XIX.

SERMON

Treats of CHRIST'S Humiliation in his Life.

PHIL. ii. 8. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross.

TH

HIS fcripture hath been once already under confideration, and, indeed, can never be enough confidered: It holds forth the humbled ftate of the Lord Jefus, during the time of his abode on earth. The fum of it was delivered you before in this point;

Doct. That the fate of Chrift, from his conception to his refurrection, was a state of deep abafement and humili

ation.

The humiliation of Christ was proposed to you under these three general heads or branches; of his humiliation in his incarnation; his humiliation in his life and his humiliation in his death. How he was humbled by incarnation, hath been opened above in the 18th fermon. How he was humbled in his life, is the defign of this fermon: yet expect not that I should give you here an exact hiftory of the life of Chrift. The fcriptures fpeak but little of the private part of his life, and it is not my defign to dilate upon all the memorable paffages that the evangelifts (thofe faithful narrators of the life of Chrift) have preserved for us; but only to obferve and improve those more obfervable particulars in his life, wherein especially he was humbled and fuch are these that follow.

First, The Lord Jefus was humbled in his very infancy, by his circumcifion according to the law. For being of the stock of Ifrael, he was to undergo the ceremonies, and fubmit to the ordinances belonging to that people, and thereby to put an end to them; for fo it became him to fulfil all righteoufnefs. Luke iu 21. "And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcifing of the child, his name was called Jefus." Hereby the Son of God was greatly humbled, especially in these two res spects.

SERM. XIX. 1. In that hereby he obliged himself to keep the whole law *, though he was the Law-maker; Gal. v. 3. "For I testify again to every man that is circumcifed, that he is a debtor to do the "whole law." The apostle's meaning is, he is a debtor in regard of duty, because he that thinks himself bound to keep one part of the ceremonial law, doth thereby bind himself to keep it all; for where all the parts are infeparably united, (as they are in the law of God) we pull all upon us, by engaging or meddling with any one. And he that is a debtor in duty to keep the whole law, quickly becomes a debtor in regard of penalty, not being able to keep any part of it. Chrift therefore coming as our furéty, to pay both thofe debts, the debt of duty, and the debt of penalty to the law; he, by his circumcifion, obliges himfelf to pay the whole debt of duty, by fulfilling all righte oufnefs and though his obedience to it was fo exact and perfect, that he contracted no debt of penalty for any tranfgreffion of his own; yet he obliges himself to pay that debt of penalty which we had contracted, by fuffering all the pains due to tranfgreffors. This was that intolerable yoke that none were able to bear but Chrift, Acts xv. IO. And it was no fmall abafure of Christ to bind himself to the law, as a subject made under it: For he was the Law-giver, above all law: and herein that fovereignty of a God (one of the choice flowers in the crown of heaven) was obfcured and veiled by his fubjection.

2. Hereby he was represented to the world not only as a subject, but alfo as a finner: for though he was pure and holy, yet this ordinance paffing upon him, feemed to imply as if corruption had indeed been in him, which must be cut off by mortification. For this was the mystery principally intended by circumcifion : it ferved to mind and admonish Abraham, and his feed, of the natural guiltinefs, uncleannefs, and corruption of their hearts and nature. So Jer. iv. 4. "Circumcife

yourselves unto the Lord, and take away the forefkins of your "hearts, ye men of Judah;" i. e. the finfulness and corruption of them. Hence the rebellious and unmortified are called "stiff"necked and uncircumcifed in heart," as it is Acts vii. 51. And

Chrift was circumcifed and prefented, (Luke ii. 22.), because he became fubject, not only to the eternal and moral law, but alfo to the ceremonial and every other divine law. Amef. Meditat.

† Such ceremonial obfervations were fo many acknowledgements of fin; therefore Chrift, who was made fin for us, conformed to them very fuitably. Amef. Med. p. 101.

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as it ferved to convince of natural uncleannefs, fo it fignified and and fealed "the putting off the body of the fins of the flesh," as the apostle phrafeth it, Col. ii. 11. Now, this being the end of God in the inftitution of this ordinance for Abraham and his ordinary feed, Chrift, in his infancy, by fubmitting to it, did not only veil his fovereignty by fubjection, but was alfo reprefented as a finner to the world, though moft holy and pure in himfelf.

Secondly, Chrift was humbled by perfecution, and that in the very morning of his life: he was banished almost as soon as born. Matth. ii. 13. Flee into Egypt (faith the angel to Jofeph) and

be thou there until I bring thee word, for Herod will feek "the young child to deftroy him." Ungrateful Herod ! was this entertainment for a Saviour? what, raife a country against him, as if a destroyer, rather than a Saviour, had landed upon the coaft? what, deny him the protection of those laws, under which he was born, and that before he had broken the leaft punctilio of them? The child of a beggar may claim the benefit and protection of law, as his birth-right; and muft the Son of God be denied it! But herein Herod fulfilled the fcriptures, whilst venting his own lufts; for so it was foretold, Jer. xxxi. 15. And this early perfecution was not obfcurely hinted in the title of the 22d Palm, that pfalm which looks rather like a history of the New, than a prophecy of the Old Teftament; for as it contains a most exact defcription of Christ's sufferings, fo it is fitted with a most suitable title, To the chief musician upon Aijeleth Shabar, which fignifies the Hind of the morning, or that deer, which the hunter rouzes betimes in the morning, and fingles out to hunt down that day; and fo they did by him, as the 16th verfe will tell you; for, (faith he), “Dogs have compassed me, "the affembly of the wicked have enclosed me." Upon which Mufculus fweetly and ingenioufly defcants: "O what sweet "venifon," (faith he), is the flesh of Chrift! abundantly "fweeter to the believing foul, than that which the nobles of this world esteem most delicate and left it fhould want the highest and richest savour to a delicate palate, Chrift, our hart,

