Augustine says, Beatam vitam quærere in regione mortisseek a happy life in the region of death. The reproaches and wrongs that encounter them shall elevate their minds often to that land of peace and rest, where righteousness dwells. 2 Pet. iii. 13. The hard taskmasters shall make them weary of Egypt, which otherwise, possibly, they would comply too well with; shall dispose them for deliverance, and make it welcome, which, it may be, they might but coldly desire, if they were better used. He knows what He does, who secretly serves His own good purposes by men's evil ones, and, by the plowers that make long furrows on the back of His Church, (Psal. cxxix. 3.) makes it a fruitful field to Himself. Therefore, it is great folly and unadvisedness, to take up a prejudice against His way, to think it might be better as we would model it, and to complain of the order of things, whereas we should complain of disordered minds: but we had rather have all altered and changed for us, the very course of Providence, than seek the change of our own perverse hearts. But the right temper of a Christian is, to run always cross to the corrupt stream of the world and human iniquity, and to be willingly carried along with the stream of Divine Providence, and not at all to stir a hand, no, nor a thought, to row against that mighty current; and not only is he carried with it upon necessity, because there is no steering against it, but cheerfully and voluntarily; not because he must, but because he would.

And this is the other thing to which Christians are jointly called; as to suffering, so to calmness of mind and patience in suffering, although their suffering be most unjust; yea, this is truly a part of that duty they are called to, to maintain that integrity and inoffensiveness of life that may make their sufferings at men's hands, always unjust. The entire duty here, is innocence and patience; doing willingly no wrong to others, and yet cheerfully suffering wrong when done to themselves. If either of the two be wanting, their suffering does not credit their profession, but dishonours it. If they be patient under deserved suffering, their guiltiness darkens their patience: and

if their sufferings be undeserved, yea, and the cause of them honourable, yet impatience under them stains both their suffer. ings and their cause, and seems in part to justify the very injustice that is used against them; but when innocence and patience meet together in suffering, their sufferings are in their perfect lustre. These are they who honour religion, and shame the enemies of it. It was the concurrence of these two that was the very triumph of the martyrs in times of persecution, that tormented their tormentors, and made them more than conquerors, even in sufferings.

Now that we are called both to suffering and to this manner of suffering, the Apostle puts out of question, by the supreme example of our Lord Jesus Christ; for the sum of our calling is, to follow Him. Now in both these, in suffering, and in suffering innocently and patiently, the whole history of the Gospel testifies how complete a pattern He is. And the Apostle gives us here a summary, yet a very clear account of it.

The words have in them these two things, I. The perfection of this example. II. Our obligation to follow it.

I. The example he sets off to the full, 1. In regard of the greatness of our Saviour's sufferings. 2. In regard of His spotlessness and patience in suffering.

The first, we have in that word, He suffered; and afterwards, at ver. 24, we have His crucifixion and His stripes expressly specified.

Now this is reason enough, and carries it beyond all other reason, why Christians are called to a suffering life, seeing the Lord and Author of that calling, suffered himself so much. The Captain, or Leader, of our salvation, as the Apostle speaks, was consecrated by suffering, Heb. ii. 10: that was the way by which He entered into the holy place, where He is now our everlasting High-Priest, making intercession for us. He be our Leader to salvation, must not we follow Him in the way He leads, whatsoever it is? If it be (as we see it is) by the way of sufferings, we must either follow on in that way, or fall short of salvation; for there is no other leader, nor any other

If

way than that which He opened; so that there is not only a congruity in it, that His followers be conformed to Him in suffering, but a necessity, if they will follow Him on, till they attain to glory. And the consideration of both these, cannot but argue a Christian into a resolution for this via regia, this royal way of suffering that leads to glory, through which their King and Lord himself went to His glory. It could hardly be believed at first, that this was His way, and we can as hardly yet believe that it must be ours. O fools, and slow of heart to believe! Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into His glory? Luke xxiv. 25, 26.

Would you be at glory, and will you not follow your Leader in the only way to it? Must there be another way cut out for you by yourself? O absurd! Shall the servant be greater than his master? John xiii. 6. Are not you fairly dealt with? If you have a mind to Christ, you shall have full as much of the world's good-will as He had: if it hate you, He bids you remember, how it hated Him. John xv. 18.

