404 BooklV. 1Looktng itnto 'jjefu.s. Chap 3· Sefr.7. I . Negatively , our fufferings have no conformity with Chrill in tbefc two things 1. Not in the Office of Chr~ft:'s fuffer_ings ; for his. were meritorious and fatisfaetory , ours only mmllhnal; and fOr edtfiGanon. 2. Nottn rl1c weight and meafnre ofChrill's fufferings 1 for his were bitter, heavy, and woful; fuch as would have preifed any other Creature as low as Hell, and have [wallowed htm up for ever· but ours are but in comparifon light and tolerable: There bath no temptation takpz you 'bm fuch '" ;, common 1 cor.Io. 1 :~ t•man·; .for God" fa~thf~<l, who \Vtll not fuffer y•u to be tempted above th.u you ,,;-e able. ' 2. Pofitively, our fufferings muft have conformi1y with Chrill. I. In the caufe of them ; Chrill'! fufferings were in!humenrally from Satan and wicked men . we muft look to fuffer by the enemies of Cliri!l, ifwe have any tlme in Chrift . the en~mycontiGon. 3-I<· nues !li11; flvill.putenmitybmv~en thee and ~hnvoman,. audbm~cen thy feed and her feed , Tins was pnmanly meant betWIXt the Devtl and Chnft. but 1f we conform to Chrill we mull expe.a the very f~me conditions . z, In the ma;ner of undergoing them ; w~ muftfuffer With a propomon of that humduy, and panence, and love and meekncfs and obedienc~ which Chrift lhewed in his very fufferings. 3, In refpeet ~f the ilfue ofthem. we mull: look upon Chria's ilfue, and expeC! it to be ours: Ought net Chrifi ,,; h~.ve fiif[ered thefe thmgs, 11nd fo enter :nto Gloryl---And, iffo be that we foffir ;vtth Chrijl, tve {11a!l be glorified together tvuh Chn{f. - - If IV< fulfer with him we Lukr.: 14, :.6. Ron,, g. r7. ::. Tic. :t.l ~· jha!l alfo reign with him, ' ' By reafon of this conformity, we have thai communion and alfociation with Chrill in all. the~e particulars; as, 1.' We have ~hrifl's llr_:ength to bear fufferings. z. Hi> ytcrones to overcome fuffenngs. 3, H1s Intercefiton to pre~erve us frOIJl falling away tn fuffenngs. 4.,. Hts Compa!lion to moderate and proporuon our fufferings to the meafure of firength which he bath given us. 5, His Spirit to draw in the fame yoke 1 with us, a~d to hold us under all fufterings, that we fink not. 6, His Graces robe more glonous by our fuffermgs ;, as a Torch, when 1t lSihaken, lhmes he brighter. 7, His Crown to reward our fuffermgs, when we lhall have tafbl ourt meafure ofthem. For tJJtr light affiillion, which is but f,r a moment, work!th for UJ R far more exceeding and mrJ!alweight •f Glory. , 0 my Soul 1ftudy this conformity, and be content with thy portion; yea, comfort thy felf in thi> condition of fufferings; muft we not drink of our Saviour's Cup? what, not of our Mafier's own Cup? We read of Godfrey of liul{ein, that he would not be crowned in Jerufalemwith a Crown of Gold, where Chrift was crowned with a Crown of Thorns, becaufehe would not have futh a great difproponion betwixt him and Chrill: and we read of Orii,en, that when .Ale>.·ander Sever~~< the Emperor fent for bim to Rome, and that he might take his choice, whether he would ride thither on aMule, or in a Chariot, that he refufed them both, faying, he w.u lefs than huMa– fter Chrift, of tvhom he never read that he rade but once. 0 the fufferings Chrill endu– red! he was called a Wine-bibber, aSamaritane, aDevil; he was purfued, entrapped, 2 Tirn. 3 , 12 , fnared, tlain: And furely they that will livegodly in Chrift Jejm, muft fuffer per(tcmion. Never.wonder that thou art hated of men, or perfecuted of men ; why, I telf thee, if Chri!l himfelf were gow amongft us in the form and falhion of a fervant, in that very condition that fometime> he was, and llwuld convince men of their wickednefs as fearch– ingly as fometimes he did, I verily think he would be the mofl hated man in all the world. It'> plain enough what carnal men would do, by rhefe very doings of the carnal Jew;: We mull conform to Chrifl in his death, carrying in us a refemblance and repre· fentatiol).of his death. But what death is this? . I anfwer in a word, a deat~ untoftn; ~~~:~-~~';,1 • fo the .Apollle; it: tha! he died, .he died unto fin ;-.-liktwifi, reck_on ye your [el11es to be dead iNdeed umo fin. There IS a ltkenefs betwll:t Chn~ s death, and our death, in this refpeet, we are planted together in the li/:tnefs of bw death. T.rue MortJficau– oncarries a llmilirude, a likenefs, a refemblaoce of the death of Chnft. As for tn· fiance, . I. Chrift's death was avoluntary death. I lay down my life thdt I may takt it again; SeeM.Br:rj/y nomant•/:ttb itfromme bHtl layitdotvnofmy[e/f; !have power tolay;tdown, and f ~~~:rf.~~:~. hawpower to takt it agt~i~: not all men on eart~, nor all Devils in Hell could have en– talion. forced Chrifl's death, if he had not pleafed ; h1s death was a voluntary death, afponta– J,oh:'.'o.t7,!3.geous aet; fo is our mortification: Thy people jha!lbe. willing in the day_of thy powe;; ma– l fu ··"'· 3· ny may leave their finsagainfi their wills; but this ts not true moruficauon; tt bears . - OM
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