lie hid in the dunghill and be in the world and the world know him not it pleased the Lord by many signes and tokens by many Prophesies and prefigurations to describe him plainely vnto all posterities that none might aledge Ignorance for an excuse of their wickednesse Therefore his starre was shewne vnto the wisemen of the East by the conduct whereof they came from the rising of the Sunne to the citty of Hierusalem to signifie that a new Sonne of Righteousnesse was risen in the Earth who by his bright resplendent beames should inlighten and delight euery one that commeth into the world many rare and prodigious things also were seene at that time euen amongst the Infidels and Heathen people declaring the Restauration of the world the Restitution of man the Solace of the Iewe the Saluation Redemption of all mankinde to be come into the world For as Orosius reporteh out of a certrine streete in Roome there sprung vp a fountaine of oyle which flowed most aboundantly for the space of a whole day and also which is worthy to be noted though the Romane Emperour had obtained the Scepter of the whole world and a generall peace was concluded so that the Temple Ianus was shut vp close a thing scarce euer seene before Yet Augustus forbad that any should call him Lord not without the wondering of all that heard it and about that time he set at liberty 30000. bond-slaues which had fled from their Lords being prouoked no doubt by the motion and Instinction of God himselfe These things did God ordaine to be done in the Imperiall citty euen in the citty of the Earths Emperour to declare vnto the world that the mediator of mankinde the Oyle of Gladnesse the Prince of peace was come into the world vnto whom the title of Lord is onely or most rightly to be attributed seeing he is the true deliuerer of miserable man the Vassall and Bond-slaue of Sinne flying from God from life and from Heauen vnto Hel vnto Death the seruice of the Diuel and restoreth him vnto his true Lord and Maister againe that so being freed from Sin and made the seruant of God hee might attaine vnto Liberty of the Angels in Heauen What neede I recite many Records hereof seeing God did point at him and distinctly name him the Angels came ministred vnto him millions of men did heare him see him the very diuels of Hell did acknowledge and confesse him But of all manifestations that is none of the obscurest that was shewne the very night of his Natiuity vnto the shepheards of Iurie which we haue chosen for the ground-worke of this booke and the foundation of our writing An History which will bring you like the Wisemens starre vnto the place of his Birth and an History which if you marke it wil vnfold vnto you the fruites of his Birth Feare not for behold I bring you tidings of great ioy which shal be vnto all People That is vnto you is borne this day in the Citty of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lord. These wordes are an Epitomy or short sum of the whole Booke of the new Testament cōtaining the long expected Tydings of mans happy saluation in Iesus Christ They were vttered as I saied vnto certaine shepheards of Iury Shepheards that were faithfully attending their flockes in the fields being the true Resemblance of gods spirituall pastors and faithfull ministers and that by an Angell sent as a solemne Embassadour from the Court of Heauen The summe of whose message was this That God considering the wretched estate of his woefull creatures and the damnable condition of the sons of Adam how they lay sweltring in their fathers goare how they stuck fast in the mire and clay and were not able to Recouer the tree of Life from which they had fallen but continued subiect vnto the Doome of damnation frō which by the Law there was no Redemption without satisfaction for their fathers transgression That therefore God of his mercy not vnmindefull of his promise that he had made vnto Adam That the seede of the Woman should breake the serpents Head Which also by an oth he had ratified vnto Abraham viz That in his seed all the Nations of the Earth shoulde bee blessed Had now sent his son from Heauen into earth to bring man frō earth into Heauen vnto him that by becōming Sin for Man though he knew no sinne that man might be made the righteousnesse of God in him And therefore that they needed not to feare the death damnation that was due vnto them for their Fathers transgressions but with Ioyfull harts should embrace the Life and Saluation that was comming vnto them by the sonne of Gods Incarnation in whom whosoeuer beleeued should not perish but haue life euerlasting Feare not for behold I bring you tidings of great Ioy which shal be vnto c. The words as you may see do generally containe an argument vnto encouragement and in it more perticularly I obserue these 3. partes First the encouragement it selfe in these words Fare not Secondly the reason of it for I bring you Tidings of Ioy. Thirdly