صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

de Maria Virgine, Chryfol. and S. Aug. often de Trinitate. Wherefore in vain have the Schools first accepted of S. Auguftine's diftinction, and then applied it to Chrift's Conception; first taking the Prepofition de to fignifie no less than a proceffion from the fubftance of the cause, and then acknowledge Chrift fo begotten of the Holy Ghost, because the eternal Son who was fo begotten was of the fame fubftance with the Holy Ghoft. Thus Thomas Aquinas has delivered the Subtilty, Sum. p. 3. q. 32. a. 2. In Spiritu S. duplex habitudo confideratur refpectu Chrifti. Nam ad ipfum filium Dei, qui dicitur effe conceptus, habet habitudinem confubftantialitatis; ad corpus autem ejus habet habitudinem caufæ efficicientis. Hæc autem præpofitio De utramque habitudinem defignat, ficut cùm dicimus hominem aliquem effe de fuo patre. Et ideo convenienter dicere poffumus Chriftum effe conceptum de Spiritų S. hoc modo, quod efficientia Sp. S. referatur ad corpus affumptum, confubftantialitas verò ad perfonam affumentem. But this diftinction of Confubftantiality and effective Caufality can make nothing for the propriety of the Phrafe; for the Prepofition De fignifieth the material caufe as well as the efficient, it must do so in respect of that which is the effect, if it require that the thing which is made be made of the fubftance of that de quo eft: then muft Chrift, according unto that which is made, be made of the fubftance of the Holy Ghoft; or, to speak in the words of the Scripture, Quod in ea natum eft, de Spiritu Sancto eft. Where either that which was conceived in the Virgin must be acknowledged of the fubftance of the Holy Ghoft, or else the Prepofition De must not be taken in S. Auguftine's fenfe. However, being there is but one Prepofition ca, common to both in the Original Greek; being the Vulgar Tranflation ufeth De indifferently for either; being where they have diftinguished De and Ex, they have attributed Ex, which doth not fignifie Confubftantiality, to the Virgin, of whom they confefs he did affume the fubftance of his Body, and De, which fignifieth (as they fay) Confubftantiality to the Holy Ghost, of whose fubftance he received nothing: it followeth, that the difference in the prepofitions can no way declare the different concurrence of the Spirit and the Virgin in Chrift's conception.

womb; and confequently, no more is left to be attributed to the Spirit, thai what is neceffary to caufe the Virgin to perform the actions of a Mother. When the Scripture fpeaketh of Regeneration, or the fecond Birth, it denieth John 1.13. all which belongeth to natural procreation, defcribing the fons of God as begotten not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God: And in the Incarnation of our Saviour, we remove all will or luft of the flesh, we deny all will of Man concurring; but as the bloods in the Language of the Hebrews did fignifie that fubftance of which the flesh was formed in the womb, fo we acknowledge in the gencration of Jefus Christ, that he was made of the fubftance of his Mother.

Virgo partu

But as he was fo made of the fubftance of the Virgin, fo was he not made * As Chryfoof the fubftance of the Holy Ghoft, whofe effence cannot at all be made. logus, Serm. 57. Ubi Sp And because the Holy Ghost did not beget him by any communication of ritus generat, his effence, therefore he is not the Father of him, tho' he were conceived by rit, totum di- him. And if at any time I have faid, Chrift was begotten by the Holy vinum geri- Ghost of the Virgin Mary, if the Ancients fpeak as if he *generated the Son, manum. Et it is not fo to be understood, as if the Spirit did perform any proper act of Serm. 62. Stu- generation fuch as is the foundation of Paternity.

tur, nihil hu

penti mundo

folus aperit

concipit, Vir

go parit.

