many moneths borne as we are borne brought into the light as we are Away therefore with idle monkish devices and fond conceipts that affirme the contrary He was like to us in all things sinne excepted conceived brought forth hung upon the brest as we an infant as we hungry and thirsty and suffered as we And as he was in all things like to us so in every thing that was in him there was something extraordinary as hee was a man like to us so hee was an extraordinary man Hee was conceived but of a virgin which is extraordinary hee was borne as we are but there his starre appeared and the wise men came to adore and worship him He was poore as wee are but there were beames of his Godhead appeared when hee was poore he could command a fish to furnish him hee dyed as we dye but he made the earth to quake the vaile of the temple to rend when hee tryumphed on the crosse All which declared hee was more then an ordinary person And so wee must all conceive Christ and beare Christ in our words and actions it must appeare that Christ liveth in us It must appeare outwardly to man what we are inwardly to God Our whole outward life must bee nothing but a discovery of Christ living in us I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me saith Saint Paul which should appeare by word conversation and action Our lives should bee nothing but an acting of Christ living in our soules This is not a meere analogicall truth but it floweth naturally whosoever are to have the benefit of his birth and conception Christ sendeth into their heart the same spirit that sanctified the masse whereof hee was made and so frameth a disposition suitable to himselfe he sets his owne stampe upon the heart as the vnion of his humane nature to the divine was the cause of all other graces of his humane nature so the spirit of God uniting us to Christ is the cause of all grace in us If we have not the spirit of Christ wee are none of his And shalt call his name Emanuel Many things might bee observed concerning the ordinary reading of the words Some read shee shall call his name Emanuel because hee had no father Others his name shall be called Emanuel but they be doubtfull therefore I leave them But Iesus was his name Therefore how is it said he shall be called Emanuel The meaning is he shall be Emanuel and shall bee accounted and believed to bee so he shall be God with us indeed and shall shew himselfe to be so For in the Hebrew phrase the meaning of a thing imports the being of the thing The like phrase is in Isaiah 9.6 To us a childe is borne to us a sonne is given and his name shall be called wonderfull Counsellour the Everlasting father the Prince of peace That is hee shall bee believed to bee so and shall shew himselfe to bee so and shall bee so indeed The like you have because it is an answer to the cavill of the Iewes which object he was not called Emanuell Iudah shall bee saved Israel shall dwell safely and this is his name whereby he shall be called The Lord our Righteousnesse For indeed he is Iehovah our righteousnesse and we have no righteousnesse to stand before God with but his divers other places of Scripture there be of the same nature but these two are pregnant and therefore I name them for all the rest Besides the conception and birth of Christ you have here likewise the divine nature of Christ and the offices of Christ for Emanuell is a name both of nature and office It is a name of his nature God and man and of his office which is to reconcile God and man we could not be with God but God must first be Man with us We were once with God in Adam before hee fell but there being a breach made we cannot be recovered againe till God be with us he must take our natures that he may reconcile our persons Now Christ is Emanuell first in regard of nature God with us or God in our nature The pure nature of God and the base nature of man that were strangers ever since the fall are knit together in Christ. What can be in a greater degree of strangenesse except the devils then mens unholinesse and Gods pure nature Yet the nature of man and of God being so severed before are met together in one Christ. So that in this one word Emanuell there is heaven and earth God and man infinite and finite therefore we may well prefix Behold A true Saviour of the world must bee God with man Whether wee consider the greatnesse of the good we are to have by a Saviour or the greatnesse of the evil we are to be freed from by a Saviour both which doe inforce that he must be Emanuell God with us First the greatnesse of the good which we are to have for he is to bee God and man together to satisfie the wrath of God to undergoe a punishment due to sinne as our surety hee must give us title to heaven and bring us thither and who can doe this but God Besides Secondly hee must know our hearts our wants our griefes our infirmities hee must bee every where to relieve us And who can doe this but God So Thirdly in regard of evil which we are to be freed from He is to defend us in the middest of the enemies and who is above the devill and sinne and the wrath of God and all the oppositions that stand betweene us and heaven but God So in regard of the good in regard of the evill and in regard of the preservation to an Eternall good estate and freedome from eternall evill he must be Emanuell God with us These grand principles are enough to satisfie in this point And Secondly as he must be God so there was a necessity of his being Man Man had sinned and man must suffer for sin and without bloud there was no remission and then that he might be a mercifull and pittifull Saviour he must take that nature on him that he meaneth to save there must be a sutablenesse and sympathy Sutablenesse that the head and the members The sanctified and the Sanctifier may bee both of one nature And a Sumpathy that he might be touched with humane infirmities Thirdly this God and man must bee one person For if there were two persons God one distinct person and man another then there were two Christs and so the actions of the one could not bee attributed to the other As man dyed and shed his bloud it could not have beene said that God dyed But because there was but one person God is truely said to dye though hee dyed in mans nature for hee tooke mans nature into unity with his person and whatsoever either nature did the whole person is said to doe and therefore Christ is