the ioyfull tidings what it was in these words vnto you is borne this day in the Citty of Dauid c. And first of the first Feare not As the comfortablest comfort that Adam receiued in his Paradise of pleasure was the pleasant fruition of his Creators presence it being replenished with all ioyes and consolations So since his fall like a guilty malefactor he hath shunned nothing more then that his sight presence and therefore as soone as euer he heard his voyce in the garden hee presently sought a bush to hide his head thinking to flie from him from whom no man can flie but by flying vnto him So likewise all of his posterity being partakers of their fathers impurity haue shunned the fight of God as the Executioner of their eternall misery The Israelites had rather beene encountered by an hoste of the Philistines by whom they were in no other likely-hood but to be vtterly destroyed then to come into the presence or voyce of God by whom oftentimes they had beene most mightely protected And Sampsons wifes parents thought the sight of God so fearefull and deadly a thing that they halfe despaired of life when but an Angell appeered And so these simple shepheards were stroken downe amazed when the Glory of this God began to shine about them Thus sinfull Cain shaketh at euery shadow euery tree he thinketh a gallowes euery one that meeteth him he deemeth will massaker him yea euen his owne friendes he mistrusteth will kill him for he knoweth that stuble can not stand before the fire that darkenesse cannot continue when the light approacheth and that man must needes perish when as the God of Iustice is come in presence seeing man is as stuble and God a consuming fire seeing man is Darkenesse and God is a Light seeing man is wicked
body may be sayd to haue done it And whatsoeuer the body suffereth God may be sayd to haue suffred by reason of this coniunction The Angels surely were astonied heere at seeing him beneath themselues whom they did alwayes adore and worship aboue themselues The Cherubins which God commaunded to be placed at the two ends of the Arke of the couenant with their face being turned one towardes another and both looking on the mercyseate do signifie as much vnto vs as that they admyred and wondered to see a woorke of so great pietie viz. To see God made the propitiatory sacrifice of the worlde and to debase himselfe so low as to become a man But behold the prophecie as I may terme it of Adam fulfilled Man quoth he shall leaue father and mother and cleaue vnto his wife and they two shall be one fleshe Christ Iesus leaueth his Father and the Angelles in Heauen for to associate himselfe vnto his spouse in earth and as you haue heard she is bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh for they are no more two but one person And this beloued is tydings of great ioy for now according to the lawes of wedlocke we may assure our selues to haue all thinges in common with him so that he shall take vpon him our sins and transgressions as his owne and we again shall be partakers of his puritie and holinesse as our owne That our debts shall be required at his hands and we be saued harmles discharged of them which is all one with that which is sayd here that a Sauiour is born vnto vs. But this by the way wee must not now forget that it is our partes and duties to forget likewise our owne people and fathers house to abandon all strange loues and to admit none into the fellowship of that spirituall bedde but to cleaue onely vnto him to honor and obey him to reuerence and loue him to keepe our chastities vnspotted our soules and bodies pure and vndefiled for him And as our nature is one with his who so is heauenly and diuine so to liue an heauenly diuine life neither louing any thing that he lotheth or lothing any thing that he loueth but that his will be our will and his precepts our continuall practises As he hath ouercome Sinne in his owne person in being conceiued and liuing without Sinne so hath he deliuered vs also from the guilt therof by suffering the punishment for vs and imputing his Righteousnes vnto vs also in that he ouercame Sin it appeareth plainely that he hath vanquished death For death is but the stipend and wages of Sinne and as it were the effect and fruite of Sinne. For if man had auoyded the first he should surely haue escaped the latter for it was not the corruption of our bodies that made our soules sinfull but the Sinne of our Soules that made our bodies corruptible And therfore if the fountaine be drie the brookes must needs be drie If the cause be taken away the effects must of necessity follow as if the Sunne be darke the Moone and the Starres can giue no light death a great while amazed al mankind I speake of the eternall and neuer-dying death of which Gregory speaking faith Mors erit immortalis defectus indeficiens finis infinitus vnto which belongeth the worm that neuer dieth when a man shall be alwayes dying