Deus ipfe

Again, as the Holy Ghoft did not frame the human nature of Chrift out of quid eft, quod his own fubftance; fo muft we not believe that he formed any part of his flesh Spiritus gene- of any other fubftance than of the Virgin. For certainly he was of the Farat, Virgo thers according to the flesh, and was as to that truly and totally the Son of David and Abraham. The Socinians, who will acknowledge no other way before Chrift's Conception by which he could be the Only-begotten Son of God, have been forced to invent a strange conjunction in the nature of Chrift: one part received from the Virgin, and fo confequently from David and from aliam mate- Abraham, from whom that Virgin did defcend; another † framed by the Spibus deinde rit, and conjoined with it; by the one part of which Humanity he was the Chriftus con- Son of man, as by the other part he was the Son of God.

met ad fan

guinem Ma

riæ addidit

riam, ex qui

ceptus & na

tus eft. Smalcius, De Vero & Naturali Dei Filio, c. 2. Verum manet generationem & hanc dici poffe, quatenus in Deum ea cadere poteft, fi ad fanguinem Mariæ addita fit ex parte Dei materia, ex qua cum fanguine Mariæ junctâ natus fit Chriftus. 16. c. 3. What this was thus added to the fubftance of the Virgin, he elsewhere explains: Nos Dei virtutem in Virginis uterum aliquam fubftantiam creatam vel immififfe aut ibi creâffe affirmamus, ex qua juncto eo quod ex ipfius Virginis fubftantia acceffit, verus homo generatus fuit. This he doth not only without any authority affirm, but ground upon it the Sonship of Chrift. For fo it follows: Aliàs enim homo ille Dei filius à conceptione & nativitate propriè non fuiffet. And again, Neceffitas magna fuit ut Chriftus ab initio vitæ fuæ effet Dei Filius, qualis futurus non fuiffet, nifi Dei virtute aliquid creatum fuiflet quod ad conftituendum Chrifti corpus unà cum Mariæ fanguine concurrit. Thus while they deny the eternal generation of the Son, they establish a temporal in fuch manner as is not confonant with that Word which they pretend whelly to follow, and have made a body of Chrift partly defcending from the Father, partly not: and whereas as man he is like to us in all things, fin only excepted; they have invented a body, partly like ours, partly not, and fo in no part totally like. Indeed fome of the ancients did speak fo as to make the Holy Ghost the femen Dei: as Tertullian; Ergo jam Dei filius ex Patris Dei femine, i. e. Spiritu, ut effet hominis filius, caro ei fola erat ex hominis carne fumendâ fine viri femine. Vacabat enim viri femen apud habentem Dei femen. De carne Chrifti, e. 18. And S. Hilary calls it Sementivam ineuntis Spiritûs efficaciam, 1. 2. de Trin. But in this they

they only underflood the Operation of the Spirit, loco feminis. And whosoever spake of any proper femen they abhorred; as appears by the 191. Sermon de Tempore, nec ut quidam fceleratiffiini opinantur, Spiritum S. dicimus pro femine fuiffe, fed potentia & virtute Creatoris operatum. I know not whether be the greatest felly; to make the Holy Ghost the Father, as these men have done, by creating part of his body by way of feminal conjunction; or to make the fame Spirit Mother of Chrift, as the Nazarens did. In Evangelio Hebræorum quod lectitant Nazarei, Salvator inducitur loquens, Modo me arripuit mater mea, Spiritus Sanctus. There is only this difference, that one is founded upon the authority of Scripture, the other upon no authority of a pretended but no Scripture: the one maketh the Holy Ghost a partial, the other a total, mother.

Illud unuri

The belief of this is neceffary to prevent all fear or fufpicion of fpot in this Lamb, of fin in this Jefus. Whatsoever our original corruption is, however difpleafing unto God, we may be from hence affured there was none in him, in whom alone God hath declared himself to be well pleafed. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? faith Job; a clean and undefiled Redeemer out of an unclean and defiled Nature; He whofe name is Holiness, whose operation is to sanctifie the Holy Ghost. Our Jefus was like unto us in all things as born of a Woman, fin only excepted, as conceived by the Holy Ghost. This original and total fanctification of the human nature was first necessary, to fit it for the perfonal union with the Word, who, out of his infinite love, humbled himself to become flesh, and at the fame time, out of his infinite purity, could not defile himself by becoming finful flefh. Secondly, The fame San&tification was as neceffary in refpect of the end for which he was made man, the Redemption of mankind: that as the *firft Adam was the fountain of peccatum, our impurity, fo the fecond Adam fhould alfo be the pure fountain of our quod tam righteoufnefs. a God fending his own Son in the likeness of finful flesh, con- magnum in demned fin in the flesh; which he could not have condemned, had he been tu tantæ felifent in finful flesh. The Father made him to be fin for us, who knew no citatis admiffin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him; which we could not have been made in him, but that he did no fin, and knew no fin. originaliter, For whofoever is finful wanteth a Redeemer; and he could have redeemed atque, ut ita dixerim, ranone who stood in need of his own Redemption. We are redeemed with a dicaliter, tothe precious blood of Christ: therefore precious, because of a Lamb without tum genus blemish, and without spot. Our atonement can be made by no other High- damnaretur, Priest than by him who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and feparate from Sin- non folvitur ners. We cannot know that he was manifefted to take away our fins, ex- ac diluitur nifi per unum cept we also know that in him is no fin. Wherefore, being it is fo necessary Mediatorem to believe the original holiness of our human nature in the Perfon of our Sa- Dei & homiviour; it is as neceffary to acknowledge that way by which we may be fully num, homiafsured of that fanctity, his conception by the Holy Ghost.

