a higher beginning In aeterno principio aeternitatis in the eternall beginning of eternity you must give me leave is sometimes I speak in unusuall termes when neither the words nor apprehension of man can otherwise serve to express or conceive the mysterie And to what can the regeneration or new birth of man be better resembled or compared then to the creation See then how they agree and concur together After the creation of the heaven and the earth and the confused masse of the waters the first thing created for ornament and beauty was light Gen 1. 3 Light is but an accident and must presuppose a substance and though it be light yet in respect of the substance it is in effect but a shadow Saint John therefore doth better express this light together with the fountain of this light in the fourth verse of this Chapter speaking of the Word In him was life and the life was the light of men and as in the creation before this light was created the state of the world is described by Moses Gen. 1. 2. And darkness was upon the face of the deep which is most truly explicated by Saint John in the 5th verse of this Chapter The light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not this darkness betokeneth the state of sin the death of sin as Adam soon after his creation committed sin whereupon followed the sentence of death And out of this death of sin it was the great mercy of God that man should be awakened and that by degrees first with the sound and noyse of the law which came with Thunder and Lightning to strike terror into man as the bellowing of beasts designed for slaughter and sacrifice might shew them their own condition for death is the wages of sin and thus far Moses proceeds Man being now rowsed a little awakened with this great sound of the Law trembling and fearing he listens and finds that this sound becomes a voice Vox hominē sonat the voice betokens a man and here after the great terror and threatnings of the law he begins to conceive hope that he may find bowels of compassion and then expects mercy and pity This was the office of Saint John Baptist whose time was an interregnum between the Law and the Gospel and who was Vox clamantis in deserto the voyce of a cryer in the wilderness described by S. John in the 6th verse of this Chapter Hitherto we have heard the sound of the law and the voice of a Cryer but all this will not suffice to discover the secrets and mysteries of God we must then listen and we shall find that this voyce doth tend and end in a word and that this word may be fitted to mans capacity it is necessary that this word be made flesh Verbum caro and in him should dwell all the treasures of Gods wisdom And as this word was of an extraordinary condition so it is necessary that there should be tongues of an extraordinary nature and form fit to express this word Linguas attulit qui pro verbo venit and this was the holy Ghost who came down in the form of fiery cloven tongues to testifie of this word and here you have the full hight and perfection of the state of grace and this is the scope and the object of Saint John which is implyed in his name for it signifies the grace of God So that Moses comes as far short of Saint John as time doth of eternity and in other respects especially for the object Saint John as far exceeds Moses as the fruit doth the blossom or the substance the type or the body the shadow Moses by a propheticall spirit and speciall illumination describes the creation of the world and the making of man and so descends downwards and writes only the History of his own time but our Apostle transcends and as he begins with the eternity of Christ so in the Revelations he prophesies of the Church even to the worlds ends and after the dissolution of this world then to remain glorious for all eternity And as they had several ends so they proceeded severall ways Moses according to the office of a Law-giver sets down many judgements of God upon the committing of the first sin as the sentence of death the expulsion out of Paradise the murder of Abel the vengeance upon Cain the deluge the confusion of tongues the burning of Sodom the captivity of Egypt besides the heavy yoak of Gods own law that they should begin with circumcision the shedding of bloud that they should be so many in number commanded with such strict observances with such severe punishment and notwithstanding all this yet could he not so much prevaile as to bring the Israelites into the land of promise But our Apostle Saint John according to the nature of an Evangelist in every page brings many tokens signes and assurances of Gods mercy and goodness they are so many that I will not reckon them and as upon the creation man committed sinne so in our regeneration he that knew no sin became a sacrifice for sin Mans nakednesse did then appear but now he is clothed with Christs righteousness Paradise was then lost but now he recovers a better inheritance and that it might appear how in every point and parcell a full restitution should be made as in Paradise there was the tree of life and pleasant fountains and waters so the like are described in the heavenly Jerusalem as Paradise was kept shut by an Angell with a fiery sword so on the contrary the heavenly Jerusalem hath many doores all standing wide open there is free entrance none are excluded as you may read in the latter end of the Apocalypse besides those frequent and daily works of mercy practised by Christ whose custome was deambulare benefaciendo he had no other imployment