I. XXXV. I. xlii. 10. SER M. let the multitude of ifles be glad thereof: hence Sing, O thou barren, thou that did not bear, break forth into finging and cry aloud, thou that didft not travail with Ifa. liv. 1. child-The wilderness and the folitary place fhall be glad, the defart shall rejoice and bloffom as the rofe— Sing unto the Lord a new fong, and his praise from the end of the earth, faid the Evangelical Prophet in regard to this difpenfation: in fine, this Angel himfelf did interpret his own words, when in concert Luke ii. 14. with the heavenly choir he fang that anthem, Glory be to God in the highest; on earth peace, and good will toward men whence we may collect that a peace diffused over the earth, and a good will extended toward all men, were implied in these tidings of great joy to all people. We then are all concerned in these tidings, and we may look on them as by this heavenly Evangelist imparted to us; whence our duty must be to liften with reverent attention unto them, feriously to weigh the purport of them, diligently to contemplate the reafons of that great joy, which effectually should be produced in us by them, as their proper and due refult; to further which practice, let us take fome profpect of this Gofpel, whereby it may appear pleafant, and apt to kindle a fprightly joy in our hearts. The matter of it is the nativity of our ever blessed Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift; for, To you, faith our Angel, is born this day a Saviour, who is Chrift the Lord; an occurrence fraught with all the greatest caules of joy imaginable; as importing innumerable, inexpreffibly and inconceivably vast advantages thence fpringing to us. It doth minifter occafion of rejoicing for all the bleffings, which did flow from each of his falutary undertakings and performances; for all the mercies purchased by the merits of his obedience, and by the price of his blood; for all the graces iffuing from his difpenfation of the Holy Spirit; for all the benefits confequent on his illuftrious refurrection, afcenfion, 1. afcenfion, and glorification; as being a good entrance s E R M. to them, yea, a great progrefs in them, and a certain pledge of their full accomplishment: for all the work of our redemption was in a manner achieved, when our Saviour did appear; his incarnation was the great step toward it, as being an act of the humbleft obedience, and of the highest merit, that could any wife be performed, for fatisfying the justice of God, and winning his favour toward us. His taking up life may well feem more meritorious than his laying it down, and the chief paffion which he could ever undergo; his death was a paffion, great as death could be; his life alfo was a continual paffion, or exercite of huge patience: but his birth feemeth to be the greatest and ftrangeft paffion of all; involving the loweft fubmiffion and the deepeft fuffering. What nobler facrifice could there be, than God's offering himself up to mortality, to infirmity, to flavery ? What obedience can be thought of comparable to that which he did exprefs, when he said, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God: I came down, not Heb. x. 7. that I might do my own will, but the will of him that John vi. 38, fent me. For him to defcend from heaven, the region of light and blifs, into this gloomy and fad world; for him in a manner to diveft himself of celeftial majefty, and to affume the form of a fervant; for him to be inclofed in a womb, and to come out wailing thence, to fuck at a breast for life, to be carried in arms, and laid in a manger, to enter on a ftage of being fo very low and homely; for him, I fay, the Lord of glory, thus to empty and abafe himfelf; may not this reasonably be deemed more than, 8. after his becoming man, to fuftain all the grievances incident to our nature and state? Whence the very affumption of flesh was (faith St. Athanafius) the redemption of all mankind. He was at least thence en 4 Εαυτὸν ἐκίνωσεν, ἑαυτὸν ἐταπείνωσεν. • Η πρόσληψις ή σαρκὸς ἐλευθέρωσις ἦν πάσης ἢ ἀνθρωπότητα, 41. Or. 3. c. Arr. p. 385. vid. p. 618. BA 34 Λύχνου Phil. ii. Ja SER M.gaged in the way of acting and fuffering whatever I. was needful for our recovery; and having gone fo far, affuredly he never would flinch or recoil, but would go through with all; being come, he would fhew himself come to purpose, leaving no part unfinished of his grand defign. So that as they, who celebrate the birth of a prince, do mean thereby to exprefs their joy for all the good, which they do hopefully prefume to enjoy from his protection and conduct afterward in all his life; and as they, who welcome the fun rifing, do imply their fatisfaction in the conveniencies of his light through the whole enfuing day;, fo may the nativity of our Lord afford matter of rejoicing for all the train of mighty bleffings, which do fucceed it. We may therefore now well confider him born to inftruct us by his excellent doctrine, and to guide us by his perfect example; born to merit God's mercy and favour toward us, by an entire fubmiffion to God's pleasure, in the whole conduct of his life, and in the final refignation of it; born to renew and