Of EXHORTATION.

(1.) Seeing Christ took our flesh, and was born of a virgin let us labor that he may be spiritually born in our hearts. What will it profit us, that Christ was born into the world unless he is born in our hearts? Marvel not that I say unto you Christ must be born in your hearts. "Until Christ is formed in you." Now, then see if Christ is born in your hearts. How shall we know that? Are therepangs before the birth? So before Christ is born in the heart, there are spiritual pangs; pangs of conscience, and deep convictions. "They were pricked at their heart." I grant in the new birth some receive more, some less pangs all have not the same pangs of sorrow and humiliation; yet all have some pangs! If Christ is born in your heart, you have been deeply afflicted for sin. Christ is never born in the heart without pangs. Many thank God they never had any trouble of spirit, they were always quiet; but this is a sign that Christ is not yet formed in them. When Christ was born into the world, he was madeflesh ; so, if he is born in your heart, he makes your heart a heart of flesh. "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh!" Ezekiel 36:25-26. Is your heart flesh? Before , it was a rocky heart, and would not yield to God, or take the impressions of the word; now it is fleshy and tender like melted wax, to take any stamp of the Spirit. It is a sign that Christ is born in our hearts, when they are hearts of flesh, when they melt in tears and in love. What is it the better that Christ was made flesh, unless he has given you a heart of flesh? As Christ was conceived in the womb of avirgin ; so, if he is born in you your heart is a virgin-heart, in respect of sincerity and sanctity. Are you purified from the love of sin? If Christ is born in your heart, it is a Sanctum Sanctorum a holy of holies. If your heart is polluted with the predominant love of sin, never think Christ is born there, Christ will never lie any more in a filthy stable . If he is born in your heart, it is consecrated by the Holy Spirit. If Christ is born in your heart, then it is with you, as in a birth. There islife . Faith is the vital organ of the soul. "The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Gal 2:20. There isappetite . "As new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word." The word is like breast-milk pure, sweet, nourishing; and the soul in which Christ is formed, desires this breast-milk. Bernard, in one of his soliloquies, comforts himself with this, that he surely had the new birth in him, because he found in his heart such strong breathings and thirstings after God. After Christ is born in the heart, there is greatmotion ; there is a striving to enter in at the strait gate, and offering violence to the kingdom of heaven. Matt 11:12. By this we may know Christ is formed in us. This is the only comfort that as Christ was born into the world, so he is born in our hearts!

(2.) As Christ was made in our image let us labor to be made in his image. "Leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps." 1 Peter 2:21. "The one who says he remains in Him should walk just as He walked." 1 John 2:6. "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." John 13:15. Christ being incarnate was made like us let us labor to be made like him. There are five things in which we should labor to be like Christ.

(1:) Be like Christ in DISPOSITION. He was of a most sweet disposition. "He was the delight of humanity," Titus Vespasian. He invites sinners to come to him. He has a heart to pity us, breasts to feed us, wings to cover us. He would not break our heart but with mercy. Was Christ made in our likeness? Let us be like him in sweetness of disposition; be not of a morose spirit. It was said of Nabal, "He's so ill-tempered that no one can even talk to him!" 1 Samuel 25:17. Some are so ill-tempered, as if they were akin to the beasts they are fired with rage, and breathe forth nothing but revenge! Or they are like those two men in the gospel, "possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way." Matt 8:28. 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. I Sam 24:16. A frozen heart will be thawed with the fire of love.

(2:) Be like Christ in grace and HUMILITY. He was like us in having our flesh, let us be like him in having his grace. We should labor to be like Christ, in humility. "He humbled himself." He left the bright robes of his glory to be clothed with the rags of our humanity a wonder of humility! Let us be like Christ in this grace. "Humility," says Bernard, "is a despising of self-excellence," a kind of a self-annihilation. This is the glory of a Christian. We are never so lovely in God's eyes as when we are black in our own eyes. In this let us be like Christ.True true religion is to imitate Christ. And indeed, what cause have we to be humble if we look within us, about us,

