Fifty Godly and Learned Sermons (The Decades)

An other cause wherefore our Lord was incarnate, was, that he might instruct us men in all Godliness, and righteousness, & finally that he might be the light of the world, and an ensample of holy life. For Paul saith. The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto us, teaching us to renounce ungodliness, and to live holily. To conclude, he therefore became one with us by the participation of nature, that is to say, it pleased him to be incarnate for this cause, that he ⟨p. 62⟩might join us again to God, who for sin were separated from God, & receive us into the fellowship of himself, and all other his goodness beside.

An other cause wherfore our Lord was incarnate, was, that hée mighte instruct vs men in all Godlinesse, and righteousnes, & finally that hée mighte be the light of ye world, and an ensample of holy lyfe. For Paule sayth. The grace of God that bringeth saluation hath appeared vnto vs, teaching vs to renounce vngodlines, and to liue holilie. To conclude, hée therfore became one wyth vs by the participation of nature, that is to say, it pleased him to be incarnate for this cause, that hée ⟨p. 62⟩might ioyne vs againe to God, who for sinne were seperated from God, & receiue vs into the fellowship of himselfe, and all other his goodnes beside.

The next is for us to declare the ¹manner of his incarnation. This article of faith standeth on two members. The first is, He was conceived by the holy ghost. Al we men, Christ excepted, ace conceived by the seed of man which of it self is unclean, and therefore we are borne sinners, and, as Paul saith: We are borne the sons of wrath. But the body of Christ, I say, our Lord was not conceived in the Virgin Mary by Joseph, or by any seed of man, but by the holy ghost: not that the holy ghost was in place of the seed. For nothing is begotten of the spirit, but what is spiritual. Neither hath our Lord a fantastical, but a very true body, and of the same substance with us. So then our Lord was conceived in the womb of the Virgin by the holy ghost. For the holy ghost by his eternal power did bring to pass that, the virginity of the Virgin mother being uncorrupted, she, I say, being made with child, conceived of her own blood, and gave a pure and very humane body to the Son of God. As is declared at large by the Angel Gabriel in the first cap. after S. Luk. Of which place because I mean to speak else where more largely, I do now pass it over untouched. God himself straight ways after the very beginning of the world did foretell, that such should be the manner of that conception. For he said not, the seed of the man shall tread down the Serpents head, but the seed of the woman. Moreover the Lord by the Prophets saith: I will raise up seed to David. But Moses law for the raising up of seed to the brother departed is well known. For if the brother died without issue of Children, his brother remaining alive, was compelled to marry the deceased brothers wife, and of her to beget children, which were called and counted not by the name of him that was living, but of the dead brother. Wherefore when there was not to be found a man of Davids line, that was sufficiently meet to beget on the Virgin the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, God himself raiseth up seed to David, and by his holy spirit maketh the Virgin with child: who although she were not with child by a man of Davids line, yet because she was a daughter of Davids stock, and because, God so working, she of her own substance, gave substance to the Son of God, this her child Christ both is and is called the Son of David.