to be, as the Apostle exhorts, followers of God as dear children, Eph. v. 1, 2. As children that are beloved of their father, and do love and reverence him; who therefore will be ambitious to be like him, and particularly aim at the following any virtues or excellency in him: Now, thus it is most reasonable in the children of God, their Father being the highest and beft of all excellency and perfection.

But this excellent pattern is drawn down nearer their view in the Son Jefus Chrift; where we have that highest example made low, and yet lofing nothing of its perfection. So that we may ftudy God in man, and read all our leffon, without any blot, even in our own nature. And this is truly the only way to be the best proficients in this following and imitating of all good. In him we may learn all, even those leffons that men moft defpife; God teaching them, by acting them, and calling us to follow; Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, Mat. xi. 29. But this is too large a fubject. Would you advance in all grace? ftudy Chrift much, and you fhall find not only the pattern in him, but ftrength and fkill from him to follow it.

2. The advantage; Who is be that will harm you? The very name of it says so much; a good, worthy the following for itself: But there is this further to perfuade it, that, befides higher benefit, it oftentimes cuts off the occafions of prefent evils and disturbances, that otherwife are incident to men. Who is he? Men, even evil men, will often be overcome by our blamelefs and harmlefs behaviour.

I. In the life of a godly man, taken together in the whole body and frame of it, there is a grave beauty or comeliness, that oftentimes forces fome kind of reverence and refpect to it, even in ungodly minds.

2. Though a natural man cannot love them fpiritually, as graces of the Spirit of God; (for fo only the partakers of them are lovers of them ;) yet he

may

may have, and ufually hath, a natural liking and efteem of fome kind of virtues which are in a Chriftian, and are not, in their right nature, in any other to be found; though a moralift may have fomewhat like them, meekness, and patience, and charity, and fidelity, &c.

3. These, and other fuch like graces, do make a Chriftian life fo inoffenfive and calm, that, except where the matter of their God or religion is made the crime, malice itself can scarce tell where to faften its teeth or lay hold, or hath nothing to pull by, though it would; yea, oftentimes, for want of work or occafions, it will fall asleep for a while; whereas ungodliness and iniquity, fometimes by breaking out into notorious crimes, draws out the fword of civil juftice, and where it rifes not fo high, yet it involves men in frequent contentions and quarrels, Prov. xxiii. 29. How often are the lufts, and pride, and covetoufnefs of men, paid with dangers, and troubles, and vexations, that, befides what is abiding them hereafter, do even in this prefent life fpring out of them? Now, thefe the godly efcape, by their juft, and mild, and humble carriage. Whence fo many jars and ftrifes amongst the greateft part, but from their unchriftian hearts and lives, from their lufts that war in their members? Jam. iv. 1.; their felf-love and unmortified paffions? One will bate nothing of his will, nor the other of his. Thus, where pride and paflion meet on both fides, it cannot be but a fire will be kindled ; when hard flints ftrike together, the fparks will fly about; but a foft mild fpirit is a great preserver of its own peace, kills the power of conteft; as woolpacks, or fuch like foft matter, most deaden the force of bullets. A foft answer turns away wrath, fays Solomon, Prov. xv. I.; beats it off, breaks the bone, as he fays; the very ftrength of it, as the bones are in the body.

And thus we find it, they that think themselves high spirited, and will bear leaft, as they speak, are

often,

often, even by that, forced to bow moft, or to burst under it; while humility and meekness escape many a burden, and many a blow, always keeping peace within, and often without too.

Reflexion 1. If this were duly confidered, might it not do fomewhat to induce your minds to love the way of religion, for that it would fo much abate the turbulency and unquietnefs that abounds in the lives of men; a great part whereof the most do procure by the earthlinefs and diftemper of their own carnal minds, and the disorder in their ways that arifes thence.

