Angelic Visitations

Attendite, fratres, medicinalis gratia lineas, divina nobis benignitate monstratas. Tunc ad Eva angleus malus accessit, ut per eam homo, quem Deus fecerat, a Deo separaretur; nunc autem ad Mariam bonus angelus venit, ut in ea humanae naturae Deus Unigenitus uniretur. Venit ad Evam diabolus, ut vitam nobis malignus auferret; venit ad Mariam Gabriel, ut vitam reddendam hominibus nuntiaret. Per primi hominis culpam coepit diabolus homini dominari, per secundi hominis gratiam coepit ab homine superari: super primum superbus, sub secundo captivus. Per illum nos captivatos tenuit, per istum nos liberatos amisit. Primus Adam nobis auctor exstitit culpae, novissimus Adam nobis auctor exstitit gratiae. Ille de limo plasmatus terrenos protulit, iste de Spiritu sancto natus coelestes effecit. Per illum perdidimus gratiam priorem, per istum recepimus ampliorem. Ille quippe nobis intulit peccati maculam, cum qua nasceremur ad supplicium; iste nobis contulit justificationis gratiam, ut renasceremur ad regnum. Per illum nos filios saeculi generatio carnalis effecit, per istum nos filios Dei generatio spiritalis exhibuit. Ille nos vitiis subdidit, iste nos florere virtutibus fecit. Ille nos per vitia dejecit, quo primus cecidit: iste nos per virtutes elevat, quo primus ascendit. Ille quippe primus cecidit in infernum, iste primus conscendit in coelum. Sanctus Fulgentius Ruspensis, Sermo II, De duplici Nativitate Christi , una aeterna ex Patre, altera temporali ex Virgine Source: Migne PL 65.728d-729b

Observe, brothers, the lineaments of medicinal grace shown to us by the Divine benevolence. Once an evil angel came to Eve so that through her the man whom God had made might be separated from God, and now a good angel comes to Mary so that in her the only begotten God might be joined to human nature. 1 The devil came to Eve so that the wicked one might take away life from us, Gabriel came to Mary to announce that life is to be restored to man. Through fault the devil began to rule over the first man, by the grace of the second man he began to be conquered by man. Over the first man the devil vaunted, beneath the second man he was made captive. By the first he took us into captivity, by the second he lost us to freedom. The first Adam was our author of fault, the second Adam was the author of our grace. The former shaped from mud made us earthly, the latter man born of the Holy Spirit made us heavenly. Through the first man we destroyed the grace that had been given, by the second we received greater grace. The former brought the stain of sin, because of which we are born to suffering, the latter brought the grace of justification so that we might be reborn to the kingdom. Through the first man carnal generation made sons of the world, through the second man spiritual generation exhibited us as sons of God. The former subdued us to the vices, the latter made us flower with the virtues. The former cast us down among faults, by which the first fell, the latter lifts us up through the virtues by which the first arose. The former was the first to fall into hell, the latter was the first to rise into heaven. Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe, from Sermon 2, On The Twofold Nativity of Christ, One Eternal from the Father, and One Temporal from the Virgin 1 Gen 3, Lk 1.26-35