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EERM..

XXV111.1

A

LOVELY 'CARRIAGE,

See.

469

the form

of

a.

dove,

a

lovely

.and

gentle animal.

Thus the

blessed

Trinity

conspire'to

teach

us this

amiable

and

di--

vine

carriage.

IL

The

Son

of

God

incarnate

has

brought

a;-

lovely

pattern of

this

practice

nearer

to

us in his.w.hole

deport

meat

on

earth.

I

cannot part.

with

the

most graceful

example

of

our Lord

Jesus

Christ: with.

a.

slight

notice

He

came

into

this

world.

partly. with a design

to become

our pattern

in every

virtue,

and.inevery

grace.

Let

us

turn

our

eyes

towards

hini

in all

the.

circumstances

ana

behaviours

of

life,

.

and

he

will

ever appear,

as he

is

in

himself;

the chiefest

of.

ten thousands,

and altogether

lovely.

Let

us

take a

survey

of

him

under those

several

particulars,

in which

an

amiable carriage

has

been

described.

Is prudence a

lovely

virtue?

How perfectly

wise

was

the

conduct

of

our Lord

!

How carefully

did he

attend to

the

circumstances

Of

time

and

place, while he

dwelt

among mankind

!

How happily

did he suit

his

conversa-

tien

to

his

company

!

How

wisely

did he derive

his

di-

vine

discourses from the daily

occurrences

of

life

!

How

admirably

did

he'distribute

his

benefits according

to

the

various

necessities

of

men

!

so

that

the unprejudiced

world pronounced concerning

him,

He.has

done all

things

well." Shall

we be

rash and foolish,

fickle

and

imprudent, and

live

at

random

in

our

words

and

our

works, when

we

have

so divine

a

pattern of

prudence

-be=

fore

us in

the history

of

the

gospel

?

Is

moderation

another

lovely

character; and- a

peace=

maker an amiable title

?

Such was

our

blessed

Lord,

and

such

should

his

followers

be.

How glorious

a sight

is

it

to

behold

the,

Son

of God

coming down from heaven

to

be

a

mediator

betwixt

his

offended

Father

and

his

offend-

ing

creatures

!

to

reconcile

heaven

and

earth

together,

and

rather than

fail in this

attempt,

he gladly

exposed

himself

to

shame and death, and made

a cement

of

'ever=

lasting

friendship

betwixt.

God and

man with

his

own

blood. Shall we,. who

are

reconciled

by

such amazing

transactions,

quarrel

with

each other for

trifles,

and form

ourselves

into

parties

for

rage,

and strife, and hatred,

and yet profess the

name

of

the great reconciler

!

Are we

not commanded

to follow

peace

with all men, as far as

possible,

with the

security

of

our

holiness and peace with

gx3

9