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 [Page 2] 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 [Page 3] 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 mercie prevailes against mans malice.

To come to the text it selfe. Behold a virgin shall conceive and beare a Sonne, and they shall call [Page 4] 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 [Page 5] 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 [Page 6] 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 [Page 7] 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 onely open sutable to the occasion.

Behold. This is the usuall Becon, set up, the 1 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 2 a matter of great concernement.

And not onely attention, but likewise ad­miration,3 behold a strange and admirable thing. For what stranger thing is there, then [Page 8] 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 [Page 9] 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 [Page 10] 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 onely. 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 onely 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 onely beene conceived, and not brought forth, he had not beene manifested, hee was to doe all things that befitted a Mediatour.

[Page 11]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 [Page 12] 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, [Page 13] 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 [Page 14] 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.

1 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?

2 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?

3 So Thirdly, in regard of evil, which we are to be freed from. He is to defend us in the mid­dest [Page 15] 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 2 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 3 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 [Page 16] 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 onely 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, [Page 17] 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 [Page 18] 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 1 away the wrath of God. And then secondly, by the spirit:By satisfaction. for God sendeth his Spirit into our 2 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 [Page 19] 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, [Page 20] 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 Church land, 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 [Page 21] 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, [Page 22] 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 onely God with us in our nature, but he is God for us in heaven at this time; he [Page 23] 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 onely 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 [Page 24] 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 [Page 25] 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.

THe occasion of these words we have heard. The Church was in great distresse under two mighty Kings, that threatned great matters; but indeed were but two smoaking fire-brands, that went out of themselves. Ahaz being a wicked King, (and wickednes being alwayes full of feares, fearfull in trouble, though not before trouble, for they that bee least fearfull of trouble, [Page 2] be most fearefull in trouble) and GOD inten­ding comfort to the Church, the Prophet bids him aske a signe. Ahaz out of guilti­nesse of conscience, and stubbournes toge­ther would aske none. GOD intended to strengthen his faith, and he would not make advantage of the offer. And therefore the Prophet promiseth a signe, the grand signe, The signe of all signes, the miracle of all miracles, the Incarnation of the Messias.

By the way I beseech you let me observe this.Doctrine. It is Atheisticall profanesse to despice any helpe, that God in his wisdome thinketh necessary to proppe and shoare our weake faith withall. And therefore when many out of confidence of their owne graces, and parts refuse the Sacrament (God knowing better then our selves, wee need it) unlesse it bee at one time of the yeare, and refuse the other or­dinance of preaching, which God hath sancti­fyed, they seeme to know themselves bet­ter then God, who out of knowledge of our weaknes, hath set apart these meanes for the strengthning of our graces.Grace refused is turned into wrath And as Ahaz refusing Gods helpe, provoked God by it, so these must know, they shall not escape without judgment, for it is a tempting of God, and proceedeth from a bad spirit of pride and stubbornes.

How this promise of the Messias could be [Page 3] a signe to them to comfort them, we spake at large, wee will now deliver some thing by way of addition and explication.

The house of David was affraid they should be extinct, by these two great ene­mies of the Church, but saith hee, A Vir­gin of the house of David shall conceive a Sonne, and how then can the house of David bee extinct?What God saith man cannot dis­anull. Secondly, Heaven hath said it, earth can not disanull it. God hath said it, and all the Creatures in the World can not an­nihilate it. It was the promise made to A­dam, when he was fallen, it runne along to Abraham, and afterward to the Patriarkes, so that it must needs be so.

It was the custome of the men of God,Men of God, of ould had re­course to the promises of the Messiah. ledde by the Spirit of God, in these times, in any distresse to have recourse to the promise of the Messias, as for other ends, so for this, to raise themselves up by an argument drawne from the greater to the lesse. God will give the Messias, GOD will become man. A virgin shall conceive a Sonne. And therefore he will give you lesse mercies.

I note this by the way for this end to teach us a sanctified manner of reasoning.How to reason with our selves in a sanctified manner. Was it a strong argument before Christs comming. The Messias shall come, and therefore wee may expect inferiour blessings. [Page 4] And shall not we make use of the same rea­son now? Christ is come in the flesh, and is triumphant in Heaven, God having given Christ, will hee not give all things necessary whatsoever? Shall the reasonings before Christs comming be of more force, then these bee, now Christ is come, and is in glory, appearing in Heaven for us?