and neuer dead euerlastingly hauing an end and yet no end stil decaying and neuer decayed Because his end euer beginneth his death euer liueth and his decay neuer ceaseth From which by the Law there was no Redemption which would haue brought into eternall subiection all creatures whatsoeuer if this Sauiour and deliuerer had not bin born vnto vs so that euery soule like the mothers in Ramaâ— might haue iustly sighed forth those dolefull dirges of weeping mourning and lamentation and with Iob haue cursed the dayes of their Natiuity by reason of the torments and tortures of the dead But as the Asse called Cumanus asmus getting vp and downe in a Lions skin did for a while terrifie his maister but afterward being descried did do him no good seruice So death which sometimes made afraid the wisemen of the world by his skin or sting of Eternity Nowe since our Sauiour hath bereaued him thereof seemeth contemptible euen vnto Children so that they dare boldly goe vnto it for they know it shall benifite them very much for if they be oppressed with any miseries or calamities in this life when they shall come to death they shall be discharged and death as an Asse shall beare their burdens for them yea they know that death vnto them shall bee no death but an entrance into euerlasting life and therefore they feare not God is the life of the soule as the Soule is of the bodie by sinning voluntarily the Soule lost God hir life therefore she can not now at hir pleasure giue life She would not be gouerned of God therefore now she can not gouerne the body Hauing not obeyed hir superiour why should she command hir inferiour God found his creature rebellious against him The Soule was found a transgressor of Gods law now therefore she findeth a law in hir members repugning the law of hir mind Sinne separated betwixt God and hir therefore death doth seperate betwixt hir and the body The Soule could not be diuided from God but by sin neither can the body from the Soule but by death what iniury therfore suffred she if she suffered that of hir subiect which she committed hir self against hir prince Nothing surely was more agreeable vnto Iustice then that death should be rewarded with death spirituall with corporall and voluntary with necessary Whenas man therfore had deserued according to either nature to suffer this double death the one spirituall and voluntary the other corporall and necessary from either of them the man-god Christ Iesus most mightily hath deliuered vs by his owne corporall and voluntary death and in that one of his hath satisfied for both of ours If he had not died corporally he had not paid our debt and if he had not died voluntarily his death had not bin meritorious But now if as it is said the merit of death is sinne and the woges of sinne is death Christ remitting and forgiuing our sinne and dying for sinners the merit is abolished the debt is discharged But how shall we knowe that Christ can forgiue vs our sinnes euen by this in that he is God But how shall wee knowe that hee is God his miracles doe prooue it for he doth the works which no no man else can doe yea God himselfe from heauen hath confirmed the same Therefore if Christ be for vs who is against vs If Iesus iustifie vs who shall condemne vs It is he and no other to whom we confesse our sins saying Against thee onely haue I sinned c. Who could better nay who could at all forgiue vs that which was committed against
him Or how can he not do this which can do all things In a word if I can pardon that which is committed against me if I will shal not God our Christ be able to forgiue that which is committed against him if he wil If therefore hee can forgiue and pardon our sinnes both because hee is omnipotent and onely can because they are onely done against him Surely blessed is the man to whom this Lord Christ will not impute sinne Therefore we know that Christ by the power of his diuinity is able to forgiue sins now of his will who need to doubt For hee that debased him selfe so much as to take our flesh vpon him and to suffer death for vs shall we thinke that he will not imparte vnto vs his righteousnes surely yes so that as it is euident by the consideration of his deitie that he is able to forgiue our sinnes so it is manifest by the consideration of his Humanity that he is willing so to do But what other argument haue we that he hath vanquished death marry this because hee suffered it which did not deserue it And therefore with what reason can that bee required of vs which an other hath already paid for vs hee that tooke away the merrit of sinne by giuing his righteousnes vnto vs hee hath paid the debt of death and restored life vnto vs for so death being vanquished life is restored as sinne being taken away righteousnes is returned But how could he die which was God Euen in this respect that hee was man But how could the death of one man satisfie for an other because he was Iust and