betroathed vnto an husband yet was he never betroathed vnto any woman that no humane soule of what condition or sexe soever might haue occasion to dispaire of being eternally betroathed to him The end and issue of his admirable chastitie was to institute that supernaturall and sacred Polygamie which was perhaps by peculiar indulgence of divine dispensation legally foreshadowed in the multitude of Davids wiues or in the Polygamie of others from whom he descended Howsoever as the desolate hath more children then she that hath an husband so are the spouses of this chast and holy one more in number then the wiues and concubines of luxurious Salomon Hee is that everlasting bridegroome whose Courts no multiplicitie of consorts can pollute there is no soule so it bring faith for its dowrie but may be assuredly espowsed to him What was spoken of Eue in respect of Adam is true of all be they male or female that are once espowsed to him They are mēbers of his bodie and therefore cannnot bee cut off of his flesh and of his bones and being such there is no danger of any Nullitie they can never be divorced from him there is nothing that can diminish or estrange his loue Barrennesse by one womans child birth is now no more a reproach vnto the rest so they be not barrē in faith the childlesse are more deare to him than was Hannah to her husband Virginitie it selfe is become exceeding fruitfull by the fruit of the Virgins wombe And the Eunuch which in time past might not enter into the Congregation of the Lord hath now gotten a place and name in the house of God better then of sonnes and daughters for there is no name so deare and tender as the name of Spowse none so capable of everlasting habitation with the immortal king 24 But all this being granted that our Redeemer was made man of a woman who was both wife and virgin that hee himselfe made choice of single life these circumstances only minister hope to both sexes or states of life But he that was thus made and thus lived is the vndoubted heire and Lord of all things And what comfort can the destressed captiue the poore servant or bondslaue reape from his incarnation that is by nature the Sonne of God King of this world and Father of the world to come Surely as much as any other if not more so he brooke his estate with patience for it followes He was made vnder the Law c. 25 If such as were vnder the Law were as the Apostle often inculcates in bondage or in the state and condition of pupils or servants then questionlesse the Sonne of God in being made vnder the Law became a servāt for his present estate and condition that hee might make servants free men and sonnes of God And this reason is exprest by the Apostle in my text Besides this vnlesse the sonne of God had profest his obedience and service vnto the Law by being circumcised the eight day Men of Iewish progeny might haue beene tempted to doubt whether God had not set the badge or seale of circumcision vpon their nation as hee did his marke vpon Cain in token they should be vagabonds and fugitiues from his presence Indeed the greatest part of the circumcision proued Cains brethren in the event but that God did not by circumcision marke them to exile and slaughter is sufficiently manifested in that hee caused his only Sonne to be circumcised So then he is circumcised made vnder the law that such as were of the circumcision and vnder the law might haue full assurance he was sent forth to bee their redeemer Yet had he been conceiued in the same province wherein he was borne and circumcised the ten tribes or kingdome of Israel might well haue doubted whether Gods promises had not beene entailed vnto the tribe of Iuda whether their fore-Elders had not releast their interest in them and forespoken all their posterities hopes by that desperate and vnhappie speech which fell from them when they first revolted from Rehoboam What portion haue we in David neither haue wee inheritance in the sonne of Iesse 26 This or the like temptation vpon whatsoever ground conceiued wrought strongly with this people whilst they remained in captivitie and for this reason when God perswades them to returne with Iuda into the land of promise he is inforced to promise them by the Prophet Ieremie that the expected Messias for whose birth Micah had taken vp Bethlehem should be cōceiu'd made of a woman in the land of Israel To this purpose I haue heretofore out of this place expoūded that passage Ier. 31. Turne againe ô virgin of Israël c. For the Lord hath created a new thing not in the earth or wide world at randome but in thy land the female shall enclose the male His speech is ful and yet precise and warie for he was onely inclosed in the land of Israël and brought forth in Iuda 27 But the better right or title these circumstances of Christs conception birth or circumcision convey either to the kingdome of Israël or Iuda severally or iointly to the whole seed of Abraham after the flesh the lesse hope could wee Gentiles haue of any portion in the sonne of Iesse had not the Lord out of his infinite mercy wisdome made the covenant of life and blessing with Abraham before he tooke vpon him the marke of circumcision that is before there was any legall distinction betweene the Iew and Gentile This is a point so admirably prest by the great Apostle of the Gentiles for their comfort that it shall suffice me to quote some few passages of his comments vpon Moses narrations which I can never read without admiration and secret ioy of heart And the Scripture foreseeing that God would iustifie the heathen through faith preached before the Gospell vnto Abraham saying in thee shall all nations bee blessed So then they which be of faith shall bee blessed with faithfull Abraham As hee had said to the like purpose before Abraham beleeued in God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse Knowe yee therefore that they that be of faith the same are the children of Abraham The true issue or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of that great controversie between him his countrymē is whether Circumcision and observance of that Law whereby the Iew was distinguished from the Gentile or BELEEFE in Gods promises cōcerning the seed to come did make men sonnes of Abraham of blessing Our Apostles plea for BELEEFE is vnanswerable because Abraham by beleeuing God receaued the promises in the name and behoofe of the nations before he received the signe of circumcision which may hence be argued to bee no infallible signe of blessing in that it was imparted as well to Ismael Abrahams sonne according to the flesh as vnto Isaac who was the sonne of promise Much lesse could the observance of the law which was not giuen