Beloved, it should be a shame to us, that wee should not have the sanctified art of reasoning, to argue from the gift of Christ, to the giving of all things needfull for us?

All promises founded in Christ.The ground of this reason is this, All other promises whatsoever they are, are secundary to the grand Fundamentall promise of CHRIST. All promises issue from a Covenant founded in God man. Now co­venants come from love, and love is foun­ded in the first person, loved, and the foun­dation of all love. Therefore if God gi­veth Christ the foundation of love, and out of love makes a covenant, and as branches of the covenant giveth many promises: Then having made good the maine promise of all, (Iesus Christ) will hee not make good all the rest? And therefore we should have often in our hearts, and thoughts, the accomplishment of all promises in Christ, and from thence make use of the [Page 5] expectation of all inferiour promises. For they issue from that love of God in Christ, which is fully manifested already.

Wee have spoken of the Preface, Behold, which is a word usually prefixed before all the passages of Christ, his Birth, his Re­surrection, his comming againe. And great reason.

For what doe wee usually behold with earnestnes? rare things, new things, great things, especially if they be great to admiration, and that concerne us neerely; usefull things, especially if they bee present. And is any thing rarer then that, A Vir­gin shall conceive, and beare a sonne? then the Incarnation of Christ? never was the like in nature, never the like in Heaven, or earth, that God, and man, should bee in one person. It is a rare thing, a new thing, it is great to wonderment; and therefore in the 9. Chapter of this prophesie, His name shall bee called wonderfull, Is. 9 6. as in many other respects, so wonderfull in his Conception and Birth.

And then all is for us.Christs concepti­on and incarna­tion marvel­lous and rare To us a Child is borne, to us a Sonne is given, in the same Chapter. For us, and for us men, hee came downe from Heaven. And then to the eye of Faith, all these things are present: Faith know­eth no difference of time.

[Page 6] Christ is with us here by faith.Christ is present to the eye of faith now. We see him sacrificed in the Sacrament and in the word; faith knoweth no distance of place as well as no distance of time: we see him in heaven, as St. Stephen sitting at the right hand of God for the good of his Church, and therefore behold.

If ever any thing were, or shall be great from the beginning of the world, to eternity, this is great, this is wonderfull. And if any thing in the world be fit for us, if any thing dignifieth the soule, and raiseth the soule a­bove it selfe, it is this wonderfull ob­ject.

Man out of weak­nes wonders at poore things.We out of our weaknes, wonder at poore pety things, as the Disciples at the building of the Temple, What stones are these? we wonder at the greatnesse of birth and place, but alas, what is fit for the soule being a large and capable thing to stand in admiration of? Here is that, that tran­scendeth admiration it selfe. Behold a Virgin shall conceive a Sonne. And therefore attend to the great matter in hand: this I thought good to adde, to what, I formerly delivered in that particular.

You need not goe farther then the text for wonders. For here are 2 great ones a Virgin, a Mother, and Godman.

[Page 7]So in the words, you have the conception and the birth of Christ his humane nature, his divine nature, and his office to reconcile God and us in one.

As he is God in our nature (hee tooke our nature into communion of person) so his office is to bring God and man together, his two natures is to fit him for his office; God and man were at much distant tearmes as could be, unlesse betwene the Devill, and God. And therefore God man in one person must performe the great office, of bringing such as were in such opposite tearmes toge­ther.

Of his conception by the Virgin Mary, wee spake sufficiently, onely wee will adde this for farther explication. A further type of this was in the birth of Isaack. Isaacks birth a type of Christs. Isaack you know was borne of a dead wombe. Christ was con­ceived of a Virgin, and in a manner farre more improbable then the other. Isaack was the Sonne of the promise. Christ was the promised seed, both in some sort miraculously borne. For indeed it was a true wonder, that Isaack should be borne of a dead wombe. And here that a Virgin should conceive. Sara had no­thing to supply moisture and juyce to the fruit. And so here was nothing of a man to further Christs conception.

I will shew why there must be this kind of [Page 8] conception of Christ, which will helpe our faith exceedingly.

First Christ must be without all sinne of necessity;Why Christ must be without sin. for else when hee tooke our nature, stubble, and fire had joyned together. God is a consuming fire, and therefore the nature must be purified, and sanctified by the holy Ghost in the wombe of the Virgin.

