1. That the Lord Christ, as man, did and was to exercise all grace by the rational faculties and powers of his soul, his understand- ing, 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 immediately operate the things which he performed, as some of old vainly imagined ; but being a perfect man, his rational soul was in him the immediate 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, en- largement, and exercise, there was required a progression in grace also ; and this he had continually by the Holy Ghost : Luke ii. 40, "The child grew, and waxed strong in spirit." The first clause re- fers to his body, which grew and increased after the manner of other men; as verse 52, he "increased in stature." The other respects the
170 WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT m AND ON [BOOK IL
confirm cation of the faculties of his mind, — he "waxed strong in spirit/' So, verse 52, he is said to " increase in wisdom and stature."^ He was TrXripo-jfMivog ffo(pia?, continually "filling and filled'' with new de- grees " of wisdom," as to its exercise, according as the rational facul- ties of his mind were caj^able thereof; an increase in these things accompanied his years, verse 52. And what is here recorded by the evangelist contains a description of the accomplishment of the pro- phecy before mentioned, Isa. xi. 1-3. And this growth in grace and wisdom was the peculiar work of the Holy Spirit; for as the faculties of his mind were enlarged by degrees and strengthened, so the Holy Spirit filled them up with gi'ace for actual obedience.
2. The human nature of Christ was capable of having new objects proposed to its mind and understanding, whereof before it had a simple nescience. And this is an inseparable adjunct of human na- ture" as such, as it is to be weary or hungry, and no vice or blamable defect. Some have made a great outcry about the ascribing of igno- rance by some protestant divines unto the human soul of Christ: Bel- larm. de Anim. Christi. Take " ignorance " for that which is a moral defect in any kind, or an unacquaintedness with that which any one ought to know, or is necessary unto him as to the perfection of his condition or his duty, and it is false that ever any of them ascribed it unto him. Take it merely for a nescience of some things, and there is no more in it but a denial of infinite omniscience, — nothing incon- sistent with the highest holiness and purity of human nature. So the Lord Christ says of himself that he knew not the day and hour of the end of all things, [Mark xiii. 32] ; and our apostle of him, that he " learned obedience by the things that he suffered," Heb. v. 8. In the representation, then, of things anew to the human nature of Christ, the wisdom and knowledge of it was objectively increased, and in new trials and temptations he experimentally learned the new exercise of grace. And this was the constant work of the Holy Spirit in the human nature of Christ. He dwelt in him in fulness; for he re- ceived him not by measure. And continually, upon all occasions, he gave out of his unsearchable treasures grace for exercise in all duties and instances of it. From hence was he habitually holy, and
' "Quomodo proficiebat sapientia Dei ? doceat te ordo vevbonim. Profectus est setatis, profectus est sapientite, sed humanse. Idco Eetatem ante prsemisit, ut secundum ho- mines crederes dictum; setas enim non diviuitatis sed corporis est. Ergo si prolicie- bat ffitate hominis proficiebat sapientia liominis. Sapientia autem sensu proficit, quia a sensu sapientia." — Ambros. de Incarnat. Dom. Mysterio, chap. \u.
"Nam et Dominus liomo accepit commuuicationem Spiritus Sancti; sicutin evangeliis legitur, 'Jesus ergo repletus Spiritu Sancto, regressus est a lordane.' Hsec autem absque ulla, calumnia de dominico homine, qui totus Christus, unus est Jesus Filius Dei, sensu dcbcmus pictatis acciperc, non quod alter et alter sit, sed quod de uno atque eodcm quasi de altero, secundum naturam Dei, et hominis disputatur." — Didym. de Spir Sane. lib. iii.
CHAP. IV.] THE HUMAN NATURE OF CHRIST. 1^1
from hence did he exercise holiness entirely and universally in all things.
Fourthly, The Holy Spirit, in a peculiar manner, anointed him' with all those extraoi' dinar y poiuers and gifts which were necessary for the exercise and discharging of his office on the earth :^ Isa. Ixi. 1, " The Spirit of the Lord GoD is upon me ; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the cap- tives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." It is the prophetical office of Christ, and his discharge thereof in his ministry on the earth, which is intended. And he applies these words unto himself with respect unto his preaching of the gospel, Luke iv. 18, ] 9 ; for this was that office which he principally attended unto here in the world, as that whereby he instructed men in the nature and use of his other offices. For 'his kingly poiver, in his human nature on the earth, he exercised it but sparingly. Thereunto, indeed, belonged his sending forth of apostles and evangelists to preach with authority. And towards the end of his ministry he in- stituted ordinances of gospel-worship, and appointed the order of his church in the foundation and building of it up ; which were acts of kingly power. Nor did he perform any act of his sacerdotal office but only at his death, when he " gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour," Eph. v. 2 ; wherein God " smelled a savour of rest," and was appeased towards us. But the whole course of his life and ministry was the discharge of his l^rophetical office unto the Jews, E,om. xv. 8 ; which he was to do according to the great promise, Deut. xviii. 18, 19: and on the acceptance or refusal of him herein depended the life and death of the church of Israel, verse 19; Acts iii. 23; Heb. ii. 3; John viii. 24. Hereunto was he fitted by this unction of the Spirit. And here, also, is a distinction between the ''Spirit that was upon him," and his being " anointed to preach," which contains the communication of the gifts of that Spirit unto him ; as it is said, Isa. xi. 2, 3, " The Spirit rested upon him as a Spirit of wisdom," to make him " of quick understand- ing in the fear of the Lord." Now, this was in a singular manner and in a measure inexpressible, whence he is said to be " anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows," or those who were partakers of the same Spirit with him, Ps. xlv. 7 ; Heb. i. 8, 9 ; although I ac- knowledge that there was in that expression a peculiar respect unto his glorious exaltation, which afterward ensued, as hath been declared on that place. And this collation of extraordinary gifts for