3o SERMONS upon Serm IV. rance that he will pity us who is not a ftranger to our blood, and bath had tryal of our nature,and our miferies and temptations; he knoweth the heart of an afflieled, temp- ted man, and will mind our bufinefs as his own. 5. Chrifi by taking our flefh is become a pattern to us of what(hall be done, both in us and by us. I. His own holy natureisa pledgof the work of Grace, and the farraificatian of the fpirit whereby we are fitted and prepared for God; for the fame holy .fpirit, that could fanftifie the fubltance that was taken from the Virgin, fo that that holy thing that was born of her might be called the Son of God ; he can all° fanetifie and cleanfe our cor- rupt hearts ; the pollution of our natures is fo ingrained, that we, are troubled to think how it can be wrought off, and thefe foul hearts of ours made clean; but the fame fpirit . that feparateth our nature in the perfon of Chrift from all the pollution of his An- ceftors, can purifie our perlons and heal our natures, how polluted foever they be, t Cor. 6. i t. Suchwerefome of you, but ye are wafted, but ye are fanbtified, but ye are jxflified in the name of the Lord Jefses,and by the Spirit of God. So many Generations as there are reckoned up in the Story of Chrifts nativity, Mat. 1. Abraham begat Ifàac, and Ileac be- gat Jacob, &c. So many intimations there are of the deriving "of finful pollution from one Ancefior to another; and tho it Rill run in the blood, yet when Chrift was born of the Virgin, he fanáified the fubftance taken from her, there the infection was flopped, he was born an holy Thing, Luk. 1.35. and Heb. 7. 20. Who is holy, barmlefe, ende- îIed, feparate from inners. 2. His Life was a pattern of our Obedience ; for he gave us an example, that we fhould follow his lieps, and walkas he walked ; he fubmitted to all manner og duties both to God and men, Luke a.- 49. Wiir ye not that I fhould be about my fathers bufinefs ? There was his duty to his Heavenly Father ; and for his natural and reputed Parents, Luke 2. 51. He went down and was fubjetl to them ; and (till he went about doing good, Aás ro 38. This was the bufinefs of his Life; Obedience Chrift would commend to us, for he never intended to rob God of a Creature,and a fit/jell, when he made man a Chriftian ;there - fore he in our nature having the fame interefts of 'fleth and blood, the fame paflions and affcáions, would teach us to obey God at the deateft rates. 3. In the fame stature that was foiled, he would teach us, el fo to conquer Satan. He con- quered him, hand to hand, in perfonal conflict, repelling his temptations by Scripture,as we ( hould do, Mat. 4. so. So he conquered him as a tempter; there is another çonqueft of him as a tormentor, as one that bath the power of death, fo he conquered him by his death on the Crofs, and fo his humane nature was neceffary to that alto, Heb. 2. 14. Forafmiech as the children are partakers of fefh and blood, he alfo took part of the fame, that he,might defiroy him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil. Chrift would ftooptothe greateft indignities, to free us from this- enemy, and to put mankind again into a condition of fafety and happinefs. 4. That he might take pofean of Heaven for us in our nature, John 14.2, 3. I go to prepare a place for you, Iwilt come again, and receive you to my felf. The Devils defign was to deprefs our nature,but Chrift came to exalt it;Satan endeavoured to make us lofe Para- dire, but Chrift came to give us Heaven; and to affure us of the reality of the gift, he did himfelf in our nature rife from the dead, and entred into that glory he fpake of, to give us,who are ftrangely haunted with doubts about the other world, a vifible demon- ftration that the Glory of the World to come it no fancy; he is entred into it, and bath carryed our nature thither that in time, if we regard his offers, and his promifes, our fibres may betran(lated thither alfa. 5. After he had been a facrifice for fin, and conquered death by his Refisrretlion: He bath triumphed over the Devil, and led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men, in the very alt of his afcention into heaven, Eph. 4. 8. To teach us, that if we in the fame na- ture continue the confliá,and be faithful unto the death, we (hall triumph allo, and the God of peace Rail tread Satan under our feet fhortly, Rom. 16. 26. Thefe Things occur to me for the prefent as the fruits and benefits of Chrifts Incarnation; but the chief rea- fon why'ris brought here, is, That God might condemn fin in the flefh, (hew the great example of his wrath againft it, by the furrows and fufferings of Chrift. 2. By his Paflion this is intimated in the terms,for Sin, or by a Sinofring, as we have it in the margent; and is confirmed in other Scriptures, as Heb. so. 6. In burnt-offerings and facrifices for fin thou hadfino pleafure. In the Original'tis only ssì ':as in burnt- offerings, and for fin, thou hadit no Pleafure; therefore in the Tranflation we put the word
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