There are some things also which our blessed Saviour did as God-man, or as the Mediator betwixt God and man, as His making atonement and satisfaction for the sins of mankind, His instituting Offices, and Ordinances, and Sacraments in His Church, and the like; which having an immediate respect to His office of Mediator, and being done upon that account, we neither may nor can imitate Him in such things. But the things which He would have us to follow Him in, are such and such only as He did as mere man, that had no immediate dependence upon or reference to either His Godhead or Mediatorship. For He having honoured our nature so far as to take it into His Own Divine Person, so as to become really and truly man; as so, He did whatsoever man is bound to do, both as to God Himself, and likewise as to man; and being absolutely perfect in all the faculties of Hist soul and members of His body, He infinitely surpassed all other men both in Divine graces and moral virtues; so that as He never committed any one sin, so neither did He ever neglect any one duty which as man He was bound to perform either to God or men, but still observed every punctilio and circumstance of the Moral Law; by which means He hath left us a complete pattern of truth and universal holiness, and hath enjoined us all to follow it. Hoping, therefore, that all who profess themselves to be the friends and disciples of Jesus Christ desire to manifest themselves to be so, by following both His precepts and example, I shall give the reader a short narrative of His life and actions, wherein we may all see what true piety is, and what real Christianity requires of us: and may not content ourselves as many do, with being professors, and adhering to parties or factions amongst us, but strive to be thorough Christians, and to carry ourselves as such, by walking as Christ Himself walked; which that we may at least know how to do, looking upon Christ as a mere man, I shall shew how He did, and by consequence how we ought to carry ourselves both to God and man, and what graces and virtues He exercised all along for our example and imitation. I. Now, for our more clear and methodical proceeding ver. 49. in a matter of such consequence as this is, I shall begin with His behaviour towards men, from His childhood to His death. 1. First, Therefore, when He was a child of twelve years of age, it is particularly recorded of Him, that He was subject or obedient to His parents, his real mother and reputed Luke. 2.51. father. It is true, He knew at that time that God Himself was His Father, for, said He, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" And knowing God to be His Father, He could not but know likewise that He was infinitely above His mother; yea, that she could never have borne Him, had not He Himself first made and supported her. Yet, howsoever, though as God He was Father to her, yet as man she was mother to Him, and therefore He honoured and obeyed both her and him to whom she was espoused. Neither did He only respect His mother whilst He was here, but He took care of her too when He was going hence. Yea, all the pains He suffered upon the cross could not make Him forget His duty to her that bore Him; but seeing her standing by the cross, as Himself hung on it, He committed her to the care of His beloved Disciple, who John 19. 27.“ took her to his own home." Now, as our Saviour did, so are we bound to carry ourselves to our earthly parents, whatsoever their temper or condition be in this world. Though God hath blessed some of us, perhaps, with greater estates than ever He blessed them, yet we must not think ourselves above them, nor be at all the less respectful to them. Christ, we see, was infinitely above His mother, yet, as she was His mother, He was both subject and respectful to her. He was not ashamed to own her as she stood by the cross, but, in the view and hearing of all there present, gave His Disciple a charge to take care of her; leaving us an example, that such amongst us as have parents, provide for them if they need it, as well as for our children, both while we live, and when we come to die. 2. And as He was to His natural, so was He too to His civil parents, the magistrates under which He lived, submissive and faithful: for though, as He was God, He was infinitely above them in Heaven, yet, as He was man, He was below them on earth, having committed all civil power into their hands, without reserving any at all for Himself. So that though they received their commission from Him, yet now Himself could not act without receiving a commission from them. And therefore, having no commission from them to do it, He would not entrench so much upon their privilege and power, as to determine the controversy betwixt the two brethren contending about their inheritance; "Man," saith He, "who made Me a judge or a divider over Luke 12. 14. you?" And to shew His submission to the civil magistrate, as highly as possibly He could, rather than offend them, He wrought a miracle to pay the tax which they had charged upon Him. And when the officers were sent to take Him, Matt.17.27. though He had more than twelve legions of angels at His service to have fought for Him if He had pleased, yet He would not employ them, nor suffer His Own Disciples to make any resistance. And though some of late days, who ch. 26. 