world first by conception in the wombe of a Mother and then by production and bringing forth from thence according to the time of life which the Lord hath appointed by his wise and all-guiding and governing providence and decree so he being to take our true and perfect humane nature and shape upon him that therein he might performe all that righteousnesse which the Law of God doth require at the hands of mankinde and so satisfie the rigour of the Law and the wrath of God in mans person for mans sins according to that first promise and prophecie of him The seed of the Woman shall breake the Serpents head Gen. 3.15 Therefore it was requisite that after the manner of all other persons and people whatsoever he should be propagated and produced into the world as well by conception as by birth that so the Enemie of mankinde might have nothing to object against the justice of God as if true and perfect man had not truly and perfectly fulfilled the whole Law and so quit himselfe from the danger of the breach of that first Command of the tree of knowledge of good and evill thou shalt not eat for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death or surely die Gen. 2.17 Therefore I say our Saviour Christ being to become a perfect man it behoved him in all things sin only excepted to be made like man as well by conception as by birth from a carnall and naâ—urall Mother in regard whereof it is here said Hee was conceived by the Holy Ghost and borne of the Virgin Mary First of his conception He was conceived by the Holy Ghost for so the Angell Gabriel told Mary his Mother when she doubted and demanded saying How shall this thing be seeing I know not a man Luke 1.34 And the Angell answered in the next verse saying The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee therefore also that holy thing which shall be borne of thee shall be called the Son of God vers 35. And in S. Matthewes Gospell it is said Shee was found to be with Child of the Holy Ghost and that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost Matth. 1.18.20 That is saith S. Augustine Cujus conceptionis solus author fuit Spiritus Sanctus of whose conception the Holy Ghost only was the Author and yet not so the Author neither Vt caro ista formata sit citra interventum propriae essentiae Filii Dei as Athanasius speakes as if the flesh were formed without the intervention of the proper essence of the Son of God Absit ea enim est mens Pauli Samosatensis et reliquorum haereticorum as he goes on Farre be it from us so to imagine this being the minde and conceit of Paulus Samosatensis and other Heretikes but we beleeve and speake secundum orthodoxorum dogmatum rectitudinem according to the rectitude and straightnesse of the Catholike Tenets that the blessed Virgin was filled indeed with the power and vertue of the Holy Ghost Tum ut corpus ejus sanctificaretur tum ut salutarem illum foetum concipere possit as well for the sanctification of her body as the enabling of her to conceive that saving and life-bringing fruit in her wombe and so at the last after these fitting preparations the divine nature of the Word it selfe that is the second person in the sacred Trinitie descended Et ibi suum tabernaculum eligens in ea incarnationem assumpsit homo factus est as Athanasius still and choosing there the place of his residence for a time assumed his incarnation and manhood in her so that for us men and for our salvation himselfe came downe from heaven was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary and was made man as the Nicene Creed teacheth for by the salutation of an Angell saith S. Gregory the Word entred the wombe and streight the Word in the wombe by the working of the Holy Ghost became flesh for if shee had conceived by the ordinary way of propagating mankind i. e. by the carnall knowledge of man whether Joseph her husband or any other why then that which should have beene borne of her could not have beene without sinne and so not capable of the Mediatorship betwixt God and man nor of satisfying the Law and wrath of God for man but now being made man not after the ordinary course of nature but of the sanctified flesh and bloud of his Mother through the miraculous working of the Holy Ghost in her wombe he is capable of doing all that belongs unto our redemption for by his most holy conception our sinfull birth and conception is sanctified and his holinesse of life serves as a cover to hide our manifold actuall corruptions from the eyes of God For for their sakes saith Christ doe I sanctifie my selfe that they also may be sanctified through the truth Ioh. 17.19 which shewes that Christs holinesse is ours so that this is the name whereby wee may call him The Lord our righteousnesse saith Jeremie Chap. 23.6 Neither let it be incredible to any as S. Augustine speakes that he should take the whole and perfect nature of man only from his Mother the Virgin Nulla sementina carnis origine operante Without any operation or assistance of carnall seed seeing that the hand and power of God wrought and effected it quae primam mulierem potuit de costa formare which was able and did make the first