Richard Stretton.
SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS Y.
SERMON I.
Be ye therefore folloivers of God, as dear cliildren. — Eph. v. 1.
This cbapier containeth several precepts concerning holiness of life. They are of two sorts ; some are general, and common to all christians ; others are special, and particularly suited to the condition and state of life they may he put into. The apostle heginneth with the common directions that belong universally to all christians ; and this is the first of them, ' Be ye therefore,' &c.
There are two things in the words —
1. The precept, ' Be ye followers of God,' ixijjbrjTa), imitators or followers of his example ; for no English word is of a larger extent. They may be said to be followers of God who embrace the profession of his name, or the religion which lie hath established. There are fol- lowers by way of adherence, and followers by way of resemblance.
2. The argument to enforce it, which is intimated in the words, ' as dear children.' There is the relation, re/ct'a, and the love consequent upon the relation, ajaTrrjTd, because ye are God's beloved children.
The doctrine is plain.
Doct. That christians should endeavour to resemble God as near as may be.
1. I shall show wherein we are to resemble God.
2. What provision God hath made for it.
3. I will prove it by reasons.
I. Wherein are we to resemble God ?
I answer — The context seemeth to restrain it to one particular thing, pardoning and forgiving the wrongs done us by others ; for it is said, ' therefore,' as inferring it out of what was spoken before ; and that is what was said in Eph. iv. 32, ' Forgiving one another, as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.' But it is usual to give general direc- tions upon particular occasions, and therefore we need not confine our thoughts to that only ; and yet I will not enlarge the matter too much.
In scripture we are pressed to follow God in two things — in holiness and mercy ; as there is a tvA^ofold goodness of God, moral and bene- ficial ; his moral goodness is holiness, Ids beneficial goodness is benignity and mercy ; and in these two things are we pressed to follow him chiefly.
170 SERMONS UPON Kni'iiSIANS V. [SeR. I.
1. As for liis moral goodness and holiness : Phil. ii. 15, ' That )'e inay he hlameless and harmless, the sons of God without rehiike in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.' fmplying that God's children must be like their Father, just and holy, doing wrong to none, but convincing the con- sciences of all of their sonship and adoption, or nearness to God. It pleaseth God often to leave his people in the midst of the enemies of the gospel, who will take occasion, by the uncircumspect carriage of believers, to vomit out their spite and malice against it ; therefore christians had need be exemplary in holiness.
2. The other thing wherein we are called upon to imitate God is in goodness to all, enemies not excepted : Mat. v. 44, 45, ' But I say unto you. Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them, that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and perse- cute you ; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven : for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and unjust.' Meaning thereby, that you yourselves will know or show yourselves to others to be children of your Father. The more kind and merciful you are, the more you are like him ; and ver. 48, ' Be ye perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect ; ' compared with Luke vi. 36, ' Be ye therefore merciful, as your heavenly Father is merciful.' Which showeth that mercy is one of the great divine perfections which we ought to imitate.
Well, then, let us now state the matter.
[1.] Negatively. This following and resembling of God standeth not in his natural, but moral })erfections. God doth not say, Be ye strong, as I am strong, or, Be ye hapj)y, as I am happy ; but. Be ye holy, as I am holy, merciful, as I am merciful. Our loss by sin is more in point of goodness than of power and knowledge. The devils exceed us in the two last, in power and knowledge, but have nothing of goodness. The impression of his goodness therefore is more neces- sary to US in our lapsed estate than of his knowledge and power. God is miglity in power; therein we cannot imitate him, for we are poor weak creatures, and shall be so till we arrive at the state of bless- edness and immortality ; but he is rich in mercy, and glorious in holiness ; in these things we must resemble him. He would teach us that moral perfections must be preferi-ed before natural ; it is better to be wise than to be mighty, to be holy than to be wise. The bad angels, that have lost their holiness, have kept their strength and cunning. Nothing hath cost men dearer than striving to be like God in greatness and power rather than in goodness, holiness, and truth. It was Satan's temptation to our first parents: Gen. iii. 5, ' Ye shall be as gods ; ' not in a blessed conformity, but in a cursed self-sufficiency. Therefore let us take heed of the first ambition of man to affect to be like God in power. It was the arrogancy of the king of Babylon to say, Isa. xiv. 14, ' I will ascend above the heights of the clouds ; I will be like the Most High.' No, no ; moral excellences God would com- mend to us as deserving our best esteem from his own pattern.