get the upper hand and lead us Captives to Condemnation 't is not imputable to any impotency in the Administration of Christ's Government but to our own Obstinacy and Cowardice We are not because we will not be happy We proceed 3dly The Benefits resulting from Christ's Kingly Government To the Benefits which flow from the Powerful Administration of Christ's Kingly Office Of which take this following Account Now it must be extremely happy for us Christians that we have such a King and live under the gracious Influences of that excellent Government which I have describ'd to you in several Particulars As 1 In respect of his Abilities For 't is said prophetically of our King I have laid help on one that is mighty Ps 89.18 and I will make him my first born higher then the Kings of the Earth Some indeed have a fit Capacity to dispose but want Power and Ability to put their just Laws in Execution for the Peace and Benefit of their Subjects Others have Power more then enough but want Wisdom and Discretion to contrive and manage the Affairs of Government But 't is said of our King Colos â— 19 that it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell Fulness in the abstract both of Wisdom and Power that he might dispose and order the Concernments of his Government for the Peace and Benefit of his People Earthly Princes may make their Subjects great but they cannot make 'em good But such is the Power of our absolute and supreme Monarch that he makes his Dependents first good and then great he makes them gracious here and eternally glorious hereafter For when he ascended on high he led Captivity captive Eph. 4.8 and gave Gifts unto men and the Doors of those heavenly Treasuries are still open to his Votaries and Servants He distributes Grace in proportion to their modest Desires and Necessities his holy Spirit leads them into all Truth inspiring them with Love Peace Patience Perseverance Joy in the Holy Ghost and all other needful Graces which may qualifie 'em for Heaven and make them glorious and happy for ever 2 The Government of Christ's Kingdom is Monarchical the very best of all Constitutions in which there 's an absolute Concurrence of all Power Wisdom and Righteousness without any Corruption or Diminution For as Christ is the Power of God Psa 45.6.7 and the Wisdom of God so the Sceptre of his Kingdom is a right Sceptre a Sceptre of Equity and a Rod of Direction say some Translations And as he lays his Commands on his Subjects so which is peculiar to the Subjects of his Kingdom only he gives them Directions and furnishes them with Abilities to comply with and obey all his Commands and Institutions Besides this Monarchical Government of Christ has these special Priviledges to distinguish it from all others 1 'T is Vniversal For he is the Head of the whole Body he rules the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant us who are here and those who are gone to Heaven before us 2 'T is Spiritual he sets up his Throne in the Souls and Consciences of Believers and does there effectually conquer and subdue all his and their Enemies 3 'T is Perpetual which is the greatest Priviledge and best Property that a well constituted Government can be capable of For he ruleth by his Power for ever All earthly Governments have been and are subject to many Alterations and Revolutions Not only from one Person to another but from one kind of Government to another and 't is very uncertain how long we may continue either under this Person or Form of Government under which we live But the Politie of Christ's Kingdom as well as his Person are unchangable For 't is constituted and establish'd by such an unerring Wisdom that a better cannot be devis'd nor desir'd and 't is supported by such an invincible Power that all the Grandees on Earth and in Hell shall never be able to destroy nor dissolve it Luk. 1.32 Vpon the Throne of David and upon his Kingdom shall he sit for ever to order and establish it with Judgement and Justice even for ever and ever 3 Christ our King has made an eminent Provision for the Weal and Safety of his Subjects For he gives them the Assistances of the holy Angels in Heaven and of his Ministers and Pastors on Earth By whose Ministeries and the concurrences of his Grace we are supplied with a sufficiency of Wisdom to make us Wise of Holiness to make us Good and Righteousness to make us Just He affords us a sure Protection liberal Maintenance and unspeakable Rewards for those little Tributes and Fealties of Service which we pay him In a word his loyal Subjects can want nothing which may be requisite for their Support and Convenience in this Life But if they should be at any time straitned by the want of these he will enrich them more abundantly with spiritual and eternal Blessings Let them but hold out a while with Patience and Perseverance in well doing and they shall have Kingdoms and Sceptres put into their Hands and Crowns set upon their Heads as Ensigns of their everlasting Triumph 