And then againe in the conception, there must be a foundation of all obedience active and passive,No blemish or defect of purity in the conception of Christ. and of all that was afterwards ex­cellent in Christ. If there had beene any ble­mish in the foundation, which was his concep­tion; if he had not beene pure, there had beene defect in all that issued from him, his active obedience and passive obedience, for every thing savours of the principle from whence it commeth. And therefore it was Gods great worke in this strange conception that sinne might be stop't in the roote and beginning, nature might be sanctified in the foundation of it. And so that he might persue sin from the beginnning to the end, both in his life by living without sinne, and also in his death by making satisfaction for sinne.

And therefore ground our faith on this, That our salvation is laid on one that is mighty,Faith to be grounded on Christ, God man. God man; and on one, that is pure and holy. And therefore in his obedience active, holy; and in his obedience passive, holy.

[Page 9]Againe he came to be a surety for us,Christ our surety. and therefore hee must pay our whole debt, hee must pay the debt of obedi­ence, he must pay the debt of punishment. Now obedience must come from a pure nature, and his death must extend to the satisfying of an infinite Iustice. And therefore he must be conceived of the holy Ghost in the wombe of a pure Virgin.

And wee must know that in this conception of Christ, there were 2. or 3. things wherin there was a maine difference betweene Christ, and us.1

Christ was in his humane nature altogether without sin,Christ without sinne. we are sinfull in our nature. Again Christs humane nature had alwaies subsistence in the divine,His humane na­ture had alwaies subsistence in the divine. and it was never out of the divine 2 nature. As soone as his body and soule were united, it was the body, and soule of God; now our natures are not so.

And then in manner of propagation: his was 3 extraordinary altogether.In manner of propagation. Adam was of the earth, neither of man, nor woman. Eve of man without a woman. All other of Adam, and Eve. Christ of a Virgin, and without a man. But setting aside his subsistence in the second person, and extraordinary meanes of propagation, Christ and we are all one, hee had a true humane body, and soule, and all things like our selves, sin, and the former differences excepted.

[Page 10]Why Christ must be man, we have already heard. He became man to be sutable to us in our nature, and to sympathize in all our troubles.

And shall call his name Emanuell. He shall call his name Emanuel, Christ became man for our sakes. saith the new Testament. That is, he shall be Emanuell indeed, and shall be knowne to bee, and published to be so. Whatsoever hath a name is apparent. Christ was before hee tooke our flesh; but he was not called Emanuell. It did not openly appeare that he was God in our nature, hee was not conceived in the wombe of a Virgin. They before Christ knew that hee should come, but when he was conceived and borne, hee was then called Emanuell.

Christ by divers signes shewed himselfe before exhibited in the flesh.There were divers presences of Christ, be­fore hee came. He was in the bush as a signe of his presence, he was in the Arke as a signe of his presence, he was in the Prophets and Kings as a type of his presence. He tooke upon him the shape of man as a representation of his presence, when he talked with Abraham and the Patriarkes, but all this was not God with us, in our nature; he tooke it on him for a time, and laid it aside againe. But when hee was Emanuell, and was called, and declared so to be, he tooke on him our nature, never to lay it aside againe. He was borne in our na­ture, brought forth in our nature, lived in our [Page 11] nature, dyed in our nature, was crucified in our nature, became a Curse for us in our na­ture, buried in our nature, rose in our nature, is in heaven in our nature, and for ever will a­bide there in our nature.

All their faith before hee came in the flesh was in confidence that he should take our flesh in the fullnes of time. Now came the time, when hee was called Emanuell, and then the word became flesh, and tooke our nature on him.

From hence that God tooke our nature upon him in the second person, come divers things considerable.

For first it appeares,First things considerable. that he hath dignifi­ed and raised our nature above Angells, be­cause he hath taken the seed of Abraham, and not of the Angells, a wonderfull advance­ment of our nature for God to bee with us, to marry such a poore nature, as ours is; for the great God of heaven and earth to take dust into the unity of his person. If this may not have a behould, before it, I know not what may.

To joyne alltogether▪ Consideration. For the great God of heaven and earth before whom the Angells cover their faces, the mountaines tremble, and the earth quakes, to take our flesh, and dust into unity of his person, and for such ends to save sinfull man, and from such mi­sery, [Page 12] & eternall misery, from such great enemies; And then to advance him to such great happinesse, as we are advanced. to take Christ Emanuell in the whole passage of his mediation, and there is ground of admiration indeed.

