Bishop Challoner's Meditations ~ December 14th

ON THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE INCARNATION OF HIS SON

Consider first, how the angels, upon occasion of the birth of Christ, sung forth that blessed hymn, recorded Luke ii. 4, 'Glory to God on high, and on earth peace to men of goodwill;' to give us to understand that the incarnation and birth of the Son of God was designed to produce those two principal fruits, the greater glory of God and the peace and reconciliation of man with God. The glory of God shines forth most brightly in the incarnation of his Son by the manifestation of his power, of his wisdom, of his goodness, of his justice, and of his mercy, and by setting all these his divine attributes in their most beautiful light. The almighty power of God is here manifested in all these wonders he wrought in this mystery, and especially in that greatest and most glorious of all his wonderful productions, viz., a God-man - a greater work, without comparison, than the creation of ten thousand worlds. The infinite wisdom of God is here manifested in the contrivance of this wonderful way of uniting God and man, the creator and the creature, which were at an infinite distance from each other, so closely together as to be but one and the same person, and of reconciling by this means man, who was fallen from God by sin, in such manner as that, without his divine majesty departing in the least tittle from what was due to the reparation of his glory, he should continually receive from this one man, for every moment of time and eternity, a homage of adoration, praise, thanksgiving, and love, infinitely more glorious to the deity than all the homages of ten thousand worlds could be, though they were all full of angels and men eternally employed in nothing else but in glorifying God. 

Consider 2ndly, with relation to the other attributes of God, viz., his goodness, his mercy, and his justice, how brightly they also shine forth in the incarnation of his Son, in which, according to the psalmist, (Ps. lxxxiv.,) 'Mercy and truth met each other; justice and peace have kissed.' The infinite mercy of God is set in no less clear a light by this mystery, in his here furnishing us, out of pure compassion, without any regard at all to our merits, with such and so great a redeemer, to be both out priest and our sacrifice, for a propitiation for all our sins. And as to the infinite justice of God, so far from its being set aside in this mystery, or forgetting its right, it never exerted or manifested itself more than when it insisted upon such a satisfaction for sin as could not be paid by any lesser or meaner person than a God made man. So that the justice of God has been in effect more evidently demonstrated by the incarnation of the Son of God, coming down here amongst us to be made a bleeding victim for our sins, than by any other judgments or punishments whatsoever that either have been or ever could be inflicted by the divine majesty, either in time or eternity, for the sins of men.


Consider 3rdly, that the infinite dignity of the person of this God-man, as it gives an infinite dignity and worth to all his performances - even to every thought, word, or action, and every suffering of his - so it is an inexhaustible source from which continually and eternally flows an infinite glory to God from every thought, word, or action, or suffering of his Son, even from the moment of his conception till his expiring upon the cross, as well to all that adoration, praise, glory, thanksgiving, &c., which, as man he shall present to his Father for all eternity. See then, my soul, how very much the incarnation of the Son of God has advanced the glory of his Father; since every motion of the heart of this God made man gives in effect infinitely more glory to the Father, both in time and eternity, than all the adorations and praises of millions of angels and millions of worlds could ever have done, though eternally employed in nothing else but in glorifying God. Besides all that glory which the Son of God incarnate has procured for his Father by his gospel; by his worship which he has established here upon earth; by that great sacrifice of his body and blood, offered up daily on a million of altars, &c., and that kingdom of souls which he has here purchased, to be delivered up hereafter to his Father, to glorify him for all eternity.

Conclude to rejoice in this great glory which the Son of God has procured both for his Father and for himself by his incarnation, and sing to him with the angels hymns of perpetual praise for his having so well associated together in this mystery his own glory with thy peace and salvation.