J Commentarie 'l1pon Chap.f. Thc(onocJs jmtforth, thatii, he comes from hisfather,laiesafidehisma•dllc, and rakes on him the condition ofa feruanr. The fame minde mull be in vs,to humble: and a– bafe our (dues before God, to thinke better of others then of our fclues, robe content with our condition, to be well p!ca(ed when wearedc(pifed and contemned . becau[cwc are worthic of it. This is to conforme our feluc. to Chrif!. A Thatthefonneof God himfelfemullbe fen! forth from the bofome of h" farhcr,thiS n.e.,es the grearnc!le ofour finneand mlfery, wh1ch was the occafionofth!Sfcndmg. And this mufi teach VS" lth OletCrnCS tO hate and dctell our Onnes, which fetched the (onne of B God from heauen,and ro humble our fducs with D14uidcucn to the dcepes,and thence to pray to God tor his mercic.Pial.rJo.r. . Thefecond point, namely, the Incarnat•· on ofthe fonnc, is exprclfcd in th.Cewotds, Mad~of.c woman that is, made man,or made flclh ufawoman.The><ord"'"' madejlefi,,Ioh. 1.14.H«e three qnefbons arc to be handled. Thcfirllis, why the Sonncwasmadefleth! Anf.There be two fpec!all caufes hereot.Firll, theorder ofdiuine iuflice requiresthat Godi wrath thouId be appeafed, and a fa"'faCiron made, in chefame narure 10 winch his maicChe was offended. Now the otfcnce was in mans narurc:and therefore in it mull Cari~fa~ tl•onto God be performed. Secondly, the C Med•atour bctweenc God and n1an, mu!l be both for nature and cond1tion in the meane between<! God andman, that i•, both God and man:and rhusthefonne of God is a perfetl M ediarour. · The fecond que!lion is,how farre forth the fonneotGad,was made Aen1 ?lanfwer three tbmgs.The firll,that hetookeynto him the wholeandperfe<.'tnature at man in refpeCI 0fc!fcnce,namcly, the intirefubflanceof a reafonable foult,and humane bodi'e.Here re· mCbcr,thatquantltle,tbar isJength, breadth, and thickneffr;ISnot an accident which m;ay palfeand repalfc, but itisof thefubllance of euery body, and therefore of the borly of Chr~ll.Andfor this caufe it is impollible that D the bodie of Chnll in his quantity, bceing foure or fiue foote in length, thouId be inclu· ded in thecompalfeofa peece of bread that is but two or three inches ro quantjtJe. The fec0nd is,that thefonne of God rooke vnro him the properties ofmans nature, thepaw~ ers oflife,fenfe,motlon,the faculty ofrcafon, will,and affcC11on.The third is,that he tooke remember: and there may be in Chritl or~ther men,a{ufpendingof the mernom, by fame external a~d violent caufe, without ob– huion.Thc fecond caueat is, rhanhe fonneo God rooke to hm1 the m6<moties \\h1Ch per– taine to the nature ofman 1 aod nor (uc:h as pertame to thepcrfonsof men, as dropfies, gours, confumptions. and fuchhkc. Forbe rookc not thepcrfono( any man, butthcna· ture ofall men, wirh all the appurtenances thareof,exccpt finne. Tbe th11d quefiion is , How was he made fleth? .tln(w.The flcth or manhood of Chrill, was firf! framed, then fanC116ed, and then v– oiced ro the godhead ofthe fonr.e. And rhus washemademan. Rerccmber herethatthe forming ofthe fleth of Chnll,tbefantlifying ofot,and the perfonallVmon are all together forti me: and I Cl!lingulfilthem in th~>fort, oncly fot doCinncs fake. · In the framing ofthe manhood , I confi~ derthemarter,and rhe manner. The rnarr<r was thefubfiance of the V11gin lignibed in the[ewords, Mad~if'Palmm~ BytlJisCl:n!t isdillmguifl,ed from.all men m the wo1ld : from Adam , becalJfc he was neitherotman nor woman,but ofrcddeday. From £ -,e,be– caufc Ihcewas made of man, and not ofwo. man. From all thatcome of .tid•mandEue, for they arc both ofmanand wom:m;whereasChriflisofwoman, and not of man, A– gaioe, Pa•/addesrhofeword>[made •f.,.,•. man]to note the accornplithment ot rh~promife,Tbefudeof rh< "'m•nfo•Obrui{tthejtr– prn11heAd,Gw.J.l5. The manner offrami,ng is exprcJTed,when Pau/(aah, m11dc, norbegouenof awoman. Themanhcod then cf Chrift, was framed wirhour naruraiJ generation, by an extraor– dinary work ut the holy G hoti.Here a doubt is anfwered. Some man mayfay, ifhcwere made ofawoman, hecomes of Adam, and confequently'heis a !inner. An'rr. The order [et downeby God with Adam in theqeation is,that wharfoeuer he lcfeth , all hiS poOeri– tle n,alllofe thar comes of him by generation. V pon rhis order all t~atare begotten of Ad•m,wltb the natureof man,rec;.eiUe the fin and corrupuon of nature. And fo 010uld Chrill haue done,ifhehad defcendedof A– dam by generatl<m. Bur conlideringhisReil> was madeof rhe fubflanccofa \\Oman, and not begottw ofany rr:an :thereforehe takes the nature ofman, and not tll<cartuptionof nature. tohim the infirmities, and mifcries of mans narure. Here two caueau mufl be remem• bred. The fir(!, that he tooke to him onely fuch infirmities as arc mccrcinfirmities, and The fanClifying cfthe m~nl'ood of Chrill, isaworkc of dimne po"cr) u:hcrc:by arrhe no finnes. Forexample, vpon thewords of Cbrill,Ln thuwppep•ffe,Math.>6.fomefay, thatthere wa• obhuion in Chnll : butthis may not be f:.ud. For obl1Uion is a On~ name. lY)a forgetting of that which amanought to 1 urne ofthe fr2rningdJu<'cf,it \llas fillc:d'' uh rhe gift of the holy-Gholl abouc o,cafure, that he might in both natures be a pcrf<CI S•uiour. HereoLferue, that Chrill by the a– CllOos ofhis life, drd not mrllt IN h•mfelfe \ oJorie and eternal h•ppintlkbccaufehcwas · ~l!fi ~·orthic of aJJ glorie.:~nd honour :~rthe very firlt momC"nt of hiscon~cption. At;am,\ 1------------------------------------------------------------o=b~f~ef~u=e _____
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=