574 A Sermon on the Secondly, The Birth t~f Chrift glorified the Almighty Pon1cr of God. lt was h" 1 finire Power that fpread abroad the He.1vcns, that poiz'd the Earth in the miJ~ nf the Air; and it would be a glorious exprefl1on of Power, if God fhould draw~ this Globe of the Eart~l to the Heavens ;. or if ht;: fuould let down the Conclave Jf f~eaven to Earth: Thts God h:tth done m the mtraculous Birth of Chrift , he h:ith JOyned Heaven and Earth together, he bath made_ an unf~P'Jrable U nion ben\,.ccn them, he hath caufed Heaven and Earth to meet m the mtdway; He bath raifed Earth to Heaven,. and_ ftooped Hcavm to Earth. It is ~n Effe8: of _the A lmighty Power. of God, to unlte hunfcl~ to Humane Natu:e, to fraJ!Fic/h: Thts was to put forth his Power only, to make htmfelf weak. Is It not Almtghry Po1'rcr, that the infinite unconceivcable Godhead 1ltould unite to it fclf Duft and Ajlm, and befo clofely uni~ ted that it Ihould grow into one and the fame Perfon; the Glory of God's Power is hereby exceedingly advanced. · Thirdy, By rhe Birth of. Chri.ft, God glo~ified rb.e Severity of his ']uflia. His Son muft rather take flefi1 and dte, than that this Attr:bute lhould remain unfatisfied. And fo Itria was ~ad, that ~hen he faun~ but the Imputation of Sin upon. his Son, ']ujftce Arrefts. h1~n ; and. mdeed by th,ts courfe the 1ufl ice of God was more fully fa~isficd, than 1f lt had fe1zed upon the <?!fenders. th~~felves: For they are but fimte, and cannot bear the utmoft feventy and wfhCbon of Divine ~Vrath ~nd Vengeance. This the S~n of God can and. bath done, who by virtue of the Di.vine Nature underwent It all, ~nd came tnumphantly from under it all. So that God glorified the Attribute of h1s Juflice more by fending 1efiu Chrift into the WOrld, to under g~ the Execution of that ':'frath that was due to Sinners, than jf he had taken parucular Vengeance upon Smners, and feat away every Soul of them to Hell. Fourthly, _By the Birth of .chrift the Tr~t~ and V~racity of God i& eminently glorified, by fulfillmg. m~ny Prornjfes and Predtfftons. ~h.Ich wer~ made concerning the fending of Chrtft mto the World : That prtmmve Promifo, Gen. 3- That the Seed of the Woman fhould break the Serpant's Head, which lay for many Ages latent under Types and Figur:s, at the Birth of Chn~ it broke forth into accomplilhment; All thofc PrtJphcc:es, all thofe Ceremomal Refemblances, which through the over·fhadowing of the Holy Ghofl went big with a Saviour: Now they had gone out their fu\1 time, were fafely delivered, and the Veracity of God gave them all their expected lffue in his Birth =. So we have it, Gal. 4· 4• But whtn the fulnefs of time was come, God font forth hu Son~ &c. Fifthy, I might add, That hereby the Infinite Love and Pity of God i& eminently glori.. fied: But this fallin.g into.another part of my Text, Go~'s Good-wilt towards Men, I Jhall make a tranfiuon thtther, and leave this Confideratton, of the Glory that God acquires to himfelf by the Incarnation of his Son Chrift, under thefe Particulars. And fa I fhal1 proceed to the Infinite Love and Good-will that God hath fheWn towards Men. Now I am entcrin€: upon a Theam enough to puzzle and nonplus not only our Expre~on_s, ~ut our Apprehenfions too:, not only ~ur Apprehenfions, but even our Admtratton It felf. But~ 0 Lord ! We can neaher keep filence, nor fpeak out thy Love; ic is fo Great and fo Infinite, that it arrefts our Thoughts, and cramps our Tongues, and leaves us no Relief, but that expreffif)n of the A~ poftle; 0 the depth of the Riches both of the Wi[Jom and Knowledge of God, &c. R.om. u. 33· 0 the boundlefs Dimenfions of the Love of God, which paffeth knowledge. If the .Angels that fang this Song~ Peace on Earth, Good-wilt towards Men, lhould t:hemfelves be queftioncd, how guat GoiJd-will, even they mu It faul~er and frammer in it, they are continuall~ pryin& int? it, and there is infinitely more in it than they have feen, aud yet they fee Infimtely more than they can relate. And what do we here then this Day? What is that I attempt, or you expeCt? Hafrc home therefore, 0 Chri!tians, yield up your felves to be fwallowed up with the Thoughts and Meditations of that wh!c~ _we cannot comprehend. And that. I may give you fame Hints for your Medttatlons to fix on, I fhall endeavour to tl~ luftrate the Great and Infinite Love of God in fmding Chrift into the ~Vorld from thefe Confiderations : Firft, { I. The Perfon that WM font. F 2. The manner and circumftances of this fending. rom 3· The Per[ons to whom he TPIU fent. 4· The un/pt~~kable Benefits that do redQUnd to Men by thU free Gift of God. In
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