Innocent that died As he was a man he might die but being guiltlesse it was not necessary Indeed a sinner is not able to satisfie the debt of death for an other sinner for euery one dieth for his owne sinne but he that hath no cause to die for his owne shall we not thinke his death may be a ransome for an other Surely by how much the more vniustly hee dieth which hath not deserued death by so much the more iustly he liueth for whom he so dieth But what equity is it saist thou that an innocent person should die for the guilty I tell thee it is not Iustice but mercy if it should haue bin Iustice then he had not died voluntarily but of duty if of duty then he himselfe should die indeed yet he for whom he so died should not liue But neuerthelesse if it be not Iustice yet it is not against iustice otherwise God could not haue bin iust and mercifull at once But although one iust man may satisfie for one sinner yet howe is it that one may satisfie for many for it might seeme inough if one dying for one do restore Life vnto one To this the Apostle shall answere As by the offence of one the fault came on all men to the Condemnation of death So by the Righteousnes of one the benefit abounded towards all men to the iustification of Life For as by one mans disobedience many were made Sinners So by the Obedience of one many are become Righteous But perhaps one man might restore Righteousnes vnto many but Life not so By one man saith he death entered into the world and so by one is Life regayned For as by Adam all die so by Christ shall all be made aliue For what shal one man sinne and all become guilty and shall the Righteousnes of one redownd but to one only was gods Iustice such as to condemne al for one and cannot his mercy be as great as to saue all by one Or could Adam do more in euill then Christ in good Shall Adams Sin be imputed vnto me and shall not Christes righteousnes belong vnto me Shall his disobedience be the cause of my Death and shal not Christs obedience restore me to life but thou wilt say we are worthely guilty of Adams Sinne because we were contained in him when he sinned and were begotten of his flesh in the sinfull Lust of the Flesh But I say more truly are we begotten of god according to the spirit then of Adam according to the flesh I meane if we are of the number of those whom God hath predestinated before the creation of the world vnto Life And that we are begotten of god S. Iohn witnesseth where he saith Which were not begotten of blood nor after the will of the Flesh nor of Man but of God And in one of his Epistles he likewise maketh mention of this holy generation saying He that is borne of God sinneth not But thou wilt say our carnall concupiscence and sinne testifieth that we haue descended of sinners according to the flesh and not of God I answere this generation or birth is not seene in the flesh but in the spirit and minde and that of those onely that can say with the Apostle we haue the minde of the Lord and who haue the spirit bearing witnesse to their spirits that they are the sonnes of God for by the spirit of God chastitie is infused into our mindes as by the flesh which is of Adam concupiscence is diffused about in our members and as that which is descended vnto vs from the parents of our bodies doth neuer depart in this life from the flesh so the other proceeding from the father of our spirits is neuer excident from the intention of the mindes of his children that are perfected in him If then we are borne of God and elected in Christ what equity is it that our earthly and humane generation should hurt vs more then our spirituall and heauenly is able to helpe vs Can our carnall succession hinder the election of God and a momentary sinne be a let vnto his eternall and euerlasting purpose Nay if by one man death entered vpon all shall not life by one man especially such a man as Christ be giuen vnto all And if in Adam wee all died shall we not much more in Christ be made aliue for the fault was nothing so much as the gift for iudgement came for one sinne vnto condemnation but grace was of many sinnes vnto iustification Christ therefore both could remit our sinnes in that he was God die in that he was man and by dying deliuer vs from death in that he was iust and though but one yet be sufficient vnto iustification and life for all because both sinne and also death did enter into vs all by one Thus all of Christ was powerfull to helpe vs in euery thing he was profitable for vs neither was his infirmity lesse auaileable then his maiestie for although by the power of his deitie hee remoued the yoke of sinne from our neckes yet in the infirmity of his flesh he destroyed the power of death by his death And therefore true is that of the Apostle the weakenesse of God is strongest vnto men for his death hath freed vs from death as his life did from errour and his grace from sinne
