1. On Christ himself, the unimitable Image of God in his Perfection, is a testimony of his veracity: (which I ascribe to the holy Spirit, as the ultimate Operator in the Trinity, even that holy Spirit by which he was conceived, and which fell upon him at his Baptism, and which, Matth. 12. his enemies did blaspheme) Many men have so lived, that no notable sin of commission hath been found or observed in them by the world at a distance. But the most virtuous, except Christ, was never without discernible infirmities, and sins of omission. No man ever convicted him of any sin, either in word or deed; His obedience to the Law of God was every way perfect, He was the most excellent Representative of the Divine Perfections:1 The Omnipotency of God appeared in his Miracles; The Wisdom of God in his holy Doctrine; and the Love of God in his matchless expressions of Love, and in all the Holiness of his life. He was so far from pride, worldliness, sensuality, malice, impatience, or any sin, that the world had never such a pattern of self-denial, humility, contempt of all the wealth and honours of the world, charity, meekness, patience, &c. as in him. He obeyed his Father to the death. He healed mens bodies, and showed his pity to their souls, and opened the way of life even to his ⟨p. 267⟩enemies: He instructed the ignorant, and preached repentance to the impenitent, and suffered patiently the unthankful requitals of them that rendered him evil for good. He endured patiently to be reviled, scorned, buffeted, spit upon, crowned with thorns, nailed to a cross, and put to death; and this upon the false accusation and imputation of being an evil doer: In a word, He was perfect, and sinless, and manifested first all that obedience and holiness in his life, which he put into his Laws, and prescribed unto others: And such Perfection is inseparable from Veracity.
1. On Christ himself, the unimitable Image of God in his Perfection, is a testimony of his veracity: (which I ascribe to the holy Spirit, as the ultimate Operator in the Trinity, even that holy Spirit by which he was conceived, and which fell upon him at his Baptism, and which, Matth. 12. his enemies did blaspheme) Many men have so lived, that no notable sin of commission hath been found or observed in them by the world at a distance. But the most vertuous, except Christ, was never without discernable infirmities, and sins of omission. No man ever convicted him of any sin, either in word or deed; His obedience to the Law of God was every way perfect, He was the most excellent Representative of the Divine Perfections:1 The Omnipotency of God appeared in his Miracles; The Wisdom of God in his holy Doctrin; and the Love of God in his matchless expressions of Love, and in all the Holiness of his life. He was so far from pride, worldliness, sensuality, malice, impatiency, or any sin, that the world had never such a pattern of self-denial, humility, contempt of all the wealth and honours of the world, charity, meekness, patience, &c. as in him. He obeyed his Father to the death. He healed mens bodies, and shewed his pity to their souls, and opened the way of life even to his ⟨p. 267⟩enemies: He instructed the ignorant, and preached repentance to the impenitent, and suffered patiently the unthankful requitals of them that rendred him evil for good. He endured patiently to be reviled, scorned, buffeted, spit upon, crowned with thorns, nailed to a cross, and put to death; and this upon the false accusation and imputation of being an evil doer: In a word, He was perfect, and sinless, and manifested first all that obedience and holiness in his life, which he put into his Laws, and prescribed unto others: And such Perfection is inseparable from Veracity.
- 1All Christians agree in the main Doctrines of a holy life. Leg. Marc. Eremit. de Lege Spirituali, & Dorothei Doctrinas, & Benedicti Instrumenta virtutum, Macarii Homil. Hesychii Presb. ad Theodul. Centuriae; Tho. Kempis. & Thauleri opera; and of the later true Papists, Sales Introduction to a devout life, Benedicti de Benedict. Regul. Barbanson, de Amore Dei: Parsons of Resolution, Cressy's Sancta Sophia, &c. And among the Protestants, the number of holy Treatises is so great, that I shall not name any in so numerous a Treasury: So that however the spirit of contention causeth many of them to over-look the good that is in one another, and aggravate the evil, yet Holiness is the Doctrine of all the Christians in the world, and the practice of all that are sincere: And while the Sects and Hypocrites do rail at one another, yet in all they speak against sin. I have oft thought, Why is it that as Christians, man live together in love; but as Parties, when they come to the interest of their Sects, they hate, revile and persecute one another? And I answer it, Because as Christians they give no cause of hatred to each other; but as Sects and Parties, they leave God's way, and show their selfishness and loathsome faults, and are inclined to injure one another, and so do again suffer by those whom they have injured. But the Wisdom from above is pure and peaceable, &c. Leg. etiam Thalessi Centuriae, & Nili Paraenesis.All Christians agree in the main Doctrins of a holy life. Leg. Marc. Eremit. de Lege Spirituali, & Dorothei Doctrinas, & Benedicti Instrumenta virtutum, Macarii Homil. Hesychii Presb. ad Theodul. Centuriae; Tho. Kempis. & Thauleri opera; and of the later true Papists, Sales Introduction to a devout life, Benedicti de Benedict. Regul. Barbanson, de Amore Dei: Parsons of Resolution, Cressy's Sancta Sophia, &c. And among the Protestants, the number of holy Treatises is so great, that I shall not name any in so numerous a Treasury: So that however the spirit of contention causeth many of them to over-look the good that is in one another, and aggravate the evil, yet Holiness is the Doctrin of all the Christians in the world, and the practice of all that are sincere: And while the Sects and Hypocrites do rail at one another, yet in all they speak against sin. I have oft thought, Why is it that as Christians, man live together in love; but as Parties, when they come to the interest of their Sects, they hate, revile and persecute one another? And I answer it, Because as Christians they give no cause of hatred to each other; but as Sects and Parties, they leave God's way, and shew their selfishness and loathsome faults, and are enclined to injure one another, and so do again suffer by those whom they have injured. But the Wisdom from above is pure and peaceable, &c. Leg. etiam Thalessi Centuriae, & Nili Paraenesis.