5 and Lastly It may be added as a considerable Benefit and Priviledge of Christ's Kingdom that Satan's Power as before is dasht in pieces and we are safe under the defence and Protection of this mighty Monarch The other Enemies who oppose his Authority and do disease and trouble us are Atheists and Infidels without and Hereticks and Apostates within the Church and all these Adversaries have no small Advantage against us from that innate Corruption and Concupiscence in our own Bowels but all the hurt that Christ our King will suffer them to do us is only by some faint Encounters now and then to try and advance our Graces and prove our Integrity And tho' that last Enemy Death may be a present torture yet cannot deprive us of that Bliss which shall certainly be the Reward of all his Subjects in another World For these Oppositions will rather further than hinder us in our Journey and bring us perhaps sooner however with greater safety to the Haven and Happiness where we would be We go on to the 4th The Application of this Point and Last Particular Which is to make some practical Improvement of this Point by way of Application And 1 Seeing that Christ our King is advanc't to this high and honourable Office We are oblig'd both in Duty and Interest to pay that just tribute of Fear and Homage of Love and Obedience which is most deservedly due to so great and so good a Monarch And we are under the greatest Obligations to be most exact and uniform in our Services to him since the very Angels in Heaven and all other Creatures do not only acknowledge his Sovereignty over 'em but do in their several Capacities send up Acclamations of Blessing Praise unto him Therefore since we live under
Ioan. Tract â— is the same for substance with that of the Ancient Jews under the Old Dispensation The Patriarchs and Prophets had the same Faith Religion and Worship common with us Christians Nor did they expect then or do they inherit eternal Happiness now upon any other Terms then by a sincere and stedfast Belief of the purchas'd Redemption by their promis'd Messiah 8 And lastly By many other Arguments summ'd up in this Paragraph To these Topics many others might be added if it were necessary to testifie the Divinity and Excellency of our Saviours Doctrine As the Purity of his Life the Sublimity of his Religion the Perfection of its Laws the Force of its Arguments the Testimony of his holy Spirit in Mens Consciences the Operation of his Grace the Fruits and Comforts of the Christian Devotion c. And in a word the whole Contexture and Design of it can be no other then to glorifie God and to make us Holy and Vertuous here that we may be eternally Glorious hereafter Seing then we have the most convincing Attestations that can be given to confirm us in the Belief of the Christian Religion in General and since there 's nothing in the whole Constitution as will more fully appear in the Sequel of this Discourse but what 's most worthy of God and consentaneous to the rectified Reason and Interest of Mankind We must hence necessarily infer that it derives it's Original from Heaven and can be no less than the Contrivance and Product of an infinite and eternal Wisdom and Goodness Thus much concerning the Truth and Excellency of the Christian Religion in General PAss we on now to Particulars Wherein I shall endeavour to give you the clearest Account I can of God's infinite and Inconceivable Love to Mankind and what admirable Means and Methods the Divine Wisdom Col. 1.20 and Goodness was pleas'd to make use of to reconcile the World unto himself And in treating of this great Mistery of Man's Redemption We shall consider 1st The Partition of the Booâ—â— The several Names and Appellations which are promiscuously ascrib'd to our blessed Saviour in Holy Scripture the explication whereof will give great Light to and make the Doctrine of the Gospel much more intelligible 2dly We shall Discourse distinctly of his Divine and Humane Natures and their Hypostatical Vnion in the Person of Christ And proceed to assign some special Reasons why the Mediator of the New Covenant must be God Why he must be Man and why God and Man in the same Person to constitute him a fit Mediator between both 3dly We shall enquire Particularly into the Nature of Christ's Offices and the Manner of their Administration All which will clearly illustrate the great End and Design of our Blessed Saviour's Incarnation and what great things he has done and suffer'd for us that we should live comfortably here and be happy for ever To Treat of all which we now proceed distinctly and in Order CHAP. I. Of the Names and Titles ascrib'd to our Blessed Saviour in Holy Scripture OF those sundry Names and Appellations ascrib'd to the Eternal Son of God and Saviour of the World in Holy Scripture some have respect to his Person others to his Offices And are variously distinguisht into Proper and Figurative Denominations agreeable thereto As to his Divine Nature in the greatest