In His Birth

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
— Hebrews 9:28

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
— Hebrews 2:10

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
— Revelation 1:8

For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
— Hebrews 10:14

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
— Philippians 1:29

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
— 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
— Philippians 1:6

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
— Jude 1:24

Looking Unto Jesus, In His Birth, by Isaac Ambrose. The following contains Sections One and Two of Chapter One of Book Three of his work.

BOOK III.

CHAP. I.

SECT. I. Of the Tidings of Christ.

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
— Hebrews xiiI:2a

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, cession at God’s right hand, and mission of his Holy Spirit. 6. In his intercession for his saints; in which business he will be employed till his second coming to judgment.

1. 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 especially handle these: 1. The tidings of Christ. 2. The conception of Christ. 3. The duplicity of natures in Christ. 4. The wonderful union, notwithstanding that distinction. 5. The birth of Christ. 6. 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, 28, &c. And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God, &c. I shall a little insist on some of these words.

1. The messenger is 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.

2. This angel salutes the Virgin; Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women. 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 was more miraculous, but her believing was more beneficial to her soul.

3. This virgin is troubled at this salute. She might well be troubled; for 1. 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 strongly, the doors being probably shut; she had cause to be troubled: how much more, when the glory of the angel heightened the astonishment? 2. Her sex was more subject to fear: if Zachary was amazed with the sight of this angel, how much more the Virgin! But the angel comforts her; Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God. 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. 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 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 for ever; for of his kingdom there shall be no end. 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 lay more especially in that name of Jesus. Here, Christians, is the object that you are to look unto. The first title that the angel gives our Saviour, is, Jesus Saviour. Oh 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 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 of Jesus there is comfort, and with the name of Jesus there is comfort in the name of God. In old times, God was known by his names of power, and of majesty; 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. Oh, 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 a Saviour, to save us and this is our comfort, that God will never so remember our sins, as to forget his own blessed name; and especially this name Jesus. It is the highest, the dearest, the sweetest name to us of all the names of God.

The reason of this name was given by the angel to Joseph: Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. But why from their sins? We seem rather willing to be saved from poverty, ignominy, prison, death, hell. Sin is a thing that troubles but few: alas ! sin, if we understand it, 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 has any sting in it, but for sin; the sting of death is sin; take out the sting, and you may put the serpent in your bosom: nay, I’ll say more, there would be no hell, were it not for sin sin first kindled the fire of hell, sin fuels it; take away sin, and that tormenting flame goes out. Had it not been for sin, the devil had no business in the world; were it not 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 takes away sin, he doth bless our very blessings, and sanctify our 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 fire of hell: as all evils are wrapt up in sin; so he that saves us from sin, saves us from all evils whatsoever.

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 shall call his name Jesus.

SECT. II. Of the Conception of Christ.

The Conception of Christ, was the conclusion of the angel’s message. No sooner had the Virgin said, Be it to me according to thy word; but according to that word it was immediately the Holy Ghost overshadowed her, and forms our Saviour in her womb. Now! brethren, now was the time of life. Well may we say, Now was it that the day brake up, that the sun arose, that darkness vanished, that wrath gave place to favour and salvation: now was it, that free grace came down from heaven, thousands of angels waiting on her; the very clouds part, as it were, to give her way; the earth springs to welcome her; the floods clap their hands for joy; the heavenly hosts sing as she goes along, Glory to God in the highest, peace upon earth, good will towards man: truth and righteousness go before her, peace and prosperity follow after her, pity and mercy wait on either hand; and when she first sets her foot on the earth, she cries, A Jesus! a Saviour!-Hear, ye sons of men !-The Lord hath sent me down to bring you news of Jesus!-Grace and peace be unto you I will live with you in this world, and you shall live with me in the world to come.’ Here was blessed news: this is gospel, pure gospel; this is glad tidings: free grace proclaims Jesus; and Jesus is made up as it were all of free grace. What eternal thanks do we owe to the eternal God! How may we say with the angels, Glory to God for Jesus Christ!

But in this conception of Christ are so many wonders, that ere we begin to speak them, we may stand amazed: Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God manifest in the flesh. Say, is it not a wonder, a mystery, a great mystery, that the Son of God should be made of a woman, even made of that woman which was made by himself? Is it not a wonder, that her womb then, and that the heavens now, should contain him, whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain!-Concerning this conception of Christ, I shall speak but a little what man can conceive much of this? Our greatest light we borrow from the angel, who describes it thus: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee. Out of these words, observe, 1. The agent. 2. The effect.

1. The agent or efficient cause of Christ’s conception, is the Holy Ghost. This agrees with that speech of the angel to Joseph: That which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. This conception of Christ was by the operation, or virtue of the Holy Ghost; or by the energetical command and ordination of the Holy Ghost, whereby that part of the Virgin’s blood, or seed whereof the body of Christ was to be framed, was so cleansed and sanctified, that in it there should be neither spot nor stain of original pollution.

2. The effect was the framing of Christ’s manhood, in which we may observe the matter and manner. 1. For the matter: observe we the matter of the body, and of the soul, of Christ. (1.) The matter of the body of Christ was the very flesh and blood of the Virgin : he was made of a woman, saith the apostle, i. e. of the flesh and blood, and substance of the woman; and, he was made of the seed of David, saith the apostle, according to flesh; otherwise he could not have been the Son of David according to the flesh. (2.) The soul of Christ was not derived from the soul of the Virgin, but it was made as the souls of other men be, i. e. of nothing, by the power of God; and so infused into the body by the hand of God.

2. For the manner of forming Christ’s human nature, it was miraculous. The angel ascribes two actions to the Holy Ghost in this great work: the one, to come upon the Virgin; the other, to overshadow her: by the first is signified the extraordinary work of the Holy Ghost in fashioning the human nature of Christ.

The second action ascribed to the Holy Ghost, is, overshadowing of the Virgin: this teacheth us that we should not search overmuch into this great mystery. Alas! it is too high for us; if the course of ordinary generation be a secret, how past all comprehension is this extraordinary operation! “I know the Word was made flesh,” saith Chrysostom; but how he was made, I know not.”

https://takeupcross.com
takeupcross