2ZZ The Life of lefü,e Chrift Vo1.II. tern of all Perfe&ion. As he was'the Son of God, he was the Brightnefr of his Father's Glory, and the Exprefs Image and Charalier of his Perfon : and as he was the Son of Man, tho he had natural Frailties and Infirmities, and was fubje& to'Hunger and Thirft, Wearinefs and Pain, like other Men; yet he had all the moral Perfe&ions belonging toHumane Nature,without any of the evil Inclina- tions, and finful Frailties to which it is incident ; and his Humane Nature was affifted in an extraordinary Manner by the Spirit of God, which wor not com- municated to him by Meafure, but he was anointed with that holy Vnition above his Fellows, above all the Sons of Men, above all the Prophets and Meffengers of God that ever were fent to Mankind; He had no Sin, neither was Guile found in his Mouth. And indeed it was requifite that he that was manifefied to taie away our Sins, and to make Expiation for them, fhould himfelf be without Sin, as the Apoftle to the Hebrews reafons, Heb. 7. 26. Such an High-Priefi become us, who was holy, harmlefs, and undefiled, fiparatefrom Sinners : And had he not been fo, he could neither have been an Example, nor an Expiation. And this is no fmall Advantage to Mankind, to have fo excellent a Pattern of the fame Nature with our felves to imitate, fo perfe&a Copy to write after. For whoever would excel in any kind, mutt (as áuintilian fays) optima guæ ue exempla ad imitandum proponere, propofe to himfelf the highefi and moft perfeif Ex- amples of that Kindfor his Imitation ; and the Example of ,our Bleed Saviour is unqueflionably fuch a perfe& Pattern of all Goodnefs and Virtue, to the Perfe&ion whereof, tho' we cannever attain, yet it is a great Advantageto have it always before us, and in our. Eye, that we may corre& the Errors and Defor- mities of our Lives; by the unfpotted Purity, andperfe& Innocency of his Life, and that we may be always afpiring after farther. Degrees of ,Goodnefs; for furely we can no way better learn how God would have Men to live in this World, than by feeing how God himfelf.lived, when hewas pleafed tobecome Man, to affnme our Nature, and dwell among us. II. As the Life of our Bleffed Saviour is a molt perfe&, fo likewife it is a fa- miliar and eafie Example. The DivineNature is the great Pattern of Perfe&ion: but that is too remote from us, and above our Sight; No Man bath feen God at any time, nor can fee him; and tho' his Perfeaions are reprefented to our Minds in fome Degree, yet they are fo glorious and dazling an Obje&, that we can- not bear to behold themwith that Stedfaftnefs, with which we ought to eye our Pattern ; and therefore God hath been pleafed to condefcend fo far to our Weaknefs, as to give us a vifible Example of thofe Virtues he requires of us in his own Son, appearing in the Likenefr offinful Flefh; and the Son of God is an Example of equal Perfe&ion with God himfelf, but much more eafie and fami- liar, and level to us, in which we may fee the feveral Virtues of a good Life prat-tired in fuch Inftances, and upon filch Occafions, as do frequently happen in Humane Life. Nothing was ever more limple and open, more obvious and eafy to common Imitation, than the Life of our bleffed Saviour, in which there was nothing dart and myfterious, abftrufe and intricate; it was all perfe& Innocency and Goodnefs, and he carried on one plain and intelligible, and uniform Defign, which was to do all the Good he poflibly could to all Men : This he purfued with all his Might, with the greateft Vigour and Induftry, with an undaunted Courage and Refolution, with an unwearied Diligence, with a confiant Chear- fulnefs and Serenity of Mind; this was his Meat and Drink, his great Bufinefs and Delight, his Lifeand his Happinefs; he was not fupercilioufly morofe, had no affe&ed Singularities, nopeculiar Aufterities in Habit or Diet, different from the commonLlfage of Men; his Converfation was kind and innocent, free and familiar, open and indifferent to all Sorts of Perfons ; for he was a Phyfician, and every Body had need of him, all Mankind were his Patients. He did not place Religion (as force have done lince) in Retirement from the World, and Ihunning the Converfation of Men, and taking great Care to do no Body Good : not in profound Myfteries and fine Speculations, but in the plain and honeft Pra&ice of the folid and fubfiantial Virtues of a good Life; in Meeknefs and 3 Humility,
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