f

e

C

a Rom. 8. 3.

loco & habi

fum eft, ut in

uno homine

humanum

nem Chriftum Jefum, qui folus po

tuit ita nafci, ut ei opus non effet renafci. S. Auguft. Enchirid. cap. 48. b2 Cor. 5. 21. di Pet. 1. 19. e Heb. 7. 26. fi Joh. 3. 5. In quo non eft peccatum, ipfe venit auferre peccatum. Nam fi effet in illo peccatum, auferendum effet illi, non ipfe auferret. S. Auguft.

CI Pet. 2. 22.

*

By S. Au

cundùm ho

Again, it hath been* obferved, that by this manner of Chrift's conception is declared the freedom of the grace of God. For as the Holy Ghoft is God, guft. Ex hoc fo is he alfo called the gift of God: and therefore the human nature in its quod de Spifirst original, without any precedent merit, was formed by the Spirit, and ritu S. eft fein its formation fanctified, and in its Sanctification united to the Word; fo minem natithat the Grace was co-exiftent, and in a manner connatural with it. The vitas Chrifti Mystery of the Incarnation is frequently attributed in the Scriptures to the quid aliud quàm ipfa love, mercy and goodness of God. Through the tender mercy of our God gratia dethe day-spring from on high hath visited us: In this, the kindness and love monftratur. of God our Saviour toward man appeared. And though these and fuch other + Modus ifte

b

Enchi. 37.

t

quo natus eft Christus de Spiritu S. non ficut filius, & de Maria Virgine ficut filius, infinuat nobis gratiam Dei, quà homo, nullis præcedentibus meritis in ipfo exordio naturæ fuæ quo effe cœpit, verbo Dei copularetur in tantam perfonæ unitatem, ut idem ipfe effet filius Dei qui filius hominis, & filius hominis qui filius Dei: ac fic in humanæ naturæ affumptione fieret quodammodo ipfa gratia naturalis quæ nullum peccatum poffet admittere. Quæ gratia proptereà per Spiritum S. fuerat fignificanda, qui ipfe propriè fic eft Deus, ut etiam dicatur Dei Donum. Id. c. 40.

a Luke 1. 78.

Tit. 3. 4.

Scriptures

Scriptures fpeak properly of the love and mercy of God to man alone, offered unto him in the Incarnation of our Saviour, and fo directly exclude the merits of other men only; yet because they speak fo generally with reference to God's mercy, they may well be thought to exclude all univerfally. Efpecially confidering the impoffibility of merit in Christ's Humanity, in turam Dei refpect of his conception; because all defert neceffarily precedetli its reward, non pertineat and Christ was not man before he was conceived, nor can that merit which na, ad perfo- is not.

* Cùm ad na

natura huma

nam tamen

unigeniti Filii Dei per gratiam pertinet humana natura; & tantam gratiam, ut nulla fit major, nulla prorfus equalis. Neque enim illam fufceptionem hominis ulla merita præcefferunt, fed ab illa fufceptione merita ejus cunéta cœperunt. S. Aug. Tract. 82. in Joan.

.

