THE MYSTERY OF THE Incarnation of the SON OF GOD. (4)

For the further opening of which mystery (which went beyond the apprehension of Nicodemus, though a master of Israel) wee are to consider; that in every perfect generation, the creature produced receiveth two things from him that doth beget it: Life and Likenesse. A curious limmer draweth his own sons pourtraicture to the life (as we say:) yet because there is no true life in it, but a likenesse onely; he can not be said to be the begetter of his picture, as he is of his Son. And some creatures there be that are bred out of mud or other putrid matter: which although they have life, yet because they have no correspondence in likenesse unto the principle from whence they were derived, are therefore accounted to have but an improper and equivocall generation. Whereas in the right and proper course of generation (others being esteemed but monstrous births that swarve from that rule) every creature begetteth his like:

—nec imbellem feroces

Progenerant aquilae columbam.

Now touching our spirituall death and life, these sayings of the Apostle would be thought upon. We thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they which live, should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again. God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickned us together with Christ. And you being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickned together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses. I am crucified with Christ. Neverthelesse I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. From all which we may easily gather, that if by the obedience and sufferings of a bare man, though never so perfect, the most soveraign medicine that could be thought upon should have been prepared for the curing of our wounds: yet all would be to no purpose, we being found dead, when the medicine did come to be applyed.

Our Physitian therefore must not onely be able to restore us

unto health, but unto life it selfe: which none can doe but the Father, Son, and holy Ghost; one God, blessed for ever. To which purpose, these passages of our Saviour also are to be considered.

As the Father hath life in himself: so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.

As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

I am the living bread, which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The substance whereof is briefly comprehended in this saying of the Apostle: The last Adam was made a quickening spirit. An Adam therefore and perfect Man must he have been; that his flesh, given for us upon the Crosse, might bee made the conduict to convey life unto the world: and a quickening spirit he could not have been, unlesse hee were God, able to make that flesh an effectuall instrument of life by the operation of his blessed Spirit. For, as himself hath declared, It is the Spirit that quickneth; without it, the flesh would profit nothing.

As for the point of similitude and likenesse: we read of Adam, after his fall, that he begat a son in his own likenesse, after his image: and generally, as well touching the carnall as the spirituall generation, our Saviour hath taught us this lesson, That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit. Whereupon the Apostle maketh this comparison betwixt those who are born of that first man, who is of the earth earthy, and of the second man, who is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly: and as wee have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. We shall indeed hereafter bear it in full perfection: when the Lord Jesus Christ shall change our base body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body; according to the working, whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Yet in the mean time also, such a conformity is required in us unto that heavenly man, that our conversation must be in heaven, whence we look for this Saviour: and that we must put off, concerning the former conversation, that old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts, and be renued in the spirit of our mind; and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse. For as in one particular point of domesticall authority, the Man is said to be the image and glory of God, and the Woman the glory of the Man: so in a more universall manner is Christ said to bee the image of God, even the brightnesse of his glory, and the expresse image of his person; and we to be conformed to his image, that he might be the first-born among those many brethren, who in that respect are accounted the glory of Christ.

We read in the holy story, that God took of the spirit which was upon Moses, and gave it unto the seventy Elders; that they might

bear the burden of the people with him, and that hee might not bear it, as before hee had done, himself alone. It may bee, his burden being thus lightned, the abilities that were left him for government were not altogether so great, as the necessity of his former imployment required them to have been: and in that regard, vvhat vvas given to his assistants, might perhaps bee said to bee taken from him. But wee are sure the case was otherwise in him of whom now wee speak: unto whom God did not thus give the Spirit by measure. And therefore although so many millions of beleevers doe continually receive this supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ; yet neither is that fountain any way exhausted, nor the plenitude of that well-spring of grace any whit impaired or diminished: it being Gods pleasure, That in him should all fulnesse dwell; and that of his fulnesse all wee should receive, grace for grace. That as in the naturall generation there is such a correspondence in all parts betwixt the begetter and the Infant begotten; that there is no member to bee seen in the Father, but there is the like answerably to bee found in the Childe, although in a farre lesse proportion; so it falleth out in this spirituall, that for every grace which in a most eminent manner is found in Christ, a like grace will appeare in Gods Childe, although in a far inferiour degree; similitudes and likenesses being defined by the Logicians to bee comparisons made in quality, and not in quantity.

Wee are yet further to take it into our consideration, that by thus enlivening and fashioning us according to his own image, Christs purpose was not to raise a seed unto himself dispersedly and distractedly, but to gather together in one, the Children of God that were scattered abroad; yea and to bring all unto one head by himselfe, both them which are in Heaven and them which are on the Earth. That as in the Tabernacle, the vail divided between the Holy place and the most Holy; but the curtaines which covered them both were so coupled together with the taches, that it might still bee one Tabernacle: so the Church Militant and Triumphant, typified thereby, though distant as farre the one from the other as Heaven is from Earth, yet is made but one Tabernacle in Jesus Christ; In whom all the building fifty framed together groweth unto an holy Temple in the Lord, and in whom all of us are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

The bond of this mysticall union betwixt Christ and us (as elsewhere hath more fully been declared) is on his part that

quickning Spirit, which being in him as the Head, is from thence diffused to the spirituall animation of all his Members: and on our part Faith, which is the prime act of life wrought in those who are capable of understanding by that same Spirit. Both whereof must bee acknowledged to bee of so high a nature, that none could possibly by such ligatures knit up so admirable a body, but hee that was God Almighty. And therefore although wee did suppose such a man might bee found who should perform

the Law for us, suffer the death that was due to our offence and overcome it; yea, and whose obedience and sufferings should be of such value, that it were sufficient for the redemption of the whole world: yet could it not be efficient to make us live by faith, unlesse that Man had been able to send Gods Spirit to apply the same unto us.

