tures God is reprefented as forgiving fin freely, and for his mercy's, or his name's fake only.

2. To give the greater weight to their inftructions, all the prophets of God, with fome few exceptions, exemplified them by their own conduct.

But the benefit we derive from the example of good men recorded in the fcrip tures is only incidental, and is not to be confidered as any proper part of the scheme of revelation. Nay the examples of bad men, equally recorded in the fcriptures, or in other authentic hiftories, may fometimes. be of as much use to us as that of good men. Since, however, as Chriftians, we profess to be, and are exhorted to be, in a more efpecial manner followers of Chrift, I fhall make a few observations with refpect to this fubject.

Now the example of Chrift, like that of other good men, can only be of partial and occafional use to us. In a great variety of the most trying fituations our Lord was never placed, fo that in thofe cafes his life cannot furnish any pattern for us. Bb 2

It is his

general

general temper and character that we are to attend to, and an attention to this may be of great ufe to us, even in fituations in which he himself was never placed. What were most confpicuous in him were the virtues of meeknefs, humility, heavenlymindedness, and an intire devotedness to the will of God, in fuffering as well as in doing; and with these difpofitions we fhall in no particular cafe act wrong.

In obedience to the will of God, and to anfwer the great defigns of his providence, he gave up his innocent life to the malice of his enemies, who put him to death in the moft cruel and ignominious manner, in this, as well as in other things, leaving us an example that we should follow his fteps. Forafmuch as Chrift fuffered in the flesh, we muft arm our felves, as Peter fays, with the fame mind. Because he laid down his life for us, we ought alfo, as John fays, to lay down our lives for the brethren; that is, we ought to ferve mankind, at the hazard of every thing dear to us in life, and even of life itself.

Our Lord's great heroifm in fuffering

and

and dying as he did, will be more admired the more we confider the circumftances of it, especially his extreme fenfibility. That a man whose bodily frame was capable of fuffering fo much as he did under the mere apprehenfion of his approaching death, fhould, notwithstanding this, die with fuch noble and calm fortitude, and with fuch fentiments of piety and benevolence even to his enemies, is indeed wonderful. There is alfo fomething peculiarly trying in being the first to fuffer in any caufe. In bearing, however, not only pain, but hardships of various kinds (fome of them more trying than any kind of violent death) and bearing them alfo with a truly Christian fpirit, it is for the honour of Christianity, and confequently of Chrift, to say that many of the martyrs have not fallen fhort of the pattern fet them.

As to the more common infirmities of human nature, fuch as the indulgence of fenfual appetites and paffions, we cannot fuppofe that the temptation to tranfgrefs would be much felt by a perfon of his exalted character, and great expectations, and with

Bb 3

with a violent death in immediate prospect. There is, therefore, nothing very extraordinary, though highly worthy of our imitation, in this part of our Saviour's conduct.

I shall close this head with obferving that, in all cafes in which the example of men cannot be recommended, that of the ever bleffed God is proposed to us in the fcriptures. For we are exhorted to be perfect as our Father who is in heaven is perfect. This precept has the advantage of being an unerring rule of conduct. It will prevent our acquiefcing in any limited degree of moral excellence; and recourfe may be had to it with great advantage in those cafes in which the fupremacy of the Divine Being, and his infinite knowledge (by which he ever fees the moft diftant confequences of things, and by which he can bring good out of all evil) does not neceffarily make the rule of bis conduct different from that of ours.

3. In order to reform the world, and thereby raise men to a state of future glory and happiness, God has by Jefus Christ, in

a morę

a more efpecial manner, revealed to them the knowledge of a future ftate of rewards and punishments, as fupplying the most effectual motive to the practice of virtue. This is, indeed, the diftinguishing excellence of the gospel. By this gofpel life and immortality are fully brought to light, as it affords a more fatisfactory evidence of a refurrection to a future and immortal life than had been given to the world before, so as to establish the belief of this most important of all truths to the end of time. great end Chrift effected, not only by preaching the doctrine with authority from God, evidenced by miracles, even fuch as raifing the dead to life, but by being himfelf an example of what he announced to others; having fubmitted to die in the most public and indisputable manner, and having been raised to life, to the complete fatiffaction of a fufficient number of the most competent witneffes.

This

Had mankind, in a body, been asked what evidence they required for a doctrine fo important and interefting to them, they could not have demanded more than was