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fervants, who act for their great Mafter; and faithfully declare his mind, and contend for his cause in a day of defection and backfliding, especially any that he has fet, as it were, in the front of the battle, to bear the fhock of the enemy; they have many against them, and therefore they need your fympathy and countenance, who "love the Lord." A kindly word or look from a member of Chrift will do more fervice to a minister of Chrift than folk are aware of: Paul, in his bonds, was refreshed and comforted with the fympathy of believers. 13. Shew a regard to him, by efpoufing his caufe, the intereft of his house and kingdom. Sirs, the caufe of Christ is upon the field at this day; the covenanted standard of Scotland is difplayed, in oppofition to that courfe of defection which the whole land is gone into, and which the judicatories of the established church are carrying on, with might and main. The cry is given, "Who is on the Lord's fide?" let them" come up to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty." Some, both ministers and Chrif tians, profefs friendthip unto the caufe of Chrift, his covenanted doctrine, difcipline, worship, and government; but they love to dwell at eafe, and, like Iffachar, to couch under the burden: but I have little skill if that be the Lord's way, and the Lord's call, when others are jeoparding themfelves" in the high places of the field," for the caufe and teftimony of Jefus. I may fay to fuch, be who they will, as the prophet faid to Ifrael, in a day of defection from the Lord, "How long halt ye between two opinions? If Baal be God, ferve him, and if Jehovah be God," then ferve and follow him. If the judicatories of the church be fighting the caufe of Chrift, and building the Lord's houfe, then cleave to them, and good reason: but if they be building Jericho, instead of Jerufalem; if they be pulling down the work of God, instead of building it up; if the ark of God, his covenanted cause and teftimony, be carried without the camp, it is time to fol low it; let us go out therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach." And if folk fhift following Chrift, his caufe and fworn teftimony, efpecially when it is efpoufed by a handful upon all hazards, they need to confider upon it in time, left that fentence go against them; "Curfe ye Meroz, curfe ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof, because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty." Chrift and his caufe will carry the day without you; but take heed that he don't refent it, ere all be done; his frowns and down-looks are heavier than the frowns of all the men on earth, or angels in heaven, or devils in hell.

ACTION SERMON.

THE HUMAN NATURE PREFERRED UNTO THE ANGELICAL.

HEB. ii. 15.-For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the feed of Abraham.

THE apostle, ver. 10. had spoken of, Chrift as the Captain of

our falvation: he fhews, ver. 14. and 15. how, according to the first promife, Gen. iii. 15. he had taken the field, and bruifed the head of the old ferpent; why, fays he, ver. . 14. "He took part of the children's flesh, that through death he might deftroy him that had the power of death," &c. The legal power of death fell, by virtue of the fentence of a broken law, into the hand of the devil, as God's executioner; and it had continued there, unless law and justice had been fatisfied by the death of the Surety; but Chrift, "through death, destroyed him that had the power of death;" i. e. he fapped the foundation of his authority and power, by his juftice-fatisfying blood: he, as it were, wrung the keys of hell and death out of the devil's hand, upon Mount Calvary, and fo "fpoiled principalities and powers, and made a fhew of them openly." The ufe that we, law-condemned finners, arc to make of this, is (ver. 15.) to pull up our finking fpirits, and triumph over death as a conquered and flain enemy, faying, "O death, where is thy fting? O grave, where is thy victory ?" for he did all this " to deliver them, who, through, fear of death, were all their lifetime fubject to bondage." Now the apostle, in the words of my reading, gives a good reason why Chrift, as the Captain of our falvation, destroyed death," and him that had the power of it," and delivers poor men from the fting and fear of it. Why, fays he, he is our kinfman, unto whom the right of redemption did belong; for verily he took not on him the nature of angels, &c.

Where we have, firft, a negation or denial of a great dignity unto the angelical nature; be took not on him the nature of angels, or, as it reads in the margin, he taketh not hold of angels: when an innumerable company of them fell from the

ftate

itate wherein they were created, he took not hold of their na ture, to recover them from woe and mifery; it is plainly fuppofed, that they were not the objects of his love, and therefore he did not become a God-angel, as he became a God

man.

In the words following, we have, fecondly, an affirmation of this honour to the human nature, which he denied to the angelical; he took on him the feed of Abraham, in the margin, of the feed of Abraham he taketh hold, i. e. he joined the human nature, in the feed of Abraham, to himself, in a perfonal union, that fo, being our Kinfman, he might become our Redeemer and our Husband. The apofle, when he is writing to the Galatians, who were Gentiles, tells them, Gal. iv. 4. That he was "made of a woman," according to the first promife, Gen. iii, 15. but when he writes to the Hebrews, he fpeaks in the ftyle of the promife made to Abraham, " in thy feed fhall all the nations of the earth be blessed;" by telling them, that according to that promife, he took on him the feed ef Abraham, that fo they might be encouraged to believe in him; for minifters, in preaching Chrift, are to bring the finner and the Saviour as near to one another as poffible.

Thirdly, In the words we have a ftrong affeveration, fhewing the certainty and importance of this matter, that he tooke not on him the nature of angels, but the feed of Abraham: Verily, fays he, it is fo; it is a faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation;" and therefore, let all the feed of Ifrael, or Abraham, believe it, and fet to their feal of faith to it.

