the mystery of godlinesse and what 's that 2 Cor. 5.19 God manifested in the flesh Joh. 1.4 God in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe 2 Cor. 5. The Word made flesh Joh. 1. A mystery indeed which the Angels themselves desire to looke into 1 Pet. 1.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Originall to pry into to the very bottome implying that the farther they pry into it the farther they may and the more still they discover of the mysterie affording matter of admiration even to those Angelicall spirits And although wee are not able to looke so farre into this great mystery as those Angelicall spirits are nor to discover so much of it as they doe yet let it be seriously lookt into and the discerning spirit will easily perceive how in this high mystery all the most glorious Attributes of Almighty God doe meet together and worke together and in most eminent manner display themselves how his wisedome his power his justice and his grace are all set aworke in this great designe and the result of them all is just the burthen of the Angels song Glory to God on high peace on earth beneath Luk. 2.14 and towards men good will 1 First his wisedome in laying the plot in contriving the way how mankind lost should be restored and saved and yet he not suffer in the honour of his truth and justice which had past against them the sentence of death In quo die commederis morte morieris Gen. 2.17 In the day that thou eatest thou shalt die the death 2 Secondly his power in bringing this about being contrived against so great oppositions so many difficulties standing in the way and effecting it with such happy successe as he hath done though it cost him deare 3 Thirdly his justice in punishing sin so severely and that in his owne Sonne being but an undertaker for it and that meerly out of his love and compassion to poore soules lost and undone that they might not perish 4 Fourthly his grace in being at such cost to save and to restore sinfull men his enemies that had so highly offended him and undone themselves All these may he that runneth read in this mystery There s in the 85. Psalme and 10. verse a sweet passage of the Prophet David Mercy and truth are met together righteousnesse and peace have kissed each other Behold in this mystery they are met together and in this glorious designe they kisse each other His mercy such that rather then mankind shall perish his owne and onely sonne shall become a Child take their nature upon him and in that nature suffer all that mankind should have suffered and doe all that hee should have done that so all this being imputed unto him he might have the benefit of it that he might be excused from suffering and accepted in the sight of God as holy as innocent and as just as if he had never offended And yet his justice such that rather then sinne shall goe unpunished hee would punish it in his owne sonne yea and that with great severity too he would not spare him although in the extremity of the conflict he begg'd of him that he would he desired that that cup might passe from him Matth. 26.39 yet he would not heare him nor excuse him but laid on load of wrath and justice upon him gave him up to the bitternesse of death and lockt him up in the prison of the grave till hee had paid the uttermost farthing of our debt See here how in this mystery mercy and truth are met together righteousnesse and peace in this Child and in this Sonne kisse each other Behold how the wisedome and the power the justice and the grace of Almighty God all worke together and proclaime with loud voyce Glory to God on high And these make up the first part of the Angels song The second part of their song proclaimes good will unto men and declares the unspeakable good which by this mystery they receive and there are five great blessings and benefits which they receive by it 1 First the ennobling of their natures what an honour is this to our flesh to be taken into union with the divine nature in the person of the Sonne of God What an exaltation is this of our nature that the Prince of Glory should vouchsafe to cloth him selfe with it and in it to appeare and converse among the sonnes of men but how much more that in it hee hath victoriously triumphed over sinne death hell and the grave that in it he is ascended into heaven and there sitteth on the right hand of the Father in that part of our flesh which hee tooke hath taken possession of heaven for us and in our names of the heavenly mansions which hee hath purchased and provided for us Quid est homo Lord what is man that thou shouldest thus consider him Psal 8 4. or the sonne of man that thou shouldest thus regard him thou hast made him little lower then the Angels Nay in this respect higher then the Angels for he tooke not upon him the nature of Angels Hebâ— but hee tooke upon him the nature of Adam the seed of Abraham hence arises a nearer affinity consanguinity rather betweene Christ and us then is between Christ and the Angels he becoming flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone by this are wee made sonnes of God brethren of Christ and coheirs with him of an Inheritance in glory Gen. 2 23. Ephes 5.30 This is an high priviledge and a great benefit which wee receive by this mystery The enobling of our natures And 2 The second is like unto this The enabling of our natures to gratious and spirituall performances of holy and heavenly duties for by vertue of this union of our natures with his and his with ours thâ—re flowes from him into us an influence of grace by