A learned and very useful commentary on the whole epistle to the Hebrews wherein every word and particle in the original is explained ... : being the substance of thirty years Wednesdayes lectures at Black-fryers, London / by that holy and learned divine Wiliam Gouge ... : before which is prefixed a narrative of his life and death : whereunto is added two alphabeticall tables ...

§. 163. Of sundry principles of faith confirmed, and errours refuted, by these w•…•… He took on him the Seed of Abraham.

THat which hath been before noted, §. 104, 106, 139. concerning Christ and o∣ther men, being of one and the same flesh and bloud, and in that respect breth•…•…, is confirmed by this phrase, He took on him the Seed of Abraham.

Both the ancient Fathers and also later Divines have much insisted on this Te•…•… to prove sundry principles of our Christian faith, Concerning

• 1. Christs eternal Deity. Hereof See §. 160.
• 2. His true Humanity; In that he took upon him the seed of man, it is evid•…•… that he was a true man. Seed is the matter of mans nature, and the very substance thereof.
• 3. The root out of which Christ assumed his humane nature, even the Seed of m•…•…▪ It was not created of nothing, nor was it brought from heaven, but assumed 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the Seed of man; This was thus foretold, There shall come forth a rod out of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Stem of Iesle, and a branch shall grow out of his root, Isa. 11. 1. And an Angel t•…•… faith of Christ to the Virgin Mary, That holy thing which shall be born of thee, L•…•… XI. 35.
• 4. The subsistence of Christs humane nature in his divine nature; The humane •…•…∣ture of Christ never had a subsistence in it self; At or in the very first framing •…•… making it it was united to the divine nature, and at or in the first uniting it it 〈◊〉〈◊〉 framed or made. Philosophers say of the uniting of the soul to the body, * 1.1 In •…•…∣ating it it is infused, and infusing it it is created. Much more is this true con•…•…∣ning the humane nature of Christ united to his divine; Fitly therefore is it 〈◊〉〈◊〉 said, That he took on him the Seed not a Son of Abraham.
• 5. His two distinct Natures; He took on him mans nature, being God before So as they were two, and those two distinct natures.
• 6. The Union of the two Natures; He assumed or took on him the one to 〈◊〉〈◊〉* 1.2 other, and so made of those two Natures one Person. This Union is evidenced 〈◊〉〈◊〉 these phrases, The Word was made flesh, Joh. 1. 14. God was manifested in the 〈◊〉〈◊〉

• 1 Tim. 3. 16. Christ came of the Father, as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God blessed for ever, Rom. 9. 5. This true reall union, the * 1.3 Greek Fathers, to free it from mistakings, have set ou•…•… negatively and affirmatively with sundry emphaticall words, as,
  • 1. b 1.4 Without alteration or change; whereby is intended that the divine nature still remained the same; and in assuming the humanity was no wh•…•…t at all changed; as wine is changed by putting water into it; Nor was the humane altered into the divine, as water was turned into wine, Ioh. 2. 9.
  • 2. c 1.5 Without division; So as they both make but one and the same person. They are indeed two distinct natures, but so united as both make one only person, both have one and the same subsistence. As the Son of God hath a peculiar subsistence in himself, so the humane nature which he assumed subsisteth therein.
  • 3. d 1.6 Without confusion; Though two natures are united in one person, yet not by confusion of substance, as if the humane nature were transfused into the di∣vine, and both made but one nature; They remain two distinct natures, each ha∣ving distinct properties, distinct wils, distinct operations and actions.
  • 4. e 1.7 Without Separation, never to be dis-united or severed one from the other; On earth they were first united, in heaven they will ever so abide. As the infir∣mities of the flesh caused no separation, so neither will the glory of the Deity. In this respect we may say, Iesus Christ the same, yesterday, and to day, and for ever, Heb. 13. 8.

The affirmative word which they use to set out this Union, signifieth f 1.8 essentially or substantially, not as in the mystery of the Trinity where the distinct persons are all of one nature or essence, but because the distinct natures of Christ make but one per∣son, and thus the Union may be said to be essentiall, not accidental. The Apostle u∣seth a like emphaticall word where he faith, that in Christ dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead g 1.9 Bodily, Col. 2. 9. This word bodily intendeth as much as the former word essentially or substantially, or as some translate it personally. By this word the Union of God with Christ is distinguished from all other Unions; God of old manifested himself in the Cloud, in the Rock, in the Ark, in the Tabernacle, in the Temple, but figuratively God also manifested himself in his Prophets, but virtually by the operation of his Spirit; But never was he in any person or in any thing as in Christ.

This Text hath also been used as a maul to knock down sundry heresies, whereof See §. 140.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Crean•…•…o i•…•… •…•…tur, & 〈◊〉〈◊〉 cre∣•…•….
• * 1.2

  Now Christs Natures are united.
• * 1.3

  Concil. C•…•…d.
• b 1.4

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• c 1.5

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• d 1.6

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• e 1.7

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• f 1.8

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• g 1.9

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.