NAZARETH AND BETHLEHEM OR ISRAELS PORTION IN THE SONNE OF IESSE AND MANKINDS COMFORT FROM THE WEAKER SEXE TVVO SERMONS PREACHED IN St Maryes Church in Oxford BY THOMAS IACKSON Bachelour of Divinitie and Fellow of Corpus Christi College in Oxford 1. TIM 3.16 Without controversie great is the mystery of godlinesse God is manifest in the flesh AT OXFORD Printed by Iohn Lichfield and william Wrench 1617. TO THE RIGHT REVEREND Father in God and my very good Lord JAMES by divine providence Lord Bishop of Winchester T. J. wisheth all Grace and Happinesse RIGHT REVEREND And HONOVRABLE SInce it hath pleased such as haue hitherto beene spectators as well of my weaknesse as of my industry in the Ministery to pardon the one for the others sake it is and ever shall be my care to haue your Lordship vnder whose patronage as Honourable Successor to my worthie Founder I now enioy the continuance of former opportunities no witnesse of my sloth or idlenesse Yet these papers I produce not either in testimonie of my paines which in so little a worke cannot be great or as a proofe of my diligence in polishing what hereafter I meane to set forth Rather out of indulgence to my bodily indisposition diligent fore cast how long my iourny is like to bee I haue begunne after such a manner as by Gods assistance and your Lordships wonted coūtenance I may hope to cōtinue To leaue some fuller explication then I haue found of the admirable consonancie betweene ancient praesignifications whether propheticall typicall or historicall and Evangelicall relations concerning our Saviours conception his birth his baptisme passion resurrection and ascension or other like parts of his humiliation and exaltation is the point whereto my studies haue beene consecrated and my observations principally directed since I vndertooke the ministery And in this respect I may truly call my meditations in this kind the first fruits of all my labours Now of this crop which with reference to my poore harvest is like to be very great as much at least as all the rest and as I trust most acceptable to my God I haue brought this little Sheafe vnto your Lordship humbly desiring that you would vouchsafe to offer it vp vnto Him by whose only blessing all the rest must bee sanctified Thus omitting longer preface vntill I may fit it with a larger worke I humbly commend your Lordship to the gratious protection of our Heavenly Father and this slender pledge of my most intire observance to your benigne acceptance From my study in CORPVS CHRISTI COLLEGE in Oxford Septemb. 6. 1617. Your Honours in all duty and service to be commanded THOMAS JACKSON JEREMIAH 31. VER 21.22 Turne againe O Virgin of Israel turne againe to these thy cities How long wilt thou goe astray O thou rebellious daughter For the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth a woman shall compasse a man 1 IT is the observation of a most ancient Father Omnis Prophetia priusquā impleatur aenigma est Every prophecy before it be fulfilled is a riddle And amongst prophecies the latter part of this Text not the least aenigmatical For our better vnderstanding the true meaning of these words in themselues their coherence with the former and my Prophets drift or scope in all may it please you Men Fathers and Brethren to consider the time was now come wherein the Lord had put Iudah also out of his sight and cast of Ierusalem the citie which he had chosen Beniamin was become Ben-oni a sonne of sorrow vnto his mother For a voice was heard in Ramah mourning and bitter weeping Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted because they were not in the land of her buriall their fathers birth But the Lord alwaies more tender and compassionate towards his chidren then a woman towards the children of her wombe yea then tender hearted Rahel her selfe towards her dearest sonne whose birth had cost her life in the midst yea even in the first beginning of these his iudgements remembers mercy He now sends Iudah into captivitie after Israel but as a second arrow to finde out a former lost And Beniamin must goe though as sore against his owne will into Chaldaea as hee had done sometimes against his Fathers into Egypt yet in the Almighties determination as well now as then to redeem his brother from that thraldome wherein he had been long detained For the Lord had put vp Ephraims lamentation with Rahels teares for Beniamin disirous as he himselfe in the verses following protests to prepare one the same medicine for both their maladies Refraine thy voice from weeping Rahel and thine eies from teares for thy work shall be rewarded saith the Lord. And they shall come againe from the land of the enemie and there is hope in thine end saith the Lord that thy children shal come againe to their owne borders I haue heard Ephraim bemoaning himselfe thus thou hadst corrected me and I was chastised c. 2 But as Ephraims intemperancie had beene greater more wilfull and of longer continuance then Iudahs or Beniamins had beene to his recoverie was now more difficult and put