which he through his spirit lives in us and workes in us by which he informes actuates and animates us as the soule doth the body of which it is the forme hence followes the enabling of our natures to holy and spirituall performances by vertue of this influence of grace of Christ by his spirit living in us and working in us we are enabled to live that life which is according to godlinesse to mortifie our corruptions to deny our selves with all our corrupt lusts and passions to crucifie the flesh to despise the world with all the corruptions that are in it through lust to doe and to suffer for his name above the power of nature by a higher power and principle of grace received from above This is a second benefit derived unto us from this mystery 3. The third is an interest in the Lord Jesus and with him in all that is his in all his righteousnesse merits holinesse obedience in all that he hath done and suffered for us it is all ours wee have a right in it for from this
union of our natures there followes a Communion and a common interest betweene us of all that we have or are which is communicable by vertue of this union our sinnes are laid upon him and hee hath satisfied for them and on the other side his righteousnesse is imputed unto us and wee are justified by it The Lord Jesus by infusing his spirit into us makes us * 2 Pet. 1.4 Joh. 5. partakers of the divine nature The admirable manner by ashich the unioÌ„ between Christ and his Church is wrought and againe himselfe taking our flesh upon him becomes partaker of our nature and so there growes a neare union betweene us he is ours and we are his he in us and wee in him as the vine with the branches the husband with the wife the body with the members are one so Christ and those that are of Christ are one Ephâ—s 5.30 nay with holy reverence be it spoken wee are himselfe the expression is high but it is his owne at least breath'd from his owne spirit 1 Corin. 12.12 As the body is one 1 Cor. 12.12 and hath many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body even so is CHRIST marke this Scripture well it containes in it a truth more pretious then the gold of Ophir the union should I say nay more the Identity of Christ with his Church they make but one body For the word Christ here in the text as is clear by the context doth not represent unto us Christ as a person but is nomen collectivum a collective name comprehending in it The Identitie of Christ with the Church together with himselfe his whole Church with every child and member of the same all making up but one body even so is Christ where as if they were himselfe and he not himselfe without them see how hee vouchsafeth them his owne name Even so is Christ so hee calls them and so hee counts them Oh the happinesse and security of the poore Saints in this respect they are rich enough happy enough when he is theirs who is the fountaine of all happinesse In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisedome and godlinesse and from whose fulnesse as at the well-head they all receive grace for grace 4 The fourth benefit derived unto us out of this mystery is in the sympathy that hence ariseth betweene Christ and those that belong unto him for from this union and mysticall marriage of our natures together there followes a sympathy betweene him and us whereby that which is done to the one is done to the other also whether it be good or evill he that receiveth you receiveth me Matth. 10.40 he that dispiseth you despiseth me saith the Lord to and of the least of those little ones which belong to him Luke 10. You cannot give a cup of cold water to a Disciple under the name of a Disciple but Chist thanks you for it as if you had given it unto him For in as much as you did it to the least of these little ones you did it unto mee Matth. 25 40. Matth. 25. Againe you cannot offer the least wrong or injury to any of them but hee will taxe you for it as if you had offered it to him too If Saul be travelling to Damascus with commission to persecute the members the head lookes downe from heaven and complaines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saul Saul why persecutest thou mee Act. 9. not mine but mee because mee in mine thou woundest mee through their sides Oh that this sympathy were reciprocall in us too that the same mind were in us towards Christ Jesus which is in him towards us that we could be sensible of the wrong and dishonour that is done unto him daily as if it were done immediately unto our selves so it was with the holy Prophet The rebukes of them that fell upon thee fell upon mee And Psal 69 9. do not I hate them that hate thee even as if they were mine enemies Yes Psal 139.21 I beare him witnesse hee did and for those that loved and feared the Lord hee loved them as well and that eonomine and qua tales for that very cause and in that respect because they did love Psal 16.3 and feare the Lord. Oh that we had that witnesse within our selve that we did regard the cause of God and the honour of God as this Prophet did and that wee did shew our love to God by taking to heart the wrongs and dishonours that are daily done unto him in his Church his Children his Cause his Ordinances his Names his Sabbaths in all thar is deare unto him as if it were done unto our selves the Lord would surely take it very well at our hands and reward that pious affection seven-fold into our bosomes 5 Lastly here 's a ground of reverent boldnesse child-like confidence in our approaches to the throne of Grace we can not draw neare to God