the malice of Antichrist and his supporters He is the true Michael that stands for his Church And then in the tenth verse Take counsell together and it shall come to nought speake the word and it shall not stand for God is with us And as the Church before Christ came in the flesh much more may we now hee is come in the flesh insult over all Let all the enemies consult together this king and that power there is a counsell in heaven will disturbe and dash all their counsells Emanuel in heaven laugheth them to scorne And as Luther sayd shall wee weepe and cry when God laugheth He seeth a company of idolatrous wretches that conspire together to root out all Protestants from the earth if it lay in their power They that are inspired with Jesuiticall spirits the incendiaries of the world have devoured all Israel and Christendome in their hopes but the Church which is Emanuels land and freehold sees it and laughs them to scorne God can dash all their treacherous counsels And so in all personal trouble whatsoever Emanuel God with us is fitted to be a mercifull Saviour he was poore that he might be with the poor he took not on him an impassable nature but he tooke our poverty our miserable nature Hee is poore with the poore afflicted with the afflicted persecuted with the persecuted he is deserted with them that be deserted My God My God why hast thou forsaken me He suffers with them that suffer he hath gone throgh al the passages of our lives In the beginning of it he was conceived and borne and he hath gone along with us and is able to pitty and succour us in our poverty in prison in bonds in disgrace in our conflict with God in our terrour of conscience in all our temptations and assaults by Sathan he was tempted himselfe by Sathan for this purpose that Emanuel might in all these be mercifull Let us not lose the comforts of this sweet Name in which you have couched so many comforts In the houre of death when wee are to dye thinke of Emanuel When Iacob was to goe into Egypt sayth God Feare not Iacob goe I will goe with thee and bring thee back againe and he did bring him back to be buried in Canaan So feare not to dye feare not to goe to the grave Emanuel hath been there he will goe into the grave hee will bring us out of the dust againe for Emanuel is God with us who is God over death over sinne over the wrath of God God over all blest for evermore and hath triumphed over all so that what shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Iesus He is not onely God with us in our nature but he is God for us in heaven at this time he is God in us by his spirit hee is God amongst us in our meetings Where two or three be gathered together in my name I will be in the midst of them He is God for us to defend us he is for us in earth for us in heaven and wheresoever we be specially in good causes And therefore enlarge our comforts as much as we can And shall not wee then labour to bee with him as much as we can All spirits that have any comfort by this Emanuel they are touched on by his Spirit to have desires to bee nearer and nearer to him How shall I know hee is my Emanuel not onely God with us but God with me If by the same Spirit of his that sanctified his humane nature I have desires to bee nearer and nearer to him to be liker and liker him If I am on his side if I be neare him in my affections desires and understanding if I side not against the Church nor joyne in opposition against the Gospell If I finde inwardly a desire to bee more and more with him and like to him if outwardly in the place where I live I side with him and take part with his cause it is a signe I have interest in him And therefore let us labour to bee more and more with Christ and with God in love and affections in faith in our whole inward man because he is with us Wee must know this Emanuel doth trust us with his cause to speak a good word for him now and then to speak a word for his Church he takes it ill if we neglect him Curse ye Meroz because hee came not out to helpe the Lord. God trusteth us to see if wee will bee on his side and calles to us as Iehu did Who is on my side who Now if wee have not a word for the Church not so much as a prayer for the Church how can wee say God with us when we are not used to speake to God by way of prayer nor to man but by way of opposition and contestation By this therefore examine the truth of our interest in Christ. Those that intend to receive the communion must thinke Now I am to be neare unto Christ and to feast with him Christ is with us in his Word in the Sacrament there is a neare relation betweene the bread and the wine and body and bloud of Christ. Now the true childe of God is glad of this most speciall presence of Christ. All true receivers come with joy to the Sacrament Oh I shall have communion with Emanuel who left heaven tooke my nature into a most neare hypostaticall union the nearest union of all and shal not I desire the nearest union with him againe that can be possible Oh I am glad of the occasion that I can heare his word pray to him receive the Sacrament Thus let us come with joy that we may have communion with this Emanuel who hath such sweet communion with our nature That our hearts may bee as the virgins wombe was to conceive Christ I beseech you inlarge these things in your meditations And because wee know not how long wee may live here some of us be sicke and weake and all of us may fall into danger wee know not how soone let it be our comfort that God is Emanuell hee left heaven and tooke our nature to bring us thither where himselfe is When times of dissolution come consider I am now going to him to heaven that came downe from thence to bring me to that eternall mansion of rest and glory And shall not I desire an everlasting communion with him God became man that hee might make man like God pertaking of his divine nature in grace here and glory hereafter Shall not I goe to him that suffered so much for me Therefore saith Saint Paul I desire to be dissolved and to bee with Christ which is the effect of Christs prayer Father saith he my will is that where I am they may be also And in this God heareth Christ that all that beleive in him shall bee where Christ is as he came from heaven to be where wee are Lay
and his office to reconcile God and us in one As he is God in our nature hee tooke our nature into communion of person so his office is to bring God and man together his two natures is to fit him for his office God and man were at much distant tearmes as could be unlesse betwene the Devill and God And therefore God man in one person must performe the great office of bringing such as were in such opposite tearmes together Of his conception by the Virgin Mary wee spake sufficiently onely wee will adde this for farther explication A further type of this was in the birth of Isaack Isaack you know was borne of a dead wombe Christ was conceived of a Virgin and in a manner farre more improbable then the other Isaack was the Sonne of the promise Christ was the promised seed both in some sort miraculously borne For indeed it was a true wonder that Isaack should be borne of a dead wombe And here that a Virgin should conceive Sara had nothing to supply moisture and juyce to the fruit And so here was nothing of a man to further Christs conception I will shew why there must be this kind of conception of Christ which will helpe our faith exceedingly First Christ must be without all sinne of necessity for else when hee tooke our nature stubble and fire had joyned together God is a consuming fire and therefore the nature must be purified and sanctified by the holy Ghost in the wombe of the Virgin And then againe in the conception there must be a foundation of all obedience active and passive and of all that was afterwards excellent in Christ. If there had beene any blemish in the foundation which was his conception if he had not beene pure there had beene defect in all that issued from him his active obedience and passive obedience for every thing savours of the principle from whence it commeth And therefore it was Gods great worke in this strange conception that sinne might be stop't in the roote and beginning nature might be sanctified in the foundation of it And so that he might persue sin from the beginnning to the end both in his life by living without sinne and also in his death by making satisfaction for sinne And therefore ground our faith on this That our salvation is laid on one that is mighty God man and