conscience in this world, and everlasting happi- ‹ nefs in the next.

Before the coming of Christ, all the account we could have of these things from the light of nature, went no farther than this.-That the breach of any of God's laws brought guilt along with it; and that guilt made us liable to punishment.-Whether God, upon any confiderations, would ever remit this punishment, was more than mere reafon could poffibly tell us. For the juftice of God certainly required, that fin fhould be followed with punifhment: Nor was this inconfiftent with the goodnefs of God, which was otherwise fufficiently manifefted to us. Under this kind of dark and uncomfortable reafonings were we left, till Chrift" the Sun of righteoufnefs arofe with heal ❝ing in his wings," Mal. iv. 2. and publifhed the gofpel of repentance and remiffion of fins. All thanks and praife therefore be given to him, that our tongues can poffibly exprefs, or our hearts conceive: Abraham, at a mighty diftance, and upon a very dim and imperfect view of it, rejoiced to fee his day; John viii. 56. The angels, who themfelves had no intereft in this deliverance, yet were highly pleased with the profpect of those bleffings it derived on their fellow-creature, man; and therefore fang that hymn on this occafion, which the evangelift has recorded." Glory "be to God on High. on earth peace, good-will "towards men," Luke ii. 14. And fhall not we, for whofe fake this peace was fent on earth, and to whom all this good-will was meant, fhall not we alfo "give glory to God on high, and re"joice before him with reverence?" Surely this

is

is news, at which (as aiah prophefies of the miraculous effects that should take place in the kingdom of the Meffiah)" the lame man fhould leap "as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb fhould "fing," Ifa. xxxv. 6.

A fecond improvement that should be made of this doctrine, is, to raise our love to God from hence, to all the degrees of which it is capable.

For love furely deferves returns of love; and the highest inftances of love, the highest returns of it. Now in this was manifefted the love of "God towards us, because that God fent his only "begotten Son into the world, that we might "live through him," John iv. 9, 10. "Here

"is love" (as St. John continues his argument) "Not that we loved God" (that is, loved God first, and, by that means, drew down his love upon us) "but that he loved us" (antecedently, freely)" and fent his Son to be the propitiation "for our fins."

Had God fent the meaneft attendant in the court of heaven, to publifh abroad the good tidings of his free and voluntary pardon of fin, fhould we not have entertaintained it as a meffage of unfpeakable love! How much more, when he fends his Son, his only-begotten Son, on this errand! when he fends him to partake of our nature, and of all the infirmities, miferies, fhame, and pain that attend it; and at last to be made a facrifice for our fins by the very hands of thofe men, for whofe fake he left heaven! This raises the motive fo high, that our lips are fain when we speak of of it; and our heart melts away almost under the

fenfe

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fenfe of that exceffive burthen of love which lies upon us.

But how ftrangely is the force of this motive weakened by thofe who make Chrift a mere man, not the eternal fon of God, fent out to us from the bofom of his Father! For at this rate the love of God toward us abates very much; and then, I am afraid, ours toward him will portionably abate with it. For the higher apprehenfions we have of God's antecedent love to man, the ftronger will our endeavours ftill be to raise our affections up to a pitch fome way fuitable to thofe apprehenfions.

So that, whether thefe men have, by this expedient, leffened the difficulties of their faith, or hot (which is matter of difpute) fure we are, that they have evidently leffened the argument for their love by it.

Another plain ufe we are to make of this doctrine is, to give us an high fenfe of the dignity of our nature, and an hearty difpleafure at thofe fins which debafe and difhonour it.

Behold now, as the apoftle to the Hebrews ar gues, is that prophecy of the Pfalmift concerning man fulfilled in your ears. -"Thou haft crowned him with glory and honour, and haft fet him over the works of thine hands: Thou haft put all things in fubjection under his feet;" Heb. li. 7. that is, The human nature, by its affumption to the divine, is now advanced far above principalities and powers, and every created being: nay, it is, in the perfon of Christ, become an object of adoration, even to the fprits of the first rank and order. For, as the fame apoftle interprets a

nother

nother paffage of the pfalmift, "When God brought his firft-begotten Son in the world, he faith, Let all the angels of God worship him.

Should not fuch a reflexion as this make us re folve to do nothing beneath that nature, which God has fo highly honoured? Not to pollute it with vile affections and lufts: Not to fet it upon mean and unworthy purfuits, and on " minding earthly things;" but to have our "converfation in heaven; from whence alfo we look for the Savour, the Lord Jefus Chrift, who fhall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body?" Phil. iii. 19, 20, 21.

A fenfe of birth and noble blood will often keep men from doing things beneath themselves, when no other motive can reftrain them: And fhall it not be fufficient to preferve us from every evil and defiling work, to confider our near alliance with God himfelf, by the intervention of the man Christ Jesus? Surely fuch a confideration fhould engage us, after the most powerful manner, to purify our natures, even as his is pure ;" and to cleanse ourselves from all filthinefs of flesh and spirit,” 2 Cor vii. 1.

And as God's affuming our nature fhould make us reflect often on the dignity and worth of it, and refolve not to defile that with bafe and brutish enjoyments which Chrift hath thus ennobled and fanctified; fo, on the the other hand,

The condefceufion alfo of the son of God, in this myfterious work of our redemption, fhould infufe into us a spirit of univerfal humility, fince He, "who was the brightness of his Father's

glory,

glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon," Heb. i. 3. emptied himself willingly of all that glory, to become a vile and miferable creature for the fal vation of men, what a deep lowlinefs of mind ought we (in imitation of him) to carry about us, through the feveral ftages of life, and the differ ent administrations of providence? How willing fhould it make us to undertake any work, to be feen in any office, though never fo mean and low that tends any way to the good and welfare of mankind? It is the great apoftle's argument, Phil. ii. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. “Let nothing be done," fays he, through ftrife, or vain-glory but in lowlinefs of mind, let each efteem other better than themfelves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man alfo on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was alfo in Chrift Jefus ; Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a fervant; And be Ing found in fashion as a man, he humbled himfelf, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

A fifth thing I would recommend to you, from confidering the incarnation of Chrift, is, that we would take care to trace all the steps of that example which he fet us in the fleth; and which that he might fet us, was one great end of his tam king our nature upon him. And, Oh! let not this end be fruftrated, by our neglecting to look up to that admirable Pattern of all virtue and holiness, in the life of the immaculate Jefus, which the four gofpels have afforded us! A life, as ufe VOL. III.

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