William Perkins on conceiving Christ in the heart

[pgwolv]

"Christ was conceived and borne in bodily manner, that there might be a spiritual conception and birth of him in our hearts, as Paul saith [Gal 4:19],

My little children of whom I travel [travail] till Christ be formed in you

and that is, when we are made new creatures by Christ and perform obedience to our creator. When the people said to Christ that his mother and his brethren sought him, he answered [Mat 12:50],

He that doth the will of God is my brother, my sister and mother.

Therefore let us go with the shepherds to Bethlehem, and finding our blessed savior swaddled and lying in the cratch, let us bring him thence and make our own hearts to be his cradle: that we may [be] able to say that we live not, but Christ lives in us: and let us present unto him ourselves, our bodies and souls as the best gold, myrrh and frankincense that may be: and thus conceiving him by faith, he remaining without change, we shall be changed into him and made bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. The world, I know, never so much as dreameth of this kind of conception and birth, for as David saith [Psa 7:14],

Men travel [travail] with wickedness, conceive mischief, & bring forth a lie.

And S. James saith [Jam 1:14-15],

Men are drawn away by their own concupiscense, which when it hath conceived bringeth forth sin.

And these are the ugly and monstrous births of these days. But let us, I pray you, contrariwise wail and mourn for the barrenness of our hearts that do so little conceive the grace of Christ in heart, and bring it forth in action. The mother of Christ undoubtedly was a blessed woman: but if she had not as well conceived Christ in her heart as she did in her womb, she had not been saved: and no more can we, unless we do the same."

William Perkins - Exposition of the Apostles' Creed