52, call themselves Christians, have acted quite contrary to our blessed Saviour in this particular, I hope better things of my readers, even that they will behave themselves more like to Christ, Who, though He was the Supreme Governor of the world, yet would not resist, but submitted to the civil power, which Himself had intrusted men withal. 53. 3. Moreover, although whilst He was here He was really not only the best but greatest man upon earth, yet He carried Himself to others with that meekness, humility, and respect, as if He had been the least; as He never admired any man for his riches, so neither did He despise any man for his poverty; poor men and rich were all alike to Him. He was as lowly and respectful to the lowest, as He was to the highest that He conversed with: He affected no titles of honour, nor gaped after popular air; but submitted Himself to the meanest services that He could, for the good of others, even to the washing His Own Disciples' feet; and all to teach us that we can never think too lowly of ourselves, nor do any thing that is beneath us; propounding Himself as our example, especially in this particular, "Learn of Me," ch. 11. 29. saith He, "for I am meek and lowly in heart." His humility also was the more remarkable, in that His bounty and goodness to others were so great, for He went Acts 10. 38. about doing good. Wheresoever you read He was, you still read of some good work or other which He did there. Whatsoever company He conversed with, they still went better from Him than they came unto Him, if they came Matt. 11. 5. out of a good end. By Him, as Himself said, "the blind received their sight, and the lame walked, the lepers were cleansed, and the deaf heard, the dead were raised up, and the poor had the Gospel preached unto them." Yea, it is observable, that we never read of any person whatsoever that came unto Him desiring any real kindness or favour of Him, but he still received it, and that whether he was friend or foe. For, indeed, though He had many inveterate and implacable enemies in the world, yet He bore no grudge or malice against them, but expressed as much love and favour to them as to His greatest friends. Insomuch, that when they had gotten Him upon the cross, and fastened His hands and feet unto it, in the midst of all that pain and Luke 23.34. torment which they put Him to, He still prayed for them. Oh! how happy, how blessed a people should we be, could we but follow our blessed Saviour in this particular! How well would it be with us, could we but be thus loving to one another, as Christ was to all, even His most bitter enemies! We may assure ourselves it is not only our misery but our sin too, unless we be so. And our sin will be the greater, now we know our Master's pleasure, unless we do it. And therefore let all such amongst us as desire to carry ourselves as Christ Himself did, and as becometh His disciples in the world, begin here. Be submissive and obedient both to our parents and governors, humble in our own sight, despise none, but be charitable, loving and good to all: by this shall all men know that we are Christ's disciples indeed. 4. Having thus seen our Saviour's carriage towards men, we shall now consider His piety and devotion towards God: not as if it was possible for me to express the excellency and perfection of those religious acts which He performed continually within His soul to God, every one of His faculties being as entire in itself, and as perfect in its acts, as it was first made or designed to be. There was no darkness, nor so much as gloominess in His mind, no error or mistake in His judgment, no bribery or corruption in His conscience, And II. But it must not be expected that I should give an exact description of that eminent and most perfect holiness which our blessed Saviour was inwardly adorned with, and continually employed in; which I am as unable to express as desirous to imitate. But, howsoever, I shall endeavour to mind the reader, in general, of such acts of piety and devotion, which are particularly recorded, on purpose for our imitation. 1. Therefore, it is observed of our Saviour, that "from Luke 2. 52. a child He increased in wisdom, as He did in stature." Where by wisdom we are to understand the knowledge of God and of Divine things. For our Saviour having taken our nature into His person, with all its frailties and infirmities, as it is a created being, He did not in that nature presently know all things which were to be known. It is true, as God, He then knew all things as well as He had from all eternity but we are now speaking of Him as a man, like one of us in all things, except sin. But we continue some considerable time after we are born before we know any thing, or come to the use of our reason; the rational soul not being able to exert or manifest itself until the natural phlegm and radical moisture of the body, which in infants is predominant, be so digested that the body be rightly qualified, and its organs fitted for the soul to work upon |