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Sermons and Discourses on Several Subjects and Occasions
Sermons and Discourses on Several Subjects and Occasions Author:Francis Atterbury General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1820 Original Publisher: Cuthell Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select ... more »from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: A SERMON PREACHED AT WESTMINSTER-ABBEY, NOVEMBER 1, 1717, BEING ALL SAINTs'-DAY. THE CHRISTIAN STATE, A STATE OF SUFFERING. Even hereunto were ye called ; because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. -- 1 Pet. ii. 21. IHE duty and perfection of a Christian consists in the imitation of Christ; in the imitation of every part of the spotless example, of the passive as well as active graces, in which he abounded. Both sides of his character are highly useful and instructive to us; both, at different times and for different ends, alike necessary to be attentively considered, and closely followed by us. But some occasions, some times there are, when that part of Christ's example, which relates to the sad sufferings he underwent, and the heroic manner in which he bore them, is principally to be regarded by Christians. Such was the season, at which St. Peter wrote this epistle to his brethren of the dispersion, then every where oppressed, afflicted, persecuted : and such is this particular day in the Calendar of our church ; sacred to the memory of those saints, confessors and martyrs of old, who, being exercised in afflictions, and trained up to sufferings, fought the good fight, and finished their course, 2 Tim. iv. 7, and obtained the crown, which was laid up for them by the author and finisher of their faith, the great pattern and rewarder of their sufferings, Christ Jesus! Even hereunto, they were called, and in this their saintship chiefly consisted ; the imitation of him who suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ice ...« less