propriety of Speech He is call'd God â—â—iles relating to Christ's God-head Isa 9.6 The true God 1 John 5.20 The great God Micah 5.4 5. The Son of God Mark 15.39 and Luke 8.28 And the only begotten Son of God John 3.16 And in the same respect he is said to be tho' Figuratively the Word of God John 1.1 2 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Image of the invisible God Col. 1.15 or the Character of his Person As to his Humane Nature To his Manhood he is properly term'd the Son of Man Luke 9.56 A Man of Sorrows Isa 53.3 The Son of Abraham the Son of David c. Luke 3.23 24 c. And upon the some account tho' Figuratively he is said to be the Seed of the Woman Acts 13.23 The Seed of Abraham the seed of Isaac the Seed of Jacob c. Gen. 17.19 Mat. 1. the righteous Branch and he shall be called the Lord our Righteousness Jer. 25.5 6. As to his two Natures Hypostatically united in the same Person of the Son of God And to both as united in the same Person of Christ he is call'd Emmanuel Mat. 1.23 The Lord of all things Col. 1.16 17 18 19. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 19.16 Again in Relation to his Offices in general Titles relating to his Offices in general he is called Jesus Mat 1.21 which is an Hebrew word and alwayes written in the Syriack Translation of the New Testament signifying to Save and therefore 's a Name most agreeable to his Mediatorship He is also called Christ John 6.69 Which is a Greek word signifying to Anoint From which two Names it may be reasonably conjectur'd that he is the anointed Saviour of the whole Race of Mankind of the Hebrews and Greeks both of the Jew and Gentile To which may be added the Titles of the Messiah the Saviour Acts 5.31 Salvation it self in the Abstract Luke 1.69 and Luke 19.9 The Mediator of the New Covenant Heb. 12.24 The Redeemer of the World Tit. 2.14 The hope and expectation of the Gentiles Mat. 12.21 The Desire and Delight of all Nations Isa 2.2 And properly speaking he is all and every one of these And in the same respect tho in a Figurative Sense He 's intituled the Bridegroom Mat. 9.15 The Head over all things to his Church Eph. 1.22 23. The Foundation of a Building 1 Cor. 10.4 A Lion Rev. 5.5 Bread from Heaven John 6.48.50 The Sun of Righteousness Mal. 4.2 Light it self Joh. 1.4 8 9. The Morning Star Num. 24.17 A Vine John 15.1 The Tree of Life Rev. 22.2 But more Particularly And to his several Offices in particular and with special reference to his Offices As 1st To his Priestly Office To his Priestly Office He is call'd our High Priest Heb. 3.1 The Priest Heb. 7.3 11. Oblation or Sacrifice Heb. 9.26 The Lamb of God Job 1.29 36. The Paschal Lamb Exod. 13.13 Comp. Rev. 13.8 The Passover it self 1 Cor. 5.7 2dly As to his Prophetical Office To his Prophetical Offices he is said to be our Pastor and great Shepherd John 10.14 16. Rabbi Mâ—ster Mark 10.17 John 1.28 Apostle Heb. 3.1 Minâ—ster of the Circumcision Rom. 15.8 c. 3dly As to his Kingly Office To his Kingly Office he bears the Titles of King Luke 23.2 3. Prince Acts 5.31 King of Peace Heb. 7.2 Captain of our Salvation Heb. 2.10 The Ruler of all things Micah 5 2. Phil. 2.10 11. and Judge of all men Acts 10.42 Titles deriv'd from his Types And sometimes his Titles are deriv'd from the Types as the
Angels but the seed of Abraham Heb. 2.16 17. Thus it behov'd him to be made like unto his Brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High-Priest in things pertaining to God that he might make Reconciliation for the Sins of the People And upon St. Thomas the Apostle's Doubting of the reality of his Humane Nature our blessed Saviour to convince him of his Errour and to confirm the rest of the Apostles and in them all succeeding Christians in the belief of this necessary Point of Faith Luk. 24.39 He said unto them handle me and see for a Spirit hath not Flesh and Bones as ye see me have Now what can be more evident since the Scripture is every where full to this purpose then this that the Son of God assum'd the true Nature of Man and the very substance of his Mother and that he was not only made in her but born of her To which the Testimony of all Antiquity might be added to confirm us in the Belief of it But Theodoret and Gelasins present us with a Collection of excellent Arguments out of the Councils and Fathers to this purpose whither I refer the judicious Reader if he require further satisfaction in this Point Secondly The Humane and real Body of Christ was inform'd And a rational Humane Soul actuated and enliven'd with a perfect rational and immortal Soul And as He had all the Members Organs Dimensions and Properties of the one So He assum'd all the Powers Faculties and Functions of the other as Understanding Will Memory Affections Passions c. Which I could easily make out Heb. 1.17 if 't were necessary by an Induction of Particulars For he was made like us in all things Sin only excepted and therefore could not be deficient in the most minute and much less