1JireElions {ot awell grounded Faith. 9· Remember how through all his life, he delpiled the Riches of the world, and chole a life of povlrty, and was a companion of the meandt, neither poffdfing nor feeking fumptuous houfes or great :mendance, or fpacious la~tds, or a large eHatc. He lived in a vifible contempt of all the we'alth and lplcndor, and gre:nncfS of the wor_ld ; To. teach us how little thefe little things are to be eficem~ ed; and that th(y arc: none of the trca!urc and portion of a_ Saint ; and whac a tally it is to be fond of fu ch finrcs, and divedions, and temprations which make the way to Heaven to be to us, as a needle's tyc. Fhil. •· 7 s. 9 . JO· ObfCt ve how little he regarded the honour and applaule of men , hnw he made himfelf of no Joh 6 _ 1 S· rcpJtt<Jtzon~ brtt took;. t~pon bun the form of a Servant, refufing to be made a King, or_ to h~ve aKiHg~ rhm of thu n·orld: Though he told mah5nant Blafphemers how greatly they finned m dtfhonouring him, yet diJ he not fcck the honour of the world: To. teach us how little the 1'1JoughtJ or Word 1 of ignorant rr.cn do contribute to our happinefs, or are to be accounted of: And to turn·our eyes from the impcnincnt cenfures of flelh and blood, to the judgement ofour Atrn·ighty Soveraign, to whom it is that W t: lbnd or fall. 1 I. Rcmtmber alfo how littlehe made provi!ion for the f\efh, and never once tafied of any immo– derate iinful pleafmc. How farr was he from a life of voluptuoufnefs and fenfuality? Though his Mat.u. t9. avoiding the forrr..:ll ftjlingJ of the Pharifees, made.rhem flander him as a gluttonoiH perfon, ·mda n-im bibbtr, as the fober Chrifiians were called Camivorj, by thofe that thought it unlawtUl to eat tleth ; yet fo farr was he from the guilt of any fuch fin, that never a dejire of it was in his heart. You 01all never rind in the Gofpel that Chritl fpent half the morning in dreffing him, choofing ra· ther to fhorten his time for prayer, than not to appear fufficiently neatitied, as our empty, wortbhfr painted Gall-ants do : Nor Oull you ever read thar he walled his time in idle vifitations, or Cards, or Dice, or in reading Romances, or hearing Stage-plays. It was ano~her kind of example that our Lord did leave for hit difciples. 12. Mark alfo how farr Chrifl: was fi·om being guilt,y of any idle, or lafcivioM, or f oolijh kind of talk : And how holy and profitable all his fpeeches were : To teach us aUo to [peak as the ora– des of God, fi.tch words as tend to edification, and to adminifier grace unto the hearers, and to keep our tongues from all prophlnc, lalCivious, empty, idle fpeechcs. 13. Remember, that Pride, a11d Pa!Jio~t are condemned by your pattern : Chrifl bids you [Leant of me; [ol' I am mre~ tmd lowly i1t be-art, and you ]hall find refi JtitM your fr~ulJ,] Mat. I 1.,28, 29•. Therefore he refolvcth that cxcrpt men be converted and become ar little children, they Jhall not eutM' in· to the Kingckm of Heavm; Mu. 18. 3· Behold thercfOJe the Lamb of God, and be afi1amed of your ticrcc and ravenous natures. 14· Remember_ that Chrift your Lord and pattern did humble himfelf to the mear::ell office oflove,· (V en to wa(h the feet of his difciples : Not to tcac:1 you ro wafh a few poor mens feet as a Ceremony once a year, and pcdt:cutc and murd~r the tervants ot Chrill·the reil of r·hc year, as the R,m,J.n ·vice– Chritl Joth; But to teach us, that if he their Lord and Mafier wa!hed his dikiples feet, we alfo !hould Hoop a:; low in any office o( love,.for one auother. J ohn. 13. 1·4• lf"'tGitf!J;t~ I s· ·Rememberalfo th:lt Chrifi your p,attern fpcnr whole nights in prayer to God; fo mu.ch was he in Luke6. 11. for thjs holy attendance upon God: To reach us to pray aUwayes and not wax f.zint, -t.ukc 18. ·I· do tignitie; &n And not to be like tKt impious God.haters, that· Love not any nea-r or ferious addreffes unto God, 9r:ttoryht r~t nor tho[c that ufe~hem, but make them the object of the-ir cruelty or f~orn. ~~,rc~:t~~u:tt 1 6. Remember alfo that Chrifl: w~s.againll: the Pharifees.out-fide ~ypocriticalccremonious worfhip, for prayet in contiHiog in lip--labour~ affeG\:ed rcpetmons, and much bablmg; thcu• Touch nor, Ta-tle nor~ Handle it. not, and worffiiping God in vo~in, according to their Traditions, teaching for dod"rines the commln&– !\lat 1 S 6 , 7 : 8 , merirs of men: Hetau·gl~c us 3. _ferious fpiritual worfhip: !10t to draw nigh. toGod ~it-!J our ~~ut~, 9• and honour bim with our hpJ, w.bJle our !Jearu are j.Jrr from hzm; bur to WIJTjhlf God w/;o u a Spuzt, m Joh, 4 2J> 1 -4· Spirit aJtd 'trutb. . . . . _ . . . 17 , Chrifi was a fbarp reprnver. o~ HypocntJcal bltnd, ceremonwus, malttJO~lS Phanft::s; and· Mar.t;. warneth hi·i difciples to tak! budof thetr lwm. Whtn they are (ffe;;dcd n;it.b htm, he fa-nh tJvtry pl.ml Jvhicb nry Htaz:enly Fatber bath not plaH.wl., jhaU IJe rooted up: Lit tkcm a/~;!e 'f they be bl~n.tl Jead.:rJ of the blii1d, iXC. Mat. 1~· 12, 13, ~4·. To teach ns to t.ak~ heed of Au.ronomous, Super.c1.h~ ous, domineering, formal Hypocntes, and falie teachers, and, to dllfl'!rencc between the {hcph-:1rils and the wolves. 1 g, Though Chrifi fcems cauteloufiy to av~id the. owning of t-he Remans VJitrpat~,m over fhe Jews, .yfc rather tban.offend them he payeth Tnbute h1rnfelf, Mat. r7. 25)26, 27. and b1cldeth tho'n Render to C:rfar the tbi~tgJ tfJat are C~tars, and to God the things thllt are Gcd1: M'lt· 2:2· 21. The Pharifces, bring their controverfic to him hypocritically, JYhethft it be lawful to$,i-ve Tribut-e toC<ef~r, or not? ( For that C.efor was a Vfurper over them, they took to be paH comroverfie.) And Clmll· wbu!d give them no an{wer that fiwuld either enfnare bimfelf, or mcoHr-.zge uji1rpatim, or counre– nancc t·hei.r.[edition : Teaching us much more to pay tributo c.hearfully to ou'r Jawft.\l Governours, and .to avoid all fl:dition and offence. ·19. Yet ishe accufed, condemned, and executed among Malefactors, as afpiring to be KiHg f'f the Jews, and the Judge called, None of Ce.Grs frie-nd, if he let him go: Teaching us to expcd that the mofi innocent Chriftians {hould b41 accufCd , as enemies to the Rulers of the ~vorld, an_d' mifiaken Govemaurs be provoked and engaged againfi them, by the malicious calummes of t~.r adverfaries ; and that we fhou!d in chis unrighreous world, be condemned of thofe crimes-?f whrcn we arc moft innocent ; and which we mofl abhorr, and have born the fullefr reliimonies agamfi. zo. The
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=