his heavenly physitian to a greater plunge then whē it enforc'd him to cry out O Ephraim what shall I doe vnto thee He was become as a man whose nature is so farre spent that no physicke can be safely administred to him Long calamitie and distresse brings oftimes the soules of Gods children so farre out of rast with his sweetest mercies that they loath their very proffer no lesse then sicke men doe the sight of meat The Lord is with thee thou valiant man saith the Angel of the Lord to Gedeon But he replies Ah my Lord if the Lord be with vs why then is all this come vpon vs and where be all his miracles which our fathers told vs of and said Did not the Lord bring vs out of Aegypt but now the Lord hath forsaken vs and deliuered vs into the hands of the Midianites More wayward diffident my Prophet fore saw Ephraim or Israel for the most part would bee The best of them albeit they mistrust not the truth of Gods promises vnto Abraham yet doubt whether theirs and their fathers sinnes haue not forfaited their interest in thē If they acknowledge Gods summons for Iudahs returne theirs to be the same yet with old Anchises in like case they finde a difference in their estates Vos ô quibus integer aeui Sanguis ait soliáaeque suo stant robore vires Vos agitate fugam Such as bad fresh and liuely spirits to weild their strong and able limmes seeing their armes could not defend their country from the violence of their enimies might vse the benefit of their legs to escape their buriall in her ruines Me si caelicole volnissent ducere vitam Has mihi servassent sedes But sure if the Gods intended Anchises any longer lease of his life
they would allow house-rome to his aged bones in Troy Thus why Iudah and Beniamin should returne vnto their borders distrustfull Ephraim could conceaue these or like reasons The time of their captivitie is not set so long but many which haue seene Ierusalem in her glorie may liue to see the citie built vp vpon her owne heape and her palaces remaining after their wonted maner Their children shall be as aforetime their noble ruler shall be of themselues their gouernour shall proceed from among them But as for Ephraim our fathers said it in their hast and furie and we their posteritie must for ever bee bound vnto the bargaine What portion haue we in Dauid we haue no inheritance in the sonne of Iesse Many of his goodly stemms now planted by the palmes of Babel may take root againe in their natiue soile and bee as a shelter to the tender graffes that must sprout out of the lower shrubs of Iudah but he that shall looke vpon the remedilesse spoile and wast long since made throughout all the mountaines of Samariah will he not take vp his parable and say Ephraim is as a wood destroyed wherein is never a Samplar left The youngest sprig that was removed thence is now doated or withered with Eld in a strange and wearyish soile How many of our fathers which had never seene the light in the land of their conception being brought captiues hither in the wombe haue wee seene after their sight had failed them for very age and long expectation of returne enclosed in the bowels of a forraigne earth yet now no more a stepmother to vs their children that are left behind An hundred yeares are past and gone since our fathers were rooted out of their natiue land seaventie more are yet to come before our promised deliverance be accomplished And what comfort can it bee to any of Ephraims race to returne after so long time into the land of Israel now as strange and vncouth vnto vs as Media and Assyria were to our fathers 3 That Ephraim was thus affected the issue did too well proue for few if any of this tribe did returne with the captivitie of Sion such of them as afterwards return'd did for the most part inhabit Galilie or regions allotted to other tribes This backwardnesse whether general in Israel or more particular in Ephraim was portended in the ominous character of this prophecie wherein that God which was a louing father to all the sonnes of Abraham appeares more anxious and sollicitous for Ephraim then for Iudah and Beniamin whose returne from captivitie was more speedie and entire And my Prophet from foreknowledge of this distrustfull temper in Ephraim makes triall of so many courses to make him rellish Gods promises which he condites of purpose for his palate in sweetest tearmes of dearest loue sometimes intreating him vnder the name of Ephraim sometimes vnder the name of Israel as if hee would trie whether the one were not more luckie then the other Sometimes wooing him with fairest promises of gratious favours to come I will build thee and thou shalt bee builded ô virgin Israel thou shalt still be adorned with thy timbrels and goe forth in the daunces of them that be ioyfull Thou shalt yet plant vines vpon the mountaines of Samaria and the planters that plant them shall make them common Sometimes recounting his former kindnesse I am a father to Israel and Ephraim is my first borne for when I shared Rubens dignitie amongst his brethren did I not so esteeme of Ephraim Levi had his priesthood and Iudah his kingdome but the double portion was reserued for Ioseph and the lot whose disposition belongs to mee fell to Ephraim though the younger brother in the fairer and larger ground Sometimes againe like a pensiue father iealous of every occasion that might scarre a fugitiue wild vntamed sonne from approaching his presence he protests his sorrow for his severe chastisements past Is Ephraim my deare sonne is hee my pleasant child Should I tell him so his bitter correction would not suffer him to beleeue it Yet since I spake vnto him I still remembred him my bowels are troubled for him I will surely haue mercy on him saith the Lord. If the difficultie of the way deterre thee thou shalt not wander as thy fathers did in the wildernesse whiles the paths by which the spoilers led