THE HUMAN NATURE OP CHRIST. in the day wherein he was created. But this was not all; it was by the Holy Spirit positively endowed with all grace. And hereof it was afterwards only capable of farther degrees as to actual exercise, but not of any new kind of grace. And this work ofsanctification, or the original infusion of all grace into the human nature of Christ, was the immediate work of the Holy Spirit which was necessary unto him. For, let the natural faculties of the soul, the mind, will, and affections, be created pure, innocent, undefiled, as they cannot be otherwise immediately created of God, yet this is not enough to enable any rational creature to live to God; much less was it all that was in Jesus Christ. There is moreover required hereunto supernatural endowments of grace, superadded unto the natural faculties of our souls. If we live unto God, there must be a principle ofspiritual life in us, as well as of life natural. This was the image of God in Adam, and was wrought in Christ by the Holy Spirit, Isa. xi. I, 2, 3. " And there shall a come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a " branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit " of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord; st and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear " of the Lord." It is granted, that th-e following work ofthe Spirit in and upon the Lord Christ, in the exe- cution of his office, as the kingand head of the church, is included in these words. But his first sanctifying work in the womb is principally intended. For those expressions; a rod out of the stemof Jesse, and a branch out of his roots, with respect whereunto the Spirit is said to be communicated unto him, do plainly regard his in- carnation. And the soul of Christ, from the first mo- ment of its infusion, was a subject capable of a fulness of grace, as onto its habitual residence and inbeing, though the actual exercise of it was suspended for a while, until the organs of the body were fitted for it. This therefore it received by the first union of the Spi- rit. Hence, from his conception, he was holy as well as harmless and undefiled, Het). vii. 25. An holy thing, Luke i. 35. radically filled with a perfection of grace and wisdom; inasmuch as the Father gave him not the Spirit Ly measure, John iii. S4. See to this purpose our commentary on Heb. i. ver. 1. p. 17. see John i. ..11, 15, 16. Aa Sect. 2.Thirdly; The Spirit carried on that work, whose foundation it had thus laid. And two things are to be here diligently observed: (t.) That the Lord Christ, as ntais, did and was to exercise all grace by the rational faculties and powers of his soul, his under= standing, will, and affections. For he acted grace as a man made of a woman, made under the law. His divine nature was not unto him in the place of a soul, nor did inimediately operate the things which he per- formed, as some of old vainly imagined. But, being a perfect man, his rational soul was in him the imme- diate principle of all his moral operations, even as ours are in us. Now, in the improvement and exercise of these faculties and powers of his soul, he had and made a progress after the manner of other men. For he was made like unto us in all things, yet without sin. In their increase, enlargement, andexercise, there was re- quired a progression in grace also. And this he had continually by the Holy Ghost, Luke ii. 40. The child grewand waxed strong in Spirit. a The first clause re- fers to his body, which grew and increased after the manner of other men; as ver. 52. He increased in std, tare. The other respects the confirmation of the facul- ties of his mind, he waxed strong in Spirit. So ver. 47. he is said to increasein aetisdom as in stature. He was n-sstnss,os ,09,4-, continually filling and filled with new degrees of wisdom as to its exercise, according as the rational faculties of his mind were capable thereof; an increase in these things accompanied his years, ver. 52. And what is here recorded by the evangelist, contains a description of the accomplishments of the prophecy be- fore mentioned, Ise. xi. 1, 2, 3. And this growth in grace and wisdom was the peculiar work of the Holy Spirit. For as the faculties of his mind were enlarged ` Ruomodo proficiebatsapienciaDei? doceat teordo Verborum. Pro- fectns est stati;, Protesta, est Sapientive, sed humans. Ideo acates[ ante præmisit, ut se undum homines credere; dictum; atas enim non Divinitatis sed Corporis est. Ergo siproficiebat salate hominis proficiebat sapientiahominis. Sapiencia astem sensu prafcit, quiaa sensu Copicn- tia.Ambros. de Incarnat. Dono. 'Mysterio. Chap. 7 Nam et Dominushems accepit communieationem Spiritus Sancti; si- cut in Evangeliis legisur; Jesus ergo repletos Spirito Sancto, regressss est a Ierdes,. Rae ;arem absq; ulta calumnia de Dominico homine, qui toto, Christus, onus est Jesus FiliusDei, sensu debetnus pietati, ac- cipere, non quod alter et alter sit, sed quod de uno atq; eodem quasi de altero secundon naturam Dei, et hominis disputatur.Didym. de Sp. San. Lit,. 3. P9
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