but onely to doe works of mercy curing all manner of diseases feeding many thousands raising the dead blessing sanctifying and teaching men in the wayes of salvation and to reckon them up in particular were endless onely I conclude with our Apostle in the last words of his Gospell where he confesseth that the world would not contain the bookes that might be written of Christs Acts. Thus our Apostle doth every way inclose and incompass Moses and so far doth the last Evangelist exceed the first Law-giver both in the object whereof they treat for the world was created of nothing but the word was begotten in the understanding of God not six thousand years are yet past since the world was created but the word was begotten from all eternity so Moses ends with his own time but our Apostle proceeds to the eternity of the Church by comparing the first pen-man of Scripture with the last it is memorable to consider the difference between the beginning of Scripture and the end of Scripture between Genesis and the Apocalipse for it
grave surely the Sun and the Moon which cause the day and night must needs testifie the truth of his death and himself for many yeers after might assure us of his rising again Hereunto you may adde the manner of his own death what speed was made how was the course of Justice precipitated that in one morning he should be Apprehended Accused Examined Whipped Scourged Condemned Exposed to all Contempts with his Crown of Thorns carry his own Cross and at noone be crucified that there he should be nayled for the space of three houres and though his enemies had no power to break his bones according to the prophesie as they did the malefactors yet what was more for that life did not consist in the breaking of bones they gave him a wound through the side into the heart as may appear because there issued forth Bloud and Water which are not so usually found in the body but only in the parts nearest the heart for that the excessive heat there dissolves the bloud into the first elements and thence you have water and this water makes recompence by cooling and refreshing the heat so by a providence they mutually help each other and this bloud and water did serve for the institution of our Sacraments Being dead he was buryed in a new Sepulcher as he was conceived in a Virgins wombe lest they might say that some other dead body had risen a great Stone was rowled over the Sepulcher because himself had prophesied that he would rise again the third day watch and ward was kept about the Sepulcher as to prevent his Disciples from coming thither to steal away his body so if it had been pâ—…ssible to hinder his resurrection but being risen again he did converse with his Dâ—…sciples for forty dayes and then by his own power he ascended up in o heaven in the sight of many thousands and because the eyes of men might faile and that some might 〈◊〉 that his ascension was onely out of sight and no further therefore â—…he Aâ—…gels came down to testifie the truth of his ascension into heaven and according to Christs command the Apostles continued at Jerusalem there to receive the Holy Ghost who at the day and appointed time came down in a miraculous manner in fiery cloven Tongues and wrought wonderful effects upon the Apostles not onely in their inward sanctifying their gift of Tongues and power of working Miracles all foretold that as before his birth there were many preparatives for his coming so afâ—…er his death the subsequent signs and wonders might give testimony to the forerunning Miracles and the truth of the Doctrine confirmed by them Now at length to draw to a period as S. John begins his Gospel with the eternal generation of Christ wherein is implied the great mystery of the Trinity so my self having shewed the doctrine of the Church and having a little expressed the mystery and thereby giving satisfaction to mans natural reason though reason could not comprehend it and having in the last place produced many miracles above natural power to confirm mysterie above natural knowledg As I began with the begining of S. John so I will end with the conclusion of S. Johns Gospel as you shall finde in his last Chapter the last verse the words are these And there are also many other things which Jesus did the which if they should be written every one I suppose that even the world it self could not contaiâ—… the books that should be written Some may conceive this speech to be a figure or metaphor of an high transcendent quality but I suppose it may be exactly and literally understood in this sense that seeing the narural world is but a book and that in every creature or rather in every punctilio of the creature as in every letter word and syllable we reade Gods Wisdom Mercy Power Providence c. If hereunto you will adde Christs Miracles which were above Nature and did presuppose Nature as being done in natural bodies and though not offering violence to Nature yet being far above the reach and power of Nature and therefore therein Nature did seem to suffer Seeing this supernatural power is much above Nature surely it may be truly said That the natural world cannot contain those books which might be written of Christs supernatural power for they include Nature they exceed Nature they are over and above Nature and therefore something must remain which the natural world cannot contain And this shall serve to have spoken of the great mystery of the most holy blessed and undivided Trinity Thus I hope in God I have given satisfaction to mans