times, and in all places, give all poffible Thanks and Praise to Our Merciful Redeemer, for This gracious Condefcenfion, in abafing Himself fo far,. as to be the Son of Man, that he might Exalt Us to be the Sons of God. Should not we gladly join with that Heavenly Hoft, who (not Envying Our Felicity,tho' so much preferr'd to their Once Glorious, but Now Fallen and Miserable Fellow-Spirits) usher'd in the Birth of God Incarnate, with this Triumphant Song,Glory be to God in the Highest, and on Earth Peace, Good-will towards Men! fhall Thefe, who have no Intereft or Share in this great Salvation, be defirous to bow down and look into this glorious Mystery; and shall not we, who are To much concern'd, lift up our Hearts, raise up our Souls, to a devout Contemplation, and frequent and ferious, and grateful Meditation of his Incomprehenfible Love, who for Us Men, and for Our Salvation, came down from Heaven, and was made Man? What warmth of Affection, what Light of Joy, what Incense of Gratitude, fhould the Senfe of fo invaluable a Bleffing kindle, and for ever keep alive in our Spirits? Abraham, whofe Seed he long after took upon Him, was transported with the obfcure and confus'd apprehenfion,with the remote forefight only of fo great a Bleffing, He faw This Day a far off, and was glad. How should

we then be affected, to whom the Son of God is actually come! What Thanks fhall we render, what Acknowledgments can we pay, I do not say equal, but in any wife, fuitable and becoming for fuch mighty Love; not in dim Shadows, as to this great Patriarch, the Friend of God, prefigur'd only and promis'd, but in real Bleffings Substantially perform'd! Certainly the best way of Expreffing our Joy, and Gratitude, and Love, is heartily to comply with, and, as much as in us lies, to promote and forward this Merciful Design of the Son of God, in being made Man! O Let not Us fruftrate the Councel of Infinite Wisdom, O Let not us do despite to the kindness of Ineffable Love! Let not us receive this Grace in vain! This Grace, which has appear'd indeed to All Men, but bringeth Salvation to Thofe Only, whom it teaches to deny all Ungodliness and Worldly Lufts, and to live Soberly and Righteously in this prefent World, looking for his Second glorious appearing; for which, if we have not rightly prepar❜d Ourselves, it will be much better for us, that the first had never been. For, if we ftill continue in Our Sins, after fuch wonderful, wife, and gracious means us'd for Our Recovery, we fhall be more Wicked,and lefs worthy of Mercy,than those Miferable Apoftate Spirits, whom Christ pafs'd by, and had no Compaffion of, when

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he deliver❜d Us. The Sins of Men, after Chrift's having liv'd with them, and dy'd for them,are by many Aggravations made worse than that of the Devil himself.

For he never Sinn'd against Example, being the first Offender, nor against God's Patience and Long-fuffering, being upon the first Offence cast into Hell; nor laftly, against Remedy, there having never been any means offer'd for his Recovery. But for Us Men, all that the Love of God could will, or his Wisdom contrive, for Our good, has been made use of: And, how shall we escape, if we neglect fo great Salvation? Let us not flatter Ourselves, or think that we have any Interest in any of those innumerable Bleffings, whichhis being made One of Us, has procur'd for Us; if we perform not the Equal and Easy Conditions, upon which they are offer'd to Us ; if we fuffer him not to bless us, in his Own way; and we are by the Holy-Ghoft inform'd how that is, namely, by turning us away Every One from Our Iniquities. Let us not then lay withinOurselves,We have Abraham for Our Father, and Him that took upon Him the Seed of Abraham for Our Brother, if we go on in Our Iniquities, left we juftly receive the fame Rebuke, which the Jews did from Him, when he was upon Earth: I know that ye are Abraham's Seed, fays Our Saviour to thofe Hypocritical pretenders; that is, that

you boast of your high Defcent from that Great Man, and that according to the Flesh ye are what ye pretend to be, really defcended from him; but yet you have none of that Spiritual, and more valuable Relation to Him, which only can Entitle you to thofe glorious Promifes made to Him, as Father of the Faithful, and to as many as are the Heirs of his Faith: For, if Ye were, in this Divine and comfortable Sense, Abraham's Children,the Works of Abraham ye would do. Let us thus fecure Our Title and Adoption, by bearing as near a fimilitude as is poffible to this Our Elder Brother. If in Our Lives are exprefs'd the refemblance and lineaments of his Divine Perfections, if in Our Conversations there appear any remarkable traces of his Innocence and Purity, his Sanctity and Love, his Humility and Meekness, his Zeal for the Honour of God, and the Welfare of Man, if we are thus conform'd to the Image of his Son, his Honourable True and Only Son by Nature, for this likeness to the Firft-born, God will Own Us alfo for his Sons by Adoption and Grace, nor will Christ be afham'd to call Us, Brethren. Let us then, fince he has condefcended in all things to be made like unto us, earnestly endeavour to be made like unto him. Let us not, by the Impurities of Sin,difgrace and dishonour that Flesh, which

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he has been pleas'd fo highly to dignify, as to Partake of; Let us Reverence, and keep Holy, and Undefil'd, that Nature which he has fo far honour'd, as to Affume and Unite unto his Own: And fince he has Vouchsaf'd to take upon him our Flesh, Let us, in return, as the Apoftle exhorts, Pat on the Lord Jefus Chrift. Let us fet all the Graces and Virtues of that Divine Life, which he, out of his great Humility, was pleas'd to lead here among us; as a conftant Pattern, and exact Rule, to model and fashion our Own by; that by a lively Faith in his Infallible Word, and a chearful Obedience to his Holy Will, and a ftudious Imitation of his Perfect Example, we may, at laft, be made meet to be Partakers of thofe Joys, that he has Purchas'd for all thofe that Love, and Obey, and Resemble Him.

To whom therefore be paid all Adoration, Praife, and Thanksgiving; be afcrib'd, as is moft due, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, all Might, Majefty, and Dominion, both Now and for Evermore. Amen.