-------·-- ---·· ----------::=--=-----=c'---,-...,----..:... JL,rolung unto jjdu.S'. Book IV. 333 Chap. 5. Sett. 9· !ifs for her God, whom fbe feeth to 40ttend 11pon fo b~Jc an office. Thus may_I imagi~e Fr– rer ro befpeak his Maller, bur he little knew what gl?ry lay htd tn tins humthty of Chrift; it wa~for us, and our example ; _an humble. ~hnlt, ro. t_Dake humble Chnlt!ans. 3 . In him was patience ; 0 whe~ I thmk of_Chnft s l~bou~s m preadung, weannefs in travelling, warchfulnefs in pray~ng, te~rs mcompafitonanng! ~nd then I add to a!l rhefe his fubmiffion ofSpirit, norwith!l:andmg all rhe affronts, tn)urtes, and exprobrattons of men· how lhould I bur cry out, 0 the patience. of Chrift! the Apo!l:le ,tells us • that when he wM revile.!, he reviled not again, when he fuffered, he thre~rncd not, but 1 Pet. ' · '3• committed him(elf to him that judgeth rightco~>jly,-- . -I have alrea_dy gwen a touch of rhefe graces in Chrift, which now I may fer before me.--· -~n btm waswtfdom! and knowledge and juftice, and mercy, and temperance, and fomtude, and every vurue, or every gr;ce char pof!iblyi can think of, A bundle of Myrrh i< my Beloved1mtome, a<· a clujfer of camphire in the vmeyard• of Engedt. .... , 3. I look ar rheconverfarion of Chrift in word and deed ; for his words, rhey were gracious. Nor an idle word ever came our of the lips of Chrift i himfelf rel!s us rhat of every idle word we mujl give an account, 0 rhen how free was Chnft of every tdle word? Mauh. ,,;3( he knew rhe rimes and feafons when to [peak, and when to be filenr ; he weighed every word with every drcum!l:ance, rime, and place, and manner, and matter; There's a E 1 ! time to k§ep filence, andatime to [peak.., faid Solom•n, when he returned again ro his wifcc e · 3 · 1• dom; and hence we read that fomerimes Jefus being.accufed, he held hu peare; andwhen Mauh. , 6,63, he IVM accufed of the chief Priefts a11d Elders he anfwered n•thing; bur other whiles he •7· u. pours our whole cataracts of holy inftructions ; he rakes occafion of vines, of ftones, of water, and lheep, ro fpeak a word in feafon; be is fiill difcourfing of the matters of the Kingdom of Heaven ; and be fpeaks fuch words as give grace unto all the hearers round about him ; fo for his deeds and actions they were full of grace and goodnefs; the Apo(\!e Peter give. him this character (which I look upon as a little defcription of Chrifl's life) who went about doing good; it was his meat and drink to do all the good he Alls to, 3g• could; ir was as natural to him ro do good, as it is for a fountain to fiream our, .he was holy and heavenly, unfpotted every way; 0 the fweet converfation of Chrifi: ! how humbly carrieshe iramongftmen? how benignly towards his Difciples? how pitiful was be towards rhe poor/ rowhom (as we rea<\) he made bimfelf moftlike; Hebe·' Cor. 8 9· came poor, thdt tve might be made rich; he defpifed, or abhorred none; no nor the very leapers, rbar were efcbewed of all; he flattered nor the rich and honourablei;Jbe was moft free from the cares of the world; his prefcriprions were, Care not for the·things of the mormv; and in himfelf he was never anxiouS> of bodily needs; above all, he was n;oft foli_cirousof faving fouls-Much more I might add, if I lhould go over the parttculars m the Gofpel; bur by rhefefew expteffions of Jefus Chrift we may conceive of all the reft.-- - 2. Let us be humbled for our great inconformity ro this copy; what an excellent pattern ts here before us? and bow far, how infinitely do we come lhorr of this blelfed pattern ~ 0 alas! if Chrilt will nor own me, urrlefs he fee his Image wrirren upon me, what will become of my poor foul? why Chrift was meek, and humble, and lowly in fpmr; Chrilt washoly, and heavenly; Chrifteverwenr about doinggood; and now when I c?me ro examine my own heart according to this original, I find naturally a meer anttparhy, acontrariety, I am as oppofite ro Chri!l as Hell and Heaven. I . For my thoughts, within I am full of pride, and malice; I am full of the fpirir of the world; what is there in my heart bur a world of patlions, rebellions, darknefs, and deadnefs of fpirirrogood? and, 2. If rhe fountain be fomuddy, can Ieltpecr·clear fireams? _what words are thefe, that come many a rime from me? Chrift would not fpeak an tdle word, bur how many idle, evil, linful words come daily flowing from my l•ps? Out of the flhlmdance of the momh the heart fpe~th ; and if I may guefs ar my hea~r by my words, where was my heart this Sabbath, and the other Sabbath, whenmydt~courfewas ~11 on my calling, or on the world, or ir may be on my lu~s,or on , my Daldah '·on my nghr-hand-fins,or on my right-eye-fins? and, 3.What acbonsarc tbefe fo frequently performed by me? if I mull: read my ftare by my converfation, Who(e •mage and fuperfcription u this ? rbe la!\ oath I fware , the lafr blafphemy I belched our, the !ail act of drunkennefs, idolatry, adultery I committed, ( or if rhefe fins are not fir to be named ) rhe !all: piece of wrong I did my neighbour, the !all: prank of pn~e I played on rhi~ ftage of the world, the lal1: expence of time when I did no good m the world, neither to my felf nor others, the lafi omiffion of good, as. well · I i z · · · - as
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