Reasonâ—… in this great Mystery of the Trinity that God never did nor could subsist one minute without the knowledge of himself and love of himself which being the acts and exercise of his Understanding and his Will being inward and in the Deity and from all eternity they can â—…e no less then God himself for there is no accident in God there is nothing in God but God Yet these being produced by the Understanding and the Will needs they must have such a difference between themselves as to make several persons in the Deity which is not so with the rest of Gods Attributes for they look outwardly upon his works and therefore onely produce the creatures And though the blessed Trinity do infinitely exceed mans capacity yet doth it no more exceed then all the rest of Gods Attributes do for they are all above reason beyond reason and infinitely transcending reason but no way contrary to reason and therefore they are the objects of our faith in respect of Gods knowledge revealed and they are the objects of our admiration in respect of our own natural ignorance And so to conclude Persons being supposed in the Deity here is one step and degree towards the Incarnation for now we may with more confidence lay hold on a Person in the Deity and cloth him with our nature and our flesh Sanctae individuae Trinitati sit omnis honor gloria Amen The Wonderful Incarnation AFter the blessed Trinity I now come to the wonderful Incarnation where I shall likewise speak some things by way of Introduction And here I must first enter a caveat or a solemn protestation Though I do examine these mysteries by natural Reason I confess they are far transcending Reason above Reason beyond the reach of Reason yet are they no way contrary to Reason nor opposite to Gods Attributes or Actions whereby they might seem improbable much less impossible for I confess that Reason is so powerful in man that it serves him for his guide and conductor as in his natural and civil actions so partly in his Religion for all the Moral Law which is a great part of Religion is much squared out by natural Reason and it serves as a ground-work or foundation whereupon Religion is built and which makes a man capable of Religion for if he
name of John which signifies the grace of God and points out the proper time of the Gospel But if you look to the totall abrogation of the Law as it was intimated in the dumbness of Zacharias when he was sacrificing so not the Priest alone but the Temple it self did suffer in the passion of Christ for the vayle of the Temple was rent as if God were then dissolving and pulling down his own Temple with an intent no longer to inhabite there and so the Temple was afterward destroyed by Titus As he forsook his Leviticall Priests by degrees though formerly he had committed his Laws and his doctrin to their custody for upon the Birth of Christ they were able to direct Herod to the place of his birth but they had not the grace to go to adore him so herein they were only defective Mat 2. then in the next place Know you not that it is expediâ—…nt that one should die for the people S. John the 11â— here God gave them power to speak truth but God suffered them through their own malice to erre not understanding their own truth but in the last place they sought false witnesse against Christ Mat. 26. here was malice ignorance and perjury and as there was renouncing of God in words so in deeds because Christ made himself what indeed he was the son of God therefore they cryed Crucifie him crucifie him and here was Deicidâ—…m the greatest of all the sins of the world so far forth as it lay in their power they did murther God Thus they fell by degrees together with their Law and their Temple yet no doubt but God had many servants who then were in the state of Salvation for here is the difference between the Synagogue and the Church many were saved out of the Synagogue as the Ninevites but the Church is the mother of all the faithfull and without the Church there is no hope of Salvation the reason hereof I conceive to be because the Synagogue was hedged in within the bounds of Palestina but the Church is Catholick over the face of the whole world So they are in excusable who do not adhere to the Church All this I write to the Jews that seeing the whole Law was referred to Christ all their sacrifices directed to Christ all their prophets prophesiing of Christ many types and figures of Christ and all due preparations for his entertainment surely this must needs argue the Godhead of Christ for here was a worship onely proper to God Or if we look not to the service of God then take Gods Judgements upon the Jews they are become slaves and vassâ—…ls to all Nations I never heard that any of them had so much as a Seigniory though certain it is that they are the most expert and skilful Merchants in the world and the richest a wonder it is but some of them should intend a Plantation and erect a Government I do likewise conceive them to be the best Physicians in the world not onely because their Ancestors lived in the East Countreys where the best drugges and simples are and so they were better acquainted with their virtues and operations by the daily experience of them and certainly they did leave the knowledge of them by tradition to their successors which they keep secret among themselves while throughout the whole world they are become slaves and vagabonds ever since the passion of Christ even as Cain was upon the murder of Abel that now in the whole world they have not