2. You, whose hearts are fet towards God, and your feet entered into his ways, I hope will find no rea→ fon for a change, but many reafons to commend and endear that way to you every day more than another ; and, amongst the reft, even this, that, in them, you escape many, even present, mischiefs, that you see the ways of the world are full of. And, if you will be careful to ply your rule, and ftudy your copy better, you fhall find it more fo. The more you follow that which is good, the more fhall you avoid a number of outward evils, that are ordinarily drawn on upon men by their own enormities and paffions. Keep as close as you can to the genuine, even, track of a Chriftian walk; and labour for a prudent and meek behaviour, adorning your holy profeffion, and this shall adorn you, and fometimes gain those that are without, 1 Cor. ix. 21.; yea, even your enemies fhall be conftrained to approve it.

It is known how much the fpotlefs lives and patient sufferings of the primitive Chriftians did fometimes work upon their beholders, yea, on their perfecutors; and perfuaded fome that would not flare with them in their religion, yet to speak and write for them.

Seeing, then, that reafon and experience do jointly aver it, that the lives of men, converfant together, have generally a great influence one upon another;

for,

for, example is an animated or living rule, and is both the shortest and moft powerful way of teaching: Let me graft an exhortation or two, on this obvious remark.

1. Whofoever are in an exemplary or leading place, in relation to others, be it many or few, be ye first followers of God. Set before you the rule of holinefs, and withal, the beft and highest examples of those that have walked according to it, and then you will be leading in it; and those that are under you, and bent to follow you in fo doing, will follow that which is good, I Theff. v. 15. Lead and draw them on, by admonishing, and counselling, and exhorting, but especially by walking.-Pastors, be [TUTO] enfamples to the flock, or models, as our Apoftle hath it, Pet. v. 3. that they may be ftampt aright, taking the impreffion of your lives. Sound doctrine alone will not ferve; though the water you give your flocks be pure, yet if you lay fpotted rods before them, it will bring forth spotted lives in them; either teach not at all, or teach by the rhetoric of your lives * Ye, elders, be fuch in grave and pious carriage, whatfoever be your years; for young men may be fo, and, poffibly, gray hairs may have nothing under them but gadishness and folly many years old, habituated and inveterate ungodliness.-Parents and masters, let your children and fervants read in your lives the life and power of godliness, the practice of piety; not lying in your windows or corners of your houses, and confined within the clafp of the book, bearing that or any fuch like title, but fhining in your lives.

2. You that are easily receptive of the impreffion of example, beware of the ftamp of unholiness, and a carnal formal courfe of profeffion, whereof the examples are most abounding; but, though they be fewer that bear the lively image of God impreffed on their hearts, and expreffed in their actions, yet ftudy thefe, and be followers of thofe as they are of Christ,

* Η μη διδάσκειν, η διδασκειν τῷ τρόπῳ.

I Cor.

I Cor. iv. 16. I know you will efpy much irregular and unfanctified carriage in us that are set up for the ministry; and if you look round, you will find the world lying in wickedness; yet, if there be any that have any fparks of divine light in them, converfe with thofe and follow them.

3. And, generally, this I fay to all, for none are fo complete, but they may efpy fome imitable and emulable good, even in meaner Chriftians; acquaint yourselves with the word, the rule of holiness; and then, with an eye to that, look on one another, and be zealous of progrefs in the ways of holiness. Choose to converfe with fuch as may excite you and advance you, both by their advice and example. Let not a corrupt generation, in which you live, be the worse by you, nor you the worse by it. As far as you neceffarily engage in fome converfation with those that are unholy, let them not pull you into the mire, but, if you can, help them out; and let not any custom of fin about you, by familiar feeing, gain upon you, so as to think it fashionable and comely; yea, or fo as not to think it deformed and hateful. Know, that you must row against the ftream of wickedness in the world, unless you would be carried with it to the dead fea, or lake of perdition; take that grave counsel, given, Rom. xii. 2. be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, which is the daily advancement in renovation, purifying and refining every day.

Now, in this way you fhall have fweet inward peace and joy, and fome outward advantage too; that men, except they are monftrously cruel and malicious, will not fo readily harm you. It will abate much of their. rage; but, however, if you do not escape fuffering by your holy carriage, yea, if you fuffer even for it, yet in that are ye happy, as the Apostle immediately adds.

VOL. II.

B

Ver. 14.