None but Christ, Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Teacheth us to ſtudy to know Chriſt in his Incarnation.
FIrſt, we muſt ſtudy to know Chriſt in his Incarnation; That he is God and man joyned together, that God and man might be joyned together, that by ſinne were ſeparated one from another.
Wherein five things are to be learned of us.
1. That he is the ſecond Perſon in the Trinity, who was the wiſdome of the Father. To teach us that the divine nature is not eſſentially, but perſonally, not ſimply, but Relatively (in relation to the ſecond Perſon) incarnated fNon eſſentia De… abſolutè conſiderata, ſed perſona filii erat incarnata. Buchan. loc. com. Non eſſentia, ſed perſona deitatis eſt incarnata. Wolleb.for elſe the Father and holy Ghoſt mu…t be incarnated as wel as the Sonne; which was the error of the Sabellians Anno Chriſti 257. who denied the three diſtinct perſons, and ſaid they were but three names; and ſo by conſequence were compelled to ſay the Father and H. G. were incarnate, and died for our ſins, as well as the Sonne.
2. That he is the Son of God gPſal. 2. 7. John 1, 14.Not by creation as the An…els and Adam were, not by adoption as the Saints are: but his naturall ſon by eternall generation as he was God (being of the ſame ſubſtance and nature that his Father is, (as children are of the ſame ſubſtance with their Parents) cald indeed the Father of Eternity, Eſ. 9. 6. but that was reſpectu eſſentiae, non ſubſiſtentiae, in regard of his eſſence not ſubſiſtence.
The manner is unſpeakable, incomprehenſible, for who can declare his generation? In naturall generation the Father is 1. before the Sonne, 2. the Son inferior to the Father, 3. receiving his ſubſtance from the Father: but in this generation the Father is not before the Sonne, who was eternally his ſonne, or elſe there ſhould be a time when God was without a Sonne, and himſelfe not a Father; 2. Nor is he inferior to the Father, for he is no more beholding to God to be his Father, then the Father to him to beEſſentia non generatnec generatur Scholo…. his ſonne; 3. nor did he receive his Subſtance, but his Sonſhip from the Father, who is unbegotten in reſpect of his eſſence, as having his eſſence of himſelfe; begotten only in reſpect of his perſonality, for he hath his perſonall ſubſiſtence from the Father: begotten as Son, not as God, Perk. on Creed; [learned Buchan ſaith, Aliud eſt eſſe pa…ris, aliud eſſe filii, aliud eſſe ſpiritus ſancti, that is, as they are perſons or ſubſiſtences, but not as abſolutely God, for ſo their eſſence is the ſame] But this miſtery is deep and ſuch as is fitter for the ſtudy of Angels then men; Divines have ſet it forth by divers ſimilitudes, whereby I have thought they have rather darkened, then illuſtrated it, and therefore I ſpare to mention them,
And further, as our Lord Chriſt is man, he is the ſon of God, but not by creation nor adoption, nor eternall generation, but by hypoſtaticall union, namely by prerogative of his perſonall union: contrary to the Feliciani, that called Chriſt in his humane nature the adopted ſonne of God.
And thus the Son of God became the ſon of man, that the ſons of men might beJohn 1. 12. Gal. 3. 5, 6. Mat. 3 17. Iohn 1. 14. made the ſonnes of God; I go to your father and my father, Ioh. 20. 17.
And what greater love could the father ſhew unto us then to give his deare Son, his beloved Son, his only begotten ſon for us? Joh. 3. 16. Herein appeared Abrahams love, that he offered his only ſonne Iſaac, whom he loved. Gen. 22. There was one had foure ſons, who in a famine being ſore oppreſſed with hunger, the Parents reſolved to ſell one for relief; But then they conſidered the eldeſt, was the firſt of their ſtrength, therfore loth to ſell him, the ſecond was the very picture of the father, the third was like the mother, the fourth and the youngeſt was the childe of their old age, their Benjamin, the dearly beloved of them both, and therfore they were reſolved not to part with any of them, and ſo would rather ſuffer themſelves to periſh, then to part with any of their children.
Another had two ſons, both were condemned to dye, yet upon mediation the father was offered to have one ſpared; But he could not find in his heart which to chuſe to live, & ſo to leave the other to the ſtroak of death (They both were ſo dear to him) and ſo they both died; ſo dear are children to their Parents; Can a mother ſaith God, forget her child? yet God ſeems to forget his only ſon that lay in the boſome of the father, and was his delight from all eternity, that he might rememberProv. 3. 30 us, deliver us from death, and make us the adopted ſons of God.
