Chapter III.
On the incarnation with respect to the mode.
Concerning the mode of the incarnation, this is to be held: that when the Angel announced to the most blessed Virgin Mary the mystery of the incarnation to be accomplished in her, the Virgin believed, desired, and consented; the Holy Spirit came upon her to sanctify and to make fruitful, by whose power "the Virgin conceived the Son of God, whom the Virgin brought forth, and after the birth she remained a Virgin."
She conceived, however, not only flesh, but also flesh animated and united to the Word, subject to no sin, but wholly holy and immaculate, by reason of which the most sweet Virgin Mary is called and is the Mother of God.
Now the reason for understanding the aforesaid is this: because the incarnation is a work flowing from the first principle, insofar as it is restorative in the most fitting, most universal, and most complete mode. For it befits his wisdom to work fittingly, it befits his generosity to work universally, and his power, to work perfectly.
Since therefore the incarnation is from the first principle restoring in the most fitting mode: and the fitting mode is that the medicine should correspond to the disease by its opposite, and the restoration to the fall, and the remedy to the harm: since the human race had fallen through diabolic suggestion and through the consent of the deceived woman and through concupiscent generation, transmitting original sin to offspring: it was necessary that on the contrary there be here a good Angel persuading to good, and a believing Virgin consenting to the good proposed, and the charity of the Holy Spirit sanctifying and making fruitful for an immaculate conception: so that thus "contraries might be cured by contraries." And through this, just as the woman, deceived by the devil and known and corrupted by man through concupiscence, transfused into all guilt, disease, and death; so the woman, instructed by the Angel and sanctified and made fruitful by the Holy Spirit, without any corruption of either mind or body, would generate offspring who would give to all coming to him grace, health, and life.
Again, because the incarnation is from the first repairing principle in the most universal manner — for through the incarnate Word the fall of humans and angels is repaired, that is, of heavenly and earthly beings, and the fall of humans is repaired according to both sexes — so that the remedy might be common to all, it was most fitting that for the mystery of the incarnation there should be a concurrence of an Angel, a woman, and a man: the Angel as the one announcing, the woman, the Virgin, as the one conceiving, and the man indeed as the conceived offspring: so that thus the Angel Gabriel would be the messenger of the eternal Father, the immaculate Virgin would be the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the conceived offspring would be the very person of the Word: and through this, in the common reparation of all, there would be a common concurrence of three from the triple hierarchy, namely divine, angelic, and human, to intimate not only the Trinity of God, but also the universality of the benefit and the liberality of the supreme Repairer. And since liberality is appropriated to the Holy Spirit, as is the sanctification of the Virgin, in whom the conception of the Word was accomplished: hence it is that although that work is from the whole Trinity, nevertheless by appropriation the Virgin is said to have conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Finally, since it is from the first repairing principle in the most complete manner: hence it is that in the conception the due completion was in the offspring, was in the conception, and was in the conceiving power. Because the due completion had to be in the offspring, hence it is that in the instant of conception there was not only the separation of the seed, but also consolidation, configuration, vivification through the soul, and deification through the united Deity: so that thus the Virgin would truly conceive the Son of God on account of the union of flesh to the Deity, through the mediation of the rational spirit, through which as through a fitting medium the flesh was suited for union.
Because indeed the due completion ought to be in conception: since of four modes of producing man, three modes had preceded: the first neither from man nor woman, as in Adam; the second from man without woman, as in Eve; the third from woman and man, as in all those born through concupiscence; it was fitting that, for the completion of the universe, a fourth mode be introduced, which namely would be from woman without male seed through the power of the supreme Worker. Because indeed the due completion ought to be in power: hence it is that in the conception of the Son of God there concurred simultaneously an innate power, an infused power, and an uncreated power: the innate power prepared the matter, the infused power by purifying segregated it, the uncreated power instantly accomplished what could not be done by created power except successively. And thus the most blessed Virgin Mary was a mother in the most complete manner, conceiving the very Son of God without a man, the Holy Spirit rendering her fruitful. For because in the mind of the Virgin the love of the Holy Spirit burned in a singular way, therefore in her flesh the power of the Holy Spirit worked wonders, namely grace partly exciting, partly assisting, partly elevating nature, according to what that wondrous conception required.
