the very end for which his Saviour died was, to redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works."]
He makes it his constant and determined aim — [The true Believer is, not a mere follower of Christ, but an imitator also'': and it is his delight to set the Saviour before him as his great Exemplar. When he sees how en- tirely the soul of Jesus was wrapped up in his work, and that it was " his meat and drink to do his Father's will," he pants, and sighs, and with shame and sorrow of heart exclaims, O that there were " in me the mind that was in Christ Jesus !" When he beholds the ardour of Christ's love to man, his unwearied labours, his patient sufferings, his exertions in every possible way, he girds up his loins, and follows the footsteps of his Lord ; and though he knows that he can never attain to his perfection, yet he proposes to himself no object short of that, and strives to be " holy as he was holy," and "perfect as he was perfect:" nor does the glory of heaven itself appear more desirable in his eyes, than does a conformity to the Saviour's image in righteous- ness and true holiness. In a peculiar manner, he notices the tempers of his Divine Master ; his meekness, his patience, his forbearance, his love to enemies, his compassion even to his very murderers : he sees what a fallen creature he himself is, and he cries mightily to God for grace and strength, that he may be enabled to mortify every feehng that is opposite to love, and to "purify himself even as his Lord and Master was pure'."]
Now as this subject gives us a deep insight into the whole of the Gospel system, I will embrace this opportunity,
1 . Of establishing the principles of those who are in doubt —
[The Christian world has been much divided on the subject of faith and works: and we may easily conceive that some, who are well affected towards the Gospel, may feel a doubt, whether in our statements of the truth we do not ele- vate faith too high, and sink morality below its proper level. But the text, I conceive, will settle this point at once. I grant, that they who require good works in whole or in part to justify us before God, do in appearance shew a high sense of their value : and that they who decry them in this point of view, and declare that such a dependence on them will invali- date the wli(»le Gospel, and shik us into perdition, do in ap- pearance
* I Cor. xi. 1. the Greek. ' i John iii. 3.