Considerations to defile our na­tures that God hath dignified.But consider it specially in the raising and advancing of our natures to bee one with God. Shall God bee God with us in our na­ture in heaven, and shall wee defile our natures that GOD hath so dignified? Shall we livelike beasts whom God hath raised above Angells Let swearers, beastly persons, and profane hypocrites, either alter their courses, or else say they beleeve not these truths. Shall a man beleeve, God hath taken his nature into unity of his person, and hath raised it above all Angells, and can he turne beast, yea devill incarnate in opposition of CHRIST, and his cause? What a shame is this? can this bee, where these things are beleeved? A Christian should have high thoughts of himselfe, what shall I defile the nature, that God hath taken into unity of his person?

And as hee hath dignified, and rai­sed, and advanced our nature so highly:Consideration. so likewise hee hath infused, and put all the riches of grace into our nature. For all grace is in CHRIST, that a [Page 13] finite nature can bee capable of. For CHRIST is neerest the fountaine. Now the humane nature being so neere the fountaine of all good, that is God, it must needs bee as rich as nature can possibly be capable of: And is not this for our good? are not all his Riches for our use?

And therefore seeing our nature is dignified by Emanuell, and inriched ex­ceedingly by his graces next to infinite. (For our humane nature is not turned to God, as some are conceited. It is not dei­fied, and so made infinite) yet as much as the creature can bee capable of, there is in Christ-man, and so shall wee defile that nature?

And from hence that our nature is ingrafted into the God-head, Consideration. it followeth that what was done in our nature, was of wonderfull extention, force, and dignity, because it was done, when our nature was knit to the God head, and therefore it ma­keth up all objections. As.

How could the death of one man sa­tisfie for the deaths of many milli­ons.Obiection an­swered.

Secondly it was the death of Christ, whose humane nature was ingrafted in­to the second person of the Trinity. For (because they were but one person) whatsoever [Page 14] the humane nature did or suffered, God did it. If they had beene 2. Persons God had not dyed, God had not suffered, God had not redeemed his Church.

And therefore the Scripture runneth comfortably on this;Question. God hath redeemed the Church with his owne bloud: hath GOD blood?Answer. No, but the nature that GOD tooke into unity of persons hath blood, and so being one person with God, God, shed his blood. It is God that purchased a Church with his blood, it is God that dyed. The Virgin Mary was Mother of GOD, because shee is the Mother of that nature which was taken into unity with God.

Hereupon comes the dignity of what­soever Christ did, and suffered. Though hee did it in our nature, yet the God-head gave it its worth, and not onely worth, but God put some activity, some vigour, and force into all that Christ did. It doth advance Christ Mediatour according to both natures, And from hence ariseth Com­munication of properties, as Divines call it, which I will not now speake of. It is sufficient to see that whatsoever was done by Christ,What is done to by Christ, is done by God was done by God hee being Emanuell, and therefore had its worth and dignity to prevaile with God. Hence com­meth [Page 15] a forcible reason. That God must sa­tisfie Divine Justice,Reason. because it was the action of a God-man. His great sufferings were the sufferings of the second person, in our nature. And hereupon from satis­faction, and merit, comes reconciliation betweene Ged, and us. God being satisfied by Christ, God, and we are at tearmes of peace: our peace is well founded, if it bee founded in God the Father, by God the Sonne, taking our nature into unity of his person. These things must have influence into our comforts, and into our lives, and conversations, being the grand Articles of Faith. And therefore wee ought to thinke often of them. Wee must fetch princi­ples of comfort, and holines from hence, as from the greatest arguments that can be, therefore I desire to bee so punctuall in them. God is Emanuell, especially to make God, and us one. Christ is our Friend in taking our nature to make God, and us friends againe.

But how doth friendshippe betweene God and us arise from hence?Quest. that Christ is God in our nature. I will give 2. or 3. Rea­sons of it.

First it is good reason, that God should bee at peace with us,1. Reason. because sinne, (the cause of division) is taken away, It is [Page 16] sinne, (the cause of division) is taken a­way. It is sinne that separateth betweene God, and us; and if sinne bee taken away, God is mercy it selfe, and mercy will have a current. What stoppeth mercy but sinne? Secondly, take away sinne, it runneth a­maine. Christ therefore became Emanuell God with us. Because hee is the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the World.

