andfollowing !Jis Example. 2 I 7 .God himfelf or the Divine Natt4re in itsholy Perfefrions~ is the V ltimate O!JjeEf and I dcea of our T ransformatioil in' the renewing of our minds. And therefore under the old Tefia– mcnt betore the Incarnation of the Son, l: e propofed his own hdinefs immediately as the pattern of the Church. . Be yeHoly, for the Lord) our God is Holy, Lev. I I. 44· Chap. 1 9· 2. ( hap. 20. 5· But theLmv mac!e nothing petfdl. . For to compleat this great InjunClion, there \vas yet \Vantmg an exprefs Exampleof the Holinefs required, which is not given us but in him,who is the firfl horn, the Image of the invifiUe God. - T here was a Notionevenamongthe Pbilofophers, that the principal endeavour ofa wife ma1was to !Je like unto God. .But in the improvement of it the befr of them fell into foolifh ·and proudlmaginations. Howbeit the Notion it felf, was the principal beam of our primigenial Light, the befi relique of our natural Perfefrions. And thofe who are not fome way under the power of a defign to !Je like unto God,are every way like unto the Devil. But thofe Perfons who had nothing but the abfolute effential Properties of the Divine Nature to contemplate on in the Light of Reafon, failed all of them both in the Notion it felf ofConformity unto God, and efpe· cially in the prafrical improvement ofit. Whatever men may fancy to the contrary, it is the defign of th~ Apofile in fun– dry places of his writings to prove that they did fo, efpeci– ally, Rom. I. r Cor. r. \Vherefore it was an infinite Con- . defcenfion of Divine Wifdom and Grace glorioufly to implant .that Image of his which we are to endeavour Conformity unto, on the Humane Nature of Chrifi, and then fo fully to reprefent and propofe it unto us in the Revelation of the GofpeL - The infnite PerfeEiiDns of God conlidered a!Jfolute~y in themfelves, are accompanied with fuch an incomprehenfible F f Glory ,
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