------ - ------~:::::;-::.------::----:---::-:-::---- jlrolimg unto jltfus. Book IV. 12 r Chap. I. Sect 2. -;. For the manner of forming Chrifls liumane Nature , it was mirlculous. The An– gel afcribestW() a&ions to the Holy Gho!l in this ~rear work; the on~ to coma "fon rho Virgin, rh< other rooverjl,ado>¥ her; by rl1efirflrs hgmfied t~e e:uraordmary work of . the Holy Ghofl in fafhioning rhe humane nature of Ch:ifl;_ ~s tt was f~rd of,Samfon> The Judg. 1 ~. 6. Spirit of the Lord camn•po" hJm, (t.) The holy Gholl: mfprred hrm wuh an:exrraordm~ryilrength; fo the Spirit of the Lord came up_on her (i.) the holy Ghofl wrought 10 her in an exrraordimry way. As for mflance ; m ordmary generation our fubflance and parrs are framed fqcceflivetr by degrees, as fi:ft, the feminal humour becomes ~n Embryo then a body morgamcal; then ne lafiuooed the Lrver, Heart, and Bram, and then ;he refr one after another; and it is at leaf! forty days before the body of a Child be fully formed: now it was othenvife ":ith the body. of Chrifi ;_ for in the very inflant of his conception, he was made perfeebn body and foul, vord ot fin, and full of grace; in rhe very inflanr of his Conception he was perfectly framed, and inilamly united umo the eternal Word, perfe& God and perfeCt man. Surely this was extraordinary, and this is the property of the holy Gholl: fHbiro operari, to work inflantly and perfeCtly; aj{oon Mever the jlejiJWM conceived, it WM prcfemly umred, and made the fiejb of the Son Aug 1 Defid• ofGod; it was fuddenly made, perfe&ly made> h?hly made. . ' •<I Pet. c. 18. The fecond aCtion afcribed to the holy Ghofl, Is adumbration, or overjhadol'>·ing of the Virgin ; this teacheth us that we /hould not fearch overmuch into this great Myflery. Alas ! it is too hioh for us ; if the courfe of ordmary generation be a fecret, how pall: all comprehenlio~isthis extraordinary operation~ the holy Gho!ldidcafl a fhadowo– \'er the Virgin, and withal a Jhadoto over this myllery? why fi10uld we feek a clear light, where God himfelfwill have a/hadow? I k_now the Word was made jiejh (faithChryfa- Clir,f. ham. r. ftome) but how he was made I IQ1oW not. . 1. In way of confutation, this word Conceptio;r_ is the bane of dtvers herelies. 1. That Vfe 1 ~ of the Manichee, who held he had no true body; rf fo, as one fayes well, that had been Virgodecipict, not cencipiet, rather a deceiving of us, than a conceiving of him. 2. That .of the Valentinian , revived lately in the .Anab,•ptif/, who hold> that he had a true body, but made.in heaven, and fem imo the Virgin here on earth; and if fo, that had been virgo recipitt, not concipiet, rathe'r areceiving, than conceiving; yet I cannot but wonder how confidently the .Anabaptij/s tell us, that the flefit of Chrill: came down from heaven, and pa/Ted through the Virgin Mary, as water through a Conduit-pipe, withour takihg any fubflance from her : Their ObjeCtions are raifed out of thefe Texts; --- J. No manafcende~h into hraven, but he thm came down from heaven, even the Son of Joha ,; il man which is in heaven. I anfwer, firfl, thrs fpeech mull be underfiood, firll:ly in re- - ' fpecr of his Godhead, which may be faid in fome fort to defcend, in that it was· made manifeftintheManhood hereon earth. 2. This fpeechmay beunderfiood truly of the whole perfon of Chrifl, to whom the properties of each nature (in refpeCI: of the com– munication of properties) may be fit!y afcribed; but this doth no way prove that his lieih which he a/Turned on earth, defcended from heaven. 2. The ftrjl man i;of the earth, earthy; the fecond man is the Lordfrom heaven,-- C , h'aven/y. I anfwer, I. This holds forth that Chrill: was heavenly-minded, as fometimes 1 0 ·'>· 4 7>4 8 he told the7elVs, you are from be!otv; I am from above; yo~t are ofthe wurld,lam not of this Wtrrld; Chriflwas not worldly-minded, or fwayed with the lu!ls of the flefh, or any J h 8 way earthly affected; as fometimes he could tell his Apollles, ye are not of the world; l~h~ ,;,~~: fo much more might he fay ofhimfelf, that he was nor of this world, but his converfati- ?n was mheaven. Or, 2. I hishulds forth that Chrillwasheavenry, or from het~ven, tn refpeCI: of the glorious qualities which he received af~er his RefurreCI:ion; and not in refped of the fubflance ofhis body ; many glorious qualities was Chrifl endowed with after he was raifed (I fitall not now difpute them) which he had not before; and in refpe~ of thefe he might be called heavenly, or from heaven. 3. This holds forth that Chnfl alfo was in fome fort heavenly , or from heaven in his humane nature , in that the humane nature was united to the divine; and withal in that the humane nature was formed by the holy Gholi; fo 7oJm's Bap ifm is faid to be from heaven; though neitherhe, ?or the water wherewith he baptized, defcended from heaven; but becaufe be recerved It from God who is in heaven. Chrill: was conceived (as you heard) by the· Holy Ghofl:, and m that regard, his generation was divine and heavenry, or from heaven. 2. In way of Comfort and Encouragement, Chri!l: was thus conceived that be might Vf< l. R fanctifi~
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=