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and most honourable in his sight is the death of his saints. St. John "heard a voice from heaven," enjoining him to write, and declare to the world, that "blessed are the dead which die in the Lord." More blessed, surely, are they that die not only in him, but for him and lay down their lives in a good and righteous cause. And though in the eyes of men the church might appear more amiable when, exulting in the favour of Constantine, she wore the white garments of joy and festivity, and carried the palm of victory and triumph in her hand, yet we know that she was never dearer to God, because never more conformed to the image of his Son, than just before that period of time, when, persecuted by the fury of Dioclesian, she was seen arrayed in the scarlet robe of martyrdom, and bore her cross after Jesus. Prosperity in this world, besides that it is an argument which will conclude for and against every cause and party in their turns, can never be the badge of his disciples who came into the world in a stable, among the beasts that perish, and went out of it upon a cross numbered with malefactors: and whoever makes this the criterion of the divine favour, must condemn the generation of God's children, from righteous Abel to the blessed martyr of this day; upon whose unparalleled murder though we cannot reflect but with horror and astonishment, yet most gratefully are we ever bound to commemorate the glories of God's grace, which he made the villany of the most abandoned miscreants an occasion of calling

i

Rev. xiv. 13.

forth and displaying to mankind in the person of his anointed, enabled thereby so steadfastly to look unto and so closely to copy after his Master and Saviour, who "left him an example, that he should follow "his steps"—And he followed them unto the end.

But as exceptions have been taken at discourses on this day's occasion, as well as at some parts of the church service appointed for it, on account of their instituting what have been called impious comparisons between our Lord and the royal martyr, it will not be amiss, before we proceed, to obviate that objection. Some considerations therefore shall be laid before you, to evince that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is set forth to us in the holy Scriptures as an example which we are to follow; and, consequently, that every Christian, so far as he does follow that example, and lives and dies in the spirit of his Master, is so far conformed, or made like unto him; by which it will appear, that as the royal martyr did eminently follow this example of Christ, and so was eminently conformed and made like unto him, there can be no impiety in comparing him with his blessed Master.

Our Lord then, let it be observed, was, as our church well expresses it in one of her collects, "both "a sacrifice for sin, and also an ensample of godly "life." By his sacrifice he procured us grace to follow his example, which otherwise had been proposed to us in vain; by his example he showed us how to make a right use of that grace, which unless

• Collect for the Second Sunday after Easter.
2 D

VOL. III.

we do, it is given in vain. So that if he who regards him as an example, and not as a Redeemer, will be lost because he cannot follow him; he who takes him for a Redeemer, and not for an example, will be lost because he does not follow him; since redemption was in order to holiness and although it be most certain that without Christ no man can attain unto holiness, yet it is no less certain, that "without "holiness no man shall see the Lord." He only is fully and effectually redeemed, and has evidence to assure him of it, who bears stamped on his soul the image and superscription of his Saviour. Considered indeed as the Redeemer of the world, Christ stands single and unapproachable, as the sun in the heavens. "He trod the wine-press alone, and of the people "there were none with him," "for no man can by પરં any means redeem his brother, nor give unto God "a ransom for him.' When therefore he bids us learn of him, the lesson proposed is not to cleanse the lepers or to raise the dead, to create or to redeem; but to be like him in all his holy and heavenly tempers and dispositions-" Learn of me, "for I am meek and lowly of heart." So far then are we from being guilty of any impiety, when we point out a similitude between Christ and his faithful servants, that perhaps we could not give a more just and adequate definition of the religion we profess, than if we were to say, "It consists in the imitation "of him as man, the first born among many breth

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Isa. lxiii. 3.

e Psal. xlix. 7.

f Matt. xi. 29.

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ren, whom we adore as God, the Saviour of the "world."

Nor indeed can any one fail to see that the life of Christ was designed as a pattern for his followers, who considers how admirably it is calculated for that purpose. We meet not here with legendary tales of romantic austerities, ecstasies, and abstractions, tending only to amaze and embarrass the consciences of men with unprofitable and unnecessary scruples; but we behold a life which, though holy and without spot or blemish from beginning to end, was conducted after the manner of men, and so as to be imitable by them; being passed in the midst of civil society, and in the exercise of all those lovely graces by which that is preserved and improved, sweetened and sanctified. "The glories of the life of Jesus," says one who studied it thoroughly, "were so great, "that the most early and constant industry must "confess its own imperfection; and yet was it so "sweet and humane, that the greatest infirmity, if "pious, shall find comfort and encouragement. "Thus God gave his children manna from heaven; "and though it was excellent like the food of angels, yet it conformed to every palate, according to that "appetite produced by their several constitutions"." And should we not find it the best compendium of morality, the most perfect and unerring rule whereby to direct ourselves in all cases, if we would only ask our own hearts, before we enter upon an action, how

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Exhortation to the imitation of the life of Christ, in Bishop Taylor's Great Exemplar, sect. 8.

the blessed Jesus would behave in our circumstances? A conscience but moderately informed from the Gospel would seldom, perhaps, give a wrong determination. But the truth is, we are afraid of the answer, and therefore dare not ask the question.

Such, then, being the life of Christ, what wonder that all men should be so frequently called to an imitation of it, as we find they are in the Holy Scriptures? The apostle, Rom. viii. 29. asserts, that our conformity to Christ was the great end and design of the divine counsels concerning us: "Whom he "did foreknow, them he did predestinate to be con"formed to the image of his Son." Accordingly, the initiatory sacrament of baptism, as our church from the Scriptures informs us, "doth represent "unto us our profession, which is to follow the "example of our Saviour Christ, and be made like "unto him." And therefore we are continually reminded and exhorted to hold fast, to live conformably to, this our profession. "He that saith he ❝abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk even

as he walked." Thus only can we be delivered from all blindness of heart, and brought to a knowledge of the truth. For-" He that followeth me, saith he, "shall not walk in darkness, but shall have "the light of life." St. Paul propounds his own example to the Corinthians, because it was a copy of Christ's" Be ye followers of me, even as I am "of Christ." To such only is the reward promised

1 John, ii. 6. i John, viii. 12.

k 1 Cor. xi. 1.

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