how can God be against us? Shall God and man persist at distance or disaffection, who are so closely related, who are indeed so intimately united in one person? Shall heaven and earth retain enmity, which have so kindly embraced and kissed each other; since truth hath sprouted from the earth, and righteousness hath looked down from heaven? Shall the war go on, when the great Mediator and Umpire of peace is come; preaching peace to them that are afar off, and to them that are near? Can death any longer reign over us, or our disgrace and misery continue, now that the Prince of life, the Lord of glory, the Captain of salvation, doth appear for our relief? Now, then, what can be more worthy of joy, than such a blessed turn of affairs? How can we otherwise than with exceeding gladness solemnize such a peace -a peace accorded with him, who in forces so infinitely doth overmatch us; who at his pleasure can utterly quell us; who with the greatest ease, with less than a word of his mouth, can dash us to nothing, or hurl us down into an abyss of remediless woe: how can we avoid being extremely satisfied at the recovery of his favour and friendship, which alone can be the foundation of our safety and welfare, which is the sole fountain of all good, of all comfort, of all felicity? 5. Our Lord's nativity, doth infer a great honour, and a high preferment to us: nowise indeed could mankind be so dignified, or our nature so advanced as hereby: no wisdom can devise a way beyond this whereby God should honour his most special favourites, or promote them to a nearness unto himself. For hence we become allied to God in a most strait affinity, his eternal Son being made our brother: hence as touching the bloodroyal of heaven we do in dignity o'ertop all the creation;* so that what the Psalmist uttered concerning man is verified in the most comprehensive sense : Thou hast crowned him with glory and honour, * (Ηνωμένος πατρὶ κατὰ πνεῦμα, ἡμῖν δὲ κατὰ σάρκα. - Ath. p. 612.) (1 Pet. i. 19; Heb. vii. 26;) John xiv. 30, ἐν ἐμοὶ οὐκ ἔχει οὐδέν.-John xix. 6, οὐχ εὑρίσκω ἐν αὐτῷ αἰτίαν.-Matt. iii. 17; 1 Tim. iii. 16; Jer. xxiii. 6; xxxiii. 16. and hast set him over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet: for now the son of man, being also the son of God, is the head of all principality and power, is the Lord of all things, is the sovereign prince of all the world, is placed far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.t This is a peculiar honour, to which the highest angels cannot pretend; for he took not the nature of angels, but he took the seed of Abraham;" whence those noble creatures are become in a manner inferior to poor us; and, according to just obligation, willingly do adore our nature; for, when God brought his first begotten Son into the world, he said Let all the angels of God worship him. Is not indeed our flesh become adorable, as the true Shechinah, as the everlasting palace of the supreme Majesty, wherein the fulness of the Godhead dwelleth bodily; as the most holy shrine of the Divinity; as the orb of inaccessible light; as more than all this, if more could be expressed, or if we could expound that text, the word was made flesh, and dwelt in us? May not our soul worthily claim the highest respect, all whose faculties (being endued with unmeasurable participations of the Holy Spirit) have been tuned to a perfect harmony with the allwise understanding and the most pure will of God? yea, which hath been admitted into the nearest consortship, into the strictest union, with the eternal Word; hath become an ingredient of him who is the wisdom and the power of God? It was a great dignity that man should be made according to the image of God; but is a more sublime glory that God should be made after the image of man, κατὰ πάντα ὁμοιωθεὶς, being made like to us in all things, bating only sin, which is no part of us, but an unnatural excrescence, or a deflection from our nature :† * Col. ii. 9, Totum corpus implet tota divinitas.-Leo de Nat. Serm. 10. † Qui cum origini humanæ multum dederit, quod nos ad imaginem suam fecit, reparationi • Psal. viii. 5, 6; Heb. ii. 7. Col. ii. 10; Eph. ii. 22; Acts x. 36; Eph. i. 21; Phil. ii. 9; 1 Pet. iii. 22. u Heb. ii. 16. w John i. 14; iii. 34. 1 Cor. i. 24. ▼ Heb. i. 6. Heb. ii. 17. how could we be so raised up to God, as | scended, and come to dwell on earth; he by his thus stooping down to us? What of whom the prophet told, How beautican be imagined more honourable to us, ful upon the mountains are the feet of him than that God should deem us worthy of such condescension? This, this indeed, is our exaltation, that God for us should express not only so vast charity, but so prodigious humility. And is it not good matter of joy to be thus highly graced ?