Expl. 22. When it is here said, that Christ the Son of God became man, we are not to imagine that Christ did then lay down his Godhead, or that he did cease to be God, when he honoured mans nature so far as to take that upon him: for though he then began to be what he was not before, man; yet he did not cease to be at his Incarnation what he was before, namely, God; it being impossible altogether that the Godhead should admit of any change, because of its infinite perfection; for every change is either for the better or for the worse, but the Godhead was infinitely (as well as independently) perfect, and consequently without all variableness or shadow of changing; so that all the change which was in Christ at his Incarnation, it was in his humane nature only; and that change was indeed for the better, for it was for the highest advancement, honour, and perfection that our nature was capable of. But Christ, though the Son of God, and therefore truly God, became man, (1.) Not by being like unto man only in outward appearance, and to the outward senses, as a Phantasm, an Apparition, or a Ghost that doth appear in mans shape, as those Heretics of old called the Marcionites did fancy: No, he became man, (2.) By taking the real body of man, or by taking flesh, blood, bones, nerves, sinews, hands, feet, and all other integral parts of the very same kind with those of mans body. His body was such, that it did ⟨p. 42⟩grow in stature from that of a child to that of a man, and was subject to the touch or feeling. (3.) By taking a reasonable soul, or a soul furnished with the very same powers and faculties that ours have, for the kind, as understanding, will, affections, memory, &c. and was capable of the improvement of these, as of growing in wisdom and knowledge, according to his humane nature. (4.) By being conceived of the Holy Ghost, i. e. in a manner supernatural, or above nature, and not in an ordinary way of natural generation, but by the immediate and omnipotent operation of the Spirit the third person in the Trinity, who did in a way altogether unexpressible by man, and without the help of man, frame the body of the holy Child Jesus in the Virgin Mary's womb, wherein this blessed Babe continued the space of Nine Months, as other children do in their mothers womb, and then was born into the world in fullness of time, as they are; but yet without sin, as they are not.
Expl. 22. When it is here said, that Christ the Son of God became man, we are not to imagine that Christ did then lay down his Godhead, or that he did cease to be God, when he honoured mans nature so far as to take that upon him: for though he then began to be what he was not before, man; yet he did not cease to be at his Incarnation what he was before, namely, God; it being impossible altogether that the Godhead should admit of any change, because of its infinite perfection; for every change is either for the better or for the worse, but the Godhead was infinitely (as well as independently) perfect, and consequently without all variableness or shadow of changing; so that all the change which was in Christ at his Incarnation, it was in his humane nature only; and that change was indeed for the better, for it was for the highest advancement, honour, and perfection that our nature was capable of. But Christ, though the Son of God, and therefore truly God, became man, (1.) Not by being like unto man only in outward appearance, and to the outward senses, as a Phantasm, an Apparition, or a Ghost that doth appear in mans shape, as those Hereticks of old call'd the Marcionites did fancy: No, he became man, (2.) By taking the real body of man, or by taking flesh, blood, bones, nerves, sinews, hands, feet, and all other integral parts of the very same kind with those of mans body. His body was such, that it did ⟨p. 42⟩grow in stature from that of a child to that of a man, and was subject to the touch or feeling. (3.) By taking a reasonable soul, or a soul furnished with the very same powers and faculties that ours have, for the kind, as understanding, will, affections, memory, &c. and was capable of the improvement of these, as of growing in wisdom and knowledg, according to his humane nature. (4.) By being conceived of the Holy Ghost, i. e. in a manner supernatural, or above nature, and not in an ordinary way of natural generation, but by the immediate and omnipotent operation of the Spirit the third person in the Trinity, who did in a way altogether unexpressible by man, and without the help of man, frame the body of the holy Child Jesus in the Virgin Maries womb, wherein this blessed Babe continued the space of Nine Months, as other children do in their mothers womb, and then was born into the world in fulness of time, as they are; but yet without sin, as they are not.
