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The race of which Christ was born.

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prophecy concerning one already born, even before the reign of his father Ahaz? For he said not, a virgin hath conceived, but, shall conceive, speaking as with foreknowledge.

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23. That the Lord was born of a Virgin we know for certain; now we must shew, of what race the Virgin was. The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn Ps. 132, from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne. And again, His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and Ps. 89, his throne as the days of heaven. And afterwards, Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David; his 36. 37. seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before Me, and shall be established for ever as the moon. Thou seest that it is Christ, and not Solomon, who is spoken of; for Solomon's throne endured not as the sun.

But if any one

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make it an objection that Christ sate not on the wooden throne itself of David, we may refer to the expression, The Scribes Mat.23, and Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; for this refers not to his wooden seat, but to the authority of his teaching. Thus inquire then for the throne of David, not for his wooden throne, but for his kingdom itself. And receive as witnesses of this Mat.21, the children crying out, Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed John 12, is the King of Israel. And the blind men also say, Thou 13. Son of David, have mercy upon us. And Gabriel testifies 30. plainly, saying to Mary, And the Lord God shall give unto Luke 1, Him the throne of His father David. And Paul says, Re- 2 Tim. member that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised 2, 8. from the dead according to my Gospel. And in the beginning of his Epistle to the Romans, he says, Which was made Rom. 1, of the seed of David, according to the flesh. Receive thou3. therefore Him who is born of David, obeying the prophecy Is. 11, which 10.Sept. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse ; says, quoted and He that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him Rom. shall the Gentiles trust.

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24. All this sorely troubles the Jews. This Esaias also (11.) foreknew, saying, And they shall be willing, if they were Is. 9, 5. 6. Sept. scorched with fire; for unto us a Child hath been born, (not to them,) even a Son, and hath been given unto us. But mark, that He was first the Son of God, then He was given. And after a little, he says, And of His peace there ver. 7. Sept. shall be no bound;-the Romans have their bounds, but of the

unto us.

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The flesh is not necessarily sinful.

LECT. kingdom of the Son of God is there no bound; the Persians XII. and Medes have their bounds, but the Son has none;-he

vid.

proceeds, upon the throne of Duvid, and upon his kingdom, to order it. The Holy Virgin therefore was sprung from David. 25. For it behoved the Purest, and the teacher of Purity, to come forth from a pure bride-chamber; for if he who xas. fulfils well the office of Jesus' priest refrains himself from 1 Cor. women, how should Jesus Himself to be born of man and 7, 1. woman? Because Thou art He, says the Psalmist, that drew Ps. 21, (22, rec. Me out of the womb. Mark carefully the word, drew Me out vers.) 10.Sept. of the womb, which means that He was born without man, being drawn from the womb and flesh of the Virgin; for it is different in the case of them who are born of the marriage law.

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26. He is not ashamed to take flesh of such members, being the framer of these very members. And who tells us Jer. 1,5. this? The Lord says to Jeremiah, Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee. He, then, who in framing men, touches them and is not ashamed, should He be ashamed, in Tò xara-fashioning for Himself His holy flesh, that veil of His Godhead? It is God who even now forms babes in the womb, as Job 10, it is written in Job, Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews. There is nothing in man's frame shocking, except thou pollute it with adulteries and licentiousness. He who made Adam, made Eve also, and male and female were fashioned by the audi ra Divine hands; nothing in the body is shocking, as framed at the beginning. Let the mouths of all the heretics be stopped', who slander the body, yea rather, Him who 1 Cor. 6, formed it: but let us remember the saying of Paul, Know ye not that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost, which is in you? And again, the Prophet, speaking in the Hos. 9, person of Jesus, foretold, saying, My flesh is of them. 12.Sept. And elsewhere is it written, Therefore He shall give them 3. Sept. till the time of her who beareth; and what is the Sign? He says afterwards, She shall bring forth, and the rest of their brethren shall return. And what is the nuptial pledge of Hos. 2, the Virgin, the holy Bride? I will even betroth thee unto The Manichees, &c.

μιλῶν.

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Mic. 5,

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Jews and Pagans believe things as hard as the birth from a Virgin. 187

Me in faithfulness. And Elisabeth in like manner speaking to her says, And blessed is she which believed; for there shall Luke 1, be a performance of those things which were told her of the Lord.

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27. But both Greeks and Jews harass us with their allega- (12.) tion, that it was impossible that Christ should be born of a virgin. We may silence the Greeks out of their own fables. For ye who tell that stones, when thrown, became men, how say ye that it is impossible for a virgin to bear? Ye who in your legends relate that a daughter was born from the brain, how say ye that it is impossible for a son to have been born from a virgin womb? Ye who assert the fiction that Bacchus was born from the thigh of your Jupiter, how is it that ye set at nought our truth? I know that I am speaking what is unnecessary for the present hearers; but we put these things before thee, that thou mayest have the opportunity of retorting them on the Greeks, attacking them out of their own fables.

