APPENDIX H,

TO THE PRECEDING SERMON.

Perhaps there is no subject, on which heresies have more abounded, than that of the Incarnation of our LORD. And I purpose, in this appendix, to give, in support of the view I have taken, some extracts and references from the Articles, Liturgy, and Homilies of our church, in addition to the quotation from the Athanasian Creed; and also, to quote from other writers of acknowledged soundness of judgment.

I would refer the reader to the 2nd. 3rd. 4th. and 15th. Articles; to the Collects for the 1st. Sunday in Advent, for the Sunday before Easter, for the Purification of the Virgin Mary; and to that, in the Communion Service, appointed for Christmas day.

From the homilies of our church, I shall confine myself to some extracts from those for Good Friday.

“For if a mortal man's deed, done to the behoof of the commonwealth, be had in remembrance of us, with thanks for the benefit and profit which we receive thereby; how much more readily should we have in memory this excellent act and benefit of CHRIST's death! Whereby He hath purchased for us the undoubted pardon and forgiveness of our sins; whereby He made at one the FATHER of heaven with us, in such wise, that He taketh us now for His loving children, and for the true inheritors, with CHRIST His natural Son, of the kingdom of heaven. And verily, so much more doth CHRIST'S kinduess

appear unto us, in that it pleased Him to deliver Himself of all His goodly honour, which He was equally in with His FATHER in heaven, and to come down into this vale of misery, to be made mortal man, and to be in the state of the most low servant, serving us for our wealth and profit;us, I say, which were His sworn enemies, which had renounced His holy law and commandments, and followed the lusts and sinful pleasures of our corrupt nature."

"If thou hadst kept thyself upright, if thou hadst observed the commandments, if thou hadst not presumed to transgress the Will of GOD in thy first father Adam, (Rom.v: 19.) then CHRIST, being in form of GoD, needed not to have taken upon Him the shape of a Servant; being immortal in heaven, He needed not to become mortal on earth; being the true bread of the soul, He needed not to hunger; being the healthful water of life, He needed not to thirst; being life itself, He needed not to have suffered death."

I shall now pass on to the authority of Beza, whose opinions have been generally followed by the translators of our received version of the Bible; and who has ever been regarded as a man of the soundest judgment. The following passages are extracted from the notes of the folio edition of Beza's New Testament, published in 1588.

Heb. v: 7. "In diebus carnis suæ.' Id est, quum adhuc nobiscum infirma et imbecilla nostra naturu præditus degeret. Nam ita est accipiendum vocabulum Carnis, nequis eum existimet nunc carnem nostram exuisse.... .At ego

quæro, annon Christus non modò naturam, sed etiam omnes quantumlibet abjectas et infirmas hominis affectiones, uno

duntaxat peccato excepto, assumpserit? Certè qui hoc negat, Christianus non est....

..Ergo aliud est quod illum urget tantopere. Nempe horrendum illud et plusquam infinitis modis terrificum irati Patris judicium intuetur. Peccata non unius hominis aliqua, sed omnium electorum omnia homo unus ipse fragilis, caducus, imbecillis sustinet. Et miramur eum expavescere, consternari, turbari, lacrymari, clamare, repugnantia quodammodo petere, sanguinem sudare, se derelictum vociferari? Sed tamen nunquam diffidit."

Luke i: 35. ""Sanctum.' Id est, quum purum sit, et ab omni peccato prorsus immune, templum denique Dei in ipso corporaliter habitantis. Nam, (ut recte dicit Augustinus,) eum opportuit sine peccato concipi et nasci, qui venit ut mundi tolleret peccatum."

.Et hinc factum

John vi: 51. "Caro'. videtur ut Syrus interpres ubique pro Carne utatur vocabulo pagra,' quo non simpliciter corpus aliquod, sed corpus humanum et quidem mortuum significatur.”

Rom. 1: 4 "Potenter'............ Utramvis autem interpretationem amplectamur, opponitur Dei gloria ac potens illa virtus quæ mortem superavit, infirmitati carnis, secundum quam Christus factus, natus, passus, mortuus ac sepultus est: quo modo Ambrosius rectissimè, (meo quidem judicio,) hunc locum explicavit. Nam quòd Erasmus eousque hanc antithesin porrigit ut meminerit etiam impuritatis ac concupiscentiarum carnis, atque adeo Spiritum sanctificantem dicat carnis immunditiæ opponi. hactenus Christo quadrat, ut in ipso conceptus momento, sciamus carnem quam Christus assumpsit, ab omni labe puram fuisse, quum virtute Spiritus sancti caro concepta verbo uniretur.