thee are in fresh memory set thee vp way-markes make thee high heapes for thy direction and set thine heart towards the path-way that thou hast walked Thy returne shall bee as quicke and speedie as thy departure Or if the mountaines of Ephraim bee polluted Tabor and Hermon are not so Zabulon and Nepthalim must yet see a wondrous light Let Ephraim if hee loath his owne inheritance as vncleane take possession among his brethren or in case he linger behind as disdaining that Iudah should be his leader let not his bad example entice the other sonnes of Iacob to drawe backe as it sometimes did them to revolt from David Turne againe O virgin Israel for thou shalt no more be obbraided with the adulteries of Samariah turne againe to these thy cities my beloued daughter my pleasant child only refractorie and rebellious in this that thou wilt not hasten thy retire when as the Lord hath purposed to create a new thing in thy territorie there the woman shall incompasse the man This is the vpshot of all my Prophets sweet and patheticall invitations of Israel to returne from captivitie This new and strange event of a woman incompassing a man is as a peerelesse garland profferd first to Ephraim as the head of his brethren or in the second place vnto such of the ten Tribes as would bee most forward to vndertake the course Wee must needs then with venerable antiquitie and some most ancient reformers of the religion which we professe acknowledge some extraordinarie matter to be here promised Howsoever sundry learned interpreters of latter times seeme not to account it such but as if they had begon to slumber when they came to the words of my text disposed to take a nap with my Prophet or with him of whom he spake v. 26. Vpon this I awaked and beheld and my sleepe was sweet vnto mee they passe over this mysterie as in a dreame 4 For the right vnfolding whereof foure words there be in the originall of remarkable vse and we may well dispence with ordinarie translations for not fully expressing them when as many learned Commentators otherwise very skilful in the Hebrew scarce deigne to take notice of their true and proper grammaticall value much lesse of their prophetical references or importances The first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 translated as you haue heard in the earth which phrase in our English is vsually as much as if he had said in orbe terrarū in the world whereas by the circumstances of the place and consonancie to the Hebrew dialect most frequēt in
Life take his whole substance from his earthly mother by the sole immediate power of his heavenly father Thus much of the coherence of these words with the former the true meaning of this aenigma and of the Prophets drift and scope in this place which is to assure Ephraim or Israel that he should share with Iudah in the glory of their Messiah as after he did in his conception and education It remaines that wee prosecute the manner how this prophecie was fulfilled in the mystery of our Saviours conception other such accidents as fell out in Israel well deseruing their speedie returne 8 The Iewish Rabbins haue a tradition that God before he made this great world did trie his skill in making many lesser But this I am sure you al detest as a fable in it selfe most impious because it impeacheth Gods omnipotencie most frivolous because preiudiciall to his wisdome which worketh all things for testification of his glory or confirmation of his creatures faith neither of which could haue any place before men Angels were created But it is a point well fitting our meditations at this season to consider how the Lord in sundrie ages since the first promise of mans redemption by the womans seed did giue illustrious documents as of his power so of his purpose to effect this NEW CREATION delighting to raise strength out of weaknesse and by knowne effects of this nature to purchase vnto himselfe that title often inserted amongst his most glorious attributes of making the barren wombe to beare and become a ioyfull mother of children He foresaw as his Prophet Isaias complaines with what difficultie the world would beleeue his Prophets reports of their Messias growing vp as a branch out of a drie ground and for this purpose he sought by famous experiments of their conceptions that were most liuely types of Him to traine vp his peoples hearts to firme beleefe of his future strange miraculous conception 9 I will come vnto thee saith the Angell of the Lord to Abraham according to the time of life and loe Sarah thy wife shall haue a sonne This message seem'd so strange to Sarah who overheard it that shee shewes by her laughing how glad shee could be if it might bee so rather then apprehend any probabilitie that so it should bee Hence the Angell reproues her slownesse to beleeue Shall any thing be hard to the Lord And as if it had beene a matter of greater difficulty to rowse her dul faith then to quicken her dead wombe he reiterates his message againe At the time appointed I will returne vnto thee euen according to the time of life Sarah shall haue a sonne This strange worke of the Lord once accomplished was to bee as a perpetuall signe for confirmation of his peoples faith in the expectation of a farre stranger in due time to bee effected For this vse Isaiah made of it Heare me yee that follow after righteousnesse and yee that seeke the Lord looke vnto the rocke whence yee were hewen ad cisternam perforatam vnde excisi estis alluding vnto the dead wombe of Sarah as hee expounds himselfe in the next words Consider Abraham your father and Sarah that bare you for I called him alone and encreased him The end which the Prophet aimes at throughout that Chapter is to rectifie and establish their conceipt of Gods power who was able even of stones to raise vp children vnto Abraham intimating withal that Christs Church though farre