of his incarnation and of his owne Nation the Jewes amongst whom hee came and conversed in humane flesh yet they refused him They were his 〈◊〉 by choice Deut. 7. 6. by purchase Exod. 19. 4 5. by Covenant Deut. 26. 18. and by kindred Heb. 2. 16. Ver. 12. Power to become the Sons of God The people of the Church are called the Sons of God Gen. 6. 2. And after the dispersion at Babel where the Heathen became the Sons of men Gen. 11. 5. this title was appropriated onely to the Jewes Exod. 4. 22. Hoâ— 11. 1. But now when the Jewes Christs owne people should not receive him when hee so came amongst them this priviledge should bee conferred upon what Heathen or Gentiles so ever should receive him that they should bee henceforward as the Jewes had been hitherto the Sons of God or the Church of Christ. That beleeve on his Name That is In or On him For the Name of God in Scripture doth often stand for God himselfe as Psal. 71. 1. Mic 6. 9. Act. 3. 16. c. For God is without any 〈◊〉 or composition on but a most pure and simple essence and therefore his name and himselfe are not two severall things as they bee in the creatures but one and the same R. Menahemâ— on Exod. 6â— Ver. 13. Which are born Not of God Greek Not of blâ—â—dâ— in the plurall number That is not of the kindred descent or continued Pedegree from the Patriarchall line or the blood of Abrahâ—m Isaac Jacob and successively For John the Evangelist speaketh much to the same tenor here that John the Baptist doth Mat. 3. 9. That Christ would adopt the Heathen for the Sons of God as the Jewes had beene though they had no relation at all to the Jewish blood or stock Nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man The Evangelist hath traced Moses all along from the beginning of the Chapter and so he doth here He used the phrase of the Sons of God in the Verse preceding from Gen. 6. 2. And this Clause that wee have in hand he seemeth to take from the very next Ver. after My Spirit shall no more strive with man because hee also is flesh Where as Moses by flesh understandeth the brood of Cain men that followed the swinge of lust sensuality and their owne corruption and by Man the Family of Seth 〈◊〉 Adam that was regulated by Religion and reason till that Family grew also fleshly like the other so doth John here the like For having in the next foregoing words excluded one maine thing that was much stood upon from any claime or challenge towards the adopting of the Sons of God or forwarding of the new birth and that is descent from Abraham and from those holy men successively that had the promise So doth he here as much for two other which onely can put in for title to the same and those are first the will of the flesh or ability of nature Secondly the will of man or power of morality Verse 14. And the word became Flesh Now hath the Evangelist brought us to the great Mystery of the Incarnation in the description of which may be observed First the two termes the word and Flesh expressing Christs two natures and the word was made or became their hypostaticall union Secondly the word flesh is rather used by the Evangelist then the word man though oftentimes they signify but the same thing as Gen. 6. 12. Psal. 65. 2. Isa. 40. 5 6. First to make the difference and distinction of the two natures in Christ the more conspicuous and that according to the common speech of the Jewes who set flesh and blood in opposition to God as Matth. 16. 17. Gal. 1. 16. Secondly to magnifie the mercy of God in Christs incarnation the more in that flesh being in its owne nature so farre distant from the nature of God yet that hee thus brought these two natures together as of them to make but one person for the reconcilling of man and himselfe together Thirdly to confirme the truth of Christs humanity against future Heresies which have held that he had not a true and reall humane body but only Fantasticall or of the aire Fourthly to explaine what he said before that Peleevers became the Sonnes of God that is not by any change of their bodily substances but by participation of divine grace for Christ on the contrary became the Sonne of Man by assuming of flesh and not by changing into it Fifthly to shew the Plaister fitly applyed unto the Sore and the Physicke to the Disease for whereas in us that is in our flesh there dwelleth no good but sin death and corruption hee tooke upon him this very nature which we have so corrupted sequestring onely the corruption from it that in the nature he might heale the corruption Sixthly he saith he was made or became flesh and not hee was made man lest it should be conceived that Christ assumed a person for he tooke not the person of any man in particular but the nature of man in generall Was made flesh Not by alteration but assumption not by turning of the God-head into flesh but by taking of the Man-hood into God not by leaving what hee was before that is