Page images
PDF
EPUB

the evils and miferies of life. For when we once come to look upon death as a remedy of all the evils of life, we fhall then begin to be reconciled to it; and if we be wife, fhall be glad to be out of the noise, and danger, and fuf'fering of fo many evils as we are continually liable to in this world; and fhall thank God heartily for difiniffing us, and giving us leave to die, and by death to put an end to this miferable life, and to begin a better and happier life, which fhall never have an end.

And we should likewife meditate much on the glory and happiness of another world. For if we be once poffeffed with a firm belief and perfuafion of it, we fhall think the time long that we are detained from it, and wish for that which we fo much feared, I mean death, that it may bring us to the enjoyment of that which we have much more reafon to defire.

And, indeed, confidering (as I faid before) the many evils and miferies which we are liable to, and always in danger of, while we are in this world, we have cause to thank God that we were born to die, and that we are not condemned to live for ever in this world. So that, whenever God fhall think fit to releafe us, we ought to esteem it a favour; but if he will have us to ftay a little longer, we must, with patience, wait for another opportunity of making our escape out of an evil and troublesome world. But, methinks, we should not much defire to ride it out in the ftorm any longer, when the port is open, and we may fafely enter in. And then,

3. By way of farthe preparation for death, we fhould endeavour to maintain always a lively fenfe of it in our minds, that we may be, to all good effects and purposes, as much under the power of it, as if it were juft approaching, as if the physician or the judge had paffed the fentence of death upon us. We thould always reckon upon that which may happen the next moment, and if we do fo, we can never be extremely furprized; but whenever our Lord comes fhall be found watching. And,

Laftly, We thould make it our conftant prayer to God, that he would fit us for our diffolution, and stand by us, and comfort us in that needful time, without whofe gracious fupport and affiftance, both phyficiaus, and even the minifters

U 2

minifters of God themfelves, are but miferable comforters. It fhould be our daily petition to God, that he would enable us to perform this last act of our life with decency and conftancy of mind, that neither our disease nor our weakness may break the firmnefs of our spirits, or leave us to be amazed with fear, or betrayed with peevifhnefs, fo as to render us uneafy to ourselves, or to make our friends willing to be rid of us.

But more especially, when God thinks fit, either by the nature or prefent danger of our distemper, to give us a nearer fummons and clearer warning of our mortality, we should take the opportunity to imprefs upon our minds a deep and more lively fenfe of another world, that we may quicken our pace, and work the work of him that fent us into the world, while it is day; because the night is coming when no man can work.

Nature, I know, is fond of life, and apt to be ftill longing after a longer continuance here, and to find many delays and excufes to tarry yet a while longer in this world and yet a very long life, with the ufual burdens and infirmities of it, is feldom in reafon defirable; for it is but the fame thing over again, or worse; fo many more days and nights, fummers and winters, a repetition of the fame pleasures, but ftill with lefs pleasure and relish; a return of the fame or greater pains and troubles, but ftill with lefs patience and ftrength to bear them.

Let us then be of good courage in the approaches of death, fince we see land, and the storm which we are in will quickly be over; and then it will be as if it had never been, or rather the remembrance of it will be a great pleasure to us.

Suave mari magno, turbantibus æquora ventis,
E terrd alterius magnum fpectare periclum.
Non quia vexari quenquam eft jucunda voluptas ;
Sed quibus ipfe malis careas quia cernere fuave eft.

"It is a pleasant thing to stand upon the fhore, when we "fee others in a great ftorm at sea. Not that it is delightful to fee others in danger; but when others are

"in great difficulties and dangers, it is a pleasure to find "ourselves fafe and out of danger."

And if it should pleafe God to exercife us with great pains or tedious fickness, we fhould make use of all the confiderations which reafon and religion do furnish us withal, to help to mitigate and deceive our troubles, and to make that fhort way a little more fmooth and easy. For the beft of us have no privilege and exemption from the common accidents of humanity, no piety can certainly fecure to any of us an eafy and comfortable death; and therefore it is a groundless confidence for any man to reckon upon it; we muft in this, as in all other things, refign up ourselves to God's good pleasure, and fubmit to him the time and manner, and all other circumftances of our departure out of this world; whether our fun fhall fet in a cloud, or fhine brightest and look biggest when it is going down. But however it fets, it is the fun ftill, and the fountain of light, and will rife gloriously. There are always the feeds of joy and comfort in the confcience of a good man; and though they be hid and buried for a while, they will spring forth one time or other. Light is fown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart, as David affures us, Pfal. xcvii. 11. I will conclude all with the words of the author of this Pfalm, Deut. xxxii. 29. O that they were wife, that they underfood this, that they would confider their latter end!

[blocks in formation]

:234

[ocr errors]

SERMON CLXXXIX.

The life of Jefus Chrift confidered as our example.

I PET. ii. 21.

Leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.
The first fermon on this text.

HE Apoftle here propounds to Chriftians the example of our Saviour, as an argument to perfuade them to one particular grace and virtue, namely, patience under fufferings unjustly laid upon us, ver. 19, 20, 21. For this is thank-worthy, if a man for confcience toward God endure grief, fuffering wrongfully. For what gloTy is it, if when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if when ye do well, and fuffer for it, je take it patiently; this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Chrift also fuffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.

But though the example of our Saviour be here propounded to us upon a particular occafion, and with a more efpecial regard to the particular virtue of patience under unjuft fufferings, which did fo eminently appear in our bleffed Saviour, the moft meek and patient endurer that ever was, of the greatest and most wrongful sufferings; yet the Apoftle does not limit this great pattern of all righteousness to the fingle virtue of patience, but propounds it to us, as an example of univerfal holiness and goodnefs; for fo he extends it in the next words, leaving us an example, that ye fhould follow his fteps: who did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth.

In this latitude and extent I fhall difcourfe of it at This time, and that under these following heads; I, That

I. That his life is a moft abfolute and perfect pattern.
II. That it is a very easy and familiar example.
III. Very encouraging to the imitation of it.

IV. An univerfal pattern fitted for the imitation of all forts of perfons, of what rank or condition foever.

V. In the nature of it, very powerful to engage and oblige men to the imitation of it.

I. The life of our bleffed Saviour is a most abfolute and perfect pattern of holiness and goodness, compleat and entire in all its parts, and perfect to the utmost degree, in the following whereof there is no danger of be ing mifguided, no fear of mifcarriage: whereas all other examples of mortal men are fallible and uncertain guides, which, if we follow too closely, will fome time or other mislead us. In the lives of the beft men recorded in fcripture, we may difcern fome fpot and blemish, fome error and overfight, fome fall or flip; fo that the lives of the holiest men are no fure rule, no perfect measure of our duty, and are therefore to be imitated with great wisdom and warinefs, left, if we follow all their actions indifferently and implicitly, in confidence they are good because they are theirs, we may fall into great errors and failings; and therefore, in following the lives and examples of the best men, we must have an eye to the rule, and by that judge of the example which we propose to imitate; otherwife we may easily be feduced by the authority of a great example.

But the example of our Lord is a living law and rule, his precepts and his pattern are of equal perfection, and the imitation of his life and actions is the very fame thing with obedience to his laws. For the life of our bleffed Saviour here on earth, is the life of God in the nature and likeness of man; he was God as well as man, and the divine nature is certainly the pattern of all perfection. As he was the Son of God, he was the brightness of his Father's glory, and the exprefs image and character of his perfon; and as he was the Son of Man, though he had natural frailties and infirmities, and was fubject to hunger and thirft, wearinefs and pain, like other men; yet he had all the moral perfections belonging to human nature, without any of the evil incli

nations,

« PreviousContinue »