Book. IV. 353 him (faith {ohn) to them hegave power to become tbe fonnesof God, even to them thllt i?eleeve on his Name; it is true, Chrift referves to himfelfe the preheminencc ; he is in a peculiar manner the firft borneuemong rmmy brethren; yet in him, and for him all the Rom. s. t 9 : reft of the brethren are accounted as firft bornes : So _9od bids • Mofes fay unto pharaoh, Ifrael is my fonne even my firft-borne ; Exod.4.uJ l3~ eAnd I Jay unto thee let my fonne go, that he "'"'} fcrve me, and if thou refufe to let himgo, behold I will Jl~ty thy fonne, even thy fir[fbarne. And the whole Church of God confifring of Jew and Gentile, is in the fame fort defcribed by the Apoftle to be the _ _ general af{embly and Church ofthe ~rfl-borne. inrolled in heaven; by Hcb. lil.• l~. the fame reafon that we are fonnes, we are firft-bornes; if we are Rom s. 17 • children then are we heiru, heires of God, and joynt-heires with • (hrift. '0 who would not endeavour after this priviledge? who would not conforme to Chrifl: in this refpeCl: ? 4· Chrift the Sonne ofGod was yet the fonnE-of man; there was in him a duplicity ofnatures really diftinguifhed, and in this refpeer, the greatefr u:1ajefry and the greatefr humility that ever was are found in Chrift ; fo we though ·fonnes of God, muft remember our felves to be but fens ofmen, our priviledges are not fo high, but our poore conditions, frailties, infirmities, fins may make us as low: who was higher then the Son ofGod ? and who was. lower then the fon ofman? as he is God, he is in the bofome of his Father; as he is man, he is in the wornb of his mother; as he is God, his throne is in heaven; and he fills all things by his imfllenflty; as he is man, he is circumfcribed in a cradle, I meane a manger, a rnofr uneaGe cradle fure; as he is God,be is cloathedin a robe of glory; as he is man, he is wrapped in a few cour[efwadling bands; as he is God, he is incircled with millions of bright Angels; as he is man, he is in company of {ofeph, and Mary,and the beafts; as he is God ,he is the eternal Word of the Father, all-{ufficient, and without need; as he is man, he fubmits himfelfe to a condition imperfeCt , inglorious, indigent, and . neceffitous: well, let :his mind be in you which was alfo in Chrjt Phd,!, ),6,7,8, 'fefus, who being in the fvrme of Cjod, thottght it not robbery to be equal wirh God, but he made himfelfe of no reputation, ad toclz.r4pon him th(Jovme ofafervant, and was mr1de in the U?,fwef[c ofmen, aHd · being fotmd in fa!hion as a m,tn he humbled himfeife ; he that thought it no robbery to be egual with God humbled himfelfe Zz w
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=