woman that ever was only of a rib of the first man her husband And therefore he that was thus able to make a perfect and intire woman only out of the flesh of man without any other helpe or assistance let us not doubt but stedfastly beleeve that hee is as able to make a perfect and intire man only out of the flesh of woman so that he shall become as perfect God so likewise perfect man of a reasonable soule and humane flesh subsisting as Athanasius for if it be possible as S. Augustine saith for a worme to be ingendred and framed a living creature out of the mud or clay or dirt or dung and the like only by the Suns working heating and reflecting upon it then much more for the flesh of Christ to bee conceived of the Virgin Mary by the only overshadowing illustrating and sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost Hee was conceived of the Holy Ghost And here we may take notice of foure manner of births i. e. wayes or kindes of producing or bringing mankinde into the world The first Nec de viro nec de femina neither of man nor woman which was Adam made only by the Almightie hand and power of God out of the dust and clay of the earth Gen. 2.7 The second De viro sine muliere Of the man without the helpe of woman and this was Eve who was made only of the rib of man Gen. 2.22 The third De viro muliere Both of man
and woman as we are all ordinarily propagated by carnall generation The fourth and last De muliere sine viro Of the woman without the helpe of man and this was Christ conceived onely by the Holy Ghost Borne of the Virgin Mary is the second circumstance of his humanitie First borne secondly of a Virgin of the first the meaning is no more but this That in the ordinary time of travell according to the course of nature he was brought forth into the world by a woman called Mary whom the Lord had selected for that purpose that his onely begotten Son the second Person in the sacred Trinitie might take his humane flesh and nature of her and so become that promised seed of the woman which should breake the Serpents head spoken of before out of Gen. 3.15 according to that also of the Apostle For as much as the children were partakers of flesh and bloud he also himselfe tooke part with them that he might destroy through death him that had the power of death that is the Devill Hebr. 2.14 For he in no sort tooke the Angels nature but he tooke the seed of Abraham as there follows verse 16. Now then if wee doe once truly and firmly beleeve his conception there is no great doubt or difficultie to bee made concerning his birth because all mankind after they are conceived in the wombe doe by the ordinary course of nature in due time of procreation i. e. after nine months space proceed to a birth into the world and so likewise our Saviour Christ onely hence ariseth a difference and the difficultie that whereas all other mothers after they have once conceived with childe cease to be and to be accounted Virgins the Mother of Christ continued what shee was before a Virgin still yea and so remained unto her lives end And therefore is said Borne of the Virgin Mary Whereupon S. Augustine saith He that came to renue the corrupted and depraved nature of sinfull mankinde novam legem voluit habere nascendi would be borne after a new and unusuall manner Ius enim non erat ut virginis violaretur integritas per Christi adventum qui venerat sanare corrupta It being not meet that he which came to heale that which was corrupted and broken should by his said comming violate and breake that which was whole i. e. the virginitie and integrity of his Mother and therefore all antiquitie have concluded and determined of her that she was a Virgin ante partum in partu post partum before her travell in her travell and after her travell so remaining even to her dying day as I said before First before her travell to fulfill that prophecie which had foretold that a Virgin should conceive and beare a Sonne and that his name should be called Emanuel which is God with us Esay 7.15 which name agrees with none but our Saviour Christ which was both God and man and therefore the said prophecie is said to be fulfilled in him Matth. 1.23 Secondly in her travell that he which was borne of her might be without sin for all others must say as David Behold I was borne in sin and in iniquity hath my mother conceived mee Psal 51.5 Onely the Mother of Christ because shee had conceived without the carnall knowledge of man might say as S. Augustine makes her to speake Quinatus de ventre meo me matâ—em dimisit intactam He that is borne of mee hath indeed made mee a Mother but yet he hath left me without any uncleane touch of carnall contagion or contamination At implevit ventrem meum divinitate uterum meum non evacuavit castitate So that howsoever he have filled me with his Divinitie yet hee hath not robbed or spoiled me of my chastitie Sola impregnata nec vitiata exonerata nec vacuata but I I only of all the women in the world have beene found with childe without deflowring and delivered of a child without defiling because as the Angell Gabriel Paranimphus Christi the Paranimph of Christ as Saint Augustine