in the primary and most constituent Part of his Manhood and besides he that was to be Mediator between God and us must needs be a perfect Man Of which hereafter Again Mat. 26.38 He complain'd a little before his Passion saying My soul is very sorrowful and heavy even unto Death And in his last Agony he said Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit This Truth is every where so evident in the History of our Saviour's Incarnation that I need not multiply Instances to prove it But yet for all this tho Christ was really invested with all the Members and Faculties and all the Essentials of the Soul and Body of a Perfect Man Yet 2dly In this true and real Body in this reasonable and immortal Soul he assum'd took upon him all the Properties and Infirmities of both Sin only excepted He assum'd all the sinless insirmities of both His Birth manner of Life Death Burial Resurrection and Ascention are full and perfect Demonstrations of the reality of his Manhood But with reference to our Infirmities he was subject to Cold and Heat Hunger and Thirst Sweating and Bleeding Weariness and Weakness Pain and Sorrow Heaviness and Fear Passion and sinless Anger yea Torment and Death it self All which Arguments are so cogent and convictive that neither the Hereticks of Old nor the Socinians and Libertines of our Age ever were nor ever shall be able to elnde the Power and Energy of them Let us now endeavour to make some practical Improvement of the Point under Consideration And 1 In the Incarnation of our Lord Application of this Point by considering its Influence on Practice we have an admirable Instance of God's tenderest Love and Compassion to poor sinful Man For what kindness could parallel this that the Father should send and the Son condescend to come from his Bosom and Bliss upon that great Ambassie of making our Peace even then when by our sin and Disobedience we had violated his just Laws broken the Covenant between God and us and put our selves into a state of Hostility and Rebellion against him But besides all this 't is an evident matter of Fact as will fully appear afterwards that Christ the Son of God and Heir of eternal Majesty did not only descend from those Regions of Bliss and assum'd our whole Nature with all its Properties and Infirmities But he also underwent the Burden and Smart of all our sins and sorrows and having finished his innocent Life he submitted to all the Tortures and Indignities of a painful and ignominious Death for our sakes And these were all such Tokens and Evidences of Love and Bounty as both the Hierarchy of Angels and the whole Race of Mankind stood amaz'd at And that the Son of God should lay down his dearest Life for his most daring and bitter Enemies even for the Salvation of those who were the immediate Instruments in his Condemnation and Crucifixion is such a Mystery as no Humane Reason is able to comprehend O the ineffable and infinite Love and Mercy of God in Christ How should this consideration affect our Souls with Love Joy and Wonder Has he given us his Son whilst we were Enemies unto him Rom. 5.10 How much more will he bless us with the Abundance of Grace and Glory if we live as the redeemed of the Lord being thus reconcil'd Indeed this Love was beyond all possibility of Parallel and if we seriously consider our Interests and Obligations we can do no less than devote our Souls and Bodies entirely to his Service thro' the whole course of our Lives We should hate all things in respect of him that is Matth. 10.37 so far as they stand in Opposition to him or pretend an equal share of Affection with him Let us then follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes in doing and suffering for him and his And if any that bears the Name of Christian should be so ungrateful as not to love the Lord Jesus Christ with the greatest intenseness of Gratitude and Affection 1 Cor. 16.22 Let him be Anathema Maranatha 2 We can no less admire and should be as careful to imitate his singular and unparallel'd Humility who came down from the highest Pinacle of heavenly Grandeur and vertical point of Soveraignty to become incarnate in the obscure Womb of a poor Virgin And therefore well might the Evangelist prefix an Ecce to the Mystery behold a Virgin shall conceive This was a Miracle indeed Faith must assist Reason in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 1.15 'T is a faithful Saying that Christ Jesus came into the World to save Sinners Quanto pro me vilior tanto mihi Charior Bern. Ser. 1. de Epioh Now that the Ancient of Days should abase himself to become a little Child and the Word and Wisdom of the Father not be able to utter a word was such a wonderful Instance of Humility as can never be sufficiently admir'd How then should we Christians study and endeavour to be like Him As in all other Instances of Piety and Vertue so particularly in this and I 'me sure there can be no Inducement either Internal
