fons of Adam out of hell. Mankinde like a precious ring ofglory fell off the finger of Almighty God, and was broken all in pteces, and thereupon was the command of God, that his Son muft fioop down, though it paine his back, he mufr lift up ag1ine the broken Jewel, he muft refiore it, and mend it, and fet it as a fe,1le on the heart ofGod; all which the Lord jeius did m time, he was obedient till death, and obedient to death, even to the death of the cro!fe. Son thou muft dye, faid God; why, Father I will do it , faid Cbria ; and accordingly he freely made his foule an offering for fin. Now in all thefe grace; we mufi conforme to Chrifr. Learne Mar. 1 1 • z9 ; ofme for I am meek. and kw!J. --And walk._ in love M C'hrift alfo Eph 5 .:. hath loved m: it is as ifChrift had faid, marke the fieps where I have rroad , and follow me in humility, _in patience, in love, in mecy , in meekne!fe , in contempt of the world, in obedience unto death ; in thefe and the like graces you mufi conforme to Chrifr. 2. We mufi: conforme to Chrifi: in his fufferings, if be call us to them ; this was the Apotties prayer, that I may k:,mw him, and Phil+ Io. the power of hu rF{ur-reElicn, and the fellow(hip of hu[ujfering J; it was his de fir~ that he might experimentally know what exceeding ' joy and comfort it was to fuff~r for Chrifi,and with Chrift . Concerning this the other Apofl:le fpeaks alfo, Chrift fuffered f6r us, t Pc:.l.H, leaving us a11 Fxample that wP fhould fJio)V hu fteps. But the text that teems fo pertinent and yet fo dtfficulr, i5 that of P•ml, I. now rejoyce in my (t. jftring.r f or you, andjill up that which i1 behinde Col.1, 24, oft he affliaions ofCh>·ift in my fl efh,for ht5 bodynfnk.::, which u the Church; one would wonder how Paul ihould fill up that which is behind of the futferings of Cnrift; were Chrifis fufferings imperfeCl: ? and muft Paul adde to them ? no furely ;{or by one offe-r- Heb.t o.14 , ing Chrift hath perfertedfw ever them that aro·fan&ifted. I fhall not infifi on many commentaries,. I fuppofe this is the genuine fenfe, and meanir•g oftbe fp rit. ]{ow rejoycr I in my fufferings' 1 • f oryou, whereby I fu!fill t he mFafure of thofe tribulations ·tl'hich remaineyet to be endured ofChrifl in his myjlical bod;, 1vhichJ do for the bodies falze, not to fatuji ef.r it, butt~ conftrme it, or rfrengthm it by my ex;~mple in the Go !pel ~f Chrift. The fufferings of Chrift are either perfonal or general, his perfonal fufferings were thofe .· he endured in his own body as Mediatour, which once for ever · he .
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