should challenge the greatest regard and strictest imitation; that his laws should have supreme authority, and with greatest advantage oblige us: fit therefore it was that he should be God, and have the character of divinity stamped on what he said and performed.

The redemption and salvation of man did import an honor too august for any creature to be dignified with; it was a work too difficult and mighty for any but God to achieve; it was not proper that any creature should be principal in managing an affair of such height and importance: needful and expedient therefore it was, that our Saviour should be God.

It was also requisite, on many accounts, that he should be man; that by perfectly obeying God's commands, and submitting patiently to God's will, as man, he might procure God's favor toward man; that as man had deeply wronged and offended God, so man also should highly content and please him; in St. Paul's language, that as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners,' (that is, were condemned and exposed to death, on God's just displeasure for that one man's transgression, backed with the like in his posterity,) so by the obedience of one man many should be made righteous,' (that is, all who would imitate his obedience should be absolved from guilt, exempted from punishment, and received into grace; God being well pleased with and reconciled to mankind, espe cially to his followers, in regard to that man's dutiful observance of his will.) Decent it was, that as man did approve, so man also should condemn sin in the flesh;' that as man by wilful self-pleasing did incur misery, so by voluntary suffering he should recover happiness; "Expere, It did,' as the Apostle saith, become him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through suffering.'

It was also fit that he who was designed to intercede for our welfare, to propitiate for our faults, to succor and relieve our distresses, should be tender of our good, and sensible of our needs; that he therefore should by nature and experience be disposed ovμrateir, to compassionate our infirmities,' and perpioradeiv, to be gently affected toward us,' in respect of our ignorances and errors; whence peixe, he, saith the divine

Apostle again, according to the design appointed to him, and undertaken by him, ought, or it did behove him to be in all things like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God; that he might propitiate for the sins of the people; for in that he hath himself suffered being tempted, he is also able to succor those that are tempted.'

He was to be man also, for that by appearing in human shape, visible and audible, familiar and agreeable to us, he was qualified for that great design of declaring God's will and intentions toward us in a more easy, less amazing, and more obliging way, than otherwise could have been for that hence likewise he could, with more advantage, describe an exact copy of righteousness for us to transcribe; showing us exemplarily how as men we should behave ourselves; how we should moderate our sensual appetites, how govern our passions, how order and employ all the powers of our soul and members of our body; how pass through all conditions, and entertain all events befalling us; it not being indeed otherwise possible that so lively and suitable a pattern of transcendent charity, meekness, humility, and patience, could have been exhibited to us.

Fit it also was, that he who was to be appointed our judge, substitute of the supreme Judge invisible, should be, as God, (of perfect wisdom, and so able to discern all matters of fact, to distinguish all points of right; of perfect rectitude, so as never willingly to discost from truth and equity,) so also man; visible and audible to us, without surprising astonishment and terror; apt to screen us from the insupportable presence of God; endued with a natural tenderness of good-will and compassion toward us, disposed to temper needful severity with competent mildness.

In fine, it was most congruous that he who was designed to * recapitulate and reconcile,' as St. Paul speaketh, ‘all things in heaven and earth,' to be the great mediator and peacemaker between God and man, for the repairing God's honor and dispensing his grace, for the purchasing our peace' and procuring our salvation, that he should be most nearly allied unto both parties; that consequently, if possible, (and what is to God, the author of this economy, impossible?) he should be both

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God and man; Son to God, and brother to us; the same in nature with God, in kind with us. Such reason and wisdom is discernible in this dispensation.

III. Now for the practical use of this doctrine, (for it is not a doctrine merely speculative, and barren of fruit, or practical use:) it should, first, have a powerful influence on our minds, causing us, with high degrees of love and gratitude, to adore the infinite goodness of that God, who hath been pleased himself to stoop so low, that he might advance us from the lowest depth of meanness and wretchedness, to the highest pitch of honor and happiness that we are capable of: what words can express, what thought can apprehend a favor so unconceivable and ineffable? Well might St. Paul call it vrеpβάλλουσαν τῆς γνώσεως ἀγάπην, ‘love transcending all knowlege' well may heaven admire, and earth be astonished, and hell tremble at the disclosure of such a mystery, at the accomplishing such a miracle of grace and mercy; that the sovereign Majesty of heaven, the eternal Lord of glory, the world's great Maker, the only Son of God, and heir of all things, should become a poor, small, weak, and frail man; should dwell in a tabernacle of flesh; should converse with silly, wretched, and frail mortals here; should be exposed to want, disgrace, and pain: Bálos, O depth of goodness and mercy unsearchable ! if this will not, what consideration can raise us, what benefit can affect us? what prodigious ingratitude will it be, to be regardless or insensible of kindness so wonderful?