But though there were a way to do otherwise, would you not, if the love of Christ possessed your hearts, rather choose to share with Him in His lot, and would you not find delight in the very trouble of it? Is not this conformity to Jesus, the great ambition of all his true-hearted followers? We carry about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, says the great Apostle, 2 Cor. iv. 10. Besides the unspeakable advantage to come, which goes linked with this, that if we suffer with Him, we shall reign with Him, (2 Tim. ii. 12,) there is a glory, even in this present resemblance, that we are conformed to the image of the Son of God in sufferings. Why should we desire to leave Him? Are you not one with Him? Can you choose but have the same common friends and enemies? Would you willingly, if it might be, could you find in your heart to be friends with that world which hated your Lord and Master? Would you have nothing but kindness and ease, where He had nothing but enmity and trouble? Or would you not rather, when you think aright of it, refuse and disdain to be so unlike

Him? As that good Duke said, when they would have crowned him King of Jerusalem, No, said he, by no means, I will not wear a crown of gold where Jesus was crowned with thorns.. 2. His spotlessness and patience in suffering, are both of them set here before us; the one ver. 22, the other ver. 23.

Whosoever thou art who makest such a noise about the injustice of what thou sufferest, and thinkest to justify thy impatience by thine innocence, let me ask thee, Art thou more just and innocent than He who is here set before thee? Or, art thou able to come near Him in this point? Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. This is to signify perfect holiness, according to that declaration, James iii. 2. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man. Man is a little world, a world of wickedness; and that little part of him, the tongue, is termed by St. James a world of iniquity. But all Christ's words, as well as His actions, and all His thoughts, flowed from a pure spring that had not any thing defiled in it; and therefore no temptation, either from men or Satan, could seize on Him. Other men may seem clear as long as they are unstirred, but move and trouble them, and the mud arises; but He was nothing but holiness, a pure fountain, all purity to the bottom; and therefore stir and trouble Him as they would, He was still alike clear. The prince of this world cometh, and John xiv. 39.

hath nothing in me.

This is the main ground of our confidence in Him, that He is a holy, harmless, undefiled High-Priest: and such a one became us, says the Apostle, who are so sinful. Heb. vii. 26. The more sinful we are, the more need that our High-Priest should be sinless; and being so, we may build upon His perfection, as standing in our stead, yea, we are invested with Him and His righteousness.

Again, there was no guile found in His mouth. This serves to convince us concerning all the promises that He hath made, that they are nothing but truth. Hath he said, Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out? John vi. 37. Then you need not fear, how unworthy and vile soever you may be;

do but come to Him, and you have His word that He will not shut the door against you. And as He hath promised access, so he hath further promised ease and souls' rest to those that come, Matt. xi. 30. Then be confident to find that in Him too, for there was never a false or guileful word found in His mouth.

But to consider it only in the present action, this speaks Him the most innocent sufferer that ever was, not only judicially just in His cause, but entirely just in His person, altogether righteous; and yet, condemned to death, and an opprobrious death of malefactors, and set betwixt two, as chief of the three! I am, says he, the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valley; and the Spouse saith of Him, My well-beloved is white and ruddy, Cant. ii. 1; v. 10: thus indeed, He was in His death, ruddy in his bloodshed, and white in his innocence, and withal in his meekness and patience; the other thing wherein He is here so exemplary.

Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again.] This spotless Lamb of God, was a Lamb both in guiltlessness and silence; and the Prophet Isaiah expresses the resemblance, in that He was brought as a Lamb to the slaughter, Isa. liii. 7. He suffered not only an unjust sentence of death, but withal unjust revilings, the contradictions of sinners. No one ever did so little deserve revilings; no one ever could have said so much in his own just defence, and to the just reproach of his enemies; and yet, in both, He preferred silence. No one could ever threaten so heavy things as He could against his enemies, and have made good all he threatened, and yet, no such thing was heard from Him. The heavens and the earth, as it were, spoke their resentment of His death who made them; but He was silent; or what He spoke makes this still good, how far he was from revilings and threatenings. As spices pounded, or precious ointment poured out, give their smell most, thus, His name was an ointment then poured forth, together with His blood, (Cant. i. 3.) and, filling heaven and earth with its sweet perfume, was a savour of rest and peace in both, appeasing the