In the chapter before us the evangelift is giving us a brief account of the Lord's birth, as revealed to Jofeph by an angel. He tells us, "All this was "done that it might be fulfilled which was fpoken "of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold a " virgin fhall conceive, and fhall bring forth a fon, " and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which, "being interpreted, is, God with us." The prophet to which Matthew alludes is Ifaiah, and the words are in the 14th verfe of his feventh chapter. It appears to me that upon reading these words on the occafion, the following inquiries will naturally take place.

First, Who is this Emmanuel?

Secondly, With what motive and defign did he come?

Thirdly, What did he do to accomplish that defign? Fourthly, In what way may we receive the advantage of it?

And, laftly, What suitable returns can we make to him, and in what manner?

For our prefent mutual edification we will make a few remarks upon each of these enquiries. And, Firft, Who is this Emmanuel ?

That the Lord Jefus Chrift came into this world, appeared as an infant, and is the Saviour of men, all chriftians univerfally are agreed in; but who the Lord Jefus is, with his true character, chrif

tians are not agreed in. By fome he is believed to be a good man, and a great prophet, but nothing more; by others he is fuppofed to partake of the divine nature, and is a God. Numberless, indeed, are the opinions of men concerning the Lordwe cannot now enter into particulars-it is fufficient to fay, that some wholly deny his divinity; that MOST acknowledge his divinity, own he is God, fay he is the fecond perfon in the trinity, equal with the Father though not the Father; yet, in some way or other, is fuppofed to be one with the Father, by a kind of union, which it is not easy to explain. To enter far into this controverfy, is not my prefent defign. I will only observe, that as to those who deny the divinity of the Lord, and declare him to be only a man, revelation is exprefsly against them. His names, character, attributes, work, and words, with the uniform teftimony of prophets and apostles, all pofitively declare him to be God. And as to fuch as acknowledge his divinity, fay that he is God, the fecond person in the trinity, but not the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the only God; reafon and revelation appear to be expressly against their views alfo.

As we have frequently endeavored to prove that the Lord Jefus Chrift is the only God of heaven and earth, it will be the lefs needful for me to enlarge upon that fubject now; nevertheless, as all our other doctrines and fentiments, of a religious kind, take their quality from the notions we form of the

Divine

Divine Being, and are either true or false, according to thofe notions; it certainly is of the utmost importance that we have just and scriptural conceptions of the Divine Being.

Our text informs us, that the Lord Jefus is Emmanuel, or God with us; and the apoftle fays, "God was manifefted in the FLESH-that in him " dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily—and "that he is the true God and eternal life." Now if the Lord Jefus Chrift be God with us, God manifeft in the flesh; then he either is the only God, or there was another God which was not manifest in the flesh-so that there is one manifefted God, and another unmanifested God; confequently, there must be two distinct Gods. But both reason

and scripture tell us this cannot be.

Again, if the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily in the Lord Jefus Chrift, and he be the true God and eternal life; then no part of Godhead can dwell elsewhere, nor any other being be the true God. And if he be eternal life, he must be the only life, and confequently the only God. The great and grand truth which will obviate all thefe difficulties, is, that the Lord Jefus Chrift is, as to his humanity, the Son-as to his divinity, the Fatherand as to his divine operation, the Holy Spiritthe one eternal JEHOVAH, the only living and true God in one divine perfon; he being in his own divine effence invifible to, and unapproachable by, his creatures, hath cloathed himself with a divine humanity,

and is properly and truly God and man in one perfon. All the names, titles, attributes, qualities, and perfections, that belong to the one eternal God, are applied to him. He is the Creator, Saviour, Redeemer, King of Kings, Alpha and Omega, Almighty, the true God and eternal Life, I Am, Jehovah, the only living and true God, to whom alone be worship, adoration, and praise for ever. He is then (according to our text) our Em¬ manuel, God with us; God revealed in the flesh; God made known to men; the foundation, center, and fource of all our falvation, happiness, and peace. While, then, we celebrate the natal day of our Lord, let us be careful that our gratitude and thank→ fulness be acceptable to him, by acknowledging him to be the only living and true God in his divine humanity.

Let us now, in the second place, confider with

what motive and design the Lord came.

On this fubject we need not greatly enlarge. We all know (fpeaking after the manner of men) that the true motive, the moving cause of our Lord's coming into the world, was MERCY. God is love itself, and confequently all his creatures are objects of his love; in love they were created, in love they are preferved, and in love they are provided for and bleffed with every good. But notwithstanding the Lord loves his creatures, his rational offfpring (of which we are now fpeaking) yet it is well known that they have fallen from him; that

they

they are funk into evil and confequent ruin. This they have done by averting themselves from the Lord, giving into an impure propriety, becoming fenfual, earthly, and wicked; in this ftate they must, "as to their own power, unavoidably remain. Having made evil and falfhood their life, in that life must they continue, bearing all the effects of it both here and hereafter. Now in this ftate they were not greater objects of love than before, we must all know; but they were greater objects of pity, mercy, and compaffion: that is to fay, pity or mercy from the Lord their Creator, became effentially neceffary to their deliverance, redemption, and falvation—and this mercy is manifested unto them by the Lord, inafmuch as the Lord is love itself; therefore it pleased him, from this divine motive, to come into the world for their falvation. Hence it is faid by Isaiah, lxiii. 9, "In his love, and in "his pity, he redeemed them."

Indeed our reafon, as well as revelation, muft convince us, that our redemption and deliverance must flow from the Lord's divine mercy alone; and we fhall do well to remember that his tender mercies are over all his works-that his pity extended to all his fallen children. Let us not imagine that our God of love and goodness can fhew mercy and compaffion to one, and withhold them from another, in the fame fallen ftate, and equally standing in need of it. No, this is what can never be the conduct of a God of love; nay, it could

not.