Senn. CXXXVII. conlider'd, as out' Example. 243 reviled not again; when he fuffered, he threatned not ; but committed himfelf to him that judgeth righteouflr? Such vile and barbarous Ufage the Son of God met withal ; and yet under all this, hepoffef'd hid- Soul in Patience: And do we expeh to be bet- ter treated than he was ? Was Goodnefsit felf contented to be traduced, and evil fpoken of, perfe& Innocence to be flandered and perfecuted : And (hall we who are Sinners, great Sinners, think our felves worthy to efcape thefe Things, and too good to have that done to us, which was done to one infinitely better than we are? It is our Lord's own Argument, and there is great Weight and Reafon in it ; If the World hateyou, ye know that it hated me, before it hatedyou. Remember the Word that I fail unto you, The Servant is not greater than the Lord. If they have perfecuted me, they will alfo perfecute you ; it is enoughfor the Difiple, that he be as his Mailer, and the Servant as his Lord : If they have called the Mailer of the Houf Beelze- bub, howmuch moreJhall they callthem of the HouJhold ? Can we entertain Thoughts of Revenge, when we have fuch a Pattern of For- giving before us, who poured out his Blood for the Expiation of the Guilt of them that fhed it, and fpent his laft Breath in fervent and charitable Prayers for his Betrayers and Murderers? Lord, endow as with the like Temper : but do not try us with the like Su Brings. Thus by fetting the Example of our Lord before us, and keeping this Pattern always in our Eye, we may continually correct all our own Errors and Defe&s, all the Diltempers of our Minds, and the Faults and Irregularities of our Lives we may argue our felves into all Kind of Virtue and Goodnefs, and from fuch an Example be ftrongly excited, and fweetly led to the Pra&ice of it. Let us not be difcouraged by the Confideration of our own Weaknefs : for he who bath given us fuch an Example of Virtue, is ready likewife togive us his HolySpirit, to affift and enable us to conform our felves to this Pattern of our Lord and Matter, and tofollow the bleffed Steps of his holyLife. Now the God of Peace, &c. S E RMO\ CXXXVIII. The Sufferings of ChriPc confider'd, as a proper Means of our Salvation. I CO R. I. 23,24. But we preach Chrifi crucified, unto the Jews a Stumbling-bloc!¿, and unto the Greeks Foolifhnefs ; But unto them which are called, both Jews andGreeks, Chriff thePower of God, and theWifdom of God. Fi E Sufferings of the Son of God for the Sins of Men, as they are a Subje& I never improper to be infifted on; fo are they more efpecially feafonable at this Time*, which the Chriftian Church hath for fo many Ages fet apart for n.eacb'd the folemn Commemoration of them, in order to our more due Preparation for ;',.17.d° the Receivingof the Sacrament at Eafler; which next after the Lord's Day (which was fet apart by the Apottles for aWeekly Commemoration of our Saviour's Re- furre&ion) is the firft and molt folemn Feftival that is taken notice of in Eccle- fiaftical Antiquity, to be generally obferved by Chriftians; at which Time all Chrittians that were admitted to thofe facred Myfteries, did receive the holy Sa- crament ; and for this Reafon, I have pitchedupon this Subje&at this Time. I i 2 Among
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