fanctify our nature, to fupport and ftrengthen us in obedience to God's commandments, to fuccour us in temptations, to comfort us in diftreffes by his grace; born to rear himself from the grave for confirming our faith, and ensuring our hopes of falvation; born to afcend up above all the heavens to God's right hand, there effectually to intercede for us, thence liberally to difpenfe all heavenly bleffings to us. Well may we now rejoice, as feeing him come to disclose the way of happiness, to establish the covenant of grace, to void all the obstructions, and fubdue all the enemies to our welfare: well may we celebrate this birth, as by its virtue bleffing the Patriarchs, enlightening the Prophets, infpiring the Mar Λύχνον ἥψε τὴν ἑαυτῇ σάρκα, &c. Creatoris ad creaturam defcenfio vectio. Leo M. de Nat. Serm. 5. Greg. Naz. Οr. 39. tyrs I. tyrs with faith and courage, endowing all the Saints, s e R M. that ever have been, with grace, and crowning them with glory; fo that in this day we have the paffion, the pafch, the afcenfion, the pentecoft, the memorials of every faint fuggefted to us f; the joys of all our festivals do confpire or commence in this; which is the head and fpring, which is the fruitful feed, which is the hopeful morning of them all. Πάντα ταῦτα τῆς παρέσης ἡμέρας χάρις ἐσιν· αὕτη γὰρ ἦρξη τῶν ἐφεξῆς ἀγαθῶν. All theje things (faith St. Gregory Nyffen) are the Greg. Nyff. grace of this prefent day, for it began the goods which tom. ii. p. did in order fucceed. But waving the numberless benefits fo confequent on the nativity, we fhall only touch fome of thofe which have a more formal and close relation thereto. I pass over the contemplation of that sweet harmony between the old and the new world; in which, to our comfortable fatisfaction, the sweetest attributes of God (his goodness, his wisdom, his fidelity and conftancy) do illuftrate themselves, by completion of the ancient promifes, prefigurations, and predictions touching this event. I forbear alfo to reflect on the happy alteration and amendment of the world, which our Lord's coming did induce, by comparing the state of things before it, with that which followed it; the confideration of which cafe is very pleafant, and productive of joy. Firft then, 1. Let us confider, that the nativity doth import the completion of many ancient promifes, predictions, and prefigurations concerning it; that whereas all former difpenfations of favour and mercy were as preludes or preambles to this; the old Law did aim to reprefent it in its myfterious pomps; the chief of providential occurrences did intimate it; the Prophets often in their myftical raptures did allude to * Οὐνῦν καὶ τὰ τὸ Πάχα καλὰ τῶν περὶ τὴν γένεσιν εὐφημιῶν μέρΘ. ἐ56. Greg. Ny 784. 1 I. xxii. 18. 16. Gen. xlix. 10. 15. Acts iii. 22. vii. 37 37. 11. vii. 14. ix. SER M. it, and often in clear terms did exprefs it; the gracious defigns of God, and the longing expectations of mankind being fo varioufly implied in regard thereto; now all is come to be fulfilled, and perfected in moft clear, moft effectual, moft fubftantial Gen. iii. 15. accomplishment: now is fprung up that feed of the Gali 8, woman, which, according to the first Gospel preached to Abraham, thould bruife the ferpent's head; now is the mystical Isaac, the miraculous Son of promife, born; Deut. xviii. now is that grant to Abraham, In thy feed fhall all the nations of the earth be blessed, made good; now is shiloh come, of whom Jacob foreboded, unto him the Num. xxiv. gatherings of the people fhall be; now is that oracle of Pf. cxxxii. Moles more than verified, A prophet Shall the Lord Luke i. 33. your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like to me; It. xi. 1. him fhall ye bear; now the far is come out of Jacob, 6. lix. 20. the vifion whereof dazzled Balaam, and ftopped him from curfing that people, in which it fhould arife; Jer. xxiii. now is that oath difcharged to David, Of the fruit of 5. xxxiii. thy body will I fet upon thy throne; now thofe ilZech. iii. 8. luftrious predictions of Ifaiah, There fhall come fortb a Rod out of the stem of Jesse-A Virgin fhall conceive, xxxiv. 23. and bear a fon; to us a child is born, to us a fon is given; DAX + and the government fhall be on his shoulders-There fhall 13. come out of Sion the deliverer, and fhall turn ungodliness Matt. ii. 6. from Jacob, are fully accomplished: now the righteous Hag. 7. Branch (of which Jeremiah and Zechariah fpake) is fprouted forth; and Ezekiel's One Shepherd, Daniel's Son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven; Micah's Ruler in Ifrael, whofe goings forth have been from old; Haggai's Defire of all nations; Malachi's Angel of the Covenant, and Sun of Righteoufnefs have all in truth appeared now is that glorious King and Captain arrived, whom the holy Oracles do fo magnificently de 26. 15. VI. 12. Ezek. xxxvii. 24. Dan. vii. Mic. v. 2. Mal. iii. 1. iv. 2. Sapientia et benignitas Dei ac falutiferi operis mora capaciores nos fuæ vocationis effecit, ut quod multis fignis, multis vocibus, multifque myfteriis per tot fuerat fecula pronunciatum, in his diebus Evangelii non effet ambiguum, &c, Leo P. de Nat. Serm. 3. fcribe; |