OBSERV. "That it is a truth of the greateft certainty and moment, that the Son of God, when he paffed by the nature of angels, took on him the human nature, in the feed or family, of Abraham."

The doctrine is clearly founded upon the words, For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the feed of Abraham.

In difcourfing the doctrine a little, I fhall, through divine afiflance, make it evident,

I. That the Son of God took not on him the nature of angels.

11. Make it appear, that he hath taken unto him the human nature, and is become one of our tribe and family.

III. Shew what may be imported in his taking on him the feed of Abraham, or his taking hold of it, as in the margin.

IV. Shew what is the importance of this truth implied in the affeveration verily.

V. Apply.

I shall endeavour brevity on thefe heads.

I. The first thing is, to make it evident, that Chrift, the Son of God, took not on him the nature of angels.

Of all created beings, angels are the most excellent, they being pure immaterial fpirits, approaching nearest to the nature of God, who is the infinite, eternal, and uncreated Spirit, Pfal. civ. 4. "He maketh his angels fpirits, his minifters a flaming fire;" and yet when they fell from their first state, and fo needed a Saviour as much as fallen man, yet the apoftle here tells us, with a verily, that he took not on their nature, or did not catch hold of them, to fave them from ruin. This is clear and evident from the terms in which the first promife is uttered, Gen. iii. 15. where, at the fame time that the remedy and relief is promifed to fallen man, vengeance and wrath is denounced against Satan, "It fhall bruife thy head," fays the Lord to Satan, viz. the "feed of the woman." This is upon the matter repeated, If. lxiii. 4. "The day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come;" as if he had faid, 'The old quarrel with Satan, the enemy of man's falvation, is ftill in mine heart, I am to execute vengeance upon him when I come in the flesh, to redeem my people from his flavery and bondage.' And accordingly, we are told, Col. ii. 15. That he "fpoiled principalities and powers," and triumphed over them in his crofs. Eternal war is proclaimed from heaven against the fallen angels: hence we are told, Jude 6." The angels which kept not their first eftate, he hath referved in everlafting chains under darkness, unto the judgement of the great day." From all which it is clear, that he is fo far from showing fuch a regard to the fallen, angels, as to take their nature upon him, that he hath taken up, and will purfue an everlasting quarrel against them. And I make no doubt but it fills thofe evil fpirits with horror and torment, to hear these tidings told in this affembly, where we are met together to commemorate the love of God, in taking on the human nature, and giving it a facrifice for the fin of

man.

I know fome divines pretend to affign fome reafons, why God paffed by the nature of angels, when he took on him the human nature: but feeing the Spirit of God is filent as to this matter, it is fafeft for us to refolve it into the will of that fovereign Lord, "who doth in the armies of heaven, and amongst the inhabitants of the earth," what pleafeth him; VOL. III.

and

and to fay with Chrift, Matth. xi. 26. "Even fo, O Father, for fo it hath pleased thee." And therefore I proceed to

II. The fecond thing propofed, which was, to prove, that the glorious Son of God, who thinks it not " robbery to be equal with God," hath indeed taken upon him the human nature, although he hath paffed by the nature of angels.

Sirs, we need all, much to be eftablished in the faith of this glorious and fundamental truth. A flaw in our faith as to this, makes the whole building totter; and I am afraid that they who think it an easy matter to believe it, never yet faw the infinite diftance between the nature of God and the nature of man; for, without controverfy, this is a great myftery, "God made manifeft in the flesh." And the truth and certainty of it may be cleared and confirmed,

1ft, From fcripture prophecy concerning him, Pfal. xxii. where he speaks of his hands and his feet being pierced; of his being caft upon his Father's care from the womb: Thou art he that took me out of my mother's belly. So, If. liii. through the whole, the prophet fpeaks of his being wounded and bruifed for our iniquities, of his death and refurrection, which all plainly suppose his taking on our nature.

2dly, Scripture hiftory makes it evident, that he took on him our nature in the feed of Abraham, particularly his genealogy, Matth i. and Luke iii. Yea, the whole history of the four evangelifts concerning his birth, life, death, refurrection, and afcenfion, in our nature, into heaven, prove, that verily he took on him the feed of Abraham: how could his hands and his feet be pierced with nails, and his fide with a spear? how could blood and water iffue forth at the wound? if he had not verily taken on him the feed of Abraham.

3dly, This is clear from plain fcripture testimony. I only mention these two or three: The teftimony of the apoftle here, in the 14th verfe of this chapter: "Forafmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himfelf likewife took part of the fame. Rom. i. 3. "Jefus Chrift, who was made of the feed of David, according to the flesh." Rom. ix. 5. "Of whom, as concerning the flesh, Chrift came, who is over all God bleffed for ever." John i. 14. "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, &c.

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4thly, Take the teftimony of angels unto this great truth: the angel Gabriel attefts it, when he faid to the virgin Mary, Luke i. 30.-32. "Fear not, Mary, for thou haft found favour with God and behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a fon, and fhalt call his name Jefus ; he fhall be great, and fhall be called the Son of the Higheft." So in

the

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