the Nature which was tempted by Satan and this is the same Nature which shall for ever triumph over him 3 This New Covenant of Peace and Reconciliation by Christ must be seal'd in Bloud Heb. 9.22 For without shedding of Bloud there 's no Remission to be expected Now 't is not the Bloud of Bulls Heb. 10.4 nor of Goats that could atone for our Sins and the Deity being impassible as before therefore Christ by his own Bloud entred once into the Holy Place Heb. 9.12 having by his Obedience and Sufferings if we faithfully apply 'em purchas'd our Peace and ratified and Seal'd our Pardon 4 He must be Man also that being toucht with our Infirmities He might be sensible of our Wants tender of our Welfare merciful and compassionate in bearing with our Weaknesses solicitous for the Pardon of our Sins and the comforts of God's Grace to support us under the burdensome Asslictions which spring and flow from 'em and finally that he might bear with all the Imperfections of our Nature and repair the Breaches of our declining Faith For as he must be unskilful in instructing others to bear Afflictions patiently who has not been passive himself So 't is as difficult for any to apply seasonable and successful Remedies to the Afflicted who is a stranger to their Sufferings Wherefore saith the Apostle That the High Priest of our Profession might be more apprehensive and sensible of our Infirmities he became like unto his Brethren in all things that he might be a merciful High Priest in things pertaining to God Heb. 2.17.18 and intercede effectually and make Atonement for the sins of the People For in that he suffer'd being tempted he knows how and is willing to succour those that are tempted Having then such a compassionate Advocate and Intercessor with the Father we may be encourag'd to come with bolduess to the Throne of Grace where we shall meet with a comfortable return to our Prayers and the favourable Acceptance of our Persons in time of need Thus we have seen that the Saviour of the World must be God and that he must be Man to constitute him a Redeemer of Men But neither of these two Natures distinct from the other were proper Instruments to make up the Breach Therefore Thirdly Why Christ must be God and man in the same Person There must be a Conjunction of the God-head and Manhood by an Hypostatical and real Vnion in the Person of Christ To evince and illustrate this Point 6. If God in his Justice had rooted out Mankind from the Earth his Mercy could not have been manifested in pardoning Trespasses and Offences If he had created a new Generation pure and spotless without sin which by Sufferings were to satisfie for the Offences of the former it would 've been severity in God to have punish'd the Innocent for the wicked If God had appointed an Angel to have taken upon him the Nature of sinful Man the Justice of God could by no means have been satisfied with the finite Obedience of a Creature If God had pardon'd Man's Apostacy without satisfaction Justice had still been violated and the Decree broken which was issued out against him Gen. 2.17 In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Almighty God therefore out of his inconceivable Love to Mankind whom he had so wonderfully created and withal so jealous of his own Honor that he would neither violate the great Attribute of his Justice nor yet obscure the Glory of his Mercy was pleas'd to appoint his only begotten Son the express Image and Character of his Father's Person to take our Nature upon him Gal. 4.4 5. and be made of a Woman under the Law to redeem us from the curse of it and that we might receive the Adoption of Sons Thus Christ the Saviour of the World is God and Man in the same Person and this Vnion was necessary that he might be a fit Mediator between both to compose the difference and solicite a Peace between God and our Souls and by the merit of his obedience and sufferings make our Access to the Throne of God's Heavenly Grace more tolerable and easie Christ is God to speak to the Father for us and he became Man that he might declare God's Will to us in a more familiar less amazing and more obliging Way then otherwise it could have been Hereby shewing us an Example by his own wonderful condescention how we should submit to the meanest condition and entertain the worst Events with a Patience and Courage sutable to the submissive yet Magnanimous Spirit of Christianity Thus much of the Vnion of the Divine and Humane Nature in the Person of Christ Which the Heavens do admire all the Inhabitants of the Earth may be astonished at and the Devils in Hell are afraid to think of We pass forward 2dly To discourse of those admirable Benefits and Priviledges which result from this blessed Vnion of the Divine and Humane Natures in the Person of Christ to the unspeakable Comfort and Happiness of all true Believers And 1 Our Nature is wonderfully Enobl'd exalted since it became a Temple for the Divinity of Christ to dwell in No Creature but Man did ever arrive at that pitch of Honour to be