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CHAPTER I.

THE LIFE OF THE LORD JESUS, IS OUR PATTERN.

Scripture Precepts.

COME unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and LEARN OF ME; for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls. S. Matt. xi. 28, 29.

He that saith he abideth in Him, ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked. 1 S. John ii, 6.

For even hereunto were ye called: because CHRIST also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps. 1 S. Pet. ii. 21.

Reflections.

CHRIST enlightens the understanding and purifies the affections; and to this end He came down into this vale of misery. It far surpasses the powers of every finite understanding to comprehend that wondrous mystery of humiliation, exhibited to us by our LORD JESUS CHRIST, in that He stooped from His most exalted glory to assume the form of a servant, and descended to the lowest depths of humility, that He might release us from captivity, deliver us from our sins, restore our fallen nature, and repair its ruin with His own eternal glory. It was not sufficient for His love to be our Creator, LORD, and Protector; but He

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willed to become our Redeemer, Companion, and Brother; yea, our Flesh and Blood.

Therefore, let the sinner, who desires to cast off the burden of his sins, and to obtain rest for his soul, both here and hereafter, let him not despair, but attend to the gracious invitation of his Incarnate GOD and Saviour, calling the weary and heavy laden to come to Him. Let the sick attend to this Holy and careful Physician, and come to Him with profound contrition, sincere confession, and an anxious desire to avoid evil and to do good. Let them diligently cleave to Him, seek His friendship, and meditate on His holy Life, with ardent devotion; calling to mind his Incarnation, Nativity, Circumcision, Presentation in the Temple, Baptism, Fasting, Watchings, Temptation, Miracles, Teachings, Passion, Death, Resurrection, Ascension, and Coming to Judgment. The whole Life of CHRIST, and all His works are as lights to guide us to virtue and truth. He who saith he abideth in Him, ought himself also so to walk even as He walked. That is, not to covet earthly things, to follow after filthy lucre, to shun honours, to embrace the contempt of the world for the glory of Heaven, willingly to do good to all men, to injure none, and patiently to suffer whatever injuries are inflicted upon us by others, and to pray to God to forgive those who injure us; never to seek our own glory, but that of our Creator. To do these, and such like things, is to follow the Footsteps of CHRIST. We ought therefore to follow His Footsteps, for in CHRIST alone have we Wisdom and Salvation. In Him we have all things, and He is our All in All. If we desire the cure of our wounds, He is the

Physician; if we are weighed down with iniquity, He is Righteous; if we need help, He is Strength; if we fear death, He is our Life; if we flee from darkness, He is Light; if we desire heaven, He is the Way. Thus, to know CHRIST is true wisdom and life, and it is sufficient for us, though we be destitute of all other knowledge. He, therefore, who follows CHRIST can neither err nor be deceived; for in beholding and imitating His virtues, and by frequently meditating on every point of His Life and Passion, the heart is inflamed, quickened, and illuminated with Divine virtue. The holy Life of JESUS is the Pattern by which we should regulate our whole life; diligently imitating Him, and conforming our life to His. He was innocent, humble, meek, patient, compassionate, full of goodness and fidelity, obedient to His FATHER, and resigned to His will. He worshipped His FATHER with great reverence and devotion on bended knees ; He stooped, with most loving tenderness, to all the necessities of men, and ministered as a Servant to their souls and bodies. Imitate Him, therefore, in these virtues, in His true obedience, profound humility, humble poverty and self-denial, ineffable purity, unwearied patience, immoveable long-suffering, constant perseverance, and inexhaustible love, kindness, and compassion; and, by the help of God's grace, constantly break down and destroy in thyself all pride, vain-glory, self-complacence, the desire of human praise or honour, all motions of impatience, anger, concupiscence, impurity, and all evil passions and affections.

The Life of JESUS is then the Book of all Chris

tians, which we should ever bear about with us; and we should retain in our minds a constant remembrance of His most bitter Passion and Death; so that His great Love and fidelity may influence our hearts with delight and love, and His most holy Life be always hidden within our loving hearts. This is the Book written within and without, and is common alike to the learned and ignorant, to saints and sinners, and to all who desire to delight in GoD and please Him. Happy and blessed are they who so study the Life of their Saviour as to conform themselves to it. In the day of judgment they may boldly say to the LORD, "O LORD, we have desired to please Thee, to live eternally and serve Thee." Then will the LORD JESUS lead them into His eternal glory prepared from the foundation of the world. He will show them His Blessed and Glorious Countenance, incomparably brighter than the sun, and He will clothe them with His Brightness, and give them the fruition of Himself, and ineffable joy and exultation for ever and ever.

Meditations.

O my soul, behold thy God, thy Creator and Redeemer; behold Him Who blots out thy sins, and sanctifies thee; behold thy Life and every Good. See how the King of Glory humbles Himself for thee, see how cruelly thy Saviour suffers for thee; consider the greatness of His love Who endured such poverty and misery for thee. Abide with thy LORD, lest thou forsake thy Master and Saviour; for if thou abidest

with Him, all will be well with thee, but if thou forsake Him, all will be evil. Cry to Him with thine inmost soul, and say, O Gracious JESU, Good Master, holy Pastor, King of Eternal Glory, I adore Thee, I bless and give thanks to Thee Who hast so loved me as to do such great things, and endure such miseries for me. Be propitious to me a sinner; cleanse, heal, conform me to Thyself; direct, teach, and enlighten me with Thy truth.

O that I had not been hitherto so ungrateful to Thee! O that I could now become well-pleasing to Thee! O that all evil passions and affections were dead in me, that I could stand before Thee truly humble and meek, truly sincere and tranquil! O that Thou wouldest alone possess my heart, so that I might lightly esteem all transitory things, and seek and delight in Thee, and cleave indissolubly to Thee! Alas, my LORD! when shall I worship Thee with a pure, simple, and cheerful mind? When shall I serve Thee with a calm, stedfast, and clear conscience? When will my soul be filled with Thy boundless love? What can I desire beside Thee, Who art all-sufficient for my soul? And what can all things profit me without Thee ?

Prayer.

O LORD JESUS CHRIST, SON of the living GOD, my Refuge, my Desire, my Hope and Trust, my Saviour and Consolation! grant to me, a weak and miserable sinner, to have Thy Life and manners always before the eyes of my soul, and give me grace, as far as pos

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