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crifice which is truly propitiatory, and is the great demonftration of his Justice, who in Mercy doth forgive.

9:7. II. The fecond Witneß of the Spirit, which is inherent and conftitutive to the Gofpel of Christ, is that image of God, the unimit al le character of Divinity, which by the holy Spirit is put into the doctrin of Chrift, as the very life or foul of it, (together with the fame on the pattern of his own life.)

1. On Chrift bimfelf, the unimitable Image of God in his Perfection, is a teftimony of his veracity: (which I afcribe to the holy Spirit, as the ultimate Operator in the Trinity, even that holy Spirit by which he was conceived, and which fell upon him at his Baptifin, and which, Matth. 12. his enemies did blafpheme) Many men have fo lived, that no not able fin of commiflion hath been found or obferved in them by the world at a distance. But the moft vertuous, except Chrift, was never without difcernable infirmities, and fins of omiffion. No man ever convicted him of any fin, either in word or deed; His obedience to the Law of God was every way perfect, He was the moft excellent Reprefentative of the Divine Perfections: The Omnipotency of God appeared All Chriftians agree in the main Doctrins of in his Miracles; The Wisdom of God in his holy Doctrin; a holy life. Leg. Marc. and the Love of God in his matchlefs expreffions of Love, Eremit, de Lege Spi- and in all the Holiness of his life. He was fo far from pride, rituali, & Dorothei worldlinefs, fenfuality, malice, impatiency, or any fin, that the world had never fuch a pattern of felf-denial, humility, virtutum Macarii contempt of all the wealth and honours of the world, chaHomil. Hefychii rity, meekness, patience, &c. as in him. He obeyed his FaPresb. ad Theodul. ther to the death. He healed mens bodies, and fhewed his Centurie Kempif. & Thauleri pity to their fouls, and opened the way of life even to his opera; and of the later

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true Papifts, Sales Introduction to a devout life, Benedicti de Benedi&. Regul. Barbanfon, de Amore Dei: Parfons of Refolution, Creffy's San&ta Sophia, &c. And among the Proteftants, the number of holy Treatifes is so great, that I shall not name any in so numerous a Treasury: So that however the Spirit of contention caufeth many of them to over-look the good that is in one another, and aggravate the evil, yet Holiness is the Doctrin of all the Chriftians in the world, and the praEtice of all that are fincere: And while the Selts and Hypocrites do rail at one another, yet in all they speak against fin. I bave oft thought, why is it that as Chriftians, men live together in love; but as Parties, when they come to the intereft of their Sects, they bate, revile and perfecute one another? And I answer it, Because as Chriftians they give no cause of batred to each other; but as Sects and Parties, they leave God's way, and them their feififhefs and loathsome faults, and are enclined to injure one another, and fo do again fuffer by those whom bey have injured. But the Wisdom from above is pure and peaceable, &c. Leg. etiam Thaleffi Centuria, & Nili Parænefs.

enemies:

enemies: He inftructed the ignorant, and preached repentance to the impenitent, and fuffered patiently the unthankful requitals of them that rendred him evil for good: He endured patiently to be reviled, fcorned, buffeted, fpit upon, crowned with thorns, nailed to a crofs, and put to death; and this upon the falfe accufation and imputation of being an evil doer: In a word, He was perfect, and finless, and manifested first all that obedience and holiness in his life, which he put into his Laws, and prescribed unto others: And fuch Perfection is infeparable from Veracity.

Obj. How know we what faults he might have, which come not to our knowledge?

Anfw. 1. You may fee by his enemies accufations, partly what he was free from, when you fee all that malice could invent to charge him with. 2. Ifthe Narrative of his Life in the Gospel have that evident proof, which I fhall anon produce,there can remain no doubt of the perfect holiness and innocency of Chrift in his Perfon and his Life.

Object. We find him accused of many crimes, as of being a gluttonous perfon, and a Wine-bibber; of blafphemy, and impiety, and treafon.

