Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

6. Consider the birth of Christ, this man-God, God-man, who in his divine generation was the Son of God, in his humane generation was born in a stable, for the saving of the Children of men, who were as the ox and mule having no understanding. It were a fruitful meditation to consider over and over that sweet resemblance of Christ being a Vine; me-thinks I hear the Voice of my beloved,¹ rise up my love—the fig-tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vine with the tender grapes gives a good smell; arise my love, my fair one, and come away; if Christ knocks at the door, who will not awake, and arise? if Christ comes in view, who will not look unto Jesus? if Christ the Vine calls us to come see the vine with the tender grape, who will not taste the goodness, smell the sweetness? and after a little taste of that goodness, and sweetness that is in him, who would not long after more, till we come from the first fruits to the last-fruits of the Spirit, even to those visions and fruitions of Christ in Glory? Consider, O my soul, of this Vine, till thou hast brought Christ near and close unto thy self. Suppose thy heart, the Garden wherein this Vine was planted, wherein it budded, blossomed, and bare fruit, suppose the holy Ghost to come upon thee, and to form and fashion in thee Jesus Christ; (thus Paul bespeaks the Galatians, my little Children, of whom I travel in Birth again until Christ be formed in you,) would not this affect? would not the whole soul be taken up with this? come, receive Christ into thy soul, or if that work be done, if Christ be formed in thee, O Cherish him! (I speak of the Spiritual birth) O keep him in thy heart! let him there bud, and blossom, and bear fruit; let him fill thy soul, with his Divine Graces; O that thou couldst say it feelingly, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: ²O that this were the Issue of thy meditation on Christs Birth! even whiles thou art going with the shepherds to Bethlehem, and there findest thy Saviour lying in a Cratch, that thou wouldst bring him thence, and make thy heart to be his Cradle! I would not give a farthing for a meditation merely on the History of Christ's Birth; either draw virtue from him, by feeling him within, or thy meditation will be fruitless.—

6. Consider the birth of Christ, this man-God, God-man, who in his divine generation was the Son of God, in his humane generation was born in a stable, for the saving of the Children of men, who were as the oxe and mule having no understanding. It were a fruitful meditation to consider over and over that sweet resemblance of Christ being a Vine; me-thinks I hear the Voice of my beloved,