Thirdly, Whereas we are commanded to be holy, and that even as he is holy; by this we learn from what foundation this holinefs muft flow. We bring no fuch purity into the World, nor are we fanctified in the Womb; but as he was fanctified at his Conception, fo are we at our Regeneration. He was conceived not by man, but by the Holy Ghoft, and we are not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. The fame overshadowing power which formed his human nature, reformeth ours; and the *fame Spirit affureth us a remiffion of our fins, which caused in him an exemption from all fin. He which was born for us upon his Incarnation, mo quicun- is born fwithin us upon our Regeneration.

John I. 13.

* Eà gratiâ

fit ab initio fidei fuæ ho

que Chriftia

-nus, quâ gratiâ homo ille ab initio fuo factus eft Chriftus. De ipfo Spiritu & hic renatus, de quo eft ille natus. Eodem Spiritu fit in nobis remiffio peccatorum, quo Spiritu factum eft ut nullum haberet ille peccatum. S. Aug. de Pradeft. Sanct. c. 15. Nolite defperare; quod femel natum eft ex Maria, quotidiè & in nobis nafcitur, Hierom.

Comm. in Pfal. 84. 17.

All which confidered, we may now render a clear explication of this part of the Article, whereby every perfon may understand what he is to profefs and express what is the Object of his Faith, when he faith, I believe in Jesus Chrift, which was conceived by the Holy Ghoft. For hereby he ought to intend thus much; I affent unto this as a moft neceffary and infallible truth, that the only-begotten Son of God, begotten by the Father before all Worlds, very God of very God was conceived and born, and fo made man, taking to himself the human nature, confifting of a Soul and Body, and conjoining it with the Divine in the unity of his Perfon. I am fully affured that the Word was in this manner made flesh, that he was really and truly conceived in the womb of a woman, but not after the manner of men; not by carnal copulation, not by the common way of human propagation, but by the fingular, powerful, invifible, immediate operation of the Holy Ghoft, whereby a Virgin was beyond the Law of nature enabled to conceive, and that which was conceived in her was originally and compleatly fanctified. And in this latitude I profefs to believe in Jefus Chrift, which was conceived by the Holy Ghost.

Bozn

T

Bon of the Wirgin Mary.

HE third Perfon confiderable in this third Article is represented under a threefold description, of her Name, Condition, and Action. The firft telleth us who it was, it was Mary; the fecond informeth us what she was, a Virgin; the third teacheth us what fhe did, fhe conceived and bare our Saviour, and brought forth the Son of God: which was Born of the Virgin Mary.

*

The Evangelift, relating the Annunciation, taketh particular notice of this Name; for fhewing how an Angel was fent unto a Virgin espoused to a Luke 1. zi man, he first obferveth that his name was Jofeph; and then that the Virgin's name was Mary: Not for any peculiar Excellency in the name it self, or any particular Application to the Virgin arifing from the origination of it, as fome have conceived; but only to denote that fingular Perfon, which For fome have thought was then fo well known to all Men, being efpoused unto Jofeph, as appear- the dignity of eth by the question of his admiring Countreymen, a Is not this the Carpenter's the Virgin to Son? is not his Mother called Mary? Otherwife the Name was common her name. As even at that time to many; to the Sifter of Lazarus, to the Mother of Greg. Nyff. James and Jofes, to the Wife of Cleophas, to the Mother of John, whofe (or rather his Sirname was Mark, to her which was of Magdal in Galilee, to 8 her who Hom. in Nainterpolator.) bestowed much labour on S. Paul: Nor is there † any original distinction tal. Christi : between the name of thefe and of the Mother of our Lord. For as the Edix name of Jefus was the fame with Jofuah, fo this of Mary was the fame οι, ονόμασε με

tur.

