therefore conclude both these Heads with this One Observation; That, tho' we had. none of those many plain and positive do&trinal Affertions in Holy Scripture, of the Two diftinct Natures of our Bleffed Lord, yet the bare Hiftory of his Actions upon Earth, a fimple Narrative only of his Life, his Miracles, his Death and Refurrection, would be fufficient to prove Him, what we, with the whole Catholick Church, believe Him to be, both God and Man. And this is the Proof, which our Church makes use of, in that plain, but excellent Homily on the Incarnation, as fitted for the Capaci ty of the Weakeft, as the Conviction of the Wifeft. In that He did Hunger and Thirft, Eat and Drink, Sleep and Wake, in that He Wept and Sorrowed over Feru. falem, in that He Suffer'd the moft grievous Pains, both of Body and Soul, and finally Death it felf: what can be more apparent, than that he was perfect Man, as We are? But in that He forgave Sins, caft out Devils, knew the Thoughts of Men's Hearts, walk'd upon the Waves, and had the Winds and the Seas at his Command; laftly,and chiefly,in that He rais'd Himself from Death to Life,and afcended up into Heaven: what can be more evident, than that He was perfect God alfo, and equal to the Father as touching his Deity? It is therefore necessary

to

to Everlasting Salvation, that we thus believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jefus Chrift: And the right Faith is, that we believe and confefs, that Our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Son of God, is God and Man.

III. I come now to the Third Particu lar; The infinite Grace and Love to Mankind, exprefs'd in preferring Them and af fuming their Nature, rather than that of the fallen Angels, who flood equally in need of a Redeemer.

Without all Controversy, fays the Apostle elsewhere, Great is the Mystery of Godliness, God manifeft in the Flefb. Abfolutely, and by itself confider'd, wondrous Great; but behold the fame Mystery here, by the Comparison of Angels and Men, made much Greater,and infinitely more Gracious. That God, who is himself a Spirit, fhould rather affume Flesh than Spirit; That He should choose wretched Man, vile Duft and Ashes, and pass by thofe Once Glorious Heavenly and Immortal Spirits; That God the Father, who fpar'd not the Angels that finned, as St. Peter tells us, fhould yet be fo defirous to spare Men, that for their fakes He spar'd not his Own Son, as St. Paul affures us; That the Glorious Cherubim and Seraphim Thrones, Dominions, Principalities and Powers, fo far before and above us in eve

ry

ry Thing else, should in this Dignity conferr'd on our Nature, by being taken into the Godhead, come fo far behind and beneath us, is beyond the Rules and Reach of our weak Reafon, is matter of Wonder and Astonishment. It cafts me into an Ec. ftacy, fays St. Chryfoftom, and makes me imagine of our Nature fome great Matter, I cannot well exprefs What. Lord, what is Man, that thou art mindfull of him, or the Son of Man, that thou regardest him? fays holy David, tranfported with the Wonder of God's Goodness to Man, in that He made him a little lower than the Angels. But the Wonder is now infinitely encreas'd; for, by taking our Nature, Chrift has made him a great deal higher than the Angels: For those bright and immortal Spirits, fince his Incarnation, have, and do continually adore Our Nature in the Perfonal, Indivifible, but Unconfus'd Union with the Deity. As the Apostle to the Hebrews, When he bringeth in the first begotten into the World, he faith, Let all the Angels of God worship Him, Heb. 1. 6.

And can we pass by this wonderful Grace and Dignity,conferr'd on our Nature, without asking the Question which St. John Baptift's Mother did, on a like occafion, Whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord fhould come to me? Luke 1.43. Whence is this to Us, that the Lord himself fhould come to

us?

us? fhould be One of us? If the Angels themselves were not counted worthy of this Favour, whence is this to us?

We may find among the Fathers, who have ventur'd to fearch after an Account of fo wonderful a Dispensation, several Reafons or Inducements, why God rather had Compaffion on Us,than thofe Heavenly Spirits that fell: I fhall mention, and but juft mention, Two, the most probable and fatiffactory.

The first is, that of St. Austin; That Man's Cafe was more to be pity'd than theirs, because Man was by them Tempted, and deceiv'd by the Cunning of their Chief; But the Angels had no Tempter, none but themfelves, their Own Pride and Ambition, to feduce them to fo foul an Apoftacy. There was nothing of Ignorance or Deceit to leffen the Voluntarinefs of their Sin, they fell in the Light of Heaven, and render'd themfelves incapable of Pity. But Man, as he fell by the Devil's Malice, was the fitter Object of God's Mercy; and accordingly, as he was undone by Another's Wickedness, he was recover'd by Another's Merit.

The Second is, that when the Angels rebell'd, tho' Some fell, yet Others ftood; Each of them finn'd and fuffer'd only for himfelf, did not involve a whole Nature in his Guilt, and so they all did not perish. But

in the first Man that finn'd all Men fell, All were Virtually and Federally in Adam, and the Decree of Death pafs'd upon all Mankind, in Him concluded under the common Condemnation. And fhould God's Creation be thus destroy'd,and hisGoodness defeated, by the Malice of the Devil? Haft Thou made all Men for Nought? fays the Pfalmift,89.47. That cannot be, fo great Wisdom cannot do fo great a Work in Vain; but in Vain it had been, if God had not fhewn Mercy, and therefore was Man's Cafe, rather than that of the fallen Angels, matter of the Divine Commiferation and Pity.

Thus they Reason'd, and perhaps not amifs, but it will better become us humbly to adore the Plain Revelation of his Love, than curiously to pry into the hidden Secrets of his Wisdom; to afcribe all this to the tender Mercies of our God, whereby he from on high bath Vifited us, To the Great Love wherewith be Loved us, as the Apostle speaks. God fo Loved the World, fays Our Saviour, that he gave his Only begotten Son; and We, taught by Him, for a Reason of this Great Myftery, fay only, Even foLord,for fo it seem'd good in thy Sight, Luke 10. 21.

IV. Which leads me to the Fourth thing to be confider'd; and that is, the admirable Wisdom and Fitness of this Method, which

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