person who was born: secondly, the design of his birth; and, thirdly, glance a little at the circumstances of it. First, then, he was no common and ordinary person whose birth occasions our joy. If we shall but fix our eyes on his human nature, and consider those excellencies that were obvious to the eyes of the world, we shall yet acknowledge, that never such a person appeared on the face of the earth. It is he whose nativity was promised immediately after the fall, and so exactly pointed at by the Prophets many hundred years before it happened, that the Jews could tell the place, and the very heathens had some knowledge of the time: for the world was big with expectation, that the prophecies should then be fulfilled, which foretold the birth of a great person. Lastly, it is he whose very infancy not only startled a king, and made him fear his throne, but also affrighted the powers of darkness, and silenced the heathen oracles, Ille puer Hebræus, &c.; whose childhood puzzled the knowledge of the aged, and confounded the doctors of the law; who ruled the course of nature, and made the strong winds obey him, and could walk on the billows of the seas as on a pavement; who fed multitudes by his word, and healed all manner of diseases without medicine; who could command them to leap that were cripple, and make them see the heavens and the day who had been born blind; and who could cast devils out of their possessions, and restore the frantic to their wits; who could break the gates of death, and open the doors of the grave, and call back the spirits to the buried carcasses.

It is he, who, by the ministry of twelve fishermen, made his religion, though contrary to the corrupt affections and carnal interests of men, quickly subdue the known world, and submit to a crucified king. The doctrine which he taught, mastered the understanding of the most learned philosophers, conquered the spirits of the most valiant commanders, and outwitted the cunning of the subtlest politicians: it cancelled the ceremonies of the Jew, confounded the wisdom of the Greek,

and instructed the rudeness of the barbarian; and remains still in the world a constant evidence of the au

thor's wisdom and power. And what shall we speak of the goodness and moral endowments of that human nature, which were as miraculous as his power! Nay, all his miracles were instances of the one as well as of the other. Should we speak of his ardent piety and devotion, his love to God, and his zeal for his honour, his amiable meekness and humility, his universal charity and compassion even toward his bitter enemies, his venerable purity and temperance, the noble contempt of the world, all those other virtues which shined so eminently in his whole conversation: a sermon were too little for every particular. But this is not all: He was not only far above other men, but infinitely above the angels; being personally united to the divine nature. He was God as well as man. And, by communication of properties, it may be said, that he whom we now behold in a cradle, hath his throne in the heaven, and filleth all things by his immensity; that he who was wrapt in swaddling clothes, is now clothed in infinite glory; and he whom we find in a stable among beasts, is the same with him encircled with millions of angels. In a word, that great person whose nativity we celebrate, is divinely embodied, God made flesh. This union of the divine and human nature, is a mystery great enough to confound our understanding, but not to trouble or shake our faith, who know many things to be which we cannot know how they are, and are not able to give any account of the union between the soul and the body, or of the parts of nature among themselves, which yet we never call in question.

And thus much of the dignity of Christ's person, which is the first ground of our joy; we proceed to the second, the design of his birth. He was lord of the world; but came not into it to exercise dominion, nor as the Jews expected, to procure their temporal redemption, and restore the kingdom to Israel. He came not for so mean a purpose as the Jews expected, to procure their temporal redemption, to make his followers rich and

honourable, fortunate or conspicuous in the world; nay, both by precept and example he taught them to contemn and despise all such empty trifles: but he came to deliver his people from everlasting destruction, and from the captivity of sin, and to teach them how by a holy life they might obtain an endless happiness. He came not indeed to purchase us a liberty to sin, without hazard, and then to cover all our iniquities with his righteousness; to let us live as we list, and assure us of pardon. Nay, it had neither been consistent with his love to God, to have procured pardon for obstinate and incorrigible rebels; nor so great a benefit to us, to have obtained remission without sanctification. Had we been delivered from all other punishment, sin itself would have made us miserable. But Christ came into the world to save his people from their sins, as well as from the dismal consequences of them; and to procure for us, that, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, we might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him. In a word, Christ came into the world to advance the glory of God, and the happiness of the earth, by restoring us to the favour of our maker, and a conformity to him. And certainly, if we have any sense of the evil of sin or the misery of hell, of the beauty of holiness or the glory of heaven, it must needs be a matter of great joy, to celebrate the birth of him who doth deliver us from the one, and give us assurance of the other..

It remaineth yet, that we speak of the circumstances of the nativity which we celebrate; and many things present themselves full of comfort and instruction. We shall only observe our Saviour's coming into the world after that manner which did best suit with his design. Indeed when a man should hear of the Son of God's coming down from heaven, and inaking a progress into the lower world, he would be apt to think that his appearance would be with the greatest splendour and magnificence, and that the glory of heaven should continually attend and signalize his person; at least, that all the princes in the world should be summoned to at

tend his reception, and that the heavens should bow at his presence, and the earth tremble at the approach of his majesty, and that all the clouds should clap together in an universal thunder, to welcome his appearance. But, instead of all this pomp and grandeur, he slips into the world (as they say) incognito, is born in a village, discovered by some poor shepherds, and found by them in a stable, and such a homely cradle as that afforded, only attended by his poor mother; who, though of royal blood, had nothing but goodness to make her eminent. And his education was answerable to his obscure birth, and his whole life a course of humility and self-denial. Now certainly, this far best agrees with the design of his appearance, who came not on so mean an errand as to dazzle the eyes of mankind with the appearance of his glory, nor to amaze them with the terribleness of his majesty; much less to make a show of the riches and gallantry of the world amongst them; but to bring life and immortality to light, and lead men to eternal happiness. In order to which, it was necessary, that, by his example, as well as doctrine, he should disparage the vanities, of the world, and bring them out of that credit and esteem they had gotten among foolish

men.

I shall proceed no farther on this subject. I hope it doth appear that we have great reason to rejoice in the exaltation of the human nature, and the great salvation purchased to us by the incarnation of the Son of God. I shall add, that even this joy admits of holy fear; even on this occasion we must rejoice with trembling. Salvation is come into the world; but wo to them that neglect it' The gospel is preached; but there is great danger in slighting it. Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of us should come short of it. Little cause have obstinate sinners to rejoice on this festival. The time is coming that they shall wish that either Christ had never come into the world, or they had never heard of him: Behold, this child is set for the rise and fall of many. And they that are not the better, shall be the worse for his com

ing. One way I must name, that many men set this child for their own fall, when they make this solemn anniversary an opportunity of sinning and debauchery; as if it where indeed a drunken Bacchus, and not a holy Jesus, whom they worshipped. What! sirs, because God became man, must we therefore become beasts? or think we to honour that child with dissoluteness, who came to the world on design of holiness? This it is, no doubt, that gives many men a prejudice against the festival itself, and perhaps is their most specious argument. We know an answer; but you may, and ought to afford another, by removing any ground of such a pretence, Indeed a forenoon's sermon.will never compensate an afternoon's debauch; nor will your service in the church justify your intemperance at home. But as hereby at least some time is redeemed from the too frequent courses of the day, so I wish the time we spend here, may have some influence towards the right improvement of the rest; that our behaviour on the solemnity may be such as suits with the infinite holiness of that person whom we profess to honour, that we may serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

མ་་་

ON THE PASSION OF OUR SAVIOUR.

LAM. I. 12.

Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold and see, if there be any sorrow like unto my

sorrow.

WE are to-morrow, God willing, to be employed in one of the highest and most solemn offices of our religion, to commemorate the death and sufferings of the blessed Jesus, and to receive the sacred pledge of his dying: and how much may the everlasting interests of our souls depend upon the right performing of this work!