O vere cervinam Chrifti carnem, anima fideli longe fapidiorem ea, quam hujus mundi nobiles in deliciis habent. Ac ne quid fapori ac guftui delicato deeffet, non fimpliciter occifa eft noftra cerva, fed antea bene agitata: quemadmodum folent magnates, venando et agitando, antequam capiant et occidant, carnem cervinam fuaviorem, molliorem, ac delicatiorem reddere. Mufc, in loc.

SERM. XIX. was not only killed but hunted to the purpose before he was "killed; even as great, men ufe, by hunting and chafing, before they cut the throat of the deer, to render its flesh more sweet, "tender, and delicate:" Thus was Chrift hunted betimes out of the country he was born in. And, no doubt, but where fuch dogs scent and wind the Spirit of Chrift in any, they would pursue them alfo to deftruction, did not a gracious Providence rate them off. But to return, how great a humiliation is this to the Son of God, not only to become an infant, but in his in. fancy, to be hurried up and down, and driven out of his own land as a vagabond!

Thirdly, Our Lord Jefus Chrift was yet more humbled in his life, by that poverty and outward meannefs which all along attended his condition: he lived poor and low all his days, fo fpeaks the apostle, 2 Cor. viii. 9. "Though he was rich, yet "for our fakes he became poor;" fo poor, that he was never owner of a house to dwell in, but lived all his days in other mens houses, or lay in the open air. His outward condition was more neglected and deftitute than that of the birds of the air, or beasts of the earth; fo he told that fcribe, who profeffed fuch readiness and refolution to follow him, but was foon cooled, when Chrift told him, Matth. viii. 20. "The foxes "have holes, and the birds of the air have nefts; but the Son " of man hath not where to lay his head." It was a common faying among the Jews, when the Meffiah comes, he will not find a place to fit down in *. Sometimes he feeds upon barley-bread and broiled fish; and fometimes he was hungry, and had nothing to eat, Mark xi. 12. As for money, he was much a ftranger to it; when the tribute-money was demanded of him, he and Peter were not fo well furnished to make half a crown betwixt them to pay it †, but muft work a miracle for it, Mat. xvii. ult. He came not to be miniftred unto, but to minister, Mat. xx. 28. not to amafs earthly treafures, but to bestow heavenly ones. His great and heavenly foul neglected and defpifed thofe things, that too many of his own too much admire and profecute. He spent not a careful thought about those things

*This paffage is manifeftly taken from among these which the Jews, even then, carried about as traditions of the fathers, concerning the coming of the Meffiah; and is applied accordingly : fuch was the faying of the Gemarifts, that when he came, there would not be a place for him to fit down, or to reft his body on. Heinfius on this passage.

†The word Tate, which in Matth. xvii. 27. is rendered a piece of money, contained two drachmas, and was in value 2 s. 62.

that eat up thousands and ten thousands of our thoughts. Indeed he came to be humbled, and to teach men by his example the vanity of this world, and pour contempt upon the enfnaring glory of it; and therefore went before us in a ‡ chosen and voluntary poverty: yet he lived not a mendicant life neither; but was fometimes fed by ordinary, and fometimes by miraculous and extraordinary ways. He had wherewith to support that precious body of his, till the time was came to offer it up to God; but would not indulge and pamper that flesh, which he purposely affumed to be humbled in.

Fourthly, Our dear Jefus was yet further humbled in his life, by the horrid temptations wherewith Satan affaulted him, than which nothing could be more grievous to his holy heart . The Evangelift gives us an account of this in Luke iv. from the first to the fourteen verfe: in which context you find how the bold and envious spirit meets the Captain of our falvation in the field, comes up with him in the wilderness, when he was folitary, and had not a fecond with him, ver. 1. there he keeps him fafting forty days and forty nights, to prepare him to close with his temptation: all this while Satan was pointing and edging that temptation, with which at last he refolves to try the breast of Chrift by a home thruft, verfe 2. By this time he fuppofes Christ was hungry (as indeed he was) and now he thought it was time to make his affault, which he doth in a very suitable temp. tation at first, and with variety of temptations, trying feveral weapons upon him afterwards. But when he had made a thruft at him with that firft weapon, in which he especially trufted command that thefe ftones may be made bread," ver. 3. and faw how Chrift had put it by, ver. 4. then he changes poftures, and affaults him with temptations to blafphemy, even "to fall down and worship the Devil." But when he faw he could faften nothing on him, that he was as pure fountain water in a christal phial, how much foever agitated and fhaken, no dregs, or filthy fediment would rife, but he remained pure still : I fay, feeing this, he makes a politic retreat, quits the field for a feason, ver. 13. yet leaves it cum animo revertendi, with a refo

Chrift's poverty was not in confequence of any fingular vow, or like that of a mendicant. Amef. Med. p. 104.

It is the fullest and most ordinary feafon for Satan to tempt, when he fees men hungering and thirsting after temporal things; as the fowler prepares his net especially in the winter feafon, when the birds have nothing to eat. Stapletonis prompt. p. 418.

1. VOL. I.

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