* When are men better pleased than when they are preferred; than, especially, when from the meanest state, from the dunghill, or from the dust, they are raised to be set among princes, and made to inherit the throne of glory? Wherefore, this being our case, that we sons of earth, children of corruption and brethren of worms" (in Job's style ;) we exiles of paradise, we heirs of death and misery; we, that by our nature are the lowest of all intelligent creatures, that by our merits were debased beneath the beasts that perish, that we are assumed to such relations, that we are ennobled to such a pitch, that our nature hath mounted so high above all creatures, with what enlargement of heart should we entertain a dispensation so wonderful! how welcome should that day be, which doth introduce it !† 6. Finally, if we survey all principal causes of joy and special exhultation, we shall find them all concurring in this event. Is a messenger of good news embraced with joy? Behold, the great Evangelist is come, with his mouth full of news, most admirable, most acceptable: he, who doth acquaint us that God is well pleased, that man is restored, that the adversary is cast down, that paradise is set open, and immortality retrieved; that truth and righteousness, peace and joy, salvation and happiness, are de nostræ longe amplius tribuit, cum servili for mæ ipse se Dominus coaptavit. Leo de Nat. that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth; he who doth himself thus declare the drift and purport of his message: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, to preach good tidings to the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord; to comfort all that mourn. Is the birth of a prince by honest subjects to be commemorated with joyous festivity? Behold a prince born to all the world!" a Prince undertaking to rule mankind with sweetest clemency and exact justice; a Prince bringing with him all peace and prosperity; in whose days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; who shall protect us in assured rest and safety; shall secure us from all danger and mischief; shall achieve most gallant and glorious exploits in our behalf; shall vanquish all the enemies of our welfare; shall rescue us from the worst slaveries and mischiefs; shall settle us in a most free and happy state: he who bringeth salvation from our enemies, and from the hands of all that hate us; that, being delivered from the hands of our enemies, we might serve him without fear, in holiness and rightcousness before him, all the days of our life. Now therefore it is seasonable to cry out, Allelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth; let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him. May victory worthily beget exultation ? See, the invincible Warrior doth issue forth into the field, conquering and to conquer: he that shall baffle and rifle the death itself; that shall subdue the world, and lay all things prostrate at his feet; behold the Captain of our salvation, arrayed with glorious humility, and armed with a mighty patience; see, the great blow is struck, at which the infernal powers do stagger; the Devil's pride and envy are abased, all the enemies are amazed, are daunted, are confounded at his presence; they cannot stand, they break, they scatter, they flee before him. Serm. 4. * Exultent ergo in laudem Dei corda credentium, et mirabilia ejus confiteantur filii hominum, quoniam in hoc præcipue Dei opere humilitas nostra cognoscit, quanti eam suus conditor æstimarit.-Leo, Serm. 4. + Hic infirmitatis nostræ suscipiens conditionem, propter quos ad inferna descendit, eosdem in cœlestibus collocavit. - Leo de Nat. 5. * Psal. cxiii. 7, 8; 1 Sam. ii. 8. Job xvii. 14. b Psal. xlix. 12. • Rev. xii. 10; John xiv. 30; Luke x. 18. strong one, our formidable adversary; d Isa. lii. 7; Nah. i. 15; Rom. x. 15. Isa. xi. 2; Psal. xlv. & lxxii. Jer. xxiii. 6. Luke i. 71, 74, 75. Rev. xix. 6, 7; xi. 15. J Isa. ix. 3; Rev. vi. 2; Luke xi. 22; Col. ii. 15; (John vi. 33.) Is a proclamation of peace, after rueful wars, to be solemnized with alacrity? Behold, then, everlasting peace between heaven, and earth, a general peace among men, a sound peace between each good man and himself are settled and publish ed; the illustrious herald, the noblest hostage of them is arrived; the Prince of peace himself doth bring all peace un to us. Is satisfaction of desire and hope very pleasant? Behold, the desire of all nations, the expectation of Israel, he for whom the whole creation groaned, is come. Is recovery of liberty delectable to poor slaves and captives? Behold, the Redeemer is come out of Sion; the precious ransom, sufficient to purchase the freedom of many worlds, is laid down own; unblemished innocence, purity, and perfection, appearing in human nature, have procured a releasement for us; have unlocked the prison of sin detaining us, have knocked off the shackles of guilt sorely pinching and galling our consciences; have wrested us from the hands of those proud masters, who claimed a right, who exercised