' bc~~fit if ;he King would pardon a Thief; but that the King himfelf fhould die for this M~lefa:tor, this were mol[ wonderful, and indeed beyond all expectatiOn; and yet thus will the King of Heaven deal with us; he will not only pardon our faults, .but fa:. · ti,tiG rhe Law: We fin_againll God, :md,God againfl: whom we fin, nmft d1e for<t,L Tius i> a depth beyond fcundwg, an height above all humane reach; What 1S he? G~t;t wemull: fall a note, the Crcatoitr is become aCreatnre; if you ask what ~reafA,' turc? I mull tell you, though it-were an Angel, yet this were a great leap, wh1ch no created un:\erfl:anding could me~fure; .\Yhat arc tfte Angels in relpect of God? He Is their Lord, they but his Servants, Mmlflers, Mdfengers; and howfoever 1t would dazle us to behold their faces, yet cmmot the bnghteft Angels ftand before God, but they are fai<>n to cover their olVnJaces With a pair of wings: the difference ffiaJ appear in Revel. 5 ." 1 3 , 14• where the Lm"b is faid to f<t upon the Throne, but the fo~<r JJeafts &r,y 6. 2 • . andfo!lr and ,;.,my Elders fall down ~tnd lVorj11ip him: Is not here a great d1fl:ance be- 1\ov. s 13, I4i twixt the Lamb in his Throne, and the !iea!ls at h1s feet? and ycr thus far w1ll the Lamb defcend, that for our fakes he will dethrone himfelf : reject his flare, take the office of an Angel, to bring us the glad tidings of Salvation in purgmg cur Sm~ . And was he an A 1gel? nay, that was too much; He tvas made (fatth the Apo!Ue) ~ - "little lower than the A ngelsfor the jhjfcring cf death, Heb. 2. 9· What f the ~en of Hcl>. ,, 9· God to be made lower than the A ngels? Here was a leap beyond the rc.ach or compafs of all humane thoughts; He that made the Angels, is m1de lower by a little than the Adgels; The Creatour is not only become a creature, but mfenour to.fome creatures that he did create : 0 ye Angels, how fland you amazed at thts humdtty l That God your·Mailer fhould became meaner than his fervants, that the Lord of Heaven lhould deny the dignity of Powers, Pnnetpalrtzes, Cher~tbsms, Serapbsms, Arch-Angel, er Angel: 0 Jefu! how contrary art thou to thy afpiring creature~ r Some A ngels through pride would needs be as God, but God through humll1ty ts maile lower tfJan ;;~\~io~~~~~ the .Angels, 001 equal with them, but a note below them, as Davidthat fweet Singer porfon of of Jfrael fung, Tho~< madeft him little lower th~n the .Angtls, Pfal. 8. 9· . Chrifi. But how much lower! By a little (faith Pasel,) and if you would know what that 4 little was, he cells you again, that He took.!'"' on him the natHrG of Angels, bHt he took_ b • on him the feed of Abraham, Heb. 2. I6. Here is that great ..byj[e, which all the pow- H< • •· 1· . ers of Heaven could no lefs but wonder at: Abr,.hams Lord is become Abrahams Son; Hob. •· 16.1 the God of Abraham, the God of If.-ac, and the God of Jacob, hath took upoR him the feed of Abraham, the feed of Ifaa,·, and the feed of]t<Cob ; wonder above wonders! that God fhould take the fhape of Angels, is more than we can think; but to take on him the nature. of man, i~ mor~ than the tongue of Angels can exprefs; that the King of Heaven lhould leave h1s glonous Manlion, and from the bofome of his F:tther come into the vvomb of his Mother, from that Company of Angels, and ArchAngels, to a rude rou: of linful men : Tell y~ the D"ughter •f Sion, Behold, thy Ki11g commeth unto thee, faith the Prophet E(ay m )he 62. Chap. I I. ver. and the Prophet Ef•y 62 _ 11 ; Zachary in the 9· Ch..p. 9· ver. what could he lefs? and what canfl: thou more ? vvon. zach. 9 . ~' dcrful love that he would come, but ~I_~Ore wonderful is,the manner of his coming; he that_before made man a foul after the 1mage of God, now makes himfdf a body af. ter the tmage of men; and he that was more excelleM than all Angels becomes letfcr lower than the Angels, even a mortal, miferable, wretched man. ' ' But what man! as he is King of Heaven, let him be King _of all· the world; if he be s• M.t~:, let h1m be the Ruler of Mankind: no, thou art deceived ( 0 JewJ that elipeaell: in thy_ Savi?u~ the glory of the .World; fear not, HeroJ, the lofs of thy Diadem; ~or th1s Ch.Id ts born; not to be thy fucceffor, but if thou wi'lt believe, to be thy Savtour; :vas he a King on Earth? alas! look through the Chronicfcs of his life~ and you find hun fo far from a King, that he is the meanefl fubjea of all men: where · ~vas he born, but at Bethlehem a little Cirty? Whe~e did the Shepherds find him, but m aforry Cottage_? Who :vere his Difciples, but poor filhermen? Who his Com– pa~tons, but Pubhcans and Smners? is he hungry? where ll:ands his Table, but on plam ground?_ What are his dainties, but Bread and a few Fifhcs? \Vh'o arc his guefl:s, but •.rout ofhun~ry fiarved ~reatures? An_d where is his IodgiQ,g;' but at rhe . fiern of a Sh1p? Here IS a poor Kmg, without e1ther prefence or B'ed-Chamber ; The Fo-xes have Holes, and t~e Birds ofthe Aire have Nefts, btet the Sm of 1~an hath no; M~ h 8 2 e-· whmon to lay his Hea.t, Mat. 8. 20. · L11 Defccnd1 ' · '
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