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,SEXi1i.
XXY717.
.Ä
LOVELt'
Cï1ICRIXGE,
and meditating
immortal and
.forgiving.love:
What
un-
worthy
followers
are
we
Of
the
blesased
Jesus, the Lamb
that
was slain, when
upon
every
occasion=
-we:
take
fire,
and
break out
into an
impatient
fury
?
But
if
I
should
enter
upon the
last
instance
of
a lovely
character,
and
begin
the mention
of
love,
how
far
beyond
all
example,
and
beyond all
description,
is
the
love
of
our
Lord
Jesus
!
How
tender
were the compassions
of
his
heart!' .How.extensive
the benevolence
of
his
soul
!
What nieltinglanguage
of
love
dropped
from his
lips
hourly
!
And
how were his
'
mortal' and "immortal
powers employed
in
procuring
infinite
blessings
for sinful
glen, in
distributing them
amongst the
rebellious! O
that
we
could learn to think,
'and speak; and act;like
our
blessed Saviour,
whose life
and
whose
death
was
a
rich
and various
scene
of
divine.and human love!
III.
l
might draw
further
arguments from the exam-
ples and
'from
the
writings
of
the apostles
and
holy men
in the primitive days
of
christianity
;
when they were all
of
one
heart
and
one
sotil,
and
did
every
thing
to please
and
serve
their'
.fellow-
chrjstians.
I
would
mention
the
epistles
of
St:
John
;
what
a divine
spirit of
love
breathes
in
them:!
But next
to
our Lord Jesus, I
should
rather
turn
your
eyes
and
thoughts
to
the
temper and conduct
otiSt. Paul,
the
greatest of
the
apostles, and
the
nearest
to
Christ: How did
be please all men,
not
seeking;
his
'Om).
profit,
buttheir
:salva.tion,
even
ás'Christ
pleased
not
Himself
;
;
'Anti
he
leaves'
us
his
own:example
in
subor-
AinationIxis'Lord,
"'Be
ye
followers
of
me,
even
as
I
also
:am
'of Christ, Rom.
xv.
1
-3.
and
give
none
offence,
neïther,to,Jew nor
gentile;"
1
Cor.
x.
32.
Who
is there
sorrowful 'among
you,
and
I
sympathize
not?
Who
is
weak,
'and
I
ám
not
weak
?
Who
is
offended,
and
I
do not share
in,,the.
pain
?
2
Coi'. xi.
29.
I
bear
and
'endure
all
:things-,for
the elect's sake,
that
they
'may
be
saved,"
2
Tim.
ii.
10.
How
lovely
was his
'beha,
'four
in
'all respects.?
':
His epistles
are
full
of
it,
it
shines
through:every page
:
Ilis
character demands a
volume
to
describe
it,
all
worthy of our
imitation and our wonder.
Bít
.
must
hasten
to
the,
last motive derived
from
I
and
that
is
the
nature
and
design
of the
gospel';i:tselE:
It
is
the
most lovely
of
all
religions.
Wisdom, humility, peace,
patience, mee, :ess, modera-
W
FJ4