one place for sacrifice their tribes are confounded their Temple destroyed and this hath continued longer then their own Mosaicall Law continued in his vigor which could never stand with the goodness and providence of God to permit had it not been that the Law was accomplished and therefore abrogated by God himself that the Gospell might succeed Thus I think now at length I have satisfied the Jews and made it appear that their Anâ—…estors had some certain knowledge of the Trinity and that the Messias was to be the Son of God more then ordinary man one of the Persons of the Diety and if this will not servo to give them satisfaction then I have paid them home at last that is I have come to their own homes I have dispersed them I have scattered them and in effect dissolved them so that as a Nation they shall no longer oppose or continue obstinate it must be now held self-will perverseness and every mans particular contumacy So from the Jews I come to Gentilisme which as it was accompanyed with infidelity and Atheisme so you shall give me leave to strike at the Root that I may eradicate both Root and Branch and because the Gentiles had no other pretence but human reason I will now give satisfaction to human reason in this high mysterie of the Trinity not that reason can comprehend the mysterie for neither Scraphins nor Cherubins nor all the Angels in heaven can fully understand God For to understand God it is indeed to be God and to make his understanding equall to that eternall Word in the understanding of God But I do undertake to satisfie human reason in this mysterie notwithstanding our own ignorance First I will make it appear that there is a God and but one God then that this God is every way incomprâ—…hensible whereby it must follow that the blessed Trinity exceeds mans reason no further then all the rest of his attributes do Then I will bring some proofes for the blessed Trinity and lastly I will seal and conclude all with miracles works above naturall power to confirm words above naturall knowledge This world being the workmanship of God serves as a book or a volume whereby every letter or punctilio points out the Maker I shall not need to insist in the motion of the heavens the influence of Starres the strange and wonderfull meteors but take the least flie or worm and it shall afford infinite arguments for the proof of the Deity and I do here call heaven and earth to witness and I desire God that my tongue may cleave to the roof of my mouth and that my right hand may forget her cunning if ever I shall faile in any the least creature to produce infinite invincible demonstrative arguments for the proof of the Deity And therefore of all others the cursed Atheist is the greatest impostor denying a God he makes himself God for denying his Maker he must needs make himself and consequently makes himself God who cannot adde one haire to his own growth nor a minute to his age Yet some such there are who continue thus in their mad Blasphemy and here I call all the creatures to witness against them and all Arts and Sciences shall concurre in the same Testimony and utterly condemne them Whatsoever is seen or unseen whether it belongs to the visible or invisible world every thing points out a Deity and from the severall perfection of
last resurrection and these not done in secret but in the sight of multitudes and thousands all testifying the truth of things done the Jewes acknowledge the Gentiles confess the Apostles proclaim the Evangelists record many Millions of Martyrs seal with their bloud and all the world with joynt consent and harmony beares witness seen by our fore-fathers and left unto us together with their memory for the salvation of our own soules then these undoubted miracles must argue a supernaturall power in things naturall which if Reason confess as herein she is convinced that the wisdom and power of the teacher was supernaturall then must there be some supernaturall object though not appearing in nature yet answerable and agâ—…eeable to this supernaturall knowledge and power here then at length we have opened a gap to let in all the mysteries of our Christian faith and Religion yet lâ—…st we should be left to our own conjectures and presumptions lest the hardness of our heart should not easily condescend to things above our reach and capacity therefore truth beares evidence to truth the wonders of nature to the mysteries of grace as his deeds and actions were much above nature so it cannot seem strange if his Doctrine and Precepts far exceed our naturall understanding for his Words as well as his Actions were much above nature and therefore did aâ—…gue a powâ—…r above nature which is God himself Christ Jesus God and man the second Person in Trinity who came down and took our nature upon him to satisâ—…ie for our sins he it is that hath revealed these mysteries that so by Faith and Belief as our first Fathers fell from God by unbelief and presumption we might come unto him and through his mercy obtain our everlasting salvation Here I did examine all the miracles and the most remarkable things in the old Testament and first I did reduce all the Ages of the world to the Deluge where I did infer by many probabilities what past before the deluge for that it could not stand with the Mercies of God who created all things to begin with such an heavy Judgement as an universall deluge and because we have no other Records of those times but the Testimony of Scripture I did therefore produce necessary and demonstrative