BOOK 4. THE INCARNATION.
CHAPTER 1.
4.1.1. Of the Tidings of Christ.
Of the Tidings of Christ.
Let us now go even to Bethlehem, and see this thing.
Luke 2:15
In this period, as in the former we shall first lay down the object; and, secondly, direct you how to look unto it.
The object is Jesus, carrying on the work of man's salvation in his first coming in the flesh, until his coming again. But because in this long period we have many transactions, which we cannot with conveniency dispatch together, we shall therefore break it into smaller pieces, and present this object, Jesus Christ. 1. In his birth. 2. In his life. 3. In his death. 4. In his resurrection. 5. In his ascension, session at God's right hand, and mission of his holy Spirit. 6. In his intercession for his saints, in which business he now is, and will be employed till his second coming to judgment.
First, For the transactions of "Jesus in his birth," some things we must propound before, and some things after his birth; so that we shall continue this period till the time of John's baptism, or the exercise of his ministry upon earth. Now in all the transactions of this time, we shall specially handle these, 1. The Tidings of Christ. (this section; then in following sections; 2. The Conception of Christ. 3. The Duplicity of Natures in Christ. 4. The real Distinction in that Duplicity. 5. The wonderful Union notwithstanding that Distinction. 6. The Birth of Christ. 7. Some Consequents after his birth, whilst yet a child of twelve years old.)
The first passage in relation to his birth, "is the tidings of Christ" this appears, Luke i. 26, 27; etc. "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God" etc. I shall a little insist on some of these words.
1. The messenger was an angel; man was too mean to carry the news of the conception of God: never any business was conceived in heaven, that did so much concern the earth as the conception of the God of heaven in a womb of earth: no less therefore than an angel was worthy to bear these tidings, and never angel received a greater honour than of this embassage. Angels have been sent to divers, as to Gideon, Manoah, David, Daniel, Elijah, Zachariah, etc. And then the angel honoured the message, but here is a message that doth honour the angel; he was highly glorious before, but this added to his glory. Indeed the incarnation of God could have no less a reporter than the angel of God; when God intended to begin his gospel, he would first visit the world with his angel, before he would visit the world with his Son; his angel must come in the form of man, before his Son must come in the nature of man.
2. This angel salutes the virgin, "Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women," Luke i. 28. Many men and women have been and are the spiritual temples of God: but never was any the material temple of God, but only Mary, and therefore "blessed art thou amongst women;" and yet we cannot say, that she was so blessed in bearing Christ, as she was in believing in Christ; her bearing indeed was more miraculous, but her believing was more beneficial to her soul: that was her privilege, but this was her happiness. Christians! if we believe in Christ, and if we obey the word of Christ, we are the mothers of Christ. "Whosoever doth the will of my Father which is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother," Matt. xii. 50. Every renewed heart is another Mary, a spiritual sanctuary of the Lord Jesus. It was the woman's acclamation, "Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps that gave thee suck," Luke xi. 27. True, said Christ, but that blessing extends only to one; I will tell you how many are blessed, and rather blessed; "yea, rather blessed are they that hear God's word and keep it," verse 28. Blessed are they that so incarnate the written word, by doing it, as the blessed virgin gave flesh to the eternal word by bearing it; those that hear and keep God's word, are they that "travail in birth again until Christ be formed in them," Gal. vi. 19. Hearing, they receive the immortal seed of the word, by a firm purpose of doing they conceive, by a longing desire they quicken, by an earnest endeavour they travail, and when the work is wrought, then have they incarnate the word, and Christ is formed in them. In this respect was Mary blessed; and I make no question but in this respect also the angel calls her blessed, and Elizabeth calls her blessed, and Simeon calls her blessed, and she calls herself blessed, and all generations call her blessed, and God himself calls and makes her blessed; yea, as Paul said, "cometh this blessedness on the circumcision only?" Rom. iv. 9. So cometh this blessedness on the virgin only? No, even "blessed are the poor in Spirit, blessed are they that mourn, and blessed are the meek, and blessed are they whose sins are not imputed," Matt. v. 3, 4, 5. Psal. xxxii. 2. Even these hath God blessed with spiritual blessings in heavenly places, and these shall Christ entertain with a "Come, ye blessed of my Father."
3. This virgin is "troubled at this salute," Luke i. 29. She might well be troubled; For,
(a). If it had been but a man that had come in so suddenly, when she expected none; or so secretly, when she had no other company; or so strangely, the doors being properly shut: she had cause to be troubled: how much more, when the shining glory of the angel so heightened the astonishment?
