his own body, ransom us from death with his life, rescue and save us at any rate from the misery we were fallen into; therefore (mark it well) "the Father loved him," and put him in possession of that glory, which I have briefly represented, but which all our thoughts cannot reach in this state of imperfection. What cause have we to say with the same St. John, "We love him, because he first loved us!" 1 Eph. iv. 19. How can we help every one of us calling out to Jesus, "Lord, remember me in thy kingdom?" Give me such a sense of thy almighty love, such a sight of thy excellent glory, to which thou art exalted in and for our nature, that my heart may burn within me night and day to be partaker of it; that thou mayest be glorified in me, and that my soul may bless thee for the great things thou hast done for me, a poor worm, sinful dust and ashes. God forbid that we should lose our portion in him, forfeit our inheritance, and sell our birthright for a lust, for the world, or any thing it can give us. "Beloved," says St. John, "now are we the sons of God," that is, by faith and love which is in Christ Jesus, if we are so at all; "And it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is;" 1 John, iii. 2. Let us raise our thoughts and wishes to this blessed hope, for the apostle gives us to understand that it is glorious beyond all that we can conceive; let us summon all our powers to secure it; let us resolutely put ourselves in the way to it, by "purifying ourselves even as he is pure;" ver. 3. let us keep our eyes steadily fixed on the glory of Christ in every part of it, that we may make our advantage of it for attaining to that sight, and by it to a likeness with him, and meetness for the everlasting enjoyment of him, and of God through him. If he is risen, it is that we may rise with him, and as persons dead to our old state, in sin, or worldliness and

unconcern for the soul, from henceforth live unto him that died for us, according to his rule, after his example, by his Spirit, to the glory of God. This he accounts the glory of his resurrection; and thus we shall know the power of it, in newness of life here, in the full virtue and benefit of it hereafter; when "He shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe, and change their vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself;" 2 Cor. v. 15; 2 Thess. i. 10; Phil. iii. 21. If he ascended into heaven, we also must in heart and mind thither ascend, dwell with him in our affections, gladly receive of those gifts which in his royal state he is entrusted to bestow, and make it the great business of our lives to prepare to follow him, that we may be where he is, to behold the King in his beauty. If it is his glory to send the Holy Ghost, to open our hearts to receive him in all his offices, and make his life and death effectual to our salvation; what can we think of this, but that the Spirit of faith and holiness is one of his best and most necessary gifts, and that from hence alone we derive all our strength, sufficiency, and comfort? If he has all power given him for our benefit, how can we answer the end of that donation, or promote his glory, but by being made partakers of it, and receiving power from him to become the sons of God? If he is the Head over all things, it is that we may be gathered to him as members of his body into that one society which is blessed through him, be supplied continually out of his fulness, and live by his life. If the Lord Jesus will come in the glory of his Father, and in his own glory, and of the holy angels, to raise us from our graves, and call us before his judgment-seat; oh! what should be the use and improvement of this, but to set us all on fire to meet him with joy at that awful time,

and have our place at his right hand for ever! And if we are not thus prepared for his second coming, his sufferings, and every part of his glory, will then turn to our everlasting confusion. His sufferings on our behalf will be the seal of our condemnation; his resurrection, and ascension, that we might rise with him, and ascend to him; his sitting at the right hand of God, to govern, protect, and bless us; his Spirit offered in vain; his grace abused, his benefits despised, his love repaid with unkindness : all will sit heavy upon our souls, upbraid us for our folly with terrible aggravation, and be the never-dying worm at our hearts. To prevent your falling into this misery, if it pleases God, let me now speak a word to you of what I mentioned as a third reason of his suffering, and what it belongs to his glory to bring us to; namely, that he suffered to leave us an example of patience, meekness, and humility, to fill our souls with devout admiration of his graces and holy tempers, to turn us from all sin, and fix us in a state of pure obedience from a root of love.

He was Immanuel, God with us, God in our nature, to show us by a living example what we ought to be, and what we shall be, when God is in us; meek and patient, humble and contented, dead to the world, ready to suffer for the will of God, and setting him before us as our pattern in all things, that we may copy after his holiness, and be changed into the same image. "If any man serve me," says he, "let him follow me ;" John, xii. 26; that is, in the way he has marked out for all, by living up to his rule, and treading in his steps. And the meaning is evident, that if we do not thus follow him, we cannot be his disciples; in vain do we expect to be owned by him, or honoured by his Father. "Where I am," says he again, "there shall also my servant be." Blessed call and encouragement to well-doing! he means in heaven;

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but observe, he says my servant; plainly giving us to understand, that if we are not first with him in service here, receiving his commands, doing as he did, living as he lived, endeavouring and praying to be established in his graces and holy tempers, we cannot be with him in glory hereafter, It is his glory to make us meet for heaven, by renewing us to his likeness; and "for this purpose was he manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil;" 1 John, iii. 8; by turning us from all sin, and creating us to the desire and love of holiness; but if we do not look for it at his hands, and receive him as our Saviour in this respect also, we utterly mistake one great end of his coming. If there is any thing plain in Scripture, it is, that if we will not be his children by similitude of nature, study his example, and imitate him in his life, we can have no benefit of his death. Let the same mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus," says St. Paul, speaking of his great humility and selfabasement, and to provoke us by such an unparalleled instance of it to be lowly in our own eyes, to bear with the infirmities of others, to look with tenderness and pity on their faults, to fear for ourselves, and endeavour to restore them in the spirit of meekness; Phil. ii. 1—5; Gal. vi. 1-4. And on the same consideration St. Peter exhorteth to patient continuance in well-doing, whatever we suffer for it; telling us, that "even hereunto are we called, because," says he, "Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps; who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth; who, when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously;" 1 Eph. ii. 18-23. This therefore was one end of his sufferings, that we might learn of him; and he then sees of the travail of his soul in us, and is satisfied," when we walk with God as he also

walked, and as true members of his body conform to our Head in all things. He calls us to it, and strictly requires it of us; and his love, if we are grounded in it, will constrain us to it. What has he not done for us, and what cause have we to cry out with admiration and great astonishment, “ Behold, how he loved us!" The glory he was possessed of at the right hand of the Father relinquished, to come into a world of sin and misery — his body nailed to the cross-his blood poured out like water his hands and feet, heart and head, all piercedhis soul oppressed with the weight of God's vengeance, and almost sinking under the pains we should have endured death overcome, heaven opened, his power employed, his Spirit given to bring us to it—what shall we say to all this? What can move us, what can melt down our stubborn hearts, and draw some suitable returns of love from them, if this does not? We know that what he desires, and all he desires of us, in return for his love, and as the proof and fruit of our faith, is to keep his commandments; that is, to be as happy here as we can be, and to come to his glory in the same way of holiness he went before us. And we are assured that "if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death," believing that in and with him we paid the debt of sin, and died to the condemnation of it, and on that ground dying to sin, and living unto God in the truth of a pure obedience,

we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection; have our mortal bodies quickened by the same Spirit which raised up him from the dead," to sit down with him in his kingdom, and enjoy all the fruits of his life, death, and resurrection, at God's right hand for evermore.

O Jesus, have mercy on us, and grant us thy peace. Let us have no rest till we are seeking after it, till we are established in it. Take possession of our souls and bodies, raise up thy own life and likeness in us; that in