arguments for the proof of the Deluge and of Scripture together with some remarkable Tokens I did insist upon which must needs point out some former times before the deluge here I made good proof that the Eastern parts of the world must needs be the first parts inhabited I shewed the greatness of their Monarchies their continuance and dissolution I shewed how all other Nations issued from them and how they borrowed their Customes and Manners I shewed how the Hebrew was the originall Tongue of all the Eastern Languages by the roots and by the proprieties of that Tongue I did instance in all the Ancient Monuments and made it appear that the world could not be elder then the time related by Moses for the Creation For the Histories before Christ I did use Torniellus Pererius Salianus and all the rest for the time since Christ I had such Authors as were extant but especially I did rely most upon Baronius and Bibliotheca patrum and I do heartily wish that some younger man would undertake that task for I am aged and my short time which remains cannot suffice for such a work besides I have the infirmities of old age my memory failes me and I am past all imployments neither can I so put off all naturall passions but I confess it doth grieve me to thinke that heretofore having alwayes liv'd in great plenty God reward my founders for it that now I should be reduc'd to such poverty and wants but I hope God will raise up some other to compose such a History And leaving that task for them I will now only instance in the miracles of Scripture for confirmation of mysteries and first for the truth of Scripture it is a demonstrative proof to me that it should be the most Ancient of all writings and many ages exceeding the heathen Authors or Poets and this is an undoubted argument of truth for truth is the most Ancient and that which doth accompany truth that others should give Testimony to truth and none to oppose it for in these Ancient Poets we find somethings borrowed from the Jewes which makes for the confirmation thereof and none in effect did ever oppose them for had they so done surely we should have heard of their Writings as we do of their Warres and their Histories and no doubt there were many enemies which would not have omitted such an opportunity at this day the Jewes the Christians the Mahumetans all do acknowledge Scriptures without any manner of contradiction for in effect the heathen are utterly vanished and not to be seen or to stand in opposition It is true that at this day heathen there are but they no way partake with the Ancient Heathen neither in the same gods nor in the number of their gods nor in the manner of their worship only like upstarts because they must have a Religion for they cannot â—…ook upon heaven without some kinde of adoration therefore every one frames a Religion to himself and according to his own phansie either agrees or differs from others But because the blessed Trinity hath been only expresly revealed in the new Testament I will therefore insist only in the miracles of the New Testament and reserve other proofes and evidences for confirmation of other mysteries that we may take all by degrees and not spend our whole stock and store at once so then to instance only in the miracles of the New Testament if these had fallen out only in the Person of Christ there might have been cause of suspicion but the whole Law was only a preparation to his coming such Types Figures and Prophesies and in a word the scope and intent of the Law had no other relation and this will appear for that it seems scarce reasonaâ—…le that God should be served with the slaughter and offering up of unreasonable Beasts had they not relation to the sacrifice of his only Son and such infinite variety of strange ceremonies would never have been admitted had they not pointed out some extraordinary holiness to succeed this did likewise appear in the cessation of the Law for about a full age before the coming of Christ there was a cessation of Prophets and neither did God appear either by speciall messengers or by miraculous victories That the minds of men not being withdrawn nor having any other solace or comfort might wholly intend the expectation of the Messias whose immediate forerunner was Saint John Baptist and therefore whatsoever is ascribed unto him tends unto Christ as being his forerunner for he gives testimony to Christ and that three severall times in this one first Chapter of Saint John verse the 27. When the Priests and
Levits sent unto him to know whether he were the Messias he answered no but pointed out Christ the latchet of whose shooe he was not worthy to unloose Secondly when he saw Christ verse 29. presently he confesseth Behold the Lambe of God behold him who taketh away the sins of the world Thirdly he gives the like Testimony to his Disciples concerning Christ verse 34. that so they might take occasion to leave him and to follow Christ Now these are the prerogatives of Saint John Baptist. That his birth was foretold by an Angell in a miraculous manner by a vision at the time of Sacrifice at whose conception a heavy judgement beâ—…ell his Father Zachary the Priest then offering the Sacrifice for he was strucken with dumbness untill the imposition of his name John signifying the grace of God which was a most remarkable signe and token of the cessation of the Law and the inchoation of the Gospell he was conceived in a barren wombe and in that wombe did honour and salute Christ in a Virgin wombe so in the