a most tyrannous power over us; he is come, that proclaimeth liberty to the captives, and opening of the prison to them that are bound; the time is come, of which the prophet foretold, The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Sion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Is an overture of health acceptable to sick and languishing persons? Behold, the great Physician, endued with admirable skill, and furnished with infallible remedies, is come, to cure us of our maladies, and ease us of our pains; to bind up our wounds, and to pour in balm (the most sovereign balm of his own blood) into them; to free us, not only from all mortiferous diseases, but from mortality itself: he who was sent to bind up and heal the broken hearted; he who himself took our infirmities, and bare our sickness; he of whom the prophet (in relation to corporal, and much more to spiritual infirmities) did foretell ;-God will come and save you, then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped; then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing ; he, whose art no disease can resist, who is able to cure our most desperate, our most inveterate distempers; to heal the corruption and impotency of our nature, to void the ignorances and errors of our understanding, to correct the stupidity of our hearts, the perverseness of our wills, the disorder of our affections, to mitigate our anguish of conscience, and cleanse our sores of guilt; by various efficacious medicines, by the wholesome instructions of his doctrine, by the powerful inspirations of his grace, by the refreshing comforts of his Spirit, by the salutary virtue of his merits and sufferings. Is mirth seasonable on the day of marriage? Behold, the greatest wedding that ever was is this day solemnized; heaven and earth are contracted; divinity is espoused to humanity; a sacred, an indissoluble knot is tied between God and man; The Bridegroom is come forth out of his chamber" (Verbum Dei de utero virginali), clad in his nuptial garment of flesh, and ready to wed the church, his • Isa. lxi. 1; Luke iv. 18; Isa. xxxv. 10; P Luke x. 33; Matt. ix. 12. 1 Pet. ii. 24. Isa. lxi. 1; Luke iv. 18; Isa. liii. 4; Matt. viii. 17. • Isa. xxxv. 4, 5, 6; Matt. xi. 5; Luke v. 17; (John xii. 40; Acts x. 38; Luke x. 34.) (Ezek. xxxvi 26; Eph. ii. 10.) "Joel ii. 16. beloved spouse;* Let us therefore be glad and rejoice; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. Is the access of a good friend to be received with cheerful gratulation? Behold, the dearest and best Friend of all mankind (most able, most willing, most ready to perform all good offices, to impart wholesome advice, needful aid, sweet converse, and seasonable consolation) is arrived to visit us, to sojourn with us, to dwell in us for ever. Is opportune relief grateful to persons in forlorn condition, pinched with extreme want, or plunged in any hard distress? Behold a merciful, a bountiful, a mighty Saviour and succourer, undertaking to comfort all that mourn, inviting all such to receive from him a plentiful supply for their needs, a comfortable ease in their pressures, a happy riddance from their calamities; who crieth aloud, If any one thirsteth let him come to me and drink; Come to me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.TM by whose lustre all flesh may see the salvation of God, and which guideth our feet in the way of peace, doth visibly shine forth upon us. Never indeed did heaven with so fair and serene a countenance smile upon earth, as then it did, when this (ἀστὴρ λαμπρὸς καὶ ὀρθρινὸς) bright and morning star did spring up above our horizon, bringing this goodly day; and with it shedding life and cheer among us. From this auspicious day did commence the revocation of that fatal curse, by which we were expelled from paradise, adjudged to death, and committed to hell; from thence we became reinstated in a condition of hope, and in a fair capacity of happiness; from thence is to be dated a return of joy into this region of disconsolateness. In this nativity mankind was born, or did revive from manifold deaths; from a legal, a moral, a natural, an eternal death; from lying dead in irreparable guilt, and under an insuperable pow. er of sin; from having our bodies irrecoverably dissolved by corruption, and our souls immersed into that second more ghastly death of perpetual incurable anguish. Is the sun-rising comfortable, after a tedious, darksome, and cold night? See, the Sun of righteousness is risen with healing in his wings, dispensing all about his pleasant rays and kindly influences: The dayspring from on high hath visited us; diffusing an universal light upon the souls of men, whereby the night of ignorance is dispelled, the spectres of error are vanished, the mists of doubt are scattered; whereby we clearly and assuredly discern all truths of importance to us, and worthy of our knowledge; concerning the nature and attributes, the works and providence, the will and pleasure of God; concerning ourselves, our contemplation of them should infuse nature and original, our duty and interest, somewhat of that unspeakable joy, our future state, and final doom: Our whereof St. Peter speaketh; we should light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon us; the light of the world, the true light, enlightening every man, It is in effect therefore the birthday of the world; the beginning of a new, better, eternal life to men (offered to all, and effectually bestowed on those who will embrace it), which we now do celebrate.