Thirdly that Ieſus Chriſt is God, The mighty God iEſ. 9. 6.who thought it no robbery to be equall with God kPſal. 2. 6. Rev. 18. Mat. 8. 10. Col. 1. 15. 16.contrary to the hereſie of the Samoſetanians, Servetus, Ebionites, Cerinthians, Neſtorians, Turks, Jews, Arrians, and all other Hereticks that deny the Deity of Chriſt; but to him is attributed eternity (l), omniſciency, omnipreſence, creation, and providence; which are only attributed to God. Beſide the works and miracles which our Lord Chriſt wrought, when he was upon the earth, declared him to be the mighty God.mJoh. 5 36 & 10. 25. 37. 38.
Now Chriſt muſt needs be God; not only to ſupport the humane nature to beare the wrath of God from ſinking under it, which elſe had ground him to powder, (As the altar of wood was covered with braſſe, that the fire might not conſume it, Exod. 27. 2.)
But alſo to give worth to his ſufferings, and to make them of infinite value, becauſe they were the ſufferings of God, nActs 20. 28. Heb. 9. 14.For we having offended an infinite God, deſerved infinite wrath, and therefore of neceſſity there muſt be an infinite ſatisfaction; Now it is more for God to ſuffer any thing, then for all men, and creatures to ſuffer all things; As the blood of a ſheep is more precious then the blood of 1000 adders, toads and ſerpents, the blood of a man then of a 1000 ſheep, the blood of a King then of a 1000 common men, and the blood of God is more precious then the blood of all the men in the world.
And hence it is, that all mens fins cannot exceed the price that was paid for them, becauſe our ſins are but the ſins of men, but Chriſts ſufferings are the ſufferings of God; (o) now God loves theHo…. 11. 9. I am God and not man. blood of his Son more then he hates all our ſinnes; And if Adam one man was able by his ſin to condemne a world, ſurely God by his ſufferings is able to ſave a world, Rom. 5. 15. 16. 17.
4. We are to know that he is a true man, alſo of the ſubſtance and blood of the Virgin, not having a phantaſticall body as the Maniches …ay, nor paſſed through the wombe of the Virgin as water through a Conduit-pipe, as the Valentinians ſay, Nor paſſed through her Paps, as the Turks Alcoran dreams, but of the ſeed of the woman, Gen. 3. 14. and made of a woman, Gal. 4. 4. Indeed he took not the perſon of any one man, but theNon hominem ſed humanitatem, non perſonam ſed naturam. humane nature of all men, ſoule and body, contrary to the hereſy of the Apolinarians that ſay his deity ſupplyed in ſtead of the ſoule, when as Chriſt ſaid my ſoule is heavy to death. And now he is a true man in heaven, the ſame that he was on earth though glorifyed, contrary to the hereſy of the Seleucians that affirmed that Chriſt in his aſſention unclothed himſelfe of the fleſh of man, and left it in the glob of the Sun. So that what God once ſpake Ironically is now verifyed, Gen. 3. 22. Behold the man is become like one of us: Or as thoſe heathen Barbarians ſaid of Paul and Barnabas, Act. 14. 11. God is come down to us in the likeneſſe of man.
O infinite wonder, That God ſhould pleaſe to chuſe one man among all mankind, (or more properly humane nature) and exalt him to be one of the Trinity, to ſit in the ſeate of God, be called God, adored and worſhipped as God to all eternity.Not car… but Deus in car…. 1 Tim. 2. 16. For to Chriſt is due divine adoration, not only in his divine nature but in regard of his perſon: [Not that the humane nature is capable of it ſelf of divine worſhip, but becauſe divine worſhip is terminated upon the perſon of Chriſt, and ſo it is due to the humane nature] If an Angel had been thus exalted, it had not been ſo great cauſe of admiration; but for God to take a lump of fleſh and blood, a piece of earth, the ſame we tread upon and join it to himſelf to all eternity; Lord, what is man that thou art ſo mindfull of him, or the ſon of man that thou ſo regardeſt him!