2. Another great use of this point is to engage us, as universally to all obedience, so particularly to the duties of humility, of patience, and of charity. Did the Son of God thus willingly submit, and so abase himself; and shall we then be refractory, shall we exalt ourselves; shall we refuse any appointment, or repine at any proceeding of God? Did he from the highest pitch of glory super-celestial voluntarily descend into this gloomy region and state of ignoble security; did he, abandoning immense wealth, freely embrace extreme poverty; did he gladly sequester himself from those ineffable joys above, to converse with sorrow and sadness here, in this valley of tears, for God's sake and ours; and shall we be unwilling to do any thing for God's sake, or to part with any thing for him?

To these purposes doth St. Paul apply the consideration of this point; Let,' saith he, 'the same mind' (the same humble, patient, meek, charitable mind) be in you, which was in Christ Jesus; who being in the form of God-emptied himself, taking on him the form of a servant; being made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death:' it was the greatest argument and instance of humility, patience, and charity that could be, for him, that did exist in the form of God, thus to debase himself, to partake of our nature, and submit to our state: and, 'Know,' saith that Apostle again, the grace (or graciousness) of our Lord Jesus Christ, that being himself rich, for your sake he became poor,' (being rich as God, and Lord of all things, he put himself into this mean and poor condition of man,) ' that ye, through his poverty, might be rich:' it was a consideration surely most proper to his purpose of inciting unto charity.

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3. The consideration of this point should raise our minds to a sense of the dignity of our natue, accompanied with dispositions of heart and deportments of life answerable thereto : by our Lord's incarnation our nature is so advanced, that we become nearly allied to God, of the blood-royal of heaven, in this respect overtopping all the creation of God; so that hereby, as the Apostle to the Hebrews discourseth, that of the Psalmist was verified, concerning man; Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, and hast set him over the works of thine hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:' the angels themselves cannot boast of such an honor; for he took not the nature of angels, but he took the seed of Abraham :' being therefore so highly dignified, we should have a mind suitably great and noble, loving, delighting in, aiming at the most excellent things, void of base eares, of sordid desires, of unworthy designs; we should, in all our conversation, demean ourselves worthily and decently, like the brethren of Jesus and children of God; that we may not disparage and disgrace this illustrious alliance. As our Lord did vouchsafe, in most condescensive grace, to resemble us, so should we, with a generous and honest ambition, aspire to resemble him; as he stooped to humanity, so let us rear ourselves to a kind of divinity, in pu

rity of mind and sanctity of life; so St. Gregory Nazianzen exhorteth; Let us,' saith he, 'be as Christ, since Christ is become like us; let us, for his sake, be gods, seeing he is bocome man for us.'

4. The consideration of this point should fill our hearts with spiritual comfort and joy; there never can be a greater occasion or juster cause of rejoicing than this, that our Lord is born and come: it is signally Evangelium, good tidings; never news more welcome hath come into the world; never report more grateful' was heard by mortal ears: it is news from heaven, and the best that ever came thence; 'Behold,' (said the angel that brought it, and a message it was most worthy the mouth of an angel,) I tell good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people :' news, at which all heaven was pleased and ravished with joy, breaking presently forth into hymns of praise and congratulation; There was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory be to God on high, on earth peace, and good-will to men.' this, if we mark it, all the grand causes of extraordinary joy and festivity do conspire.

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Is the birth of a prince ever by honest subjects entertained and celebrated with joy? Behold a Prince born to all the world; a Prince that cometh to rule mankind with perfect equity and clemency; to bring with him all peace and prosperity; to achieve the most noble exploits that could be undertaken in our behalf, to protect us in most assured safety, to defend us from all evil, to subdue and destroy all the enemies of our welfare, to rescue us from the greatest slaveries and miseries, to settle us in perfect happiness: he bringeth'salvation from our enemies, and from the hands of all that hate us; so that being delivered from the hands of our enemies, we might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our lives.'

Is victory glorious and joyful? See the invincible warrior is issued forth into the field, conquering and to conquer;' he that shall quell, disarm, and rifle the strong one, that shall rout all the forces of hell, that shall defeat sin, and slay death itself, that shall subdue the world, and subject all things to himself: the Captain of our salvation appeareth, triumphing in