Ch. IV.
On the Incarnation with respect to the fullness of time.
Concerning the time of the Incarnation, this must be held: that although God could have become incarnate from the beginning, He nevertheless willed not to do so until the end of the ages, after the law of nature and the law of figure had preceded, after the Patriarchs and the Prophets, to whom and through whom the Incarnation was promised.
After these He deigned to become incarnate as at the end of times and in their fullness, according to what the Apostle says: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, made of a woman, made under the Law, that He might redeem those who were under the Law.
The reason for understanding the aforesaid is this: because the Incarnation is the work of the first principle restoring, according to what is fitting and suitable with respect to the freedom of the will, with respect to the sublimity of the remedy, and with respect to the integrity of the universe: for the most wise Artificer attends to all these things in acting.
Since, therefore, freedom of the will requires that it be drawn to nothing against its will, God ought to have restored the human race in such a way that he who wished to seek the Savior would find salvation, while he who did not wish to seek the Savior would consequently not find salvation either. Now no one seeks a physician unless he recognizes his disease; no one seeks a teacher unless he recognizes himself to be ignorant; no one seeks a helper unless he recognizes himself to be powerless. Since, therefore, man at the beginning of his fall was still proud of his knowledge and strength, God first allowed the time of the law of nature, in which he would be convicted of ignorance; and afterwards, when ignorance was recognized but pride in his own strength remained, so that they said, "there is no lack of one who would act, but of one who would command," He added the Law, instructing through moral precepts and burdening through ceremonial ones, so that, having obtained knowledge and having recognized his powerlessness, man might take refuge in divine mercy and petition for grace, which was given to us in the coming of Christ. Therefore, after the law of nature and of Scripture, the incarnation of the Word had to follow.
Again, since the sublimity of the remedy requires that it be believed with the firmest faith and loved with the most ardent charity, as a mystery most secret and most salutary, it was most fitting that before the coming of Christ there should precede many testimonies of the Prophets, as explicit in words as implicit in figures, so that through many and firm testimonies what was secret might become certain and indubitable for believing; and that there should also precede manifold promises and most ardent desires, so that the promised benefit might be awaited, the awaited deferred, the deferred more greatly desired, and what was long desired more fervently loved and more gratefully received and more carefully preserved.
Finally, since the integrity and perfection of the universe requires that all things be ordered with respect to places and times, and this work of the incarnation was the most perfect among all divine works, and the process must be from the imperfect to the perfect, and not the reverse: hence it is that this work had to be accomplished in the end of times, so that, just as the first man, who was the adornment of the entire sensible world, had been created last, namely on the sixth day, for the completion of the whole world, so the second man, the complement of the entire restored world, in whom the first principle is joined with the last, namely "God with clay," would come to be in the end of times, that is, in the sixth age, which is the age suited to the exercise of wisdom and to the weakening of concupiscence and to the passage from the state of turmoil to rest — all of which befit the sixth age of the course of the world on account of the incarnation of the Son of God. Since, therefore, the coming of Christ was in the time of the law of grace and in the manifestation of the promised mercy and in the beginning of the sixth age; and all these things bespeak fullness, because the law of grace fulfills the law of Scripture, and the fulfillment of the promise fulfills the promise, and the sixth age, by reason of the perfection of the number six, resounds in fullness: hence it is that in the coming of the Son of God there is said to be the fullness of times, not because time comes to an end in his coming, but because the temporal mysteries are fulfilled. But just as Christ ought not to have come at the beginning of time, because his coming would have been too hasty, so neither ought he to have delayed until the very end, because then it would have been too late. For it was fitting for the Savior to introduce the time of remedy in the middle, between the time of sickness and the time of judgment. It was fitting for the Mediator to be preceded by some of his members and followed by others. It was fitting for the perfect Leader to show himself when there was opportunity to run toward the prize: and this is in the end of times, yet before the terminus, and in the approach to the final judgment, so that, spurred by the fear of judgment and drawn by the hope of reward and animated by the perfection of his example, we might vigorously and perfectly follow the Leader from virtue to virtue, until we arrive at the prize of eternal happiness .