And this was in the time of his abasement. In the greatest extremity of abasement, there was somewhat that came from Christ, to 'justify' him that he was the Son of God, the true Messiah. There is no part of his abasement but some beams of his Godhead did break forth in it.
He was made flesh, but he took upon him the ' flesh' of a virgin. Could that be otherwise than by the Spirit, to be born of a virgin, she remaining a virgin ? When he was born, he was laid in a manger. Indeed, there was God in the low estate of the flesh. Ay, but the ' wise men worshipped him,' and the ' star' directed them. Mat. ii. 11. There he was 'justified in the Spirit.' He was tossed when he was asleep in the ship, but he com- manded the winds and the waves, Mat. xiv. 24t, seq. He wanted money to pay tribute, as he was abased ; but to fetch it out of a fish, there he was justified. Mat. xvii. 27. The one was an argument of his poverty and meanness, but the other was an argument that he was another manner of person than the world took him for, that he had all the creatures at his command. He was apprehended as a malefactor, but he struck them all down with his word, ' Whom seek ye ?' John xviii. 4.
Come to the greatest abasement of all ; when he was on the cross, he hung between two thieves. Aj^, but he converted the one of them. WTien the thief had so much discouragement to see his Saviour hang on the cross, yet he shewed such power in that abasement, that the very thief could see him to be a king, and was converted by his Spirit. He did hang upon the cross ; but, at the same time, there was an eclipse. The whole world was darkened (/i), the earth trembled, the rocks brake, the centurion 'justified' him, ' Doubtless, this was the Son of God,' Mat. xxiii. 47. He was sold for thirty pence (/), but he that was sold for thirty pieces did redeem the whole world by his blood.
Nay, at the lowest degree of abasement of all, when he struggled with
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the wrath of God, and was beset with devils, then he triumphed. When he was visibly overcome, then invisibly he overcame. He was an invisible conqueror when he was visibly subdued. For, did he not on the cross satisfy the wrath of God, and by enduring the wrath of God free us from it and from Satan, God's jailor, and reconcile us by his blood ? The chief works of all were wrought in his chief abasement. At length he died and was buried ; ay, but he that died rose again gloriously. Therefore he was ' mightily declared to be the Son of God by raising himself from the dead.' That was the greatest abasement when he lay in the grave ; and especially then he was 'justified' by his resurrection from the dead and his ascension, in his state of glorification especially. So, if we go from Christ's birth to his lowest degree of abasement, there was alway some manifestation of his justification by the Spirit.
He was ' justified' in a double regard.
1. In rer/anl of God, he was justified and cleared from our sins that he took upon him. He ' bore our sins upon the tree,' and bore them away, that they should never appear again to our discomfort. He was made ' a curse for us.' How came Christ to be cleared of our sins that lay upon him ? "When by the Spirit, by his divine nature, he raised himself from the dead. So he was ' justified' from that that God laid upon him, for he was our suretj-. Now the Spirit raising him from the dead, shewed that the debt was fully discharged, because our surety was out of prison. All things are first in Christ and then in us. ■ He was acquitted and justified from our sins, and then we.
2. And then he was justified by the Spirit from all imputations of men, from the misconceits that the world had of him. They thought him to be a mere man, or a sinful man. No. He was more than a mere man ; nay, more than a holy man ; he was God-man. Whence were his miracles ? Were they not from his divine power ? He overcame the devil in his temptations. Who can overcome the devil, but he that is the Son of God ? He cast out devils, and dispossessed them with his word. All the enemies of Christ that ever were, at length he conquered them, and so ' declared himself mightily to be,' as he was, ' the Son of God.' He healed the out- ward man and the inward man by his divine power ; he caused the spiritual as well as the bodily eyes to see, the dead to live, and the lame to go, &c. Whatsoever he did in the body he did in the soul Hkewise. In those excel- lent miracles he was 'justified,' and declared to be the Son of God,' espe- cially in his resurrection and ascension, and daily converting of souls by his ministry ; all being done by his Spirit, which is his vicar in the world, ruling his church and subduing his enemies. So that he was every way 'justified in the Spirit' to be God, to be the true Messiah prophesied of and promised to the church. Therefore he was ' justified' in his truth, that all the promises were true of him ; and in his faithfulness, that he was faithful in performing the promises he made. He was ' justified ' in his goodness and mercy, and all those attributes ; he was 'justified in the Spirit.'