nor looke upon him in his Majestie but wee shall be oppressed by his glory No man can see mee and live but to God incarnate Exod. 33 20. to God manifested in the flesh wee may and live wee cannot looke upon the body of the Sunne in his brightnesse but it will hurt our eyes to behold it but wee may looke upon it in the water without danger behold Christ in the flesh is the Charactet of the Glory of the Father Heb. 1.3 and the expresse Image of his person through him wee may behold him through him we have accesse unto him and if we dare not be too bold with the Sonne yet let us looke upon the Child inviting us to the throne of grace to partake of the plenty of his Fathers Court. Behold what a treasury of Grace and Glory is here contained in this mystery what pretious priviledges we receive by it what wonderfull fruits and effects are brought forth by this wonderfull designe all suitable to the greatnesse of the meanes by which they were wrought and the high honour and dignity of the persons which acted in it no lesse then the wisedome of the whole Trinity was set aworke in laying the plot and contriving this great businesse no worse then the Sonne of God himselfe in his owne person imployed in the executing of it and where there was such a Councell Table to deliberate and to resolve and such a person to execute needs must the effects of both be high and glorious suitable to the honour greatnesse wisedome and power of the high persons exercised in the producing of them and so you see they are LLet no man then for ever hereafter reproach the Christian religion with the meannesse Conclusio or despicablenesse of him that was the founder of it Let no man object unto us the humanity nor the humility of our Mediatour when wee see for what glorious purposes he was content to stoope so low and what pretious grace he hath
Fathers of former generations was preacht and pointed at in types and figures promises and prophesies sacraments sacrifices under the law That child whose day Abraham saw a farre off but dimly as it were through a perspective glasse and at a distance that child which was the joy of the world the expectation of the nations the hope of all the ends of the earth that 's the child which here the Prophet speakes off and in the Text presents to us as visibly as if with old Symion he had him in his armes Unto us A Child is borne And to this give all the Prophets witnesse Micah foretold long before the place where he should be borne at * The very name of it did prophesie and promise some singular good to us out of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the home of bread and out of it did hee come that was the bread of life Bethlem Micah 5.2 little Bethlem in this Honourable above all the Cities of all the other tribes Act. 10.34 yea above Jerusalem it selfe in that it was the birth-place of our blessed Lord which therefore St Ambrose often calls Christi villula Christs little village Old Jacob 1000 yeares before that foretold the time when he should be borne Gen. 49.10 when the Scepter was departed from Judah and the Lawgiver from betweene his feet not before This our Prophet 19. Generations before he was borne foretels us out of what stocke tribe family he should come Isay 11.1 That hee should be a branch springing out of the roote of Jesse of the Tribe of Judah of the stocke and linage of David And in the 7th of this Prophesie and 14th verse hee comes nearer yet and describes the very woman of whom he should be borne tels us what manner of woman she should be and what manner of child he should be that was to be borne of her that his mother should be a Maid Behold a virgin shall conceive and beare a sonne and the child should be a twin and yet but one neither but that one consisting of two natures united together in one person and these natures as different one from the other as heaven is distant from earth and therefore had he a name assigned him from heaven suitable to them both and comprehending both of them in the signification of it His name shall be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Immanu-el So then you have the time when the place where the tribe and family out of which this child should be borne you have him described by two distinguishing properties besides the one in the mother that should beare him the other in the child that should be borne by which he may be knowne from all other children in the world Then wee need goe no further in this enquirie lay all these together and compare them with what you read in the first chapter of the Gospel by St Matthew Mat. 1. and the second by St Luke and you have found the child that we looke for Luk. 2. what here you have in the prophesie there you have in the history This day are all these Scriptures fulfilled in your eares There is no stronger prop to our faith to confirme us in the truth of those things which wee beleeve then when wee see that those things which are come to passe were so long before foretold that they should so come to passe and among all the great things which time hath brought forth since the creation of the world there is nothing wherein this hath beene so punctually made good as in the things concerning this child of whom there is scarce any passage in his conception birth baptisme life death buriall resurrection or ascention so small but wee can shew it you either in promise or prophesie or type or figure or sacrament or sacrifice long before many of them some thousands of years before foretold and foreshewed whence it is that you read so