perfect, so likewise it is a familiar and easy example. The divine nature is the great pattern of perfection but that is too remote from us, and above our fight; "no man hath feen GOD at any "time, nor can fee him ;" and though his perfections are represented to our minds in fome degree, yet they are not so glorious and dazzling an object, that we cannot bear to behold them with that ftedfaftness, with which we ought to eye our pattern; and therefore GOD hath been pleased to condefcend so far to our weakness, as to give us a visible example of thofe virtues he requires of us, in "his own "SON, appearing in the likeness of finful flesh; and the Son of GoD is an example of equal perfection with GOD himself, but much more eafy and familiar, and level to us, in which we may see the feveral virtues of a good life practised in fuch instances, and upon fuch occafions, as do frequently happen in humane life.

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Nothing was ever more fimple and open, more obvious, and eafy to common imitation, than the life of our bleffed SAVIOUR, in which there was nothing dark and myfterious, abftrufe and intricate; it was all perfect innocency and goodness, and he carried on one plain, and intelligible, and uniform de-, fign, which was to do all the good he poffibly could to all men this he purfued with all his might,

SERM. with the greateft vigour and industry, with an unCLXXXIX. daunted courage and refolution, with an unwearied

diligence, with a conftant chearfulness and ferenity of mind; this was "his meat and drink," his great bufinefs and delight, his life and his happiness; he was not fuperciliously morofe, had no affected fingularities, no peculiar aufterities in habit or diet, different from the common ufage of men: his converfation was kind and innocent, free and familiar, open and indifferent to all forts of perfons; for he was a phy fician, and every body had need of him, all mankind were his patients. He did not place religion (as fome have done fince) in retirement from the world, and fhunning the converfation of men, and taking great care to do no body good: not in profound myfteries and fine fpeculations, but in the plain and honeft practice of the folid and fubftantial virtues of a good life; in meekness and humility, in kindnefs and charity, in contentedness in a low and mean condition, and a calm compofure of mind under all accidents and events, in patience under the greateft reproaches and fufferings, and a perfect fubmiffion to the will of GoD in all his difpenfations, how harsh and unpleafant foever.

Now there is nothing in all this, but what lies open to every man's understanding, and is easy to our practice and imitation, requiring nothing but an honeft mind, and due care and diligence to do what we may eafily know, to follow our guide in a plain way, and in all the actions of our lives, to tread in those steps in which the Son of GOD, and the best man that ever was, hath gone before us.

III. The life of our bleffed SAVIOUR is likewife an encouraging example. It cannot but give great

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