_All Christians are required to imitate the life and example of Jesus Christ._ I. OUR religion teaches us, that as we have _borne the image of the earthly, so we shall bear the image of the heavenly_; that after our death we shall rise to a state of life and happiness, like to that life and happiness which our blessed Saviour enjoys at the right hand of God. Since therefore we are to be fellow-heirs with Christ, it is not to be wondered at, that we are to be like Christ in this life, that we may enter into that state of happiness which he enjoys in the kingdom of heaven. II. Not that we are called to the same outward manner of life with his; but to the same spirit and temper, which was the spirit and temper of our blessed Saviour. We are to be like him in heart, to act by the _same rule_, to look towards the _same end_, and to govern our lives by the _same spirit_. This is an imitation of Jesus Christ which is as necessary to salvation as it is to believe in his name. This is the sole end of all the doctrines of Christ, to make us like himself, to fill us with his _spirit_ and _temper_, and make us live according to the rule and manner of his life. As no doctrines are true, but such as are according to the doctrines of Christ, so no life is right, but such as is according to the life of Christ. For he lived as infallibly as he taught; and it is as wrong to vary from his example, as from his doctrines. To live as he lived, is as certainly the one way of living as we ought, as to believe as he taught is the one way of believing as we ought. There is no other way besides this; nothing can possibly bring us to God in heaven, unless we are now one with Christ, and walk as he also walked. For we may as well expect to go to a heaven where Christ is not, as to go to that where he is, without his spirit and temper. If Christians would but suffer themselves to reflect upon this, their own minds would soon convince them of it. For who can find the least reason, why he should not imitate the life of Christ? Or why Christians should think of any other rule of life? It would be as easy to shew that Christ acted amiss, as that we need not act after his example.