-t_._ _ 'Book IV~ -143 Chap. 2.. Sect. 2. accomp!i0 1ed, and an Angel p~oclaims ir upon ~arrh; hear f? ye fons_tlf Adam, this con• cerns you as much as the V1rgm: W~re ye not all undone m the Loms of_ your firll: Fa– ther? was not my foul, and thy foul mdanger ·of Hell-fire ; was not ·t!us our cafe and .condition that after alittle life upon earth, we fhould have been rhro\Qn mto eternal torments' where had been nothing bur weeping, wailing, aod ,gna01ing of teeth? and now that God and Chrifl fhould bill an Angel tell the News, )'C jha/1 n•tdie; !ohm a f/irgiu jha/1 conceive and bear a Son, and 'he foal/ be y•ur refuo ; he foal/ fave you from rbiJ hen, and death, and fin: he foal/ de!tveryo~<r fouls, he ]hall fave Y_ou to ~he mmqft;· hiJ nameu Jeftu, and he jiMII notbearhunamcfornought, bct.cvemh•m, ,and~oll,j~a/}. live with him in glory. 0 ble!I~d news! men. may talk what ~hey will of this and · that new~, every one gapes after lt ~ but·there 1s no n;ws fo welcome ·to orre ,ev_en no~ 1 ·eady to peri01, as to hear of .• Sav1?~r; tell a man mGcknefs o~ one tlt.lt w1~l·make him well again; .reil a man m capnv1ty of. one that w~ll refcue h1m, and fer h1m fr~e again; rell1 manmpnfon, condemned~o.d1e, ofo~ewuha pardon, rhar.wdlfave his .fife . and every one of thefe will fay, rh1s 1s the belt news that ever ~as,heard : 0 1hen if it'be good tidings to hear of a Saviour, where is only a matter of ,lofs of life, ;or of thiseanh ; how much more when it comes to the lofs of heav,en, to the danger .()f bell, .when our Souls are at flake, and likely to be damned for evermore; what glad tidiqgs would that be to hear of one that could fave our fouls from that defhoyer,? is not fucha Saviour worth the hearkning after? were nor the birth of fuch a one goodnews~ 0 my foul , ponder on rhefe word•, as if an Angel, feeing thee ftand on the brim of hell, lhould fpeak ro thee, even to thy .foul. 2 • Confider Jefm in his Concer~ion; no fooner the news heard, but Chrifi is concei– ved by the Holy Ghofiin the Virgins womb; this •Cone<ption.is worthy our confiderari– on: wlm, chat the great God of heaven fhould condefcend ·fo far as to take our Na– wre upon him, and ro take it in rhe fame way, and after rhe,fame manner as we do·? the womb of the Virgin was furely nofuch place, ·but he might well have abho~redit; true, bur he meant by this to fanB:if.ie our very Conaeprions ; and to that ,purpofe, .he is cooceived in anholy:m~nner, even by the holy Ghofi; we mufi not be too curious to enquire after the manner of rhe holy Ghofls operation, who therefore oyerlha– dowed the Virgin; this is work for our hearts, and not meerly for our heads : bum– ble Faith, and nor curious inquifition flJall find the fweernefs of this Myfiery. It was Davids Complaint, &hold I WM Jhapen i;J iniqHity, and in fin did my Mother conceive Plal 51.~; me. 0 my foul, this was thy cafe in thy. very firfl being or beginning, and bzdfl thou died in that condition, the word is exprefs, that nothing dtftled >Jor unckan jhaU enur into the City of Glory; but here's the remedy , thy finful Conception is f;wdified by Chrifis holy Conception: the holinefs of thy Je(PA ferves-as a Cover to bide.thy Original pollucions from the eyes of God. 0 confider this! j ofus Chrift was not •conceived in vain; he was not idle, <doing nothing., whiles be was in his mothers .womb. he 1bar from all er~rniry began, he was then carrying on the great work of our falv~rion for us : ·O conf1der this Conception thus, rill thou bring'I! it near 11nd .cJofe to thy foul ; ull thou fee!efl fome fweerncfs and power coming and flowing from Jefus 'in rhe womb. 3· Confider theduplici'ty of Natures in Jefus 'Chrifl; the Wordwasmade fufo· no Johnt.l4• footi.er was he .conceived, but he w;ts God-man, man-God; he was perfeB:ly fra:Oed, and mllantly umred to the eternal Vvord: God font hi.< Son, there'" the nature divine; matkof a Woman, there's the nature humane, Certainly great is this Myfiery, that Gal. ~·4• the ·word JS made Jlelh ; that the Son of God is made of a Woman; chat a Star gives L1ghr to the Sun; that a Branch doth bear the Vine; that a Crea1urc giv·es being to the Creator; that the Mother was younger than what Jhe bare, and a gr'ear deal letTer than what fl~econtained. Admir:e Omy foul at thiii! but withal confider, that all this was fo~ us and ou~ falvarion; he wa~ man .that he might die for us ; anti be was God, th~t h1s deat~ m1ght be fufficient to fave us; had he been man alone, not God, he ·m1ght have 1uffered, bur he could never have fatisfied for fin ,· he could not have been J?;~· a Saviour of.fouls; and had he been God alone, n~t man, he had not been o ~Ill ·to our Nature offending; and fo he c.ould nor have fatisfied the J uftice of G~d mthe fame natUre wbevein it .was offended; neither could 'be, as God alone, haved1ed for fin; and the Decree was our, that our Redeemer mufl die for fin; for with- !lob; 9 , h ; out forddmg of blo11d thm iJ no remiffion ; and no lhedding o! blood... no paffion could poffibly
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