often in the Gospells such expressions as these That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the mouth of such a Prophet Matth 1.22 and that it might be fulfilled which was written by such a Prophet Matth 2.15 That you may see how in all things concerning the Messiah the Prophesie and the history agree and answer each other as in a glasse face to face Nor to be trembled at then the impudence of the Athist that dare call them into question In so much as there is nothing more to be wondered at or indeed to be lamented then the judiciall blindnesse of the Jewes which to this day doe not see these things nor acknowledge the Messiah come in the flesh but doe with great earnestnesse still looke for him out at the window when he is long since come in at the doore The Lord open their eyes that they may see him and that they may looke upon him whom they have pierced Zach. 11.9 and and mourne for him abundantly even as a mother mourneth for her sonne and as one that is in bitternesse for her first borne And that they may do so here it is necessary that we remove the scruple in the Text which they stumble at arising from the time wherein the Prophet gives you in his birth which here he expresseth in the praeter tense as a thing done already is borne is given whereas they say even the child that wee speake of was not borne till about 700 yeares after this prophesie uttered And it is true that they say for if we search the Chronologies of time and the Genealogies of this Child Mat. 1. we shall find there were 19 generations between this of Ahaz in which the prophet prophesied this and that of Mary wherein and of whom this child was borne which tooke up much about this time that they speake of But it is an usuall thing with the penmen of the Holy Ghost especially writing the historicall and propheticall parts of Scripture thus to expresse themselves and to speake of things to come as if present or past already by a figure usually found in Scriptures called Anticipatio Anticipatio But there is more in this expression here in this place then a bare figure the prophet hath a further meaning in it and would thereby teach us and point out unto us these three things 1. First the certainty of fulfilling the promise of his comming that it was as sure as if they had had him then amongst them what you have in hope grounded upon a promise from the all-sufficient God is as sure as if you had it in hand in whom all the promises are yea and Amen If the Lord hath said it shall be done write it done already it is as sure as if it were done Hab. 2.3 though the vision tarry wait for in the end it will surely come it will not tarry If the Lord hath said hee shall be borne the Prophet dares boldly write him borne already unto us A Child
thankfulnesse for the unspeakeable good purchased unto the world by it to meditate upon the benefit of his conception and incarnation and to rejoyce before the Lord and in the Lord for the favour and good will which thereby hee hath shewed to the sonnes of men duties which though on no day unseasonable yet then surely most suitable when a day being set apart for those duties we set our selves apart for that day and suspending our thoughts from all worldly cares and taking our selves off from all other distractions wee bend our minds with most serious devotion and intended affections to the performance of the duty of the day in the day of the duty And this is the day that calls for that duty at our hands Come let us rejoyce and be glad in it harke how the Angels sing their Gloria in excelsis Mary exults in her Magnificat and why should not we amongst them beare a part in this heavenly Choyre for our part in this holy birth Let us also with joy and praise sing Glory to God on high for his Peace sent on earth below and for his good-will shewed to the sonnes of men let our soules magnifie the Lord and our spirits rejoyce in God our Saviour for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lanu Lanu unto us even unto us This Child is borne SO then you see by the help of the Starre we have found the child we spake off The second branch of the first generall part The Sonne But what say you to the Sonne whether is it the same with the Child here in the Text or some other and if the same why doth the Prophet so suddenly vary in his expression but even now a Child and presently in the next word a Sonne surely there 's something in it what may be the meaning of it Nothing at all saith the Rabbi but only this in the first word Rabbi Kimhi he told you there was a Child borne and in the next he tels you what manner of child it was it was a man-child a sonne and not a daughter 1 But by the Rabbies leave there 's more in it then so If indeed the former word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jelad here rendred a Child were of the Common-gender as in our English it is and did signifie a woman-child as well as a man-child indifferently then there were some ground for this conjecture but if you examine the originall text you will find it otherwise you will find that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jelad is of the masculine gender can signifie no other but a man-child And so for the Prophet to bring us newes that a man-child was borne and presently tell us it was a sonne were an unnecessary tautologie therefore there is more in it then so 2 There are which tell us that by these masculine expressions of a Manchild A Sonne is intimated to us the honour and prerogative that the man hath above the woman in this