ant particulars proper for us to know so far as they relate to the great work of our redemption, which was accomplished by his giving up himself to the death of the cross for us. Forasmuch (as St. Peter observes, 1 Pet. i. 18, 19) as ye should know, that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. For when the world was grown so exceedingly wicked, and ignorant of the only true God, as, through the depravity of nature and length of time, to have forgotten and corrupted the tradition of the fathers, and to disregard God's prophets, and all the various gracious methods of teaching them his ways, which in mercy he had appointed, in order to turn men from darkness to light; he at last displayed his tender regard for mankind, by sending his Son into the world, who took upon himself the nature of man, by being born of a virgin, that, as a man, he might be capable of suffering for the sins of men, for which from the beginning he had engaged to suffer (for he was the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world). And from the necessity of our Saviour's being rendered capable of suffering, is derived that essential doctrine of the expediency of our being made capable of partaking of his divine nature. If Christ had not taken upon himself the nature of man, he could not have suffered—

for, as God, he could not suffer any thing, and consequently no atonement could have been made for us. And as it is said, he came to prepare a people for himself; so is it equally and indispensably requisite, that those he came to save, should be zealous of good works, after his own continual example, i. e. should have their nature so changed, or improved, by the influence of his grace, that they may be capable of enjoying hereafter the glory he hath obtained for them, through obedience to his Father's will.

To enter into the true spirit of the words of this article, it will be useful to point out to you that they plainly separate the conception of Jesus, from his nativity or birth: the first, they give to the power of the Holy Ghost; the second, to the Virgin Mary, as the natural instrument of producing him.

And that nothing may be wanting to express the full signification of this article, it will be proper to observe, that there are three persons mentioned as being concerned in it: first, the person conceived and born; secondly, he by whose power of working, he was conceived; and thirdly, she who did conceive and bear him.

In treating of the nature of the first person, an objection may perhaps present itself to many, how Christ could die, whom we have before so fully proved to be GOD, and the belief of which

fact is so necessary to confirm all our best hopes of being pardoned, and inheriting eternal life. This difficulty is easily removed, by our considering him as the man Christ Jesus, as becoming one like us; or, as the Apostle expresses it, having made himself of no reputation, and taken upon him the form of a servant, he was made in the likeness of man; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, for us. (Phil. ii. 7, 8.) Nor can this in the least take from his divine nature, which is sufficiently established both by his life and works. Indeed, the offspring which was produced by the miraculous operation of the Holy Ghost, or Spirit of God, in so extraordinary a manner, and contrary to the usual course of nature, could not fail to be other than a DIVINE person; for it is clear, beyond all dispute, that the thing that is conceived must partake of the nature that begets it; and our blessed Saviour is expressly called the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, and born in the world, through the power of his Holy Spirit. Now, it was positively necessary that this should be so, otherwise Christ could not have taken our nature without its corruptions. Again, the reason of his taking our nature is no less evident, which was in order that he might suffer the punishment due to sin, in that very nature which had

sinned, and required a full atonement ere it could be renewed.

As to the manner in which Christ was made man, perhaps it exceeds the power of every created being to describe or comprehend it, so as to convey any certain satisfaction on the subject. What materially relates to the virtue of our faith in this respect is merely, an humble and hearty assent to what God has been pleased to reveal of this matter; which belief can receive no greater support than by Christ's life and death: the former declares him to be God, and his sufferings prove him to be MAN; for, as to the latter, he was in all things like us (sin only excepted). The freedom from sin, and his power of working miracles, sufficiently evince the divinity of his nature, and that in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (Col. ii. 9.) Though the singularity of the mode in which this grand mystery was effected, cannot be perfectly expressed by us, yet we are guarded from encouraging any unworthy notion of it, by the authority of the inspired word. St. John defends us from all danger of error as to Christ's assuming the nature of man, by his account of it (i. 14); And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us; and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth: that is, the only begotten Son of God, who was from all eternity

with his Father; was clothed upon with human flesh, or, as it is strongly and clearly expressed, put on the nature and form of man (not that any transformation or conversion of one person into the other took place); and his human person became full of that grace and truth, which could belong to God alone. We are equally se cured from supposing any confusion or mixture of the natures together, by St. Paul's description of the union (Heb. ii. 14): Forasmuch then (says he) as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself took part of the same; that is, he united our human, to his divine nature (by that power by which he can do all things), even as the soul and body are united, but not confounded together. And in the close of the verse, the Apostle adds a manifest reason for it, which affords further proof of what I before advanced, of the necessity of Christ's having such a body; that through death (i. e. by the sacrifice of this mortal body) he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.

Enough, perhaps, has been said, to convince you (my brethren) that the same divine Person -the WORD-the Son of God, blessed for ever -the only begotten of the Father, who was in heaven, with his Father, before all worlds, very God of very God, by whom all things were made, was the same glorious Person who hum