Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign, behold a
virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name
Immanuel.--Isaiah vii. 14.
The portion of scripture now before us is highly interesting, and
demands serious attention. About seven hundred and eight years
before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah was commissioned
to tell the church, a virgin should conceive and bear a son, and
should call his name Immanuel. For proofs of the fulfilment of
this prophecy, we would refer to Matthew and Luke,[27] and request
their testimony may be read with the serious attention the
subject demands. The unblushing infidel may treat it with scorn
and ridicule; but let not one bearing the name of Christ, venture
to speak with lightness, on this so highly momentous an article of
the christian faith. We cannot suppose the Lord, after giving this
promise, would be unmindful of its accomplishment: if the birth
of Christ had been the result of natural causes, there would have
been nothing to excite surprise, nor would it have been a sign, as
the Lord himself declared it should be. If he had been born after
the manner of the children of men, no doubt he must have partaken
of their evil nature. Or if his body had been formed of the dust,
as was Adam's, how could the promise given at the fall of man,
have been fulfilled? And what relationship would there then have
existed between Christ and his church? But now he is "bone of our
bone, and flesh of our flesh." For in the fulness of time, "God
sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law, that he
might redeem them which are under the law." "Lo! in the volume of
the book, it is written of him," "sacrifice and offerings for sin,
thou wouldest not; but a body hast thou prepared for him." A body
subject to all the infirmities of our nature, yet wholly free from
the sinful principles, and evil propensities of the human race. His
name shall be called "Immanuel, which, being interpreted, is, God
with us," God in our nature.[28] Yes, the uncreated word was "made
flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." "In
him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." The Socinian may
smile with contempt when the Deity of Jesus is attested, but is it
not written? "Behold ye despisers, and wonder and perish!" Shall
not "he that sitteth upon the circle of the heavens, laugh?--the
Lord shall have them in utter derision." We would candidly confess,
there are mysteries in this doctrine above the powers of a finite
mind fully to comprehend. But are we, for that cause, to refuse
our belief of its truth? We should indeed be reduced to a most
distressing dilemma, if we were to disbelieve every thing we cannot
fully comprehend. Who can discover or fully explain the nature,
order, and beauteous economy, displayed in the animate and inanimate
creation? They are so many problems unsolvable by man, although
by the dint of study, many of the causes and effects by which we
are encircled, have been traced up to their mighty Author, and
eagle-eyed genius has let in a world of wonders to our view; yet
much, very much, both in the heavens, the earth, and mighty deep,
remains enwrapt in clouds, or thick darkness. Even in the formation
of a blade of grass, there are operations which man cannot define.
We enjoy the genial rays of heaven's bright luminary, but who can
prove to demonstration, the sources from whence he has derived such
a constant supply of matter, as to furnish our system of worlds,
with light and heat for nearly six thousand years? In short who
can discover or fully explain the mysterious link which unites
mind to matter? But surely we do not allow ourselves to disbelieve
the reality of their existence, because we cannot enter into the
minutiæ of their nature. If there was nothing revealed, in the New
Testament, of the nature and person of Christ, but what we could
fully comprehend, we should then have some cause to refuse our
assent to its truth, and might confess it to be a cunningly devised
fable. But while great is the mystery of godliness, remember it is
God manifest in the flesh; not God putting off his Deity to take the
human nature, but it is the second person in the revealed order
of the triune Jehovah, who takes our nature into union with his
divine person, and veils his Godhead beneath the human flesh. Thus
is God and man united in the person of our glorious Immanuel; and
as if no proof should be wanting of his Deity, the angel Gabriel
when directing Mary to call his name Jesus, added: "for he shall
save his people from their sins." Thus did he give the most decided
testimony to his Godhead, for who but God, strictly speaking, can
claim a people as his own? and none but God can save them from their
sins. In regard to the Virgin Mary, we would cheerfully join in
Gabriel's salutation, "Hail! thou highly favoured of the Lord;" but,
at the same time, we would beg to observe a nice distinction with
reference to Mary, who was only one of Eve's daughters, and, though
highly honoured of the Lord in this particular instance, an honour
which never was or can be conferred on another; yet Mary's salvation
depended on the same foundation as the rest of God's children,
and it is plain Mary viewed it in the same light, for we hear her
saying, "My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit doth rejoice
in God my Saviour." Mary was only a creature, and consequently it
is sinful to offer her adoration, for it is written "thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and none other." As to her having any
particular interest at the court of heaven, Jesus has determined
that point, by saying, "Woman what have I to do with thee, mine hour
is not yet come." It is worthy observation, that whenever Jesus
spoke of Mary, he invariably called her "woman," as if at once to
silence all who he knew would in after ages bestow improper honours
on the virgin. When one said "Behold thy mother and thy brethren
stand without desiring to speak with thee," Jesus pointed to his
disciples, and said, "behold my mother and my brethren;" and added,
"whosoever shall do the will of my father who is in heaven, the
same is my mother, and sister, and brother." Whether Mary had, or
had not children, after the birth of Jesus, is to us a matter of no
importance; all it concerns us is to know she had none before.
[27] Matt. i. 18-25. Luke i. 26-38.
[28] Col. ii. 9. 1 Cor. xv. 47. Rom. ix. 5. 1 Tim. iii. 16. John i.
1., i. 14.