Before Adam had sinned, there was sweet agreement and communion betweene Adam and God, but sinne that devided be­tweene God and the creature; now Christ have­ing made satisfaction for all our sins there can be nothing but mercy.

2. Reason.Againe Christ is a fit person to knit God and us together, because our nature is pure in Christ; and therefore in Christ, God loveth us. After satisfaction God lookes on our nature in Christ, and seeth it pure in him, Christ is the glory of our nature. Now if our nature bee pure in our head, (which is the glory of our nature) God is recon­ciled to us, and loveth us in him that is pure, out of whom GOD can not love us.

As Christ is pure, and our nature in him, so he will make us pure at length.

3. Reason.Thirdly, Christ being our head of in­fluence, conveyeth the same spirit that is in [Page 17] him, to all his members, and by little and little, by that spirit purgeth his Church, and maketh her fit for Communion with himselfe, for he maketh us partakers of the Divine nature; he tooke our fraile humane nature, that wee might partake of his Di­vine nature, this is, of his Divine qualities, to be holy, pure, humble, and obedient, as hee was.

And thus Christ being a head not one­ly of eminence to rule, and governe, but of influence to flow by his spirit into all his members, is fit to bee a reconciler to bring God, and us together; partly be­cause our nature is in him, and partly be­cause hee doth communicate the same spirit to us, that is in himselfe, and by little and little maketh us holy like him­selfe.

Then God the father, and wee are in good tearmes, for the second person is God, in our nature, for this end to make God, and us friends.Job 9 3.2. There is a notable place, of Scripture which I note for the expres­sions sake hee speaking there of a Days man. There is no Dayes-man betweene us that might lay his hand on us both, that is, a middle person to lay his hand on the one, and the other. Now CHRIST is the middle [Page 18] person, as the second person in Trinity. And then hee is God, and man, and there­fore hee is fit to bee Mediatour, to lay his hand on both sides, on man as man, on God as God. And CHRIST is a friend to both, to GOD as GOD, to man as man; and therefore hee is fit to bee an Vmpire, to be a Dayes-man, to bee a Mediatour. And hee hath done it to purpose, making that good in Heaven, that hee did on earth. And therefore labour to make a gracious use of all this. I know nothing in the VVorld more usefull, no point of Divinity more pregnant, no greater spring of sanctifying duty, then that God and man were one, to make GOD, and us one. He marry'd our nature, that hee might marrie our per­sons.1

Use.And if it bee so that God and man are brought to tearmes of reconciliation on such a foundation as God-man, then ought not wee to improve this comfort? have wee such a foundation of comfort, and shall not wee make use of it? Shall we have wis­dome in the things of this World, and not make use of the grand comforts, that concerne 2 our soules?

Use.But how shall wee improve it? In all our necessities and wantes goe to God:Improved. how? through Christ, God-man, who is in Heaven [Page 19] making intercession and appearing for us by virtue of his satisfaction made on earth, and therefore wee may goe bouldly to the Throne of grace, to God being reconci­led by God. God, hath God at his right hand, appearing for us, and shall wee bee affraid to goe to the Throne of grace? When wee want strength, comforts, or any thing, goe to God, in the mediation of Emanuell, and then God can deny nothing to us, that we aske with the spirit of Faith in the name of Christ.

I beseech you therefore,Vse of impro­ving our privi­ledges by Emanuell. let this bee the maine use, continually to improve the gratious priviledges wee have by Emanuell. Our nature is now acceptable to God in Christ, because hee hath purified it in him­selfe, and Gods nature is lovely to us, be­cause hee hath taken our nature. If God lo­ved his owne Sonne, hee will love our na­ture as joyned to his Sonne, and Gods Nature is lovely to us, He tooke our flesh upon him, and made himselfe Bone of our Bone. And shall not wee like, and affect that, which was so gratiously procured by Emanuell.

Consider of it, and let it bee ground of reverent and bould prayer, in all our wants to 3 goe to God, Use. in Emanuell.

