INCARNATION. There is in Christ a foundation laid for greater intimacy with God than Adam was at first capable of. He, indeed, was the son of God; yet he was kept at a further distance, and treated with more state and majesty from God than now the reconciled soul is. For though he was the son of God by creation, yet the Son of God was not then the Son of man by incarnation; and at this door comes in the believer's sweetest intimacy with God. God doth descend His throne, exchange His majestic robes of glory for man's frail flesh; He leaves His palace to live for a time in His creature's humble cottage, and there not only familiarly converses with him but, which is stranger, ministers to him; yea, which is more than all these, He surrenders Himself up to endure all manner of indignities from His sorry creature's hand.
And when this coarse entertainment is done, back He goes to heaven, not to complain to His Father how He had been abused here below, and raise heaven's power against those who had so ill-treated Him, but to make ready heaven's palace for the reception of those who had thus abused Him, and now will accept of His grace.
And lest these yet left on earth should fear that His majesty in heaven's glory would make some alteration with their affairs in His heart—to give them therefore a constant demonstration that He would be the same in the height of His honor that He was in the depth of His abasement—He goes back in the same clothes, as it were, to wear them on the throne in all His glory.