to be God but by taking on him what he was not before that is to be man And the Evangelist saith rather He was made flesh then he assumed it i. e. that he might set out the truth and mystery of the incarnation to the life both for the hypostaticall union of the two natures and their inseparability being so united For first whereas Nestorius said that the word was not that man that was conceived and born of the Virgin Mary but that the Virgin indeed brought forth a man and hee having obtained grace in all kind of vertue had the word of God united unto him which gave him power against uncleane Spirits And so he made two severall Sons and two severall persons of the two natures his Heresie is plainly and strongly confuted by this phrase he was made flesh which by the other he consumed it might have had more pretext and colour Secondly whereas Eâ—tyches Valentiâ—us and otherâ— averred that Christ had not a true humane body but onely a body in appearance This also confuteth them home and taketh away all probability of any such thing which the word assumed might have left more doubtfull since we know that Angels assumed bodies and those bodies were noâ— truly humane So that in this manner of speech The word was made flesh is evidently taught First that there are two distinct natures in Christ the God head and the Man-hood for hee saith not the Word was turned into but was made or became flesh Secondly that these two natures doe not constitute two persons but onely one Christ for he saith hee was made flesh and not assumed it Thirdly that this union is hypostaticall or personall for he saith the
very well bee beleeved that hee would bloodily stirre against this new King of the Jewes that the wisemen spake of for feare of interception of the Crown as wel as his Father Hee dyed but five daies before his fathers death as it was touched before out of Josephus and thus God brought this bloodinesse of the Father and the Son and the rest of their cruelties to an end and upon their own heads at once and in a manner together and thus may the words of the Angel bee very fairely understood Take the childe and return to the Land of Israel for Herod and Antipater are dead that sought his life Ver. 22. Archelaus did reigne in Iâ—dea in the roome of his Father Herod Herod had first named Antipater for his Successor in the Throne of Judea but upon detection of his conspiracy against him hee altered his minde and his will and nominated Antipas and changing his minde yet againe hee named Archelaus and hee succeeded him a man not likely to prosper in a Throne that was so bebloodyed His conclusion was that in the tenth yeere of his reigne hee was accused by the Nobles of Judea and Samaria to Augustus banished to Vienna and his estate confiscate Jos. Ant. lib 17. cap. 15. Ver. 23. Hee shall bee called a Nazarene From Isai. 11. 1. where the Messias is called by the title Nezer which indifferently signifieth A branch and the City Nazaret one and the same word denoting Christ and the place where hee should bee borne SECT VIII S. LUKE CHAP. II. Christ sheweth his wisedome at twelve yeeres old Ver. 40. ANd the Childe grew and waxed strong in spirit filled with wisdome and the grace of God was upon him 41 Now his Parents went to Jerusalem every yeer at the Feast of the Passeover 42 And when hee was twelve yeers old they went up to Jerusalem after the custome of the Feast 43 And when they had fulfilled the daies as they returned the Childe Jesus tarryed behind in Jerusalem and Joseph and his mother knew not of it 44 But they supposing him to have been in the company went a daies journey and they sought him among their kinsfolkes and acquaintance 45 And when they found him not they turned back again to Jerusalem seeking him 46 And it came to passe that after three daies they found him in the Temple sitting in the middest of the Doctors both hearing them and asking them questions 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers 48 And when they saw him they were amazed and his mother said unto him Son why hast thou thus dealt with us Behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing 49 And hee said unto them How is it that yee sought mee wist yee not that I must bee about my Fathers businesse 50 And they understood not the saying which hee spake unto them 51 And hee went down with them and came to Narareth and was subject unto them but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart 52 And Jesus increased in wisedome and stature and in favour with God and men Reason of the Order THe Order of this Section dependeth so clearely upon the proper Order of that preceding that that being made good to lie where it doth as in the proper place the subsequence of this to it can nothing at all bee doubted of For whereas all the Evangelists have unanimously passed over in silence all those yeeres of Christs minority which intervened or