b

f

e

be denoted in

θη τὸ παιδί

αὐτ Μαρί

αν ὡς ἂν καὶ σὰ ἢ ἐπωνυμίας τὸ Θεόδοτον Δία σημανθεί η χώρα, Mifaking, as I conceive, the Origination of Mary for that of Anna, her Mother Thus he thought Grace, others Dominion, to be contained in her Name. 'H Magia igἩ Μαρία Μιμού, κυρία, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐλπίς. Κύριον τδ ἔτεκε 7' ἐλπίδα τα παντός κόσμος Χρισόν. Author. Hom. de Laud. B. Maria, fub nomine Epiphanii. Τίκλες τοι[αρὸν ἡ χάρις (τέτο γδ ἡ ̓Αννὰ ἑριθμούς) ἢ κυρίαν· τότε η σημαίνει το Μαρίας τὸ ὄνομα. Das mafc. Orthod. Fid. l. 4. c. 15. S. Hierom. de Nom. Hebraicis: Sciendum quòd Maria fermone Syro Domina nuncupatur. So Chryfologus; Dignitas Virginis annunciatur ex nomine: Maria Hebræo fermone, Latinè Domina nuncupaVocat ergo Angelus Dominam, ut Dominatoris genetricem trepidatio deferat fervitutis, quam nafci & vocari Dominam ipfa fui germinis fecit & impetravit autoritas. Serm. 142. Sermone Syro Maria Domina nuncupatur, & pulchrè, quia Dominum genuit, Ifidor. Hifpal. Orig. 1.7. c. 10. The fame Ifidore with others gives another Etymology: Maria illuminatrix, five ftella maris; genuit enim lumen mundi. And Bernard. Homil. 2. fuper Miffus eft, Loquemur pauca & fuper hoc nomine, quod interpretatum maris ftella dicitur, & matri Virgini valdè convenienter aptatur. Ipfa namque aptiffimè fideri comparatur, quia ficut fine fui corruptione fidus fuum emittit radium, fic abfque fui læfione Virgo parturit filium. So far not amis. But when from a bad Etymology he makes worfe Divinity, calling her the Star of Jacob, and attributing unto her the Light of our Minds, the Life of our Graces, and Extirpation of our Vices, (the Work of the Spirit of Chrift) when in the midst of all our Temptations, Horrors of Confcience, and Depths of Defpair, he advifeth us immediately to a Refpice Stellam, Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca; his Interpretation can warrant no fuch Devotion. This Etymology alfo defcendeth from S. Hierom, who in his Interpretation of the Names in Exodus, as from Philo, Maria illuminatrix mea, vel, illuminans eos, aut fmyrna maris, vel ftella fmyrna maris. And again, on the Names in S. Matthew, Mariam plerique exiftimant interpretari, illuminant me ifti, vel illuminatrix, vel fmyrna maris; fed mihi nequaquam videtur. Melius autem eft ut dicamus fonare eam ftellam maris, five amarum mare, 'Egμpote) wáàn ý Macía Cuúgva Jaraons. Homil. de Laudibus B. Maria. Dictæ funt & ante Mariæ multa: nam & Maria foror Aaron dicta fuit, fed illa Maria amaritudo maris vocabatur. S. Ambrof. Inftit. Virg. c. 5. Indeed that ab amaritudine, without the adjection of mare, is the Etymology obferved by the Jews; as appears by the Author of the Life of Mofes, who relating how Amram took Jochebed to Wife, and of her begat a Daughter, addeth, sp

,he was called Miriam, becaufe at that time the Egyptians בעת ההיא החלי המצרי בן וחם למרור חיי בני ישראל

נקרא שמה מרי על שם מירור

who were the Off-Spring of Cham, made the lives of the Sons of Ifrael bitter. And in the like manner Sedar Olam,
a Matth. 13.55.
b John 11. 1. c Matth. 27. 56.
g Rom. 16.6.

e Acts 12. 19.

f Luke 1. 2.

d John 12. 25. This is to be observed, by reafon of fome learned men, who make the name of the Virgin different from that of others called Mary in the Gospel, upon two grounds, in respect of the Accent, and the Termination; the one being Maesau, the other Magia the first with an Hebrew Termination, indeclinable, and the Accent in ultima; the latter with a Greek Termination, declinable, and the Accent in penultima. As čvoμa & waglivy Magiàu, Luke 1. 27. in the Nominative; aletas Cu Maejäμ; Luke 2. 5. in the Dative; μỶ CoCons habev Magsen, Mat. 1.20. in the Accufative; and un pobe; Maerau. Luke 1.30. in the Vocative cafe. All which belong to the Virgin, who is never named Maeia as none of the reft by any of the Evangelifts is ever called Magán. But notwithstanding this obfervation, we find the fame Virgin's name declined: as uns besons & μnlegs auto Macías, Matt. 1. 18. and, (u ywarki x Macia rỹ μnles rỡ 'Inc. Acts 1. 14. both which must come from the Greek Termination Magia in recto. And on the contrary, that Mary which St. Paul mentioneth bath the fame Hebrew Termination with the Virgin, daarade, Macraμ, i wodda exotiαrer eis nuas, Rom. 16.6. Befide, the Syriack Tranflation makes no difference between the name of thefe and of the Virgin; as pyn 11 anbu Mar. 15. 40. So And therefore there can be no fufficient foundation for any such

.Mat. 28. I מרים מברליתא ומרים אחרתא,again

diftinction.