surpassing the amplitude of Abrahams present seed was to bee raised from materials more weake and slender in the sight of man 10 Againe Manoahs wife had as little hopes to conceaue a sonne as Sarah had much lesse to conceaue such a child or Geber as should beginne that which the Geber here mentioned in my text was to finish that is to redeeme Israel from the oppression of their enemies And the Angell of the Lord desirous to avert such a mistrustfull reply as Sarah had given prevents it by insinuating his knowledge of what she could pretend for so he begins his message Behold now thou art barren and bearest not but thou shalt conceaue beare a son the child shall be a Nazarite to God from his birth and he shall begin to saue Israel out of the hand of the Philistines As little hope was there of Hannahs barren wombe vntill out of the fulnesse of sorrowe for her forlorne estate she conceaues faith that God was able as in her song shee expresseth to make the barren beare seauen children Perhaps she meant Benshebang septenarium filium one that should bee of better steed to Israël then any other seaven a governour of Gods people a liuely type of her long expected redeemer 11 But least these examples of Isaacs Sampsons and Samuels birth all sonnes of barrennesse might in the fulnesse of time haue lesse force vpon mens hearts by reason of their distance the Lord will haue Christs forerunner Iohn Baptist to be conceaued of a woman more vnlikely to beare in their sight that measure all things by humane probabilitie or experiments of present times So strange these newes did seeme to Zacharie his Father that when the Angell told him his prayers were heard and his wife Elizabeth should conceaue and beare a sonne one that should bee filled with the holy Ghost from his mothers wombe he is not yet satisfied but demands Whereby shall I knowe this for I am an old man and my wife is of a great age This distrustful demand was at this time wherein God had determined to exact of all his people great and small outward confession of inward beleefe vnto a farre more strange and miraculous conception so vnseasonable and preposterous that in signe of his power to take away the barrennesse of Elizabeths wombe hee seales vp the priests lips disenabling him to bring forth one word vntill his wife according to the word of the Lord had brought forth her promised sonn Now the famousnesse of this event throughout Iurie should haue serued for a signe to confirme mens faith of Christs conception 12 If one of Ierusalems devoutests Priests come so farre short of Abrahams readinesse to beleeue Gods promises no marvel if the best of women bewray some spice of her mother Sarahs mistrust But it is farre from my disposition at any time or my purpose at this to vrge farther to aggravate the infirmitie of a vessell so sanctified elect and pretious And I am perswaded the Euangelist did not so much intend to disparage hers as to confirme our beleefe by relating her doubtfull question and the Angels reply the one being but Sarahs mistrust refined with maidenly modestie the other Sarahs check mitigated and qualified by the Angell After I am waxed old and my Lord also shall I haue lust saith Sarah as you heard before thus checked by the Angell Wherefore did Sarah laugh shall any thing be hard to the Lord The blessed Virgin vpon
seed of the womaÌ„ espoused though a virgin such as Eue was when she sinned shall crush the serpents head Yet the mouth of prophanes not herewith stopt is more ready to quarrell with the message it selfe as too vulgar for an embassadour of such state as the Angel Gabriel Behold what should shee behold thou shalt conceaue in thy wombe and bring forth a sonne Why doe not all women conceiue before they bring forth children or doe others conceaue in their aprons But to dismisse this audience of the Atheists false descant or division vpon this plaine song as he esteemed it Is the phrase in many profest interpreters iudgement any better then a tautologie or at the best then an Hebrew Pleonasme yet even tautologies in sacred language seldome want their weight or observation And Hebrew Pleonasmes in Propheticall or Evangelicall writings are oft times full of mysteries Or what if this phrase be sometimes vulgarly vsed in vulgar narrations yet in extraordinarie subiects it may and by the analogie of orthodoxall interpretation ought to bee taken in the most proper remarkable sence whereto it can literally be extended The expresse mention of the vsuall place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 excludes the ordinarie cause and implies an vnusuall maner of conception The interposition of the primitiue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was emphatically exprest in the salutation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and must here bee repeated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will much alter the sence or importance of the phrase So doth the dependance which the demonstratiue ecce hath with the words which went before Feare not Mary for thou hast found favour with God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold thou shalt coÌ„ceaue in thy wombe not from without The importance is fully aequivalent to the Hebrew Tesâ—beb in my Text thy fruit shall be enclosed in thy womb yet shalt thou not bee lesse fruitfull then shee that conceaueth by a consort For thou shalt bring forth not a daughter not a male child only but such a sonne as may well brooke the name of Saviour for he shall be great and be called the sonne of the most high And is not this as much as Geber 15 And yet God in his wisdome would haue the blessed virgin her selfe to be for a while ignorant of this construction that her doubtfull reply might occasion the Angell to enlarge his Comments vpon my Prophets riddle Then said Mary vnto the Angell how shall this be seeing I