A Miracle of Miracles, Sermon 1 – Errata
A MIRACLE OF MIRACLES OR Christ in our nature.
Wherein is contained The Wonderfull Conception, Birth, and Life of Christ, who in the fulnesse of time became man to satisfie divine Iustice, and to make reconciliation betweene God and man.
Preached To the honourable Society of Grayes Inne, by that godly and faithfull minister of Iesus Christ, Richard Sibbes. D.D.
Phil. 2.5.
Hee made himselfe of no reputation and tooke upon him the forme of a servant, and was made in the likenesse of men.
LONDON Printed by E. G. for Iohn Rothwell at the signe of the Sunne in Pauls Church yard, 1638.
THE FIRST SERMON.
Isaiah 7.14.
The Lord himselfe shall give a signe, Behold a virgin shall conceive and bare a Sonne, and shall call his name Imanuell.
THe Jewes at this time were in a distressed condition by reason of the siege of two kings,The scope of the Text. Resin, and Pekah; the one the king of Syria, the other the king of Israel. Whereupon the Prophet labours to comfort them, and tels them that these two kings were but as two fire-brands, that should waste and consume themselves, and then goe out. For confirmation thereof (because he saw the heart both of King and people astonished,) He biddeth them aske a signe of things in heaven or earth. No saith king Ahaz, I will not tempt God, and making Religion his pretence against Religion, (being a most willfull and wicked man) would not.
For He had framed an altar according to the altar which he had seen at Damascus, neglecting Gods Altar at Jerusalem, as too plaine and homely.
Wicked men admire their owne devices.Man unsubdued by the spirit of God, admires the devices of men, and the fabricke of his owne braine.
And though this king was so fearefull that his heart, and the rest of their hearts, were as the leaves in the forrest, shaking and trembling and quaking at the presence of their enemies, and though hee was surprized with feare and horrour, seeing God his enemy, and himselfe Gods enemy, and that God intended him no good, yet hee would goe on in his owne superstitious course, having some secret confidence in league and affinity with other Kings, that were superstitious like himselfe. This by the way.
Those that brag out of danger, are most cowardly in danger.We may learne by this wretched King, That those that are least fearefull before danger, are most basely fearefull in danger. Hee that was so confident and willfull out of danger, in danger his heart was as the leaves of the forrest. For a wicked man in danger hath no hope from God, and therefore is uncapeable of any entercourse with him. Hee will trust the devill and his instruments, led with a superstitious spirit rather then God. As this King had more confidence in the King of Syria, that was his enemy, and so shewed himselfe after, then in God. It is the nature of flesh and bloud (being not sanctified by God) to trust in this meanes and that meanes: this carnall help, and that carnall helpe: a reed of Egypt, yea the devill, and lies, rather then to God himselfe.
The Prophet in an holy indignation for the refusing of a signe, to confirme his faith that these Kings should not doe the Church harme, breaketh forth thus. Know O house of David, is it a smal thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? God offers you a signe out of his love, and you dislike and contemne his blessed bounty. Therefore the Lord himselfe shall give you a signe. What is that? A virgin shall conceive and beare a Sonne, and shall call his name Emanuell.
From the inference,Infinite mercy in God and stubbornnesse in man conflicting. wee may see the conflict betweene the Infinite goodnesse of God, and the inflexible stubbornnesse of Man. Gods goodnesse striving with mans badnesse: when they would have no signe, yet God will give them a signe: his goodnesse overcommeth, and outwrastleth in the contention mans sinfull strivings: his merciemercy prevailes against mans malice.
To come to the text it selfe. Behold a virgin shall conceive and beare a Sonne, and they shall call his name Emanuell. Meaning of the Text.It was not so much a signe for the present, as a promise of a miraculous benefit, which was to bee presented almost eight hundred yeares after the prophet spake these words. Even the incarnation of Christ, a miracle of miracles, a benefit of benefits, and the cause of all benefits. He fetcheth comfort against the present distresse, from a benefit to come. And to shew how this can be a ground of comfort, at this time of distresse, That a virgin shall conceive; We must know, That Christ was the Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world. All the godly of the Iewes knew it well enough, the Messias being all their comfort, they knew that he was yesterday and to day, and shall be the same for ever. The church had in all times comfort from Christ. Profuit antequam fuit; Hee did good before he was exhibited in the world.