three sorts of officers viz. Kings Priests and Prophets whereby he did signifie that by the hand of this King he would gouerne and defend his people in the person of this Priest bee called vpon and worshipped and by the mouth of this Prophet declare his wil and pleasure vnto the people Vnto all these Offices was our Sauiour annointed not with materiall or visible oyle but with the oyle of gladnes wherewith Dauid Prophesied hee should be annointed aboue his fellowes Neither beareth he these names and titles in vaine but also hee executeth the Offices belonging thereunto For first he hath deliuered vs like a King from the power of our enemies and hath made vs free-men with the Angels in heauen yea he hath giuen vs Lawes and Statutes to obserue which whoso keepeth shall liue in them blessing also them that serue him and damning such as rebell against him Therefore in that we heare our Sauiour is annointed our King to rule ouer vs wee haue no little cause to reioyce in that we may be assured that the kingdome of darknesse which our aduersarie the diuell had begun to erect and stablish in vs shall nowe bee ruinated and pluckt downe In stead whereof Christ wil establish his heauenly kingdome which is iustice peace and ioy of the holy ghost also that he shall bridle with his might and bruise with his rod of iron not onely wicked and diuelish men but also the diuel himselfe and al his Angels which go about to hinder the increase of his glory or our health and saluation Secondarily in that he is annointed our Priest we haue this comfort giuen vnto vs that we haue one that will sacrifice continually like good Iob for his children and make intercession for vs. The office of the Priest in the time of the Lawe was to pray for the people to blesse them to sacrifice for them to consecrate and sanctifie them according to the commandement This was a great comfort in those dayes vnto the afflicted consciences of distressed sinners groaning and groueling vnder the heauy burden of their manifold transgressions to haue a Priest to pray for them and to reconcile them vnto the fauour of God whom by their sinnes and iniquities they had prouoked vnto anger Sithens then that we heare that Christ is annointed our Priest we may assure our selues that hee is tied to the selfe same Offices but indeed to so much more excellent then these as he hath obtained a more excellent Priesthood The Priest after the order of Aron serued in the corruptible and figuratiue Tabernacle but our Priest is taken vp into the true Tabernacle heauen it selfe where he sacrificeth for all the saints and seruants of God there he maketh intercession for vs for hee ascended thither that he might follow all our suites faithfully and earnestly He blesseth vs also in that he was made a curse for vs he sacrificeth for vs in that he offered vp himselfe a sacrifice once for all for the sinnes of the whole world lastly he sanctifieth and consecrateth his Catholike church renewing hir minde and washing hir in the fountain of regeneration by the word that she may be holy euen as he is holy Seeing then he is anointed of God to sacrifice and make intercession for vs to blesse consecrate and sanctifie vs and to reconcile vs againe into the fauour of Almighty god that we may now without feare approach vnto him what a ioyfull thing is this that our Sauiour is a Priest Lastly in that he was annointed to bee a prophet vnto vs we may reioyce and bee glad therein because we shall truely vnderstand know the will and pleasure of our God seeing the Sonne of god himselfe who is one with his father to whom the eternall will and counsell of God is manifest and open is annointed and appointed to declare it vnto vs. And thus much of the Ioy which a sinner may receiue when he vnderstandeth that his Sauiour is Christ Thus beloued haue I acquainted you with the particularities of Ioy that occurre vnto vs in the message of the Angel what remaineth now but that you should sing psalmes of praise and thanksegiuing vnto god who hath sent these ioyfull Tidings vnto vs Seeing he hath so gratiously regarded the low estate of vs his poore Creatures as that he hath not spared his owne sonne to saue vs. Vnto which sonne if ye runne with penitent and contrite harts though ye be neuer so heauy loaden he will ease and refresh you You know that in Adam ye were al alients from the house of God but you heard how that in Christ ye are brought home vnto the bishop and shepheard of your soules you did walke in darkenesse but Christ is come to giue you light you haue mourned for your sinnes but a Sauiour is come to make you glad you haue bin poore but Christ is come with all the Treasures of the Trinity to make you rich You haue sorowed for beeing shut out of Paradise but now Reioyce in that more then in any thing else For as far as Adam being in Paradise did exceed vs in temporall blessings so far do we out of Paradise exceed Adam in spirituall benedictions for though we were condemned to