Let us make use of it likewise in be­halfeIn the behalfe of the Church [Page 20] of the Church. The Church is Ema­nuells Land as yee have it in the next Chap­ter, Verse 8.Isa. 8.8 The stretching out of his wings, shall bee the breath of thy land, O Emanuell. The Church of the Iewes was Emanuells land, but then it was impaled within the pale of the Iewes: but now the Gentiles are ta­ken in; The Church is scattered, and spread abroad over the whole earth. And there. fore goe to God in behalfe of the Church. Thou tookest our nature into unity of thy person, that thou mightest bee a gracious, and a mercifull head. And therefore looke in mercy on thine owne mysticall body, the Church. They before Christ came in the flesh, who had the spirit of Faith, knew the Church of the Iewes could not bee extinct, because Emanuell was to come of it.

And wee may know, the Church shall never bee destroyed, till the second com­ming of CHRIST because those things are not yet performed, that God hath pro­mised, and must bee performed. And there­fore wee may goe as bouldly to Christ, and spread the cause of the Church be­fore him now, as they spread the cause of the Iewes before him then: looke upon thy Land, looke upon thy Church O E­manuell.

[Page 21]That there must bee a Church, wee must beleeve, and wee can not beleeve a Non ens. We must have ground for our faith, and therefore never feare that heresy shall over­spread the face of the Church; Emanuells land shall bee preserved by some way or other, though perhaps not by the way wee expect. God must have a Church to the end of the world,Gods Church shal [...] the end of the world. the Gospell must get ground, Anti­christ must fall. God hath said it, and man can not unsay it. And therefore in all estates of the Church spread its cause before Ema­nuell.

When Emanuell came once,At Christ come­ing the Iews Church wasted. the Church of the Iewes wasted. Therefore if you will have good arguments against the Iewes, this is a good one to convince them that Christ is come in the flesh. The Church of the Iewes was to continue till Emanuell, but the Church of the Iewes hath ceased to continue and is now no Church, there is now no family of David, and therefore Emanuell is come.

And for a further use let us haue thoughts of the second coming of Emanuell as they had thoughts of the the first. [...] Christ was called the consolation of Israell, at his first coming and in the new Testament, it is every where ex­pressed a signe of a gracious man to looke for the appearing of Iesus Christ, [...] and to love it. Now let us comfort our selves that [Page 22] this Emanuell will appeare in our flesh ere long let us wait for the consolation of Israell. Emanuell came downe to us, to take our nature u­pon him and to satisfie Gods wrath, that hee might take us to heaven with himselfe, and that we might bee for ever with him in glo­ry. And therefore let us (if wee would make a true use of Emanuell,) desire to bee with him. Christ delighted before hee came in the flesh to bee with the sonnes of men, and hee is with us now by his spirit, and so willbe with his Church to the end of the world; and shall not wee bee with him as much as wee may? Indeed he loved our na­ture so much, that hee descended from the height of Majestie, to take our misery and bu­sinesse upon him, and shall not wee desire to bee with him in glory?

There bee divers evidences whether wee have any ground of comfort in this Emanuell or no. This shall be one.

Evidence of comfort in Christ.Wee may know wee have benefit by the first comming of Emanuell, if wee have a serious desire of the second com­ming; if wee have desire to bee with him. If as he came to us in love. Wee have desires to bee with him in his Ordinances as much as may be, and in humble resig­nation at the houre of death;Question. how shall wee be with him here?Answer. bee with him in [Page 23] thoughts, in meditation, in faith, and Pray­er, meet with him wheresoever hee is, hee is in the congregation; where two or three are gathered together in his name, he is amongst them, be with them in all things where he vouchsafeth his gracious presence. It is the nature of love to desire perfect union, and therefore the Christian soule touched with the spirit of God will desire to bee dissolved and to be with Christ, Revel. 22.20 as best of all. Come Lord Iesus come quickly, and therefore in the houre of death is willing to resigne him­selfe ro God that hee may goe to Emanuell, and inioy his presence, that left the pre­sence of his Father, to take our nature, and to bee with us on earth.

But the maine thing I desire you to ob­serve,Evidence of comfort. is matter of comfort from this Ema­nuell That now hee having taken our nature u­pon him, that he might take our persons into unity of his mysticall body, wee might have comfort in all conditions. For hee tooke our nature upon him, (beside his other ends) that hee might take our persons to make up mysticall Christ: hee married our nature, to marry our persons. And therefore if hee did it for this end, that wee might bee neere him as our nature is neere him, shall not wee make it a ground of comfort? that our persons shall bee [Page 24] neere Christ as well as our natures.

