Adams, William, 1650-1685. Sermons on sacrament days : manuscript, [ca.1650-1685]. MS Am 2137. Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

Luk.1.53. He hath filled the hungry with good things &c: Page. 1. Isa.2.12. [Cat. pr. ?] Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Pa: 25. 2.Cor.5.21. For he who knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might become ye Right: of y in him. 35. Heb.13.20.21. Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Ld Jesus &c: 61. Cant.5.1. I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse, I have gathered my myrrhe wth my spice &c: 136. Psa.16.2. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord 145. Eph.2.7. That in the ages to come he might shere the exceeding riches of his Grace. &c: 149. Heb.4.3. For we woh have believed do enter into rest. 156 Gal.6.14. But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Ld Jesus Xt. &c: 164 Luk.15.21. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven &c: 182. Mat.11.6. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me. 188. John.21.12. Jesus saith unto ym, Come & dine. 195. Heb.8.10. For this is the Covenant that I will make wth ye house of Israell after those days. &c: 207.

[top left] X 16.50 (crossed out underlined) *

17 1678

[Stamp] HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY OCT 9 1908 CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

[handwritten] Gift of Alfred Mitchell New London, bonn.(?)

1.

2.4.[16]78. Sacram^t Day.

Luke.1.53.

Πεινῶντας ἐνέπλησεν ἀγαθῶν, κὶ πλουτοῦντας ἐξαπέσειλε κενούς.

The Evangelist Luke writing y^e History of Christ after others had done it, does a little more enlarge himselfe in severall parts & passages of the History, & particularly in what hath reference to y^e Nativity & birth of Christ. In this first chapter we have y^e large relation of severall passages antecedent to to y^e birth of Christ. And these are either (1) Such as have reference to John y^e Baptist, where after y^e description of his parents, we have related y^e officiating of Zacharias in his course, y^e apparition of the Angell to him, his promise of a son y^t should be of great worth, Zacharias his incredulity, his being struck dumb, the conception, birth ^ ^naming & circumcision of John, the loosing of Zacharias his tongue, his song & prophesy concerning John.

Or (2) They are such as have a more peculiar reference to Christ. As, 1) The mission of the y^e Angel Gabriel to [crossed out word] Virgin Mary to foretell y^e birth of Christ by her. v. 26– 38. Where we may take notice (1. of the time of it in y^e sixt moneth. v. 26. i.e. y^esixt moneth [after?] Elizabeths conception, there being y^t space or distance betwixt the conception & so the birth of John & of Christ. (2. The linage of y^e virgin Mary, of y^e house of David, & that alliance which was contracted betwixt her and Joseph. v. 27. (3. The Angels salutation to Mary. v. 29. (5. The Angels encouragemy^t of her & more plain & full declaring of his messag^e to her. v. 30–33. (6. Mary's doubt of y^e possibility of this thing. v. 34. [?] When God speakes great things in a way of favour y^t are beyond y^e apprehensions & hopes of his servants, yy are often difficultly entertained & believed. When Gods Word crosses or goes beyond reason his servants are often at a stand, & can't believe without yy can see some ground. (7. The Angels answer to Mary wherein he clears up y^e possibility, probability & certainty of this matter. And this He does 1) by declaring the way & means how this should be effected. v. 35. 2) by proposing to her the instance of Gods great work in causing conception in

2 her aged cousin Elizabeth. v. 36. 3) by a plain & positive assertion of ye absolute power of God, who is able to do all things. v. 37. And this consideration of the unlimited power of God may silence & set us down in our greatest difficultyes & depths of distress, Be our case never so bad, though unpossible with us to be mended, yet with God it is possible for all things are possibe with him. Mat. 19. 26. Yea tho our case be such as there never was the like before, that excludes not, for its said here, with God nothing shall be unpossible, not only it was not then but nothing afterward shall be. (8. Marys yeilding & assenting to ye words the Angel spake to her from God. v. 38. Tho before she doubted yet being now instructed in ye power of God & no way doubting yt, she now layes aside her own reasonings & believes & waits upon God for ye performance of his word in his own time.

2) Mary & Elizabeth their meeting & greeting each other. A special effect whereof was the leaping of the Babe in Elizabeths womb. v. 39. 40. 41. At which meeting we have their distinct speeches one to another. (1. of Elizabeth to Mary. v. 42-45. Wherein she being filled with the holy ghost extolls the grace & favour of God shown to Mary in this thing & to her selfe also, & comends ye faith of Mary in beleiving ye things yt were told her & prophetically declares ye certainty of the performance of them. (2 .Marys speech to Elizabeth the scope of which is to praise & magnify God for his gracious respect to her his handmaid & to his people Israel. v. 46-55. And this is comonly called the Song of Mary. In which she does (1) declare her inward & hearty rejoicing in & magnifying of God her Saviour. v. 46, 47. (2) Acknowledges Gods gracious & great respect to her in her mean & low estate to make her ye subject of so great a mercy & work. v. 48, 49. (3) She celebrates the praise of Gods glorious Attributes appearing in this great work, As; (1. His holines. v. 49. holy is his Name. (2. His mercy to the poor & low, to all yt fear him. v. 50, 52, 53. (3. His strength & power. v. 49, 51. (4. His justice in scattering ye proud & putting down ye mighty. v. 51, 52, 53. (5. His faithfulnes in remembering & performing his promise. v. 54, 55.

3. In ye text we have related Gods diverse dispensation to diverse sorts of Persons yt do come before or attend upon him. (1) To ye hungry, or empty, needy, poor & destitute, whom he fills with good things (2) To the rich, or full & selfe-sufficient, whom he sends empty away. The observations from ye words 1. Doc. God of his grace is wont to fill ye hungry yt wait upon him with good things. 2. Doc. God in justice sends ye rich that come before him away empty. 1. Doc. God of his grace is wont to fill ye hungry yt wait upon him with good things. Psal. 107. 9. Mat. 5. 6. 1. Q. What are those hungry ones that God fills? An. In generall they are such whose hunger is after spiritual things, those things which are for ye food nourishment & refreshment of ye soul, particularly 1. Particularly they are such as want satisfying food for their spiritual nourishment & refreshment. They are destitute, poor & needy, empty, naked &c: their tongue faileth for thirst. Isai. 41.17. A hungry man is one yt does indeed want food, is in a famishing condition Luk. 15. 17. 2. They are sensible of their want of spiritual food & nourishment. They know yt if they be not fed with this in some degree they will famish their souls. The hungry man feels sensibly his lack of meat, & so doth the hungry soul yt is hungry in the sense of ye text. Its true All men are in a hunger-starved condition, their souls famishing by nature, but thats the misery of most they are not sensible of it. And so yy perish insensibly, yy dy without knowledge. Job 36. 12. So Hos. 7. 9. The most of Men, tho strangers, [strong?] lusts & corruptions have devoured their strength, brought them into a pining, languishing condition even to gray hairs, yet yy know it not, yy do not perceive it, yy are blinded & hardned to their own perdition yt they should not see their sin & misery, yt so they might seek out for a Remedy. But these hungry souls they perceive & feel their want of soul satisfying good. As Christ sayes; those yt are whole need not ye physitian, Mat. 9. 12. i.e. conceiting themselves whole yy feel no need of the physitian, but yy yt know themselves sick. So here. They that are full or yt conceit themselves so they feel no need of spiritual food, but ye hungry they feel a need of it sensibly. As the Prodigal did. Luk. 15. 17.