knowe not a man And the Angell answered and said vnto her the holy Ghost shall come vpon thee and the power of the highest shall over shadowe thee As if he had said what hast thou to doe with a man who hast found this favour with God that it shall not bee with thee as with other women thy conception of this thy sonne is a worke new and vnheard of hetherto in Israel a worke not of generation but of creation it must be wrought by the immediate hand of God But let it not seeme so impossible as new and strange seeing he hath foretold it by his Prophets who is able to bring to passe what ever he fortells Nor would the Evangelist in my opinion haue beene so carefull to specifie the Angels name in these two stories of Iohn Baptists our Sauviours conceptions without reference to his principall message or office which was to annunciate his birth to whom this name Gabriel did best agree one that should bee Geber-ell the strong God or the strength of God Thus you see how this prophecie of the Females enclosing the mightie man or heroick by way of creation not of generation in the land of Israël is in due time fulfilled beyond her expectation that did conceaue him vntill the Angell did instruct her 16 And now it seemes shee apprehends as much as the Angell had told her and no more That the Lord would giue the throne of David to her sonne and whether from expresse notice of Ezechiels words or rather from the same spirit wherby he spake She makes part of his menacing prophecie a straine of her ioyfull song so inverting his words as the Lord had done the line of David making first last and last first Exalt him that is low saith the Prophet and abase him that is high He hath put downe the mightie from their seat saith the blessed Virgin and exalted them of lowe degree The abasing of the high and mightie was verified whilst Ezechiel liued in the sodaine deposition of Zedechiah so perhaps was the exalting of him that was lowe historically experienced in the exaltation of Iehoiakin but not fulfilled vntill this time wherein God from the wombe of his poore handmaid raised vp this light to Dauid vnto whoÌ„ the Diadem of right belonged Yet all this time she thinkes as little how Micahs prophecie should be fulfilled as shee had done before of Ieremies or Isaies she had gone indeed not long after this coÌ„ception into Iury to conferre with her Cousin Elizabeth but as the Evangelist tells vs she was returned againe to Nazareth whence shee and her husband departed a little after against their wills For vnlesse Augustus at this very time had giuen out his commandment for taxing al that were subiect to the Romane Empire there is no intimation of any purpose either in Mary or Ioseph to repaire to Bethlehem Ephrata the Citie of David But the lesse they minded it before the more they are confirmed by the experience of the event and the manner how Gods prophecies are fulfilled 17 Thus by the disposition of the Almighty not by any purpose of Augustus or consultation of man the sonne of God is come first into his owne Citie but his owne receaue him not hee hath not so much as house roome fit for man an ill omen that his subiects will not acknowledge their allegiance to him For as the Lord long since had complained of their more then brutish ignorance and stupiditie The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his masters cribbe but Israël hath not knowne my people hath not vnderstaod What did not Israël knowe or what would not his people vnderstand It is the note of a iudicious convert Hebrew and I now remember not wether he giue any further reason of it that the verbs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there vsed are transitiues and must bee referred to that which went before Israël hath not knowne his owner my people will not acknowledge him for their master that lies swadled in a cratch or manger This is a stumbling blocke to the prowd haughtie Iew that fixeth his eies on loftie towers and stately palaces as if these were the places of his Messiahs birth who in his prime must come to Zion as one too meeke and humble to minde such matters as one that would testifie the place of his birth by riding vpon an Asse and vpon a colt the foale of an Asse But though Iudah
and Israël bee more stupid then the Oxe or Asse yet even in this humilitie of his birth Arabia and Sheba shall bring gifts to him as to their king Yet so provident is the Lord least any hand of man should shew it self in his exaltation that these forraigne Princes opeÌ„ profession of allegiance to this new borne child indangers his innocent and harmlesse life But what wil the Atheist say Cannot God protect his sonne from all likelyhood or approach of danger yes he could but his purpose was now to shewe his wisdome not his power in defeating great Herods vigilant and anxious care and all the subtilest proiects of his cunningst polititians by the couÌ„terplots of a poore dreaming man Rahel must haue cause againe to weep for her children about the borders of Beniamin and Herod by striking at the sonne of God must kill his owne sonne whilst hee that was indeed a father to all the sonnes of men because the true and naturall sonne of God he in whose right Israel inioy'd the promises and had an adoptiue title to bee called the son of God must in part of his nonage be sustain'd in Aegypt as Israël had beene by a Ioseph that so what was verified of the one as in the type might be fulfilled in the other as the substance Out of Aegypt haue I called my sonne 18 But whither did God cal his sonne sure if his supposed father Ioseph do not with yong Samuel mistake the callers voice he was to returne into Iudaea the fittest place in his apprehension for the education of him that was borne vnto the crown of David a place wherein if Herods first designes had stood firme and sure hee might haue liued securely But God that