“16. But in this state the infinite mercy of God met him. That love which at first breathed, a holy and divine soul into him, now again breathed a spark, or ray of divine light into him in the declaration of a serpent bruiser: which spark of life should in time do all that which Adam should have done; that is, should bring forth a generation of men, that should become Sons of God, and take possession of that kingdom from which the angels had fallen.
“17. Here began the merciful mystery of man’s redemption; for this seed of divine life, was the Holy Jesus, who from that time, stood in the place of the first man.
And from that time it may be said in a true sense that the incarnation of the Son of God began; because he was from that time entered again into the human nature, as a seed of its salvation, tho’ not made manifest, till he was born in the Holy Virgin Mary. And in this sense St. John says of him, that he was the true light, which lighteth every man, that cometh into the world. Because every man has from him this light, which if it is duly attended to, is our certain guide to Christ, born in the fulness of time, and sacrificed for us upon the cross.
“18. What we want from Christ, as our Redeemer, is manifest by that which he gives to us, namely a redemption from the hell that is in our souls, and from the death and corruption that is in our bodies.
“19. We are no more created to be in the sorrows, and anguish of an earthly life, than the angels were created to be in the darkness of hell. It is as contrary to the will of God towards us, that we are out of paradise, as it is contrary to the design of God towards the angels, that some of them are out of heaven, prisoners of darkness.
“The sickness, pain and corruption of our bodies, is brought upon us by ourselves, in the same manner as the dark, hideous forms of the devils are brought upon them. * How absurd, and even blasphemous would it be, to say, with the scripture and the church, that we are by nature, children of wrath, and born in sin, if we had that nature which God at first gave us? What a reproach upon God to say, that this world is a valley of misery, a shadow of death, an habitation of disorders, snares, evils, and temptations, if this was an original creation, or that state of things in which God created us? Is it not as consistent with the goodness of God, to speak of the misery and disorder that holy angels find above, and of the vanity, emptiness and sorrow of the heavenly state, as to speak of the misery of men, and the sorrows of this world, if man and the world were in that order, in which God at first had placed them?
“20. But by the mercy of God in Christ, this prison of an earthly life, is turned into a state of purification. It is made a time and place of putting off our filthy garments, and of staying and sacrificing that man of sin that is hid under them. And God suffers the sun to shine upon us, and the elements to afford us nourishment, for no other end, but that we may all have time and opportunity to hear the call of the Son of God, to be born again, to be renewed by the Holy Spirit, and be made capable of that kingdom, from which Lucifer and his angels fell.”
♦ Paragraph numbers 21–23 skipped
24. Look at our Saviour’s sermon on the mount, and indeed at all his instructions, and you will find them pointing at nothing else on our side, but a denial of ourselves, and a renunciation of the world. And indeed how could it be otherwise! For if we want a Redeemer, only because we have wandered out of paradise, and could not get back to it ourselves; if we are overcome by this world, only because our first father sought after it, what wonder is it that he who is to replace us in paradise, should call us to a renunciation of the world?
25. * Vain man, taken with the sound of heavenly things, and prospects of future glory, yet at the same time a fast friend to the interests of flesh and blood, would fain compound matters between God and mammon. He is very willing to acknowledge a Saviour, that died on the cross to save him. He is ready to receive outward ordinances and forms of worship, and to contend with zeal for the observance of them. He likes heaven, and future glory on these conditions. He is also ready to put on outward morality, to let religion polish his manners, that he may have the credit and ornament of a prudential piety, and a decency of life. This does no hurt. But to lay the axe to the whole root of our disease, to cut all those silken cords asunder, which tie us to the world, and the world to us, to deny every temper and passion that cannot be made holy, wise and heavenly; to die to every gratification which keeps up, and strengthens the folly, vanity, pride, and blindness of our fallen nature; to leave no little morsels of sensuality, avarice and ambition for the old man to feed upon, however well-covered under his mantle; this, tho’ it be the very essence of religion, is what he flies from with as much aversion as from heresy and schism. Here he makes learned appeals to reason and common sense to judge betwixt him, and the gospel; which is just as wise, as to ask the learned Greek, and the worldly Jew, whether the cross of Christ be not foolishness, and a just rock of offence: or to appeal to flesh and blood about the narrow way to that kingdom of heaven, into which itself cannot possibly have an entrance.