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cence only with silence; and, though he heard his judge almost with one breath declaring his innocence, and condemning him to die, he was not in the least discomposed at the iniquity of the sentence, at their preferring a thief before him,' at their cloathing him in derision with purple,' at their crowning him with thorns,' at 'their bending the knee to him, and mocking him with, Hail king of the Jews,' at their binding his hands,' at 'their making long furrows in his back' with their scourges, at their spitting in his face,' at their first blind-folding him, and then striking him;' and afterward bidding him prophesy who it was that smote him.' All this could draw no sign of impatience from him.' Still he was calm and undisturbed. When at last they nailed him to his cross, and stood round him, making a jest of his pains, and sporting themselves with his agonies, he was even then not only as meek and patient as ever, but, while his body was shivering in the agonies of death, his soul was melting with tenderness and compassion towards his murderers, and pleading with his Father for their pardon, by the only argument their injustice and cruelty had left him; 'Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.' O astonishing patience! O inconceivable goodness! What an example is here! With what sentiments of mind and heart should we receive it! Let us in imitation of this surprising and affecting pattern, run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right-hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.' Surely ye cannot forget the exhortation, which speaketh unto you, as unto children, my son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons: for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Farthermore, ye have had fathers of your flesh, who cor

rected you, and ye gave them reverence: shall ye not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live! For they verily for a few days chastened you after their own pleasure; but he for your profit; that you might be partakers of his holiness. Now, no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them who are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and bring forth fruit with patience, knowing that tribulation worketh pa tience, and patience experience, and experience hope.' Wherefore if, in the course of things, afflictions should come upon you, or it should be your lot to be persecuted for your honesty, or your religion, take up your cross cheerfully; and with a patience and constancy like that of your master, fight out the good fight of faith,' and, at the last, you shall find yourself with him in peace and happiness, which shall have no end.

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The history of our blessed Saviour affords you many other useful examples, which, on particular occasions, may be highly serviceable to you. For instance; his gravity (for there is a tradition, that he was never seen to laugh) if imitated by you, will prepare you for meditation, will help to keep your mind free from vain and foolish thoughts, and may sometimes awe and restrain those you converse with from light and wanton discourse, which is infectious, and never entirely free from guilt; for he hath assured us, ' that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.' His boldness in maintaining the truth, and sharpness in reproving the hypocrite, and the conceited and stubborn sinner, would be of unspeakable service in these unbelieving and shameless times. Now, it is your duty to imitate him in this, let your condition in the world be ever so low; for truth and virtue come against falsehood and vice with a majesty from the meanest mouth. His mildness and tenderness, towards such as transgressed through human infirmity, is also highly deserving of our imitation. You ought to take care, like him, not to bruise the broken reed, nor quench the smoking flax,' of a repentance as yet in its infancy, nor to despise the broken and the contrite heart.' As a parent, as a

master, and in many other respects, you will find this example useful to you. Again, it is your duty to imitate his love of justice, who was contented to satisfy that attribute of his Father by his own death, pursuant to his engagement from the beginning; and should not, if you have promised or sworn aught to your neighbour, disappoint him, though it were to your own hindrance;' but walk uprightly, and work righteousness, and speak the truth from your heart. Lastly, his amiable modesty in speaking of himself would much better become you, who fall so infinitely short of him in wisdom and goodness. If Christ could ascribe his knowledge and power to his Father, and say, if I bear witness of myself, my witness is nothing,' with what grace shall yon set your hand to a high certificate of yourself?