And thus the Prophet applyes the comfort to the house of David, a virgin shall conceive and beare a sonne. And they shall call his name Emanuell. Who shall be of the family of David. And therefore the house of David shall not be extinct and dissolved. The reason is strong: you of the house of David are in feare that your Kingdome and nation shall be destroyed; but know that the Messias must come of a virgin, and of the house of David. And considering this must certainely come to passe, Why doe ye feare, ye house of David?
Reason.Againe it hath force of a reason thus. The promise of our Messias is the grand promise of all, and the cause of all promises, for all promises made to the church, are either promises of Christ himselfe, or promises in him, and for his sake, because hee takes all promises from God and conveyeth them, and maketh them good to us. God maketh them and performeth them in Christ, and for Christ.
Now the reason stands thus, if God will give a Messias,He that will doe the greater he will doe the lesser. that shall bee the sonne of a virgin, and Emanuell, certainely hee will give you deliverance. Hee that will doe the greater, will doe the lesse; what is the deliverance you desire, to the promised deliverance from hell, and damnation, and to the benefit by the Messias, which you professe to hope for, and believe?
The Apostle himselfe Rom. 2.8. reasons thus: God that spared not his owne Sonne, but gave him to death for us all, how shall not hee with him give us all things? If God will give Christ to bee Emanuell and incarnate, he will not stand upon any other inferiour promises or mercies whatsoever.
But you will say,Object. this promise was to come, and how could this confirme their faith,How this can confirme their faith for present. for the present, that they should not bee destroyed?
I answer,Answ. in regard of his taking our nature, hee was to come, yet Christ was alwayes with his Church before. They understood him in the Manna, he was the Angel of the covenant: They that were spiritually wise amongst the Iewes, understood that he was the Rocke, that went before them.
And againe it is usuall in Scripture to give signes from things to come, as 37. Isaiah. The next yeare thou shalt eate that which groweth of it selfe, &c. because where faith is, it maketh things to come all one as if they were present.
Make use of the Grand promises to comfort us in petty crosses.And so wee should make this use of the Grand promises of Christ to comfort us against all petty matters and wants whatsoever. And to reason with the holy Apostle, God spared not his only begotten sonne, but gave him to death. He hath given Christ, and will he not give all things needfull? Hath he given the greater, and will he stand with thee for the lesse? This is a blessed kinde of reasoning; And so to reason from other Grand things promised. God shall raise my body out of the dust, and the grave, and cannot he raise my body out of sicknesse? and my state out of trouble? cannot hee raise the Church out of misery? So saith Saint Paul, 2 Cor. 1. God that raised Christ, restored me againe, that had received the sentence of death: when we receive sentence of death in our persons, looke to him that raised Christ from the dead, and to the grand promises to come. They before Christ comforted themselves in times of all distresse by the grand promise of Christ to come. But, now the Messias is come. And (which may much more strengthen our faith,) he hath suffered and given his body to death for us, and therefore why doubt we of Gods good will in any petty matters whatsoever?
To come to the words more particularly. Behold a Virgin shall conceive and beare a Sonne, &c.
You have divers articles of our faith in these few words.Divers Articles of faith. As Christs conception by the holy Ghost, his being borne of the virgin Mary, &c. you have here the humane nature of Christ. A virgin shall conceive, and bare a sonne. And the divine nature of Christ; his name shall bee called Emanuell, which signifieth also his office, God with us by nature, and God with us by office, to set God and us at one. So you have diverse points of divinity couched in the words which I will onelyonly open sutable to the occasion.
Behold. This is the usuall Becon, set up, the usuall Harbinger to require our attendance, in all matters concerning Christ. And it hath a threefold force here. Behold, as being a thing presented to the eye of faith, He mounteth over all the interim betweene the promise and the accomplishment; for faith knoweth no difference of times.
And then it is to raise attention, behold it is a matter of great concernement.
And not onelyonly attention, but likewise admiration, behold a strange and admirable thing. For what stranger thing is there, then that a virgin should conceive,Nothing more strange then a virgin to be a mother, and God a man. that a virgin should be a mother: and that God should become man.
