thus became possessed of a complete human nature; so that he
is at the same time, without injury to the unity of his person, "_truly
man and truly God_."

The story of the miraculous birth of Jesus is told by the _Matthew_
narrator as follows:[111:1]

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his
mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together,
she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph, her
husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a
public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while
he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord
appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of
David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that
which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall
bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he
shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done,
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the
prophet, saying: Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and
shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name
Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."[111:2]

A Deliverer was hoped for, expected, prophesied, in the time of Jewish
misery[112:1] (and _Cyrus_ was perhaps the first referred to); but as no
one appeared who did what the Messiah, according to prophecy, should do,
they went on degrading each successive conqueror and hero from the
Messianic dignity, and are still expecting the true Deliverer. Hebrew
and Christian divines both start from the same assumed unproven
premises, viz.: that a Messiah, having been foretold, must appear; but
there they diverge, and the Jews show themselves to be the sounder
logicians of the two: the Christians assuming that Jesus was the Messiah
_intended_ (though not the one _expected_), wrest the obvious meaning of
the prophecies to show that they were fulfilled in him; while the Jews,
assuming the obvious meaning of the prophecies to be their real meaning,
argue that they were not fulfilled in Christ Jesus, and therefore that
the Messiah is yet to come.

We shall now see, in the words of Bishop Hawes: "that God should, in
some extraordinary manner, visit and dwell with man, is an idea which,
as we read the writings of the _ancient Heathens_, meets us in a
thousand different forms."

Immaculate conceptions and celestial descents wer