on one that is pure and holy And therefore in his obedience active holy and in his obedience passive holy Againe he came to be a surety for us and therefore hee must pay our whole debt hee must pay the debt of obedience he must pay the debt of punishment Now obedience must come from a pure nature and his death must extend to the satisfying of an infinite Iustice. And therefore he must be conceived of the holy Ghost in the wombe of a pure Virgin And wee must know that in this conception of Christ there were 2. or 3. things wherin there was a maine difference betweene Christ and us Christ was in his humane nature altogether without sin we are sinfull in our nature Again Christs humane nature had alwaies subsistence in the divine and it was never out of the divine nature As soone as his body and soule were united it was the body and soule of God now our natures are not so And then in manner of propagation his was extraordinary altogether Adam was of the earth neither of man nor woman Eve of man without a woman All other of Adam and Eve Christ of a Virgin and without a man But setting aside his subsistence in the second person and extraordinary meanes of propagation Christ and we are all one hee had a true humane body and soule and all things like our selves sin and the former differences excepted Why Christ must be man we have already heard He became man to be sutable to us in our nature and to sympathize in all our troubles And shall call his name Emanuell He shall call his name Emanuel saith the new Testament That is he shall be Emanuell indeed and shall be knowne to bee and published to be so Whatsoever hath a name is apparent Christ was before hee tooke our flesh but he was not called Emanuell It did not openly appeare that he was God in our nature hee was not conceived in the wombe of a Virgin They before Christ knew that hee should come but when he was conceived and borne hee was then called Emanuell There were divers presences of Christ before hee came He was in the bush as a signe of his presence he was in the Arke as a signe of his presence he was in the Prophets and Kings as a type of his presence He tooke upon him the shape of man as a representation of his presence when he talked with Abraham and the Patriarkes but all this was not God with us in our nature he tooke it on him for a time and laid it aside againe But when hee was Emanuell and was called and declared so to be he tooke on him our nature never to lay it aside againe He was borne in our nature brought forth in our nature lived in our nature dyed in our nature was crucified in our nature became a Curse for us in our nature buried in our nature rose in our nature is in heaven in our nature and for ever will abide there in our nature All their faith before hee came in the flesh was in confidence that he should take our flesh in the fullnes of time Now came the time when hee was called Emanuell and then the word became flesh and tooke our nature on him From hence that God tooke our nature upon him in the second person come divers things considerable For first it appeares that he hath dignified and raised our nature above Angells because he hath taken the seed of Abraham and not of the Angells a wonderfull advancement of our nature for God to bee with us to marry such a poore nature as ours is for the great God of heaven and earth to take dust into the unity of his person If this may not have a behould before it I know not what may To joyne alltogether For the great God of heaven and earth before whom the Angells cover their faces the mountaines tremble and the earth quakes to take our flesh and dust into unity of his person and for such ends to save sinfull man and from such misery eternall misery from such great enemies And then to advance him to such great happinesse as we are advanced to take Christ Emanuell in the whole passage of his mediation and there is ground of admiration indeed But consider it specially in the raising and advancing of our natures to bee one with God Shall God bee God with us in our nature in heaven and shall wee defile our natures that GOD hath so dignified Shall we livelike beasts whom God hath
raised above Angells Let swearers beastly persons and profane hypocrites either alter their courses or else say they beleeve not these truths Shall a man beleeve God hath taken his nature into unity of his person and hath raised it above all Angells and can he turne beast yea devill incarnate in opposition of CHRIST and his cause What a shame is this can this bee where these things are beleeved A Christian should have high thoughts of himselfe what shall I defile the nature that God hath taken into unity of his person And as hee hath dignified and raised and advanced our nature so highly so likewise hee hath infused and put all the riches of grace into our nature For all grace is in CHRIST that a finite nature can bee capable of For CHRIST is neerest the fountaine Now the humane nature being so neere the fountaine of all good that is God it must needs bee as rich as nature can possibly be capable of And is not this for our good are not all his Riches for our use And therefore seeing our nature is dignified by Emanuell and inriched exceedingly by his graces next to infinite For our humane nature is not turned to God as some are conceited It is not deified and so made infinite yet as much as the creature can bee capable of there is in Christ-man and so shall wee defile that nature And from hence that our nature is ingrafted into the God-head it followeth that what was done in our nature was of wonderfull extention force and dignity because it was done when our nature was knit to the God head and therefore it maketh up all objections As. How could the death of one man satisfie for the deaths of many millions Secondly it was the death of Christ whose humane nature was ingrafted into the second person of the Trinity For because they were but one person whatsoever the humane nature did or suffered God did it If they had beene 2. Persons God had not dyed God had not suffered God had not redeemed his Church And therefore the Scripture runneth comfortably on this God hath redeemed the Church with his owne bloud hath GOD blood No but the nature that GOD tooke into unity of persons hath blood and so being one person with God God shed his blood It is God that purchased a Church with his blood it is God that dyed The Virgin Mary was Mother of GOD because shee is the Mother of that nature which was taken into unity with God Hereupon comes the dignity of whatsoever Christ did and suffered Though hee did it in our nature yet the God-head gave it its worth and not onely worth but God put some activity some vigour and force into all that Christ did It doth advance Christ Mediatour according to both natures And from hence ariseth Communication of properties as Divines call it which I will not now speake of It is sufficient to see that whatsoever was done by Christ was done by God hee being Emanuell and therefore had its worth and dignity to prevaile with God Hence commeth a forcible reason That God must satisfie Divine Justice because it was the action of a God-man His great sufferings were the sufferings of the second person in our nature And hereupon from satisfaction and merit comes reconciliation betweene Ged and us God being satisfied by Christ God and we are at tearmes of peace our peace is well founded if it bee founded in God the