4 o8 BookiV. JLoolttn~ ttnto jjeftt.s. ll.om. 6.{<>, ll.om.6.). ll.orn 6. q; ll.oll'. s. •· mtiGhforme, Ikpownothowm11ch; by thine llnk!}ownforrowr and fiifferingr feitby thee, but 11ot diftinflly l{_nown to tu ([aid the "netent Fathm of the Greek._ Church, in their Li– tJtrgy) have mercy upon m, and fave 116; his forrcwr and fiiffe-ringi were fo gredt, th;<t fome think._ it dangeroU! to define them; bttt how poor, how little are my fitjj'eringr for lefzu Chrift ? I have not yet refifted unto bloud, and if I had, what 1~ere thu in comparifon if hu extrenm fujfenngJ ? Chrift m hu fujfermgJ dud ; hu paffive obedience was unto death, even to the death of the Crofs: he htmg ort the Crofs till .he bowed hu head, and gave "P the'Ghoft; h• d~edUnto fin once: But alas! how do I live in that for which he died? Tothudaymy-jin hathnot.givmupthe !Shoft; tothu day the death of Chrifti<not the death of my jin : 0 my fin u not yet crucified; the heart-bloud of my fin i& not yet let oltt: Oh wo. u me, how unanfwerable am I to Chrijf i11 all theferefpeflJ ? 4• Let usqmcken, provoke, and rouze up our Seuls to this conformity: let us fer before them exciting Arguments, ex.gr. The grearefl glory that a Chriflian can attain to in this world, is to have a femblance, and likenefs to Jefus Chrifl. Again, the more like we are ro Clu·i~, rh~ more we~re i~ the love of God, and the bener he is pleafed With us: It was hts votce concermng Ius Son, Thu is my beloved Son in whom I am 1rell pleafed; and for his fake, if we are but like him, he is alfo well plelfed with us. Again, a likenefs or refemblance of Chrill: is that which keeps Chrifl alive in the world: As we fay of a child that is like his Father, Thi< man cannot die }o long"' hu Son i< alive: So we may fay of ChrifHans who refemble Chrifl, that fo l<;wg as they are iu the world, Chrill: cannot die ; he lives in them, and he is no orhcrwife alive in this nether world, than in the hearts of Gracious Chriflians, that carry the picture and refemblance of him. Again, a likenefs to Chrifl in his death, will caufe a likenefs to Chrifl in his Glory, If we have bem planted together in the lik!ne{s of hu death, we Jh•ll be alfo in the lik;nefs of hu Refi~rrellion: As it is betwixt the Graft and the Stock, the Graft feeming dead with the Stock in the winter, it revives with it in the Spring; after the Winter's dearh, it partakes of the Spring's refurrection; fo it is betwixt Chrift and us; if with Chrifl: we die to fin, we lhall with Chrifl be raifed to Glory ; being conformed to him in his death, we lhall be alfo in hi> rcfurrection. Thus let us quicken and provoke our fouls to this.coaformiry. 5· Let us pray to God that he will make us conformable to Jefus Chrifl. Is it Grace we want? let us beg of him, that of that fulnefs that is in Chrifi, we may in our mea– fure receive grace for grace. Is it patience, or joy in fufferings that we want? let us beg of him, that as he hath promifed, he will fend us the comfoner, that fo we may follow Chrifl chearfullyfrom biscrofs to his crown, from earth to heaven. Is it morti– fication our fouls pant after? this indeed makes us mofllike to Chrifl: in his fufferings and death; why rhen pray weforthis mortification.- But , how lhould we pray? I anfwer , 1. Let us plainly acknowledge, and heartily bemoan our felves in God's bofom for our fins, our abumin,b:e fin;. 2 Let us confefs our waaknefs, feeblenefs, and inability in our felves to fubdue our !' >: '~• have No might (may we fay) againjhhugreat company that come againft llf, neithn· !('DW we what to do, bui our eyeJ are upon thee. 3. Let us put up our requefl, begging h~!p from heaven, let us cry to God that virtue may come our of Chrifi's death o mowfie our Lulls, to heal our Natures, to !lanch our bloudy iffues; and that the Spn it may come in to help us in thefe works: for by the Spirit do we momjie the deed · of the hody. 4· Let us prefs God with the merits of Chrifl, and with his promifes through Clmlt ; for he bath faid, Sin ]hall not have dominion over m ; for we are not under the Law, but. un"J: Grace: and Pa~tl experienced it, The Law of the Spirit of Life in Chrift bath freed mefrom the Law of fin anddeath. 5. Let us praife God, and t~nkGod for the help already received, if we find that we have gotten fome power agamll: fin, that we have gotten more ability to oppofe the lulls of rbe flelh, that we are feldom ,overtaken with any breaking forth of it, that we have been able to withfl:and fome notabl~ temp· tations to it, that the force of it in us is in any meafure abated, that indeed and m truth virtue is gone our of the death of Chrifl: Oh then return we praifes to God, kt us tri– umph in God, let us lead our captivity captive, and ling new fongs of pra1fes unto God, and even ride in triumph over our corruptions, boafling our felves in God and fening up our Banner> in the name of the mofl High, and offering up ijumble and hemy thanks to our Father forthe death of Chrifl, and for the merit, virtue, and efficacy of tt derived umo u., and befl:owed upon us. · . . . . 6 Let 'ls frequently return to O!:Jr looking up unto [efus Chrift,toour behevmg mChr~~
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