personally united to and be adorn'd with the God-head And that our Nature is thus dignified I have clearly evicted from the Premisses To which may be added ex abundanti these two remarkable Passages from Antiquity The one is of Saint Austin in these Words Whosoever saith he shall despise Aug. de Verb. Dom 2 Joan. Serm. 38. Luke 1.71.72 Neque tamea creaturam adoramus absit sed Dominum rerum Creatam incarnatum verbum Deum adoramus Athan. Or 5. contra Arianos or refuse to worship Christ with Divine Worship shall undoubtedly suffer the Pains of Eternal Death The other is of St. Athanasius who writing against the Arrians vindicated the orthodox Christians from the imputation of Idolatry which these Hereticks endeavour'd to brand 'em with God forbid saith he that we should worship the Creature but we do worship the Lord of all the Creatures God the Word Incarnate c. But concerning the Communication of Properties and whereas God is said to 've purchas'd our Redemption that he redeem'd the Church with his own Bloud and that the blessed Virgin is term'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Mother of God c. These are all inconceivable Mysteries yet do fully import the Exaltation of our Humane Nature But tho' we should not too curiously pry into them yet are oblig'd hereby to admire and adore God's infinite Goodness and Mercy who has thus advanced our Nature from the very dregs of Corruption to a State of absolute Perfection and eternal Bliss 2 And as our humane Nature is thus wonderfully dignified by its Vnion to the God-head Gal. 3.22 Luk. 4.18 So we who were Enemies to God by wicked Works are again restor'd
by the Power and Efficacy of Christ's Mediatorship to God's Grace and Favour He has broken the Shackles of Universal Guilt subdues and destroys all his and our Enemies rescues us from the slavery and dominion of Sin and Satan has taken away the Sting of Death and does effectually revoke that fatal Curse by which we were exil'd from Paradise and bound over to everlasting Punishment And having by the immense Sactifice of his precious Bloud paid so dear a Price for our Redemption all our Debts are now fully discharg'd God's Anger appeas'd his Justice satisfied an eternal Peace between Heaven and Earth fully ratified and all true Believers in Christ are reinstated in a Condition of Hope and an undoubted capacity of being for ever happy 3 The Sun of Righteousness thanks be to our gracious God is risen upon our Horizon Luk. 1.78 79. Isai 60.1 diffusing his pleasant Light and saving Influences over the whole Body of the Creation dispelling by his radiant Beams the Nignt and dark Clouds of Ignorance and Errour which before his coming had over-spread the face of the whole Earth Christ is the Way John 14.16 the Truth and the Life He keeps his Residence in and exerts his Power in the defence and protection of all pious Souls he enriches his Members with that pure and perfect Wisdom which is from above and kindles Charity Joy and Comfort in their Hearts by the powerful Influence and Operation of his Grace and Spirit he raises their Affections above transitory Things and does inspire and qualifie 'em with such holy and heavenly Dispositions as will sweeten and sanctifie all the Cross Providences which are incident to them in this Life and will finally advance them to and put 'em in Possession of a State of ravishing and uncompounded Pleasures at God's right hand for evermore 4 Christ Jesus the righteous governs his Church with perfect Love and Clemency preserves his Servants in Peace and safety and 't is impossible saith Irenaeus to recount the number of those great things which are done thro' the World by the Wisdom Power and Goodness of Christ for the Succour of the Nations and the Salvation of Mankind For as he liv'd so he died and rose again for us to cure all our Maladies and to restore us to a more happy condition than we lost by the Fall and defection of the first Adam And now to our unspeakable comfort he is sitting in Majesty and triumph at the right hand of God of which more fully afterwards pleading his infinite Merits and interceding power fully with the Father for us That all these Blessings and Priviledges and many more than we can either conceive or think of may be seasonably applied for the comfort and Benefit of all true Believers Hence we proceed 3dly The Application of this Point importing its influence upon Practice To the Application of this Point and shall consider what Influence this important and saving Doctrine should have upon the Lives and Practices of Men. And 1 This is a Subject which may ravish our Souls with Joy and Wonder A Mirrour which the holy Angels delight in and desire to contemplate God and Man in the Person of Christ was the hope and expectation of the Fathers whom the Patriarchs fore-saw and rejoyc'd at and whom the Prophets in such magnificent streins did predict and presignifie whose presence makes glad the City of our God But the perfect understanding