Anfw. The very accufations are fuch as fhew their falfhood, and his innocency. He is called a gluttonous person, and a Wine-bibber, because he did eat and drink as other men in temperance and fobriety, and did not tie himself to a wildernefs life of aufterity, in total abftinence from common meats and wine, as John Baptift did, and as they thought he that profeffed extraordinary fanctity fhould have done. They accused him of eating with publicans and finners, because he went to them as a Phyfician to heal their fouls, and lived a fociable charitable life, and did not observe the Laws of proud Pharifaical feparation. They accufed him of blasphemy and treason, for faying the truth, that he was the Son of God, and the King of Ifrael: And of impiety, for talking of pulling down the Temple, when he did but prophefic of his own death and refurrection. And this was all that malice had to fay.

Object. He carried bimfelf contemptuously to Magiftrates: He called Herod the King,[That Fox] The Scribes and Pharifees be railed at, and called them hypocrites, painted fepul

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cbres, a generation of vipers, &c. When he was called to anfwer whether they should pay tribute to Cefar, he doth but put off the refolution by ambiguity, instead of an open exhorting them to obedience, and faith, [ Give to Cæfar the things that are Cæfars] And when he was called to for tribute for him, he payeth it but as a way to avoid offence, having pleaded first his own immunity.

Anfw. 1. His fpeeches of Herod and the Scribes and Pharifees are not revilings, but a free and juft reprehension of their fin which being done by God's commission, and in his Name, and for his caufe, is no more to be called reviling, than an arreft of a Felon or Traitor in the Kings name, or an accufation put in against him for his crimes, fhould be fo called. God will not forbear damning impenitent rebels, though they call it cruelty, nor will he forbear the reprehenfion and fhaming of their villanies, though they call it railing; nor will he flatter proud rebellious duft, though they call flattery a neceffary civility; nor will he give leave to his Meffengers to leave fin in honour, and to let the proud do what their lift, and quietly damn themselves and others, without plain reproof, though it be called unreverent fawcinefs or fedition. 2. And he that confidereth how little Title Cafar had to the Kingdom of the Jews, and that the sword alone is a better proof of force and strength, than of Authority, and is a Plea which an ufurper may have on his fide, will rather praise the fubmiffion and peaceableneß of Chrift, than blame him as difloyal. But for the doctrin of Obedience in general, who hath ever taught it more plainly and preffingly, than Chrift and his Apostles?

2. The Gospel or doctrin of Chrift it felf alfo, hath the very Image and Superfcription of God, I will not fay, imprinted on it, for that is too little, but intrinfecally animating and conftituting it, which is apparent in the Matter, and the Method, and the Stile.

1. The Matter and Defign containeth the most wonderful exprefsion of the Wisdom of God, that ever was made to man on earth. All is myfterious, yet admirably fit, consistent and congruous, as is before declared. That a world which is vifibly and undeniably fallen into wickedness and mifery, Thould have a Redeemer, Saviour and Mediator towards

God!