[...] of com­fort.As CHRIST hath two natures in one person, so many persons make up one mysti­call CHRIST, so that our persons are wonderfully neere to Christ. The wife is not neerer the husband, the members are not neerer the head, the building is not neerer the foundation, then Christ and his Church are. And therefore comfort our selues in this. Christ is Emanuell, God with us in our nature. And will hee suffer his Church to want, that hee hath taken so neere to himselfe? can the members want influence, when the head hath it? can the wife be poore, when the husband is rich? whatsoever Christ did to his owne body, to his humane nature taken into the unity of his person, that hee will doe in some pro­portion to his mysticall body.

As the humane [...].I will shew you some particulars. Hee sanctified his naturall body, by the Holy Ghost, and hee will sanctifie us by the same spirit. For there is the same spirit in head, and members. He loveth his naturall body, and so, as never to lay it aside to eternity. And loveth his mysticall body now in some sort more, for hee gave his naturall body to death, for his mysticall body. And therefore as hee will never lay aside his naturall body, hee will never lay aside his Church, nor any [Page 25] member of his Church: for with the same love, that hee loved his naturall body, hee loveth now his mysticall members. As hee rose to glory in his naturall body, and as­cended to Heaven: so hee will raise his mysti­call body, that it shall ascend as hee as­cended. I beseech you therefore consider what a ground of comfort this is, God tooke our nature on him, (besides the grand end of satisfaction) that hee might make us like himselfe in glory, that hee might draw us neere to himselfe. And therefore now Christ being in Heaven, having commis­sion, and authority over all things put into his hand; hee having a Name above all names in Heaven, Psal. 2▪9, 10▪ and earth, that at the Name of Iesus every knee should bow, that is, every subjection should bee given; will he suffer any member of his body to suffer more then hee thinkes fit? No, seeing hee is in Heaven, and glory, for his Churches good. For all that he hath done and suffered is for the Church, and the Churches use.

To conclude all, Let us consider, what wee are,Conclus: to con­sider what w [...]e are. let not a Christian bee base minded, let him not bee dastardly in any cause that is good, or Gods; Let him be on Gods side. Who is on his side? a Christian is an impreg­nable person, hee is a person that can ne­ver bee conquered. Emanuell became man [Page 26] to make the Church, and every Christian to be one with him. Christs nature is out of dan­ger of all that is hurtfull. The Sun shall not shine, the wind shall not blow, to the Church­es hurt. For the Churches head ruleth over all things, and hath all things in subjection, Angells in heaven, men on earth, Devills in hell, all bow to Christ; and shall any thing be­fall them that he loveth, unlesse for their grea­ter good? Therefore though they may kill a Christian and imprison him, yet hurt him they can not. If God bee on our side, who can bee against us? but God is on our side, and on what grounds? God-man hath procured him to be our friend, hee hath satisfied God; and therfore if we beleeve, we be one with Christ, and so one with God.

Wee have many against us, the Devils are against us,The Devill and the world our enemies. the world is against us to take a­way the favour of God, to hinder accesse to him in prayer, to stoppe the Churches com­munion with God, and hinder the sweet issue of all things that befall us as farre as they can; but their malice is greater, then their power. If God should let them loose, and give the chaine into their owne hand, though they seeme to hurt, yet hurt they cannot in the issue. And shall not we make use of these things in times of distresse? wherefore serve they but to comfort us in all conflicts with Satan, and in all doubtings that arise from our sinfull hearts? [Page 27] Answer all with this. If God be with us, who can bee against us? If any bee against us name them, if not, be satisfied. And therefore come life, come death, Christ is our surety, he layeth up our dust, keepeth our ashes in the grave, and will Christ loose any member? Feare not Ia­cob to goe into Egypt. For I will bring thee backe againe. So feare not to goe into the grave. The spirit of God will watch over our dust, and bring us to heaven. Therefore feare nothing; God will be with us in life, and death, yea for ever; and we shall be for ever with the Lord, as the Apostle saith in the Thessalonians. And that issue of all that Emanuell hath done, Christ was one in our nature, that hee might bring God and us into favour, that wee may be for ever with him in heaven, that we may be for ever with the Lord, which is the ac­complishment of all the promises.