437 -Firft-then he h~d his d.p,twC, his beginni~g, and that was. the firfr time of his pw· gsng, :ven at hi> birth; then tvok he oor infirmities upon him, and m fome meafure "vacuatcd the brightncfs of hts Glory, to become for us a poor, a weak, a lilly babe_ on Earth. Mork (I pray) how this purge works with him at his firfr entrance mto the world, it brings him into fo poor and low ellate, that Heaveh and Earth Hand ama-. zed at fo great a change: Where was he born,but at Berblehcm,a lmle Ctty? Wher~ did the Shepherds find him, bur in a poor forry Cottage? And there if we lovk after Majelty we find no guard butJofep.h, no attendants but ;Wary, no _heraulds but :>hepherds, none of the b,edchamber but beaits and oxen; and howfocver he is Jliled /(111gs •f the Jews, yet the Jews cry_out, They have r<o King but Cefar. H1s Mother meked ddccndcd of Kings, and he l]Imfelf g~ves Crowns to others, of /7tilory, 'f Ltfe, ReV. 4· ro. vf Glory; but for his ow_n head no Crown !Sprepared but" Crown vf Thames_: anon_ you may lee him clothed mPurple, anomted with fpittlc; but for the Crown we fpeak of, they can afford him no richer thanof the hedge; no calier than of Tnornes. Thus lor the beginning: what then rs·rhe encreaje of thiS l _ This '"cre4[e (fay Phylitians) is,when the Symptomes more tmmifejfly appear either oflife or dettrh; and noiooner was our Saviour born, but he had manifeit tokens evid,ntly !hewing that for us he mufr die. If you run through his Life, what was it)>ut a ji<·kc ncfs ""a" p•trge? Conlidcr his parcity in apllinence, his confrancy m watchmg, his fervc;ncy in prayer, his affiduity in labour. But how foon, an Herod makes him tlce into i:.[)'pt, and live an exile in a !trange Land l At his rewrn hcdwell~ at Na~arerh, M.rk 6 . !• and there is accountedJefuuhe Cllrpenter. \'Vhen he enters mto his Mmdery, he hath nohouf~ to repofe him, no money to relieve him, no friends to comfort him. Sec him lirlt fee on by Satan, then by men; he is led i11to the Wildernefs by the Spirit, and there hef~ftsfoHYIJ D4yes 11ndfourty Nights, without bit of Bread, or drop of Water'. The Devil (fceing this opportunity) begins his Temptation; who prefcnt!y overcom , Jhe Jews follow after him with hue and cry : Mark but their words and works: In word they call him"glutton," drunkard, "deceiwr, a {inmr, "mild-mM," Samaritane, Mmh.tr. '9· t~nd one pojfejfed wirh 11 Devil. Good words I pray! is not he the anointed of God.< c 1 h. •1· 63· the Saviour of men l yes; but They rendrcd me evil for good, and hatred for my' g•od ollo. 9c.' 8 4 8 Jru/1, faid the pfah:nifr in his perfon. When therefore he did miracles, he was a for· ~1.1. ~~: 1 ~.~ cera; when he reprove.d finners, he was a feducer; when he received /inners, he was their favourer; when he healed the lick, he was a breaker of the Sabbath; when he call: out devils, it was by rhe power of devils; what and how many unjn!t contume· lies endured he of the Pharifees, who fometi~es cafr him out of the City, accufed him of hlafphemy, cried 0111 upon him, he w~s a m~tn not worthy to live. And as they fay, they do; obferve butthetr works: firfr, they fend officers to apprehend him, but they being overcome w!th the grace of his fpeeches, return only wi~h- th"is anfwer, Never manjpakJ Irk} ~his tHan. Then too~ they ~P ftones to tlonc him·, b'ut by his miraculous palfage (whiles they are a confpmng his death) he cfcapes cut of their hands; John 1· 4i. Then lcJd they him to an hill, thinking to throw him down headlong, and yet all Johu 10 " ~9· would n?t do j for ere they are aware of it; hefairlypajfuh throt~ghthe midftofthema/1. Luke 4- 30· At lait hts lafr paffion draws near, and then men and devils combine in one to make him at once wretched and iniferable: He is defpifed 11nd rejefJed of mw;· yea, he_is a Efay S-3- 3· man f•ll offorrows, (fatth the Prophet) and hath experimce of infirmities', Efay, 53·~- ' Or for a furth_crinqu_iry, le_t us do what our Saviour bids, Search the Scripo<res, fo_r" : h h h h ~"'" >fh h b ]bhir S· J9 t cy are t ey w tt· te ''J'e o_ 1m. We ~vc ut two Tcllaments· in' the whole· Bible, and both thefe give ull evidence of Chnlls miferablc life. In the old Tcitament it was prefigu!cd by Adamspenalties,Abeis death, Abraha'l'i exile, Ifaacs offering, jacobs wreitlmg, ;ofcphs bonds, Jvbs fuffering, Davids mourning; yea, the Prophets themfclvcs wc~e both figures, and delivered prophecies of our Saviours aftli([ions Thus· Efay of him. Surely he harh born ourgriefs, Rnd carried o11r Jorrolvs, yer we did cjfcem · hunftnck}n, fimttenofGod, andafJ!iC1cd, Efa 53· 4· Thus Jercmyof him: He gives EfarH·4· 1 hu cheec~ to hun that fimres htm, he is filled full with reproach, Lam. 3- 3o. Thus Da- ' Lim· 3· 30. me/ of hm1, Afterthrec{core and two weeksJha!i Mej]iah be jlain : <~nd jludl have ninhing; P~n. 9· 26. Thus Z~tchary of him, What ttre thefe Wo1tnds i11 the mid:ft ofrhy hands? and he Jhall f"Y' Wtth thefe WoMnds was I wounded in the houfe of my friends, Zach 1 ;. 6.' Sur 7ome we to t~e New Teframent; and in every Gofpcl, we may nor only read but· ~::;~_s';3•~. fee himfuffer:~tthew who relates the liiftory of hislife;what writes he but a Tragedy, Muth. chap, where·
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