The harmony of the divine attributes in the contrivance and accomplishment of man's redemption…

3. Love to Mankind is expressed by our Saviour in a peculiar manner. For although God is Infinitely Good to us, yet he doth not prefer the happiness of Man before his own Blessedness. The Salvation of the whole World were not to be purchased with the least diminution of the Divine Felicity. But the Son of God suffered the extremest Evil, to procure the most sovereign Good for us, who were in Rebellion against his Laws and Empire. Briefly, The Life of Christ contains all our Duties towards God and Man, expressed in the most perfect manner, or Motives to perform them. We may clearly see in his deportment innocent Wisdom, prudent Simplicity, compassionate Zeal, perfect Patience, the courage of Faith, the joy of Hope, the tenderness and care of Love, incomparable Meekness, Modesty, Humility and Purity. He spent the night in Communion with God, and the day in Charity to Men. He perfectly hated Sin, and equally loved Souls. The nearest and readiest way to Perfection, is a serious regard to his Precedent: For the causes of all Sin are either the desire of what he despised, or the fear of what He suffered. He voluntarily deprived ⟨p. 368⟩himself to Riches,¹ Honours, Pleasures, to render them contemptible, and endured outrages of all sorts, the contradiction of Sinners, and the sharpest Sufferings to make them tolerable. He ascended Mount Calvary to his Cross; before he ascended from Mount Olivet to his Throne; He was naked before He was clothed with Light, and crowned with thorns before with Glory: And thus he powerfully teaches us to follow his steps who suffered for us. If a Physician of great esteem, in a Disease takes a bitter Potion, it would persuade those who are in the same danger, to use the same Remedy. Since the Son of God to purchase our Happiness, denied himself the enjoyment of worldly delights, and endured the worst of temporal Evils, nothing can be more effectual to convince us, that the Pleasures of the world are not considerable as to our last end, and that present Afflictions are so far from being inconsistent with our supreme Blessedness, that they prepare us for it.

3. Love to Mankind is exprest by our Saviour in a peculiar manner. For although God is Infinitely Good to us, yet he doth not prefer the happiness of Man before his own Blessedness. The Salvation of the whole World were not to be purchas'd with the least diminution of the Divine Felicity. But the Son of God suffer'd the extremest Evil, to procure the most sovereign Good for us, who were in Rebellion against his Laws and Empire. Briefly, The Life of Christ contains all our Duties towards God and Man, exprest in the most perfect manner, or Motives to perform them. We may clearly see in his deportment innocent Wisdom, prudent Simplicity, compassionate Zeal, perfect Patience, the courage of Faith, the joy of Hope, the tenderness and care of Love, incomparable Meekness, Modesty, Humility and Purity. He spent the night in Communion with God, and the day in Charity to Men. He perfectly hated Sin, and equally loved Souls. The nearest and readiest way to Perfection, is a serious regard to his Precedent: For the causes of all Sin are either the desire of what he despised, or the fear of what He suffer'd. He voluntarily deprived