And then when Satan would confess him, and make much of him, ' Oh thou art the Son of God,' he would have nothing to do with him. So those that are manifestly led with the spirit of Satan, and would press kindness on us, have nothing to do with them so far. As we say of the devil he is not alway a liar, but he alway cozeneth ; so take those that are led by the spirit of the devil, that are Jesuited papists, they lie not in all, but there is cozening in all ; for all is but snaring kindness and gifts that will hurt more. All ofi'ers from Satan, and those that are led with the spirit of Satan, we ought to suspect, as Christ we see when Satan oftered him a kindness, he saw he was to be took heed of. Therefore saith he, ' away,' you and your kindness. So have nothing to do with devilish men. Those are best at ease, and prosper most that have least to do with them ; those that see they are alway deceivers though they be not alway liars ; those that are nearest hostility prosper best. Thus you see a taste of Christ's carriage to his friends, to his enemies, to Satan. And for hypocrites he speaks, ' Woe to them,' Mat. xxiii. 13. He hated them above all the proud Pharisees. I might spend much time in going over particulars in the gospel, to see what expressions there are of Jesus Christ.
Use 2. I beseech you, make this use of it, when in the gospel you read
of any expression of his love and gentleness, of his obedience and humility,
in washing his disciples' feet, and ' Learn of me for I am meek,' &c,. Mat.
xi. 29, and ' Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden,' Mat.
* That is, truuk or chest, = instruments of the devil. — G.
2G4 EXCELLENCY OF THE GOSPEL
xi. 28, then tliink this is the expression of wy blessed Saviour, ' the second Adam,' to whose imciffe 1 iiiust he cohformed, and transformed, and changed; and therefore mIicu you are moved and tempted to sin, from your own corruption, or from Satan, reason thus with yourselves : Would our blessed Saviour, if he were upon earth, do this ? would he speak thus ? would he not do thus if he were here now ? would he not be ready to do this good turn ? Surely he would ; and I must be changed into his image and like- ness. Therefore let me consider what my blessed Saviour would do in the hke case. Surely our blessed Saviour would not stain and defile his body. He would not make his tongue an instrument of untruth to deceive others. He would not be covetous and injurious. Art thou a Christian or no ? If thou be a Christian thou hast the anointing of Jesus Christ. That anoint- ing that was poured on him as the head, it runs down to thee as a member, as Aaron's ointment ran down to his skirts. If thou be the skirt of Christ, the meanest Christian, thou hast the same grace if thou be a Christian. And therefore thou must express Christ, that as thou art partaker of his name, so thou must be partaker of his anointing. If thou be a Christian, why doest thou thus ? Doth this suit with thy profession ? Dost thou carry the image of Satan, and dost thou think to be a Christian, except it be in title and profession only? No. There is no Christian but if he be a true Christian he is changed into the likeness of Christ, into his image. There- fore it is a good thought upon all occasions, every day to think what would my blessed Saviour say if he were here ? and what did he in the like case when he was upon earth ? I must be ' led by the Spirit of Christ,' or else I am none of his. Therefore let us shame ourselves when we are moved by our corruptions and temptations to do anything contrary to this blessed image.
And consider, the more we grow into the likeness of Christ, the more we grow in the love of God, who delights in us as he doth in his own Son : ' This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,' Mat. iii. 17. Now the more like we are to Christ, the more he is pleased with us.
And the more we shall grow in love one to another ; for the liker picture a are to the first pattern, the liker they are one to another. So the liker we grow to Christ, the liker we are one to another, and the more like, the more love.
Who keeps Christ alive in the world, but a company of Christians that carry his resemblance ? As we say of a child that is like his father, this man cannot die as long as his son is alive, because he resembleth his fether; so as long as Christians are in the world, that have the Spirit of Christ, Christ cannot die. He lives in them, and Christ is alive no otherwise in the world than in the hearts of gracious Christians, that carry the pictui-e and resemblance of Christ in them.