death for the tree of knowledge yet Christ is come that by the tree of his Crosse wee might haue life and that wee might haue it more aboundantly more aboundantly what is that that aboundantly we might haue more life by the Crosse of Christ then euer we had or could haue had by the tree of life that aboundantly wee might gaine more by the obedience of Christ in his death then euer wee lost or could loose by the disobedience of Adam in his life and therefore though the sinne of Adam was so heinous and horrible that it cast the Image of God out of Paradise that it polluted all the race of mankinde that it condemned the whole world that it defaced the very frame of heauen it selfe yet nowe considering the sequele how not onely the guilt of sinne but also the very memory of it is abolished by the comming of Christ we may not be afraid to say with S. Gregory O faelix culpa quae talem ac tantum meruit habere redemptorem O happy man was Adam that euer he so sinned and transgressed against God seeing both he and all we haue found such plentiful redemption such inestimable mercy such superaboundant grace such felicity such eternity such life by one Sauiour Wherefore deere Christian whatsoeuer thou art feare not any more as a man without hope but let thy spirit reioyce in God thy Sauiour Doe thy sinnes greeue thee and the punishment due vnto them terrifie thy conscience Why behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sinnes of the whole world art thou stung with the old serpent Sathan Looke then on the brasen serpent Christ who healeth the sting of the other art thou hungry Christ is borne the bread of life of which whoso eateth shall
that beleeued in him which were not borne of water and bloud but of the spirit of God And so by all we may vnderstand the kinds of people as a learned father saith Non pro singulis generum sed pro generibus singulorum c. Christ died not for all of euery kinde but for the kinde of all euen for those that were of his Church and beleeued in him And in this respect saith Augustine let euery one wipe his teares from his eyes and bannish feares from his heart that doth beeleeue in this Sauiour that is sent Art thou a sinner saith he Reioyce now because a pardon is sent from the Iudge vnto thee Art thou a Gentill Reioice now because thou shalt receiue saluation with the Iewes hast thou bin a stranger from God and an Aliant from his couenant be glad now because thou mayest be ingrafted into his Body And in an other place he saith Reioyce ye Iust because it is the Birthday of your Iustifier Reioyce ye feeble and sicke because it is the Birthday of your spirituall Phisition Reioyce ye that liue in captiuity because it is the Birthday of your Deliuerer Reioyce ye seruants because it is the Birthday of your Lord Reioyce ye freemen in heauen because it is the Birthday of him that did set you free Reioyce all Christians because it is the Birth-day of Christ and to be short Reioyce all people because it is the Birthday of the Sauiour of all people If any man haue cause to feare or be sorrowfull still this is the cause that though Light came into the world yet he loued Darknesse more then the Light because his works should be euill And thus much of the reason of the comfort why they should not feare now to the Tidings of Ioy it selfe Vnto you is borne this day in the Citty of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lord. Wherein wee will note first the Person who was borne Secondly the Person of whom he was borne Thirdly when Fourthly where and Fiftly for what cause he was borne In the beginning of this Treatise you heard in part of the misery of Adam after his fall that whereas he had bin placed in Paradise a garden of pleasure inioying the sight and presence of God his state was comparable euen to the Angels of Heauen for though he were subiect vnto God his Creator yet was he Soueraigne ouer all his Creatures his labour was rest and his rest might haue bin continuall his paine was pleasure and his pleasure might haue bin eternall he had health without danger of sicknesse and life without feare of death the flesh and the spirit neuer striued the body obeyed the soule and the soule gouerned the body In a word neither hell nor graue death nor diuell could so much as touch or trouble him so standing as God had appointed But when he presumed to taste of that fruite that onely was forbidden him presently the case was cleane altered so that in stead of life he heard that fearefull sentence Thou shalt die the Death Then was the Earth accursed for his sake and he was thrust out of Paradise in the entrance whereof God set the Cherubines with the blade of a sword shaking to keepe the way of the tree of life so that he was faine to betake himselfe to this miserable and wretched world the kingdome of the Serpent whither could he now goe but he should meete with a curse seeing all things were accursed What might he do but lie