stiles him saluted me I have beene freely beloved and the Lord hath beene with me so that I am bless d amongst women Luke 1.28 Now then as the same holy Father still speakes Considero conceptum tuum beata virgo expavesco intucor partum contremisco adoro filium tuum revivisco When I consider thy conception O blessed Virgin I am astonisht when I behold thy delivery I stand amazed but when I come to adore thy Son I am revived seeing he that at the first created thee hath honoured thee so farre as to be borne of thee Borne of the Virgin Mary And as shee was a Virgin before and in her travell so likewise after even to her lives end Posterior enim concupiscentia minuisset fidem prioris virginitatis For her after concupiscence and carnall longings if shee had any would have diminished the credit and beleefe of her former virginitie and indeed it was not meet that the only Son of God that was borne of a Virgin and without sin should come afterward to have had a carnall brotherhood which must needs have been conceived in sin which might have fallen out if shee had had carnall knowledge afterwards of her husband Joseph And therefore Jovinianus Helvidius and all Hereticks of that straine which have so affirmed are to be detested and avoided for many reasons First because it would have derogated from the perfection of Christ to have had such brethren who as he was the onely begotten Son of his Father in heaven so was it meet that hee should be the only Sâ—n of his Mother here on earth Secondly because Mary in the after carnall knowledge of her husband Ioseph should have done wrong and injury to the Holy Ghost Cujus sacrarium fuit uterum virginis Whose virgin wombe had beene sanctified and consecrated by him as it were unto the Lord and therefore ought not to be defiled Per virilem commixtionem by any uncleane touch and commixture of man Thirdly because shee would have beene thought very unthankfull and ungratefull unto God if shee had not beene contented with such a Son Fourthly and lastly because it would have beene too great a presumption in Ioseph Si polluere attentaret virginem If hee should have offered once to violate the virginitie of her of whom the Lord was borne and therefore there is no doubt but wee may safely hold and beleeve her a Virgin as well after as in and before her travel and say I beleeve in Iesus Christ conceived by the Holy Ghost and borne of the Virgin Mary for as a Star sends forth its beame without any detrimeÌ„t or corruption to it selfe Sic virgo Filium Christum as Bernard speaks So might the Virgin Mary her Son Christ without any wrong to her virginity which the Fathers also prove by many allusions from the sacred Scriptures and Word of God applying some mysticall passages of the same to the conception and
will of man but of God Ioh. 1.12 13. And therefore much more hee to the intent hee might beget virgin members to be of the same body whereof hee was the head that is a pure and glorious Church or Congregation not having spot or wrinkle was himselfe to be borne of a Virgin-mother and therefore wee may safely say and beleeve that Christ howsoever hee were the onely Sonne of God begotten before all time yet that also in time hee was borne man of the Virgin Marie in so much as S. Augustine speakes De creatura sua Creator omnium procreatur de rivulo suo â—â—ns magnus exoritur radix omnium de virgulto suo nascitur vitis vera palmitis sui fructus efficitur that is The true Vine is become the fruit of its owne branch and the root of all things is sprung from its owne sprig or sien the great fountaine is risen from its owne rivulet and the Creator of all things is borne of his owne creature and Maria is become Theotocos Deipara or Dei genetrix that is the Mother of God as Vincentius Lirinensis stiles her according also to certaine old English verses which I have read to that purpose A virgin and a mother beares a Sonne The creature her Creator on her knee From all beginnings yet but now begun Servant to time Lord of eternitie Earths weaknesse and heav'ns pow'r in him doe dwell Which is both God and man Emanuel And againe Qui regit sydera sugit ubera Who sits in heav'n upon his Throne of State Sucks here on earth the milke of infancie Who rules the stars and guides the sterne of fate Sustaines the yoake of humane miserie Eats drinks wakes sleepes and weepes as mortall man In whom immortall happinesse began For as in the first creation of mankinde man was created after the image and similitude of God so in the restitution and repairing of the same mankinde againe after his fall it was requisite that God should be made after the image and similitude of man that so he might be a fit Mediatour unto God for man not as God for so hee is able by his owne authoritie to take away and forgive sins according to that Who can forgive sins but God onely but as man that so hee might satisfie for mans offences in the same nature in which the breach and offence began as the Apostle speaketh God sent forth his Sonne made of a woman and made under the Law that so he might redeeme those that were under the Law Gal. 4.4 5. which hee could not have done if hee had