Sermon 10. Ofthe NA T lVI T 1 E• 93 The maine pointis: Irisaplace,andforobegonero. Wetakethisfromthe Shepltel'ds, direCled thither by the Angell,to refolveofTranfeamus u[qtte Bethlehem, Luk.•. 1 S• that we get us toD'ethlehem. There JS the Rendez-vo~«, to day'. rhere,HeWJl! befirll: feene, and faluted :thereH~ begun with us; there we to begm WlthH1m: WhcreHee fer forrh,there our[erring forth t~ be allo. Indeed, there JS no findmg H1m but there; this Feaft. There, theShepherdsfound H1m,t!us day,thefirll: : There, the Wife-men; onTrveljih-day, thelaft. But,thither they came both; Both theShepherds,dzrerfedby Luk...u. the Angel!; and thewife-men,gmdedby the Stdr. Theshepherd;; lll them, the fewer : llbttlLl;:j. Themfe-men; in them theGenttler. TheShepherds; m them rm~etteredper(ons: The wife-men; in the~, :rhe profoundell Clerkes. TheShepherd,- j m them, meane men.- I The wife-men; mthem, great States. Be, what we Will be, at Bethlelmn to begm, all. Thither to goe to Him; thence, tofet out afcer Him. Tranfeamm rifque Bethlehem. How fl1all we doe that~ What, lhall wegoeinpilgrimagetotheplace~We Jearnea fl10rtercourfe ofthe Apojlle, (ltom.Jo.) The rtghteoufnef!e offaith (faith he) . jjeakethon thinvife .-fay notthou in thy heart,who}hallgoe over the Jea for me, that were Rom.1o.6.S. tobring Chrift ag•me tnto_earth. But,What fatth tt ?The'!'Qrdu neare thee,tn thy mouth, and in thy heart. And, this 1t 1s : Bethlehem bath here two twms : anEptthete, a Vcrtue, ortwo. Get bunhem, get but your foules poffeffed of them·, it will Cave you a journey :you llJ.lll never !lirre heoce,but be at Btthlehcm, llandmg where you doe. P/trvllla,is the fir/}: you know,Eethlthem is lzttle. And,looke what little,and low is in quantity: that,is little in o11r owneeyes,and l01vly in qt~ality •. Get that firll:,(humtli- l By HumilitJ , ( ty .- ) it is theBethlehemof vertues; where,He,m great hmntl!ty was found,this d.ty. P<rou/4. Ifwebegin not rhere,welofeour way, at thefirll:fettmg our. For th1s JS lure: where Eternity is the tqminmadquem,there,Humility is the termimu .l q11o. Humil.ty, in the firll Commaof the femence, where Eternitie is theperiod (as in this Verfe, it is.) And even here now at the firll,is Chrijlliketolofeagreat part of His traine.The Phari(ees are gone; all, too bigge,for Bethlehem; they : and with them,all that are,; f<o'Y'-,(ome great matter, in their ownelight. Touching whom yve may ufethe Apojfrophe .- AndAils 9 _ thou Bethlehem art too ltttle, forrhefe great concel!S : Noneofthem will come out ofthee,prcome at thee,by their will: every oneofthem is a cunning Guid,himfdfe; and,noGuide, they, butfequunttlr(firitum frJUm, their owne holdjiirit :bidEethlehem Etek., l·l· fare-well; At it, they COll')e nor. Well,parvulaisthe firll. . The next Station,is tothe next.verrue,and tharis Ephrata,fruitfuloeffe; ([o ir li>5- • Byf•ir(.t• nifies:) little it is, but .fruitfrz/1. Fruirfull, firfl:, that it brought forth Him: for, Hee 7l' 'Eph"– hath brought forth, feenc come of Himfelfc (faith Efay) long£vrun femen, a l.ifling Ef•y n · ro. feed: the fruit when;of,to this day, fh•keth like Libanm,and M tiJCgreenegraf{ecove. I'C'l.7u~, reth all theearth, .I meane,theChriftians,that were,are,or ever fl1all be: how great an Ephrata,ofhow little abeginning lIt is not only little,but Ephratic too; and,by that;' know it. For indecd,good heed would be taken,that we goe oot to the wroncr Bethlehem.- Not toBethiehemZAbul•n, thatis, Bethlehem on theSands Jo lay zafuton, by the Sea,) Bethlehem thebarren .- But, to Bethlehem 1ttda, Bethlehem Ephrata, (that is) , ( Bethlehem the frt~itfidl. That ~s,to H.11militie. eoaddeFruitfHlne.Jfe, (I nieane,) Plente' ou[nelfe. mall goodwor/ces. El!e, it is not Ephrata; notright : Not right Repentance, unleffeube Ephrata, bring forth jY11its of repentance .- Nor Faith,withollt the worke of f.,th.- Nor,~ove,wttho/11 the Labour oflove: Nor any other vertue,without her Ephl'4- Luk. I.~- / ~·- Ephrat.tJSnot the_Surname of llrmiilitieonely,but even of the reil too: Repen- 1 Ihea.•• f~: anceEphrata, and Fatrh Ephrata i Etfie de&<tteru, 1f they be true : Elfe be they but ~~s.frondo[£, leaves and nothing elfe: Simrdachra viTttltttm, and not venues indeed: Hof.roJ: Zabtdon, not ofIuda i and fo,not the right. · hem.]"f.:/•11 then: .and of what.ftuit? That is in the very name it fe_lfe, [ofBethle. I In good h or_ the fttttt of the ltppes (a few good words) but the precwusfrutt of tbl "0'{CS ' eart (as Sa 1 nu ll h · ) h · . S . I ttechkhctrt, 'd amesca et Jt leem,goodbredd:thatfruit.Suchfrmt,as amtFau l'rncss. 1 • ~arne to the poore Saints at Ierufalem, Almes and offerings; that, is the right fruit; . um fignavero .fr~&um hunc; it hath theScale on it,for right. Such, as the Philippians Rom., i· :~; ; . [en;
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