sweating in the miserable and pittifull pangs of desperation What comfort might hee finde in his wife or his wife in him but teares and torments sorrowes and sighes crying and howling weeping and wailing groaning and gnashing of teeth Beeing so clogged with the intollerable burden of their sinnes so ouerwhelmed with the bloody floudes of Gods vengeance so pittifully and plentifully powred out vpon them now they perceiue the wages of their sinne to be death and damnation now they pine away for hunger and would be glad of the worst and sowrest apple in all Paradise now they thirst like the Hart after the water of those sweet running Riuers now they feele the want of Gods presence and amiable countenance they perceiue the Serpent to be busie about their heeles most greedily sucking their blood neither can they both finde out the meanes to shake him off or bruise his head therefore they sit like two children hauing by misfortune slaine their deere and louing father weeping and howling the one to the other they had slaine the Image of their heauenly father they had poisoned their soules with an Apple which the venemous serpent had spit vpon they feele the worme of a guilty conscience lie gnawing their bowells and all Creatures disobeyed them and rebelled against them in that they had shewed themselues disobedient rebells against their Lord and Creator But what followed The mercifull and louing Lord when we stood at this point and in a maner at defiance with him although he saw that the imaginations of mans heart would be euill and that he would alwayes beare a stiffe stomacke against him and his holy will yet did he not vtterly cast vs off but blessed O blessed be his name therefore hee hath shewne vs a glad and cheerefull countenance it greeued him that we had deserued his wrath but it would haue greeued him much more if that we had died the deserued death therefore that Iustice might haue his course and his mercy neuerthelesse might be seene ouer all his workes he was content to send the Diadem of his deitie that precious pearle his owne glory in whom was all his delight his onely begotten his best beloued Sonne euen him before whom the 24. Elders threwe downe their Crownes humbly whom the Angels magnified and all the hoast of heauen worshipped continually and to this end that he might bee borne of sinfull flesh that it being defiled with sinne might be cleansed by the seede of righteousnesse to be hungry for materiall bread that our hungry soules might be fed with the bread of life to be polluted with our spitle that we might be cleansed by his spirit to be condemned to death by vs that we might attaine vnto life by him to bee crowned with a crowne of thornes that we might be crowned with crownes of glory to sustaine our sorrowes that we might attaine his ioyes and in a word to be borne in misery to liue in beggery and to die with ignominy for his cradle was a cratch his life crossed and his kind of death accursed that mankind might be blessed but of this hereafter The person of whom he was born is most distinctly expressed and expresly designed in Luke both with the name of hir espoused Husband the Citty she dwelt in the linage and Tribe she came of and the messenger that was sent from god vnto hir All which I thinke was not superuacaniously or in vaine set downe seeing that neither a leafe from the tree nor
which the spirit of wisedome so curiously hath expressed Sub sordido palliolo lateat sapientia Vnder a patched coate may lurke wisedome and vnder a plaine stile may mystically be contained most learned institutions so that not onely the deep Ocean sea is to bee sounded but also the shallow foords of Meander are diligently to be considered Neither do I thinke it haphazard that Christ was borne in a stable for such is the place that the Euangelists affirme that he was born in but that it was appointed by God for speciall reasons long before who doth nothing rashly but hath a reason of all his actions Ye heard before how honorable was the condition of Adam in his Innocencie being like vnto God and created in his Image But the Psalmist witnesseth man being in honor and wanting vnderstanding he was compared vnto the Beasts that perish and in natural affections became indeed a very beast and for his beastly similitude and resemblāce stood tied as it were at the manger to receiue the fodder of beasts A strange alteration beloued that he that was the possessor of Paradise the lord of the whole earth the houshold seruāt of the god of saboth the brother of the blessed and celestiall spirits and the perfect Image of the holy Trinity should so degenerate from his kinde as to become so lowe and base as a Beast But marke heere and consider the proceedings of god for whereas man being become a beast had left the Heauenly bread of Life delighting more in the fodder of Beastes Behold now that bread of Life is turned into Flesh nay into grasse which is the