directed Iacobs right hand to the head of Ephraim contrary to his father Iosephs expectation hath turned the heart of Herod on a suddaine to affect him most in the last draught of his will and testament whom hee had respected but in the second place in the former And Ioseph approaching the Coasts of Iury advertised that Herod had a successour there not Antipas as hee perhaps with others had expected but Archelaus as bloodie a villaine as the Father suspects as it seemes either the truth of his admonition by a dreame in Aegypt or his construction of it Hee doubts whether they be dead that sought the life of the child for as the Evangelist saith Hee was afraid to goe into Iudaea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Yet seeing he had beene warned in a dreame or perhaps being warned againe though he avoid Iudah he will at least goe into some part of Israël If he had two warnings this latter was to instruct him in the true meaning of the former whereby he was not directed to Iudaea in particular but into the land of Israël as I take it with opposition to the land of Iudaea And so saith the Evangelist he left his purpose for Iudaea and turned aside into the parts of Galilâ— to the place of Christs conception And thus by his doubtfull resolution the will of the Lord which he had spoken by the Prophet is vndoubtly fulfilled to wit that Christ from the place of his conception and education should be called Nazaraeus A name in their intendment that sought to fasten it first vpon him of disgrace and scorne but by the disposition of the Almightie a knowne title of greatest honour convicting such as vsed it otherwise even whilst they spake it of blasphemie which way soever wee interpret the meaning of it For if this Cities name whose Etymologie is hardly found in the old Testament were Natsoreth or Natzareth or as Elias Leuita saith Netzer tâ—â— word which Isaias vseth it is by interpretatioÌ„ the City of plants or grafts in plain english Graftowne Whence if the Iew captiously demand was it ever heard that any Prophet should arise out of Nazareth Wee may answere as our Sauiour did Pilate Infidell thou hast said it though vnwittingly as Caiphas thy predecessour did foretel his dying for the people For didst thou never heare of a man whose name was the branch never of a plant Netzer that should growe out of the root of Ishai What if thou canst not revile this Iesus whom we preach but thou must acknowledge him Hanotzeri surculus ille or surcularius ille or germen illud The PLANT THE BRANCH For though the obiectour mean to disgrace him yet God had ordained his glorie as well out of his enemies mouths that meant him mischiefe as out of the mouthes of silly babes that meant him neither good nor ill And it is very suitable to the waies of Gods providence to suggest by ambiguous words or speeches vnto the attentiue hearer conceipts quite contrary to their meaning that vtter them So Crassus in his Parthian voyage wills his souldiers disheartned with a dismall way which Abgarus had led theÌ„ to be of good cheere they should not come that way backe againe his meaning was they should returne a better but they take this as the sentence of death from their Generals mouth and so march on drouping in such dead silence to their miserable disastre as meÌ„ condemned doe to the place of â—â—ecution This speech of Crassus was worse taken then it was meant but many of like observation I could here alleage which ill meant by such as vttered them haue beene well interpreted by the parties whom they concern'd as the Apollonians solliciting aid of the Epidamnians against the Illyrians finally put off with this flowting answere VVee will send 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so was the river call'd which ranne by their Citie to your succour cheerefully accept the offer and take heart and courage at the very mention of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if Aiax who height so in Greeke had bin reviu'd to bee their leader And their confident hopes conceiu'd vpon the imaginarie conduct of such a noble Generall did by divine providence bring forth reall successe and vnexpected victory And so no doubt the faithfull Hebrewes as oft as they heard the Iewes call our Saviour in contempt Hanotzeri did interpret their speech otherwise then they meant it as S. Iohn did that of Caiaphas And this was the Evangelists meaning when hee saith our Saviour went to Nazareth that he might be knowne by this name vsed both by his followers and his enemies 19 Yet doe I no way reiect but most willingly embrace their interpretation of this place who thinke that speech of the Angell vnto Sampsons mother And he shall be a Nazarite from his birth was fulfilled of Christ who was the true Nazarite indeed Nor is this interpretation as most think incompatible with the former both are branches of the tree of life in both shine most glorious rayes of the divine providence would not men be more contradictious then their opinions For first it is a needlesse doubt moued by the one whether this Cities name in Hebrew were writteÌ„ with