Father by God the Sonne taking our nature into unity of his person These things must have influence into our comforts and into our lives and conversations being the grand Articles of Faith And therefore wee ought to thinke often of them Wee must fetch principles of comfort and holines from hence as from the greatest arguments that can be therefore I desire to bee so punctuall in them God is Emanuell especially to make God and us one Christ is our Friend in taking our nature to make God and us friends againe But how doth friendshippe betweene God and us arise from hence that Christ is God in our nature I will give 2. or 3. Reasons of it First it is good reason that God should bee at peace with us because sinne the cause of division is taken away It is sinne the cause of division is taken away It is sinne that separateth betweene God and us and if sinne bee taken away God is mercy it selfe and mercy will have a current What stoppeth mercy but sinne Secondly take away sinne it runneth amaine Christ therefore became Emanuell God with us Because hee is the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the World Before Adam had sinned there was sweet agreement and communion betweene Adam and God but sinne that devided betweene God and the creature now Christ haveing made satisfaction for all our sins there can be nothing but mercy Againe Christ is a fit person to knit God and us together because our nature is pure in Christ and therefore in Christ God loveth us After satisfaction God lookes on our nature in Christ and seeth it pure in him Christ is the glory of our nature Now if our nature bee pure in our head which is the glory of our nature God is reconciled to us and loveth us in him that is pure out of whom GOD can not love us As Christ is pure and our nature in him so he will make us pure at length Thirdly Christ being our head of influence conveyeth the same spirit that is in him to all his members and by little and little by that spirit purgeth his Church and maketh her fit for Communion with himselfe for he maketh us partakers of the Divine nature he tooke our fraile humane nature that wee might partake of his Divine nature this is of his Divine qualities to be holy pure humble and obedient as hee was And thus Christ being a head not onely of eminence to rule and governe but of influence to flow by his spirit into all his members is fit to bee a reconciler to bring God and us together partly because our nature is in him and partly because hee doth communicate the same spirit to us that is in himselfe and by little and little maketh us holy like himselfe I hasten to the maine use of all Then God the father and wee are in good tearmes for the second person is God in our nature for this end to make God and us friends There is a notable place of Scripture which I note for the expressions sake hee speaking there of a Days man There is no Dayes-man betweene us that might lay his hand on us both that is a middle person to lay his hand on the one and the other Now CHRIST is the middle person as the second person in Trinity And then hee is God and man and therefore hee is fit to bee Mediatour to lay his hand on both sides on man as
signes from things to come as 37. Isaiah The next yeare thou shalt eate that which groweth of it selfe c. because where faith is it maketh things to come all one as if they were present And so wee should make this use of the Grand promises of Christ to comfort us against all petty matters and wants whatsoever And to reason with the holy Apostle God spared not his only begotten sonne but gave him to death He hath given Christ and will he not give all things needfull Hath he given the greater and will he stand with thee for the lesse This is a blessed kinde of reasoning And so to reason from other Grand things promised God shall raise my body out of the dust and the grave and cannot he raise my body out of sicknesse and my state out of trouble cannot hee raise the Church out of misery So saith Saint Paul 2 Cor. 1. God that raised Christ restored me againe that had received the sentence of death when we receive sentence of death in our persons looke to him that raised Christ from the dead and to the grand promises to come They before Christ comforted themselves in times of all distresse by the grand promise of Christ to come But now the Messias is come And which may much more strengthen our faith he hath suffered and given his body to death for us and therefore why doubt we of Gods good will in any petty matters whatsoever To come to the words more particularly Behold a Virgin shall conceive and beare a Sonne c. You have divers articles of our faith in these few words As Christs conception by the holy Ghost his being borne of the virgin Mary c. you have here the humane nature of Christ. A virgin shall conceive and bare a sonne And the divine nature of Christ his name shall bee called Emanuell which signifieth also his office God with us by nature and God with us by office to set God and us at one So you have diverse points of divinity couched in the words which I will onely open sutable to the occasion Behold This is the usuall Becon set up the usuall Harbinger to require our attendance in all matters concerning Christ. And it hath a threefold force here Behold as being a thing presented to the eye of faith He mounteth over all the interim betweene the promise and the accomplishment for faith knoweth no difference of times And then it is to raise attention behold it is a matter of great concernement And not onely attention but likewise admiration behold a strange and admirable thing For what stranger thing is there then that a virgin should conceive that a virgin should be a mother and that God should become man We had need of strong grace to apprehend these strange things And therefore God hath provided a grace suitable above reason and above nature and that is faith Reason mocketh at this The devill knoweth it and envyeth it The Angels know and wonder at it The soule it selfe without a grace sutable to the admirablenesse of the thing can never apprehend it And therefore well may it be said Behold a virgin shall conceive and beare a sonne Behold a virgin shall conceive and beare and why a virgin When God is to be borne it is fit for a virgin to bee the mother Christ was not to come by the ordinary way of propagation he was to come from Adam but not by Adam for he was to be sanctified by the holy Ghost Because he was indeed to be a Saviour and a Sacrifice and hee must be without spot or sinne himselfe that was to offer himselfe for the sinnes of others Therefore the foundation and ground of his nature must bee pure and cleane and that is the foundation of all the purity of his life and conversation and therefore a virgin This was typified in Aarous rod which budded though it had no root No Iuice could come from a dry sticke yet by an Almighty power the rod did bud And so Moses bush It burnt and did not consume And that God that caused those things caused a virgin to be a mother He enters into the wombe of a virgin without any defilement at all considering the holy Ghost from the Father and the Son did purge and purifie and sanctifie that masse whereof the blessed body of our Saviour was made The virgin afforded the matter but the wise Framer was the holy Ghost She was passive the holy Ghost was the Agent Now when did the virgin conceive when upon the Angels comming to her and telling