“ing us an example that we should follow his “fteps.” The taík indeed is hard to flesh and blood; the difficulties that lie in our way, are exceeding great, and would be altogether infuperable, had not he, who fet us an example, so far above the level and pitch of human nature, enabled, as well as commanded, us to follow it.

But, thanks be to God, that is not our cafe. Crist, by the merit of those very fufferings, which he propofes to our imitation, has purchased for us all fuch extraordinary aids and affiftances, as are requifite to fupport us under them. By what he underwent for our fakes in his life, and at his death, he obtained of God, not only a release from the punishment of our fins, but new powers to qualify us for a further increase in virtue; not only the pardoning, but fanctifying grace of his Spirit; by the means of which we can now

crucify the flesh, with the affections and lufts;" Gal. v. 24. mortify and subdue all our irregular paffions, undervalue pleasures, rejoice in afflictions, and walk even as he walked, in humility and patience, in purity and holiness. Weak and impotent we are, but "his grace is fufficient for us:" 2 Cor. xii 9. We can do nothing of ourselves, but "We can do all things through Chrift that "ftrengtheneth us;" Phil. iv. 13. and, in confidence of this afliftance, we may venture to take to ourselves the words of his fervent apoftle, and fay, Who fhall feparate us from the love of Chrift!" Rom. viii. 35. Who or what fhall hinder us from obeying his precepts, and from tranfcribing his practice?" Shall tribulation, or

diftrefs, or perfecution, or famine, or naked

"nefs.

.

"nefs, or peril, or fword? Nay, but in all these things we are more than conquerors, through "Chrift that loved us," verf. 37

"If I am lifted up from the earth” (faid he, fpeaking of the powerful efficacy of his cross and fufferings)." I will draw all men after me :" John xiii. 32. I will lift them alfo up above their earthly affections and pursuits, and raise them into the participation of a divine and heavenly na ture.-Lok down then upon us from thy crofs, bleffed Je u! Draw us, and we will run after thee, Cant. i. 4. not only with willing, but chearful minds; with alacrity, and with pleasure. We will trace all thy steps from Be hlehem to Calvary; we will imitate thee, to the best of our power, in all the stages and conditions of thy life, in what thou didst, and in what thou fufferedft; we will fet thee before us in every case, and fay, Would my Saviour have thus, or thus behaved himself in thefe circumftances? Would he have yielded to fuch a temptation? or declined fuch a conflict? Would he have refented fuch an injury; or felt the leaft difcompofure of mind, upon fuch an affront? Would he have been elated upon fuch a fuccefs; have funk under fuch a preffure; or confulted with flesh and blood on fuch an occafion? Why then should I, who have his example to guide, his promise of an exceeding reward to encourage, and his grace to fuftain me? Nay, but draw us, bleffed Jefu, and we will run after thee! we will follow thee, O thou Lamb of God, whitherfoever thou geeft! Particularly we will often refort to that lively affecting representation of thy death and fufferings, the

facra

facrament of thy body and blood, which thou haft inftituted for us. There we will inure ourfelves to the contemplation of Christ crucified, and to the contempt of all the vain glories of this world, which were, together with thee, nailed to thy crofs; of all the betwitching, but empty pleafures of life, with which we are furrounded. There we will endeavour to inftruct ourselves in thofe holy leffons of refignation, humility, pátience, and perfeverance unto death, which thou, in thy gofpel, haft taught us; and to furnish ourfelves with fuch fpiritual fupplies of grace, as may enable us to trace the fuffering example, which thou haft fet us; that fo refembling thee in meeknefs, piety, and purity here, we may alfo refemble thee in happiness and glory hereafter!

Now unto him that loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and pricfts unto God, and his Father; Rev. 1.5, 6. to Him be all glory and honour afcribed in all affemblies of the faints? Amen.

A SER

A

ER MON

Preached at

Westminster-Abbey,

On Eafter-Day, 1718.

Some Reafons affigned for our Saviour's appearing chiefly to his Apoftles after his Refurrection; and his Manner of converfing with them, reprefented.'

ACTS i. 3.

9.1

To whom all he bewed himself alive after his paffion by many infallible proofs, being Jeen of them forty days, and fpeaking of the things ertaining to the kingdom of God.

IS a juft obfervation of St. Chryfoftom, that, though the apoftles were allowed to be prefent with our Lord, and to behold him, when afcending up into heaven, yet they were not permitted to fee him in the act of arifing from the dead; becaufe their teftimony was requisite in

the

the one cafe, to establish our faith, but not in the other. It was fit they should be eye-witneffes of his afcent; elfe, they had not been able to atteft the truth of that matter of fact, the knowledge of which they could not afterwards have attained otherwife than by revelation; but it was no ways neceffary that they fhould fee him, when he broke loofe from the grave, in order to their bearing witnefs of his refurrection; fince it was fufficient to that purpose, if they faw, and converfed with him, after he was rifen. And that they did fo, all the evangelifts inform us, particularly St. Luke, in the words of the text: To whom also [i. e. unto the ateftles, whom he had chofen, which are the concluding words of the next preceding verfe] "he fhewed himself alive after his paffion by many infallible proofs, being feen of them forty days, and fpeaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."

The obfervatious I intend to fuggeft from thefe words, may be reduced under the three following heads:

1. Fift, Our Saviour's continuing forty days upon earth, after he arofe.

II. Secondly, His appearing throughout that time chiefly to his apoftles.

And,

III. Thirdly, The manner of his spending his time with them Two accounts are given of it ia the text; That by many infallible proofs he convinced them of his being returned to life, and

that