He proceeds with his exceptions against the application of these words unto the incarnation of the Lord Christ; the sum whereof is, ‘That the words rapardnoiwg weréoye denote a universal conformity or specific identity between Christ and the children, not only as to the essence, but also as to all other concernments of human nature, or else no benefit could redound unto them from what he did or suffered.’ But,—(1.) The words do not assert any such thing, as hath been declared; (2.) It is not true. The children were partakers
Tlapurancins.
A4A AN EXPOSITION OF THE [oHAP. I1.
of human nature either by creation out of the dust of the earth, as Adam, or by natural generation; the Lord Christ was conceived of a virgin, by the power of the Holy Ghost ;—and yet the benefit re- dounds unto the children. It is evident, then, that the similitude urged by the apostle is confined to the substance of flesh and blood, or the essence of human nature, and is not to be extended unto the personal concernments of the one or the other, nor to the way whereby they became partakers of the same nature. Nor is the argument for the incarnation of Christ taken merely from the expressions in this verse; but whereas he had before proved him to be above and before the angels, even God over all, and here intimateth his exist- ence antecedent to his participation of flesh and blood, his incarna- tion doth necessarily ensue.
2. The necessity of this incarnation of Christ, with respect unto the end of it, hath before been declared, evinced, and confirmed. We shall now stay only a little to admire the love, grace, and mystery of it. And we see here,—
IV. That the Lord Christ, out of his inexpressible love, willingly submitted himself unto every condition of the children to be saved by him, and to every thing in every condition of them, sin only excepted.
They being of flesh and blood, which must be attended with many infirmities, and exposed unto all sorts of temptations and miseries, he himself would also partake of the same. His delight was of old in the sons of men, Prov. viii. 31, and his heart was full of thoughts of love towards them; and that alone put him on this resolution, Gal. i. 20; Rev.i.5. When God refused sacrifices and burnt-offer- ings, as insufficient to make the atonement required, and the matter was rolled on his hand alone, it was a joy unto him that he had a body prepared wherein he might discharge his work, although he knew what he had to do and suffer therein, Ps. xl. 7, 8; Heb. x. 5-9. He rejoiced to do the will of God, in taking the body prepared for him, because the children were partakers of flesh and blood. Though he was “in the form of God,” equal unto him, yet “that mind,” that love, that affection towards us, was in him, that to be like unto us, and thereby to save us, “he emptied himself, and took on him the form of a servant,” our form, and became like unto us, Phil. ii-5-8. He would be like unto us, that he might make us like unto himself; he would take our flesh, that he might give unto us his Spirit; he would join himself unto us, and become “one flesh” with us, that we might be joined unto him, and become “one spirit” with him, 1 Cor. vi. 17. And as this was a fruit of his eternal antecedent love, so it is a spring of consequent love. When Eve was brought unto Adam after she was taken out of him, Gen. ii, 23, to manifest the ground of that affection which was to be always between them, he says of
VER. 14, 15.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 445
her, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.” And by this condescension of Christ, saith the apostle, we are “‘ members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones,” Eph. v. 830; whence he infers that he loves and nourisheth his church, as a man doth his own flesh. And how should this inexpressible love of Christ con- strain us to love him and to live unto him, 2 Cor. v. 14; as also to labour to be like unto him, wherein all our blessedness consisteth, seeing for that end he was willing to be like unto us, whence all his troubles and sufferings arose! Here also we see that,—
Y. It was only in flesh and blood, the substance and essence of human nature, and not in our personal infirmities, that the Lord Christ was made like unto us.
He took to himself the nature of all men, and not the person of any man. We have not only human nature in common, but we have every one particular infirmities and weaknesses following that nature, as existing in our sinful persons. Such are the sicknesses and pains of our bodies from inward distempers, and the disorder of the passions of our minds. Of these the Lord Christ did not par- take. It was not needful, it was not possible that he should do so; —not needful, because he could provide for their cure without as- suming them; not possible, for they can have no place in a nature innocent and holy. And therefore he took our nature, not. by an immediate new creation out of nothing, or of the dust of the earth, like Adam; for if so, though he might have been like unto us, yet he would have been no kin to us, and so could not have been our Goél, to whom the right of redemption did belong: nor by natural generation, which would have rendered our nature in him obnoxious to the sin and punishment of Adam: but by a miraculous concep- tion of a virgin, whereby he had truly our nature, yet not subject on its own account unto any one of those evils whereunto it is liable as propagated from Adam in an ordinary course. And thus, though he was joined unto us in our nature, yet as he was “ holy, harmless, and undefiled” in that nature, he was “separate from sinners,” Heb. vii. 26. So that although our nature suffered more in his person than it was capable of in the person of any mere man, yet, not being debased by any sinful imperfection, it was always excellent, beau- tiful, and glorious. And then,—