VERS.JO. An Expofition, '"'ith N oteJ T tt~k! for an ex4mple J the word is v?r5J'E~'}fJ.d., ir noteth fuch an example as is. propounded to imitaciun; rhe fame word is uft d when Chrill commended his wafuing of the Difcirles feet to thei.r imitation, J•hn I 3· I 5. · · · Th~ Prophet I J he in!t anoeth in them as the Captains ani l~tders of the Church; every purpofe of li Fe hath its Chieftains and Princes ; the Roman Wa ~riors can tal~ e of their Cafl;i!/i, Fabricii,Scipios;the Ph'lofophers of the;rAriftorle,Platoand Py– thagorat, but religion propoundech cbe example of the PrrJpheu. who h~tv~ fp ok.en tous in th!! name of the Lord] tha t ic;, were imploycd by God, and authorized eo {peak ro che people in his l1ead;md fpecially gifted,and fupplyed by hts Spirir; though they fpake by divine ;infpiracions, and were as Go11 mo.UJh , yec they_ could not efcape, buc were molefted and maltgned in rhe worlcr,' even to cruel death, and fuffl!rings , for che fai thfull difcharge of their meffage; this Chrift chargeth upon the ) ewes, M.tt. z~ 37• 0 Jerufalem,J~rufalem, thou i{-Jat kjllefl the Prophe ts, anei fJ onefl them, &c. fo doth Suphm,AC:ts 7•5z·whzr:h ofth!! 'Prophett l av-e – notyour Fathers perfecuted!& the] have {lain them '"'hich (hewed /Jefore the comming oftiN jufl one, &;c. now if this were done eo the Prophets , who {eemed to be fueltred under the buckler of their fpeciall Commiffi<Jn, and the fingular innocency and h li– ne[e of their lives, certainly priute beleevers have leffe reafon to promife themfelves freedomeand exemption. Offuffering aJ.fliflionl andofpAtience] that is, when Clod ma~ keth U :i like them in (ufferintl, we lhould be like them in pati– ence ; it is comfortable tocome into their lot , and to be Lound up ip lhe fame bundle of honour with them; their example is produced partly t9 takeoff prejudice; the·matter is not O:range, •cis not our cafe alone; we are apt to fay,never man in fuch a cafe as I, i1 any forrow lik.f to my forroW? Lam. I. ll. yes,, this was the lot ofall the Prophets; partly to allay the lbame , we doe not {uffer with the rude multitude, but w·ch the Prophett. Partly to encourage Lu;: imitation; examples have a Gngular efficacy, man 'is ape to be ~ed by company; the points are thefe. · O~ferv 1t J I. Thf txamplu of the Sttints do much encourage tu to patieNce; " ' •man is adurt:ile creature, more apt to be lead by the e1e then the ear ; we look upon precepts as calculated for notio41 and fancy, prafli(rs a!e a great ~on~~mation; the flria-e~ and feverect W!Y~ ·, are
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