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I. WHAT THE SAINT'S IMITATION OF CHRIST SUPPOSES AND COMPRISES.

1. That no Christian is, or may pretend to be, a rule to himself; for as no man hath wisdom enough to direct himself, so if his own will were made the rule of his own actions it would be the highest invasion of the Divine prerogative.

2. That as no man is his own guide, so no mere man, how wise or holy soever, may pretend to be a rule to other men; but Christ is the rule of every man's walking.

3. The necessity of sanctification in all His followers, forasmuch as it is impossible there should be a practical conformity in point of obedience where there is not a conformity in spirit and in principle.

4. That the Christian religion is a very precise and strict religion, no way countenancing licentiousness; it allows no man to walk loosely and inordinately.

5. The imperfection of the best of men in this life; for if the life of Christ be our pattern, the holiest of men must confess they come short of the rule of their duty.

6. The transcending holiness of the Lord Jesus; His holiness is greater than the holiness of all creatures, "For only that which is first and best in every kind is the rule and measure of all the rest."

7. It necessarily implies sanctification and obedience to be the evidences of our justification and interest in Christ: assurance is unattainable without obedience; we can never be comfortable Christians except we be strict and regular Christians.

II. IN WHAT THINGS ALL WHO PROFESS CHRIST ARE OBLIGED TO THE IMITATION OF HIM.

1. And first of all, the purity and holiness of the life of Christ is proposed as a glorious pattern for the saint's imitation (1 Peter 1:15).

(1) He was truly and sincerely holy, without fiction or simulation; and this appeared in the greatest trial of the truth of holiness that ever was made in this world (John 14:30).

(2) Christ was uniformly holy at one time as well as another, in one place and company as well as another. So must His people be holy in all manner of conversation.

(3) Christ was exemplarily holy; a pattern of holiness to all that came nigh Him, and conversed with Him: oh, imitate Christ in this.

(4) Christ was strictly and precisely holy: "Which of you convinceth Me of sin?" The most envious eyes could not pick a hole or find a flaw in any of His words or actions (Philippians 2:15).

(5) Christ was perseveringly holy — holy to the last breath; as He began, so He finished His whole life. It becomes not any of His people to begin in the spirit and end in the flesh.

(6) In a word, the delight of Christ was only in holy things and holy persons — they were His chosen companions; even so it becometh His people to have all their delights in the saints and in the excellent of the earth (Psalm 16:3).

2. The obedience of Christ to His Father's will is a pattern for the imitation of all Christians.

(1) Christ's obedience was free and voluntary, not forced or compulsory; it was so from the very first undertaking of the work of our redemption (Proverbs 8:30, 31).

(2) The obedience of Christ was universal and complete; He was obedient to all the will of God, making no demur to the hardest service (Philippians 2:8).

(3) The obedience of Christ was sincere and pure, without any base or by-end, purely aiming at the glory of God (John 17:4).

(4) The streams of Christ's obedience flowed from the fountain of ardent love to God (John 14:31).

(5) The obedience of Christ was constant (Romans 2:7).

3. The self-denial of Christ is the pattern of believers, and their conformity unto it is their indispensable duty (Philippians 2:4-6; 2 Corinthians 8:9).

4. The activity and diligence of Christ in finishing the work of God which was committed to Him was a pattern for all believers to imitate.

(1) His heart was intently set upon it (Psalm 4:8).

(2) He never fainted under great discouragements (Isaiah 43:4).

(3) The shortness of His time provoked Him to the greatest diligence (John 9:4).

(4) He improved all opportunities, companies, and occurrences to further the great work which was under His hand (John 4:6-10).

(5) Nothing more displeased Him than when He met with dissuasions in His work (Matthew 8:33).

(6) Nothing rejoiced His soul more than the prosperity and success of His work (Luke 10:20, 21).

5. Delight in God and in His service was eminently conspicuous in the life of Christ, and is a rare pattern for believers' imitation (John 4:32, 34).

(1) The nature of it, which consisteth in the complacency, rest, and satisfaction of the mind in God and spiritual things,

(2) The object of spiritual delight, which is God Himself and the things which relate to Him (Psalm 73:25).

(3) The subject of spiritual delight, which is a renewed heart, and that only so far as it is renewed (Romans 7:22).

(4) The principle and spring of this delight, which is the agreeableness of spiritual things to the temper and frame of a renewed mind.

6. The inoffensiveness of the life of Christ upon earth is an excellent pattern to all His people; He injured none, offended none (Hebrews 7:26). He denied His own liberty to avoid occasion of offence; as in the case of the tribute money (Matthew 19:27).

(1) For the honour of Jesus Christ be you inoffensive — His name is called upon you (James 2:7). Your inoffensive carriage is the only means to stop the mouths of detractors (1 Peter 2:15).

(2) For the sake of souls be wary that you give no offence (Matthew 13:7).

(3) By the holiness and harmlessness of your lives many may be won to Christ (1 Peter 3:1).