of this Mystery transcends all Humane Knowledge and in this Valley of Ignorance we can but attain to a small measure of it His Name is Wonderful and who can understand it Councellor and who can find it The mighty God and who can comprehend it How he being God should be begotten of God and yet but one God still Or how he could be born of a Woman without a Man and she continue still a Virgin That Almighty God out of the Virgin Earth created man and breathed into his Nostrils the Breath of Life was indeed a great Miracle But that a Virgin should conceive and bear a Son that was both God and Man was far greater That God without a Woman should form Eve out of Man was a strange Wonder but 't was much more prodigious that a Woman without a Man should bring forth a Son that was both God and Man For Iron to swim above the Water a Fountain to flow out of a dry Jaw-bone an Ass to speak an old Woman to Conceive Manna to be rain'd down from Heaven a wither'd Rod to yield both Blossoms and Fruit Rivers to flow from a flinty Rock Waters to be turn'd into Bloud Ravens to feed a Prophet Jordan to turn his stream backward the Red Sea to be divided c. These are Miracles to be extremely admir'd But in the Incarnation of our blessed Redcemer we 've a greater Miracle than all these for a Maid is made the Mother of God a great Sphere is drawn into the Center the great God of Heaven and Earth was conceiv'd in the narrow Womb of a Virgin This is indeed a Miracle which humane Reason's not able to comprehend Miraoulum Mirabiliter Miraculosum 1 Tim. 1.15 And therefore saith the Apostle 't is a faithful saying That Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners We may as well doubt of the reality of our Being and Existence as suspect the Truth of it This is the Lord 's doing and 't is marvellous in our Eyes Man is naturally inquisitive after Curiosities and very desirous to know strange Accidents Now here 's a Subject for the most contemplative Curiosity to be exercis'd about A Mystery indeed and the more we pry into it the more miraculous we find it The more we know of it the more we shall be inflam'd with the desire of comprehending it and shall be still more and more happy in the improvement of this excellent Knowledge Si Christum discis nihil est si caeâ—era nescis Si Christum c All other Wisdom without the Knowledge of God in Christ is as bad if not worse than Ignorance it self For tho' with the wisest Solomon we could understand all the secrets of Nature the several Motions and Influences of the Stars all the Intrigues and Policies of State all the Mysteries of Traffick Arts and Sciences and whatever can be imagin'd to be within the reach of humane Understanding Yet without the saving Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ all our Wisdom is but Foolishness and to no purpose Let the Son of God therefore made Man for our sakes become the Subject of our devoutest Meditations 1 Cor. 2.2 The Holy Apostle determin'd to know nothing else and I am sure 't is both our Interest and Duty to concur with him in this Opinion We read in the Gospels that Christ was sometimes in the Cratch sometimes in the Garden sometimes in the Synagogue sometimes in Egypt sometimes at Jerusalem sometimes at a Marriage sometimes amongst Publicans conversant with
this Nation especially have been most signally happy in the enjoyment of public Peace and Plenty for several years Our Lot is cast in a good ground We have the Advantages of a fruitful and generous Soil which affords all things necessary and convenient for Food and Raiment for Physick and Delight We are blest with a temperate Air fruitful Seasons Conveniencies for Traffick yet secure and free from Invasion a well constituted Government a wise and merciful Prince whom God long preserve good Laws and duly administred for the Peace and Benefit of the Subject But then Secondly And our Souls We are far more transcendently happy in our precious and immortal Souls if we consider those admirable Facuities of Understanding Will Memory Affections c. and all their excellent Tempers and Dispositions which God Almighty has stampt with the Signature and Impressions of his own Divinity the love of Goodness and the knowledge of the Truth And tho' our Faculties were extremely obscur'd and deprav'd by our miserable Fall in Adam yet God has been wonderfully gracious to us in sending his dearly beloved Son into the World as we have seen at large before thereby repairing all our Defects and making up the Breach between God and us upon the gentle and easie Conditions of Faith and Repentance And to enforce all the saving Methods of Grace and Mercy he is pleas'd to vouchsafe unto us the bountiful Assistance of his holy Spirit by whose Operation and Influence we are preserv'd in a great Measure from Sin and Temptation and enabl'd to perform all our Duties to God's Glory and for the mutual Comfort and Benefit of our selves and others We have all the blessed Advantages of his holy Word