Quest. How coidd Christ be made of the flesh and blood of a virgin, and yet be with- out sin ! The purest virgin that is, her soul is stained ivith original siti.
Ans. This knot the scripture unties, Luke i. 35., " The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and overshadow thee : therefore that holy thing, which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God." " Tlie Holy Ghost shall come upon thee," that is, the Holy Ghost did consecrate and piuify that part of the virgin's flesh whereof Christ was made. As the alchymist extracts and draws away the dross from the gold, so the Holy Ghost did refine and clarify that part of the virgin's flesh, separating it from sin. Though the virgin Mary herself had sin,
IN HIS INCARNATION.
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yet, that part of her flesh, whereof Christ was made, was without sin ; otherwise it must have been an impure conception.
Quest. JVhat is meant by the power of the Holy Ghost overshadowing the virgin ?
Ans. Basil saitli, " It was the Holy Ghost's blessing that flesh of the virgin whereof Christ was formed." But there is a further mystery in it ; the Holy Ghost having framed Christ in the virgin's womb, did, in a wondorftd manner, unite Christ's human nature to his divine, and so of both made one person. This is a mystery, which the angels pry into with adoration.
Quest. JVhen was Christ incarnate ?
Ans. In the fulness of lime. Gal. iv. 4., " When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman." By the fulness of time, we must understand tempus a patre prcefinitinn ; so Ambrose, Luther, Corn, a Lap., the determinate time that God hath set. More particulai-ly, this fulness of time was when all the prophecies of the coming of the Messiah were aecom- j)lished ; and all legal shadows and figures, whereby he was typified, were abrogated : " in the fulness of time God sent his Son." And, by the way, observe, this may com- fort us in regard of the church of God, though at present we do not see that peace and purity in the church as we could de- sire, yet in the fulness of time, when God's time is come and mercy is ripe, then shall deliverance spring up, and God will come riding upon the chariots of salvation. When the fulness of time was come, then God sent forth his Son, made of a woman.
Quest. Why was Jesus Christ madejlesh ?
Ans. 1. The causa prima, and impulsive cause was free grace; it was love in God the Father to send Christ, and love in Christ that he came to be incarnate. Love was the intrinsical motive. Christ is God- man, because he is a lover of man. Christ came out of pity and indulgence to us : lion merita nostia, scd miscria nostra, Aug. Not our deserts, but our misery, made Christ take flesh. Christ's taking flesh, -"as a plot of free grace, and a pure design of love. God himself, though Almighty, was overcome with love. Christ incarnate is nothing but love covered with flesh. Christ's assuming our human nature, as it
was a master-piece of wisdom, so a monu- ment of free grace.
A. 2. Christ took our flesh upon him, that he might take our sins upon him. Ho was, saith Luther, maximus peccatur, — the greatest sinner, having the weight of the sins of the whole world lying upon him. He took our flesh that he might take our sins, and so appease God's wrath.
A. 3. Christ took our flesh, that he might make the human nature appear lovely tp God, and the divine nature appear lovely to man. 1. That he might make the hu- man natju-e lovely to God. Upon our fall from God, our nature became odious to him ; no vermin is so odious to us as the human nature was to God. When once our virgin nature was become sinful, it was like flesh imposthumated, or running into sores, loathsome to behold : such was our nature when corrupt, odious to God, he could not endure to look upon us. Now, Christ taking our flesh, makes this human nature appear lovely to God. As when the sun shines on the glass, it casts a bright lustre; so Christ being clad with our flesh, makes the human nature shine, and appear amiable in God's eyes. — 2. As Christ being clothed with our flesh, makes the human nature appear lovely to God, so he makes the divine nature appear lovely to man. The pure Godhead is terrible to behold, we could not see it and live; but Christ cloth- ing himself with our flesh, makes the di- vine nature more amiable and delightful to us. Now we need not be afraid to look upon God, seeing him through Christ's human nature. It was a custom of old among the shepherds, they were wont to ch»the them- selves with sheep-skins, to be more pleasing to the sheep ; so Christ clothed himsell with our flesh, that the divine nature may be more pleasing to us. The human na- ture is a glass, through which we may see the love and wisdom, and gh»ry of (iod clearly represented to us. Through the lantern of Christ's humanity, we may be- hold the light of the Deity shining. Christ being incarnate, he makes the sight of the Deity not formidable, but delightful to us.