We had need of strong grace to apprehend these strange things. And therefore God hath provided a grace suitable, above reason, and above nature, and that is faith. Reason mocketh at this. The devill knoweth it and envyeth it. The Angels know, and wonder at it. The soule it selfe without a grace sutable to the admirablenesse of the thing, can never apprehend it. And therefore well may it be said, Behold, a virgin shall conceive and beare a sonne.
Behold a virgin shall conceive and beare. and why a virgin? When God is to be borne, it is fit for a virgin to bee the mother. Christ was not to come by the ordinary way of propagation;Christ conceived not by ordinary Propagation. he was to come from Adam, but not by Adam, for he was to be sanctified by the holy Ghost. Because he was indeed to be a Saviour and a Sacrifice, and hee must be without spot, or sinne himselfe, that was to offer himselfe for the sinnes of others; Therefore the foundation, and ground of his nature must bee pure, and cleane, and that is the foundation of all the purity of his life, and conversation, and therefore a virgin.
This was typified in Aarous rod which budded though it had no root. No Iuice could come from a dry sticke, yet by an Almighty power the rod did bud. And so Moses bush, It burnt and did not consume; And that God that caused those things, caused a virgin to be a mother.
He enters into the wombe of a virgin, without any defilement at all, considering the holy Ghost, from the Father and the Son, did purge and purifie, and sanctifie that masse,The Masse wherof Christ was made, was sanctified by the holy Ghost. whereof the blessed body of our Saviour was made. The virgin afforded the matter, but the wise Framer was the holy Ghost. She was passive, the holy Ghost was the Agent.
Now when did the virgin conceive? when upon the Angels comming to her, and telling her, That she was greatly beloved, and that shee should conceive, she assented, be it so, as the Lord hath spoken. When shee assented to the word, presently Christ was conceived:Christ conceived, upon Maries assent to the message by the holy Ghost. her faith, and her wombe conceived together. When her heart did conceive the truth of the promise, and yeelded assent thereunto, her womb conceived at the same time also.
From hence learne something for our selves, It had beene to little purpose, though a virgin conceived Christ, Observ.unlesse Christ had beene conceived likewise in her heart. And there is no benefit, by virtue of this conception to others, but to such as conceive Christ in their hearts also.
To which end our hearts must bee in some measure made virgin hearts, pure hearts, hearts fit to receive Christ.
We must assent to promises of pardon, and of life everlasting, bee it as the Lord saith. A Christian is a Christian, and Christ liveth in his heart, at the time of the assenting to the promise. So that if you aske, when doth Christ first live in a Christians heart?Quest. I answer then, when the heart yeeldeth a firme assent to the gracious promises made in Christ for the pardoning of sinnes,Answ. and acceptation to the favour of God, and title, and interest to life everlasting. For faith is the birth of the heart.
Christ was conceived in the wombe of an humble and believing virgin. So that heart that will conceive Christ aright, must bee a humble, and believing heart, humble, to deny himselfe in all things. And believing, to goe out of it selfe, to the promises of God in Christ. When God by his spirit hath brought our hearts to be humble,Christ is conceived in our hearts when we rest upon him onelyonly. and believing, to goe out of themselves, and believe in him, rest upon him, and his promises, then Christ is conceived in our hearts.
Behold a virgin shall conceive and beare a sonne. Here is the birth of Christ, as well as the conception. Christ must not onelyonly be conceived in the wombe, but also brought forth, because God must be manifested in the flesh. As Saint Paul saith,1 Tim. 3. Great is the mystery of Godlinesse, God manifested in the flesh. If hee had onelyonly beene conceived, and not brought forth, he had not beene manifested, hee was to doe all things that befitted a Mediatour.
And therefore hee went along with us in all the passages of our lives.Christs conception, birth and life like ours. Hee was conceived as we are, remayned in the wombe, so many moneths, borne as we are borne, brought into the light as we are. Away therefore with idle monkish devices, and fond conceipts, that affirme the contrary.
He was like to us in all things, sinne excepted, conceived, brought forth, hung upon the brest as we, an infant as we, hungry and thirsty, and suffered as we.
