Senn. CXXXV. cortlider'd, as our Fxzmple. Z z g 2. He was a Pattern of the molt rare and unufual Virtues. Such was his Sincerity ; Guile TM not found in his Mouth, t Pet. 2. 22. Hig Converfation was free and open, without Difguife and Concealment; and there. fore when the High-Prieft asked him of his Difcirles, and of his Do&rive, John r8. 19. He wonder'd at the Queflion ; li'hy askefi thou me ? ask them that heard me. Ifpake openly to the World, I ever taught in the Synagogue, andin the Temple, whi ther the Jewsalways refort, and in Secret have Ifaid nothing. And this is no common Virtue, and therefore our Saviour gave it as a fingular Commendation to Natha noel, John t. q.7, Behold an Ifraelite indeed, in whom there is no Guile. Perfe& Sin- cerity is a great Foundation of Goodnefs ; it is Soundnefs at the Heart, and like perte&Health, feldom to be leen ; there is hardly anyThing whereinMen, other- wife good and virtuous, do oftner trip and falter. Another Virtue, which is not very ufual, was eminent in our Saviour, I mean true Humility, without Affe&ation and fecret Pride lurking under it. This ap- peared very remarkable, and very natural in his whole Life, which was all of it the greatelt Inllance of Humility that ever was ; and therefore with great Af- furance he propounds himfelf to our Imitation in this, Matth. rt. 29. Take my 2-04 uponyou, and learnofme : for I am meek, and lowly in Spirit. And Su Paid lets this Virtue before us, as being the confiant Temper of our Lord, and vifible in his whole Undertaking, and in every Part of it from firft to laft, from hiscoming into the VVorld, to his going out of it, Phil. 2. 5, 6, 7, S. Let this Mind be in you which was al/o in Chrifl Jefes, who being in the Form of God, thought it no Robbery to be equal with God, but made himfelf" of no Reputation (he emptied himfelf ofall his Majefty and Glory) and took upon him the Form of a Servant, andwas made in the Likenefs of Men; and being found in Fafhion as a Man, he humbled himfelf; and became obedient unto Death, even the Death of the Croft. Here was Humility indeed, from fo great a Height to ftoop fo low, from the Top of Glory and Majefry, to the low- eft Pitch of Meannefs and Mifery. Here's a Pattern for us; and how fhould it fhame and confound the Pride ofthe Sons of Men, to fee theSon of God fo hum- ble? There is no Virtue I am lure which we have fo much Reafon, and yet none which we have fo little Inclination, to imitate. Pride etas not madefor Men, fays the Son of Syrach; it does not become us, and yet it is the Fafhion; we know that we have no Caufe to be proud, and yet we know not how to be humble. Let the Example of our Lord's Humility bring down the Haughtinefs of Men, and when we confider how he abafed himfelf, let us be vile in our own Eyes, and ahhor our felves in Daft andAJhes. And then his Contempt of the World, and the Enjoyments and Pleafures of it, to that Degree, that he would have no Part and Share in the Poffeffions of it, not to much as one of the firft and almoft lowelt Conveniencies of Life, a fet- tled Abode and Habitation ; fo that as he himfelf tells us, he was in a more deftitute Condition than the brute Creatures : The Foxes have Holes, and the Birds of the Air have NO : but the Son of Man Bath not where to lay his Head. Not that he defigned to oblige us to a ftri& Imitationof him in this Particular; for he might, and we may lawfully poflèfs and enjoy thefe Things : but to teach us not to over- prize them, not to leek them too earneftly, nor love them inordinately. That he defpifed them, Ihould keep us from admiring them, and doating upon them ; that he would not have them in his Poffeffion, fhould keep them out of our Hearts, and make us very loofe and indifferent in our Affe&ions to them ; that he valued doing Good above all the Enjoyments ofthis VVorld, ibouldmake us value them only in order to that End. And then bis exceffive Kindnefs and Benignity to us, fuels as Men very rarely thew to their belt Friends, and the belt Men ; but fuch as no Man ever (hewed to his Enemies : Peradventure for agood Man one would evendare to die, Pays St. Paul, Rom. 5.7. But herein God commended his Love to us, in that whilfi we were Sinners, Chrifl died for us. And this Pattern of Love ourSaviour propounds toour Imi- tation, phi/ 15. 12, 13. This is my Commandment, thatye love one another, as I have lovedyou. Greater Love than this Bath no Man, that a Man lay down his Life for his Friend. The highelt Pitch of humane Friendlbip that ever was, was to die for a G g Friend:
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