(b). Her sex was more subject to fear: if Zachary was amazed with the sight of this angel, how much more the virgin? We flatter ourselves how well we could endure such visions, but there is difference betwixt our faith and our senses; to apprehend here the presence of God by faith, this goes down sweetly; but how should a glorious angel appear among us, it would amaze us all. But for this the angel comforts her, "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God," verse 30. The troubles of holy minds ever end in peace or comfort; joy was the errand of the angel, and not terror; and therefore suddenly he revives her spirit with a cheerful excitation. Fear not, q.d. "Let those fear who know they are in displeasure, or know not they are gracious; thine happy estate calls for confidence, and that confidence calls for joy; What should they fear, who are favoured of him, at whom the devils tremble? O Mary, how should joy but enter into thy heart, out of whose womb shall come salvation?" I question not but these very words revived the virgin; what remote corner of her soul was there into which these beams of consolation did not shine?
4. Here is the foundation of her comfort and our happiness; "Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call his name Jesus," Luke i. 31. Never was mortal creature thus honoured, that her womb should yield that flesh, which was personally united to the Godhead, that she should bear him that upholds the world. There is one wonder in the conception, another in the fruit, both are marvellous, but the latter I take is more mysterious, and fuller of admiration: the fruit of the womb, is Jesus, a Saviour, "the Son of the Highest, a King, God shall give him a throne," and he shall reign forever, "for of his kingdom there shall be no end," verse 31, 32, 33. Here was a son, and such a son as the world never had before, and here was the ground of Mary's joy; how could she but rejoice to hear what her son should be before he was? Surely never was any mother so glad of her son born, as this virgin was of her son before he was conceived.
The ground of this joy lies more especially in that name, Jesus. Here, Christians! here is the object that you are to look unto; the first title that the angel gives our Saviour, it is Jesus, a Saviour. O come, let us dwell a little here, without Jesus we had never known God our friend, and without Jesus, God had never known us for any other than his enemies. This name Jesus is better to us than all the titles of God; indeed, there is goodness and greatness enough in the name Jehovah, but we merited so little good, and demerited so much evil, that in it alone there had been small comfort for us, but in the name Jesus there is comfort, and with the name Jesus there is comfort in the name of God, in old times God was known by his names of power, and of majesty, and of his nature, but his name of mercy was reserved till now, when God did purpose to pour out the whole treasure of his mercy, by the mediation of his Son. And, as this name is exalted above all names, so are we to exalt his mercy above all his works. O it is an useful name; in all depths, distresses, miseries, perplexities, we beseech God by the name of Jesus to make good his own name, not to bear it for nought, but, as he is our Saviour, so to save us, and this is our comfort, that God will never so remember our wretched sins, as to forget his own blessed name, and especially this name Jesus. O it is the highest, the dearest, the sweetest name to us of all the names of God.
The reason of his name was given by the angel to Joseph, "Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins," Matth. i. 21. But why from their sins? We seem rather willing to be saved from poverty, ignominy, plague, prison, death, hell, the devil; &in is a thing that troubles but a few: O, how few? how very few be there that break their sleep for their sins? Alas! alas! sin (if we understand) is the very worst of evils: there is no poverty but sin, there is no shame but sin, there is no prison, but that prison is a paradise without sin: there is no death that hath any sting in it but sin, "The sting of death is sin," saith the apostle, 1 Cor. xv. 55. Take out the sting, and you may put the serpent in your bosom; nay, I will say more, there is no hell but for sin; sin first kindled the fire of hell, sin fuels it; take away sin, and that tormenting flame goes out; and for the devil, sin is his instrument, whereby he works all mischief; how comes a man to be a slave to Satan, but by sin? But for sin, the devil had no business in the world; but for sin he could never hurt a soul.
What abundance of benefits are here, in one word, "He shall save his people from their sins?" There is no evil incident to man, but it ceaseth to be evil when sin is gone? If Jesus take away sin he doth bless our very blessings, and sanctify our very afflictions; he fetcheth peace out of trouble, riches out of poverty, honour out of contempt, liberty out of bondage? he pulls out the sting of death, puts out the Are of hell? as all evils are wrapt up in sin, so he that saves us from sin, he saves us from all evils whatsoever.
But is not Christ as precious a name as Jesus is? I answer, No; For,
(a). Christ is not the name of God, God, as he is God, cannot be anointed, but Jesus is the name of God, and that wherein he more especially delights.
(b). Christ is communicated to others, princes are exiled Christ's but Jesus is proper to himself, there is no Saviour but he.
(c). Christ is anointed; to what end, but to be a Saviour? Jesus is therefore the end, and the end is always above the means. -- Why, this is that Jesus, the Son of God's love, the author of our salvation, "In whom alone God is well pleased," and whom the angel published before he was conceived, "Thou shalt conceive and bring forth a Son, and shalt call his name Jesus."