7. The humility and lowliness of Christ is propounded by Himself as a pattern for His people's imitation (Matthew 11:29).

8. The contentation of Christ in a low and mean condition in the world is an excellent pattern for His people's imitation.

(1) The meanest and most afflicted Christian is owner of many rich, invaluable mercies (Ephesians 1:3; 1 Corinthians 3:33).

(2) You have many precious promises that God will not forsake you in your straits (Hebrews 13:5; Isaiah 41:17).

(3) How useful and beneficial are all your afflictions to you! They purge your sins, prevent your temptations, wean you from the world, and turn to your salvation; and how unreasonable, then, must your discontentedness at them be?

(4) The time of your relief and full deliverance from all your troubles is at hand (1 Corinthians 7:26).

(5) Your lot falls by Divine direction upon you, and as bad as it is it is much easier and sweeter than the condition of Christ in this world was. Yet He was contented, and why not you?

III. THE NECESSITY OF THIS IMITATION OF CHRIST WILL CONVINCINGLY APPEAR DIVERS WAYS.

1. From the established order of salvation, which is fixed and unalterable. God that hath appointed the end hath also established the means and order by which men shall attain the ultimate end. Now conformity to Christ is the established method in which God will bring souls to glory (Romans 8:29).

2. The nature of Christ-mystical requires this conformity, and renders it indispensably necessary. Otherwise the body of Christ must be heterogeneous, of a nature different from the head; and how uncomely would this be?

3. This resemblance and conformity to Christ appears necessary from the communion which all believers have with Christ in the same spirit of grace and holiness. Believers are called Christ's fellows, or co-partners (Psalm 45:7), from their participation with Him of the same spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:8).

4. The necessity of this imitation of Christ may be argued from the design and end of Christ's exhibition to the world in a body of flesh. For though we detest that doctrine which makes the exemplary life of Christ to be the whole end of His incarnation, yet we must not run so far from an error as to lose a precious truth.

5. Our imitation of Christ is one of those great articles which every man is to subscribe whom Christ will admit into the number of His disciples (Luke 14:27).

6. The honour of Christ necessitates the conformity of Christians to His example.How can wisdom be justified of her children except it be this way? Inferences:

1. If all that profess interest in Christ be strictly bound to imitate His holy example, then it follows that religion is very unjustly charged by the world with the scandals and evils of them that profess it.

2. If all men forfeit their claim to Christ who endeavour not to imitate Him in the holiness of His life, then how small a number of real Christians are there in the world!

3. What blessed times should we all see if true religion did once generally obtain and prevail in the world!

4. Hence it also follows that real Christians are the sweetest companions.

5. In a word, if no men's claim to Christ be warranted but theirs that walk as He walked.How vain and groundless then are the hopes and expectations of all unsanctified men who walk after their own lusts?

1. Christ hath conformed Himself to you by His abasing incarnation; how reasonable therefore is it that you conform yourselves to Him in the way of obedience and sanctification!

2. You shall be conformed to Christ in glory; how reasonable therefore is it you should now conform yourselves to Him in holiness! (chap. 1 John 3:2).

3. The conformity of your lives to Christ, your pattern, is your highest excellency in this world: the measure of your grace is to be estimated by this rule.

4. So far as you imitate Christ in your lives, and no farther, you will be beneficial to the world in which you live; so far as God helps you to follow Christ you will be helpful to bring others to Christ, or build them up in Christ.

5. To walk as Christ walked is a walk only worthy of a Christian; this is to "walk worthy of the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 2:12; Colossians 1:10).

6. How comfortable will the close of your life be at death if you have walked after Christ's example in this world! A comfortable death is ordinarily the close of a holy life (Psalm 37:37).Lastly, I would leave a few words of support to such as sincerely endeavour, according to the tendency of their new nature, to follow Christ's example, but being weak in grace and meeting with strong temptations are frequently carried aside from the holy purposes of their well-meaning hearts.

1. Such defects in obedience make no flaw in your justification; for your justification is not built upon your obedience, but upon Christ's (Romans 3:24).

2. Your deep troubles for the defectiveness of your obedience do not argue you to be less, but more sanctified, than those who make no such complaints.

3. The Lord makes excellent uses even of your failings to do you good; for by these defects He hides pride from your eyes, He beats you off from self-dependence, He makes you to admire the riches of free grace, He makes you to long more ardently for heaven and entertain the sweeter thoughts of death.

4. Your bewailed infirmities do not break the bond of the everlasting covenant.

5. Though the defects of your obedience are grievous to God, yet your deep sorrows for them are well-pleasing in His eyes (Psalm 51:17).

6. Though God has left many defects to humble you, yet He hath given many things to comfort you. This is a comfort, that the desire of thy soul is to God. This is a comfort, that thy sins are not thy delight as once they were.

(John Flavel.)

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KJV: He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

WEB: he who says he remains in him ought himself also to walk just like he walked.