Λύχνος ὁ φαίνων. 32. SER M.prophet of the nations in his times; and St. Paul VI. was feparated from the womb to be a preacher of the Christian faith: these, and fuch like eminent perfons, Almighty God, in his goodness, was pleased to raise up, to be, in their generations, as it were, partial and temporary Saviours, as by declaring his will, and revealing his truth to men, fo by guiding them Joh. v. 35. with a remarkable example: these burning and shining ars nailamps (as St. John the Baptift is called) were indeed like lamps fet up in fome particular families, with a competent luftre, to difpel the prefent darkness, fhining within their definite fphere, and for a determinate time but our Saviour, like the fun, fixed in a higher orb, was ordained with a perpetual and unconfined fplendour to illuminate the univerfe, to cause a general and everlasting day of healthful and comfortable knowledge over the face of the whole Johni. 9. earth. He was that true light, which enlighteneth every Luc. ii. 31, man coming into the world; He was prepared before the face of all people, to be a light to lighten the nations; (not Ifrael only, but the nations indefinitely, or all Heb. ii. 10. nations.) He was ordained, not commander of a fingle regiment, or party, but captain-general of all mankind, to conduct all thofe who were difpofed to follow him, by a victorious obedience, into that triumphant ftate of everlasting joy and happiness. His example doth belong unto us all, without exception, Rom. viii. by Divine ordination; for we, all of us, were (to ufe St. Paul's expreffion) predeftinated to be conformed to the image of God's Son; that he might be the first-born among many brethren. So it was, and fo it became the infinite goodnefs and philanthropy of God, to bestow upon mankind one perfectly good example, inviting to all virtue, and fo fit to countervail all those many bad ones, wherewith we converfe, enticing to vice; to fet forth, among fo many imperfect ones, one accomplished piece of his heavenly workmanship, able to attract the eyes and ravish the hearts of all men with admiration of its excellent 29. worth VI. Α γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνος ποιῇ, Taura a ó worth and beauty; to offer to our view fome dif-s ER M. cernible reprefentation of his invifible perfections; that fo we might better be induced and inured to apprehend, love, reverence, and imitate himself, by Joh. v. 19. contemplation of that most exquifite image of him; ixtvo; o, to give an evident proof that the higheft virtue is not unpracticable, that human nature, by aid and guidance of the Divine Spirit, may arrive to the fublimeft pitch of perfection in goodness; in fine, to expofe fuch a common, fweet, and lovely pattern, as we with affurance, joy, and comfort may follow. Thirdly, Our Saviour's example is especially influential upon practice, in that it was, by an admirable temperament, more accommodated for imitation than any others have been; that the perfect copy of his moft holy life feems more eafy to be transcribed, than the ruder draughts of other holy men : for though it were written with an incomparable fairness, delicacy, and evenness; not flurred with any foul blot, nor any where declining from exact ftraightness; yet were the lineaments thereof exceeding plain and fimple; not by any gaudy flourishes, or impertinent intrigues, rendered difficult to ftudious imitation; fo that even women and children, the weakest and meaneft fort of people, as well as the most wife and ingenious, might eafily perceive its defign, and with good fuccefs write after it. His was a gentle and fteady light, bright indeed, but not dazzling the eye; warm, but not fcorching the face of the most intent beholder; no affected fingularities, no fupercilious morofities, no frivolous oftentations of feemingly high, but really fruitlefs performances; nothing that might deter a timorous, difcourage a weak, or offend a fcrupulous difciple, is obfervable in his practice: but, on the contrary, his conversation was full of lowlinefs and condefcenfion, of meeknefs and sweetness, of opennefs and candid fimplicity; apt to invite and allure all men to approach toward it, and with fatisfaction to enjoy it. He υἱὸς ἱμοίως VI. SER M. He did not feclude himself into the conftant retirements of a cloifter, nor into the farther receffes of a wilderness, (as fome others have done) but conversed freely and indifferently with all forts of men, even the most contemptible and odious fort of men, publicans and finners; like the fun, with an, impartial bounty, liberally imparting his pleasant light and comfortable warmth to all. He ufed no uncouth aufterities in habit, or diet; but complied, in his garb, with ordinary ufage, and fuftained his life with fuch food as cafual opportunity did offer; fo that his indifferency in that kind yielded matter of obloquy against him from the fond admirers of a humorous precifeness. His devotions (though exceedingly fprightful and fervent) were not ufually extended to a tedious and exhaufting durance, nor ftrained into ecftatical tranfports, charming the