He is not only God with us in our nature, but he is God for us in heaven at all times. He is God in us by his Spirit, He is God amongst us in our meetings : ' Where two or three be gathered together in my name, I will be in the midst of them,' Mat. xviii. 20. He is God for us to defend us, for he is for us in earth, for us in heaven, and wheresoever we be, specially in good causes. And therefore enlarge our c&mforts as much as we can.
And shall not we then labour to be with him, as much as we can ? AH spirits that have any comfort by this Emmanuel, they are touched on by his Spirit, to have desii'es to be nearer and nearer to him.
How shall I know he is my Emmanuel, not only ' God with us,' but God with me ? If by the same Spirit of his that sanctified his human nature, I have desires to be nearer and nearer to him, to be liker and liker to him ; if I am on his side ; if I be near him in my affections, desires, and understanding; if I side not against the church, nor join in opposition against the gospel ; if I find inwardly a desire to be more and more with him, and like to him ; if outwardly, in the place where I live, I side with him, and take part with his cause : it is a sign I have interest in him. And therefore let us labour to be more and more with Christ and with 'God in love and affections, in faith, in our whole inward man, because he is in us.
We must know this Emmanuel doth trust us with his cause, to speak a good word for him now and then, to speak a word for his church, and he takes it ill if we neglect him : ' Curse ye Meroz, because he came not out to help the Lord,' Judges v. 23. God trusteth us, to see if we will be on his side; and calls to us, as Jehu did, 'Who is on my side? who?'
116 MIRACLE OF MIEACLES.
2 Kings ix. 32. Now, if we have not a word for the church, not so much as a prayer for the church, how can we say, ' God with us,' when we are not used to speak to God by way of prayer, nor to man but by way of opposi- tion and contestation ? By this therefore examine the truth of our interest in Christ.
Those that intend to receive the communion must think. Now, I am to be near unto Christ, and to feast with him. Christ is with us in his word, in the sacrament. There is a near relation between the bread and the wine, and the body and blood of Christ. Now, the true child of God is glad of this most special presence of Christ. All true receivers come with joy to the sacrament. Oh, I shall have communion with Emmanuel, who left heaven, took my nature into a more near hypostatical union, the nearest union of all ; and shall not I desire the nearest union with him again that can be possible ? Oh, I am glad of the occasion, that I can hear his word, pray to him, receive the sacrament. Thus let us come with joy, that we may have communion with this Emmanuel, who hath such sweet communion with our natm'e, that our hearts may be as the Virgin's womb was to conceive Christ. I beseech you, enlarge these things in your meditations.
And because we know not how long we may live here, some of us be sick, and weak, and all of us may fall into danger we know not how soon, let it be our comfort that God is Emmanuel. He left heaven, and took our nature to bring us thither, where himself is. When times of dissolu- tion come, consider, I am now going to him to heaven, that came down from thence to bring me to that eternal mansion of rest and glory. And shall not I desire an everlasting communion with him ? God became man that he might make man like God, partaking of his divine nature, in grace here and glory hereafter. Shall not I go to him that suffered so much for me ? Therefore saith St Paul, ' I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ,' Philip, i. 23; which is the effect of Christ's prayer, * Father,' saith he, ' my will is, that where I am they may be also, John xvii. 24. And in this God heareth Christ, that all that believe in him shall be where Christ is, as he came down from heaven to be where we are. Lay up these things in your hearts, that so you may receive benefit by them.
NOTES.
[a) P. 110, — ' Many things might be observed concerning the ordinary reading ol the words.' Cf. Dr Joseph Addison Alexander, Dr Henderson, and Maurer in loco, for the different readings and interpretations.
(b) P. 114. — ' You know whose ensign it is, whose motto, Deus noliscum is better than Sancta Maria.'' Watchwords of the English and Spaniards respectively in the war of the Armada. •&