carnate, namely, the Word, it was He that was made flesh. I fhould then have proceeded to the Second thing which I proposed to confider, viz. The Mystery it felf, or the nature of this. Incarnation fo far as the Scripture hath revealed and declared it to us, namely, by affuming our Nature in fuch a manner as that the Divinity became united to a human Soul and Body. But this I have already endeavoured in fome measure to explain, and fhall do it more fully in fome of the following Difcourfes upon this Text. I fhall now only make a fhort and useful reflection upon it with relation to the Solemnity of this Time. And it fhall be to ftir us up to a thankful acknowledgment of the great love of God to Mankind in the Mystery of our Redemption by the Incarnation of the Word, the only begotten Son of God: That he fhould deign to have fuch a regard to us in our low condition, and to take our Cafe Cafe fo much to heart as to think of redeeming and faving Mankind from that depth of mifery into which we had plunged our felves; and to do this in fo wonderful and aftonishing a manner. That God fhould employ his eternal and only begotten Son, who had been with him from all Eternity, partaker of his Happinefs and Glory, and was God of God, to save the Sons of Men by fo infinite and amazing a condescension : That God fhould vouchfafe to become Man, to reconcile Man to God That he should come down from Heaven to Earth, to raise us from Earth to Heaven: That he fhould affume our vile and frail and mortal nature, that he might cloath us with glory and honour and immortality: That he should fuffer Death to fave us from Hell, and thed his blood to purchase eternal Redemption for us. : For certainly the greater the Perfon is that was employed in this mer ciful Design, so much the greater is the condefcenfion, and the love and goodness expressed in it so much the more admirable: That the Son of God fhould ftoop from the height of Glory and Happiness to the loweft degree of abasement and to the very depth of misery for our fakes, who were fo mean and inconfiderable, fo guilty and obnoxious to the feverity of his Juftice, so altogether unworthy of his Grace and Favour, and fo very unwilling to receive it when it was fo freely offer'd to us ; for, as the Evangelift here tells us, He came to his own and his own received him not: To his own Creatures, and they did not own and acknowledge their Maker; to his own Nation and Kindred, and they defpifed him and efteemed him not. Lord! what is Man, that God fhould be fo mindful of him; or the Son of Man, that the Son of God fhould come down from Heaven to visit him, in fo much humility and condefcen fion, and with so much kindness and compaffion? Bleffed God and Saviour of Mankind! What shall we render to thee for fuch mighty Love, for fuch inestimable Benefits as thou haft purchafed for us, and art ready to confer upon us? What shall we say to thee, O thou preferver and lover of Souls, so often as we approach thy H. Table, there to commemorate this mighty Love of thine to us, and to partake of those invaluable Bleffings which by thy precious blood-fhedding thou hast obtained for us? So often as we there remember, that thou waft pleased to affume our mortal Nature, on purpose to live amongst us for our Inftruction, and for our Example, and to lay down thy life for the Redemption of our Souls and for the Expiation of our Sins; and to take part of flesh and blood that thou mighteft fhed it for our fakes: What Affections should these thoughts raise in us? What Vows and Resolutions should they engage us in, of perpetual love and gratitude, and obedience to thee the moft gracious and most glorious Redeemer of Mankind ? And with what Religious Solemnity fhould we, more especially at this Time, celebrate the Incarnation and Birth of the Son of God, by giving praife and glory to God in the higheft, and by all poffible demonftration of charity and good-will to men? And as he was pleased to affume our Nature, fo fhould we, efpecially at this Seafon, put on the Lord Jefus Chrift, that is, fincerely embrace and practife his Religion, making no provifion for the flesh to fulfil the lufts thereof: And now that the Sun of Righteoufnefs is rifen upon the World, we fhould walk as Children of the Light, and demean our felves decently as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in Chambering and wantonness, not in ftrife and envy And should be very careful not to abuse our selves by Sin and |