nified nothing, he offers up his precious Life as a Ranfom for the World: He voluntarily fubmits to all the Outrages that Malice could invent, to lewd Mockings, and Buffetings, and Scourgings, to an unjuft Sentence of an unjuft Judge, to a cruel, painful, ignominious Death in ignominious Company.

This did the most innocent, the most virtuous, the most noble of Mankind do, that he might purchafe Happiness for the World, not for his Friends only, but his Enemies, even thofe very Enemies that thus contumelioufly treated him; and at the fame Time that they were expreffing the utmost of the Cruelties and Malice against him, loading him with new Torments, did not only forgive them, but with a Generosity without Example, prayed to God to forgive them alfo; nay, and made Excufes and Apologies for them, Father, (faith he) forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Oh, how heroical was this Goodness ! how unparallelled was this Kindness! Who can declare the Greatnefs and the Strength, the Height and the Depth of thy Love, O thou great Benefactor to Mankind! We can never utter it, but we ftand amazed at it, and we will for ever adore it. O Holy and Immaculate Jefus! Bleffed,

for

for ever bleffed be thy glorious Name, O thou King of Love, for thy inexhaufted Treafures of Love towards us, and the excellent Example thou haft hereby given

to us.

And now we have fome Part of the Picture of our bleffed Saviour, tho' it must be confeffed it is very rudely drawn, and infinitely fhort of the Original; yet these are the Lineaments in which he himself defired chiefly to be expreffed and represented to the Sons of Men. This is the Temper, and thefe are the Qualities which he was moft of all to be known by, and which God most valued in him, and which he himself hath moft laid his Commands upon us to imitate him in.

And Oh, that we would fo long and fo earneftly fix our Eyes upon this loving Saviour, as to be transformed into his Love!

Oh, that we were fo affected with his Goodness, as ourselves to become all Goodnefs, all Kindnefs to our Brethren! Oh, that this Flame of Love that was in him, would feize upon our Hearts, and utterly turn out of them all Self-love and Narrownefs of Spirit, that we, with as extended Arms as Jefus, did embrace the whole Creation of God! Oh, when will the Time come, that, laying afide all Piques, and

Quarrels,

Quarrels, and Contentions, all Hatred and Animofity, all Parties and Factions, all Wrath, and Bitterness, and Evil-speaking, all Malice and Cenforioufnefs, all Sournefs and Morofeness of Temper; we fhall be kind and affectionate one to another, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, even as God for Chrift's fake hath forgiven us, doing all the Good we can, obliging all forts of Perfons, as much as is in our Power, being easy of Access, ready to do Kindneffes, relieving, according to our Abilities, every one's Neceffities, and, as much as in us lies, fetting forward the Salvation of all Men.

This is to imitate Jefus ; this is to walk as we have him for an Example; and in vain do we call ourfelves his Difciples, if we do not thus walk, if we do not poffefs ourselves of this Spirit and Temper. If we would have Recourfe to Jefus himself, and defire to know of him what Evidences he would have us give to him, and to the World, that we are truly his Followers and Difciples, he hath already refolved us, 1 John 13. 34. Hereby (faith he) ball att Men know that ye are my Difciples, if ye love one another. And if we further defire to know of him how we muft love one another, what kind of Love he expects 1 from us, he hath, in the foregoing Verfe, VOL. V.

Bb

told

told us that alfo, A new Commandment (faith he) give I unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye love one another.

Away therefore with all other Marks of Chriftianity that fall fhort of this. Let us have never fo much Knowledge in the Myfteries of the Gofpel; Let us have never fo ftrong a Faith in Christ, though it were even effectual for the removing of Mountains; Let us be never fo Orthodox in our Opinions; Let us preach and pray never fo fluently and affectionately; nay, though we fpoke with the Tongues of Men and Angels; nay, though we bestow all our Goods to feed the Poor, and give ourfelves to be burnt for Martyrs, yet, if we have not the true Love and Charity that was in Jefus, all fignifies nothing. This the Apoftle St. Paul does largely and eloquently fet forth to us in the whole 13th Chapter of the 1ft Epiftle to the Corinthians.

And fo much for my Third general Point. Other Particulars remain to be fpoken to, which I fhall referve to another Occafion. In the mean time I will conclude this Difcourfe with a Collect of our Liturgy:

Almighty

Almighty God, who haft given thy only Son to be unto us both a Sacrifice for Sin, and alfo an Enfample of godly Life; Give us Grace, that we may alway most thankfully receive that his ineftimable Benefit, and alfo daily endeavour ourselves to follow the bleed Steps of his most holy Life, thro' the fame Jefus our Lord.

To whom, with the Father, &c.