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THE KING’S BUSINESS
remembered in this connection that they are the only two that deal with the infancy o f Christ at all and that they testify that the mode o f Christ’s entrance into the world was supernatural; that a miracle attended the manner in which the only begotten Son o f God came to sojourn with the sons o f men. II. Objections to the Doctrine of the Vir gin Birth. Those who refuse to accept the* doctrine o f the Virgin Birth o f our Lord do so for the following main reasons: 1. It is against the laws o f nature. These critics assume that what is super natural must be ruled out o f religion. Fos ter says that a man who believes in the supernatural “can hardly know what intel lectual honesty means,” although he him- . self says, in speaking o f the self-conscious ness o f Jesus, that it is “ empirically inexpli cable,” and that a “creative” element from God must be recognized in it. It is asserted that God’s means for the production o f the race is marriage; that this method is o f His ordaining and is accord ing to the natural law; that there is no necessity for any interference with this law; that it is more natural, therefore, and more in harmony with the ordained laws of God that Christ should be born as other men. But is it not rather presumptuous, we may ask, to say what God would or would not do under such unusual circum stances? Surely if anything supernatural could be released from the rigid hand of law, it would be at this time when the King o f all laws cometh into the world. I f angels have any message, surely this is the time for its announcement. I f the stars can minister to the guidance o f mankind, what more fitting occasion could there be1 for such service than this? W e speak o f the difficulties o f the Incarnation as though there were any difficulties with God. How do we know but that the manner o f Christ’s advent into the world as described in Matthew and Luke was the easiest and most natural way for Deity to become hu manity? Romanes, the agnostic, admitted that “ a Virgin Birth, even in the human
to a man named Joseph, o f the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind What manner o f salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name J esus . He shall be great, and shall be called the Son o f the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne o f his father David: And he shall reign over the house o f Jacob for ever: and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power o f the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born o f thee shall be called the Son o f God. And, behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God noth ing shall be impossible.” *—Luke 1 :26-37. Considerable space is devoted by Matthew and Luke to the birth o f our Lord; both testify that Christianity was -introduced into the world by a supernatural event. More space is given by these evangelists to the account o f Christ’s birth than to many other events in our Lord’s life, the Transfigura tion for example. Those who believe in the inspiration o f the Scripture believe in what is called the inspiration o f selection; that is to say, that only those events, ser mons and miracles in the life o f Christ are recorded which are absolutely necessary for His manifestation to the world as the divine Saviour and Lord. Therefore, the fact that the Evangelists give so much space To Christ’s birth gives that event an important place in the Christian system. It may, or may not, be true that these two are the only evangelists who record the Virgin Birth o f our Lord, yet it should be
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