her That she was greatly beloved and that shee should conceive she assented be it so as the Lord hath spoken When shee assented to the word presently Christ was conceived her faith and her wombe conceived together When her heart did conceive the truth of the promise and yeelded assent thereunto her womb conceived at the same time also From hence learne something for our selves It had beene to little purpose though a virgin conceived Christ unlesse Christ had beene conceived likewise in her heart And there is no benefit by virtue of this conception to others but to such as conceive Christ in their hearts also To which end our hearts must bee in some measure made virgin hearts pure hearts hearts fit to receive Christ. We must assent to promises of pardon and of life everlasting bee it as the Lord saith A Christian is a Christian and Christ liveth in his heart at the time of the assenting to the promise So that if you aske when doth Christ first live in a Christians heart I answer then when the heart yeeldeth a firme assent to the gracious promises made in Christ for the pardoning of sinnes and acceptation to the favour of God and title and interest to life everlasting For faith is the birth of the heart Christ was conceived in the wombe of an humble and believing virgin So that heart that will conceive Christ aright must bee a humble and believing heart humble to deny himselfe in all things And believing to goe out of it selfe to the promises of God in Christ. When God by his spirit hath brought our hearts to be humble and believing to goe out of themselves and believe in him rest upon him and his promises then Christ is conceived in our hearts Behold a virgin shall conceive and beare a sonne Here is the birth of Christ as well as the conception Christ must not onely be conceived in the wombe but also brought forth because God must be manifested in the flesh As Saint Paul saith Great is the mystery of Godlinesse God manifested in the flesh If hee had onely beene conceived and not brought forth he had not beene manifested hee was to doe all things that befitted a Mediatour And therefore hee went along with us in all the passages of our lives Hee was conceived as we are remayned in the wombe so
a Saviour according to both natures as God and as Man for he was to suffer and hee was to overcome and satisfie in suffering he was not onely to heare our prayers but to answer them Both natures had an ingredience into all the worke of mediation God dyed and God suffered and supported the manhood that it might uphold the burden of the wrath of God that it might not sinke under it And so in all his actions there was concurrence of divinity and humanity The meaner workes being done by the Manhood the greater workes by the Godhead so making one Emanuel God with us For God must bring us to heaven by a way sutable to his holinesse and therefore by way of satisfaction and that cannot be but by God equall with himselfe And that is the reason why the Apostle joynes together without Christ without God That is they that know not Christ God-man to reconcile God and man have nothing to doe with God For the pure nature of God what hath it to doe with the unpure nature of man without Emanuel without him that is God man to make satisfaction But now that Christ hath taken our nature it is become pure in him and beloved of God in him And God in him is become lovely because hee is in our nature yea in Christ God is become a father I goe to my father and your father his nature is sweet to us in Christ our nature is sweet to him in Christ God loveth not our nature but first in him in whom it is pure And then he loveth our nature in us because by the spirit of Christ hee will make our natures like to Christs and therefore wee may conceive of God as Emanuell God well pleased with us and we well pleased with him Out of Christ wee are angry with God and hee angry with us Wee could wish there were no God and choose rather to submit to the devill to bee led by his spirit to all prophanenesse and licentiousnesse Wee have a rising against God and his Image and what ever comes from God the proud unmortified heart of man swelleth against it But when the heart once believeth that Christ Emanuell God with us hath satisfied Gods justice now God is taken by the believing heart to bee a father reconciled in Iesus Christ. And we are taught to bee his sonnes And our nature is more and more purified and cleansed and made like the pure nature of Christ and so by little and little the termes betweene God and us are more sweet till we get to heaven where our nature shal be absolutely perfect and purged by the holy spirit So that he is Emanuell God with us to make God and us friends which is two waies First by satisfaction taking away the wrath of God And then secondly by the spirit for God sendeth his Spirit into our harts to fit us for frindship cōmunion with him when we have something of God in us From hence many things may bee spoken partly for instruction and comfort I will name a few First of all it is to be wondred at and wee cannot wonder enough though we were Angels and had natures larger then they are at the marvellous mercies and love of God that would stoope so low as that God in the second person should take our nature and become one with us It is marvellous love that he would be one with us by such a meanes as his owne sonne to make peace betweene him and us It is a marvellous condescending and stooping in the sonne to take our nature when there bee better creatures above us that hee would let passe all above us and take our nature that is dust into unity of his person that earth flesh and bloud should bee taken into one person with the Godhead it is wonderfull and marvellous He tooke not the nature of Angels so that wee bee above Angels by the incarnation of Christ. Because hee tooke not the Angels nature they are not the spouse of Christ but every believing Christian is the spouse of Christ he is marryed to Christ he is the head wee the members he is the husband wee the spouse and therefore wee may stand in admiration of the Love of God in taking our natures on him It requires hearts wounded by the spirit of God to thinke of and admire these things answerable to their natures The Angels when Christ was borne could not containe but breake out Glory to God on high on earth peace good will towards men because there was then peace peace betweene God and us and by consequence with all the creatures which doe but take part with God and revenge his quarrell These things be matters of admiration and we shall spend eternity in admiration thereof in another world though here our narrow hearts can hardly conceive it But what wee cannot believe by understanding as things above nature let us labour to understand them by believing desire God wee may believe them and then we shall understand them to our comfort Emanuel God with us If God bee with us in our nature then hee is with us in his love And if God be with us who shall be against us For this Emanuel hath taken our nature for ever hee hath taken it into heaven with him God and wee shall bee for ever in good termes because God in our nature is for ever in heaven as an Intercessour appearing for us There is no feare of a breach now for our brother is in heaven our Husband is in heaven to preserve an everlasting union and amitie betweene God and us Now wee may insult in an holy maner over all oppositions