1o8 Gook IV. 14rotung unto jj£fuS'. Chap. 5 .sea-:; SECT. II. bf conjidtring l•flu in that rrfpefl. 2. LEt ~s confider J efus carrying on the great work of our falvation during his life. Jt ".not enough to fiudy and know, but we mu!t mufe and meditate, and confi– der of 1t, ull we bnng Hto fome profitable 1ifue. By meditating on Chri!t we may feel or find a kind of mfenfible change, we ~now not how; as thofe that ftand in the fun for other purpofe>, they find themf~lves hghrn_ed and heated; fo in holy meditation our foul: may be altered. and changed m~ fecret mfenfible way; there is a venue goes ~long WHh a fenous mcdltauon ; a changmg, transforming venue; and therefore look tunher 0 my foul, have il:rong apprehenfionsof. all thofe feveral paifages t>f rhe life Qf Chrill. I. C~fiderthe pr~aching of {oh1i Baptift, we talk of !trictnefs, but lhew me among all the Mm1fters or Samrsof th1s Age, fuch a pattern of fant'tity and fingular a\Jilerity; the fum of h1s Sermons was repent«nce, an~dere/t[lton of fin, ?nd bringing forth fruits worthy of <1mendmcm of hfe. In the promoung of wlmh doctnne, he was a fevere re– pre2enderof the Pharifees, and Sadduces, and Publicans, and Souldiers, and indeed of all men, butefpecially o'f thofe that remained in their impeHitency. for againil them he denouetd judgment, and fire unquenchable ;' Oh he had an excelle~t zeal, and a vehe– ment Spirit in preaching; and the Commentary upon all hisSermons was his own life. he was doathedin Camels hair, his meat was Jocuftsand wild honey; he contemned' the world, re!ified ten1ptations, defpifed to a1Tume falfe honours to himf~lf, and in all paf– fages was a rare example of felf-denial, and mortification; and by this means he made an exce)lent, and apt preparation for the Lord's coming. 0 my foul dtat thou would'll: bur fit a while under this ,Preacher; or that thou would'!t but ruminate, a'nd chew the cud; t~ink over his Sern~ons of repentance, and righreo•f[nefl, 11nd temperance, and of the ;udgment to. come.. and fee what inllt~ence they have; when P «H! preached {uch a Sermon to Felix, 1t IS fa1d that he trembled;. a Sermon of the chajfeJ b~erning witbunquench– ab/e fire, is enongh to make thy heart tremble, if powerfully delivered, and alfedio– nately received; but fee, what effect doth it work on thy l.earr anj life? doll: thou feel in thee a fpirit of mortification? doft thou with the Baptift die to the world? doil: thou deny thy will of all irs·naturallinfol defi~es; doll: thou abfiain from ple~fures, and fen– fual complacencies, that the tleth bei'ng fubdued to the fpirit, both may joyn in the fervice of God? dolt thou kill the Ju!tS of the Belh by raking away the fuel and incen– _tives of luf!s? this is the work of meditation ; it fir!t employos the underfianding in confideration of things, and tlten the ·will in the reception of things; and both thefe ill. order to grace and a pious converfation : that mqlitation which dCt'ermines in notio~s, or fpeculations of knowledge, is like the winter fun that /l,ines, but warfTls nor: 0 my foul, confider: aHp (olong confider on the preaching of this prodromm, or fore– runner of Chrill , till thou feeleO: this conlideration ro have fome warmth in . thy. heart, and influence on thy life in order ro holinefs, felf-denial , -and monili~ eauon .. 2. Confider o( .~he Raptifm of Chriil:; he that never finned was made fin for us, an<) fo it WlS pr9per,eoouoh for Chrift to take upon bin~ the Sacrament of lin.ncrs, or of repentance for !In; l;>vr-efPecially hewas baptifed that m the fymbole he .m•ght punfie our natur~, whofe flains artd guilt he had undertaken. Confider of this 0 my foul, anqbring it home to thy felf, furely every fo~l t]m lives the. life of grace, i<. born of water and the Spirit; and to tillS purpofe Chrrfi.who 1s our life, went down mro the waters of b 1 ptifm, that we wh.o.defcend after l11m m1ght find the effecrsof 1t ; as par– don of fin, ldoption into the Covenant of Grace, and holmefs of hfc. Had Rot Chriil been baptized, what venue had there been m our bapnfm ? As 1t becAme ?:m to Matlh. 3· •5· fulfil all rig/m 011 fne{s, and rherefore he. mull: needs be baptiZed ; ~o he fulfilled '' not for himfelf, but for us; Chrifl:'s obed1ence 1n fulfilhng the Law, 1s tmputed to aU that believe umo righteoufn<fs, as if themfel~es lud fulfilled; fo that he w~s baptized for us; and tbe venue of his baptifm is denved unto us; 0 the fweet of this meduan– on! Chrift was bapriud · and when baptized, the f-JetWens were opened, and we holy Ghuft dfccnd<d, and a v~ice from Heaven proclaimed him to be the Son of God, and one
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