-----------=--::-~-:---;:::;;-:-;;:-:-:-:--~---;-;;;-:--- JLrolung unto jlcfu~. Book IV. 1 35 Chap. I ; Sdt 7· meeting at a birth, the birth of truth ; at which meeting, thirdly, was that glorious dfd!:, that righteot•fnefs look!d down, and indeed ca_me down from heaven; I delirea little to invert the word,, and /hall firftfpeak to Chnfts Btrtb; fecondly, to.the effects of hi• Birth, of righteoufne(s looking down from heaven; tlurdly, to the meeuug and a– greement of all Gods Attribures as rhe ilfue and effdt of all ; when mer(y and truth m8t t•gether, and righteoJt[nefs an! peace kJ(Jed each!'her. . . 1 . For his Birth; our Vme doth bud ; 7rmh (hall bud out of the earth, (•_.) Ch~tft fhall be born upon the earth, or Chrift ll~all be born of a woman; for truth ts Clmlt, J . bud is born, andtheearth] is a woman. L Truth] isChri!L I amthewayandtruth, ohn 1 • 4,6. faid Chril\. he is the truth of all types, and the truth of all prophelies, and the truth of all promires; for in himar: all the pro71ifes, YM and .Amen: 2._ Bud] is botn; the Vine budding is the firlt pumngforth of the G_rape; fo Clmlt bemg born, was truth buddino out o!the earth, he then firltlhewed htmfelf to the world, and was firft feen (like tl~e Vine fpringing forth) above ground, 3. Thee"rrh] is the woman; thus l(a, 4 s. 8, fome render that Text, Let the earth brinr; forth aSaviour ; look how the field-flowers · fprmg forth of themfelves without any feed calt in by the hand of man, ~o the Virgin brings forth Chrilt. It is obfervable that m the crtauon of Adi.m waslaod the progno- .fticks of thisfuture birth; begin with the firft man Adarn, and you may fee him paral– lell'd in this fecond Adam, Chrilt. Adam was created of the Virgin-Earth, Chrilt was born of a Virgin-Mother; the Eorth had no husbandman, yer brought forth without feed; Mary had no husband, yet brought forth without feed of man : in the creation God faid, /<t u< ma~ m1111; and now faith the Holy Ghoit, the Word u made jlefh, Ghn 1 • • 6 • or the Word is man indeed: thofe were bur types, bur Chriit is the truth; he is the Jo A 1 ' 1 4• Vine that buds, the Me!lias born; the Angels own him, the Star delignes him, the Prophets forel11ew him, the Devils confefs him, his Miracles declare him, the Sages feek him, and heaven and earth rings with the news, that Truth u budded out of the Earth. f 2 ~- Forthe effet!c of this Birth; Riglncoufnefs fhall look_. down fror~~ Heavm. No foon– er Chriit born, but Righteoufnefs looked down from heaven ; l11e call: her eye upon earth, and feeing Trurh frefl,ly fprung there, fhe looked and looked again; certainly it was a fight to draw all the eyes of heaven to it; it is faid of the Angels, that theyJefi~ . red to look.,into thefe things; they looked w•fl•ly at them, as of they would look through 1 ?et. •· u. them; noqudlion but RighteoN{>~efs looked as narrowly and as piercingly as the Angels: fomeobfervethatthe Hebrewword,fhe look!~ down, fignifies that fhebe,ltout" window; fo delirous was rightcoufnefs to behold the ftght of the Vi11e budding ; ofChrift being born, that lhe beats out aWindow in heaven ; before this time, fhe would not fo_much as loo'z down towards earth; Rightw<[nefs had no profpect, no windowo~n thts way ; l11e turned away her eyes, and clapt to the Cafement, and would not abide fo much as to look on fuch finful wretches, forlorn tinners as we are; her eye was purerthan to behold iniquity. !he abhorred it, and us forit ' and -therefore would not vouchfafe us once the cafi of her eye. 0 but now the cafe is altered; no fooner doth our Vine bud upo11 thcenrth, but fhe is willing to condefcend, and fo willing, that fhe br~oksa window through the walls of Heaven to look down upon thisBud;and nomar~ Va! I; for, what could RighteM{ne(s defire to fee, and fatisfie her felf in, tha{ was not to be feen in J efus Chrilt? He was all righteous, there was not the leall fpot of fin to be found in him: his Birth was clean, and his life was holy, and his death was innocent; both hiS foul and body were without all !in; both his Spirit and his Mouth were without ~11 guole; whatfoever fat.isfat!cion ri! hteeu{nefs would have, fhe might have itin him , lay Judg_menttorhe Line, and righmu[11e(s to the Bal4nce, and there is nothing in Jef.u but ftretght for the Line, and fullweiglit for the Balance. 3- For the meeting and agreement of all GoJs Attributes, as the ilfue ang th~ !aft effect of thts bud.:ing Vine, the Verfe befpre tells us ; that mercy and truth are nm tag•– thtr, rtgbteon(nefs and peace have kilfed each other : This meeting prefuppofeth adifr,mce before they met ; for they that meet come from divers coalts: Here then are tW<Mhtngs eonGder_able; firfl:, the di!lance, and fecondly, tlie meeting. But yowwill fay; how came thiS dtftance? Are they not all the Am~buces of Gods undivided elfence? are t~ey not all four 10 the bofom of God from all eternity? I anfwer, yes : they are tm– doved tnthemfelves, butthey were divided about us; it was Adi.ms fin, and ours in fl!m, that lirft divided Heaven, yea the very Attributes of God, and in a fort, God ht:nfelf: I fi•all fpeak to both thefe ; that you 'tl)ay firil: fee tbe Differences • and then
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