whatsoever For if God be with us in our nature and by consequence in favour who shall bee against us and therefore with the Apostle let us triumph Rom. 8. Let us make use of this Emanuel in all troubles whatsoever whether of the Church or of our owne persons In troubles of the Church the Church hath enemies hell and the world and Satans factors but wee have one Emanuel God with us and therefore wee need not feare you know whose ensigne it is whose Motto Deus nobiscum is better than Sancta Maria Sancta Maria will downe when Deus nobiscum shall stand I beseech you therefore let us comfort our selves in regard of the Church as the Prophet in the next chapt vers 7. comforts the Church in distresse He shall passe through Iudah he shall over-flow and go over he shall reach even to the necke and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the bredth of thy land O Emanuel It may seeme a kinde of complaint The enemy stretcheth out their wings over thy land O Emanuel which may teach us in the person of the Church to goe to Emanuel Remember the enemies of thy Church spread their wings over thy land and people O Emanuel thou seest the malice of the enemy
up these things in your hearts that so you may receive benefit by them FINIS Page 19. line 6. for wounded read warmed THE SECOND SERMON ISAIAH 7.14 Behold a Virgin shall conceive and beare a Sonne and shall call his name Emanuell THe occasion of these words we have heard The Church was in great distresse under two mighty Kings that threatned great matters but indeed were but two smoaking fire-brands that went out of themselves Ahaz being a wicked King and wickednes being alwayes full of feares fearfull in trouble though not before trouble for they that bee least fearfull of trouble be most fearefull in trouble and GOD intending comfort to the Church the Prophet bids him aske a signe Ahaz out of guiltinesse of conscience and stubbournes together would aske none GOD intended to strengthen his faith and he would not make advantage of the offer And therefore the Prophet promiseth a signe the grand signe The signe of all signes the miracle of all miracles the Incarnation of the Messias By the way I beseech you let me observe this It is Atheisticall profanesse to despice any helpe that God in his wisdome thinketh necessary to proppe and shoare our weake faith withall And therefore when many out of confidence of their owne graces and parts refuse the Sacrament God knowing better then our selves wee need it unlesse it bee at one time of the yeare and refuse the other ordinance of preaching which God hath sanctifyed they seeme to know themselves better then God who out of knowledge of our weaknes hath set apart these meanes for the strengthning of our graces And as Ahaz refusing Gods helpe provoked God by it so these must know they shall not escape without judgment for it is a tempting of God and proceedeth from a bad spirit of pride and stubbornes How this promise of the Messias could be a signe to them to comfort them we spake at large wee will now deliver some thing by way of addition and explication The house of David was affraid they should be extinct by these two great enemies of the Church but saith hee A Virgin of the house of David shall conceive a Sonne and how then can the house of David bee extinct Secondly Heaven hath said it earth can not disanull it God hath said it and all the Creatures in the World can not annihilate it It was the promise made to Adam when he was fallen it runne along to Abraham and afterward to the Patriarkes so that it must needs be so It was the custome of the men of God ledde by the Spirit of God in these times in any distresse to have recourse to the promise of the Messias as for other ends so for this to raise themselves up by an argument drawne from the greater to the lesse God will give the Messias GOD will become man A virgin shall conceive a Sonne And therefore he will give you lesse mercies I note this by the way for this end to teach us a sanctified manner of reasoning Was it a strong argument before Christs comming The Messias shall come and therefore wee may expect inferiour blessings And shall not we make use of the same reason now Christ is come in the flesh and is triumphant in Heaven God having given Christ will hee not give all things necessary whatsoever Shall the reasonings before Christs comming be of more force then these bee now Christ is come and is in glory appearing in Heaven for us Beloved it should be a shame to us that wee should not have the sanctified art of reasoning to argue from the gift of Christ to the giving of all things needfull for us The ground of this reason is this All other promises whatsoever they are are secundary to the grand Fundamentall promise of CHRIST All promises issue from a Covenant founded in God man Now covenants come from love and love is founded in the first person loved and the foundation of all love Therefore if God giveth Christ the foundation of love and out of love makes a covenant and as branches of the covenant giveth many promises Then having made good the maine promise of all Iesus Christ will hee not make good all the rest And therefore we should have often in our hearts and thoughts the accomplishment of all promises in Christ and from thence make use of the expectation of all inferiour promises For they issue from that love of God in Christ which is fully manifested already Wee have spoken of the Preface Behold which is a word usually prefixed before all the passages of Christ his Birth his Resurrection his comming againe And great reason For what doe wee usually behold with earnestnes rare things new things great things especially if they be great to admiration and that concerne us neerely usefull things especially if they bee present And is any thing rarer then that A Virgin shall conceive and beare a sonne then the Incarnation of Christ never was the like in nature never the like in Heaven or earth that God and man should bee in one person It is a rare thing a new thing it is great to wonderment and therefore in the 9. Chapter of this prophesie His name shall bee called wonderfull as in many other respects so wonderfull in his Conception and Birth And then all is for us To us a Child is borne to us a Sonne is given in the same Chapter For us and for us men hee came downe from Heaven And then to the eye of Faith all these things are present Faith knoweth no difference of time Christ is present to the eye of faith now We see him sacrificed in the Sacrament and in the word faith knoweth no distance of place as well as no distance of time we see him in heaven as St. Stephen sitting at the right hand of God for the good of his Church and therefore behold If ever any thing were or shall be great from the beginning of the world to eternity this is great this is wonderfull And if any thing in the world be fit for us if any thing dignifieth the soule and raiseth the soule above it selfe it is this wonderfull object We out of our weaknes wonder at poore pety things as the Disciples at the building of the Temple What stones are these we wonder at the greatnesse of birth and place but alas what is fit for the soule being a large and capable thing to stand in admiration of Here is that that transcendeth admiration it selfe Behold a Virgin shall conceive a Sonne And therefore attend to the great matter in hand this I thought good to adde to what I formerly delivered in that particular A Virgin shall conceive a Sonne c. You need not goe farther then the text for wonders For here are 2 great ones a Virgin a Mother and Godman So in the words you have the conception and the birth of Christ his humane nature his divine nature