* All reason, therefore, we have to rejoice most heartily and most abundantly: as the goods thence accruing to us are in multitude innumerable, in quality inestimable, in duration immense; so in some correspondence should our joy be very intense, very effuse, very stable; the be filled, according to St. Paul's expression, with all joy and peace in believing them; we should hold fast, as the apostle to the Hebrews adviseth, the confidence and rejoicing of hope, grounded on them, firm to the end." * In natali Domini quasi in nuptiis spiritualibus sponsæ suæ ecclesiæ Christus adjunctus est-tunc processit sponsus de thalamo suo, hoc est, Verbum Dei de utero virginali. Aug. de temp. Serm. 2. Ἡ παστὰς ἐν ᾗ ὁ λόγος ἐνυμφεύσατο τὴν σάρκα.Procl. in Eph. p. 1. Rev. xix. 7. * Έκραξε, -John vii. 37; Isa. lv. 1; xliv. 3; Matt. xi. 28. * Mal. iv. 2. Luke i. 78. * It is the birthday of the church. Generatio enim Christi origo est populi Christiani, et natalis capitis natalis est corporis.-P. Leo de Nat. Serm. 6. Sicut cum Christo in passione crucifixi, in resurrectione resuscitati, in ascensione ad dextram Patris collocati, ita cum ipso sumus in hac nativitate congeniti. Ibid. * Isa. lx. 1; John viii. 12; ix. 5; i. 9; Luke iii. 6; i. 79. a Rev. xxii. 16. Having so many, so great causes of joy, are we not very stupid, are we not strangely cross and perverse, if we neglect so pleasant a duty ? To conclude: Of all the days that rise upon us, this undoubtedly is the queen, crowned by God's own hand with sovereign blessings; God hath avowed it to be the day of his peculiar making, and therefore of our special rejoicing; for thus of old the inspired Psalmist did teach and exhort us to keep Christmas: This is the day which the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad therein. SERMON LXXVI. THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST FORETOLD IN Астя ііі. 18. But those things, which of me by this he instructed and convinced his disciples: beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning hismself: and, These (said he to them presently before his departure) are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me; this the apostles, in all their preaching (whereby they taught, proved, and persuaded the Christian doctrine), did chiefly insist upon; Moses (saith St. Peter) truly said unto the fathers, yea, and all the prophets from Samuel, and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days; and, To him (saith he again) give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. And of St. Paul it is said, that he mightily convinced the Jews-showing by the scriptures, that Jesus was the Christ; and he expounded, and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the Law of Moses, and out of the Prophets: thus the chief apostles and founders of our religion in their public discourses; and in their Epistles they observe the same method; as particularly asserting Christian doctrines and duties by the testimonies of prophetical scriptures, so general MANY good arguments there are, different in kind, which conspire to persuade the truth of our religion; such as are the intrinsic reasonableness, excellency, and perfection of its doctrine; the miraculous works performed in attestation thereto; the special favour of Providence declared in the support and propagation thereof: ly affirming our religion to be chiefly but upon no other ground do the scriptures so much build its truth, and our obligation to embrace it, as upon the exact correspondence and conformity thereof to all the ancient scriptures, which did foreshow or foretell its revelation and introduction into the world; to those especially which described the personal characters, circumstances, and performances of our Lord. To this our Lord, in his discourses and disputes with incredulous people, referred them: Search the scriptures (said he), because in them ye expect to have eternal life (that is, to find the true way of saving truth leading thereto;) and those are they which testify 1 Pet. i. 8; Rom. xv. 13; Phil. i. 25; Heb. iii. 6; Rom. xii. 12. • Psal. cxviii. 24; Matt. xxi. 9, 42; 1 Pet. grounded on them, of which salvation Luke xxiv. 27; xxii. 37; . 70; xxiv. 44. xv. 15; xxiv. 14; xxviii. 23. ii. 7; Acts iv. 11. • John v. 39. 2 Pet. i. 19. |