(3.) The more this prevaileth with you to endeavour to be like God, the more you see you have an interest in his dearest love, and that he is your Father, and you his children in the most comfortable sense ; that is, that you not only desire, but are in possession of his fatherly love : Rom. viii. 29, ' For wdiom he did foreknow, he also did predesti- nate to be conformed to the image of his Son.' Therefore at first you nuist not ask questions, and put off your duty by scruples, but set to the performance of it, and you will best get rid of them.
[2.] There is a great love and tenderness exercised towards those that are in this relation. They are his ' dear children,' and they shall know it by his fatherly dealing with them ; they are reconciled, pardoned, and justified, and God is not severe upon their failings : Mai. iii. 17, *I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.' They have his Spirit sent into their hearts, to keep afoot God's interest there, and maintain the comfort of their adoption : Gal. iv. 6, * And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.' Thej'' are also under the special care of his providence for protection and provision, especially that all things may work together for their final perfection and happi- ness. 0 christians ! methinks it should melt your hearts to consider how the dearness and tenderness of God's love is expressed in the gospel towards his children. Now, then, shall not all this have a due imjires- fiion upon you ? Filial duty should answer fatherly love. Who should be so ready to serve and please liim as his dear children ? Yea, now we do not press you so much to serve him as to be like him. There are duties which signify inferiority and subjection, and we are not exempted from them, but should readily perform what our Father calleth for in this kind ; but there are other things which are our perfection, as wisdom, holiness, goodness, and truth ; these advance our nature, do not depress it, because it is godlike to excel in these things ; and this we now press you to.
[3.] The more like to God we are, the more dear we are to him, and the more amiable in his sight ; so that you are not only dilecti, but
176 ' SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. [SeR. I.
diligibiles, not only loved, but lovely, or fit to be loved ; for the Lord taketh pleasure in his own itnag-e wrought by his Si)irit in our hearts : Ps. xi. 7, ' For the righteous Lord lovetli righteousness ; his countenance doth behold the upright ; ' Prov. xi. 20, ' But such as are upright in their way are his delight ; ' 1 Peter iii. 4, ' A meek and quiet spirit is in the siglit of God of great price.' A holy creature is an object suited to the complacency of his holiness. God doth delight in us as redeemed and pardoned, for his own mercy endeareth us to him : * Is not this a brand plucked out of the burning ? ' Zecli. iii. 2. But no one reason doth exclude another. He doth delight in us also as sanctified ; that was our primitive amiableness, and the loss of it was our state of enmity to God, when he could take no pleasure in us. Therefore, the more we recover the image and nature of God our heavenly Father, the dearer we are to him. He had a benevolence, a good will, or pity to us in our sins ; but his complacency in us is as we are renewed and sancti- fied ; yea, the more we are so, the dearer to him.
[4.J Our chief worship of God consists in imitation ; not in contem- plation or admiration only, or in bare praise and adoration, but in imitation, when we study to be like him. Other things are necessary, but they are means for this end, that there may be a greater conformity between us and God, and so a communion with him. Other things are good in themselves, but without this they are not accepted. For instance, one great part of worship is to admire God, to which we are often directed in scripture : ' Who is a God like unto thee ? ' This admiration will break out into praise ; for when the heart is big with thoughts, it cannot hold : Ps. 1. 23, ' He that ofi"ereth praise glotifieth me.' It is questionless a great duty to praise God for his excellencies, for how shall we be affected with things that we do not frequently remember ? But yet there is something more to be done tlian to wonder and praise, and that is to imitate ; and this is true religion, to imitate what we worship. By the admiration and commemoration of God, or by the acts of adoration in wonder and praise, thei'e may be some loose and inconstant eftects left upon our hearts ; as to fear him, when for the time we remember his greatness and justice ; or to have some delight stirred in us for the present, when we remember his goodness and mercy. But alas ! these transitory acts, though good in their kind, yet are not to be compared with that impression of God Avhich becometh as a habit and holy nature in us, which is the constant principle of holy spiritual operation. It is good to think of God often ; particular thoughts have their use. It is good to speak of God, and praise God often, not only for his benefits, but his excellencies. Keli- gion lieth much in it. But all these acts are but means to this end, that we may be like God, so far as is agreeable to our created state and capacity, and so far as is necessary to our communion with him. U you admire and approve of a good man, if you do not endeavour to imitate him, you do not give him that respect which his virtues call for. Translate the matter to God, and the same reason will hold good. If you admire the perfections of his nature, })raise him for his excellencies, bless him for his benefits ; but the likeness of him is not impressed upon your souls so as to become the constant principle of your operations ; you do indeed use the means in your way and