man on God as God And CHRIST is a friend to both to GOD as GOD to man as man and therefore hee is fit to bee an Vmpire to be a Dayes-man to bee a Mediatour And hee hath done it to purpose making that good in Heaven that hee did on earth And therefore labour to make a gracious use of all this I know nothing in the VVorld more usefull no point of Divinity more pregnant no greater spring of sanctifying duty then that God and man were one to make GOD and us one He marry'd our nature that hee might marrie our persons And if it bee so that God and man are brought to tearmes of reconciliation on such a foundation as God-man then ought not wee to improve this comfort have wee such a foundation of comfort and shall not wee make use of it Shall we have wisdome in the things of this World and not make use of the grand comforts that concerne our soules But how shall wee improve it In all our necessities and wantes goe to God how through Christ God-man who is in Heaven making intercession and appearing for us by virtue of his satisfaction made on earth and therefore wee may goe bouldly to the Throne of grace to God being reconciled by God God hath God at his right hand appearing for us and shall wee bee affraid to goe to the Throne of grace When wee want strength comforts or any thing goe to God in the mediation of Emanuell and then God can deny nothing to us that we aske with the spirit of Faith in the name of Christ. I beseech you therefore let this bee the maine use continually to improve the gratious priviledges wee have by Emanuell Our nature is now acceptable to God in Christ because hee hath purified it in himselfe and Gods nature is lovely to us because hee hath taken our nature If God loved his owne Sonne hee will love our nature as joyned to his Sonne and Gods Nature is lovely to us He tooke our flesh upon him and made himselfe Bone of our Bone And shall not wee like and affect that which was so gratiously procured by Emanuell Consider of it and let it bee ground of reverent and bould prayer in all our wants to goe to God in Emanuell Let us make use of it likewise in behalfe of the Church The Church is Emanuells Land as yee have it in the next Chapter Verse 8. The stretching out of his wings shall bee the breath of thy land O Emanuell The Church of the Iewes was Emanuells land but then it was impaled within the pale of the Iewes but now the Gentiles are taken in The Church is scattered and spread abroad over the whole earth And there fore goe to God in behalfe of the Church Thou tookest our nature into unity of thy person that thou mightest bee a gracious and a mercifull head And therefore looke in mercy on thine owne mysticall body the Church They before Christ came in the flesh who had the spirit of Faith knew the Church of the Iewes could not bee extinct because Emanuell was to come of it And wee may know the Church shall never bee destroyed till the second comming of CHRIST because those things are not yet performed that God hath promised and must bee performed And therefore wee may goe as bouldly to Christ and spread the cause of the Church before him now as they spread the cause of the Iewes before him then looke upon thy Land looke upon thy Church O Emanuell That there must bee a Church wee must beleeve and wee can not beleeve a Non ens We must have ground for our faith and therefore never feare that heresy shall overspread the face of the Church Emanuells land shall bee preserved by some way or other though perhaps not by the way wee expect God must have a Church to the end of the world the Gospell must get ground Antichrist must fall God hath said it and man can not unsay it And therefore in all estates of the Church spread its cause before Emanuell When Emanuell came once the Church of the Iewes wasted Therefore if you will have good arguments against the Iewes this is a good one to convince them that Christ is come in the flesh The Church of the Iewes was to continue till Emanuell but the Church of the Iewes hath ceased to continue and is now no Church there is now no family of David and therefore Emanuell is come And for a further use let us haue thoughts of the second coming of Emanuell as they had thoughts of the the first Christ was called the consolation of Israell at his first coming and in the new Testament it is every where expressed a signe of a gracious man to looke for the appearing of Iesus Christ and to love it Now let us comfort our selves that this Emanuell will appeare in our flesh ere long let us wait for the consolation of Israell Emanuell came downe to us to take our nature upon him and to satisfie Gods wrath that hee might take us to heaven with himselfe and that we might bee for ever with him in glory And therefore let us if wee would make a true use of Emanuell desire to bee with him Christ delighted before hee came in the flesh to bee with the sonnes of men and hee is with us now by his spirit and so will be with his Church to the end of the world and shall not wee bee with him as much as wee may Indeed he loved our nature so much that hee descended from the height of Majestie to take our misery and businesse upon him and shall not wee desire to bee with him in glory There bee divers evidences whether wee have any ground of comfort in this Emanuell or no. This shall be one Wee may know wee have benefit by the first comming of Emanuell if wee have a serious desire of the second comming if wee have desire to bee with him If as he came to us in love Wee have desires to bee with him in his Ordinances as much as may be and in humble resignation at the houre of death how shall wee be with him here bee with him in thoughts in meditation in faith and Prayer meet with him wheresoever hee is hee is in the congregation where two or three are gathered together in his name he is amongst them be with them in all things where he vouchsafeth his gracious presence It is the nature of love to desire perfect union and therefore the Christian soule touched with the spirit of God will desire to bee dissolved and to be with Christ as best of all Come Lord Iesus come quickly and therefore in the houre of death is willing to resigne himselfe ro God that hee may goe to Emanuell and inioy his presence that left the presence of his Father to take our nature and to bee with us on earth But the