'Secundum Spiritum santificationis

Nam quia dixerat 'secundum carnem,' non autem 'secundum hominem,' ut ipsam hominis naturam crassam ac imbecillum declararet, sic ut sibi constaret antithesis, opportuit illum quærere vocabulum aliquod quo divinæ naturæ vis illa summa et planè incomprehensibilis significaretur. Nullum verò commodius occurrere poterat quàm hoc ipsum quod usurpavit.'

Rom 8:3 "Carni peccati.' Id est, carni per peccatum contaminatæ: quod ut aboleret Christus assumens illam

carnem plenè ipsam in sese ex Spiritu Sancto conceptam santificavit, ut inde postea in nos sibi insitos eadem sanctificatio sensim derivetur: quod haud satis scio an aliter quàm servato Hebraismo dici commodè possit.

'Idque pro peccato'..

..Sunt enim illa jampridem ab Apostolo explicata, adeo ut à versu 12. Cap. 5, aliud argumentum sit exorsus: quamobrem etiam non dixit Apostolus 'pro peccatis sed 'pro peccato.' hoc nomine nativam illam labem significans quæ in carne nostra hærebat, priusquam Christus illam assumptam plenè in sese sanctificaret.'

1 Cor. xv: 43. ""Corpus animale'.

.Alterum est, Christum ad tempus quoque fuisse (quatenus hominem) in animam viventem, excepto peccato, Spiritum videlicet in eo vim integram non exerente, donec, omni infirmitate superata, gloriosus resurgeret, et in cælo ad dextram Patris sederet: eóque respectu à Paulo hîc considerari, et nos quoque in illo.'

Phil. ii: 7. ""Forma servi accepta'.

.Sed præterquam quòd hac ratione enervatur Pauli argumentum, et patefit etiam hæreticis aditus ad eludendam humanæ Christi carnis veritatem, quis illi concesserit 'formam' de ea duntaxat specie dici quæ id esse videatur quod reipsa non sit? Deinde quis non videt, servi nomen imbecillam conditionem naturæ, non autem vitiosam qualitatem significare? Opponitur enim servi forma, Dei formæ...

Poscit autem omnino antithesis, ut sicut forma Dei dicitur augusta illa Deitatis majestas ac gloria quæ est ipsamet divina natura: sic formam servi interpretemur, abjectam illam et imbecillam hominis naturam ac conditionem, tum in sese, si cum Dei excellentia comparetur, tum veró propter peccatum: quod etsi non assumpsit Dominus, sed abolevit, tamen imbecillitatem ex eo fonte promanantem, uno excepto peccato, ipsamque adeo pœnam peccatorum nostrorum horrendam assumpsit: quod et ipse Apostolus postea explicat.”

Col. i 22. "In corpore illo carnis'.

......

Quod autem attinet ad infirmitatem. quæ et ipsa significatur carnis appellatione, fuit quidem illi prorsus etiam obnoxium Christi corpus, excepto duntaxat peccato: sed ipsius resurrectione fuit terminata: quem admodum etiam in nobis, qui illiaz sumus participes,

mostra resurrectione finietur, ut copiosé exposuit Apostolus I Cor. xv."

1 Tim, iii: 16. ""Deus conspicuus factus est in carne.' Dicitur ergo Deus, videlicet Filius (hoc enim pro confesso assumitur) ex invisibili factus aspectabilis, assumpta carne, id est hominis vera eáque omni infirmitati (solo excepto peccato) obnoxia natura: sive Verbam factum esse caro. Ita duæ ponuntur, distinquantur, uniantur naturæ inter quas tamen quantum sit discrimen, nulla mens possit comprehendere: præsertim si Christi humanitas in conditione infirmitatis consideretur."

Heb. iv: 15. """Tentatum'... .....Neque enim nudam corporis et animæ substantiam assumpsit, sed omnibus nostris Erumnis, omnibus deniquepeccatorum nostrorum pænis obnoxiam: ita tamen ut recta et integra in eo fuerint omnia, nec unquam caro illa, i. vitiositas in eo fuerit quæ Spiritui repugnat."

Quotations from Beza might be multiplied, in support of the doctrine stated in the preceding sermon; but those I have selected fully declare the opinion of this judicious commentator.

The Rev. Marcus Dods, in his "Incarnation of the eternal Word," gives numerous quotations from the ancient Fathers, in support of the doctrine of the unfallen humanity of our LORD. But, even admitting that the Fathers take that view, (which is very far from being the case,) he has produced very unsatisfactory authority; for those acquainted with the writings of the early Fathers, know well that many abound in unsound views of doctrine. Mr. Dods has however unintentionally quoted a passage from St. Augustine, (on the subject of the traduction of the human soul,) which affirms the mortality of our LORD'S body. "For He took of the Virgin, the true substance of flesh indeed, but not sinful flesh; as it