The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as…

Other Divines conceive that this opinion cannot be true, because Christ was made in all things like unto us, sin only excepted, now there could be no sin in that ordinary course of Nature, if original sin be removed as it was in Christ. Now in the course of Nature: first, that which is material is formed, as it were the house of the soul, and then the soul is infused, not only as the guest of it, but as the form and life of it: and so it must be in Christ. Now for the first reason they answer, that the Hypostatical union in the person of Christ, was so made above nature, as withal, Christ assumed that which belonged to the nature of man according to the course of Nature: and so first the seed, and then the body formed, and the soul infused according to nature into that body so as that flesh before the coming in of the soul did subsist in the Word, as it did after the soul was infused: for the Word took our Nature, which is not hindered by the absence or presence of the soul: as when Christ was dead, his soul was in his Fathers hands, and his flesh was shut up in the grave, and was not quickened then by the soul, yet the flesh of Christ without the soul and life did subsist in the word, aswell as it did before or after: The other reason is of no force, for God did not make our first Parents so out of necessity, but out of the good ⟨p. 265⟩pleasure of his will, not binding himself to that frame of working for all times afterwards.

Other Diuines conceiue that this opinion cannot be true, because Christ was made in all things like vnto vs, sinne onely excepted, now there could bee no sinne in that ordinary course of Nature, if originall sinne bee remoued as it was in Christ. Now in the course of Nature: first, that which is materiall is formed, as it were the house of the soule, and then the soule is infused, not onely as the guest of it, but as the forme and life of it: and so it must be in Christ. Now for the first reason they answer, that the Hypostatical vnion in the person of Christ, was so made aboue nature, as withall, Christ assumed that which belonged to the nature of man according to the course of Nature: and so first the seede, and then the body formed, and the soule infused according to nature into that body so as that flesh before the comming in of the soule did subsist in the Word, as it did after the soule was infused: for the Word tooke our Nature, which is not hindered by the absence or presence of the soule: as when Christ was dead, his soule was in his Fathers hands, and his flesh was shut vp in the graue, and was not quickened then by the soule, yet the flesh of Christ without the soule and life did subsist in the word, aswell as it did before or after: The other reason is of no force, for God did not make our first Parents so out of necessity, but out of the good