A. 2. As, when Christ was born into the world, he was made flesh ; so, if he be born in thy heart, he makes thy heart an heart of flesh, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. Is thy heart incar- nate ? before it was a rocky heart, and would not yield to God, or take the impressions of the world, — durum est (/uod nun cedit iactui ; now it is fleshy and tender like melted wax, to take any stamp of the Spirit. This is a sign Christ is born in our hearts ; when they are hearts of flesh, they melt in tears and in love. AYliat is it the better Christ was made flesh, unless he hath given thee a heart of flesh ?
A. 3. Christ was conceived in the womb of a virgin, so, if he be born in thee, thy heart is a virgin-heart, in respect of since- rity and sanctity. Art thou purified from the love of sin ? If Christ be born in thy heart, it is a sanctum sanctorum, — an holy of holies. If thy heart be polluted with the predominant love of sin, never think Christ is born there. Christ will never lie any more in a stable. If he be born in thy heart, it is consecrated by the Holy Ghost.
A. 4. If Christ be born in thy heart, then it is with thee as in a birth : 1. There life. Faith is principium vivens, — it is
IS
the vital artery of the soul. Gal ii. 20., " The life that I live in the flesh, is by the faith of the Son of God." 2. There is ap- petite, 1 Pet. ii. 2., " As new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word." The word is like breast-milk, — ])ure, sweet, nourishing; the soul in which Clirist is formed desires this breast-milk. St. Ber- nard, in one of his soliloquies, comforts himself with this, that sure he had the new- birth in him, because he found in his heart Kuch strong anhelations and thirstings after God. 3. Motion. After Christ is born in the heart, there is a violent motion ; there is striving to enter in at the strait gate, and offering violence to the kingdom of heaven, Matth. xii. 11. By this we may know Christ is formed in us. This is the only comfort, tliat as Christ was born into tlie world, so
he is born in our hearts ; as he was imited to our flesh, so he is united to our jierson.
Branch 2. As Christ was made in our image, let us labour to be made in his i- mage. Christ being incarnate was made like us, let us labour to be made like him. There are three things in which we should labour to be like Christ. 1. In disposition. He was of a most sweet disposition, delicicB humani generis, Tit. Vespasian. He in- vites sinners to come to him. He hath bowels to pity us, breasts to feed us, mngs to cover us. He would not break oui heart, but with mercy. Was Christ made \n our likeness ? let us labour to be made \n his likeness. Let us be like him in this sweet- ness of disposition : be not of a morose spi- rit. It was said of NabaJ, 1 Sam. xxv. 17., " He is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him." Some are so bar- barous, as if they were a-kin to the ostrich, they are fired with rage, and breathe forth nothing but revenge ; like those two men in the gospel, ' possessed with de^dls, com- ing out of the tombs, exceeding fierce," Mat. viii. 28. Let us be like Christ in mildness and sweetness. Let us pray for our enemies, and conquer them by love. David's kindness melted Saul's heart, 1 Sam. xxiv. 16. A frozen heart will be thawed with the fire of love.
2. Be like Christ in grace. He was like us in having our flesh, let us be like him in having his grace. In three graces we should hiboia' to be like Christ: 1. In hu- mility, Phil. ii. 8., " He humbled himself" He left the bright robes of his glory to be clothed with the rags of our humanity : a wonder to humility ! Let us "be like Christ in this grace. Humility, saith St. Bernard, is conlciiiptus propricc exccllenticc, — a con- tempt of self-excellency, a kind of self-an- nihilation. This is the glory of a Chris tian. We are never so comely in God's eves, as when we are black in our own. In this let us be like Christ. True religion is to imitate Christ. And indeed, what cause have we 'to be humble, if we look within us, about us, below us, above us ? (1.) If we look intra nos, — within us, here we see our sins represented to us in the ghiss of conscience; lust, envy, passion. Our sins are like vermin crawling in our
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OF CHRIST'S HUMILIATION.