businesse and the interest he hath in Christ before her in that hee was borne a man-child not a woman-child a Sonne and not a daughter But to this we answer if this circumstance may be a ground of an argument whereby to prove the priviledge of either sexe and whether of them be nearer a kinnne to Christ certainly it will conclude for the woman rather then for the man for although our Lord tooke upon him the nature of a man in that sexe yet he tooke that nature of a woman not of a man yea without the help of man and so hee hath united that sexe unto himselfe in a kind of consanguinity which the man cannot chillenge But Saint Ambrose hath reconciled this difference by dividing Christ equally between them thus Virum assumendo de foemina nascendo utrumque sexum honoravit Christus Our Lord Christ by taking upon him the nature of man and yet taking that nature of a woman hath hereby equally honoured both sexes and shewed that they have both an equall interest in him in Jesus Christ in this respect there is neither male nor female 3 But yet wee have not sounded the bottome of this mystery there is more in it yet then all this let it be well lookt into and it will be found that in these two words is contained and taught the greatest mystery that is in all the Christian Religion and that is the two really distinguished natures united in the one and undivided person of our Mediatour the humanity and the Divinity of the Sonne of God Vnto us A Child is borne there 's his humanity and Vnto us A Sonne is given there 's his Divinity As he was a child so he was the sonne of Mary as a sonne so he was by eternall generation the naturall Sonne of God as a child so he had a Mother but was without a Father as a sonne so he had a Father but was without a Mother Heb. and so was the true Antitype of him in whom hee was long before typified Melchizedek without father without mother without generation in respect of his humanity without a father in respect of his Divinity without a mother and therefore his generation who shall declare Isay No wonder if a few words after my text the Prophet tels us his name shall be called Wonderfull And as here in my text so all along throughout the whole course of his life fom his birth to his baptisme from his baptisme to his death and passion you shall observe how this child and this sonne the Divinity and the Humanity of Christ like Hypocrates his twins goe hand in hand together His birth was meane his parents poore there was no roome for them in the Inne they are faine to take up a stable for their quarter they find more kindnesse among the beasts then among them that owed them there is he borne Luke 2.7 Behold the Child But do you not see at the same time a strange and new created starre appeare in heaven waiting upon his birth and the place where the child lay and doe you not heare the Angels singing Luke 2. Gloria in excelsis in honour of his Nativitie Behold the Sonne Luke 2. As his birth was meane so his accommodations are meaner being borne he hath not a place where to lay his head This shall be a signe unto you saith the Angell you shall find the babe wrapt in swadling clothes and laid in a manger Behold a Child But do you not see at the same time Kings by inspiration come from the East to doe him homage do you not read how they brought their presents to him Gold Frankincense and Myrrhe Gold representing the Kingly office Francumcense the Priestly and Myrrhe the Propheticall office which hee was borne to The Kings of Arabia and Saba shall bring gifts Ps 45. and which he was to beare and exercise in the Church Behold A Sonne When he was to be baptized he submits himselfe unto an ordinance and to
receive it at the hands of a man infinitely meaner then himselfe one that profeseth he was not worthy to unloose the latchet of his shooe yet without disputing he goes into the water Matth. 3. and is baptised of him Behold A Child But looke up and you shall see the heavens opened unto him and the Spirit of God in the likenesse of a dove descending upon him and you shall heare a voyce from heaven giving testimony of him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased Behold A Sonne When his parents as the manner was went up to Jerusalem to the feast of the Passeover they tooke him along with them he was numbred among other children and as an ordinary child hee went in the multitude with the rest when his parents missing him rebuked him for it hee submitted to their reprehension and as the text tels us Luk. 2. He came downe and was obedient to them Behold A Child But do you not read how at the same time being but twelve yeares old he went into the Temple presented himselfe among the Doctors disputed with them both hearing them and posing them asking them questions resolving their doubts and that with such gravity such satisfactory resolution as raised astonishment and admiration in all that heard him Behold A Sonne Lastly to conclude this paralele at the time of his passion you see him under the hands and power of his enemies scourged crowned crucified hanging on the Crosse bowing downe his head sorrowing complaining weeping bleeding dying Behold the Child But do you not see at the same time the heavens grow blacke and darkned above and the earth trembling beneath him do you not see the graves open the rockes cleave in sunder the vaile of the Temple rent and the whole universe seeme to be troubled at the sadnesse of the spectacle Behold the Sonne And thus you see not only in my text but all along the history of the Gospell and