Mind and Spirit with which it was done, will be of wonderful Use to us, both for the reforming our Judgments, and directing our Practice, and for the Encouragement of us in all godly and holy Living. We ought in all Inftances to be of the fame Spirit and Temper that our Saviour was; and if we are fure that we are in the fame Circumftances that he was, then to do as he did. And in any Cafe that happens to us, where we have no direct Law of our Saviour's to guide ourselves by, we may then have recourfe to his Example (I mean the Example of his Genius and Temper) putting the Queftion to ourselves, How would my Lord have done in this Cafe, had he been in the fame Circumftances that I am now in? And if we refolve fincerely to act, as we believe he would have done in the Cafe, according to thofe Notices we have from the Hiftory of his Life, of his Humour, and Qualities, and Temper, there are few Cafes wherein we fhall fail of good Direction.

V. My Fifth Propofition about this Point is this: In a Matter where Chrift hath laid his Commands upon us, yet we are not bound to come up to the precife Measures of our Saviour's Life: We are not oblig'd to that Degree of Exactness and Perfection in our Actions that he attained to: It is enough

enough for us, that in thefe Matters we follow him as far as we can; that we endeavour to imitate him according to our Measures, tho' we never reach that Excellency, that heroical Virtue that he gave Proof of in all his Actions.

The Reason of this is plain. As our Saviour was an extraordinary Perfon, fo the Inftances he gave of his Virtue were fometimes extraordinary alfo. And the Duties he recommended to others, he himfelf performed, not only in full Perfection, without any Mixture of Sin and Infirmity, but alfo fometimes in fuch Inftances, and with fuch Circumftances, as the Weakness of our prefent State, and our Course of Life in the World, will not allow us to imitate.

To give an Inftance of this. He was much in his Devotions to God. So ought we, because it is a plain Command. But he was fo intenfe and fervent in thofe Devotions, that we may reasonably believe no wandring Thoughts, no Diftractions of Mind, did ever difcompofe or interrupt him. Why in this too we should imitate him as far as we can. But yet to attain to the fame Degree of Fixednefs and Fervency of Spirit, we must never expect, and therefore certainly we are not bound to it.

But further; fo great was the Ardor and Flame of his Devotion, that he spent whole Nights

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Nights in Retirement and Prayer to God, as the Gospel informs us. But now for us to think ourselves obliged to do fo, would be very unreasonable, and might draw great Inconveniencies upon us. It is fufficient for us that we be as earnest, and as diligent, and as frequent in our Devotions, both publick and private, as our Strength and our neceffary Occafions will allow : But to tie up ourselves rigidly to fo many Hours, or to whole Nights of Prayer, in Imitation of our Saviour, is more than fometimes our Conftitution will bear; or if it would, there is no Obligation upon us to do it.

VI. Laftly, To all this, let me add one Propofition more, and then I have offered all that I have to fay upon this Argument. And it is this:

That in those very particular Actions of our Saviour, that he hath obliged us to imitate him in, yet, as to the Circumftances of them, he hath left us at Liberty, and we are to govern ourselves by Reason and Prudence; or by the Cuftom of the Country where we live; or by the Laws of our Superiors.

Thus, for Inftance; our Saviour at his laft Supper took Bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave it to his Difciples, faying, Take, eat; this is my Body which is

given for you: Do this in Remembrance of me. And fo likewife the Cup after Supper. This Action now the Minifters of the Gospel are to imitate our Saviour in as long as the World lafts, because he hath folemnly commanded that they fhould do fo. But they are not bound to imitate him in all the particular Circumftances of this Action of his they are not bound, when they celebrate this holy Supper, to do it juft in the fame Manner, and at fuch a Time of the Day, and in fuch a fort of Place, as our Lord himself did, because this is no where commanded either by Chrift or his Apostles; nor indeed are these Things at all of the Effence of the Action, but particularly feparable from it, and adventitious to it. I the rather chufe to mention this Inftance, because it hath afforded Matter for many Scruples and much Dispute in our Days. How comes it to pafs (fay fome) that you of the Church of England oblige all thofe that receive the Sacrament among you, to receive it in the Pofture of kneeling? Is not this contrary to the Practice of our Saviour? Did not his Apoftles receive it at his Hands in a different Pofture, namely in a Table Pofture, and not in a Praying Pofture? And is not every religious Action of our Saviour's to be imitated as far as we are capable of imitating it? This is the great Argument that is brought againft our Ufage

of kneeling at the Sacrament; and is of fuch Force with fome, that, upon Account thereof, they dare not joyn in our Communion.

I will not here enter upon a Vindication of the Unexceptionablenefs, Lawfulness, Decency, and Antiquity of this Pofture in receiving the Sacrament, and the Fitness of it above all others, but shall juft confider the Matter fo far as my prefent Propofition leads me to fpeak of it. And that which I would fay, is this: Thofe People that make the Objection against Kneeling that I have now mentioned, do not seem to confider the Difference of an Action, and the Circumstances of an Action. Gefture or Pofture is not an Action, but the Circumftance of an Action. Let us therefore be never fo much bound to imitate our Saviour's or the Apostles Actions, yet it doth not from hence follow, that we are bound to imitate their Geftures or Poftures in those Actions. And if any will affirm that we are, they ought at leaft to give us fome fort of Proof for it, either from Scripture, or the Senfe of the primitive Church. The Scriptures, I am fure, can produce none; and the primitive Church, if we may judge of their Senfe by their Practice, is quite against them.

But I wish thofe that infift upon this, would give me an Anfwer to this Question.

Why