maine thing I desire you to observe is matter of comfort from this Emanuell That now hee having taken our nature upon him that he might take our persons into unity of his mysticall body wee might have comfort in all conditions For hee tooke our nature upon him beside his other ends that hee might take our persons to make up mysticall Christ hee married our nature to marry our persons And therefore if hee did it for this end that wee might bee neere him as our nature is neere him shall not wee make it a ground of comfort that our persons shall bee neere Christ as well as our natures As CHRIST hath two natures in one person so many persons make up one mysticall CHRIST so that our persons are wonderfully neere to Christ. The wife is not neerer the husband the members are not neerer the head the building is not neerer the foundation then Christ and his Church are And therefore comfort our selues in this Christ is Emanuell God with us in our nature And will hee suffer his Church to want that hee hath taken so neere to himselfe can the members want influence when the head hath it can the wife be poore when the husband is rich whatsoever Christ did to his owne body to his humane nature taken into the unity of his person that hee will doe in some proportion to his mysticall body I will shew you some particulars Hee sanctified his naturall body by the Holy Ghost and hee will sanctifie us by the same spirit For there is the same spirit in head and members He loveth his naturall body and so as never to lay it aside to eternity And loveth his mysticall body now in some sort more for hee gave his naturall body to death for his mysticall body And therefore as hee will never lay aside his naturall body hee will never lay aside his Church nor any member of his Church for with the same love that hee loved his naturall body hee loveth now his mysticall members As hee rose to glory in his naturall body and ascended to Heaven so hee will raise his mysticall body that it shall ascend as hee ascended I beseech you therefore consider what a ground of comfort this is God tooke our nature on him besides the grand end of satisfaction that hee might make us like himselfe in glory that hee might draw us neere to himselfe And therefore now Christ being in Heaven having commission and authority over all things put into his hand hee having a Name above all names in Heaven and earth that at the Name of Iesus every knee should bow that is every subjection should bee given will he suffer any member of his body to suffer more then hee thinkes fit No seeing hee is in Heaven and glory for his Churches good For all that he hath done and suffered is for the Church and the Churches use To conclude all Let us consider what wee are let not a Christian bee base minded let him not bee dastardly in any cause that is good or Gods Let him be on Gods side Who is on his side a Christian is an impregnable person hee is a person that can never bee conquered Emanuell became man to make the Church and every Christian to be one with him Christs nature is out of danger of all that is hurtfull The Sun shall not shine the wind shall not blow to the Churches hurt For the Churches head ruleth over all things and hath all things in subjection Angells in heaven men on earth Devills in hell all bow to Christ and shall any thing befall them that he loveth unlesse for their greater good Therefore though they may kill a Christian and imprison him yet hurt him they can not If God bee on our side who can bee against us but God is on our side and on what grounds God-man hath procured him to be our friend hee hath satisfied God and therfore if we beleeve we be one with Christ and so one with God Wee have many against us the Devils are against us the world is against us to take away the favour of God to hinder accesse to him in prayer to stoppe the Churches communion with God and hinder the sweet issue of all things that befall us as farre as they can but their malice is greater then their power If God should let them loose and give the chaine into their owne hand though they seeme to hurt yet hurt they cannot in the issue And shall not we make use of these things in times of distresse wherefore serve they but to comfort us in all conflicts with Satan and in all doubtings that arise from our sinfull hearts Answer all with this If God be with us who can bee against us If any bee against us name them if not be satisfied And therefore come life come death Christ is our surety he layeth up our dust keepeth our ashes in the grave and will Christ loose any member Feare not Iacob to goe into Egypt For I will bring thee backe againe So feare not to goe into the grave The spirit of God will watch over our dust and bring us to heaven Therefore feare nothing God will be with us in life and death yea for ever and we shall be for ever with the Lord as the Apostle saith in the Thessalonians And that issue of all that Emanuell hath done Christ was one in our nature that hee might bring God and us into favour that wee may be for ever with him in heaven that we may be for ever with the Lord which is the accomplishment of all the promises FINIS Imprimatur Tho. Wykes Octob. 26. 1638. The scope of the Text. Wicked men admire their owne devices Those that brag out of danger are most cowardly in danger Infinite mercy in God and stubbornnesse in man conflicting Meaning of the Text. Reason He that will doe the greater he will doe the lesser Object How this can confirme their faith for present Answ. Make use of the Grand promises to comfort us in petty crosses Divers Articles of faith Nothing more strange then a virgin to be a mother and God a man Christ conceived not by ordinary Propagation The Masse wherof Christ was made was sanctified by the holy Ghost Christ conceived upon Maries assent to the message by the holy Ghost Observ. Quest. Answ. Christ is conceived in our hearts when we rest upon him onely 1 Tim. 3. Christs conception birth and life like ours In every thing in Christ something extraordinary Christ conceived borne lived and dyed eswe To shew sorth Christ in all our actions Vnion with Christ the cause of all grace Ier. 2.3 Emanuel a name of nature and office Christ Emanuell in regard of our nature Without the blood of Christ noe remission Meaner workes acted by the manhood greater by the Godhead Ephes 5. God our father Christ Emanuell to make God and us friends By satisfaction By the Spirit fitting us for communion with God Gods love and mercy to man to be wondred at Man above Angels by Christs incarnation What we cannot believe by vnderstanding let us labour to understand by believing Our nature in heaven * Church No counsell against God shall stand Christ with us in poverty and bond Christ God in us and for us How to know Emanuel to bee ours Christs cause to be maintained Christ with us in his Word and Sacraments Communion with Christ is sweet Doctrine Grace refused is turned into wrath What God saith man cannot disanull Men of God of ould had recourse to the promises of the Messiah How to reason with our selves in a sanctified manner All promises founded in Christ. Is. 9 6. Christs conception and incarnation marvellous and rare Christ is with us here by faith Man out of weaknes wonders at poore things Isaacks birth a type of Christs Why Christ must be without sin No blemish or defect of purity in the conception of Christ. Faith to be grounded on Christ God man Christ our surety Christ without sinne His humane nature had alwaies subsistence in the divine In manner of propagation Christ became man for our sakes Christ by divers signes shewed himselfe before exhibited in the flesh First things considerable 2 Consideration 3 Considerations to defile our natures that God hath dignified 4 Consideration 5 Consideration Obiection answered Question Answer What is done to by Christ is done by God Reason Quest. 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Reason Job 9 3.2 Use. Use. Improved Vse of improving our priviledges by Emanuell Use. In the behalfe of the Church Isa. 8.8 Gods Church shal 〈◊〉 the end of the world At Christ comeing the Iews Church wasted 1 Evidence of comfort in Christ. Question Answer Revel 22.20 2 Evidence of comfort 〈◊〉 of comfort As the humane 〈…〉 Psal. 2 9 10 Conclus to consider what wâ—e are The Devill and the world our enemies