And as he was in all things like to us,In every thing in Christ, something extraordinary. so in every thing that was in him, there was something extraordinary; as hee was a man like to us, so hee was an extraordinary man. Hee was conceived, but of a virgin, which is extraordinary: hee was borne, as we are, but there his starre appeared,Christ conceived, borne, lived, and dyed, eswe. and the wise men came to adore and worship him. He was poore, as wee are, but there were beames of his Godhead appeared; when hee was poore, he could command a fish to furnish him: hee dyed as we dye, but he made the earth to quake, the vaile of the temple to rend, when hee tryumphed on the crosse. All which declared hee was more then an ordinary person.
And so wee must all conceive Christ, and beare Christ in our words, and actions, it must appeare that Christ liveth in us.To shew sorth Christ in all our actions. It must appeare outwardly to man, what we are inwardly to God. Our whole outward life must bee nothing but a discovery of Christ living in us. I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, saith Saint Paul, which should appeare, by word, conversation and action. Our lives should bee nothing, but an acting of Christ, living in our soules.
This is not a meere analogicall truth, but it floweth naturally: whosoever are to have the benefit of his birth, and conception, Christ sendeth into their heart, the same spirit that sanctified the masse, whereof hee was made, and so frameth a disposition suitable to himselfe, he sets his owne stampe upon the heart: as the vnion of his humane nature to the divine, was the cause of all other graces of his humane nature, so the spirit of God uniting us to Christ,Vnion with Christ the cause of all grace. is the cause of all grace in us. If we have not the spirit of Christ, wee are none of his.
And shalt call his name Emanuel. Many things might bee observed concerning the ordinary reading of the words. Some read, shee shall call his name Emanuel, because hee had no father. Others, his name shall be called Emanuel: but they be doubtfull, therefore I leave them.
But Iesus was his name. Therefore how is it said, he shall be called Emanuel?
The meaning is, he shall be Emanuel, and shall bee accounted and believed to bee so, he shall be God with us indeed, and shall shew himselfe to be so. For in the Hebrew phrase, the meaning of a thing imports the being of the thing. The like phrase is in Isaiah 9.6. To us a childe is borne, to us a sonne is given, and his name shall be called wonderfull, Counsellour, the Everlasting father, the Prince of peace. That is, hee shall bee believed to bee so, and shall shew himselfe to bee so, and shall bee so indeed. The like you have, (because it is an answer to the cavill of the Iewes,) which object he was not called Emanuell,Ier. 2.3. Iudah shall bee saved, Israel shall dwell safely, and this is his name, whereby he shall be called, The Lord our Righteousnesse. For indeed he is Iehovah our righteousnesse, and we have no righteousnesse to stand before God with, but his: divers other places of Scripture there be of the same nature, but these two are pregnant; and therefore, I name them for all the rest.
Besides the conception and birth of Christ, you have here likewise, the divine nature of Christ,Emanuel, a name of nature and office. and the offices of Christ, for Emanuell is a name both of nature and office.
It is a name of his nature, God, and man, and of his office, which is to reconcile God and man: we could not be with God, but God must first be Man with us. We were once with God in Adam, before hee fell; but there being a breach made, we cannot be recovered againe, till God be with us: he must take our natures, that he may reconcile our persons.
Now Christ is Emanuell, first in regard of nature, Christ Emanuell in regard of our nature.God with us, or God in our nature. The pure nature of God, and the base nature of man: that were strangers ever since the fall, are knit together in Christ. What can be in a greater degree of strangenesse (except the devils) then mens unholinesse, and Gods pure nature? Yet the nature of man and of God, being so severed before, are met together in one Christ. So that in this one word Emanuell, there is heaven and earth, God and man, infinite and finite: therefore we may well prefix, Behold.
A true Saviour of the world must bee God with man. Whether wee consider the greatnesse of the good we are to have by a Saviour, or the greatnesse of the evil we are to be freed from by a Saviour: both which doe inforce, that he must be Emanuell, God with us.
First, the greatnesse of the good which we are to have, for he is to bee God and man together, to satisfie the wrath of God, to undergoe a punishment due to sinne, as our surety: hee must give us title to heaven, and bring us thither, and who can doe this but God?
Besides, Secondly hee must know our hearts, our wants, our griefes, our infirmities, hee must bee every where to relieve us. And who can doe this but God?
So Thirdly, in regard of evil, which we are to be freed from. He is to defend us in the middest of the enemies: and who is above the devill, and sinne, and the wrath of God, and all the oppositions, that stand betweene us and heaven, but God. So in regard of the good, in regard of the evill, and in regard of the preservation, to an Eternall good estate, and freedome from eternall evill, he must be Emanuell, God with us.