God! That he should be one that is near enough to God and unto us, and hath the nature of both: that he should be the fecond Adam, the Root of the Redeemed and Regenerate: that God should give all mercy from himself, from his own bounty and fulnefs, and not as unwilling be perfwaded to it by another; and therefore that the Redeemer be not any Angel or intermediate perfon, but God himself: that thus God come nearer unto man, who is revolted from him, to draw up man again to Him: that he lose not the world, and yet do not violate his governing Juftice that he be fo merciful, as not to be unrighteous, nor permit his Laws and Government to be defpifed, and yet fo juft, as to fave the penitent renewed fouls: that he give man a new Law and conditions of falvation, fuitable to his lapfed guilty ftate; and leave him not under a Law and conditions, which were fitted to the innocent: that he revealed himself to the apoftate world in that way, which only is fit for their recovery, that is, in his admirable love and goodness, that fo love might win our love, and attract thofe hearts, which under guilt and the terrors of condemning juftice would never have been brought to love him: that guilty fouls have fuch evidence of God's reconciliation to encourage them, to expect his pardon, and to come to him with joy and boldness in their addreffes; having a Mediator to truft in, and his Sacrifice, Merits, and acceptable Name, to plead with God: lam dicit, [Ego in that Juftice and Mercy are so admirably conjoyned in these medio veftri fum, fieffects that Satan, and the world, and death, fhould be fo cut qui miniftrat ] conquered, in a fuffering way, and man have fo perfect a quis adeo fævus aut pattern to imitate, for felf-denial, humility, contempt of ho- mentis inop; eft, ut omnem mox faftum nour, wealth and life, and exact obedience, and refignation to & ambitionem non the will of God, with perfect love to God and man: that refpuat Cui univerfa fanta, menteque the world should be under fuch an univerfal Adminiftrator, & ratione prædita and the Church be all united in fuch a Head; and have creatura, cultum & one in their nature that hath rifen from the dead, to be in minifterium defert, poffeffion of the glory which they are going to, and thence quique eadem prorto fend down his Spirit to fanctifie them, and fit them for fus cum Deo Patre Majeftare & poteHeaven; and afterward to be their Judge, and to receive ftate pollet, is Minithem unto bleffednefs: and that finners now be not con- ftri perfona fumpta, demned meerly for want of innocency, but for rejecting the difcipulorum pedes lavat. Titus Boftrens grace and mercy which would have faved them: that we in Luc. cap. 22.

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Diligens Le or in- have all this taught us by a Messenger from Heaven, and a telliget unam faciem perfect rule of life delivered to us by him, and all this fealed elle Eloquiorum Sacrorum; cum diftin. by a Divine atteftation: that this doctrin is fuited to the ac confiderabit, quid capacity of the weakeft, and yet so mylterious as to exercise fit admonitio, quid fit the ftrongest wits: and is delivered to us, not by an impo- . preceptum, quia pro- fing force, but by the exhortations and perfwafions of men hibitio, quid remif- like our felves, commiflioned to open the evidences of truth fio; & hæc nec fe and neceflity in the Gofpel: All this is no lefs than the nec à feipfis diftare; Image and wonderful effect of the Wisdom of God.

invicem impugnare,

fed in omnibus fani- And his Goodneß and Love is as refplendent in it all: for tatis remedium mo- this is the effect of the whole defign, to fet up a Glass in the derare. Hildebert work of our. Redemption, in which God's Love and GoodCanoman. Epift. 83. nefs fhould be as wonderfully reprefented to mankind, as argum his Power was in the works of Creation. Here finful man is faved by a means which he never thought of or defired : he is fetch'd up from the gates of hell; redeemed from the Sentence of the righteous violated Law of God, and the execution of his Juftice: The Eternal Word fo condefcendeth to man in the affumption of our nature, as that the greatness of the love and mercy, incomprehenfible to man, becomes the greateft difficulty to our belief. He revealeth to us the things of the world above, and bringeth life and immortality to light: He dwelleth with men; He converfeth with the meaneft: He preacheth the glad tidings of Salvation to the world: He refufeth not such familiarity with the poorest or the worst, as is needful to their cure: He spendeth his time in doing good, and healing all manner of bodily diseases: He refufeth the honours and riches of the world, and the pleasures of the flesh, to work out our falvation: He beareth the ingratitude and abuse of finuers, and endureth to be fcorned, buffeted, fpit upon, tormented and crucified by thofe, to whom he had done no greater wrong than to feek their falvation: He maketh himfelf a Sacrifice for fin, to fhew the world what fin deferved, and to fave them from the deferved punishment. God had at firft decreed and declared, that death fhould be the punishment of fin: and Satan had maliciously drawn man to it, by contradicting this threatning of God, and making man believe that God would falfifie his word, and that he did envy man the felicity of his advancement to be liker God in knowledge: And now

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