yet none of these most excellent Perfons but had their Vices as well as Virtues: And it is obfervable, that the more eminent any were in Piety, the more notorious Sins God hath fometimes fuffered them to flip in to, to keep them humble. So that from the first to the fecond Adam, there never lived a Man of whom it could be faid, This Man never finned, never tranfgreffed the Laws of God, and therefore may in all things be imitated by Men.

BUT now as the Firft was made, the fecond Adam continued all along moft pure and perfect, both in Thought, Word and Action: For he did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth, 1 Pet. ii. 22. Never fo much as a vain Thought ever fprang up in his most holy Heart, not fo much as an idle Word ever proceeded out of his divine Lips, nor fo much as an impertinent or frivolous Action was ever performed by his facred and most righteous Hands; his whole Life being nothing elfe but one continued act of Piety towards God, Juftice towards Men, Love and Charity towards all. And as himself lived, fo would he have all his Difciples live whilft they are here below; and therefore enjoyns them that go after him, not only to deny themfelves, and take up their Croffes, but also to follow, or imitate him, unto the utmost of their Power

in their Life and Actions. So that he now expects that all those who profefs themfelves to be his Difciples, do first deny themselves whatsoever is offenfive unto him, and then that they take up their Crofs fo as to be ready and willing to do or fuffer any thing for him, that hath done and fuffered fo much as he hath for us. And then laftly, that they write after the Copy that he hath fet them, and walk in the Steps wherein he is gone before them; even that they follow him through all Duties and Difficulties whatsoever, fo as still to do unto the utmost of their Power as he did, otherwise they in vain pretend to be his Difciples. For he that faith be abideth in him, ought himself alfo to walk even as be walked, 1 John ii. 6. that is, he that profeffeth to believe in Jefus Chrift, should live as he lived while he was upon Earth. Hence St. Paul, a true Difciple of Chrift faith, Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Chrift, 1 Cor. xi. 1. As he followed Chrift, he would have others to follow him; but he would have them follow him no farther than as he followed Chrift.

IT is true, we were bound to be holy and righteous in all our ways, whether we had ever heard of Chrift's being fo or no, the Law of God first obliging us to be fo; but how foever, we have

now

now an additional Obligation upon us to be holy, As he who hath called us was boly in all manner of converfation, 1 Pet. i. 15. For the Scripture tells us exprefly, that Chrift bath left us an example that we should follow bis fteps, 1 Pet. ii. 21. And our Saviour himself commands all that come to him to learn of him, Mat. xi. 29, 30. And therefore we can never expect that he should own us for his Difciples, unlefs we own him for our Lord and Mafter, fo far as to obey and follow him; he having commanded all thofe that come to him, to deny themselves, take up their Croffes and follow him. And feeing we all I hope defire to be Chriftians indeed, as I have explained the two former of thefe Duties, I fhall now endeavour to give the true meaning of the latter too, that we may all fo follow Chrift here, as to come to him hereafter.

Now for the opening of this, we must know that we neither can nor ought to follow Chrift in every thing he did when he was here below; for even whilft he was here below, he was ftill the most high and mighty God, the fame that he had been from Eternity, and often manifefted his Power and Glory to the Sons of Men, whilft he was converfing with them in their own Natures, wherein it would be

horrid prefumption for us to pretend to follow him. As for example, He knew the very thoughts of men, Mat. xii. 25. which I fuppofe is fomething paft our kill to do. Hence alfo he judged and cenfured others, Wo unto you, faith he, Scribes and Pharifees, hypocrites, for ye are like unto painted fepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful. outwardly, but are within full of dead mens bones and of all uncleanness, Mat. xxiii. 27, 28. But this we could not do though we might, not being able to fearch into others hearts, neither may we do it though we could, Chrift himself having exprefly commanded us the contrary, faying, fudge not that ye be not judged, Mat. vii. 1. Our Saviour alfo as God foretold future events, Luk. xxi. 6. and wrought Miracles, fuch as were clear demonftrations of his infinite Power and Godhead; but in this he is to be believed and admired, not followed or imitated by us. Thus alfo when he fent his Difciples to loose another Man's Colt, and bring him away, Luk. xix. 30. That he did as Lord and Sovereign of the World, or as the fupreme Poffeffor and univerfal Proprietor of all things; as when he commanded the Ifraelites to fpoil the Egyptians, and carry away their Jewels and Raiment, for all things being his, he may give them to whom he pleaseth; and

tho'

tho' it would have been a Sin to have taken them away without his command, yet his command gave them a propriety in them, a Right and Title to them, and they had finned unless they had obeyed the command. So here, our Saviour fent for the Colt, as if it had been his own, for fo really it was, as he is God, which he manifefted himself to be at the fame time, in that he inclined the hearts, of the civil Owners thereof to let him go, only upon the Difciples faying that the Lord had need of him, Luk. xix. 33, 34. But this he did not for our Example, but to fhew forth his own Power and Glory.

THERE are fome things alfo which our bleffed Saviour did as God-man, or as the Mediator betwixt God and Man, as his making attonement and fatisfaction for the Sins of Mankind, his inftituting Offices and Ordinances, and Sacraments in his Church, and the like; which having an immediate respect to his Office of Mediator, and be ing done upon that account, we neither may nor can imitate him in fuch things. But the things which he would have us to follow him in, are fuch and fuch only as he did as mere Man, that had no immediate dependence upon or reference to either his Godhead or Mediatorship. For he having honoured our Nature fo far, as to take it