3. His sufficiency for it —
[Had the person announced as a Saviour been a mere creature, he never could have effected all that was necessary for those whom he came to save. But he was " the Lord," even Jehovah himself. It had been said of him by the pro- phet, eight hundred years before, " To us a Child is born, to us a Son is given ; and his name shall be called, The Mighty God1:" and that prophecy was declared to be now accom- plished. Consequently, whatever he had undertaken, he was able to perform : his atonement would be sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world : his righteousness would be suf- ficient to justify all that should trust in it for acceptance : and his grace would be sufficient to make them conquerors over all their enemies.]
Together with the tidings themselves, the angel announced also,
II. The importance of them —
The term, "behold," is always used to mark the importance of that to which it is prefixed. But here
f Neh. ix. 27.
z John iv. 25. It was not a Jewess, but a Samaritan, that said this. h Luke hi. 22. and iv. 18. with Ps. xlv. 7. and John iii. 34. 1 Isai. ix. 6.
the precise view in which the tidings claim our atten- tion is distinctly specified. They are a matter,
1. Of exceeding joy —
[To illustrate this, we need only observe by whom the message was delivered, and to whom. An angel was the messenger : but he was not privileged to say, " To us is born a Saviour :" no ; there was no Saviour provided for the fallen angels : but for man, when he fell. God became incarnate : " he took not on him the nature of angels ; but he took on him the seed of Abraham k." Suppose then, that instead of being sent to men, the angel had been sent to his fallen bre- thren ; and that, having opened the gates of hell, he had announced the tidings to the apostate spirits, " To you is sent a Saviour ! " O what joy had been diffused through those miserable regions ! How would the vaults of hell have rung with acclamations and hosannas ! How would every spirit instantly have forgotten his pains, and pressed forward to hear the full import of this astonishing message ! Thus then ought the tidings to be received amongst us: since the only difference between them and us is, that on them is executed the sentence they deserve, and ice are shut up in prison, waiting to have the same executed upon us, as soon as the full measure of our iniquities shall be completed.]
2. Of universal joy —
[These tidings were equally interesting to Jews and Gen- tiles ; to those of the apostolic age, and to us who live at such a distance, both of time and place. Nor is there one among the children of men who has not equal cause to value the Saviour that is here announced. Who is there that does not need the merit of his atonement and the efficacy of his grace? And who is there to whom they are not freely offered? There is not one on earth who can be saved without them ; nor is there one, however abandoned, who may not, by a believing application to the Saviour, be interested in them. Well therefore may they be called good tidings " to all peo- ple ;" since they are so to all, of every age, and of every description : and well may the prophet call on the whole crea- tion to shout for joy1.]
We conclude with inviting you all to imitate the shepherds : 1. Inquire into the truth of the tidings you have heard —
[The shepherds instantly went to Bethlehem, to see with their own eyes the truth of what they had heard"1. To you k Heb. ii. 10. > Isai. xliv. 23. m ver. 15.