Book IV. Chap.~.Sed,z forme nnd faf11ion in thee Jefus Chrilt; (dms Pat:! bcfp~aks the (;,tfatl•iam, my itt i.e chi!dnn of v;hom I trawl in birth cwain un:i!t Chrift be f ormed iny ou;) would not this aP.e<'l? would not the who1 foul be taken up with this? come, receive Chrifi into thy ; foul, or if that work ~e done, if Chrifi be formed in thee 0 cheri{h him! (I fpeak of the fpir irual birth) 0 keep him i~ tl!y ·heart! let him there bud, and bloffome, and bear fruit; let him fill thy foul with his divine graces; 0 th~t thou couldefr fay it .Gal. t ; lG. feelingly, I live, yet nut I, bur Chrift iiveth in me: 0 that this were the i£fue of thy meditation on Chrifis birth! even whiles thou art going with the iliepherds ro Bah!ehem, and therefinde£1: thy Saviour lying in a cratch, that thou would£!: bring him thence, and make thy heart to be his cradle! I would not give a farth ng for a med ration meerly on the Hifiory ofChrifis birth ; either draw vertue from him, by feeling him within, or thy mcdi: tation will be fruitleffe. -- 7· Con~der thofe few confequents after Chrifis birth; every action ofChrifi is our infhuction; here are many particulars, but none in vaine ; Chri~ i> confidered under much variety of notion, but he is Hill fwect under all. I sit poffible, 0 my foul, that thou iliouldfi tyre thy felfe in;the contemplations of Jefus Chrifi? if one floweryeeld thee not pleafure, or delight, go to a fecond, a third ; obferve how the Bees gather honey, after a while that they have fucked one flower they go to another; fo for a while obferve the circumcifion of J efus Chrill:, and fuck there, and gather fome honey out of that flower; Chrifi had never been circumcifed but that the fame might be done to our fouls, that was done to his body ; 0 that the fame Chrill: would do that in us, that was done to him for us. Againe,obferve Chrifis prefentation in the Temple, this was the Law of thofe ,that firfi opened the womb, now Chrifi was the_firll-borneof 01£ary, and indeed the firft.borne of all freatures; and he was confecrate uhto God, that by him we might be con{ecrate, and made holy; and that by him we might be accepted, when we are offered unto the Lord. Againe, obferve Chrifis flight into egypt; though the infancy is ufually inoft quiet, and devoyd of trouble, yet here life and toyle, began together; and fee how fpeedily this comes after Chrifis dedication unto God : alas! alas ! we are no fooner bprne againe, then we are perfecuted; if the Church trave'l, and bring -
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