throughout the whole course of our blessed Redeemers life the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud the divinity of the Sonne of God breaking out through the cloud and veyle of his flesh and both of them clearly manifesting themselves in the person of our Mediatour And therefore as the Father hath observed when you see him crying in the cradle Ambrose or crucifyed on the crosse when you see him hungry and thirsty weary weeping sorrowing grieving bleeding dying Ecc◠homo Behold A man But when you see him casting out Devils raising the dead feeding of thousands with a few loaves and fewer fishes miraculously multiplyed when you see him reading the riddles of mens inmost thoughts forgiving sinnes commanding not onely winds and seas but uncleane spirits and devills unto obedience then Ecce Deus Behold A God Behold them both in my text in this child and in this sonne Infans vagiens in cunabulo filius tonans in Coelo Ambrose A child crying in the Cradle and hee at the same time A sonne thundering in heaven an Infant thrust out of doores to take up his harbour in a stable and he at the same time A Sonne disposing of Paradise and of the glorious mansions in heaven at the right hand of his Father And there was a reason for all this Reasons of this marvelous union of two natures in the one undivided person of our Mediatour yea there was a necessity of it on our parts or els he could never have reconciled us to God the Father nor have become for us a fit and perfect Mediatour Neither the child without the sonne nor the sonne without the child could have done it hee must be both A Child and A Sonne too both God and man that was to reconcile God and man heaven and earth together Had he beene only man he could never have laid downe a price which might have beene of sufficient value to ransome the sinnes of the whole world and had hee beene onely God he had not had what to lay downe to ransome them withall not a body to offer up in sacrifice for us nor blood to shed without which there is no redemption for the God head is impatible Had he beene onely man he could never have gone through the great worke of our redemption he could never have stood under the great weight of his Fathers wrath and the burden of the sinnes of the whole world which were to be laid upon him And had he beene onely God he could not have satisfied the justice of God for the sinne of man which required that satisfaction should be made in that nature that had offended and what satisfaction had it been for God to satisfie himselfe upon himselfe for the sinne and offence that was committed against him by another There was a necessity therefore that he should be both that the Child and the Sonne together the Humanity and the Divinity united in one might make up the person of a fit Mediatour 1 There was a necessity that hee should be man that so he might punctually satisfie the justice of God for the sinne of man answering for sinne in that nature that had committed it Therefore A Child And there was a necessity hee should be God too that by the dignity of his person hee might adde value to his sufferings and obedience to make them meritorious and of a sufficient price to ransome the sinne of thousands Therefore A Sonne 2 It was necessary he should be man that so hee might have what to offer up to God in sacrifice for us even a body capable of death and blood to be shed for remission of sinne for the taking off of the sentence of death that was gone out against us Therefore A Child And it was necessary hee should be God too that so by the power of his deity hee might support his humanity in that great conflict and under that great burden of his Fathers wrath and the sinne of the whole world that lay upon him and that in the end he might be able to rescue himselfe out of the hands and power of hell death and the grave and by his owne power to raise up his body from death to life and openly to triumph over it Therefore A Sonne Therefore both that hee might be a fit Mediatour betweene both neither as God so tendering the honour of the Deity offended as to forget the misery of the poore lost sonnes of Adam Nor yet as man so compassionating the misery of the lost sonnes of Adam as to neglect the honour of the Deity offended but as one that was partaker of both deare to both and both to him hee might lay an indifferent hand upon both and so become betweene both an aequall indifferent and impartiall Mediatour And here beloved you have the revelation of that great mystery the mystery of godlinesse the mystery of which Saint Paul writes to Tymothy 1 Tim 3.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without controversie great is
obtained and purchased unto his Church in so doing Let not the Jewe stumble at the Crosse of Christ by telling us that we beleeve in a crucified God nor let the Atheist stumble at the Cradle of Christ by telling us we embrace a Child for our God Nestorius his Blasphemy Nor let Nestorius reproach us with our bimestris aut trimestris Deus a God of two or three months old as hee blaspemously calls him If the Child seeme little in your eyes behold the Sonne if the Cradle offend you behold the Starre if the Crosse offend you behold the Heavens without a Sunne and the Starres withold their shining at the spectacle And be not faithlesse but believe and you shall see greater things then these You shall see this Sonne of man comming in the clouds Matth 25. with power and great glory Now you see him in the Cradle then you shall see him in a fiery Chariot riding