in Contriving Man's Redemption. I 53 ftlfion, tmd took upon him the form of a Servant , and 1vas made in th(; /ilzu~ejJ of Man: This ('\,..~'\.../ is a lower degree ofCondefcen!ion,than the alfuming the naked Humane Nature. A Servant Chap 9· is not Gm ply a Man, there being many Men of higher Quality, but a rv.an in a low State. ~ Now he that was in the Form of God, Ielfened himfe lf into the Form of a Servant, that is, took the Humane Nature without Honour, attended with its Infirmi ties; So that by the vi!ible Condition of his Life, he was judged to be an ordinary Perfon, and r;ot that under that meanne\s the Lord of Angels had been concealed. This will more diflini:tly be underflood, if we con!ider the lowne[s of his Extraltion, the poverty of his Bi rth, and the tenour of his Life whilfl he convers'd with Men. What Nation was mo re difpicabk in the efl eem of the World than the J""'? yet of their flock Chrifl difdainec\ not to de[cend (y). And among the l"'" none were more vili fied than the (J) Tlu Jew• Galileam, and in Galilee, Nazareth was a co_ntemptible.Village, and in !'faz:m:tl~ the ~gci~:~rl~tf~~ Famil y of Joftph was very obfcure, and to htm our SaviOUr was nearly allied. H1s re· fim"' pou·; Jrr· puted Father w.as a Carpenter, and his Mother a poor Virgin, that offered two Pige9ns 'llt!n~1ft· L!b, fo r her Purification. He firfl breathed in a Stable, and \vas covered with poor Swadl ing- •· "' · cl oaths , who was Mafter of Heaven and Earth, and adorns all Creatures with their Glory. But love made him, who is Heir of all things, renounce the privi!edge of his Supernatural Sonfhip. Inconceivable Condefcenfton! Therefore an Angel was difpatcht trom Heaven, who appeared with a furprizing miraculous Light, the viftble Charalter of his Dignity, to prevent the Scandal which might arife from the meannefs of his Condition, and to all'ure the Shepherds that the Babe which lay in the Manger, wasthe Redeemer of the World, Iok_e o. 12. The cour[e of his Life was a Preface, and preparative for the Death of the Crofs. He had a jufl right to all that Glory, which a created Nature perfonally united to the D~ity could receive. An eminent inftance of it there was in hi s Transfiguration, when Glory defcended from Heaven to incompafs him; that which was fo fh<m fhould have been continual, but he prefently returned to the lownefs of hi s former Condition. The f•lnefs of the God-head dwelt in him bodUy, yet in his humble State he was voluntarily deprived of thole admirable Effelts which fhou!d proceed from that Union. Strange Separation between the Deity, and the Glory that relillts from it ! God is Light, and the Son is the brightne[s of his Father's Glory, yet in his Pilgrimage upon the Earth he was a! ways under a Cloud. Aflonifhing Miracle ! tranfcending all thole in the compafs of Nature, yet the power of Love effelted it. He was made not only lower than the Angels, bHt lefs thmt aU Men, Heb. 2 . joyning (Oh amazing Abafement!) the Maj efly of God, with the meannels of a Worm, Pfal. 22. The High and Lofty One, whom the Prophet [aw Exalted on a High Throne, Ifa. 6. and all the Powers of Heaven in a Poflme of Reverence about him, was difpifedaudreje&edof Men, !fa. 53· they turned their Eyes from him, not for the luftre of his Countenance, but for Shame. If the Lord had all'umed our Nature in its mofl honourable Condition, and appeared in its Beauty, the Condefcenfton were infinite: For altho' Men are diflinguifh'd among rhemfelves by Titles of Honour, yet as two Gloworms that !hine with an unequal Brightnefs in the Night, are equally obfcured by the Light of the SHn: So all Men, thofe that ~1~~ }~~~ndc;~:~c~h~=~~d.ine~~td~::~P::edv%~~felf~ :Uof;:~~~1~nth7t~e~c.he1Je a;r;; ttp tu tl tmder Pl~nt, and tU a Root out of a dry Ground, there was no Form or Comelinefs in him; !fa. 53· 2 . From his Birth to the time of his Preaching he lived fo privately, as only known under thequalityoftheCarpwter's Son. There was a continual repreilion of that inconceivable Glory, that was due to him the firfl moment of his appearing among Men. In fi10rt, His defpifed Condition was an abafement not only of his Divinity, but hi s Human ity. And how confpicuous was his Love in this darkning Condefcenfion? fVekJ1ow the Grace of the Lord 1efiuChrifl., that tho' he was rich, he became poor for our fak_es,o Cor.8.9. He did not alfume that which was due to the Excellency of his Nature, but what was convenient for our Redemption, which was to be accomplHh'd by Sufferings. Where can be found an Example of fuch Love? Some have favourable Inclinations to help the Diflrelfed, and will expre[s fo much Compallion as isconfiflent with their State and Quality: But if in order to the relieving of the Miferable, one mufl fubmit to what IS 0Jameful, who bath an A.lfcltion fo flrong and vehement as to purchafe his Brother's Redemption at the lofs of hiS own Honour ? Yet the Son of God defcended from his Thr~ne, and put ~n o~r v.ile Mortality: H~ parted with his Glory, that He might be qualified to part With IllS Ltfe for our Salvat10n.How doth rhis exalt his Compallion to us! A~d funher, He took our Nature after 1t had loft 1ts Primitive Innocency. The natu· ral dd!ance between God and the Creature is infinite; the moral between <Uod and the Gn fu l Creatme, ifpolli ble, is more than i1iflnite: Yet the Mercy of our Redeemer overcame th>O dtflance. What an extajie of Love tranfported the Son of God [o far as to X efpoufe
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