natural fenfes, and overpowering the reafon; but calm, fteady, and regular, fuch as perfons of honeft intention and hearty defire (though not endued with high fancy, or stirring paffion) might readily imitate. His zeal was not violent or impetuous, except upon very great reason, and extraordinary occafion, when the honour of God, or good of men, was much concerned. He was not rigorous in the obfervance of traditional rites and cuftoms, (fuch as were needlefsly burthenfome, or which contained in them more of formal fhew than of real fruit,) yet behaved himself orderly and peaceably, giving due refpect to the leaft inftitution of God, and complying with the innocent cuftoms of men; thereby pointing out unto us the middle way between peevish fuperftition and boifterous faction; which as always the most honeft, so commonly is the most fafe and pleasant way to walk in. He delighted not to difcourfe of fublime myfteries, (although his deep wifdom comprehended all) nor of fubtile fpeculations and intricate queftions, fuch as might amufe and perplex, rather than inftruct and profit his auditors, but ufually did feed VI. his auditors with the most common and ufeful s ER M. truths, and that in the most familiar and intelligible language; not difdaining the use of vulgar fayings, and trivial proverbs, when they beft ferved to infinuate his wholesome meaning into their minds. His whole life was spent in exercise of the moft eafy and pleafant, yet moft neceffary and fubftantial, duties; obedience to God, charity, meeknefs, humility, patience, and the like; the which, that he might practife with the greatest latitude, and with most advantage for general imitation, he did not addict himself to any particular way of life, but difentangled himfelf from all worldly care and bufinefs; choofing to appear in the moft free, though very mean condition; that he might indifferently inftruct, by his example, perfons of all callings, degrees, and capacities; efpecially the moft, that is, the poor; and might have opportunity, in the face of the world, to practife the most difficult of neceffary duties; lowliness, contentedness, abftinence from pleasure, contempt of the world, fufferance of injuries and reproaches. Thus fuited and tempered by divine wifdom was the life of our bleffed Saviour, that all forts of men might be in an equal capacity to follow him, that none might be offended, affrighted, or difcouraged; but that all might be pleafed, delighted, enamoured, with the homely majefty and plain beauty thereof, And in effect fo it happened, that ordinary people (the weakest, but fincereft and unprejudiced fort of men) were greatly taken with, moft admired and applauded his deportment; many of them readily embracing his doctrine, and devoting themselves to his difcipline; while only the proud, envious, covetous, and ambitious fcribes and lawyers rejected his excellent doctrine, fcorned the heavenly fimplicity and holy integrity of his life. Fourthly, The tranfcendent excellency of our Lord's example appeareth, in that it is attended. with the greatest obligations (of gratitude and inge VI. SER M. nuity, of justice, of intereft, of duty,) mightily en gaging us to follow it. For it is not the example of an ordinary or inconfiderable perfon, of a stranger, of one indifferent, or unrelated to us; but of a glorious prince, of heavenly extraction, (the first-born Son of the Almighty God, fole heir of eternal Majefty,) of our Lord and Mafter, to whom we are for ever bound by indifpenfible bands of duty and obedience; of our great Captain, who hath undertaken to fubdue our enemies, and hath obliged us to follow his conduct, in a holy warfare, against them, by moft folemn facraments and vows; of our beft Friend, from whom we have received the greatest favours and benefits imaginable; of our moft gracious Saviour, who, for our fake, hath voluntarily fuftained most bitter pains, and fhameful contumelies; having facrificed his dearest heart-blood to redeem us from intolerable flaveries, and from extremities of horrible misery; of him, to whom, in all refpects, we do owe the highest refpect, love, and obfervance that can be. Now it is the nature and property both of refpect and love (fuch as upon fo many grounds we owe to him) to beget in the perfon refpecting and loving, an endeavour, anfwerable to the degrees of thofe difpofitions, of conforming to, and refembling, the qualities and manners of the perfon refpected, or beloved. We fee how readily children do comply with the customs of their parents and tutors; fervants of their mafters and patrons; fubjects of their princes and governors, with a ftudious earneftnefs compofing themfelves to exprefs in their carriage, not only their good or their indifferent fafhions and manners, but even their moft palpable deformities and vices; infomuch, that a whole family, a city, a nation may be debauched from its fobriety, or reformed from its diffolutenefs, even inftantly, by the example of one perfon, who, by his place, power, and authority, challengeth extraordinary reverence from men and much greater influence hath hearty : |