The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 122

:

THE INCARNATION OF THE WORD

82

the children of

God

are

bom

not of the will of man, nor of the will

borrowed this glorious descripfrom the extraordinary act of God which scintillates in the conception and birth of Christ. The fact that Mary was called a virgin that Joseph was troubled at the discovery of his bride's condition; that he intended secretly to leave her, and that an angel appeared to him in a dream in a word, the whole Gospel narrative, as well as the unbroken tradition of the Church, allows no other confession than that the conception and birth of Christ were of Mary the virgin, but not pf Joseph her betrothed of the flesh, but of God, undoubtedly

tion of our higher birth

;

—

husband.

Excluding the man, the Scripture thrice puts the Holy Spirit in the foreground as the Author of the conception.

St.

Matthew says

"When Mary had

been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child by the Holy Ghost.' And again, in ver. 20: " For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." Lastly, Luke says (chap. i. 35) " The Holy Ghost (chap.

i.

i8):

:

come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of

shall

;

thee shall be called the Son of God."

These clear statements do be plainly confessed that the conception of the germ of a human nature in the womb of the virgin was an act of the Holy Spirit. not receive full recognition unless

It is

matter.

it

not expedient nor lawful to enter more deeply into this

How human

life

originates after conception, whether the

embryo immediately contains a human person or whether he is created therein afterward, and other similar questions, must remain

We may advance theories, but the Omnipotent God allows ,no man to discover His workings in the hidden laboratories of His creative power. Wherefore all that unanswered, perhaps forever.

may

be said according to Scripture

is

contained in the following

four particulars First, in the

new being was called One who had existed from eter-

conception of Christ not a

into life as in all other cases, but

and who then entered into vital relation with the human nature. Scripture clearly reveals this. Christ existed from before the foundation of the world. His goings forth were of old, from the days of eternity. He took upon Himself the form of a servant. Even tho the biologist should discover the mystery of the human birth, it

nity,

The

could not reveal anything regarding the conception of the Mediator.

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