I 2.

11. The Duty of Praying, Hof. v. 15.

of heavenly Meditation, Phil.

iii. 20. U se S, 1. Wonder not at the Affiliations of the Righteous; for if Men be Righteous, they must look for such Afflictions, which are to be expected by Christ's Disciples in this World, Hebr. xii. 6. A&t. xiv. 22.

2. For Christ did not die to save us from temporal Troubles.

3. And they are no Discredit, At. v. 41.

MOTIVES and ARGUMENTS to bear the
Cross.
All
ye

that go after Christ, take up your Cross; endeavour to bear patiently, chearfully, &c. whatsoever is laid upon you for Christ's sake. ' Considering,

1. It is GOD that lays it upon you, Amos iii. 6.

2. It is less than you have deserv'd, Ezra ix. 13.

3. It is Christ's Cross, and we cannot suffer fo much for Christ, as He fuffer'd for us.

Do we suffer in Soul ? so did He, S. Matt. xxvi. 38. Do we suffer in Body ? fo did He, S. Matt. xxvi. 67. Do we suffer in Name? so did He, S. Matt. x. 25. and xxvii. 63. Do we suffer Death? so did He, S. Matt. xxvii. 50. and all our Suffer, ings are but the Sufferings of Men, whereas His were the Sufferings of One who was GOD as well as Man.

4. It is a blessed Cross, i S. Pet. iii. 14. The Curse is taken out by the Death of Christ. We, by our Sins, turn our Mercies into M series; but Christ, by His Sufferings, hath turn’d our Miseries into Mercies; for now Christ's Cross is,

5. An

5. An honourable Cross, A&t. V. 41. Phil. i. 29.

Megtuego 38 ó saveds ovocia xalasixsis hy, ruvi teft pe Truñs pésovev, Chryfoft.

6. A profitable Cross, Hebr. xii. 10. Psal. cxix. 91. it being good, 1. To wean our Hearts more from the

World.
2. To keep us closer to God, Psal. cxix. 87.
3•

To exercise our Graces, Hebr. xii. 10.
1. Patience, Rom. v. 3, 4.
2. Faith.
3. Heavenly-mindedness, Phil. iii. 20.

4. Love to Christ.
4. To make us more sensible of Sin, Job

Xxxvi. 8, 9, 10. 5. To make Sin more loathsome to us, and

so it is the fiery Furnace but to purge

away our Dross, Isa. xxvii. 9. 6. To make us long more after Heaven. 7.' To manifeft us to be Christ's Disciples,

and GOD's Children, Hebr. xii. 6, 7, 8. 8. To discover God's Fatherly Care over

us, in comforting and supporting as under, and delivering us out of them, Ifa. xli. 10, 13, 14. I S. Pet. iv. 19. Exod.

iii. 8. 2 Tim. iv. 16, 17, 18. Psal. xxiii. 4. 7. It is a Cross that leads to a Crown.

Bear the Cross on Earth, and wear the Crogon in Heaven, At. xiv, 22. 2 Tim. ii. 12. 2 Cor. iv. 17,

III. DOCTRINE.
It is a Christian's Duty to follore Christ.
1. What is it to follow Christ ?

To imitate Him, so as,
1. To think as He thought.
2. To be as He was.
3. To do as He did.

7

4. To square our Lives by His, and to make

His Conversation the Rule of ours in

all Things.
2. Wherein muft we follow Chrift?
1. Negatively
1. Not in what He did as GOD; for so,

1. He knew Thoughts, S. Matt. xii. 25,
2. Judg'd Others, S. Matt. xxiii. 27.
3. Wrought Miracles, S. Joh. ix. 6.
4. Foretold Events, S. Luk. xxi. 6.
5. Sent for the Colt of another Person,

S. Luk. xix. 30, 33.
2. Nor what He did as God-Man; for

He is, 1. Dar King, to prescribe as Laws,judge

us according to them and preserve

us from our spiritual Enemies. 2. A Prophet to teach us; not only our

Heads, but our Hearts. 3. A Priest to satisfy for our Sin,

and to intercede for our Souls, both which He doth as God-Man, and therefore in neither of them

is imitable by us. 2. Positively. But we must follow Him in those Things

which He did as purely Man; as, 1. In our Underft andings, growing in Wif.

dom as in Stature, S. Luk. ii. 52. 2. In our Wills. 1. By a perfect Refignation of them

unto GOD, S. Luk. xxii. 42. 2. By Resisting the Devil's Tempta

tions, S. Matt. iv, 1, 2. 3. In our Affections ; as, !, Love, S. Joh. xiii. 1. and xv. 13. I S. Joh. iii. 16.

2. Joly

2. Joy, Psal. xl. 6, 7. Hebr. x. 5

6, 3. Meekness and being lowly, S. Matta

xi. 29. 4. Sorrow, S. Mar. iii. 5. 5. Compassion and pitying those that

are in Distress, S. Matt. xv. 32. in Danger temporal, S. Luk. xix. 41,

42. or spiritual, S. Matt. ix. 36. 4. In our Words, Isa. liii. 9. 1 S. Pet. ii, 22,

S. Luk. iv. 22. 5. In our Behaviour to Men, 1. To all in general, by doing them as

much Good as we can, At. x. 38. 2. In particular,

1. By being subject to Parents, S. Luk. 2.

obedient to Magistrates, S. Matt. xvii. 27. S. Joh. viii. 46. 3. By loving our Enemies, and pray

ing for them that curse us, S. Luk.

ji. 51.

xxiii. 34.

6. In our Duties to GOD, 1. By being constant and fervent in

Prayer, S. Luk. vi. 12. S. Matt, xiv.

23. 2. By frequenting the Ordinances, S. Luk.

iv. 16. 3. By finishing the Work He sent us into

the World to do, S. Job. xvii. 4. 4. By making it our Meat to do our Hea

venly Father's Will, S. Job. iv. 34. 7. In our Death; Dying as He did,

1. In Charity, S. Luk. xxiii. 34. 2. Patiently, Ifa. liii. 7. 3. Trusting in GOD, S. Matt. xxvii. 46. 4. Committing our Souls to Him, S. Luk. xxiii. 45.

3. Why must we follow Christ? 1. God hath commanded it, S. Matt. xi. 29.

Ephef. v. 1. I Cor. xi. 1. I S. Joh. ii. 6. 2. He is the only perfect Pattern, Ifa. li. 9.

I S. Pet. ii. 22. 3. Our Holiness and Religion consisteth in

imitating Him, : S. Pet. i: 15. Christiani à Christo nomen acceperunt, & ope

ra-pretium eft, ut ficut hæredes nominis, ita

fint imitatores sanctitatis. Bernard. 4. This was one End of Christ's Incarna

tion and Passion, 1 S. Pet. ii. 21. U se 9. Hence observe, 1. That it is necessary carefully to read and study the Scriptures, to know how Christ walked, S. Feb. v. 39.

2. That there are but few that follow Him, S.Luk. xii. 32. But the Beasts, yea, the very Devils, have more Followers than Christ. The Beasts have,

1. All covetous Worldlings.
2. All Drunkards.
3. All Gluttons.
4. All Adulterers, Jer. v. 8. to follow them.

The Devils have,
1.' All proud Persons.
2. All Liars, S. Joh. viii. 44.
3. All malicious People.
4. All Idolaters.
s. All Seducers.
6. All Oppressors and Murderers.
72. All Deriders of Religion.
8. All Apoftates from God and Goodness;

all these are Followers of the Devil, and not af Christ.