wandring in the foul ways of fin, God out of Chap. 5. his immenfe Love, fent no less perfon than his only begotten Son to feek us, and bring us back unto himself, that we might be for ever happy in the fruition of him. The greatness of this Love will yet further appear, if we confider the manner how the Son of God was given for us. The lower a man ftoops and condefcends to do another good, the higher and more eminent is his Love; the steps wherein the Son of God came down and humbled himself for us, evidently declare the infinite height of that Love, which made him ftoop fo low to compafs our Salvation. The firft ftep was his Incarnation, the word was made flesh; he, who was in the form of God, took on him an humane Nature. In the Creation infinite produced finite, but here infinite affumed finite; there Eternal brought forth Temporal, but here Eternal took Temporal into it felf: and what a wonderful Condefcenfion was this? It's true, Reason in the Socinian laughs at it, but Faith in the Christian must needs admire it. Had the greatest Monarch on Earth confined himself to the poorest Cottage there, it would have been nothing to God Tabernacling in the flesh. Should the highest Angel in Heaven have put off his Perfections, and come down into an humane Nature; and from thence have paffed into a brutal beftial one, and fo on into a tree or stone, and at last into nullity; it would not have been a Condefcenfion comparable to that of the Son of God coming in the flesh. His Sacred Perfon was infinitely more above humane Nature, than an Angel is above matter or nullity it M 2 felf: Chap. 5. felf: and what unparallel'd Love was here? The Creator became a Creature; the Son of God affumed our nature, and that after it was in us tainted with Dr.Bates of the fin. "The natural distance (faith that excellent "Man) between God and the Creature is infinite; "the Moral between God and the finful Creature, if poffible, is more than infinite. Yet the mercy of CC our Redeemer overcame this diftance. What an "extafie of Love transported the Son of God fo far, "as to espouse our nature, after it was defiled and "debafed with fin? He was effential Innocence and Purity; yet he came in the fimilitude of finful flesh, "which to outward view was not different from "what was really finful. Thus he. St. Austin calls Love, junctura duo copulans, a coupling of two together: That after man had rent off himself from God by his Apoftacy, God fhould affume an humane Nature into himself, to make up the breach, and reduce Man into an Union with himself again, Miror Deum in muft needs be Love in a tranfcendent excess infinite. utero Virginis: This made St. Cyprian overlook the wonders in Namiror omnipo- ture, that he might ravish himself in the admirations bulis: miror of an Incarnate God. The Condefcenfion was here quomodo verbo fo great, that God feems to neglect his own Majefty, ferit, Cypr. de that he may comply with our neceffities; yet infiNat. Chrifti. nite Love would have the Son of God stoop a little tentem in cuna Dei caro adha lower, and do honour to that Sacred Law which knew knew him in a finite Reason: He who embraced Chap. 5. the Father in an infinity of Love, now loved him in a finite Will: He, who was Lord of all, was fubject to Parents and Magiftrates: He, who upholds the world, went up and down as a man doing of good; he stooped as low as the Ceremonial Law: His pure flesh was circumcifed, he kept the Paffeover, and fo obedientially stood under his own fhadow. This is a Condefcenfion much greater, than if all the Angels in Heaven had put themselves under the Laws of the lowest matter; yet infinite Love would have the Son of God go down a little lower. We have him hungry, thirsty, weary, weeping, fuffering the contradiction of Sinners, enduring the temptations of Satan, all his life-through a man of forrows: at last we have him bleeding on a Crofs, hanging there as a spectacle of fhame; his hands and his feet were pierced, his body was racked and tortured to death in a stinking Golgotha. But, which was the greatest of all, he bore the Wrath of God: and what was that Wrath, which was due to the fin of a World? or what thofe Sufferings, which fatisfied Justice for it? What a great thing was the Paffion of God? and how much beyond the diffolution of a World? Words cannot utter it, thoughts cannot measure it. That Love must be no less than immense, which made the Son of God ftoop fo low, to take us up out of the ruins of the Fall. The Love of God will yet more appear, if we take notice of the perfons for whom Chrift was. given; it. was for man, poor impotent man, a creature worth nothing, a bankrupt in Spirituals, one void of all thofe Primitive Excellencies, which at Anno 431. Chap. 5. firft Crowned the humane Nature; for him it was, that God was at fo vaft an expence, as that of his Spond. Annal. own blood. 'Twas great Charity in Paulinus, Bishop of Nola, that he would give himself in pawn to the Vandals for a poor Child; but it was tranfcendent fuperlative Love in God, to give his Son, one worth Millions of Worlds, and as rich in Excellencies as a Deity could make him, to be emptied and humbled to death for poor worthlefs worms, fuch as we are. Te know the grace of our Lord Jefus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our fakes he became poor, that je through his poverty might be rich, faith the Apostle, 2 Cor. 8. 9. The Riches of a God were laid out to set up broken man again. But further, it was for Sinners, for Enemies, fuch as were in Arms against God; fuch as had broken his Laws, despised his Authority, caft off his Soveraignty, and as much as in them lay, stained his Glory. These were the perfons, upon whofe Salvation infinite Love fet fo high a rate, that rather than fail, the Life of God should be paid down for it. The Apostle notably fets forth this, Scarcely for a righteous man will one dye, jet peradventure for a good man fome would even dare to dye: But God commended his love towards us, in that while we were yet finners, Chrift died for us, Rom. 5. 7, 8. Sometimes poffibly, though but rarely, one may dye for a righteous good Man, who is a bleffing to the place where he lives. But this was Chrifts Prerogative to dye for Sinners: this was the fupereminency of Divine Love to give him fo to do. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends, Joh. 15. 13. Thus our Saviour. A greater proof or effect effect of Love than death there cannot be; but Chap, 5. Love is then in an higher and more excellent degree, when that death is, as in our Saviours cafe it was, for Enemies, than it is, when the death is for Friends, Damon and Pythias, two intimate friends, were willing to dye one for another; but Chrift died for Enemies. In Creation God overcame Nullity, but in Redemption he overcomes Enmity it felf, and that in a wonderful way: He affumes an humane Nature, and in it pours out his precious blood, to melt and break that horrible Enmity, which was in us against him. If we would fee more of this Love, let us turn our eyes upon the evils removed, and the good procured by our Saviour Chrift. All evils are either Moral, fuch as fin; or which waits upon the other, Phyfical, such as punishment: all of them are removed by our Saviour, who faves from Sin and Wrath. Man was under the guilt of Sin, and fo under the Wrath of God. Wrath in the threatning hung as an horrible Tempest over his head, and within there was the dreadful Eccho of it in Confcience. But the Sufferings of Chrift were fo fatisfactory and meritorious for us, that as foon as we return and believe on him, all our guilt is done away. It's true, the guilt in it felf, in the intrinfecal defert of punishment, is perpetual, because fin cannot ceafe to be fin; but it doth no longer redound upon our perfons, to oblige us to punishment. The heavy burden is now lifted off from Confcience, the black Cloud of Wrath is diffolved, the curfing Law hath nothing to fay against us; There is no condemnation to them which are in Chrift, Rom. |