SERM. with majesty, reigning in fovereign power and glory, XXXIII. having all things in subjection under his feet; fometimes

also he will be represented as our Judge, before whose tribunal we must all shortly stand, and be obliged to render an account of all our doings: which thoughts paffing through our minds, will be apt to make fome impreffion upon our hearts, to have fome influence upon our actions. For, can that most amiable and most venerable idea of a perfon fo entirely pure and holy, fo meek and humble, fo full of benignity and charity toward all men, (particularly toward ourselves,) be otherwife than apt to beget some especial love and reverence toward him; than incline us strongly to do well, yea, than teach us what and how we should do fo, in conformity to fuch a pattern fet before us? it occurring to our thoughts, that he is our Lord and Mafter, (who made us, and maintains us; who purchased us to himself, and redeemed us from miferable slavery by his own heart-blood;) how can it fail to raise in us fome awe, some sense of duty toward him? Will not the apprehenfion of what he did and what he suffered for us powerfully mind us, that, according to all juftice and equity, in all ingenuity and gratitude, we are bound to do only that which will please him? If we think of Jefus, when we are setting upon any action, shall we not thereupon be apt thus to interrogate ourselves? Shall I do otherwife than he did, or would have done, so rendering myself unlike or contrary to him? Shall I be fo unfaithful to my glorious Master, as to differve him, or to neglect his fervice? Shall I be fo unworthy toward my gracious Redeemer, my best friend, my moft bountiful benefactor, as to disoblige him, to wrong him, to dishonour him, to grieve him by thus doing? Shall I be fo vain and rafh as to crofs him who is my King, able to controul and fubdue me; as to offend him who is my Judge, refolved to condemn and punish me? Shall I wilfully forfeit that friendship and favour of his, upon which all my happiness doth depend? Shall I procure his difpleasure and enmity, from which my utter ruin must inevitably follow? Such confiderations have a natural connection with our frequent thinking

upon, and the prefence, as it were, of our bleffed Saviour SERM. to our minds; which therefore may be commended to us XXXIII. as an excellent inftrument of bettering our hearts and our

lives.

To conclude: Let us all always remember, and confider, that we are Chriftians related unto Chrift Jefus, and called by his name, and as fo, in his name let us do all things.

Lord of all power and might; who art the author and giver of all good things; graft in our hearts the love of thy name; increafe in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and of thy great mercy keep us in the fame; through Jefus Chrift our Lord.

SERMON XXXIV.

OF BEING IMITATORS OF CHRIST.

I COR. iv. 16.

I beseech you, be followers of me: or, I exhort you, be imitators of mea.

SERM. ST. PAUL, by an impartial reflection upon his heart and

XXXIV.

life, being well affured, that he by the divine Spirit was enlightened with a certain knowledge of all neceffary truth, and endued with plentiful measures of divine grace; being confcious of a fincere zeal in himself to honour God, and benefit men; being satisfied, that with integrity he did fuit his conversation to the dictates of a good confcience, to the fure rule of God's law, and to the perfect example of his Lord; that his intentions were pure and right, his actions warrantable, and the tenor of his life confpicuously blameless, doth upon all occafions (not out of any felf-conceitedness, arrogance, or oftentation, from which he, by frequent acknowledgment of his own defects and his miscarriages, and by afcribing all the good he had, or did, to the grace and mercy of God, doth fufficiently clear himself; but from an earnest defire to glorify God, and edify his difciples) defcribe, and set forth his own practice, propofing it as a rule, preffing it upon them as an argument, an encouragement, an obligation to the performance of feveral duties. So by it he directeth and urgeth the Ephefians to a charitable compliance, or com

• Παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς, μιμηταί με γίνεσθε.

plaifance; a fweet and inoffenfive demeanour toward SERM. other: Give no offence, faith he, neither to the Jews, nor XXXIV. to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: even as I please 1 Cor.x.32. all men in all things, not feeking my own profit, but the 33. iv. 16. profit of many, that they may be faved: be ye followers of me: fo he guides and provokes the Philippians to endeavours of proficiency in grace, and the ftudy of Christian perfection: Nevertheless, faith he to them, whereto we have Phil. iii. 16, already attained, let us walk by the fame rule, let us mind 17. the fame thing: brethren, be ye followers together of me, and mark fuch as walk fo, as ye have us for an enfample. By the like inftance and argument, he moveth the Theffalonians to a fober and orderly converfation, to industry in their calling, to felf-denial, and a generous disregard of private interest: For yourselves, faith he, know how ye 2 Theff. iii. ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves diforderly 7, 8, 9. among you; neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail day and night, that we might not be chargeable to any of you; not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an example to you to follow us. The fame persons he commendeth, as having by this means been induced to a patient conftancy in faith and good works: Ye know, faith he, what manner of men 1 Theff. i. we were among you for your fake, and ye became followers 5, 6. of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction. The practice of all virtue and goodness he also thus recommendeth under this rule and obligation: Thofe Phil. iv. 9. things, which ye have learned, and received, and heard, and feen in me, do; and the God of peace shall be with you. Thus in our text (referring it to the context) he urgeth the Chriftians, his disciples at Corinth, to fidelity and diligence in the charges and affairs committed to them, to humility, patience, and charity; wherein he declareth himself to have fet before them an evident and exact pattern. Which practice of St. Paul doth chiefly teach us two things; that we be careful to give, and that we be ready to follow good example: the latter of which duties more directly and immediately agreeth to the intent of this place; and it therefore I thall only now infift upon:

SERM. the fubject and scope of my difcourfe shall be to fhew, XXXIV. that it is our duty and concernment to regard the practices of good men, and to follow their example. To which purpose we may observe,

I. That it is the manner of the Apoftles, upon all occafions, to inculcate this duty: we heard St. Paul: hear St. Jam. v. 10. James: Take, faith he, my brethren, the prophets, who have Spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of fuffering Jam. v. 11. affliction: Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have

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feen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful and Heb. vi. 11, of tender mercy: and the Apoftle to the Hebrews: We defire, faith he, that every one of you do fhew the fame diligence to the full affurance of hope unto the end; that ye be not flothful, but followers of them who through faith and Heb. xii. 1.patience inherit the promises: and again, Wherefore, feeing we are alfo compaffed about with fo great a cloud of witneffes, let us lay afide every weight, and the fin which doth fo eafly befet us, and let us run with patience the race that 1 Pet. iii. 1, is fet before us. And St. Peter: Ye wives, be in fubjećtion to your own husbands; even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. And wherever the eminent deeds of holy men are mentioned, it is done with an intimation at leaft, or tacit fuppofition, that we are obliged to follow their example.

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II. We may confider that to this end (that we might have worthy patterns to imitate) the goodness of God hath raised up in all ages fuch excellent perfons, furnithing them with rare endowments, and with continual influences of his grace affifting them, to this purpose, that they might not only inftruct us with wholesome doctrine, but lead us alfo by good example in the paths of righteoufness. For certainly what St. Paul faith concerning the fins and punishments of bad men, is no less applicable to 1 Cor. 1.11. the virtuous deeds and happy examples of good men: All these things happened unto them for enfamples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

III. They are written for our admonition: it was a special defign of God's providence in recording and recom