4. Because Christ in his Word hath commanded us to follow his steps: Learn of me, 1for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye call me Master, and Lord, and ye say well, for so I am; if I then your Lord and Master have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet, for I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. —Put on therefore bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, 2longsuffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 3—And as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy.—Against this some object, how can we be holy as Christ is holy, first, the thing is impossible; and secondly, if we could, there would be no nee• of Christ. But I answer to the first; the thing if rightly understood, is not impossible; we are commanded to be holy as Christ is holy, not in respect of equality, as if our holiness must be of the same compass with the holiness of Christ; but in respect of quality, our holiness must be of the same stamp, and truth, as the holiness of Christ; as when the Apostle saith, That we must love our neighbour as our self; the meaning is,4 not that our love to our neighbour should be Mathematically equal to the love of our self, for the Law doth allow of degrees in love, accordingly to the degrees of relation in the thing beloved.5 Do good unto all men, specially to those of the household of faith; love to a friend may safely be greater than love to a stranger; or love to a wife, or child, may safely be greater than to a friend; yet in all our love to others, it must be of the self same nature, as true, as real, as cordial, as sincere, as solid as that to our selves; We must love our neighbour as our selves (i.e.) unfeignedly, and without dissimulation.—Again, I answer, to the second, Christ is needful notwithstanding our utmost holiness in two respects. 1. Because we cannot come to full and perfect holiness, and so his grace is requisite to pardon and cover our failings. 2. Because that which we do attain unto, it is not of, or from our selves, and so his spirit is requisite to strengthen us unto his service. We must be holy as Christ is holy, yet still we must look at the holiness of Christ, as the sun, and root, and fountain;
4. Because Christ in his Word hath commanded us to follow his steps: Learn of me, 1for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye call me Master, and Lord, and ye say well, for so I am; if I then your Lord and Master have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one anothers feet, for I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. —Put on therefore bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, 2longsuffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 3—And as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy.—Against this some object, how can we be holy as Christ is holy, first, the thing is impossible; and secondly, if we could, there would be no nee• of Christ. But I answer to the first; the thing if rightly understood, is not impossible; we are commanded to be holy as Christ is holy, not in respect of equality, as if our holiness must be of the same compass with the holiness of Christ; but in respect of quality, our holiness must be of the same stamp, and truth, as the holiness of Christ; as when the Apostle saith, That we must love our neighbor as our self; the meaning is,4 not that our love to our neighbor should be Mathematically equal to the love of our self, for the Law doth allow of degrees in love, accordingly to the degrees of relation in the thing beloved.5 Do good unto all men, specially to those of the houshold of faith; love to a friend may safely be greater than love to a stranger; or love to a wife, or child, may safely be greater than to a friend; yet in all our love to others, it must be of the self same nature, as true, as real, as cordial, as sincere, as solid as that to our selves; We must love our neighbor as our selves (i.e.) unfeignedly, and without dissimulation.—Again, I answer, to the second, Christ is needful notwithstanding our utmost holiness in two respects. 1. Because we cannot come to full and perfect holiness, and so his grace is requisite to pardon and cover our failings. 2. Because that which we do attain unto, it is not of, or from our selves, and so his spirit is requisite to strengthen us unto his service. We must be holy as Christ is holy, yet still we must look at the holiness of Christ, as the sun, and root, and fountain;
- 1Mat. 11.19. John 13.13.14, 15.
- 2Col. 3.12.13.
- 31 Pet. 1.15, 16.
- 4Rom. 13.9.
- 5Rom. 12.9.