passed between his return out of Egypt and this passage of his at twelve yeeres old there is nothing possible to bee found in the Gospels that can come between to interpose this order and connexion The carriage and demeanour of our Saviour in the time between is onely briefely comprised in the first verse of this portion And the childe grew and waxed strong in spirit filled with wisedome and the grace of God was upon him Harmony and Explanation Ver. 40. And the childe grew c. TWo yeeres Old hee was when hee went into Egypt and there hee abode in his Exile a very small time it may bee some two or three moneths about such a space as Moses had been hid in Egypt in his Fathers house from the fury of Pharaoh When hee returned to Narazeth his Mothers City being now about two yeers and a quarter old hee was not weaned if in this hee followed the use and custome of the Jewish children as it is like hee did but still sucked his Mothers breasts As hee grew in body hee grew much more in minde for so the phrase Hee waxed strong in Spirit seemeth to bee understood by the Evangelist taking Spirit not so much for the Holy Ghost though it is past question hee was filled with that as for his Soule or spirituall part of his humane nature And so hee describeth his growth in both parts in the two expressions The childe grew in body and waxed strong in intellect and soule filled with wisedome in an extraordinary manner above other children and a graciousnesse appeared in him both in person and actions Vers. 41. Now his Parents went to Jerusalem c. Joseph is called the Parent of Christ as Paul calleth preaching foolishnesse 1 Cor. 1. 21 23. because hee was so commonly reputed by men And as for Womens going up to this Festivall whereas the Law required onely the Males appearance before the Lord three times in the yeere wee shall have occasion to speake of it hereafter Ver. 42. And when hee was twelve yeeres old c. At what age our Saviour sheweth his admirable wisdome in the Temple among the Doctors in this Story at the same age had Solomon shewed his in the matter of the two Hostesses about the dead and living child 1 King 3. 25. â—8 For that hee was twelve yeers old at that time may be conceived upon these collections First Absolom began to rebell in the thirty seventh yeere of Davids Reigne or three yeeres before his death or thereabout This is to bee picked out of that datelesse reckoning of yeeres 2 Sam. 15. 7. And after forty yeeres Absalom said let mee goe pay my vow c. These forty yeeres are counted from the time that Israel asked a King three of Sauls Reigne 1 Sam. 13. 1. and seven and thirty of Davids and then began Absalom to challenge the Kingdome and the reckoning from that date giveth this hint and intimation that as their asking a King then did sore displease the Lord so now are they punished in the proper kind for it when they have so many Kings that they know not well which to follow and many of them perish in following the usurper Secondly before his open rebellion Absalom had been two yeeres in Jerusalem and not seen the Kings face 2 Sam. 14. 28. Thirdly before that time he had been three yeeres in deserved exile in Geshur 2 Sam. 13. 38. Fourthly and two yeeres had passed betwixt the rape of Tamar and
the new world and the new Law and the baptism of Christ the three Persons should be revealed especially since he ordained baptism to be administred in their names Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost Matth. 28. 19. SS Likâ— a Dove It is thought by Austin and after him by Aquinas that this was a very living Dove not of the flock indeed of common Doves but immediately created by God for this purpose but created as true a living Dove as any of them and the reason they give for this their opinion is this Because it is not to bee said that Christ alone had a true body and that the Holy Ghost appeared deceiveably to the eyes of men but that both those are to bee said to bee true bodies for as it was not fit that the Sonne of God should deceive men so was it not fit that the Holy Ghost should deceive them neither But it was no difficulty to the Creator of all things to make a true body of a Dove without the helpe of other Doves as it was not hard for him to frame a true body in the wombe of the Virgin without the seed of man So they too punctuall where there is no necessity nor indeed any great probability For First what needed there a reall living Dove when an apparent onely would serve the turne For the descending of the Dove was that there might bee a visible domonstration of the Holy Ghost his resting upon Christ and anoynting him for his Ministration so that the visibility of the Spirit was as much as was required and there needed no reality of a living body Secondly The Text saith expressely in all the Evangelists that it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like or as it were a Dove which