28. Meet, however, those of the circumcision with this question; which is the difficult thing, for an aged woman, barren, and past age, to bear, or for a virgin in her youth to have a child? Sarah was barren, and though it had ceased to be with her after the manner of women, yet contrary to nature she bore a child. If then it be contrary to nature for a barren woman and for a virgin to bear, either reject both or receive both; for it is the same God who wrought the one, and provided the other. For thou wilt not dare to say, that in one case it was possible for God so to do, and not in the other. And again, what kind of nature is it, for a man's hand to be changed in one hour to another appearance, and to be restored again? How then was Moses' hand made white as snow, and at once restored again? But thou sayest that God by so willing changed it. Is God, by willing, able in that instance, and is He not in this? And that was a sign which related only to the Egyptians; but this was a Sign given to the whole world. O ye Jews, which is the more difficult, for a virgin to bear a child, or for a rod to be quickened into a living creature? Ye own that in the case of Moses, a perfectly straight rod taking the form of a serpent was terrible to him who had cast it down; so

XII.

138 Things natural as strange as the birth from a Virgin.

LECT. that he who had before held it as a rod, now fled from it as a dragon. For it was in truth a dragon; but he fled, not being afraid at what he had held, but being filled with terror at Him who had changed it. The rod had teeth and eyes of a dragon; shall now eyes which see be produced from a rod, and shall not a child be born from a virgin's womb at God's will? For I mention not that the rod of Aaron also in one night did that which other trees are many years in accomplishing. For who knows not, that a rod when it has lost its bark, will never sprout forth, even though it be set in the midst of streams? Yet since God follows not, but makes, the natures of trees, the fruitless and withered and barkless rod, flowered and budded, and bore almonds. Has not then He, who bestowed fruit on this rod supernaturally, for the sake of the typical High-priest, granted to the Virgin to bear a son, for the sake of the True?

(13.) 29. These are good heads of argument; however, the Jews still contradict, and do not feel the force of this reference to the rod, because it is not a reference to births, like this, strange and contrary to nature. Ask them then the following questions:-Of whom at the beginning was Eve begotten? What mother conceived her, who had none? But the Scripture says that she was made from the side of Adam. Was then Eve born without a mother from the side of man, and may not a child be born without a father, from a virgin's womb? A benefit was owing to men from womankind; for Eve sprung from Adam, not conceived by a mother, but, as it were, brought forth by man alone. Mary then repaid the benefit, not by man, but immaculately by herself, conceiving by the Holy Ghost, through the power of God.

30. But let us take something yet greater than this; for that bodies should be born of bodies, though it be strange, is nevertheless possible. But that the dust of the earth should be made a man, this is more wonderful; that clay mixed together should become the coats and brightness of the eye, is more wonderful. That from dust, one in its appearance, should spring at once the hardness of the bones and the delicateness of the lungs, and the other different sorts of

The conception of Christ immaculate.

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members, this is wonderful. That clay should be quickened, and should traverse the world, self-moved, and build houses, this is wonderful. That clay should teach, and speak, and follow crafts, and reign, this is wonderful. Whence then, O most shallow Jews, was Adam made? Did not God take dust from the earth, and mould this wondrous creature? Shall clay then be changed into an eye, and a virgin not bear a son? Does that which is, of the two, impossible among men come to pass, and not that which is possible?

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31. Let us keep these things in mind, brethren; let us (14.) employ these weapons of defence. Let us not endure those heretics who teach a mere visionary advent. Let us loathe them also, who say that the birth of the Saviour was of a man and woman, and who dare to say that it was of Joseph and Mary, because it is written, And he took unto him his wife. Mat. 1, For let us call to mind Jacob, who before he had received Rachel said to Laban, Give me my wife; for like as she, in Gen.29, virtue of the promise only, was called the wife of Jacob, before the marriage took place, so also Mary, in that she was betrothed, was called the wife of Joseph. And behold the exactness of the Gospel, which says, And in the sixth Luke 1, month the Angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of 26. 27. Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to à man whose name was Joseph, and so forth; and again, when the taxing was, and Joseph went up to be taxed, what saith the Scripture? and Joseph also went up from Galilee, to be taxed Luke 2, with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. For though she was great with child, yet said he not," with his wife," but "with his espoused wife." For God sent forth Gal.4,4. His Son, says Paul, made, not of a man and woman, but of a woman only, that is of a Virgin; for we have before shewed, that a virgin is also called a woman; for of a virgin was He born, who makes souls virgins.

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34. 35.

32. But thou wonderest at the event; she also wondered xãv. who bore Him, for she says to Gabriel, How shall this be, Luke 1, seeing I know not a man? But he says to her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Immaculate and undefiled was His birth, for where the Holy

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