Apoc.,a. •l· Phil. 2. 7• John 13 4, s. V<rfe IS• B. Luke 1 S· 17. • Cor. 8 9. Matth. 17. 2.7. 9· Ef•y S3·7' Dtfcend we a little lower, and place him in our own rank; what was he bur a Car– penter? fay the Jews in fcorn, is not thrs the Carpwrer, MariCJ Son? Mark c. 3 . A .l'oor trade fure; but to !hew us that he was man, and how much he h.. tcd tulenc(£ Tome time he w1ll beitow in the labours of mans ltfc: But, 0 wonder! tf he will r~ je<l Majetty, let hill'l ufe at lcafl: fomc ef thofe liberal arts; or if he will be mccboni– cal, let him choofe to fome noble trade, Thy MerchanfJ w<re the great men ofthe Lm!J faid the Angel to BabJiol!, Apoc. 18. 23. Ay, but our oaviuur is no adventurer, nelthe; is he fo ftockt to follow any fuch profeffion; once indeed he travelled mro Egypt with Jofoph and Mary; but fo lh_ew us that it was no prize, you may fee Mary ht~ mother Heal him away by n1gbt, Without further preparation: What, gon on a fudden.? it feemcs there was no treafure to hide, no hangings to take down, no lands to fecure his lllOther needs do no more but lock the dores and away: what portion then is fo; the Lord of Heaven? 0 fweet Jcfu! Thou mull be contentfor us to hew Hicks and ltoi:k; befides which (after his cuming out of Egypt, about the feventh year of his age, until his Baptifme by John, vvhich vvas the thirtieth) we find little elfe recorded in ony \~/riters, prophane or Eccleliafhcal. And are we now at our jull Ouanwm? alas, vvhat quantity, vvhat bounds bath the humility of our Saviour? ish~ Carpenter i that were to be mafler of a trade; but het,o/z. on him (faith the ApofHe) the form of a for"Jant, not a matter, i'hli. 2. 7- lt IS true, he could fay to his Apof!lcs, Ye ea/I me M 4hr, and Lord, andyefiry well, fir fo I am, Juhn I 3I 3· and yet at that very inf!ant mark but his getl:ures, and you may fee their Lordar~d M.tjl-er become a fervant to hisftrw•ntJ: His 111any offices exprrlfe his fervices; when H etofi:from[upper, and laid ajideh<J upper Garments, and took a,..,_ eland gir&d himfeif, and after that he had po11red water tnto a Bajin, b<>gun to wajb his I!,'fcipiCJ Feet, and to wipe them with the towel wher<W<th h< lMs girded. 0 ye blelfed fpirits, look ,down from Heaven, and you may fee even the Almighty kneeling at the feet of men! 0 ye blelfed Apoflles, why tremble ye not at this fo wonderful light of your luvcly, lowly Creatour? Peter, what do'fl: thou? Is not he the beauty of the Heavens, the Paradice of Angels, the brightnelfe of God, the Redeemer of Men? and wilt thou (notwithfianding all this) let him walh thy feet? No, leave, 0 Lord leave this bafe office for thy fervants, lay down the tuwel, put on thy apparel: Se~ Prter is refolute, Lord, do'fl tho11 wajh myjut ? No,_ Lord, thou]halt never do it. Yei, Peter, thus it mull be, to leave thee and us a memonal of h1s humility) I hr.wgiven yo" an example, (faith Chrif!) that yeJhould do"" 1have done /Into )'OU: and what hath he done? but for our fakes is become aforvant, yea hisforva?JtJ fowmt, vva!hiug and vviping, not their hands, or heads, but the very mcanclt, lowef! pans; their feet. And yet there is a lower falL:Howmany hired forwms (raid rhe Prodigal) at my puhers ho•tfe have bre. d enOJ<gh, and I die for hungar l And as if our Sa.iours cafe vvere like the Prodigals, you nuy fee hin. little lower than ajtrvant, yea little better than a beggar: Ye 1(:;1oW (faith the 1\pofile) the grace of onr Lord JrjitJ Chnfl, that though he was rfch, yet for yowjr,k:_, h<buame poor, 2 Cor. 8. 9· poor indeed, and fopoor, that he vvas not vvorth a penny to pay tribute, till he had burrowed 1t of a Fiji•, Mat. 17 . 2 7 . See him in his birth, in hii :Je, in his death, and vvhat vvas he but a Pil– grim, that never had houfc to harlullr in ! _a vvh1lc he lodges m a oxen-flail, thence he flies into Eg)'pt, back he comes mto G'ablee,. anon he travels to JerH[alem; VVJ!hm a vvhile (as if all his life vvere but a vyandnng) you may fee h1m on mount Cal'very hang– ing on the Crolfe; Was ever any Beggers life more.miferable? _he hath no houfe, no nioney, no friends, no lands, and howfoever he vvas God the d1fpofer 0f all; ret for us he became man, apoor man,~mean man, yea the meanell of all men : and th1s another f!ep downwards. _ _ But this not low enough, men are the 1mage of God : Ay but the Son of God 1s not ufed as a man, but rather as a poor dumbbtajl appomteQ to _rhe flaughter : \Vhat was he but a Jheep, fuid Efay of him? Efay 53· 7- a Jhecp mdecd,_and that more ef– pecially in thefe two quallities. FJtll, As aJhup bef ore the ]hearer" dumb, fo he opened not his Mouth : and to this purpofe was that filence of our Savwur: when all thofe evidences came afl:ainlt him, he would not fomuch as drop one fyllable to dcfendh1s caufe : If the high Priclls qucf!ion him, Whnt "the matter that the[<men wumjfc ag~tmft zhee? Matthew tels us, that Jefus held his pe~tce, Mat. 26. 63. If Pslatc fay unto hnn, Jltheld how PIIII'J things they wimefs againfl th<t; Mar~ tells us, that Jefns anjirmd ~';.
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