The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

""202 THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS.that a thing denied with specialcircumstance dothimport an opposite affirmation when once that cirlcumstance is expired."To express Hooker s ideain plainer words, when a thingis said not to haveoccurred until another event had happened,it doesnot necessarily follow that it did occur after thatevent took place.The Scripture says that the raven went forth fromthe ark, and did not return till the waters weredried up upon the 2earth," that is, it never returned."Samuel saw Saul no more till the day of his death."*He did not, of course, see him after death.TheLord said tomy Lord : Sit thou at my right handuntil I make thy enemies thyfootstool." 4These wordsapply to our Saviour, who did not cease to sit at theright of God after His enemies were subdued.2d. But Jesus is called Mary s first-born Son, anddoes not a first-born always imply the subsequentbirth of other children to the same mother ?By nomeans ;for the .name of first-born was given to thefirst sou of every Jewish mother, whether other children followed or not. We find this epithet appliedto Machir, for instance, who was the only son ofManasses. 53d. But is not mention frequently made of thebrethren of Jesus? 6Fortunately the Gospels themselves will enable us to trace the maternity of those1 Book V., ch. xlv. 2 3Gen. viii. 7. 1.Kings xv. 35.*Ps. cix. 5Josue xvii. 1.6 Matt. xii. 46; xiii. 55, 56.