576 Concerning the Imitation Vol. I. name of Holinefs ; not all the Excellencies of the Divine Nature in general; but thofe which we call moral Excellencies and Perfe &ions, . fuch as-thofe which! have named ; for with thefe, and hardly with any other, is the Hands of God joyn'd in Scripture, as holy and righteous, holy and true, &c. And thërefore when God fays, be ye holy, for I am holy, it lignifies that we are to imitate God in his Goodnefs, and Mercy, and Patience, and Righteoufnefs, and Faithfulnefs, and Truth ; for thefe are the Holinefs of the Divine Nature, which fet him at the greaten: diflance from that which we call Moral Impurity and Sin. For that which our Saviour here in the Text more peculiarly recommends to our imitation, is the Goodnefs,of God,of whichhis Mercy and Patience are two eminent Branches. The Mercy of God is his Goodnefs to thofe that are in Mifery Or are liable to it. The Patienceof God is his Mercy in fparing thofe who have deferved Punifhment, and are liable to it. And the Goodnefs ofGod is then greaten, when it is exercifed towards the evil and unthankful; thofe who are fo `far frogs deferving it, that theyhave given great and juft Provocations to the contrary. And this affe&ionate Temper ofMind,which is foremarkable in God to- wards the unworthy and unthankful Sons of Men, our Saviour recommends to our imitation here in theText. Be ye therefore Perfed, 'even as your Father which is in Heaven is Perfefl. Be ye therefore; this Article of inference therefore, bath a plain relation to fomething fpoken before ; and if we look back to ver. 44. we thall find our Saviour there enjoyning his Difçiples to love their Enemies, to blefs them that curie them, to do good to them that hate them, and to pray for thole that defpightfully aft them, and perfecute them. And by what other argument Both he inforce the Praétice of thisdifficult Duty, but by telling us, that this is tobe like God, tobe good to the evil and unthankful, ver. 45. That ye may be the Children ofyour Heavenly Father, who maketh his Sun to rife on the evil and the good, and his Rainy to fall on the the full, and on the unjuff. God is good to all, and exercifeth great Mercy and Patience even towards the evil, and unjuft. And then he conclùdes, that ifPerfétlion it felf be fit to be a Pattern, we should la-. bour after thefe Qualities, Beye therefore Perfell, even as your Father which is im Heaven is Perfeft. So that though the univerfal Perfection of the Divine Nature be here fuppofed, yet the Attributes of his Goodnefs, and Mercy, and Patience, are here particularly pointed at, and propounded to us for our Pattern, and the Precept of imitating the Divine Perfeitlen is more efpecially to be underftood of thofe Perfellions which our Saviour had been difcourfing of before, viz. the Goodnefs and Mercy of God. And that this is undoubtedly fo, is evident from. St. Luke's rendering this Precept, Ch. 6. 36. Be ye therefore iirlípti.ouuç, benefici, ready to do good, fullofkinelnefs and benignity; merciful as your Father which is in Heaven is merciful; that is, endeavour you to be fuch as I have defcribed God to be. And this St. Matthew calls Perfeétion, becaufe the Goodnefs of God is his great Perfeétion, and the Glory of the Divine Nature, that which reffeéts a luftre and beauty upon all his other Attributes, and- takes, off the terror of them. From all which it is plain, what thofe Perfe&ions of the Divine Nature are, which our Saviour doth here particularly recommend to our imitation. I come now in the IV. and lagplace, To clear the true meaning of this Precept , and toPhew that the Duty here required, and intended by 'our Saviour (when he fays, Be ye perfell, as your Father which is in Heaven is perfell) is not impoflîble to us. And to this purpofe be pleafed to confider thefe three or four things. r. That our imitation of God is certainly reftrained to the commuai- cable Perfe&ions of God, and fuch as Creatures are capable' of, as I have (hewn before. For it is fo far from being a Duty to affe& or attempt to be like God in his peculiar Perfe&ion, that it was probably die Sin of the ApoftateAngels. a. Our imitationof the Divine Perfe&ions, which are communicable to Crea- tures, is likewife to be reflrain'd to fuch degrees of thefe Perfe&ions, as Crea- turesare capable of. For no Creature can ever be fo perfe&1y Good, as God is; nor
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