3. Because Christ doth not only give us an example, but he doth cherish, succour, and assist us by its easiness, complacency, and proportion to us. Some sweetly observe, that Christ's piety (which we must imitate) was even, constant, unblameable, complying with civil society, without any affrightment of precedent, or without any prodigious instances of actions, greater than the imitation of men. We are not commanded to imitate a life, whose story tells us of ecstasies in prayer, of abstractions of senses, of extraordinary fastings to the weakening of our spirits, and disabling of all animal operations; no, no; but a life of justice, and temperance, and chastity, and piety, and charity, and devotion; such a life as without which humane society cannot be conserved;— And it is very remarkable, that besides the easiness of this imitation, there is a virtue and efficacy in the life of Christ; a merit, and impetration in the several passages of Christ's life, to work out our imitation of him. In the Bohemian history it is reported that Wenceslaus their King, one winters night going to his devotion in a remote Church, his servant Podavivus, who waited on his Master, and endeavoured to imitate his Masters piety, he began to faint through the violence of the snow, and cold; at last the King commanded him, to follow him, and to set his feet in the same footsteps which his feet should mark, and set down for him; the servant did so, and presently he fancied, or found a cure; thus Christ deals with us; it may be we think our way to Heaven is troublesome, obscure, and full of objection; well, saith Christ, But mark my footsteps; come on, and tread where I have stood, and you shall find the virtue of my example will make all smooth, and easy; you shall find the comforts of my company, you shall feel the virtue and influence of a perpetual guide.
3. Because Christ doth not only give us an example, but he doth cherish, succour, and assist us by its easiness, complacency, and proportion to us. Some sweetly observe, that Christ's piety (which we must imitate) was even, constant, unblameable, complying with civil society, without any affrightment of precedent, or without any prodigious instances of actions, greater than the imitation of men. We are not commanded to imitate a life, whose story tells us of extasies in prayer, of abstractions of senses, of extraordinary fastings to the weakning of our spirits, and disabling of all animal operations; no, no; but a life of justice, and temperance, and chastity, and piety, and charity, and devotion; such a life as without which humane society cannot be conserved;— And it is very remarkable, that besides the easiness of this imitation, there is a virtue and efficacy in the life of Christ; a merit, and impetration in the several passages of Christ's life, to work out our imitation of him. In the Bohemian history it is reported that Winceslaus their King, one winters night going to his devotion in a remote Church, his servant Podavivus, who waited on his Master, and endeavoured to imitate his Masters piety, he began to faint through the violence of the snow, and cold; at last the King commanded him, to follow him, and to set his feet in the same footsteps which his feet should mark, and set down for him; the servant did so, and presently he fancied, or found a cure; thus Christ deals with us; it may be we think our way to Heaven is troublesome, obscure, and full of objection; well, saith Christ, But mark my footsteps; come on, and tread where I have stood, and you shall find the vertue of my example will make all smooth, and easie; you shall find the comforts of my company, you shall feel the vertue and influence of a perpetual guide.
