Chap. 5. Sect. 9 . Book IV. 335 . d by her )ove of Cbrifl and confidence in Chrifi, and f&miliarity with Chrifi·, Cant. to~;. ;;a~l~o by her contempt of the world, and all its glory, for Chrifi his fake ; .There is fome refembllnce of this iq the Spoufe, when tlte refolved of Chnff, He f".a/1 lye all 71 ;ght bmvi.w my breafh, q. d. ~e fhall be as near me as near may be, my m~dttatton of him (and by confequence my tmnatton of htm) fhall be. con11:ant and conunual; not only in the day, but He Jhel/1/ye all mt,ht betwtxt mybreajfs. What,. 0 my foul, was this the practife of the Saints? and wtlt thou not b_e of that c?mmumon? <?God forbid f thus let us quicken and provoke our fouls to thts c?nformtty; let us exctte, rouze, incenfe, awake, and lharpen up our wret~hed, tlug&tfl~, drouz~, lazy, fouls; our faint, feeble, flagging , faultering, droopmg , langmflung affectwns, defires, endeavours! let us with enlarged indufrry engage, and encourage our backward and rem1fs fpirits to fall upon this duty of conformity, ag~in and again; let ~s comeuphighenowards it, or if polliblywe may, compleatly to tt, that the fame nund, and mouth, and life may be in us that was in Jefus Chrill:, that we may be found to walk after Chrifi, that we may tread in the very prints of the feet of Chrifi, that we nuy climb up after him, into the fame heavenly Kingdom, that we may afpirecogtinually towards him, and grow up to·him, even to the menfureof the ftature of the fislve[! of Chrift, . 4· Let us regulate our felves by the life of Chrill:; whatfoever action we go about, let us do it by this rule, what? Would Chrift have done rhu .< or at leafi, Would Chrift have allowed thu? It is true, fome things are expedient and lawful with us, which were not futable to the Perfon of Chrill:·, Mttrriage u honat<rable with all men, and the bed undefiled. but it did not befit his Perfon, who came into the world only to fpiritual pur– pofes, ro'beget fons and daughters; writipg of books is commendable with men, becaufe like .Abet-, being dead, they (!lay frill fpeak, and teach thofe who never faw th~m, but it would have been derogatory to the Per fon and office of Chri!l, for iris his Preroga– tive to be in the midfl of the !even golden Candlell:icks, to be prefem to all his Members, to teach by power, and· not by miniftry, to w~ite his Law in the beans of his people, and to make them his Epi!lle. Contrition, compunction, mortification, repentance, Mh 11 , 1 g; for lir :are acts and duties nectffary to our flare and condition; for we are !inners, and {inners of the Gentiles, To whom God alfo hath granted repentance unto life; but thefe were in no fort agreeable to Chriff, for, he was without fin, and needed not to repentance, nor to any part of it. The feveral Gates of men, as of Governours, Kings, Judges, Lawyers, Merchants, c;~c. are convenient for us, otherwife what araxye, and John 18 . 36 confu{ion would there be in the world ? and yet Jefus never put himfelf into any of thefe ' flares; My Kingdom ( fayes he) is not of this world. Now as in thefe things we mull: only refpect the allowance of Chrill:, fo in otber things we mufi refleti: upon the example of Chrifi; as, 1. In finful acts efchewed by Chri!l. 2. In moral duties that were done by Chrifi. 1. In finful aCls efchewed by Chrifi, as when I am tempted to fin, then am I to rea– fon thus with my felf, would my blelfed Saviour if he were upon earth do thus and thus? when I am tempted to loofenefs and immoderate living, then am I to ask confcience fuch a que)\ion ~s this, would Chrill have done thus? would he have Ipent fuch a life upon earth as I do? when I am moved by my own cormption, or by Sathan to drunkennefs, gluttony, linful and defperate fociety, to fwear.ing, curling, revenge orthe like; then am I to ask, is this the life that Chrift led? or if he were to live again, would he live after thts manner? when I fall into pallion, peevitlmefs, ra01 words, or if it be but idle words, then am I to confider, Obut wouldChrill: fpeak..thus? w<>uld this behislan- . ' \ guage? would fucha rotten or unprefitable fpeech as this drop from /lis honey lips? 1 2. In cafe of moral obedience, concerning which we have both his pattern, and pre– cept, I look u~on Chriff as my rule, and I qudlion thus, did Chrift frequently pray both wtt? lus D1fc1ples, and alone by himfelf? and !hall I never in my family, or in my· clofet tlunk upon God? did Chrill: open his wounds for me? and fhall not I Qpen my mou~h to !11m? d1d Chrill:ferve-God without all felf-ends, meerly in obedience, and to glorrfie hrm? apd fltall I make God's worlliip fubordinate to my aims and turns? did Chnft fltew mer et to his very enemies? and· tltall I be tmel to Chril\'s very Members? 0 my foul, _look 111 all thy fins, and in all thy duties to thy original, and meafure them by the holtnefs. of Chrift: whether in avoiding fin, or in doing duty, think, Wh:tt would my blejfed Sav:ottr do in this cafe ? Or what did he in the lik§ cafe when he w.u upon farth f If wehad thefe thoughts every day, if Chrill: were continu:illy before our eyes, tf tnall we do orfpeak we fl10uld ftill mu[eon this, WhfltWould [efies Ghrift fay if he were hm?
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