below us, and above us! If we lookwithin us here we see our sins represented to us in the looking-glass of conscience; lust, envy, passion. Our sins are like vermin crawling in our souls. "How many are my iniquities!" Job 13:23. Our sins are as the sands of the sea for number ; as the rocks of the sea for weight! Augustine cries out, "My heart, which is God's temple is polluted with sin!" If we lookabout us there is that which may humble us. We may see other Christians outshining us in gifts and graces, as the sun outshines the lesser planets. Others are laden with fruit and perhaps we have but here and there an olive-berry growing, to show that we are of the right kind. Isa 17:6. If we lookbelow us there is that may humble us. We may see the mother earth, out of which we came. The earth is the most ignoble element: "They were viler than the earth." Job 30:8. "Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground." Genesis 2:7. "You will return to the ground from which you came. For you were made from dust, and to the dust you will return." Genesis 3:19. You who are so proud, behold your pedigree you are but walking dirt! And will you be proud? What is man ? The son of dust. And what is dust? The son of nothing. If we lookabove us ; there is that which may humble us. If we look up to heaven, there we may see God resisting the proud. God pursues the proud in vengeance. The proud man is the mark which God shoots at and he never misses the mark. He threw proud Lucifer out of heaven; he thrust proud Nebuchadnezzar out of his throne, and "he was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird!" Daniel 4:33. Oh then be like Christ in humility!

(3:) Did Christ take our flesh? Was he made like to us?Let us be made like him in ZEAL. "Zeal for Your house has consumed Me, and the insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me!" Psalm 69:9. He was zealous when his Father was dishonored. In this let us be like Christ, zealous for God's truth and glory , which are the two orient pearls of the crown of heaven. Zeal is as needful for a Christian as salt for the sacrifice, or fire on the altar. Zeal without prudence is rashness; prudence without zeal is cowardliness. Without zeal, our duties are not acceptable to God. Zeal is like the bow-strings, without which the lute makes no music.

(4:) Be like Christ, in the contempt of the WORLD. When Christ took our flesh, he came not in the pride of flesh, he did not descend immediately from kings and nobles but was of lowly parentage. Christ was not ambitious for titles or honor. He declined worldly dignity and greatness as much as others seek it. When they would have made him a king, he refused it; he chose rather to ride upon the foal of an donkey, than be drawn in a chariot; and to hang upon a wooden cross, than to wear a golden crown. He scorned the pomp and glory of the world. He ignored secular affairs. "Who made me a judge?" His work was not to arbitrate matters of law; he did not come into the world to be a magistrate but a Redeemer. He was like a star in a higher orb, he minded nothing but heaven. Was Christ made like us? Let us be made like him, in heavenliness and contempt of the world. Let us not be ambitious of the empty honors and glories of the world. Let us not purchase the world with the loss our soul. What wise man would damn himself to grow rich? or throw down his soul to hell to build up an earthly estate? Be like Christ in a holy contempt of the world.

(5:) Be like Christ in HOLINESS of life. Was Christ incarnate? Was he made like us? Let us be made like him in holiness of life. No temptation could fasten upon him. "The prince of this world comes, and has nothing in me." John 14:30. Temptation to Christ, was like a spark of fire upon a marble pillar, which glides off. Christ's life, says Chrysostom, was brighter than the sunbeams. Let us be like him in this. "As the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct." 1 Peter 1:15. "We are not," says Augustine, "to be like Christ in working miracles but in a holy life." A Christian should be both a magnet and a diamond; a magnet in drawing others to Christ; a diamond in casting a sparkling luster of holiness in his life. Oh let us be so just in our dealings, so true in our promises, so devout in our worship, so unblamably in our lives that we may be the walking pictures of Christ! Thus as Christ was made in our likeness, let us labor to be made in his.

(3.) If Jesus Christ was so abased for us; if he took our flesh, which was a disparagement to him a mingling dust with gold; if he abased himself so for us let us be willing to be abased for him. If the world reproaches us for Christ's sake, and cast dirt on our name let us bear it with patience. The apostles departed from the council, "rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for Christ's name!" That is that they were graced to be disgraced for Christ. That is a good saying of Augustine, "those who take away a saint's reputation, shall add to his reward." While they make his reputation weigh lighter they will make his crown weigh heavier. Oh, was Christ content to be humbled and abased for us, to take our flesh, and to take it when it was in disgrace? Let us not think much to be abased for Christ. Say as David, "If this is to be vile I will yet be more vile!" "If to serve my Lord Christ, if to keep my conscience pure if this is to be vile I will yet be more vile!"

Use three: Of COMFORT. Jesus Christ, having taken our flesh, has ennobled our nature. Our nature is now invested with greater royalties and privileges, than in time of innocence. Before, in innocence, we were made in the image of God; but now, Christ having assumed our nature, we are made one with God; our nature is now ennobled above the angelic nature. Christ taking our flesh, has made us nearer to himself, than the angels. The angels are his friends ; believers are flesh of his flesh his members. Eph 5:30, 1:23. The same glory which is put upon Christ's human nature, shall be put upon believers!