An Expojition o/ the Epifile r-...A./\ In this l)thCb.1p. ver, 1. the Apo{Ue laies this command upon eadt, to [Bear] Sermon tbe Infirm 1tuJ of eitber. The word !l<!><i;«v IS ufed of Porters carrymg burthens. XVIll. We mu{\ be as 'PorterJ for our Brethren; (the worfi and trkf~me(\ of Services;) ~and btar their greatdl burthens, that may cooftfi Wtth thetr bemg _Brttbrt 11, And thus Ga/,6. 2. you have the word ufed , and to thts fenfe there agam expla.in– ed; Bear;·e one anotherJ 6urtbem: For what he calls Inftrmtttn, Romo~5,1. he calls Burt!mtJ here · and in both commands our beanng them, becaufe they are Bretbrm as ver.1.' And "' for the meafure and proportion of bearing, the \\Trd refe~s us even to wh~tPorters do, (who of all Mankind are enured to the greatefi firainings and llretchings of their Limbs.) And for the obligation and Motive thereunto, the Metaphor m£inuates that alfo. IS:mdnefs and common hu– manity in men, who are of a knot, and travel tn Company, doth afford to any of their Companions mutual aiJifiance: If there be any among them, who throuah his having an infirmiry, or a bunhen too heovy for him, which himfclf cann~t carry olone, and fo comes lagg (as we fay,) or faints in the way: Tben the re(\ of his Fellows, that are fironger, will do what they can to eafe him in it, and bear it with him, or take it off from him. And then, in that 15 Rom. (for we walk to and fro, from one of thefe places to another,) it follows, And not to plfafo ourJtlvn. If a man confults with Self-love, a man wtll find this irkfom to Self; that ufeth to feek pleafure in its Self and its own Opinions, and boafis it felf in its own Underfianding; and cannot bear contradtatOn from others minds not others good, much lets is pleafed with beoring others Infirmities, 0 ; fupport ing them in them; but feeks to deprefs another for them. But to en– force ihis, and the re{\ of thefe Exhortations, he propounds the difpofition and uamplc of Chrifi too, ver. 3· For even Cbrijl p!tajtd 1101 btm{'e!( Never was any one burthened, and fo oppreffed with the burthens of others he converfeth with•!, as Chrifi was with thofe he wall<t with. His humane Nature coming into the World, was to take and cleave to fuch company as God had chofen for him; and take them all from fir{\ to lafi, and how unfuitable and unpleafing Conforts they were, and mufi needs be unto him ! Firfi, his Parents, of mean birth and breeding, of low underfiandings. He could have taught them, (for at Twelve years he pofed the Ooaors,) yet he was obrdimt to them. The next which we read of that he converfed with, were his Difciples; all of them Men of contrary Spirits to his: Of two of them he fays, Tou /mow 11ot what fPirit ; ·o11 are of. Fire mufi come down from HMVtiJ prefently, to fatisfie their z;al upon thofe that were oppofite to them, and their Mafier Chrill; which was as contrary to his Spirit ,as any one thing can be to another:he was perfealy of allo– thrr Spirit, he was meek, they were fiery; yet he loveth them, fiill holds in with them. Yea, one of there fiery So11J of Thu11der and Lightning was pecu– liarly his /;eloved 'Di(ciplt, and lay in bi& bofom. Then alfoPtter, h9w bold and fawcy was he with him, and fo great a provocation to him, that he once with full mouth cried out againfi him, Get tbee btbind 1111e SataiJ: yet he loves him, dies for him. In a word, He bitterly complains of all his Difciples at once, ]11atf.I7·•7· Tejatth!eflandpervtr{tgtllrratron, howlong/ha!J I btwithyotr; huw longjba!J I firfferyou 1 He h~d born fo much, and fo long, as lte now at length fpeal<s as one overpreffed, as aCart with Sheaves, groaning under it as weary. Nor was there, or ever could there be fuppofcd any man fo put to it this way,as He : Wifdom to converfe with Fo!Jy, perfea Ho!i"efS with Sin and Impurity, Tr11tb with Errors and Mljlakes. In converfes of near Relations, Contrarieties, and Antipathies of difpofitions, how burthenfom are they ? He could have much better, and more fuitable Company in Heaven; yet Chrifi with an unwearied patience bore all this, and loved them not a whit the lefs in the main; but died for them after all, and in dyingbore tbeir Si1u, and all ours alfo, ' Pet.2. ult. with an infinite iar deeper and higher kind of Suffering for them, (when God /,_,id 011 """the ltiiquilteJ of tu all,) then this 9f ours from our Brethren, he here fpeaks of, wllich was his righteotu So11!, its being vexed wah fecing and hearing what was contrary to the perfea tranfcendent Holinefs thereof. And now he is in Heaven, thofe hii Saints that are Qn Earth, are of crofs Natures one to aqother, bad n~tur'd Creatures to God and Man: yet he holdeth in with all [qrcs of Saints, ufeth them kindly, anq maintaineth fuch a fellowlhip
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