Chap. 1 .Sect z. Looking NtJI() 'fe[ IH, Book.-nr. z ~> before ~er, peace and profpericie follow after her , pitie and mercy waites on either hand , and when fhe firft fees her foot on the earth , fhe cries, a {efus a Saviour; heareye .{onn'n of men ! the Lord ht.fth[ent me down to bring JOlt news of a Jefm ; gr,:~ce and penn be unto you , I will live with you in this world, and JOI;f foal! live with me in the world to come. 0 here w~s blelfed news! why this is Gofpel , pure Gofpel; this is the glad tydings; free grace proclaimesa{e(u.J; . and a {efm is made up (as it were) all of fret! grace; 0 what eternal thanks do we owe to the eternal God ? if there had not been a Jefm (to borrow that expreffion) made all of grace , of grace it [elf, w~ could never have had dealing with God ; 0 how may we fay With the Angels, glor; to God; Blef fed be God for Jefus Chrij l But in this conception ofChrift are fo many wond~rs , that ere we begin to fpeak tb_em we may ftan_d amazed, without contra- 1 Tim.J.16 verjiegreat u the myftery ofgodlinef{e, qod manifefted in theJlefo, Say,is it not a wonder , a Myftery, a great Myftery, a great Myfiery without all controverfie, that the Son ofGod fhould be made ofa woman, even made ofthat w.oman which was made by himfelf? is it not a wonder that her womb then , .and that the heavens now,fhould containe him whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain? concerning this concepcion of Chrift I fhall fpeak a little, and but a little; what man can conceive much of this conception , which was a concepcion without belp of man? our greateft light we borrow from the Angel, .who defcribes it L k thus, thehol]Ghoftfhallcomeuponthu, 'andthepowerofthehigJ;..' u e.r .35 eft /hall vverfh~tddow thee. Out ?fthefe words , obferve, I. The agent or efficient, 2 . Th~ fru~t q~ effect , I. The 2gent or efficient caufe of Chrifts conceptton 1s the holy Ghoft. This agrees with that fpeech of Mar 10 , the Angel to {ofeph, that which is conceived in her u of the holy ,I, · Gbo.Jl. Here it may be demanded why the conception of Chrifl: !bould be afcribed to the holy ·Ghoft , which is common .co all the actions in the Trinity! l anfwer,not to exclude the reft hut firft to fhew it was the free grace ot God, which is often te~med the hsly Ghoft. 2. Becaufe the Father and the Son effected it by the holy Ghoft, fo was it his work immediately and in a fpecial manner;' good reafon have we to be thankful 'to all the threeperfons 2 to theFather for ordaining this garment, to the . Mm . hcly
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