That this is not to the purpose in hand ; for that which some read, " He came into the flesh," is not in the Greek, but "He came in the flesh." Moreover, John doth not write, " That spirit which confesseth Jesus Christ, which came in the flesh, is of God ;" but that " That spirit which confesseth Jesus Christ, who is come in the flesh, is of God." The sense of which words is, that the spirit is of God which confesseth that Jesus Christ, who performed his office in the earth without any pomp or worldly ostentation, with great humility as to outward appearance, and great contempt, and lastly underwent a contumelious death, is Christ, and King of the people of God.'
I shall not contend with them about the translation of the words. 1. 'Ev capxi seems to be put for iig ffdpyia, but the intendment is the same; for the word "came" is sXy}Xv&6ra, that is, "that came," or "did come." 2. It is not rhv JXjjXu^oVa, " who did come," that thence any colour should be taken for the exposition given by them, of con- fessing that Christ, or him who is the Christ, is the King of the people of God, or confessing him to be the Christ, the King of the people of God ; but it is, " that confesseth him who came in the flesh," that is, as to his whole person and office, his coming, and what he came for. 3. They cannot give us any example nor any one reason
' " Etiam in eo nihil prorsus de incarnatione (quam vocant) haberi ; etenim quod apud quosdam legitur, Veyiit in carneni, in Grseco habetur, In carne venit. Propteroa non scribit Johannes, quod spirUus qui confitetur Jesum Christum, qui in came vcnit, ex Dio est; verum quod ille spiritus qui confitetur Jesum Christum in carne venisse ex Deo est. Quorum verborum sensus est, eum spiritura ex Deo esse qui confitetur Jesum ilium, qui iinnius suum in terris sine uUa pompa et ostentatione mundana, summa cum humilitate (quoad exteriorcm specicm) summoque cum contemptu obiverit, mortem deniquc ignominiosam oi^petierit, esse Christum, et populi Dei Regem."
OF THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST. 303
to evince that that should be the meaning of h <sapx,i which here they pretend. The meaning of it hath above been abundantly de- clared, so that there is no need that we should insist longer on this place, nor why we should trouble ourselves with Grotius' long dis- course on this place. The whole foundation of it is, that " to come in the flesh" signifies to come in a low, abject condition, — a pretence without proof, without evidence. " Flesh" may sometimes be taken so ; but that to " come in the flesh" is to come in such a condition, we have not the least plea pretended.
The last place they mention to this purpose is Heb. x. 5, " Where- fore, when he cometh into the world, he saith. Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me." He who had a body prepared for him when he came into the world, he sub- sisted in another nature before that coming of his into the world. To this they say, —
Neither is there here any mention made of the incarnation (as they call it), seeing that world, into which the author says Christ entered, is the world to come, as was above demonstrated ; whence to come into the world doth not sig- nify to be born into the world, but to enter into heaven. Lastly, in these words, " A body hast thou prepared me," that word, " a body " (as appeared from what was said where his entering this world was treated of), may be taken for an immortal body.
Q What is the sense of this place ?
A. That God fitted for Jesus such a body, after he entered heaven, as is fit and accommodate for the discharging of the duty of a high priest.*
But, doubtless, than this whole dream nothing can be more fond or absurd. 1. How many times is it said that Christ came into this world, where no other world but this can be understood ! " For this cause," saith he, " came I into the world, that I might bear witness unto the truth," John xviii. 37. Was it into heaven that Christ came to bear witness to the truth? "Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners," 1 Tim. i. 15. Was it into heaven? 2. These words, " A body hast thou prepared me," are a full expression of what is synecdochically spoken of in the Psalms in these words, " Mine ears hast thou opened," expressing the end also why Christ had a body prepared him, — namely, that he might yield obedience to God therein ; which he did signally in this world when he was " obedient unto death, the death of the cross." 3. As I have before manifested the groundlessness of interpreting the word " world," put absolutely,
' " Ne hie quiclcm de incarnatione (ut vocant) ullam mcntioncm factam, cum is mundus, in qucm ingrcssum Jcsum is autor ait, sit ille mundus futurus, ut superius demonstratum est ; . unde etiam ingredi in illuin niundum, non nasci in niundum, sed in coclum ingredi siguificat. Dcinde, illis verbis, Corpus aptasti viihi, corporis vox (ut ex eo apparuit ubi de ingressu hoc in mundum actum est) pro corpoi'c immortali accipi potest.