upon the wings of the wind now he came in Virgine then hee shall come in Libra with a ballance in one hand to weigh the actions of the sonnes of men and a two edged sword in the other to cut them off and to be avenged on his enemies now he came attended with a few fishermen and others of the meaner sort that followed him but then he shall come attended with thousands and thousands of thousands of Angels and Arch-Angels now he came in humility then he shall come in glory now he came to be judged but then he shall come to judge both quick and dead yea to judge even them that judged him the souldiers shall looke upon him whom they have pierced Zach 11. and the Jew shall looke upon him whom they have rejected and the Arrians Eunomians Ebionites Corinthians Photinians Socinians and Mohomitans shall looke upon him whom they have denyed and despised and shall be confounded when they shall see him now armed with power and authority to be avenged on them for their contempts and injuries done to him and his for his sake And those that have confessed him shall say unto them by way of reproach and insultation Behold yee despisers and wonder and perish Act. 13.41 Luk 19.27 And the King shall say unto them as sometimes to those Rebels in the Gospell Those that would not that I should raigne over them bring them hither and slay them before my face Psal 2.12 Oh then kisse the Sonne lest hee be angry and so ye perish embrace the Child in the arms of your faith and best affections Ambrose that so hereafter he may embrace you in the armes of his mercy Infans est noli timere filius noli spernere Behold he is a Child that you should not be afraid to draw neare unto him and a Sonne that you may not dispise him Let the meditation of the former raise in you hope and confidence and of the latter beget in you feare and reverence and both together that saving comfort sound joy and settled peace that flowes from your reconciliation with God and your adoption to the honour to become the Sonnes of God brethren to this Child and coheires with this Sonne of an inheritance in glory the very end of this his Child-hood and of this his Sonship the very end why he was borne to us and given for us Lord let him have his end in us that we may have our fruit in him even the end of our hopes the salvation of our soules in blisse and glory that never shall have end Amen The end of the first Sermon COMFORT FROM THE CRADLE AS WELL AS from the Crosse of CHRIST The second SERMON ESAIAH 9.6 Vnto us a Child is borne Vnto us a Sonne is given I Have given you an account of the first generall part of the Text inquiring of the person who and what hee is of whom the Prophet speaketh this as he is here represented to us under the names and notions of A Child A Sonne Transitio and there in I have discovered unto you the stupendious mystery which lyes coucht under these two words and is clearly made out from them and that is tâ—â—â—wâ— really distinguisht natures united in the onâ— individed person of our Mediatour the Deity the Humanity of the Son of God both made good not only out of the text but all along throughout the whole course of his life from his birth to his baptisme from his baptisme to his death as in the severall passages of them all I have observed In his birth you had A Cradle for the Child and a Starre for the Sonne In his Baptisme water for the Child and a voyce from Heaven for the Sonne In his passion A Crosse and A Crowne of thornes nailes and a speare scourgings and whippings and stripes for the Child and thundrings and darknesse and an earth-quake and rocks cleaving in sunder and graves opening and the veyle of the Temple rent for the Sonne and generally throughout the whole course of his life in the severall eminent passages of it you saw the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud infallible evidences of the Deity breaking out through the cloud and veile of his flesh I shewed you the reasons of all these wonders they were wonderfull things that he was to doe and therefore not to be transacted but by wonderfull means and by a wonderfull person even by him whose name is called VVonderfull And I shewed you the friuts issuing out of them all Glory to God on high peace on earth below and towards men good will I am now to examine the second generall proposed Luke 2. wherein we are to consider what it is which is here affirmed of this Child and of this Son and that is laid down in two words more Is borne Is given The Child is borne but the Sonne is given First The Child is borne That is was necessary that our Mediatour should be made man it is confest and we have shewed the reasons of it but why A Child why borne of a woman why to be conceived in the wombe this is much more and surely there is more of the mystery in it which yet we have not discovered when the first Adam was created he was made A man not A child created not begotten A man in full strength and perfection of life and so was excused all the impotencies and imperfections of Childhood and infancy And when the second Adam came to repaire and to restore what he had lost was it not reasonable and agreeable to his type that hee should be made a man too in perfect state stature and perfection of life as the first was and so have beene abated all those parts of his sufferings and degrees of his humiliation which in the wombe and from the wombe in his childhood and infancy hee past through must he needs become A Child be conceived in the wombe and borne what was the reason of this Yes surely there was reason for it