plainly sheweth the similitude to such a thing and not the being of the very thing it selfe Thirdly In apparitions of the like nature when the furthest end of the body appearing was but for visibility the bodies that were seen were not of the very existency and nature of those that they represented but of another As the Angels that appeared in humane shapes had not very living humane bodies but onely bodies assumed and framed to such a representation And so the fire in the bush on Sinai and with the cloven tongues was not very reall fire but onely a visible resemblance of it and the like must bee held of this Dove or else it will bee such an apparition as never was before nor since Fourthly The parallell betwixt the appearing of our Saviour in humane flesh and the appearing of the Holy Ghost in a living Dove is not onely very improper but also somewhat dangerous For if they appeared alike then may the holy Ghost hee said to bee a very Dove for Christ was a very man and that were improper and in its kind to bee incarnaâ—e for Christ was incarnate and that is dangerous And Fifthly as for fallacy or deceiving there could bee none no more then there had been in all other apparitions since the world began since in such things the veriâ—â— and reality of the â—ody that appeared was not looked after but onely the 〈◊〉 and the spirit that lay hid under that body Now reasons why the holy Ghost appeared in the shape of a Dove rather then of any other creature are conceived some to have concerned Christ some to have concerned the Holy Ghost himselfe and some to have concerned man As First to shew Christs innocency pâ—rity simplicity charity and love for all these qualities are observable in a Dove Secondly to shew the like graces of the holy Ghost and Aquinas and Iâ—dolphus do parallell the seven graces of the Spirit Isa. 11. 2. 3. to seven properties of a Dove as if any bee so curious as to see them hee may in Lud in 〈◊〉 and Aquin. par 3. quest 39. Art 6. Thirdly to shew what innocency and harmlessensse should bee in those that are baptized Fourthly to answer the figure in Noahs flood for as a Dove did at that time bring tidings of the abating of the waters so doth it now of the abating of the wrath of God upon the preaching of the Gospell These are the common and most current reasons that are given by Expositors to which may bee added Fifthly that since Christ was to have visible testimony from heaven it was fittest it should bee by the likenesse of a fowle of Heaven For it was not fitting that five should have come thencâ— upon him for hee was to baptize and not to bee baptized with fire and for a cloud to come from thence upon him was reserved till another time namely as his transfiguration and what then can bee imagined to descend upon him but a bird and what bird so fit as a Dove which was the only fowle that was clean and allowed for sacrifice Lev. 1. 14. Mat. 3. ver 16. And lighting upon him In the strictnesse of the Greek it is comming upon him which is to the very same signification especially the addition of the Baptist himselfe being laid unto it viz. that it abode upon him Joh. 1. 32. Some conceive and that not improperly that the Dove sate upon his head which if it did it was like the inscription in the golden plate that was on the fore-head of the High-priest and declared him to be Koddesh Laihovah The Holy one of the Lord Exod. 28. 36. How long the Dove sate upon him is not to bee questioned because not to bee answered it is not unlike that it did so all the while hee was in the sight of John at this time especially seeing that the Text saith that straightway this Spirit drove him into the wildernesse Ver. 17. And loe a voyce from heaven The testimony of two witnesses is a confirmation past denyall and greater witnesses then these two could not bee produced the Father and the Holy Ghost because a testimony could not bee given to a greater then to Christ. Nor could these two witnesses have properly gone single one without the other the descending of the Dove to point out to whom the voyce was intended and the descending of the voyce explaining what was meant by the descending of the Dove SS A Voyce Both the Talmudick and the latter Rabbins make frequent mention of Bath Kol Filia vocis or an Echoing voyce which served under the second Temple for their utmost refuge of revelation For when Vrim and Thummim the Oracle was ceased and Prophecy was decayed and gone they had as they say certaine strange and extraordinary voyces upon extraordinary occasion which were their warnings and advertisements in some speciall matters Infinite instances of this might bee adduced if they might bee beleeved one allegation in the Talmud shall serve for all concerning Joâ—â—athan the Chaldee Paraphrast When Jonathan the Sonne of Uzziel say they had composed the Targum of the Prophets there came Bath Kol or a divine voice and said who