You have here a perfect pattern of a good life, without a single blemish to pass on weakness and ignorance, under the shelter of many virtues, for an excellence. You see here all the passions of human nature subdued, and reduced to their proper stations and offices. stations and offices. You see here reason, assisted by the Divine Spirit, refined and exalted into true wisdom, and placed, where it ought to stand, in an absolute sovereignty over the heart. If you love beauty, and would desire to copy it into yourself, here is beauty in perfection placed perpetually before your eyes; in an original, so glorious, and so striking, that it is impossible for a sensible mind to behold it attentively, without growing into some resemblance of it. If you love true greatness of soul, here shines the very majesty of virtue ; 'not in precepts, or commands, or discourses only, but in an active and living example. If you have so much goodness, as to be pleased with the triumphs of virtue, behold it here put to the severest test, and breaking out at the last with a heavenly brightness. If you are not abandoned to all sense of generosity, your soul must kindle at such an example; especially when all that was suffered in setting it, and all the goodness discovered in it, were displayed before your eyes, not out of ostentation, or to excite your wonder and applause, but to force home upon your degenerate heart, the glory, and excellence, and beauty, of holiness. There is no example so apt to make an impression on a good mind, as that which is set us by our friend in a good office; because, be

side the pleasure we take in seeing a good action done, our gratitude, when it is done to ourselves, recommends it the more strongly to our imitation. Now all that Christ did or suffered was for you. For you the Son of God took the nature of man; for you he preached; for you he laboured; for you he died. What now will you do for him? All he requires of you is, to do your utmost to be like him; and, to assist your weakness in so good a work, he lends you his word, his sacraments, his grace, and his example; which last, as it is too excellent and perfect to be ever equalled by you, so it leaves you room to grow better, and brighter, and improve for ever by it.

It was the sin of our first parents to attempt, by a faulty imitation, or rather by emulation, to be like God; for the tempter said to Eve, you shall be as gods.' This, according to the real intention of that deceiver, defaced the image of God, which we had already received, and imprinted on us the likeness of the devil. But God, pitying our miserable fall, which had happened through a desire of being like him, by the very same desire schemed our recovery and restoration. To this end he took our nature on him, so that it may now be truly said, 'behold, God is become like one of us,' subject to poverty, and hunger, and cold, and death; that we may have an opportunity of becoming, like him, pure, compassionate, humble, and patient. And shall we disappoint his gracious intention? Can we be so lost to reason and gratitude?

Yes, wretched creatures that we are! few of us have any inclination to follow our blessed Lord; for he walks in the way of humility, we in that of pride; he through the cross, we through pleasures; he through poverty, and we through riches and vanity. And why do we not follow him? Because he moves upward through the steep and narrow path of affliction and self-denial. Did he lead downward through the broad way, adorned with riches, and pleasures, and pomp, and honour, we should be ready not only to walk, but run after him.

It hath been observed, by St. Ambrose, and other great men, that example hath a greater influence on us than precept. This seems to be verified by experience; for although precept is on the side of virtue, yet, as example and custom

generally sway to the contrary side, we are by that means, for the most part, engaged in a course of vice. But why will we choose out such examples, and follow a multitude to do evil,' when we know so well where their journey is to end, rather than follow the Lord of glory, that lovely light, that blessed guide, to those happy mansions' he is gone before' to prepare for us in his Father's house?'

God, of his infinite mercy, give us grace to betake ourselves to this wiser course, through Christ Jesus our great example and Saviour; to whom, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all might, majesty, dignity, and dominion, now, and for evermore. Amen.

DISCOURSE XLI.

CHRIST'S CRUCIFIXION CELEBRATED EVERY DAY.

PREACHED ON GOOD-FRIDAY.

ST. MARK XV. 21.

Woe to that man, by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.—

THIS was spoken by our blessed Saviour of Judas; but as Abraham was the father of the faithful,' so Judas seems to have been the father of the unfaithful; I mean in respect to Christ, and his religion; and therefore what is here said of Judas particularly, being nevertheless delivered in general' terms, may be well enough applied to, or understood of, that very numerous tribe or race, of whom he was the type and father. The woe' is not only denounced against him, but against them all; and it would have been better' for every man of them that he had never been born,' than that he should have lived to betray, in any sense or respect, the Saviour of the world.

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As Christ, when on earth, had a natural body, through which he was liable to injuries and sufferings, so he hath still a mystical and figurative body, namely, the church;

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