That foreign ſhould be foreign, the great God a ſucking childe; Regens ſydera, ſhould be ſugens ubera, He that rules the ſtars ſhould ſuck the breaſts; For man to be like unto God is wonderfull; but for God to be in the likeneſſe of man is a greater wonder: We in our loweſt humiliation can but lie in the duſt and cloath our ſelves with ſackcloth, and put aſhes on our heads; But for God to cloath himſelfe with duſt and aſhes (like Nebuchadnezzars Image, an head of gold and feet of clay) this is a lower abaſement then if a King ſhould be clothed with beggers ragges, become a frog, a worme, or the baſeſt creature; was not our fleſh a goodly robe to cloath the Deity with? when the Angels themſelves ſcorne our nature, and think it a debaſing of them, ſo that if they take up a mans body for their uſe, yet they quickly lay it downe againe. This is cauſe of wonder indeed, but no cauſe of ſtumbling or offence; for (as Tertullian affirmes) Nulla ſubſtantia digna eſt ut Deus induat, quodcunque tamen induerit, ipſe dignum facit; Though God be too great to cloath himſelfe with any nature, yet what ever he ſhall cloath himſelfe withall, he makes it worthy, Quicquid Deo indignum patitur, iderat t…i gratia. Tertul.
Now the reaſon why Chriſt tooke mans nature upon him, was, Not onelyonly toGal. 3. 12. 13. redeem man, that as man had ſinned, man ſhould ſuffer; (for God could notHomini Deus mor tem minatus eſt, ab homine ergo poena luenda eſt Wolleb. ſuffer) and without ſhedding of blood there is no remiſſion,) And to fulfill the Law for us by yeelding obedience to it, which the God-head could not be brought in ſubjection under: But alſo to make the divine nature more amiable to us, that we might not be afraid to look upon God. As the Shepherds of old had wont to cloath themſelves with ſheeps skins to be more lovely in the ſheeps eyes. Even the Sun it ſelfe may be looked upon through a cloud; And ſo may the Deity through the Lan…horne of the humanty, 2 Cor. 3. 18. God hath as it were, cloathed himſelfe with our fleſh, to teach us he will not hide himſelfe from his owne fleſh; The Lord Chriſt ſeemes to ſpeak to us, as once Elihu did to Job, Job 33. 6. Behold I am according to thy wiſh in Gods ſtead, I am alſo formed out of the clay, Behold my terror ſhall not make thee afraid, neither ſhall my hand be heavit upon thee. So Chriſt is as i… were in Gods ſtead form'd out of the clay, and he makes the apprehenſion of the Deity not to be fearfull to us.
Fifthly and laſtly, we are to know Chriſt to be God and man united together. In John 1. 14. Chriſt is ſaid to be made fleſh, not appeared fleſh, as he did ſometimes to the Patriarchs, conferring with them in a viſible ſhape, as to Abraham, Iſaac and Jacob, &c. But made fleſh, that is, united to fl…ſh, for God cannot be made fleſh, or be turned into fleſh.
In 1 Tim. 3. 16. great is the myſtery of Godlineſſe, God manifeſted in the fleſh.
It is cald (a Myſtery) dark and hidden, not known of Adam in innocency till revealed; in whoſe heart the Law was written, but not the Goſpel, Col. 1. 26. A myſtery of godlineſſe, breathing nothing but godlineſſe, Tit. 2. 11. (though men make it a myſtery of iniquity;) God manifeſted in the fleſh, foreign appearing in fleſh, ſuch a myſtery as not the Angels in heaven can underſtand the manner. Only this we know, it was no tranſmutation of the Deity into the humanity, nor ofVide Biſh. Vſher, a learned tractate of the Incarnation of Christ. the humanity into the Deity, nor by cohabitation, onelyonly as the Neſtorians ſay, nor by mixture as water and wine mixt together, which is neither wine nor water, but a compound of both; nor by infuſion of the Godhead into the manhood; But by taking the manhood or humane nature into the perſon of the Sonne of God, and ſo Per modū Accedentis ſaith Durand. In l. 3. ſent. diſt. 6. q. 4.to have his ſubſiſtence in the Godhead; And hence the two diſtinct natures remaine in communicable each to other, and yet make not two diſtinct perſons, but onelyonly one perſon; as the body and ſoule two diſtinct natures, make but one man; contrary to the hereſie of Eutiches, who ſaid the humane nature was ſwallowed up in the divine, ſo as there remained onelyonly the divine nature. And the reaſon of this union was becauſe he was to be a Mediator between God and man, and to reconcile God to man; therefore meet he ſhould have intereſt in both natures.