2. In baptism you were entered by others, therefore in grown years you must enter yourselves by your own consent disciples of Christ. There is a personal act required of all that come to age, that they may stand to the covenant, and own what their parents promised for them. As the parents of the blind man said, John ix. 21, ' He is of age, ask him, he shall speak for himself.' You did by your parents, according to God's institution, covenant to renounce the pomps and vanities of the world, and accept of Christ, but now you are of age, you must speak for yourselves ; then every one must come with his own hand, and enter themselves into God's muster-roll : Isa. xliv. 3-5, ' I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground ; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine off'spring, &c. One shall say, I am the Lord's, and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob, and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel.' As they grow up they shall engage themselves unto the Lord. Therefore Christianity is called a confession, and Jesus Christ is called ' the apostle and high priest of our profession,' Heb. iii. 1 ; and every christian is a confessor : Rom. x. 9, ' If thou shalt confess with thy mouth,' &c. ; one that must openly own Christ, and personally profess his subjection to the gospel of Christ: 2 Cor. ix. 13, ' They glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ.' Our renunciation of Christ's enemies, and profession of our faith and resig- nation to God, should be made with our own mouths when we are able.
3. This personal consent must not only be outwardly professed, but the heart must be renewed, and the bent of it set towards God ; for we have not only to do with men, but with God ; therefore, Rom. vL
YeR. 21.] SERMONS UPON MARK X. 17-27. 487
13, ' Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead.' All this is spoken to show the vanity of those that say that there is no conversion in the church, no regeneration but by baptism ; these are pernicious errors, that strike at the root of holiness. As there is a conversion from paganism to profession, or confession of the name of Christ, so there is a conversion from confession to reality. We are all bound to enter ourselves as Christ's disciples.
Doct. 2. They that enter themselves disciples to Christ and give up themselves to him must follow him, that is to say, imitate his example.
Reasons.
1. In the general, because this is agreeable to the general sense of religion that is in the hearts of all men. Ea deraum vera est religio imitari quern colis — This is true religion to imitate what we worship ; otherwise men are not true to the religion they do profess. The heathens were so bad, because they were taught Jovem colere jpotius quam Cato7iem, to worship Jupiter rather than Cato. So christians are to be much better, because it is Christ whom they worship ; there- fore they are to be pure as he is pure : 1 John iii. 3, ' He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself as he is pure.' A man is not true to his religion if he doth not prize that, and follow after that which he conceits to be most excellent in his god. To despise holiness in men, and pretend to love it in God, is gross hypocrisy. Eeason will tell us that the first cause should be the highest rule, that the divine essence and being, as it is the beginning of all beings, so it should be the rule of all perfections.
2. There are many special reasons why Christ should be propounded to us as our pattern and example whom we should follow and imitate.
[1.] Because he is a pattern of holiness set up in our nature. It would discourage us to consider of the deep ocean of the deity ; rather we are taught to coast it in our passage to heaven by the banks of Christ's example. He came down from God not only to restore us to God's favour, but to set us an example : 1 Peter ii. 21, ' Leaving us an example that we should follow his steps.' The life of Christ is a living rule, religion exemplified, a visible commentary on God's law. The angels obey God, and we are referred to their example in the Lord's prayer, ' Thy will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven ; ' but this could not be so encouraging as when it is done by one in our nature.
[2,] Because there are many advantages by this pattern in our nature ; as —
(1.) Our pattern is more complete than if God had been our pattern. There are some graces wherein we cannot be said to resemble God, and therefore we must look for a pattern elsewhere, as humility, faith, fear, hope, reverence, obedience ; none of these things are in God, for he hath no superior, and these things imply inferiority and subjection. There are some parts of holiness which stand in a conformity to God, others which stand in a subjection to God, such as man oweth to God as his superior, which hath no resemblance to anything in God's nature, for God is not subject to any ; but knowledge, wisdom, justice, mercy, love, purity, we have them in a lower degree, some shadow of them. Now in all these Christ is our pattern : Mat. xi. 29, ' Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart ; ' in all things that have respect to