Which as no bare Man or any other Creature whasoever can doe; so for Faith wee are taught by S. Paul, that it is the operation of God, and a work of his power, even of that same power wherewith Christ himself was raised from the dead. Which is the ground of that prayer of his, that the

eyes of our understanding being enlightned, wee might know what is the exceeding greatnesse of his power to us-ward who beleeve; according to the working of his mighty power, which hee wrought in Christ when hee raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all Principality, and Power, and Might, and every Name that is named not onely in this World, but also in that to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to bee head over all things to the Church, which is his body, the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all.

Yet was it fit also, that this Head should bee of the same nature with the Body which is knit unto it: and therefore that hee should so bee God, as that hee might partake of our Flesh likewise.

For wee are members of his body, saith the same Apostle; of his flesh, and of his bones. And, except yee eate the flesh of the Son of man, saith our Saviour himself, and drink his blood; yee have no life in you.

Hee that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in mee, and I in him. Declaring thereby, first, that by this mysticall and supernaturall union, wee are as truely conjoyned with him, as the meate and drink wee take is with us; when by the ordinary work of Nature, it is converted into our own substance. Secondly, that this conjunction is immediately made with his humane nature. Thirdly, that the Lamb slaine, that is, Christ crucified, hath by that death of his, made his flesh broken, and his blood powred out for us upon the Crosse, to bee fit food for the spirituall nourishment of our soules; and the very well-spring from whence, by the power of his Godhead, all life and grace is derived unto us.

Upon this ground it is, that the Apostle telleth us, that wee

have boldnesse to enter into the Holyest by the blood of Jesus; by a new and living way which hee hath consecrated for us, through the vaile, that is to say, his flesh. That as in the Tabernacle, there was no passing from the Holy to the most Holy place, but by the vaile: so now there is no passage to bee looked for from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant, but by the flesh of him, who hath said of himself; I am the way, the truth and the life, no man commeth unto the Father but by mee. Jacob in his dream beheld a ladder set upon the Earth, the top whereof reached to Heaven, and the Angels of God ascending and descending on it, the Lord himself standing

above it. Of which vision none can give a better interpretation then hee, who was prefigured therein, gave unto Nathaniel.

Hereafter you shall see Heaven opened, and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. Whence wee may well collect, that the onely meanes whereby God standing above, and his Israel lying here below are conjoyned together, and the onely ladder vvhereby Heaven may bee scaled by us, is the Son of man, the type of whose flesh, the veile, vvas therefore commanded to bee made vvith Cherubims; to shevv that wee come to an innumerable company of Angels, when wee come to Jesus, the Mediatour of the New Testament: who as the Head of the Church hath power to send forth all those ministring spirits, to minister for them who shall bee Heirs of salvation.

Lastly, wee are to take into our consideration, that as in things concerning God, the main execution of our Saviours Priesthood doth consist; so in things concerning man, hee exerciseth both his Propheticall Office, whereby hee openeth the will of his Father unto us, and his Kingly, whereby hee ruleth and protecteth us. It was indeed a part of the Priests office in the Old Testament, to instruct the people in the Law of God, and yet were they distinguished from Prophets: like as in the New Testament also,

Prophets as well as Apostles, are made a different degree from ordinary Pastours and Teachers, who received not their doctrine by immediate inspiration from Heaven; as those other Holy men of God did, who spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost. Whence S. Paul putteth the Hebrews in minde, that God who

in sundry parts and in sundry manners spake in time past unto the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in these last dayes spoken unto us by his Son Christ Jesus: whom therefore hee stileth the Apostle, as vvell as the High Priest of our profession; who was faithfull to him that appointed him, even as Moses was in all his house.

Now Moses, wee know, had a singular preheminence above all the rest of the Prophets: according to that ample testimony which God himself giveth of him. If there bee a Prophet among you, I the Lord will make my self known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithfull in all mine house: with him will I speak mouth to mouth, even aparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold. And therefore wee finde, that our Mediatour in the execution of his Propheticall office is in a more peculiar manner likened unto Moses: which hee himself also did thus foretell. The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy Brethren, like unto mee; unto him yee shall hearken. According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb, in the day of the assembly, saying, Let mee not heare again the voyce of the Lord my God; neither let mee see this great fire any more, that I dye not. And the Lord said unto mee, They have well spoken, that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in

his mouth, and hee shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to passe, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words, which hee shall speak in my Name, I will require it of him.

Our Prophet therefore must bee a Man raised from among his Brethren the Israelites, ( of whom, as concerning the flesh, hee came) who was to perform unto us, that which the Fathers requested of Moses:

Speak thou to us, and wee will heare; but let not God speak with us, lest wee die. And yet (that in this also wee may see, how our Mediatour had the preheminence) when Aaron, and all the children of Israel were to receive from the mouth of Moses all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount, Sinai, they were afraid to come nigh him, by reason of the glory of his shining countenance: so that hee was fain to put a vaile over his face, while hee spake unto them that which hee was commanded. But that which for a time was thus made glorious, had no glory in respect of the glory that excelleth; and both the glory thereof, and the vaile which covered it, are now abolished in Christ: the vaile of whose flesh doth so overshadow the brightnesse of his glory, that yet under it wee may behold his glory, as the glory of the onely begotten of the Father; yea; and wee all with open face, beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same Image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.