תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

BT 70

.P77

Lebr
Export

10-17-45

53386

TO THE

CHRISTIAN READER.

I

T was anciently observed by St. Austin, touching the Prophets under the Old Teftament, Non tantum lingua illorum hominum, verum etiam vita fuit Prophetica: They did not only prophefie, or reveal the mind of God by words; but by things done by or upon them. Ifaiab muft walk naked and barefoot, to fhew the shame of the Egyptian captivity. Feremy muft go down to the Potters House, and there fee the Veffel marred, to give the Jews a pregnant demonftration, that God could unmake and deftroy them. Ezekiel was to remove and bring forth his ftuff, to give them a lively representation of their captivity. Above all, this was eminently feen in our great Prophet Jefus Chrift; He did not only reveal the Gospel, but he himself is the fubftance and mar

[blocks in formation]

row of it. He is the very mirror of Divine Truths and Perfections. His ftile is the Image of the invifible God, the brightness of the Fathers Glory. As an eternal Son, he is fuch in himself; As incarnate, he is fuch to us. The Meffiah (fay the Rabbins) is facies Dei, the face of God. The Glory of God (faith the Apostle) is in the face of Jefus Chrift. The Divine perfections appear in him, as beauty doth in the face. The invisible one may here be seen; the inacceffible Majefty may be approach'd unto. Infinity, to accommodate it felf to our Model, appears nube carnis, in a Cloud of flesh, that his glory might not swallow us up. In our Emanuel we have a body of Theology, an excellent Summary of Divine Truths, in a very lively manner fet forth to us. The Atheist, who owns not a God in Heaven, might here, if he had eyes of Faith, fee God in the flesh. The Wisdom of God doth here appear, not in the orders and harmonies of nature; but in a plot much greater, and more ad mirable: God and Man, infinite and finite, Eternal and Temporal are met in conjuncti

on,

[ocr errors]

on, that the human, finite, temporal nature in Chrift, might be the Theater, for the Divine, Infinite, Eternal nature to Thew its perfections in. The Truth of God manifefts it felf illuftriously, in that no difficulty could hinder the early promise of the Meffiah made immediately after the fall of man; neither could any time bury it in oblivion. He would be true in that which was the hardest thing for him to do, in parting with his only begotten out of his bofom for us. After many ages the Promise must bud and bloffom, and bring forth the Meffiah. We fee here, That God is the holy one, his hatred of fin is writ in Red Characters, in the blood and wounds of our dear Lord. His love to holiness was fuch, that he would fend his own Son in the flesh, to recover holiness into the heart of man again. We have here Providence accurately watching over our Saviour allalong; firft over his Genealogy, then over his birth, life, death, refurrection: And laftly over the iffue of all; a Church raised up to fing Hofannah's to him for ever. Omnia plena Sacramentorum, faith an Ancient ;

*

Every thing in Chrift reads us a Lecture of Divinity. He being the fecond Adam, who brought in righteousness and life unto men; we are sure that there was a firft, who brought in fin and death to them. From his conception, being an extraordinary one, we may plainly gather what the Two states of Nature and Grace are; By the common generation we are flesh of flesh, unclean creatures. By the power of the regenerating fpirit overshadowing our hearts, we become fpirit of fpirit, holy new-creatures. In his life and preaching we have miracles triumphing over nature and all the order of it; Myfteries exceeding Reason, and all its Acumen; and a Samplar of humility, Meekness, Mercy, Righteousness, Holinefs, Obedience, fuch as the Sun never faw. In his death we have, what the proud Socinian thinks impoffible, Infinite Mercy, and Infinite Justice killing and embracing each other. Mercy was feen, that God fhould give his only, his dearly beloved Son for us. Juftice was feen, that God fhould exact of him, ftanding in our ftead, as much as would counterpoize the fin and

fuf

« הקודםהמשך »