he could haue done by his Almightie power but what in his wisdome was most fit and convenient for our redemption Now this wee say that by the eternall rules of equitie which God obserues in all his waies it was not onely convenient but necessarie though not for our instruction yet for our redemption sanctification that his sonne should be not only man but man made of a woman and our Apostle in saying thus saith a great deale more then if hee had said borne of a woman 9 Every man except the first man Adam is borne of a woman but no man besides the sonne of God by whom man and all things were made was made of a womā The mysteries contained in this manner of speech cannot bee duely valued or vnfolded without some explication of that peculiar reference which these words in the Apostles intent and meaning haue to the first creation of man and woman 10 And here I must intreat you of the weaker sexe to obserue with me that our Apostle aswell to put you in mind of that duty which you owe to your husbands as also to stirre vp your thankfulnesse towards God for your redemption still referres you to the maner of your mother Eues creation and transgression Two testimonies shall at this time suffice for the establishing of this truth both taken from our Apostles writings Of which the one best expounds the true force meaning of this phrase Made of a woman The other vnfolds the mysterie therein contained The former is 1. Cor. 11. v. 7. c. For a man indeed ought not to couer his head for asmuch as he is the image and glory of God but the woman is the glory of the man for the man is not of the woman but the woman of the man neither was the man created for the woman but the woman for the man Thus he deriues your subordination to your husbands from the first originall of your sexe this methode manner of instruction hee learned from our Saviour who resolued the difficultie proposed concerning divorce from the Canon or Institution of Matrimonie enacted by God with Adams consent and voice whilst Eue was formed Neverthelesse to qualifie and moderate this authoritie which the man by priority of creation hath over the womā the Apostle adds Neither is the man without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord for as the woman is of the man even so is the man also by the woman but all things of God The first woman then was made of the first man all men since haue come into the world by the woman but the sonne of God came not only by the woman but was made of the woman as the first woman was of the first man This great mystery was precisely fore told by the Prophet Ieremie though not so plainly as many at the first sight would obserue it The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth a woman shall compasse a man or the female shall inclose the male or man of strength It is called a new creation with reference to the first creation wherein the woman was inclosed in the man as here quite cōtrary the man is inclosed in the woman by the immediate hand of God conceau'd and borne without any concurrence of man as the first woman was brought forth out of the substance of man without the helpe or consort of a woman 11 The second place in our Apostles writings which truliest explicates the meaning of the mysterie contained here in my Text or in the place of Ieremie last cited and best sets forth the incomprehensible wisdome of Gods proceedings in the admirable worke of mans redemption is 1. Tim. 2.11 Let the woman learne in silence with all subiection but I suffer not a woman to teach nor to vsurpe authoritie over the man but to bee in silence Why is her vsurpation of authoritie over the mā so insufferable the reason in the next words is given in part from the order of her creation for Adam was first formed then Eue. This proues that she should haue beene vnder mans authoritie though neither he nor she had sinned But the principall reason why shee is put to silence especially in the Church is from the manner of her transgression in the verse following And Adam was not deceaved but the woman being deceaued was in the transgressiō Because she had boldly adventured to hold partly with the old serpent without her husbands leaue and contracted with so great danger to all mankind without his instructions because this done she tooke vpon her to be the serpents agent to bring over her husband whom shee was to counsell when her advice was demanded not to lead into the same combination therefore is this modestie and silence which the Apostle speakes of inioyned the whole sexe by way of punishmēt or at least to put them in minde of their mothers first transgression For Eues disease or surfeit of the forbidden fruit vntill God in his infinite wisdome found out a soveraigne remedie by the contrarie was more dangerous preiudicious to the whole sexe then Adams was to his sonnes This truth is included in the last clause of our Apostles discourse concerning this point 1. Tim. 2.15 Neverthelesse she shall be saued This adversatiue particle Neverthelesse supposeth a tacite obiection this or the like But is there no meanes left for Eues salvation as well as for Adams though she only were seduced by the serpent or shall not the woman which is in subiection be saued as wel as the man which hath authoritie over her Yes she shall be saued too but by what meanes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through child bearing but alasse what shall then become of the barren wombe or of her that beareth no children 12 Cornelius à lapide a late Iesuite would haue the paines of child birth to be in this place established as a Purgatorie without which this sexe could not enter into heauen Must then the excessiue or extraordinarie sufferings of some mothers supererrogate for other women that beare no children I shall not need to trouble my selfe with remouing this stone of offence which can stumble none but the daughters of the blind Church I will passe over it and proceed As this place of Timothie best expounds the words of my Text so may these words in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 best be expounded by another place in this Epistle wherein the Apostle discoursing of that promise of God to Abraham In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed excellently obserues what the matter circumstance of the text not the grammatical singularity of number doth necessarily inferre this is not spoken to his seed as of many but as of one and to thy seede which is Christ To comment therefore vpon St Paule by the analogie of his Comments vpon Moses hee saith not in this place the woman shall be saued through bearing of children as