not taken the verie nature of man upon him and therefore was he in no wise to take the Angels nature upon him but onely the seed of Abraham as I told you before out of Heb. 2.16 Quia Angelus nullum habuit consortium cum homine qui peccaverat Because the Angels had no societie or fellowship with that nature of man which had transgressed neither was the whole Angelicall nature lapsed and fallen as mans was but onely in part for though some fell yet others abode stedfast and are so established for ever Thirdly because the Angels fell of themselves by their owne proper pride and malice without any inticement or externall provocation of another but man fell through infirmitie and by the subtill suggestion and allurement of the serpent the instrument of Satan therefore was it meet that the Sonne of God should be made the Sonne of man that so hee might be a perfect Mediarour betwixt God and man God that hee might satisfie man that he might suffer Nam si bomo non vicisset inimicum hominis non juste victus esset inimicus saith Irenaeus For unlesse man had overcome the enemie of man he had not beene justly vanquished Nam posterius debet reduci ad perfectionem per id quod prius est in eodem genere as say the Logicians That which is latter cannot be reduced to perfection but onely by that which was before in the same kinde And therefore that God may redeeme man God must become man that so we may be made the adopted sonnes of God Per eum qui naturalis est by him that is his sonne by nature and as by a man came our death so by a man also might come our resurrection from the dead as S. Paul saith 1 Cor. 15. And thus have you at large heard related and dilated unto you how in the incarnation and birth of Christ God is become man by being conceived of the Holy Ghost and borne of the Virgin Marie who although he be God and man yet he is not two but one Christ one not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh but by taking of the manhood into God one altogether not by confusion of substance but by unitie of person as Athanasius Which is likewise well expressed by Vincentius Lirinensis when he sayes that in Trinitate there is alius atque alius non aliud atque aliud but in Christ there is aliud aliud non alius alius that is as there is in the blessed Trinitie a diversitie of persons as God the Father God the Sonne God the Holy Ghost but not a diversitie of things natures substances because they are all but one God so in Christ on the other side there is a diversitie of things natures substances as Deitie and humanitie but not of persons because these two natures are become but one person in him Sicut in homine aliud caro aliud anima sed unus idemque homo anima caro as hee goes on Which our Liturgie shall translate As the reasonable soule and flesh is one man so God and man is one Christ which example of two distinct natures substances spirituall and corporeall soule and body concurring to the composition of one whole and entire person Man doth so fully expresse to my understanding the manner of the union of the two natures God-head and manhood in one Christ that the weakest and shallowest capacitie being able to consider of the one may conceive the other And therefore I will proceed no further in proofe and declaration of it but onely desire God for conclusion of this Article that we may so firmly and stedfastly beleeve in this blessed seed and Sonne of the blessed Virgin that as hee of her hath taken our nature upon him and is become the sonne of man so we by him may be so renewed in soule and spirit as that wee may become the sonnes of God and as members of that body whereof he is the head may ascend with him our elder brother into the land of the living whither hee is ascended with our flesh and humane nature before us to provide places and eternall mansions for us Which the Lord of his infinite goodnesse vouchsafe to grant us even for the same Jesus his sake Amen FINIS
children Iob 1.6 To which I answer that Christ is called Gods only Son because he alone is his Son by nature and eternall generation and none but he whereas the Angels are his sons but by creation as indeed are all the creatures of the world besides and his elect and chosen children by a more speciall grace of redemption and adoption as it is said As many as received him to them he gave power to be the sons of God even to them that beleeve in his Name Ioh. 1.12 And againe When the fulnesse of time was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman and made under the Law that he might redeeme them which are under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sons Gal. 4.4 5 verses And therefore as S. Iohn saith Behold what love the Father hath shewed on us that we should be called the sonnes of God 1 Ioh. 3.1 So that as I say we are sons indeed by grace and adoption but Christ is his only Son by nature and eternall generation as I said before and none but he And therefore unicus dicitur quia nec comparationem recipit cum creaturis nec similitudinem as S. Augustine speaketh He is called Gods only Son because there is neither comparison nor resemblance betwixt his Son-ship and that of the creatures He being a Son of Gods owne substance for ex ore altissimi prodiâ—i I came out of the mouth of the most high primogenitus being the first borne of all creatures as Ecclus. 