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Goodness and Condefcenfion of our bleffed Lord, who hath been pleased to stoop fo low for our Benefit, and hath vouchfafed to inftruct us in a Way fo plain and easy, and hath reprefented the moft fublime and excellent Things by Images drawn from fuch Things as are moft obvious and fa

miliar to us.

Let us therefore often confider and review the excellent Parables of our Saviour: Let us obferve their admirable Tendency, and endeavour to lay them up in our Memories, and in our Hearts. Some of them exhibit illuftrious Proofs of the Divine Foreknowledge of our Lord, and open to us the Nature of his Church and Kingdom, and what shall be the State of Things in it till his fecond Coming. And all of them in general are of a practical Nature and Tendency, not defigned to amufe us with curious and ufelefs Speculations, but to inftruct us in Matters of the greatest Confequence. They are defigned, as hath been fhewn, to guard us against an inordinate Love to this prefent World and the Indulging a Life of Luxury and Senfuality, and to engage us to make a right Use of earthly Riches: To recommend and inculcate an univerfal Benevolence towards Mankind, and the Forgiveness of Injuries, which is one eminent Branch of it: To make the moft

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most amiable Representations of the rich Grace and Mercy of God towards penitent returning Sinners, and at the fame Time. to reprefs and mortify the Pride of those who are puffed up with a vain Conceit of their own Righteoufnefs and Merits, and a Contempt of others: To fhew the utter Infufficiency of a bare external Profeffion of Religion, when not accompanied with the Fruits of real Piety and Righteoufnefs: To urge us to a perfevering Affiduity and Earneftness in Prayer, and to engage us to watch as well as pray, and to labour to be in a continual Readiness for the Coming of our Lord To put us upon improving the Means of Grace that are now put into our Hands, and the Talents that are committed to our Truft: And, finally, to imprefs our Hearts with a strong and affecting Senfe of the great Realities of an unfeen eternal World, the unchangeable Happiness of the Righteous, and the Mifery of the Wicked, in a future. State. Such as these are the important Leffons which Chrift's Parables are intended to teach and to inforce: And let it be our Care to fhew the good Effect they have upon us by reducing these excellent Documents to Practice. And how happy fhall we then be ! We fhall then adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour in all Things, and fhall fhew forth

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forth the Beauty and Glory of Christianity in our whole Life and Conversation, and fhall make it manifeft how much we profit under the admirable Leffons of our incomparable Divine Teacher, which, with fo much Condefcenfion, and in a Way so familiar and adapted to our Capacities, he hath vouchfafed to teach us.

I would conclude with obferving, that as it is the Duty of Parents, and a Duty of great Importance, to endeavour to bring their Children into an early Acquaintance with the holy Scriptures, which are able to make us wife unto Salvation; so it may be of particular Advantage to endeavour to make them betimes acquainted with the Parables of our Saviour, and with the Defign and Meaning of them; which will in an easy and familiar Manner tend to season their tender Minds with excellent Inftructions, and to make Impreffions upon them, which, it is to be hoped, will prove lafting, and be of great Use in their future Conduct,

On

On the Example of Christ.

DISCOURSE XV.

JOHN xiii. 15.

I have given you an Example, that ye should do as I have done unto you.

H

AVING, in fome former Dif

courses, laid before you fundry Obfervations tending to fhew Chrift's great Excellency as a Teacher, I propose, next, to confider him as having exhibited a bright Example for our Imitation: And indeed the guiding Men by Example, as well as Precept, neceffarily entereth into the Character of a good and perfect Teacher. Both thefe concur in our Lord Jefus Christ, in the highest Degree of Eminency.

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As

none

none was ever equal to him in the Excellency of his Doctrines and Inftructions, fo none ever equalled him in the Purity, Beauty, and Perfection of his Example. As never Man Spake, so never Man lived and acted, like him. I had Occafion to take fome Notice of his Example before, as giving an Authority to what he taught; but it well deferveth a diftinct and particular Confideration, fince it is of excellent Ufe, and of great Importance.

To introduce what I fhall offer on this Subject, I have chofen these remarkable Words of our Saviour to his Difciples: I have given you an Example, that ye should do as I have done unto you. They were spoken on a particular Occafion, and have a fpecial Reference to that admirable Pattern of Humility and Condefcenfion, which he had juft fet before them in washing his Difciples Feet; but they are equally applicable to the Whole of the Example he hath given us in his holy Life and Converfation here on Earth, which we are indifpenfably obliged to imitate.

Before we enter on a particular Confideration of our Saviour's Example, it may be proper to premife fome general Obfervations, which will tend to prepare our Way for what fhall be farther offered on this Subject.

And,

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