Ofthe NAT IVI TIE, . Sermon 12, one leads us to the caufe ftreighr,and fhewes us the malign itie ofthe difeafe ofpride~ for the cure whereof, this fo profound h~tmilitie was requifite in CH lll s T. There 'Er,,, 4 ., 4 • was one, when mne was, tookethe difeafe o(Erofimilu Altifimo: And He breathed Gen.l·f· upon our firft par:nts, with his Eritis fimt 'Dii, and infected them with it. To male themftlves·£9r~allwith God,is plainerobberie(faith the Apdfle,Phil.z.) Forthat rob– l'hil.a.7.s, bene of thell'S, was the Sonof God robbed (as I may fay) and qmte.JPoy/edof Hts glorte. For thm puffing up,'"'"'"' He was made empty: For their lifting up,h~".;'""· was He brought thus low : For theircomparing withGed, came He to becompared18 rh!l.:..G. !'fat.<f 9 .u. the beafls thatperifh : lay in their manger,we fee. · Never blame the Angel!, for giving this figne; . hee had no other to give. As chrijlwasborne,fowasHetotenderHim. AskeCHR r s T, whyHewouldbefo borne. of any other child, rhis,could nor be asked : They are borne, they neither know where nor how·. 0 f chrifl it may: He knew both. For,asoblatm eft,quia volttit.-. So,natrueft, Hewasfoborne,becaufeHewordd fo be. Andwhy would He lobe~ His Zl<h.a. ' 0 • Ecce venio, His commingwas to recover man. Man was to be recovered by the conrrarie oftlm,by which he perifhed. By pride he perifhed, that is confe!fed. Then, by Hr•m'ilitie,tobe recovered,according to the rule, Contraria cttrantur contrarijs. So,He <:;en. 3 .f. to come,inhumilitie. Thepridewas high; Eritisjicttt Dij: the conrrarie, as low,fa-; 1'1'1.~9·"· {/ru efljiwtjumcnta, as low as they; lyein their crateh. cap;>.J4· 9['-l·i· It is ftranl?e, this point ofChrijl in thecratch, how r:rdious, howharfh itis to be' flood on. Harlll;but,to none more,nay none fo much,as to the·proud: And they, of all other, h:weleaft caufero be offended with it: It is they, that were the caufe of it.' · They fhould not (one would thinke)be offended with their own doing: It is long of them, all this. If there they find Him, Iris they, and none but they, that there layd Him;IfHe be otherwife thanHe ihould,their pride is too blame for it. Burfor it,we had found Him in a better place. And fie uponpride(fay I,)ifirwere but forthis on-' ly: Enough,ro rriake us loath this vice,that layd this lo great a difgrace (as we coun~ it)upontheSonof Goo. But,marvailcnot,if thisbe{igniim contr~, to themaf',tne againfl them; theyare 'againflit. WellfaydBernard: In fignrm>,pofitmn tj! prajepettmmDomine,fedinftg– numcui .l: multi& contradicitur; Thy cratcho LorduJet for aftgne; bt~t,for a/igne, which of many u fpoken againfl (done againfl: I am fure:) alluding to that ofSimeon (at the 34· Ver. after) that chrifl Jbo,.td be afigne (and, ifchrifl, Hiscratchfure) to beJPoken againrt. By many,Who(<pride (faith the Prophet)tcjlijies to their faces; you may take up the edgesoftheir garmenrs,and !hew it them; yea,that,eiren this day,come liither,' to make a !hew of it,as it were to affrontthisfigne, and theAngel!that gave it :come to celebrate.theFcajlof Humilitie, in exceffeofpride. Should the Angel!ever have > perfwaded one of thefe, to have gone irtto the jtablc, and have fought their Savio11r there~ Never : Doe but looke upon them; you would thinke they had fomeother Savio11r by rhemfelves, that lay in an ivory.Cradle; and never looked to be favedb'J. Himthatthisday lay in amanger. Sure,it is no goodjigne,tob~adoppofitum to this Signe. Iffignum vobio,ro the one i fignam contra vas to .theother. For,ifhumilitiebe theflgne offinding chrifl; pride 1nufl: needs be the figne of lofing Him; and whofo loferh Him, is (himfelfe)even the childofperditio11 : and therefore looke to thisfigm,well. But, humilitieis not all, :we find in thisfigne. The Philofopherfaith, Signes are citherindicant,or eo-indicant. Indicant it is,ofhumilitie : Co.lndicant of that which, in Him, and on His part,·(aspride, on ours) was the caufe that made Him ftoope to this humi!itie,and that was His Love. He leftgloriam in exceljis, for bJic•i•ud>.:7po'""', His glorie on high,for Hisgoed.willtow~rds men. It was afigneof Loye too (th!s·)Afigne, ~'"'·!:i; ' nay anenfi.•me,Hisvery colors as (m the z of Cant,) Hetermes rt, love Hu banner, or tnfigneovtr us. Signalllove indeed; that for our fakes,refufed not,firft our nature, our mortalitie (that alone had beene love enough : ) Bur, not thebafeft eftate ofour na– rurc,not povertie: Povertie,and fuch povertic,as the likewasn~verheard of,refqt~e ad fqtta!orem& feetoremflabtdi,tobefotmd, where He was found; there toly. . - - _,. - - [_hot!
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