118 STRIVING TO ENTER AT THE STRAIT GATE. Lastly, Although we are to trust in God for the answer of our prayers in this particular, yet we must not expect that he should do it immediately from himself, but we must use those means which himself hath appointed whereby to work faith, and by consequence all other graces in us. Now the Scripture tells us that faith comes by hearing.' Wherefore, if we desire to believe, so as to be saved, we must wait upon God in his public ordinances, and there expect such influences of his grace and Spirit whereby we may be enabled to walk in the narrow way, and enter in at the strait gate that leads to life. Thus I have shown you in a few terms, how to do the great work which you came into the world about, even how to get to heaven. For howsoever hard it is to come hither, let us but resolve, as we have seen, to mind it before all things else, fear God and keep his commandments to the utmost of our power, believe in Christ for the pardon of our sins, and acceptance both of our persons and performances; pray sincerely to God, and wait diligently upon him for the assistance of his grace, to do what he requires from us. Let us do this, and we need not fear but our souls shall live. If we leave this undone, we ourselves shall be undone for ever. And therefore let me advise all to dally no longer in a matter of such consequence as this, but now we know the way to heaven, to turn immediately into it, and walk constantly in it. Though the way be narrow, it is not long, and though the gate be strait, it opens into eternal life. And therefore to conclude, let us remember we have now been told Rom. x. 17. THOUGHTS UPON THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. 119 how to get to heaven; it is not in my power to force men thither, whether they will or no; I can only show them the way. It is their interest as well as duty to walk in it; which if they do, I dare assure them in the name of Christ, it is not long but they will be admitted into the choir of heaven, to sing hallelujahs for evermore. THOUGHTS UPON THE IMITATION If we seriously consider with ourselves, that wonder of all wonders, that mystery of all mysteries, the incarnation of the Son of God, it may justly strike us into astonishment, and an admiration what should be the reason and the end of it; why the great and glorious, the almighty and eternal God, should take our weak and finite nature into his infinite and incomprehensible person? Why the Creator of all things should himself become a creature? And he that made the world be himself made into it? Why the supreme Being of all beings, that gives essence and existence to all things in the world, whose glory the heaven of heavens is not able to contain, should clothe himself with flesh and become man, of the self-same nature and substance with us, who live, and move, and have our being in him? certainly it was not upon any frivolous or ordinary account that the most high God manifested himself to the sons of men in so wonderful and extraordinary a manner as this was. But he did it questionless upon some design that was as great and glorious as the act itself. And if we would know what his end and design in coming into the world was, the Scriptures assure us in general, that it was for the salvation of mankind whose nature he assumed. For this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.'' And he himself tells us, that God so loved the world, that he sent his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." Now for the accomplishment of this no less glorious than gracious design, there are two things which it was necessary he should do for us, whilst he was upon earth, even expiate our former sins, and direct us unto holiness for the future; both which he hath effected for us: the one by his death, and the other by his life. For by his death he hath paid that debt which we owed to God, having made complete satisfaction to God's justice for those sins whereby we have incurred his displeasure: for death was threatened to all mankind in case of disobedience, and by consequence all mankind being disobedient, are obnoxious to it. Neither would it stand with the justice of God to falsify his word, nor yet with his glory, to put up the injuries that we have committed against him, without having satisfaction made unto him for them. But it being impossible that a finite creature should satisfy for those sins which were committed against the infinite God; hence the infinite God himself was pleased to undertake it for us, 1 Tim. i. 25. 2 John, iii. 16. even to satisfy himself for those sins which were committed against him; which he did, by undergoing that death which he had threatened to us in our own nature, united to the person of his own and only Son, God co-equal, co-essential, co-eternal with himself, who is therefore said to be a propitiation for sins." Neither can there any reason imaginable be alleged, why the Son of God himself should suffer death, unless it was upon our account, and in our stead, whose nature he assumed, and in which he suffered it. But not to insist upon that now: the human nature in general having thus suffered that death in the person of the Son of God, which all mankind was otherwise bound to have undergone in their own persons; hence it comes to pass, that we are all in a capacity of avoiding that death which we have deserved by our sins, if we do but rightly believe in Christ, and apply his suffering to ourselves. And as Christ by his death and passion hath thus satisfied for our sins, so hath he by his life and actions given us an exact pattern of true piety and virtue. And although I cannot say, it was the only, yet questionless one great end wherefore he continued so long on earth, and conversed so much amongst men, and that so many of his actions are delivered to us with so many circumstances as they are, was, that we, by his example, might learn how to carry and behave ourselves in this lower world. For as from that time to this, so from the beginning of the world to that time, there had never been a man upon the face of the earth, that had lived so conformably to the law of God, 1 1 John, ii. 2. TS UPON THE that it was safe or lawful fo in all things. For all flesi soever, we have now an addi in all manner of conversapture tells us expressly, that As an example that we should very best of men were still as to be holy, as he who failures in their lives, as judgments; yea those ver Scriptures record, and God h been eminent in their genera tice, did oftentimes fail in b. by God himself to have been ration, Abraham to be the Moses to be the meekest mar we 12 our Saviour himself comwhim, to learn of him.3 And ver expect that he should own anless we own him for our Lord as to obey and follow him; he all those that come to him, to up their crosses and follow all, I hope, desire to be I have explained the two es, I shall now endeavour to of the latter too, that w here, as to come to him be a man after God's own But now as the first was m continued all along most pu thought, word, and action: neither was guile found in h much as a vain thought ever holy heart, not so much as a ceeded out of his divine lip impertinent or frivolous actio by his sacred and most righte I 1 Pet. ii. 2 of this, we must know tha ing east our s |