These grand principles are enough to satisfie in this point.
And Secondly, as he must be God, so there was a necessity of his being Man. Man had sinned, and man must suffer for sin, and without bloud there was no remission;Without the blood of Christ, noe remission. and then, that he might be a mercifull, and pittifull Saviour, he must take that nature on him, that he meaneth to save, there must be a sutablenesse, and sympathy. Sutablenesse, that the head, and the members. The sanctified, and the Sanctifier, may bee both of one nature. And a Sumpathy, that he might be touched with humane infirmities.
Thirdly, this God and man must bee one person. For if there were two persons, God one distinct person, and man another: then there were two Christs, and so the actions of the one, could not bee attributed to the other.
As man dyed and shed his bloud, it could not have beene said that God dyed. But because there was but one person, God is truely said to dye, though hee dyed in mans nature, for hee tooke mans nature into unity with his person: and whatsoever either nature did, the whole person is said to doe, and therefore Christ is a Saviour according to both natures, as God, and as Man: for he was to suffer, and hee was to overcome and satisfie in suffering, he was not onelyonly to heare our prayers, but to answer them. Both natures had an ingredience into all the worke of mediation.
God dyed, and God suffered, and supported the manhood, that it might uphold the burden of the wrath of God, that it might not sinke under it. And so in all his actions, there was concurrence of divinity and humanity. The meaner workes being done by the Manhood,Meaner workes acted by the manhood greater by the Godhead. the greater workes by the Godhead, so making one, Emanuel God with us.
For God must bring us to heaven, by a way sutable to his holinesse, and therefore by way of satisfaction, and that cannot be but by God equall with himselfe.
And that is the reason, why the Apostle joynes together, without Christ, without God. That is,Ephes 5. they that know not Christ God-man, to reconcile God and man, have nothing to doe with God. For the pure nature of God, what hath it to doe with the unpure nature of man, without Emanuel, without him that is God man, to make satisfaction?
But now that Christ hath taken our nature, it is become pure in him, and beloved of God in him. And God in him is become lovely, because hee is in our nature, yea in Christ, God is become a father I goe to my father, God our father.and your father; his nature, is sweet to us in Christ, our nature is sweet to him in Christ, God loveth not our nature, but first in him, in whom it is pure. And then he loveth our nature in us, because by the spirit of Christ, hee will make our natures like to Christs: and therefore wee may conceive of God as Emanuell, God well pleased with us, and we well pleased with him. Out of Christ wee are angry with God, and hee angry with us. Wee could wish there were no God, and choose rather to submit to the devill, to bee led by his spirit, to all prophanenesse and licentiousnesse. Wee have a rising against God, and his Image, and what ever comes from God, the proud unmortified heart of man swelleth against it. But when the heart once believeth, that Christ Emanuell God with us, hath satisfied Gods justice; now God is taken by the believing heart to bee a father reconciled in Iesus Christ. And we are taught to bee his sonnes. And our nature is more and more purified and cleansed, and made like the pure nature of Christ, and so by little and little, the termes betweene God and us are more sweet, till we get to heaven, where our nature shal be absolutely perfect and purged by the holy spirit. So that he is Emanuell God with us,Christ Emanuell to make God and us friends. to make God and us friends, which is two waies. First by satisfaction taking away the wrath of God. And then secondly, by the spirit:By satisfaction. for God sendeth his Spirit into our harts, to fit us for frindship, & cōmunion with him,By the Spirit fitting us for communion with God. when we have something of God in us.
From hence many things may bee spoken, partly for instruction, and comfort. I will name a few.
First of all, it is to be wondred at, and wee cannot wonder enough (though we were Angels, and had natures larger then they are) at the marvellous mercies and love of God,Gods love and mercy to man, to be wondred at. that would stoope so low, as that God in the second person should take our nature and become one with us. It is marvellous love that he would be one with us, by such a meanes as his owne sonne, to make peace betweene him and us. It is a marvellous condescending, and stooping in the sonne to take our nature; when there bee better creatures above us, that hee would let passe all above us, and take our nature that is dust, into unity of his person, that earth, flesh and bloud, should bee taken into one person with the Godhead, it is wonderfull and marvellous.