wombe being a forerunner of Christ he began to do his office and duty as after in the course of his life he did truly perform it for his Baptisme was a preparation to the Baptisme of Christ and though he was most innocent strict austere mortified and devout yet God made him the Preacher of repentance thereby to shew the necessity of repentance even to the most righteous and though he wrought no miracles lest he should be taken for Christ yet his sanctity and holiness was such that no less then the Levites doubted whether he were the Messias or not and therefore sent Messengers unto him from Jerusalem to be rightly informed he had the honour to Baptize Christ and in that Baptisme the three Persons in the Deity did openly and manifestly discover themselves after this Baptisme he sent his own Disciples to Christ that by him they might be Cathechised and instructed in the wayes of salvation while he himself had the honour to suffer Martyrdom and as in his life time the Priests and Levites took him for the Messias so after his death his cursed Murtherer Herod took the Messias for Saint John Baptist saying upon the fame of Christs miracles This is John Baptist whom I beheaded and works such wonders amongst the People Though the Annunciation might seem strange and only known to the Blessed Virgin and strange it did seem unto her which occasioned that demand Quomodo fiet istud and therefore the Angel addes as a motive that the barren wombe of Elizabeth had already conceived and then it must seem the less strange if the Virgin wombe should likewise conceive and further to strengthen the Faith of the Parents it was expedient and so ordered by Gods providence that the Childe in the barren wombe should express some joy at the approach of the Childe in the Virgin Wombe and there exhibit the first fruits of honour and reverence to Christ now God in our flesh that as he was prophesied to be a forerunner of Christ so in the wombe he should begin to exercise his office as hereafter he should point him out with his finger Ecce Agnus Dei yet be the Anunciation never so strange when in the Birth of Christ the Shepards shall be taught by Angels the wise men allured by a Star St. Matth. 2 And the cursed enemy manifesting his malice and fury by the murther of innocents these give sufficient Testimony to his admirable Birth and Nativity Though the infancy and childhood of Christ might pass according to the usuall course of nature thereby to shew the truth of his manhood and the infirmity of our flesh yet at the age of 12 yeers disputing with the Doctors S. Lu. 2. herein the power wisdom of his Godhead appears though we have only his own word for his 40 dayes Fast in the wilderness Mat. 4. Mar. 1. Luk. 3. Yet when we find that he feeds 5000 with five Loaves and 4000 with seven Loaves Mat. 14. Mar. 6. Luk. 9. Joh. 6. Mat. 15. Mar. 8. And that it was not a fancy or thing imaginary so many Baskets of broken meat to be taken up we conclude that his fasting was not for want nor could he want delicates for â—…e turned Water into Wine Joh. 2. And as he had thus the command of the Creatures so by his fasting and abstinence it appears he had the command of himself and of his own appetite If any shall doubt of his dispossessing of Devils yet when it shall appear that the Devils entred into the Swine and the Swiâ—…e run into the Sea Mat. 8. Mar. 5. Luk. 8. this makes it a truth undenyable so likewise that he cured one possessed of a Devill in the Synagogue Mark 1. and Luk. 4. This was in the sight of all who undoubtedly did examine the miracle so likewise that he cured all diseases and the Rulers daughter among others Mat. 9. Mar. 5. Luk. 8. whose Father was Vir fide dignus and therefore his Testimony not to be refused That he appeased a tempest on the Sea Matt. 8. Mark 4. Luk 8. this might be ascribed to some naturall causes but that Joh. 6. he should walk upon the Seas and cause Saint Peter to do the like by their trampling on the Seas it appears that the Seas were under his command and in token thereof the Fish brought him a piece of Silver in his mouth to pay tribute in acknowledgement of his Soveraignty Luke 9. So likewise Joh. 9. He giveth sight to him that was born blinde as an undoubted token that he was a second Adam and did work in us a regeneration So Mat. 12. Mark 3. Luk. 6. He cured the withered hand on the â—…abbath to signifie that charitable workes for the observation of that day are as necessary as preaching thus Lepers Palsies Agues Fluxes of Bloud Blinde Lame and all manner of diseases are cured and how the people were generally perswaded of him appears by their pressing upon him to touch the hem of his garment how they let down the sick of the â—…alsie through the Tiles Mat. 9. Mar. 2. Luk. 5. How they spread their garments by the way singing Hosanna Mat. 21. Mar. 11. Lu. 19. Jo. 12. with such like exclamations But what shall I need to insist in diseases when it appears that he raised up the dead where all remedies and means did faile and nature could no way concurre in the act Matt. 9. Mark 5. Luk. 8. There he raised the Archisynagogues daughter Luk. 7. There he raiseth the wiâ—…owes son at Naim then Saint John the 11 he raiseth up Lazarus for the first of these his very office gives credit to the Testimony for the second he was then carrying to his grave look how many attended the Corps or did inhabite in the way so many were witnesses of his raising again for the third which was Lazarus he was laid some dayes and some nights in the