Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

2. If Christ's life be mine, then shall I walk even as he walked; such is the efficacy of Christ's life, that it will work suitableness, and make our life in some sort like his life. The Apostle observes that our communion with Christ works on our very conversations; he that abideth in him, walks even as he walked: and to this purpose are all those holy admonitions; walk in love, as Christ also loved us.—and,¹ I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done unto you.—And, as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Then is Christ's life mine, when my actions refer to him as my Copy, when I transcribe the Original of Christ's life (as it were, to the life. Alas, what am I better to observe in the life of Christ his Charity to his Enemies, his Reprehensions of the Scribes and Pharisees, his subordination to his heavenly Father, his ingenuity towards all men, his effusions of love towards all the Saints, ⟨p. 318⟩if there be no likeness of all this in my own actions? The Life of Jesus is not described to be like a Picture in a chamber of Pleasure, only for beauty and entertainment of the eye, but like the Egyptian Hieroglyphics, whose very feature is a precept, whose Images converse with men by sense, and signification of excellent discourses; to this purpose,² saith Paul, we all with open face, beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed in the same Image from Glory to Glory: Christ is the Image of his Father, and we are the Images of Christ; Christ is Gods Masterpiece, and the most excellent device and work, and frame of heaven that ever was, or ever shall be; now Christ being the top-excellency of all, he is most fit to be the the pattern of all excellencies whatsoever; and therefore he is the Image, the Idea, the Pattern, the Platform of all our sanctification. Come then, O my soul, look unto Jesus, and look into thy self; yea, and look and look, till thou art more transformed into his likeness: Is it so that thou art changed into the same image with Christ? took into his disposition as it is set forth in the Gospel? look into his carriage, look into his conversation at home and abroad; and then reflecting on thy self; look there, and tell me, canst thou find in thy self a disposition suitable to his disposition, a carriage suitable to his carriage, a conversation suitable to his conversation?