[blocks in formation]

the LXX.

*For where- with* Miriam. The first of which Name recorded was the Daughter of Amram, as we first the Sister of Mofes and Aaron, a Prophetefs; to whom the bringing of Ifrael read, Exod. out of Egypt is attributed as well as to her Brethren. For I brought thee out 15. 20. , of the land of Egypt, faith the Lord, and redeemed thee out of the house of fervants; and I fent before thee Mofes, Aaron and Miriam. As fhe was Μαριάμ ή exalted to be one of them who brought the People of God out of the Egyptian This, and bondage; fo was this Mary exalted to become the Mother of that Saviour, who Lat. Maria through the red Sea of his Blood hath wrought a plenteous Redemption for Prophetia. us, of which that was but a Type: and even with the confeffion of the lowThe Hebrew linefs of an Handmaid fhe feems to bear that † Exaltation in her Name.

tranflate it,

the Vulgar.

מרים fire zwas

Mirjam; the Syriak altering the pronunciation, not the Letters, MD Marjam, as for
And because the
Greek Language admitteth no fod Confonant, they pronounced it Macrap. Though fometimes indeed even the Greeks
did use the barbarous pronunciation in the barbarous words, as Lucian with the Latins makes 'Ix3 of three Syllables,
Ινδαῖον ἕτερον μωρὸν ἐξάδει λαβών.

Again, becaufe no Greek word endeth in u, to make it current in that Language, it was necessary to alter the termination,
according to their cuftom; as for Annibal 'Anicas, Afdrubal 'Ardgas, Amilkar 'Auixxxs, and Káïr, Ká. This was to
be done Tometimes by addition, as Nών Νῦχα, Αξελ Αξελός, Λαμίχ ΛαμέχΘ, Ἰαρὶδ Ιάρεδο, Ἐνως Ἕνωσο, Σαν Σή
I, Adàu "Adaμ, 'Abqadu "Abqp, and Aboduns. And fo for Macau, Macsáμun or Magáuvn. Jofephus Ma-
ριάμη τα παιδὸς ἀδελφὸ, of Miriam the fiffer of Mofes; thom in another place he calls αθελφίῷ αὐτῷ Μαριάνων. There
fore he thought the name of Mariamne to be the fame with Miriam. And as the Greeks were wont to add their own ter-
minations to exotick words; fo did they at other times leave out the exotick Terminations, if thereby their own were left.
As for VIN & 'Abia and "Awa for DN & Ava and Zang, for agg, for Macau Macía. Wherefore
from the Hebrew Mirjam came, by variety of pronunciation, at first the Syriak Mariam, and from the Syriak Marjam;
at first, only by variation of the pronunciation, Maeau, then for the propriety of termination, Maela.
h Mic. 6.4.

For though that Interpretation Domina may feem to come conveniently enough from, yet that being rather from the Chaldees, cannot fo well agree with Miriam; nor is the D fe properly added at the end, as to the beginning of an Hebrew word, where it is ufually in words of fimple fignification Heemantical. Again, though may fignifie fmyrna maris, or illuminatrix, which S. Hierom rejected; and ftella (or rather ftilla, which is properly) maris. or amarum mare, which he rather embraced yet thefe compofitions are not fo proper, or probable at all, especially in a name diffylable. Though the Jews themselves deduce it from, to fignifie the bitterness of the Egyptian bondage, as we read in Mic

:

yes fill the addition of : נלראת מרים שמררו המצרים את חיו הם,befide the two Authors before quoted ויושע rath

the final Mem is not proper; or if that should stand for, there were not good account to be given of the Jod. Whereas if we reduce it from the Radix, with the Addition of the Heemantick Mem, the notation is evident, and the fignification clear, as of one exalted above others.