food of Beasts for all flesh is grasse and lieth in a racke or manger to be eaten and chewed of vs beasts Therfore let the Oxe now know his own and the Asse his masters crib Let them drawe neere to him in the stable whom they fled from in the garden Let them honor him in the manger whom they contemned in his maiesty and let them feede on him beeing grasse whom they loathed when he was bread yea let them with an eager and liuely faith ruminate and chew vpon him that they may be nourished and grow vp by him He must be receiued by Hearing chewed by Vnderstanding and disiested by beleeuing or as an other saith The eating of his flesh is a certaine hunger and desire to be incorporated into him And indeed as our sauiour sayth He that eateth the flesh of the sonne of man c. shall liue for euer A Sauiour But wherefore did Christ so debase himselfe Euen that he might be a Sauior vnto vs that he might drawe vs vnto him with the ropes of man and with the cords of his loue as Ose speaketh And therfore he leaueth no meanes vntried to bring vs vnto him no not though they be neuer so base as to be borne in a Stable There is none of vs that liue in this region of death in the infirmities of the flesh and amidst the Temptations that are commonly offered but hath need of Counsell of Help and of comfort for we are Faciles ad seducendum debiles ad operandum fragiles ad resistendum if we would discerne betwixt good and euill we are easily deceiued If we trie to do good we are quickly tyred And if we are tempted we are sudenly subdued Therfore to enlighten our blindnes to help our weaknes and to defend our frailnesse Christ was borne vnto vs. Therefore Feare not For if he be in vs who shall deceiue vs If hee bee with vs what can we not do in him that strengthneth vs If he stand for vs what need we care who be against vs seeing he is the faithful Counseller which can neither deceiue nor be deceiued seeing he is the Almightie God which is neuer wearied seeing he is the strong man that bindeth Sathan breaketh the Serpents Head and is neuer vanquished Wherefore Feare not O Adam neither flie any longer Runne not in to the bushes from the sight of thy Maker for behold hee hath sent thee this day a Sauiour Once thou wast persuaded by the serpēt to sin against God and being taken in the fact thou hadst reason to feare Yea perhaps he brandished his fiery sword against thee but now it is not so He commeth not with weapons to punish but with mercy to preserue If thou saist thou heardst his voice and therefore fledst why he is an Infant and without any voyce and if he haue a voyce it is a voyce more to be pitied then feared Yea in this thou shalt know that he is come to saue thee and not destroy thee in that he fighteth for thee against such as rose against thee Thou hadst but two enemies Sinne and Death the death of the body and the death of the soule hee commeth to destroy either and to saue thee from both therefore feare not he destroyed sinne in his owne person when hee tooke mans flesh vpon him without any pollution For great was the violence that was offered vnto sinne when humane nature which was alwayes before as it were in a leprosie was found in Christ as white as snowe therefore I hope yea I am assured that he can plucke out the beame in mine eye which hath neuer a moate in his owne that he may satisfie for my sinne which was neuer defiled himselfe with any I reade of two that were called Iesus that is Sauiour who as they went before this that we speake of so I thinke they were tipes and prefigurations of him One of which brought the people out of Babilon the other brought them into Canaan both defended them from their enemies but neither saued them from their sinnes But this deliuereth vs from our sinnes bringeth vs out of bondage and placeth vs as kings in the land of the liuing Sinne had made a separation of the bodie from the soule and the soule from the bodie of both from God but Iesus hath brought them all together again yea in a far neerer coniunction then euer before For now they that were at mutual variance are now reconciled frends Yea and so reconciled that as in the blessed Deity there is a trinitie in persons but an vnitie in substance Euen so in this happy reconciliation there is a Trinitie in substance but an Vnitie in the persons And as there the Triplicitie of persons doth not breake the vnity nor the simplicitie of the vnitie doth not diminish the trinitie So heere in like manner the persons doth not confound the substances nor the substances doe hinder the vnitie of the person for the word the Soule and flesh are become one person and these three are one and this one thing is three not by confusion of the substances but by the vnitie of the person O wonderfull and superexcellent vnion who euer heard that things so diuerse should so meete together as to be one person yea soone person that whatsoeuer God may be sayde to haue done in the body the