Christ and his Apostles, and as many new ones, coined and stamped by their later councils. This is not to follow the faith of the Apostles, and first patterns of Chriftianity, the faith once delivered to the faints, as St. Jude calls it. This is to have our faith ftand upon the authority of men, and not on the word of God: whereas we are to follow the faith of the first guides of the Christian church, who spake unto them the word of God, as the Apostle exprefsly chargeth here in the text.

2. We are to imitate them in the ftability and firmnefs of our faith, and not fuffer ourselves to be fhaken, and removed from it, by every wind of new doctrine; the faith of Chrift being unchangeable as Chrift himself. And that by following the faith of the primitive guides and teachers of Chriftianity, the Apoftle here means, that we fhould be stedfaft and unmoveable in it, is plain from what follows immediately after the text, Whofe faith follow, confidering the end of their converfation. Fefus Chrift the fame yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Bé not carried about with divers and ftrange doctrines: for it is a good thing, that the heart be established with grace; that is, in the doctrine of the gospel, which is frequently called the grace of God.

3. We are to imitate them in the conftancy and perfeverance of their faith; and that notwithstanding all the discountenance and oppofition, the perfecution and fuffering which attend the profeffion of this faith; which the Apostle fufficiently intimates in this epistle, to have been the condition of thofe Chriftians to whom he wrote; and therefore he propofeth fo many examples to them, of conftant and patient fuffering for God and his truth: and it is probable enough, that the Apostle here recommends the example of those who were the primitive martyrs, as well as teachers of Christianity. He had before proposed to them the living examples of those who were under actual perfecution and fufferings for the gofpel, y 3. Remember them that are in bonds, and them that fuffer adverfity; and here, in the 7th verfe, he feems to propofe the pattern of those who had laid down their lives and died for the faith, Remember thofe who have been your guides,. and have spoken to you the word of God: whofe faith follow, confidering the end of their con verfation,

verfation, τὴν έκβασιν τῆς ἀναστροφῆς, which may be rendered, the last act of their lives, the manner of their going out of the world, perhaps by martyrdom; as if he had faid, Imitate them in their conftancy and perfeverance in the faith, even to the laft, in laying down their lives for it. And thus we fhould be ready to do, if God calls us to it. However, it is certain the Apostle meant their conftancy and perfeverance in the faith to the laft, and their dying in, if not for the faith of Christ. And this is neceffary if we expect the crown of life, and hope for the fame happy end, which they had; for none but they that continue to the end, fhall be faved.

4. We fhould imitate them in the efficacy and fruitfulness of their faith, in the practice and virtues of a good life: Whofe faith follow, confidering the end of their converfation; that is, their perfeverance in a holy courfe to the end. And these mult never be feparated, a found faith, and a good life. Without this, our faith is barren and dead, as St. James tells us, chap. ii. 17. Our knowledge and belief of the Christian doctrine must ma» nifeft itself in a good converfation. Who is a wife man, (fays the fame St. James, chap. iii. 13.); who is a wife man and endued with knowledge amongst you? let him fbew out of a good converfation his works. This is a faithful faying, (faith St. Paul to Titus, chap. iii. 8.), and thefe things I will that thou affirm conftantly, that they who have believed in God, be careful to maintain good works.

And herein the Apoftles of our Lord and Saviour were eminent examples. They lived as they taught, and pra ctifed the doctrine which they preached. So St. Paul Strictly chargeth Timothy, 1 Tim. iv. 12. Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in converfation, in cha rity, in Spirit, in faith, in purity. And our Saviour tells us, that hereby chiefly falfe prophets and teachers might be known from the true Apoftles of Chrift, Matth. vii. 20. By their fruits ye shall know them. And indeed we do not follow the faith of thofe excellent per fons, if we do not abound in all the fruits of righteousness, which by Fefus Christ are to the praise and glory of God.

I come now to the

III. Third and laft thing I propofed, viz. The en couragement to this, from the confideration of the hapРу

py state of those persons who are proposed to us for patterns, and the glorious reward which they are made partakers of in another world: Confidering the end of their converfation, Tv exCaow, their egrefs or departure out of this life, into a blessed and glorious ftate, where they have received the crown and reward of their faith and patience, and pious conversation in this world; or else, which comes much to one, confidering the conclufion of their lives, with what patience and comfort they left the world, and with what joyful affurance of the happy condition they were going to, and were to continue in for ever.

And this is a great encouragement to conftancy and perfeverance in faith and holiness, to fee with what chearfulness and comfort good men die, and with what a firm and fteddy perfuafion of the happiness they are entering upon. For who would not be glad to leave the world, in that calmness and ferenity of mind, and -comfortable affurance of a bleffed eternity? Bad men wifh this, and are ready to fay with Balaam, Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his. But if we would have the comfort of fuch a death, we muft live fuch lives, and imitate the faith and good converfation of thofe whom we defire to resemble in the manner of their death, and to go into the fame happy state that they are in after death. If we do not make their lives our pattern, we must not expect to be conformable to them in the happy manner of their death. When we hear of the death of an eminent good man, we do not doubt but he is happy; and are confident, that he will meet with the reward of his piety and goodnefs 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 Apostle exhorts, chap. vi. 12. Let us not be flothful; but followers of them, who through faith and patience inherit the promifes. Let us fhew the fame diligence that they did, that we may have the fame full affurance 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

of the first founders and teachers of our religion, and what is the proper honour and refpect 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 most acceptable to God, the most 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 those 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..

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 fpoken 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 Apoftles, and fo many primitive Christians and martyrs, fhould be tranfmitted to pofterity; that Chriftians in all fucceeding ages might propound thefe patterns to themselves, and have perpetually before their eyes the piety and virtue of their lives, and their patient and conftant fufferings for the truth; that when God fhall please 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 witnesses, having fo many examples in our eye of thofe who through faith and patience inherit the promises, and do now as it were look

down

down from their happy flate upon us here below, who are combating with manifold temptations, to fee how we behave and acquit ourfelves in our Chriftian courfe, we may take encouragement to ourselves, from fuch examples and fuch fpectators, 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 and martyrs of former ages, very difhonourable to God, and very grievous to them, if they be fenfible of what is done here below.; I mean, to worship them, and to pray to them, and (to the great difparagement of the powerful interceffion of our great High Prieft, Jefus 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 exprefsly commanded the contrary, to worship the Lord our God, and him only to ferve; and to pray to him alone, in the name of Jefus Chrift, who is the only mediator between God and men. Nor are there any footsteps. of any fuch practice in the primitive church, for the first three hundred years; as is acknowledged by our molt learned adverfaries of the church of Rome.

The fcripture 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 most 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; but I know not how it comes to pafs, we chufe rather lazily to admire them, than vigo roufly to follow them; as if the piety of the firft ChriVOL. IV.

E e

ftians