-·- - - ---· ----------~------~-- Chap.I .Sccb . f.!..roltmg unto jjdnS'. Book Il L I 19 ~her fo glad of her Son born, as this Virgin was of her Son before he was conceived. . The ground of this joy lay more efpecially in that Name Jejiu. Here Chrijtians! here is the ObjeCt that you are ro look_ unt•; the fir!l: Tttle that theAngel g!veFour Sa– viour, it is ?efm, a'Saviour. 0 come! let us dwell a little here; w11hout left" we had never known God our friend ; and wnhout Jefus God had never known us for any other than his enemies : This name Je(us is .better to us than all r~e Titles of God; indeed there is goodnefs and grearnefs enou~h in the name J<h<>Vah; but we merited fo little good, and demerited fo much evil , that 111 It alone the,re had been fmall comfort for us; bur in the n~me Jefusrhereis comfort, and with the name 1efxs thrre is comfort i~ the name of God: in old times God was known by Ius Names of Power, and of Ma1efiy, and of his Nature ; but his Name of Mercy was refened till now, when God did purpofe ro poure our the whole rreafure of hi> mercy by the mediation of his Son. And as this Name is exalted above all Name, fo are we to exalt his mercy above all !Jis works. 0 it is an ufeful Name; in all depths, diflre!fes; miferies, perplexiries, we befeech Goc! by the name of Jefu> to make good his own Name, not tO bear it for nought ; but as he is aSaviour, fo to fave us· and this is our cornforr, that God will never fo remember our wretched fins, as to forget his own ble!fed Name, and efpecillly this name Je(J<s. 0 it is tile highelt , the dearefl, the fweetefl Name to us of all rhe Names of God. The reafon of this Name was given by the Angel to Jo(eph : ThouJl?a!t calf his name Mat.,. u. 'fefM, for he jiMllfave hu peoplefrom thetr jitJS. But why trom their hns ? We feern rather willing to be faved from Poverty, Ignominy, Plague, Prifon, Death, Hell, the I Devil : fin isa thing that troubles bur a few: 0 how few! how very few be tl]ere that breakhheir !1eep for their fins?Alas,alas! Sin (ifwe underfland) is the very worfl of evils: there is no poverty but fin; there is no Jham<' but fin ; there isno plaguero that of!in; there is no prifon, but that prifon isa paradife without fin ; there is no death that bath any fling in it but for hn; the .fling of death i4 fin, faith.the Ap&file ; take out the !l:ing, •Cor.15. 56. and you may pur the Serpent in your bofom : nay, Ile fay more, there is no hell but forlin; fin firltkindledthe fire of hell ; fin fuels it; take away fin, and that tormenting ilame goes out : and for ·the Devil, lin is his inflrument whereby he works all mifchief: how comes a man to be a lbv~ to Satan bnr by fin? but for fin the Devil bad no bufinefs in the world; but for tin h~ could never hutt :t foul. What abundance of Benefitsare here in one word, He jha/1 fave hi< people from their fins? There is no evil incident to man, bur it ceaferh to be evil when fin is gone: if ?efts takeaway fin, hedoth blefso.urverybleffings, and .fanetifie our very affliCtions; he fetcheth peace out of trouble, nches out of poverry, honour our of contempt, h· be!tY our of bondage; hepulls out the fling of death, puts our the fire of hell; as all evds ai·e IVrapt up in fin, fo he that faves us from fin, he faves us from all evils wllltfo– ever. Bur is hot Chri.fl· as precious a Name as [eji<s is? I a11fwer, no; for, r. Chrift is l Ot the Nlme of God: God as he is God, cannot be anointed ; but [efw is the Name of God, and dmwhrrei:1 he more ofpecially delights. 2. Chriit is communicated to others; Pnnces .ar~ called Chrilh; but Jefus is proper to himfelf; there is no Saviour but he. 3. Chnil iS a~omted, to what end, but to be a Saviour? Jefus is therefore the end, and the end IS alwaies above the m~ans.--Why, this is that 'Jefi<S, the Son of Gods Love, the Author of our' SJ!vadon, in whom alo~tc God;. well·ple~fed, and whom the Angel pubhO,ed afore he was conceived : Thou ,jhalt ronceive ~nd brir~g fmh a Stm, and jhalt call hu Name Jefus, • SECT. II. Of the Conception of Chrifl. z.ytle' Co,ncept.io~of ~hrifl was the concltlfion of t~e Angels Me!fage; no fooner . lifd the V~rgm,fa~d, Be it to me according to tby •Word; but according to that ~"'ord 1t ~~~~: tmmedtately the Holy Ghoft oVer•fhadowed her, and forms our Saviour mIter womb : Now ~hi'ifiians ! now wahM trmE of ~<We'; efpecially if we relate ro hiS Concepuon and Bmh; well tna;'- w~ fay, Nowwas tt that the day brake up, that the Sun arofe, that darlmefs vani01ed, that wrath and ililger gave place to favour ami falvation;
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=