Befide this name of the bleffed Virgin, little hath been discovered to us. Chrift, who commended the Faith of the Centurion, the love of Mary Magdalen, the excellencies of John the Baptift, hath left not the leaft encomium of his Mother. The Evangelifts who have fo punctually defcribed the City, Family and Genealogy of Jofeph, make no express mention of her Relations, only of her Coufin Elizabeth, who was of the Tribe of Levi, of the Daughters of Aaron. Although it be of abfolute neceffity to believe that her which was born of her defcended from the Tribe of Judah, and the Family of Da11 call this a vid; yet hath not the Scripture clearly expreffed fo much of her, nor have Tradition, we any more than an ‡ obfcure tradition of her Parents Joacim and Anna.

because not in

the written word; and obfcure, because the first mention we find of it was in the fourth Century. Epiphanius first informs us, who speaking of Jofeph, fays he knew thus much: Iusana u ndes with ry whares, & durerar tỷ Qúce, 1 in μητρὸς Άννης, καὶ ἐκ πατρὸς Ἰωακείμ. Haref. 78. Again, Εἰ ἀγγέλος προσκωσίας & θέλει, πόσω, μᾶλλον ἢ ἀπὸ Ἄννης γεννηuplus, & in to Iwaneiμ Ty" Any dedwgnup; Haref. 79. where he makes mention of the Hiftory of Mary, and the tradition concerning her nativity. Ἡ δ' Μαρίας ισορία και το δαδόσεις ἔχεσιν, ὅτι ἐῤῥέθη τῷ πατρὶ αὐτῆς Ἰωακεὶμ ἐν τῇ ἐξήμω, ὅτι ἡ ywń o× Ĉwnλn@úz, &c. Damafc. Orthod. Fid. l. 4. c. 15. & Orig. contra Celfum de Panthera. What this Hiftory of Mary was, or of what authority thofe Traditions were, we cannot learn out of Epiphanius. What the Interpolator of Gregory Nyffen's Homily produceth, he confeffeth taken from Apocryphal Writings. And divers of the like relations defcended from the prime and greatest Hereticks. The Gnofticks had a Book among them which was called riwa Macias. Haref. 25. Amongst the Manichees Seleucus wrote the Hiftory of the Virgin. And the Protevangelium Jacobi deceived many in relations of this nature, Among which many being certainly false, it is not now eafie (if at all poffible) to diftinguish what part of them or particular is true. Quod de generatione Marie Fauftus pofuit, quod patrem habuerit ex tribu Levi facerdotem quendam nomine Joachim, quia Čanonicum non eft, non me conftringit, faith S. Auftin. 4.23. contra Fauftum c. 9.

* Τις πότε, ἢ Wherefore the title added to that name maketh the diftinction: for* as ἐν ποία wife divers characters are given to feveral perfons by which they are diftinguished τελόλμηκε και

μ

λεῖν τὸ ὄνομα Μαρίας ἢ ἁγίας, καὶ ἐρωτώμρον ἐκ οὐθὺς ἐπήνεγκε τὸ παρθένον; Ἐξ αὐτῶν γδ ἢ ἐπιθέτων ονομάτων καὶ τ' ἀρετῆς Σπιβαίνει τὰ τεκμήρια. Αξιώματα με γ ὀνομασιῶν εἰλήφασιν οἱ δίκαιοι εκάςω πρεπόντως, καὶ ὡς ἥρμοζε. Καὶ τῷ ̓Αβραάμ προσετέθη τον φίλο Θεό και Διαλυθήσεται· τῷ 5 Ἰακώβ, τὸ Ἰσραὴλ καλεῖσθαι, καὶ ἐκ αλλοιωθήσεται, καὶ τοῖς ̓Αποςόλοις, τὸ βοανεργές, τελέσιν, καὶ βροντῆς, καὶ ἐκ Σπκα]αλειφθήσεται· καὶ τῇ ἁγίᾳ Μαρίᾳ, τὸ παρθένο, καὶ εἰ τραπήσε). Εpiph. Haref. 78.

то

from

« السابقةمتابعة »