and Sacraments and he has instituted and appointed an Order of Men to minister in Christ's stead and to be Ambassadors to solicite our Peace and reconcile us unto his Grace and Favour And besides all this we are certain if we be good Christians that we shall not only live comfortably here but our Souls thâ—ll be kept in safe Custody after Deaâ—â—â— that our Bodies united to our Souls and that God will bestow on us that glorious Kingdom which he has prepar'd and purchased for us where we shall perfectly enjoy all those never failing Pleasures without the least Allay or Discomposure which our Hearts can desire or hope for Thus the Divine Providence has made a wonderful Provision for our Souls and Bodies that we may live comfortably here and if we be not wanting to our selves be happy for ever And what could our gracious God have done more for his Vineyard then he has done for us Isai 1.4 Can any heart then be so callous and impenetrable as not to be influenc'd and affected with such admirable Endearments and Charms of Beauty Love and Mercy as these are How should we study therefore and endeavour as we are most strictly oblig'd in Duty and 〈◊〉 to please him in all things and conform the whole Man to his gracious and reasonable Commands How should we love him with the greatest fervency of Affection so as to desire above all things to enjoy him in all the Dispensations of his Grace and Glory Especially if we consider that there can be no Duty nor Vertue nor Grace acceptable to God unless it be founded in and flow from a Principle of Love Since then The sincerity of this Duty examin'd our Love to God is a Duty of so great Importance let us a little examine the Sincerity of it which may be understood by such Properties as these For if our Love be sincere we shall hate every thing that he hates and make it our chief Business and Delight to have a holy Entercourse with him in all the Duties and Offices of Religion and we shall study to avoid all those Sins and Temprations as the very Plague and Firebrands of Hell which shall at any time interrupt or hinder us in our Duty We shall be more zealous for God's Glory then our own Interest and be careful in all our Ways to do the Will and the Work of our Heavenly Father We shall be ready and dispos'd to forsake all things that are most dear to us in this World for his sake and the whole Bent and Tendency of our Lives will be a full Demonstration of the sincerity of our Affection to him A Mistake herein would prove of infinite Consequence to us which has caus'd me to be more express in the handling of this Point so that we are highly concern'd to be very inquilitive about the Nature and 〈◊〉 of our Love to God in Christ which to the natural and necessary Effect or a 〈◊〉 Faith and the very Source and Foundation of all Religion For if we have these worthy thoughts in our Minds concerning the Essence and Artributes of God and his Benefits to us which become the Perfection of the Divine Nature his Soveraignty over us and our Dependance upon him if we love him as the Author of all that Happiness which we enjoy and hope for then 3 We shall esteem and Honour him 2. By the 〈…〉 we 〈◊〉 to him for his Majesty and Mercy his Power and Goodness c. not only inwardly in our Hearts by conceiving always worthy Troughts of him in our Minds where all true Love is grounded 〈◊〉 also outwardly in our Demeanour and Carriage towords him in all our Words and Actionse viz. By acknowledging our whole Dependance upon him and Praying unto him for the supply of all our Temooral and Spiritual Wants by paying him the just Fribure of Thankfulness for his manifold 〈◊〉 and blessings bellow'd upon our Souis and Bodies in Hearing Reading and Meditating on his Word with a serious 〈◊〉 of Mind and fervency of Affection in receiving the holy Sacraments with a Disposition of Soul and a Posture of Body correspondent to those stupendous Mysteries in Sanctifying his Sabbaths and keeping with due Observance the Festivals of the Church in allowing a competent Maintainance a dutiful Respect and Obedience to all his Ministers and Viregerents in promoting holy Conferences with his Children and Servants for the mutual Edification and Comfort of one another And in a Word by being zealous in the whole Course of our Lives for the Enlargement of the Boundaries of his Kingdom of Grace and Righteousness as it becomes his dutiful and Obedient Children 4 This Temper of Mind will oblige us to depend upon him 3. By our Trust in Dependance upon him and to repose our whole Trust and Confidence in his All-sufficiency in general and in his Wisdom Power Goodness and Mercy in particular Always praying unto him earnestly and devoutly for the supply of all our Wants as before and depending entirely on him for protection in and deliverance from all Temptations Sin and Danger and humbly submitting our selves to the determination of his VVisdom and Providence for the disposing of us and our Concernments to his own Glory and our