I.

Blood of Chrift. In order to make This SER M. Atonement, and to become capable of Suffering as a Sacrifice by the shedding of his Blood, it was neceffary for the Son of God to have a Body prepared for him; Heb. x. 5; and to be born after the Likenefs of Men: Ch. ii. 14; Forafmuch as the children are Partakers of Flesh and Blood, he also himself likewife took part of the fame, that through Death he might deftroy him that had the Power of Death, that is, the Devil. Yet, being fuch a Perfon as the Scripture describes him, fent down immediately from Heaven; his Birth could not naturally, if I may fo fpeak, but be, miraculous, as the Text reprefents it. And miraculous as it was, it was yet really, in the nature of the Thing, nothing more miraculous, excepting only that God has not thought fit to do the like continually; it was in itself, I fay, not at all more miraculous, than what we vulgarly call (without Any Meaning or Signification in that Phrafe,) the Courfe of Nature; that is, the Course of a mere empty Word, or abftract Notion, which has no Being or Reality of Exif

tence,

SER M. tence, and confequently cannot be the efficient Cause of any thing.

I.

xvi. 28.

3. THIS miraculous Birth of Christ, the Evangelift had just reafon, when affured of the Truth of the Fact from things which followed, to infert at the Beginning of his Hiftory of our Saviour's Life; and, in That Manner, and to That Purpose for which he relates it, had a juft Right, and good and fufficient Grounds, to apply the Prophecy here cited, as a Prediction of it.

WHEN Our Lord firft told his DifciJoh. 13. ples that he came down from Heaven, that he came forth from the Father, and came into the World; they did not clearly understand his Meaning; nor probably did the Blessed Virgin herself comprehend the Reason of That miraculous Work which God worked in Her. But, as St. Luke tells us, Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her Heart; ch. ii. 19: And fo did his Difciples, both with regard to Mar. ix. This, and to Many Other things that JeLuke ii. fus did and faid; Which at first they 50. ix.45. understood not, and were afraid to ask him.

32.

Joh. viii. But when Jefus was glorified; Joh. xii. 16,

27. X. 6.

and

and Luke xxxiv. 8; then remembered they and SER M. understood many things that were written

of him, and done and fpoken by him. Again; Job ii. 22; When Jefus was rifen from the Dead, then his Difciples remembered that he had faid these things unto them: And they believed the Scripture, and the Word, which Jefus had faid. When our Lord, by his Refurrection from the Dead, had confirmed to his Difciples all the Miracles which he had worked, and all the Doctrines which he had taught in his Life-time; and particularly, before his Afcenfion into Heaven, had explained. to them the manner of his Descent from thence; which, among other things, infured them of the Truth, and unfolded to them the Reafon, of the Miraculousness of his Birth: Then had they just grounds to declare the Dignity of his Person, and to expect that Credit fhould be given by Believers to the Accounts they had received of this miraculous Nativity; though it was what, in the Nature of the Thing, could never properly be alledged in their Preaching, among the Proofs they were to urge for the Conviction of Infidels.

FURTHER:

I.

n

SERM.

I.

FURTHER: When our Lord, after his Refurrection, beginning at Mofes and all the Prophets, had expounded unto his Apostles in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself, and opened their Underftanding, that they might understand the Scriptures; Luke xxiv. 27, 45; Then they faw plainly, (and any one Now, who will trace the whole Thread of the Old Teftament, may plainly fee) that there is a continued Series and Connexion, one uniform Analogy and Defign, carried on for many Ages by Divine Prescience through a Succeffion of Prophecies; which, as in their proper Centre, do All meet together in Chrift, and in Him only; however the fingle lines, when confidered apart, may many of them be imagined to have another Direction, and point to intermediate Events. Nothing is more evident, than that the Whole Succeffion of Prophecies, can poffibly be applied to None but Chrift. Nothing is more miraculous, than that they should all of them be capable of being poffibly applied to Him. And whatever intermediate Deliverances or Deliverers of God's People, may feemingly or

really

really be spoken of upon particular Oc- S ER M. cafions; nothing is more reasonable than I. to believe; (in the Apoftles certainly, who conversed personally with our Lord after his Refurrection, nothing could be more reasonable than to believe,) that the Ultimate and General View of the Prophetick Spirit Always was fixed on Him, of whom in Some of the Antient Prophecies it is expressly affirmed, that God's Servant Ezek. David fhall be the Prince over his People Dan. vii. xxxvii. 251 for ever; that his Dominion fhall be an 14. everlasting Dominion, which shall not pass away; and his Kingdom, that which shall not be destroyed. The Apoftle St Matthew therefore had a juft Right, and good and Jufficient Grounds, to apply to our Lord the Prophecy cited by him in my Text. Nor is it of any moment, to what person Abaz perhaps might think it confined; or in what fenfe even Ifaiah himself, poffibly, might understand the words. For the Prophets themselves faw These things, but as through a Glass, darkly; even as the Apostles afterwards did, and We ftill do, things that are yet future. For which

reason,