&c.? See what my judgment of them was, and embrace it with safety; thou canst not be deceived, for I am the Truth. Art thou afraid to be afflicted, to suffer, or to die for my Name’s sake? Behold, I am the Life, thy salvation, and all good; and, though thou shouldst die, thou shalt live. For I am come that thou mightst have life, and mightst have it more abundantly. In brief, I am thy Way by my example, thy Truth by my promise, thy Life by my reward.
Man. We adore thee, O Christ, King alike of Israel and of the Gentiles, and Prince of the kings of the earth; to thee we offer up, O Christ, the Sacrifice of praise, for the multitude of thy goodness which thou hast shown to us, a wicked seed, children of perdition. When we were still thy enemies, thou rememberedst thy mercy. Thou sawest the affliction of thy people, and, touched inwardly with the sweetness of love, proceededst to think thoughts of peace and redemption towards us.[1] It was too little for thy love to appoint the Cherubim or Seraphim, or one of the Angels, to consummate the work of our salvation. Thou vouchsafedst thyself to come to us, by thy Father’s commandment, the greatness of whose love we have experienced in thee.
Oh, what loving and admirable condescension! The God of infinite glory, thou hast not scorned to become a contemptible worm. The God of all, it was thy will to appear as the fellow-servant of servants. It seemed to thee too little to be our Father and our Lord; thou hast vouchsafed to be our brother too!
Oh, how great thanks am I bound to render thee, because thou hast vouchsafed to show to me, and to all the faithful, the right and the good way to thy everlasting kingdom for thy life is our way, and hadst thou not gone before us, and taught it us, who would care to follow it? Alas! how many would remain far behind, if they had not thy glorious example to look upon! Behold, with all the miracles and doctrines that we have heard, we are lukewarm still; how would it be if we had not so great a light to enable us to follow thee?
§ 4. What we learn from the name of Christian.
Christ. Dost thou wish to please me, my son? Then follow me; this will please me much. Nothing is more just, as well as more acceptable to a father, than to be followed by his son. Be, therefore, a follower of me, as a most dear son.[2] Why art thou called, thinkest thou, by
