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When we hear of the death of an eminently good SER M. man, we do not doubt but he is happy; and are confident, that he will meet with a reward of his piety and goodness in another world. If we believe this of him, let us endeavour to be like him; that we may attain the fame happiness, which we believe him to be poffeffed of, and, as the apoftle exhorts, chap. vi. 12. " let us not be flothful; but followers "of them, who through faith and patience inherit "the promises." Let us fhew the fame diligence that they did; that we may have the fame full afsurance of hope unto the end, which they had.

The inference from this difcourfe, which I have made upon this argument, is, to fhew what use we ought to make of thefe excellent examples, which are fet before us, of the first founders and teachers of our religion, and what is the proper honour and respect, which we ought to pay to their memory: not invocation and adoration; but a zealous imitation of their faith, and good converfation. The greatest honour we can do them, the moft acceptable to God, the moft grateful to them, and the most beneficial to ourselves, is to endeavour to be like them: not to make any images, and likeness of them, to fall down before them, and worship them; but to form the image of their faith and virtues upon our hearts and lives: not to pray to them; but to praise GOD for fuch bright and glorious examples, and to endeavour with all our might to imitate their faith, and patience, and piety, and humility, and meeknefs, and charity, and all thofe other virtues which were fo refplendent in them. And this is to remember the founders of our religion as we ought, to follow their faith," and "to confider the end of their converfation."

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Had the christian religion required, or intended any fuch thing, as of latter times hath been practifed in the world; it had been as eafy for the apostle to have faid, remember them that have been your guides, and have spoken to you the word of GOD, to erect images to them, and to worship them with due veneration, and to pray to them and make use of their interceffion. But no fuch thing is faid, or the least intimation given of it, either in this text, or any other in the whole bible; but very much to the contrary.

Their example indeed is frequently recommended to us, for our imitation and encouragement; and for this reason, the providence of God hath taken particular care, that the memory of the apostles, and fo many primitive Chriftians and martyrs, fhould be tranfmitted to pofterity; that Chriftians in all fucceeding ages might propound these patterns to themselves, and have perpetually before their eyes the piety and virtue of their lives, and their patient and constant sufferings for the truth; that when GOD fhall pleafe to call us to the like trial," we may "not be wearied and faint in our minds; but being "compaffed about with fuch a cloud of witneffes," having fo many examples in our eye of thofe," who

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through faith and patience inherit the promises," and do now as it were look down from their happy state upon us here below, who are combating with manifold temptations, to fee how we behave and acquit ourselves in our chriftian course, we may take encouragement to ourselves, from fuch examples, and fuch spectators, to "run with patience the race "which is fet before us."

I know indeed that other ufe than this hath been, and is at this day made of the memory of the faints

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and martyrs of former ages, very difhonourable to SER M. GOD, and very grievous to them, if they be sensible of what is done here below; I mean to worship them, and to pray to them, and (to the great disparagement of the powerful interceffion of "our great "high priest, JESUS the Son of God") to make them the mediators and interceffors in heaven with GOD for us. Of this the fcripture hath no where given us the leaft intimation; but hath exprefly commanded the contrary, "to worship the LORD "our God, and him only to serve; and to pray to "him alone, in the name of JESUS CHRIST, who is "the only mediator betwixt GoD and man." Nor are there any footsteps of any fuch practice, in the primitive church, for the first three hundred years; as is acknowledged by our most learned adverfaries of the church of Rome.

The scripture no where propounds the faints to us, for objects of our worship; but for the patterns of our lives. This is the greatest respect and veneration, that we can, or ought to pay to them; and whatever is beyond this, is a voluntary humility, injurious to God and our bleffed SAVIOUR, and moft certainly difpleafing to thofe, whom we pretend to honour; if they know how men play the fool about them here below.

Let us then endeavour to be like them, in the holy and virtuous actions of their lives, in their conftant patience and fuffering for the truth; if GOD fhall call us thereto. And we may be like them, if we do but fincerely endeavour it, and pray to God for his grace and affiftance to that end. For thefe examples were not left for our admiration only; but for our imitation. We frequently read the lives of the apostles and firft founders of our religion:

Y 2

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SERM religion: but I know not how it comes to pass, we choose rather lazily to admire them, than vigorously to follow them; as if the piety of the first Christians were miraculous, and not at all intended for the imitation of fucceeding ages; as if heaven and earth, GOD and men, and all things were alter'd, fince that time; as if christianity were then in its youthful age and vigour, but is fince decayed, and grown old, and hath quite loft its power and virtue. And indeed the generality of Chriftians live at fuch a faint and careless rate, as to make the world believe, that either all the ftories of the primitive Christians are fables; or else, that the force of chriftianity is ftrangely abated, and that the holy Spirit of GOD hath forfaken the earth, and is retired to the Father. But truth never grows old, and those laws of goodness and righteousness, which are contained in the gospel, are ftill as reafonable, and apt to gain upon the minds of men, as ever. GOD is the fame he was, and our bleffed SAVIOUR is ftill at the right hand of GoD, interceding powerfully for finners, for "mercy and grace to help in time "of need." The promifes and threatnings of the gofpel are ftill as true and powerful as ever; and the holy Spirit of God is still in the world, and effectually works in them that believe.

Let us not then deceive ourselves in this matter. The primitive Chriftians were " men like ourselves, "fubject to the fame paffions that we are, and com

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paffed about with the fame infirmities;" fo that although that extraordinary spirit and power of miracles, which God endowed them withal, for the firft planting and propagating of the gofpel in the world, be now ceased; yet the fanctifying power and virtue of GOD's holy Spirit, does ftill accom

pany

pany the gospel, and is ready to affift us in every S ER M. good work.

In a word, we have all that is neceffary to work the fame graces and virtues in us, which were in them; and if we be not flothful, and wanting to ourselves, we may "follow their faith," and at last "attain the end of it, even the falvation of our "fouls."

Let us then, from an idle admiring of thofe excellent patterns, proceed to a vigorous imitation of them, and be fo far from being difcouraged by the excellency of them, as to make even that matter and ground of encouragement to ourselves; according to that of Tertullian, admonetur omnis ætas fieri poffe, quod aliquando factum eft; "all ages to the end "of the world may be convinced, that what hath "been done, is poffible to be done." There have been fuch holy and excellent perfons in the world; and therefore it is poffible for men to be such.

"Let us not then be flothful, but followers of "them, who through faith and patience inherit the "promises. Since we are compaffed about with "fuch a cloud of witneffes; let us lay afide every "weight, and the fin which so easily befets us, and "let us run with patience the race which is fet "before us, looking unto JESUs the author and "finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was fet "before him, endured the crofs, and defpifed the "fhame, and is now fet down at the right hand of "GOD."

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