was at night, not in the
morning; after supper, not before; with none but men, none but
ministers; with unleavened, not with leavened bread, &c.; these
circumstantials were accidentally occasioned by the passover, nature of
his family, &c.

5. Some acts of Christ were moral, as Matt. xi. 29; Eph. v. 2, 3, 25,
&c.; or at least founded upon a moral reason and foundation, as John
xiii. 14,15.

To imitate Christ in his three first sort of acts, is utterly unlawful,
and in part impossible. To imitate him in his circumstantial acts from
necessity, were to make accidentals necessary, and happily to border
upon superstition; for, to urge any thing above what is appointed, as
absolutely necessary, is to urge superstition; and to yield to any thing
above what is appointed, as simply necessary, were to yield to
superstition. But to imitate Christ in his moral acts, or acts grounded
upon a moral reason, is our duty: such acts of Christ ought to be the
Christian's rules.

III. Of prophets, apostles, saints, or primitive churches. That their
examples are obligatory, is evident by these places, 1 Cor. xi. 1; Phil.
iv. 8, 9; 1 Pet. iii. 4, 5, 6; 1 Thess. i. 6, and ii. 14; Heb. xiii. 7;
James v. 10, 11; 3 John 11.

Which of their examples are obligatory, may be thus resolved, by
distinguishing of their actions.

1. Some were sinful; written for our caution and admonition, not for our
imitation: as 1 Cor. x. 5, 6, 10, 12. That neither the just be lifted up
into pride by security, nor the unjust be hardened against the medicine
through despair. See the fourth rule following.

2. Some were heroical; done by singular instinct and instigation of the
Spirit of God; as divers acts may be presumed to be, (though we read not
the instinct clearly recorded:) as, Elias's calling for fire from
heaven, 2 Kings i. 10; which the very apostles might not imitate, not
having his spirit, Luke ix. 54, 55; Phinehas's killing the adulterer and
adulteress, Numb. xxv. 7, 8; Samson's avenging himself upon his enemies
by his own death, Judges xvi. 30, of which, saith Bernard, if it be
defended not to have been his sin, it is undoubtedly to be believed he
had private counsel, viz. from God, for his fact; David's fighting with
Goliath of Gath the giant, hand to hand, 1 Sam. xvii. 32, &c., which is
no warrant for private duels and quarrels. Such heroic acts are not
imitable but by men furnished with like heroic spirit, and instinct
divine.

3. Some were by