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traordinary reverence from men: and much greater SERM. influence hath hearty love to transform our manners into an agreement with the manners of him we love: What a man loves, that he imitateth, so much as lies in his power, saith Hierocles truly. For love being founded on a good esteem, and a benevolent inclination thence resulting, engageth the affectionate person to admire the qualities of him he affecteth, to observe his deportments, to make the most advantageous construction of what he doeth; to fancy he doeth all things with best reason and discretion; to deem, therefore, that all his actions deserve and require imitation: hence doth love either find, or soon produce, a competent similitude in the parties, (a similitude of mind, of will, of inclination, and affection; an Eadem velle et nolle:) it doth forcibly attract, as to a vicinity of place and converse, so to an agreement of affections and actions; it uniteth the most distant, it reconcileth the most opposite, it turneth the most discordant natures into a sweet consent and harmony of disposition and demeanour. We then having

the greatest reason both to honour and love our Saviour, surely his example, being duly studied and considered by us, must needs obtain a superlative influence upon our practice, and be very powerful to conform and assimilate it to his.

These considerations may suffice to shew the peculiar excellency of our Saviour's example in virtue and efficacy upon our practice; the same more abundantly might be deduced from a survey of the most considerable particulars, in which we

8 Ο γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ τις, καὶ μιμεῖται, ὅσον αὐτῷ οἷόν τε.—[In Aur. Carm. Com. p. 28.]

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SERM. may and ought to imitate him. But the time will not suffer us to launch forth into so vast a sea of discourse. I shall only, therefore, from the premises exhort, that if any earnest desire of happiness, any high esteem of virtue, any true affection to genuine sanctity do lodge in our breasts, we should apply this most excellent means of attaining them; the study and endeavour of imitating the life of our Lord. If we have in us any truth and sincerity, and do not vainly prevaricate in our profession of being Christ's disciples, and votaries of that most holy institution, let us manifest it by a real conformity to the practice of him who is our Master, and Author of our faith. If we have in us any wisdom, or sober consideration of things, let us employ it in following the steps of that infallible Guide, designed by Heaven to lead us in the straight, even, and pleasant ways of righteousness, unto the possession of everlasting bliss. If we do verily like and approve the practice of Christ, and are affected with the innocent, sweet, and lovely comeliness thereof, let us declare such our mind by a sedulous care to resemble it. If we bear any honour and reverence, any love and affection to Christ; if we are at all sensible of our relations, our manifold obligations, our duties to our great Lord, our best Friend, our most gracious Redeemer; let us testify it by a zealous care to become like to him: let a lively image of his most righteous and innocent, most holy and pious, most pure and spotless life be ever present to our fancies; so as to inform our judgments, to excite our affections, to quicken our endeavours, to regulate our purposes, to correct our mistakes, to direct, amend, and

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sanctify our whole lives. Let us, with incessant SERM. diligence of study, meditate upon the best of histories, wherein the tenor of his divine practice is represented to us; revolving frequently in our thoughts all the most considerable passages thereof, entertaining them with devout passions, impressing them on our memories, and striving to express them in our conversations: let us endeavour continually to walk in the steps of our Lord, and To Rev. xiv. follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth; which that we may be able to do, do thou, O blessed Redeemer, draw us; draw us by the cords of thy love; draw us by the sense of thy goodness; draw us by the incomparable worth and excellency of thy person; draw us by the unspotted purity and beauty of thy example; draw us by the merit of thy precious death, and by the power of thy holy Spirit; Draw Cant. i. 4. us, good Lord, and we shall run after thee. A

men.

Almighty God, who hast given thine only Son to be unto us both a sacrifice for sin, and also an ensample of godly life; give us grace, that we may always most thankfully receive that his inestimable benefit; and also daily endeavour ourselves to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

B. S. VOL. II.

35

SERMON XXXVI.

OF SUBMISSION TO THE DIVINE WILL.

SERM. XXXVI.

LUKE XXII. 42.

Nevertheless let not my will, but thine, be done.

THE great controversy, managed with such earn

estness and obstinacy between God and man, is this, whose will shall take place, his or ours: Almighty God, by whose constant protection and great mercy we subsist, doth claim to himself the authority of regulating our practice and disposing our fortunes: but we affect to be our own masters and carvers; not willingly admitting any law, not patiently brooking any condition, which doth not sort with our fancy and pleasure: to make good his right, God bendeth all his forces, and applieth all proper means both of sweetness and severity, (persuading us by arguments, soliciting us by entreaties, alluring us byfair promises, scaring us by fierce menaces, indulging ample benefits to us, inflicting sore corrections on us, working in us and upon us by secret influences of grace, by visible dispensations of Providence ;) yet so it is, that commonly nothing doth avail, our will opposing itself with invincible resolution and stiffness.

Here indeed the business pincheth; herein as the chief worth, so the main difficulty of religious Isai. xlviii. practice consisteth, in bending that iron sinew; in bringing our proud hearts to stoop, and our sturdy

4.

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humours to buckle, so as to surrender and resign SERM. our wills to the just, the wise, the gracious will of our God, prescribing our duty, and assigning our lot unto us.

We may accuse our nature, but it is our pleasure; we may pretend weakness, but it is wilfulness, which is the guilty cause of our misdemeanours; for by God's help (which doth always prevent our needs, and is never wanting to those who seriously desire it) we may be as good as we please, if we can please to be good"; there is nothing within us that can resist, if our wills do yield themselves up to duty: to conquer our reason is not hard; for what reason of man can withstand the infinite cogency of those motives, which induce to obedience? What can be more easy, than by a thousand arguments clear as day, to convince any man, that to cross God's will is the greatest absurdity in the world, and that there is no madness comparable thereto? Nor is it difficult, if we resolve upon it, to govern any other part or power of our nature; for what cannot we do, if we are willing? What inclination cannot we check, what appetite cannot we restrain, what passion cannot we quell or moderate? What faculty of our soul, or member of our body, is not obsequious to our will? Even half the resolution, with which we

a

4 [Μὴ δὴ σφάλλωμεν ἑαυτοὺς, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἀδύνατον εἶναι λέγοντες γενέσθαι κατὰ Παῦλόν τινα. τῆς μὲν γὰρ χάριτος καὶ τῶν σημείων ἕνεκεν οὐκέτι Παύλος ἕτερος ἔσται λοιπόν τῆς δὲ ἀκριβείας τοῦ βίου, τῶν βουλομένων ἕκαστος τοιοῦτος γένοιτ' ἄν, εἰ δὲ μή εἰσι, παρὰ τὸ μὴ Boúλeodai póvov.]—Chrys. ad Dem. Orat. XII. Opp. Tom. vI. p. 149. Cf. in 1 Cor. Orat. XVII. [Tom. III. p. 351.] Tom. v. Orat. xxvIII.

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αν.

b Quodcunque sibi imperavit animus, obtinuit.-Sen. de Ira, 11. 12. [6.]