to the E P H E S I A N s.· 1 J 9 0'-A..,&l Let me but add this: Hence it comesto pafs, that Jefus Chrirt,. he comes not ~ to be tainted with original Sm. The matter ofhts Body, he had tt 111 the 'vVomb of the Virgin; for he was in that refpetl: the Son. of .Adam, but he came not from .Adam according to the Law ofNature, that I>, by generatton ; and therefore Jfdamwas not a common Perfon to reprefent him : For the ground of .Adam's being a common Perfon,_was, that he was to beget his like, and his Nature was to be propagated by generation. Now Chrift was not to come of him by generation; hence therefore our Saviour Chrift is feparatcd fi·om Sinners, as Heb. 7· bath it. He had a Mother, and his Mother conceived him; but !lte did not conceive him in Sin, becaufe it was not by the way of generation .: for he was conceived by the Holy-Ghoft, the _Text faith fo, ;:i/4at_. ': 20. The HolyGhoft did articulate (whereas the Sptnts of the Father do tt m ordmary genc- 'ration) that Body of Chrift: .ABody haft thou framed me, Gith he, Heb.1o.5. Therefore he is faid to be made of a Woma~1, not begotten of a Womm, in G.d. 4And therefore he came not under (and 'twas well for us he did not) the Law of generation, hence he efcapeth being defiled with original Sin. And hence Adam is not a common Perfon to htm, no, he was ordamed a common Perfon before .Adamwas made one; for .Jfdamwas his Type. And therefore things are ordered fo, that be lhould not come by generation, becaufe he was to be a Head of a fecond fort ; and therefore he is called the fecond Man, as .Adam is the firft. And let me add this likewife for our comforts, that Chrift, becaufe he would take away original Sin in us, he came as near as poffibly could be, fo as to efcape pollution. He would be made- of the fame matter we were made of; he would be made in the Womb of a Virgin ; he would be conceived ; and he took upon him too the likenefs of finful Flelh, with all the frailties of it, as like finful Fldh every way as·could be. Nay, he would have his Mother go and be purified, as if !he had brought forth an unclean Son; for the Law in Le<-uiticu• was, to !hew the Impurity of our Birth, that the Mother was to be purified. Nay, and not -enlv fo, but he was circumcifed, as if he had had original Sin to be cnt ofi' as wef!aswe. What was all this for? The Apoflle tells us, Col. 2. II. We were circumcifed in Chrijl, that the Body of Sin might be wt off by the Circwnci)ion of Chrijl. It was, that he mighttake away this original Corruption, which we had from the firft .Adam. Now then, having explained this, I come to fome Obfervations. Thefirfi is this, which is the Apo!He's fcope here: That we lhouldget our Hearts Ob{ , humbled for the Sit1 ofour Nature, and for the SinofAdaiJI, which by generation erv. 1 ' corrupteth our Nature to the end of the World, whereofwe aregui)ty. This is that which is the great corrupter ofus, it is the greateft caufe of•11 the reft. You know, David, inPfal. 5r. hath recourfe to it, as to the fpring of all his actual defilements: In Sin, faith he, hath my Mother conceivrd me; and he puts a [befwld] upon it, becaufe his,_Soul was eminently humbled for it. It is the catlfe, and the greateft caufe. Do'bm..take a poyfonousloot, and you !ltall find more Venom in the root, than in all thebtanches that-fpring from it. There is a greater contrariety betwixt God and us,. in that our Nature is defiled, than that our Actions are finful: For as Holinefs, that is in the Nature of God, is greater, and deeper, and a higher Holinefs, than that Holinels that is in his Actions, or in what is done by him; for that is an effential Holinefs, the other is but a manifeftative Holinefs : So there is a greater Sinfulnefs that is in our Nature, than is fimply in our Actions. You !hall find, in lfa. 64. 6. that the Church there, when tliey humbled themfelves, they do not only Gy, that their R.ighteoufnefs was as a menftruo!fl Cloth, but they themfelves cry out oftheir Perfons: We are all, Gythey, M •n Hnclean thing; and then follows, And OTir Righteouji;eji t/5 a nm1flruomCloth:' But,I fay, the uncleannefs oftheir Perfons,and that in refpetl: oftheir Natures, isthat they c~iefly complain of_; and they do it in_thever~ fame terms that the Leper complams, m Lev.r3.45· It tsour Nature that tsabommable to God; we are Children of_ Wrath by Nature: Therefore God hateth it, and God isangry with nothing but wlt:~t
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