Book. IV. Looking unto j.e{us. Cbap. 5. Sed.9 confequence my imitation of him)fhaH be conftant and continual. not only in the day, b~t he fballly~ all night hetwi:rt my hrefls: What, 0 my foul, . was thts the pracl:tfe of the Saints? and wilt thou not be of that communion? 0 God forbid ! thus let us quicken and provoke our foules to this conformity; let us excite, rouze incenfe, awake, and fharpen up o~r wretched, Ougifh, drouzy, lazy,fouls; our famr,feeble, flaggmg , faultering, drooping, Ianguifbing affections, deiires, endeavours ! let us with enlarged induftry engage, al'Jd·encourage our backward and remilfe fpirits to fall up~n this duty of. conf?rmity, againe and againe; · let us come up htgher towards tt, or tfpoffibly we may,compleatLy to it, that the fame mind, and mouth, and life may be in us that was in 'Jefus Chrii1, that we may be found to walke after Chrift, that we may tread in the very prints of the feet of Chrift, that we · may climb up afre: him, i~to the fame heavenly Kingdome, that we may afptre contmually towards him , and grow up to him, everi to the mell[ure of the ftature of the fulnef{e rf Chrift. • · 4• Let us regulate our felves by the life ofChrift; whatfoever aCl.ion we go about, let us do it by this rule, what ! woul[Chrifl have done thu? or at leaft, would Chrift have allowed thu? It is trJJe, fome things are expedient and lawful with us, which were not fuitable to the perfon of Chrift, marriage u honourable with all men, •md the bed tmdefiled; but it did not be-fit his perfo.n, who came into the world only to fpiritual purpofes, to beget fons and daughters ; writing ofbooks is commendable with men, becaufe like Abel,being dead, they may fiillfpeak, and teach thofe who never faw them , but it would have been derogatory to the perfon and oiflce of (hrift, for it is his prerogative to be in the midil: ,· of the feaven golden candlefticks,to be prefent to all his members, to teach by power, and not by minifiry, to write his law in the hearts of his people, and to make them his epifile Contrition, compunction, mortification, repentance for finne are acts and duties neceffary to our ftate and condition; for we are finners, and iinners or the Gentiles, to whom qod alfo hath ·granted rtpmtance unto l ife ; but thefe were inno fort agreeable to (hrifr, for, Att. I,; 1 S: fJe was without fin, and needed not to repentance, nor to any part of it. .The feveral fiates ofmen, as ofGovernours,Kings,Judges, .lawyers, Merchaitts , llfc, are c.onve.nient for us, otherwife what acaxye, I
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