-------- --------------------------- 1.!.-rolung muo jjefns\ Book IV. 137 Chap. 1. Se-S:. 6. below fh!l ; for where l110_uld 1Mercy be, if not with the miferable? As for Peace, 01e went between both. ro fee 1f fhe could make them meet agam m better terms: m the mean while, our fa!vation lies a bleeding; the Plea hangs, and we !land as Pnfonersat the Bar, and know not what 0Jall become of us; fort hough two be for us, yer two are again!t m, as !lrong, and more !hff than they: fo that much depends upon thts meec-. ino. for either chey mu(\ be at p<lce between chemfelves, or they cannot be at peace w~l; us noN:an we be at peace with God. Many mea~s were made before Chrifls time for a ble!fed meeting, but it wo_ul~ not H:b, 10 • • be; Sac;-ijice and b~<rnt_-offmng thou wouldjf not have_: thefe means ':"ere no,t prev.lel1t 5 enough to caufe ame~nng. Where fiuck It? you wtll fay: Surely tt was not long of Mercy, fl 1 e was edte to be tntreated; !he looked up tO heaven, but Rtglneoufnefs would not look down; and indeed here was the bulinefs; Righresufnefs mufi and will have farisfa <'l ion, or elfe Ri,(hteoufnefs ll10uld not be righteous ; ·either fome fatisfadio.n for !in mu!l be given to God, or lhe will never meet more ; better all men in the world were damned, than that the Righreoufnefs of God llwuld be unrighteous. And this now puts on the great tranfad,ion of our Saviours Birth. Well then, our Saviour is born ; and this birth occallom a gracious meeting of the Attributes : fuch an attractive is rhis Birth, this bxd of Chrift, that all meet there; in– deed they cannor01herwife but meet in hi:n irr whom all the ble!fed Attributes of God d~ meet. It is Chri!\ is Mercy, and Chrifr is Trttrh, and Chrilt is Ri•hteou{nefs, .and Chrifl is Peace. I. Chrifi is Mercy; rhus ZachariM propbelied: That thro~tgb th< tender lul<e r.JS; mercy of our God the day-JPring (or Branch) from on high bath vifitcd '';'· And God the Father of Chrilt, ts called the Father of merctes; as tf .Aftrcy were htS Son, who had nootherSon burhis dearly beloved Son inu-hom he""" m/1 pleafed.---2 . Chri!l:is ,cor. I.J. Truth; I am the way, and the trutb, and-thdife. That truth in whom is accompli,I]Jed John 1 4· 6; whatfoevcr was prefigured of the Melliah. God jiMil fend forth his mercy and his iruth: Nal. 57• ~. And, 0 prepare mercy tmdtruth. And this is his Name, the Lord, the Lord,--abun- Pia.. 6~. 7• J dant ir1 goodnefs and truth. He i< a God of trmh, faith Mofes; plemeom in mercy and truth, Exod·J•· 6, faith David; f~t/1 of Grace and truth, fai~h John; for the LawwM given by Mofes, but ~~~:s~~·,:: graceandtrmhca;.'~ebyJefmChrift.• HetsTrmhbyname, and Trmhby nature, and]ohnr. 1417• Truth by office. --3. Chrifl is RighteoRjnefs. Thi< i< his Name whmby he ~Jail Je,. >~· 6'. be called, the Lord our Righteoufnefs. And, lll'ltO yotl that fear my Name, Jha!lthe Son Mal. 4· •· of righteoltfnefs r:.nfe with heP.ling under hi~ n~ings. And, Chriftof God i~made tmto u.s 1 ~or.'~· 3b. wifdo'!'l, r.ghrcoufnefs, ~nd (anftijication, 411d rede,.ption. And ac~or~ing tO his Type ~~. 9:;,:· Melchifedcch, tlus was hts ~yle. King of righteoufnefs--4- Chnft ts Peace. Thi•is Eph.>. •4· his Na;r;e wherewith he i.; called, wonderful Counce/lor, the mighty God, the everlafting 2 Thor. 3· 16; Father, the Prince of peace. And, Chrijf i< our peace, u·hohar.h made both one, andhath bro/(snd;n·n the middle wall of partition between '"· And therefore prayes the Apoflle, now the Lord of peace himJe/f (or,rheLord hinlfdf, who is peace) giveyot~peacealwayes by all means. And accordtng to Ius type Melchifedech, as he was King of righteoufnefs, fo ~lfo he was fling ofSdern, which ti King of peace_--;-Tbus Chrifl is Mercy, and Chri!l: Heb, 1; ,; ts TrHth, and Cbrt!l: ts Rtght..u(ncfs, and Chnlt ts Peac<: Now where Orould all thefe · .meet but in him wbo is them all? Su:·ely t\!ere they meet, and at the meering, they all ra~ firfl and ki!l'ed rhe Son, and thar done, Truth ran to Mercy and embraced her, and !1-tghreoufnefs ro Peace, and kiffed her; they that folong had be.::n parred,and !l:ood out m dtfferencc, now they meet, and are made friends again. 0 the blc!fed effect of this Btrth of Chri(\ ! it is Chrifl that reconciled them, and that reconciled us and them ;- he r~concilcd all things (faith_the Apoflle) \\'hether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. Col. r; ad, Now ts heaven at peace wuh it felf, and heaven and earth at peace orie with another; and th~t whtch gfues all, and makes the peace, is this Birth of Chri!l:; the budding of this Vtne. Trttth jiJ.tl/ bud oltt of the earth, and •hen mercy and trmh jl~all meet ,together, &c. 3- For /he Blo!fom. The naru:e of Vines is, i.l its feafon to blo!fom, 'or to bear f1~eec Bowers. Pharaoh's Butler, you know, dreamed of a Vine, that not only budded, b~<t bloffomed; her blojfomcs jhot forth: and thus Chri!'; our Vine, both budded and blo!fom- G · ' ed; .he was full of <lie fweete!l: flowers; now what' were tiJefe flowers and blolfoms of en. 40 ' 10 ' Chnll, but his vinuesand blefi'ed graces? In thi•only Chrifl differs from tbe Vine, in that tn lum was feen nor only one fort or kind of flowers,but &~~ery kind. Bernard reckon> Born. de poiJi. up tke vtolet ofhumtltty,the/il!y ofchaftity,the rofe of patience,thefa.!fron of abfti11Cnce ; Jmay '·" Vom, T not
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