24.5 and unigenitus the only begotten Sonne of God as before out of Ioh. 1.18 A Son then begotten not created not of grace but nature before not in time as all the creatures are and therefore an onely Son Hereupon himselfe taking his farewell of his Disciples Ioh. 20. as Mr. Hum. Sidenham hath well observed hee shewes them this intervallum and distance betweene his generation and their adoption in saying I goe to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God not to our Father but to mine and yours This separation implies a diversitie and shewes that God is his Father indeed but our Creator and therefore he addes my God and your God mine by a privilege of nature yours of grace mine out of the wombe as it were of everlastingnesse yours out of the jawes of time And therefore seeing Christ only is properly and truly Gods Son and none but he it may serve thus farre to be a comfort and consolation unto us yea and to strengthen our trust in God in that the love of God hath beene so wonderfull and his mercie so unspeakable towards us as that he hath not spared his owne and his onely Son for us as it is said God so loved the world that hee hath given his onely begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Ioh. 3.16 sufficit pro unico The third and last circumstance is that he is called our Lord And in Jesus Christ his only Sonne our Lord So saith S. Paul to us There is but one God which is the Father of whom are all things and wee in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and wee by him 1 Cor. 8.6 And therefore he saith of himselfe to his Disciples Yee call me Master and Lord and yee say well for so I am Ioh. 13.13 For God hath made him both Lord and Christ this Jesus whom yee have crucified saith S. Peter Act. 2.36 Now this is as S. Augustine saith because Spoliavit antiquo hostem singulari dominio suo asciscit nos He having vanquished and overcome our old enemie the Devill and spoiled him of all principality and power he now rules and reignes over us himselfe by the power of his Word and holy Spirit guiding and directing us in all our wayes and protecting and defending us in all our dangers so that our spirituall enemies shall no more be able to prevaile against us As also in regard of our redemption because he hath purchased us to himselfe being before captives and slaves of the Devill and therefore may justly challenge a lordship and dominion over us And this may serve first to comfort us That hee being our Lord and we abiding under his protection we need not feare what any enemie whether spirituall or temporall whether Devill or wicked men can doe unto us For if God be on our side who can be against us saith Saint Paul Rom. 8.31 And therefore let us not feare them which can kill onely the body but rather feare him which is able to destroy both body and soule in hell as it is said Matth. 10.28 And indeed in the second place his Lordship over us ought to beget a feare in us towards his holy name according to that of the Prophet If I be a Lord where is my feare Malac. 1.6 For howsoever as he is a Saviour hee most truly deserves our love yet as hee is Lord both of heaven and earth and Judge both of quicke and dead he as justly requires our feare Now both these titles as yee see are here ascribed unto him and given him even in this one Article of our Creed for as hee is in this last clause of it stiled and called our Lord so before hee was called Jesus a Saviour here Dominus which is nomen Majestatis a name of feare and Majestie there Jesus which is nomen benignitatis amoris a name of benignitie and love This shewes him to be an eternall being and a giver of being to all his creatures That that hee is the Authour of our well being that had made our selves in a miserable being so that it had beene better for us never to be than to be in such a miserable estate as either we were all by nature or they all shall be that are and shall be without this Jesus this Saviour uterque hic profitetur Dominus Salvator he is here professed to be both both Lord and Saviour ut pro potestate qua omni suae creaturae dominatur jure metuendum ostenderetur pro bonitate vero qua misericorditèr quosdam salvat dignum dilectione demonstraretur as S. Augustine speakes i. e. that in regard of his power whereby he rules over all his creatures it might be shewne that hee ought worthily to be feared and in regard of his goodnesse whereby hee saves some he might be demonstrated to be worthy likewise of all love but as one saith Many are willing and readie to embrace Christ as Jesus to save them who yet like not to have him urged upon them as their Lord to governe and command them sufficit pro hoc atrticulo Which was conceived by the Holy Ghost and borne of the Virgin Mary THese two circumstances of the conception and birth of Christ expresse to the full the manner how he tooke our humane nature upon him and became man for as all mankind is so generated and brought forth into the