He tooke not the nature of Angels: so that wee bee above Angels,Man above Angels by Christs incarnation. by the incarnation of Christ. Because hee tooke not the Angels nature, they are not the spouse of Christ: but every believing Christian is the spouse of Christ; he is marryed to Christ, he is the head, wee the members: he is the husband, wee the spouse, and therefore wee may stand in admiration of the Love of God, in taking our natures on him.
It requires hearts wounded by the spirit of God, to thinke of, and admire these things answerable to their natures. The Angels when Christ was borne could not containe, but breake out, Glory to God on high, on earth peace, good will towards men: because there was then peace, peace betweene God and us, and by consequence with all the creatures, which doe but take part with God and revenge his quarrell.
These things be matters of admiration, and we shall spend eternity, in admiration thereof in another world, though here our narrow hearts can hardly conceive it.What we cannot believe by vnderstanding, let us labour to understand by believing. But what wee cannot believe by understanding (as things above nature,) let us labour to understand them by believing, desire God wee may believe them, and then we shall understand them to our comfort.
Emanuel, God with us. If God bee with us in our nature, then hee is with us in his love. And if God be with us, who shall be against us? For this Emanuel hath taken our nature for ever:Our nature in heaven. hee hath taken it into heaven with him; God and wee shall bee for ever in good termes, because God in our nature is for ever in heaven, as an Intercessour appearing for us. There is no feare of a breach now; for our brother is in heaven, our Husband is in heaven, to preserve an everlasting union and amitie betweene God and us. Now wee may insult in an holy maner over all oppositions whatsoever. For if God be with us in our nature, and by consequence in favour, who shall bee against us? and therefore with the Apostle, let us triumph, Rom. 8.
Let us make use of this Emanuel in all troubles whatsoever, whether of the Church, or of our owne persons. In troubles of the Church, the Church hath enemies, hell, and the world, and Satans factors, but wee have one, Emanuel God with us, and therefore wee need not feare: you know whose ensigne it is, whose Motto; Deus nobiscum, is better than Sancta Maria. Sancta Maria will downe, when Deus nobiscum shall stand.
I beseech you therefore let us comfort our selves in regard of the Church, as the Prophet in the next chapt. vers. 7. comforts the Church in distresse, He shall passe through Iudah, he shall over-flow and go over, he shall reach even to the necke, and the stretching out of his wings, shall fill the bredth of thy *Churchland, O Emanuel. It may seeme a kinde of complaint. The enemy stretcheth out their wings over thy land, O Emanuel: which may teach us in the person of the Church, to goe to Emanuel, Remember the enemies of thy Church spread their wings over thy land, and people, O Emanuel, thou seest the malice of the enemy, the malice of Antichrist and his supporters. He is the true Michael that stands for his Church. And then in the tenth verse, Take counsell together, and it shall come to nought, speake the word, and it shall not stand for God is with us. And as the Church before Christ came in the flesh, much more may we now hee is come in the flesh,No counsell against God shall stand. insult over all. Let all the enemies consult together, this king and that power; there is a counsell in heaven will disturbe and dash all their counsells. Emanuel in heaven laugheth them to scorne. And as Luther sayd, shall wee weepe and cry, when God laugheth? He seeth a company of idolatrous wretches, that conspire together to root out all Protestants from the earth, if it lay in their power. They that are inspired with Jesuiticall spirits, the incendiaries of the world, have devoured all Israel, and Christendome in their hopes: but the Church, which is Emanuels land, and freehold, sees it, and laughs them to scorne. God can dash all their treacherous counsels.
And so in all personal trouble whatsoever, Emanuel, God with us, is fitted to be a mercifull Saviour; he was poore, that he might be with the poor; he took not on him an impassable nature, but he tooke our poverty, our miserable nature. Hee is poore with the poore, afflicted with the afflicted, persecuted with the persecuted, he is deserted with them that be deserted, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? He suffers with them that suffer, he hath gone throgh al the passages of our lives. In the beginning of it he was conceived and borne,Christ with us in poverty and bond. and he hath gone along with us, and is able to pitty and succour us in our poverty, in prison, in bonds, in disgrace, in our conflict with God, in our terrour of conscience, in all our temptations and assaults by Sathan; he was tempted himselfe by Sathan, for this purpose, that Emanuel might in all these be mercifull.
