clo Book Ill. 1lcl:Jlung unto jjefu.s. Chap.I.Seet.:l. t Tim. 3· ~~. Luke t. 35. Mlt. I. to. G..!. 4· 4. Rom. 1. 1• tion; now was it that free gr~ce came down from heaven, thoufand;-;;f Angels w~iring on her; the verycloudspart (as It were) to gtveherway; theearrhfpringsro wdcom her; the flouds clap their hands for joy; the Hea,·enly Hofts ling as fl1e goes alono Glory to 15od in the Higheft, peace "Pan ea:th, good will toward! men; truth and right~: oufnefs go before her, peace and profpertty follow after her, pity and mercy waits on <ither hand, and when fl1e firft fets her foot on the earth, fl1< cries a fejjes, aSavio 11 r; he.tr ye Somof men.'. the. Lor~hathfe~t m~ down to bring you ncrrs of a [c{w; grace and peace be untoJDI<, l wdl lwe w.rh you m th:s world, andyo~< ]hall live with me in the world to come. 0 here was bleffed news! why this is Gofpd, pure Gofpel; this is the glad tidings; free grace proclaims aJe[w; and a Jefu' is made up (as it were) all of free s_racc: 0 what eternal thanks do we owe to the eternal God? if there had not been a jefUJ (to bortow ~hat exprellion) made all of grace, of grace it feif, we could never have had delhng wuh God: 0 how may we fay with the Angels, Glo>y to God: Blef fed be God for Je[HJ Chrift ! But in this Conception of Chrill are fo many wonders, that e,e we begin to fpeak them, we may !land amazed: J~ithom comroverjicgreat;, the Myftery of Godlinefs, Gcd mamfejfed in the~,(/,. Sq, is It not a wonder, a Myflery, a great Myilery, a great Myfiery without all conrroverfie, that the Son of God ibould be made of a woman, even made of that woman which was made by himfelf? Is it nor a wonder that her womb then, and that the heavens now, ibould contain him whom rhe heaven of heavens cannot contain? Concerning this Conception of Chrift, I lltall fpeak a ltrrle, and but a little· what man can conceive much of this Conception. which was a conception witho.ijt bel; .of roan? Our greare!t light we borrow from the Angel, who defcribes it thus, The Ho– ly_Ghoji p,al/ come upon thee, and the power of the Htghrjl ]hall overjhadowthee. Out of rhcfewords , obferve, 1. The Agent or Efficient. 2. The Fruit or Effect I. The Agent or efficient caufe of Chrifls Conception is the Holy Ghofi. This agrees with that fpeech of the Angel to l •feph; That whteh u conceiw d in her i1 of the holy Ghoft. Here it may be demanded why the Conception 'of Chri!t IJJOuld be afcribed to the Holy Ghoil, which is common to all rhe acrions in the Trinity ? I anfwer, not ro exclude the reil; but firll: to IJJew it was the free Grace of God, which is often termed the holy Ghojf 2. Becaufe the Father and the Son cffecred it by rhe holy.Ghofi, fo was it his work immediately, and in a fpeciil manner; good reafon have we to be thankful to all the three perfons; to the father, for ordaining tbis Garment; to the Holy Ghofl, for.weaving it; ro the Son, for wearing it; 10 the whole Deity, for doarhing us with it, and making us righteous by it.--- Neither yet is the Holy Ghoft ChriflsFarhcr;be did nor beget him, he did but form him; he did not minifler.matrer from his own fubfiance where– of Chrifl was made, but took a part of humane nature from the Virgin, and of that he made tlte bod y of Chrift within her: away with all grofs opinions, and old here1ies! This Conception of Chrift was not by any carnal effufion of feminal humour; bur by way of manufacture (i·.J by handy-work, or operation, or vrrrue of the Holy Ghoft; orelfe by the energetical command and ordination of rhe. holy Gholl:, whereby that parr of the Virgins Blood or feed whereof the Body of Chritt was to. be framed.' was fo cleanfed and fancrified, that in it there 010uld be neither fpot nor !hm of ongmal pol– lution. 2. The Fruit or Effecr was the framing of Chrifls Manhood, in which we may obfme the matter and manner. I. For the matter; obferve we the mmer of the body and of the foul ofChrifl. I. Tbe matter of the body of Chri!t, it was rhe very Beib and bloodoftheVirgin: Heu-,umadeof awonan, faith the Apo!tle (i.) ofthefteiband bloud,and fubftance of the wuman;andhe w.umadeofthe feed of David(faith ttJe. ilpofi!e) according t• the jlejl,,or,iterwife he could nor have been the Son of Davtd accordmg ro rhe fldh ; and if it be true which the Philofop(lers fay, that the feed of the man doth not fall into thej~tbjfance of the Child, but only doth difpofe the feed of the woman ("' a worl(."'"' jr11methand di(pofeth hu work_.) torn_,zk§ thefame znto.thc form of aman: why then, I know not wherein d!e conception of Chnft lhould dtffer tn the matter at all from our conceprt– on; fav~1 only in the Agent; or worker of his ~ublhncc,. who wa,s the Holy Gholl. · 2. The maner or fubthn(e,of the foul of Clm!t was not depved f~om the foul ofrhe Virgin·a~«panrhereof; bur it was made as the foulsofothermen be, (•)ofnothmg, by the power of God ; and fo infufed into the body by the hand of God; bur o~ rhefc · things {Qfbis body and fo'ul, and humane ·na.ture) we ·llmll Jpeak more largely 10 the next Secrion. · 2. For
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