Let us not lose the comforts of this sweet Name, in which you have couched so many comforts. In the houre of death, when wee are to dye, thinke of Emanuel. When Iacob was to goe into Egypt, sayth God, Feare not Iacob, goe, I will goe with thee, and bring thee back againe, and he did bring him back to be buried in Canaan. So, feare not to dye, feare not to goe to the grave, Emanuel hath been there, he will goe into the grave, hee will bring us out of the dust againe: for Emanuel is God with us, who is God over death, over sinne, over the wrath of God; God over all, blest for evermore, and hath triumphed over all, so that what shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Iesus?
Christ God in us, and for us.He is not onelyonly God with us in our nature, but he is God for us in heaven at this time; he is God in us by his spirit: hee is God amongst us in our meetings, Where two or three be gathered together in my name, I will be in the midst of them. He is God for us to defend us, he is for us in earth, for us in heaven, and wheresoever we be, specially in good causes. And therefore enlarge our comforts as much as we can.
And shall not wee then labour to bee with him, as much as we can? All spirits that have any comfort by this Emanuel they are touched on by his Spirit, to have desires to bee nearer and nearer to him.
How shall I know hee is my Emanuel, How to know Emanuel to bee ours.not onelyonly God with us, but God with me? If by the same Spirit of his, that sanctified his humane nature, I have desires to bee nearer and nearer to him, to be liker and liker him. If I am on his side, if I be neare him in my affections, desires, and understanding; if I side not against the Church, nor joyne in opposition against the Gospell. If I finde inwardly a desire to bee more and more with him, and like to him; if outwardly (in the place where I live) I side with him, and take part with his cause, it is a signe I have interest in him. And therefore let us labour to bee more and more with Christ, and with God, in love, and affections, in faith, in our whole inward man, because he is with us.
Wee must know this Emanuel doth trust us with his cause,Christs cause to be maintained, to speak a good word for him now and then, to speak a word for his Church; & he takes it ill if we neglect him. Curse ye Meroz, because hee came not out to helpe the Lord. God trusteth us to see, if wee will bee on his side, and calles to us, as Iehu did, Who is on my side, who? Now, if wee have not a word for the Church, not so much as a prayer for the Church, how can wee say, God with us? when we are not used to speake to God by way of prayer, nor to man but by way of opposition and contestation? By this therefore examine the truth of our interest in Christ.
Those that intend to receive the communion, must thinke, Now I am to be neare unto Christ,Christ with us in his Word and Sacraments. and to feast with him. Christ is with us in his Word, in the Sacrament; there is a neare relation betweene the bread and the wine, and body and bloud of Christ. Now the true childe of God is glad of this most speciall presence of Christ. All true receivers come with joy to the Sacrament. Oh I shall have communion with Emanuel, who left heaven, tooke my nature into a most neare hypostaticall union, the nearest union of all, and shal not I desire the nearest union with him againe that can be possible? Oh I am glad of the occasion, that I can heare his word, pray to him, receive the Sacrament. Thus let us come with joy, that we may have communion with this Emanuel, Communion with Christ is sweet.who hath such sweet communion with our nature. That our hearts may bee as the virgins wombe was to conceive Christ; I beseech you inlarge these things in your meditations.
And because wee know not how long wee may live here, some of us be sicke and weake, and all of us may fall into danger, wee know not how soone, let it be our comfort, that God is Emanuell, hee left heaven, and tooke our nature to bring us thither, where himselfe is. When times of dissolution come, consider, I am now going to him to heaven, that came downe from thence, to bring me to that eternall mansion of rest and glory. And shall not I desire an everlasting communion with him. God became man, that hee might make man like God, pertaking of his divine nature, in grace here, and glory hereafter. Shall not I goe to him that suffered so much for me? Therefore saith Saint Paul, I desire to be dissolved and to bee with Christ, which is the effect of Christs prayer, Father saith he, my will is, that where I am, they may be also. And in this God heareth Christ, that all that beleive in him shall bee where Christ is; as he came from heaven to be where wee are. Lay up these things in your hearts, that so you may receive benefit by them.
FINIS.
Page 19. line 6. for wounded, read warmed.