116 I The.!f<!tert .!lrb~l Ofthe N AT 1 vI T 1 E. Sermon 12,, To. the f;eeer then, Who were they ~ Whera, the firil: I pitch on, is the word Huvenly. For,thence they came,and thither they went aga.ine,( I 5. Ver.) f<!!jdpr 4 • [ept & cr.elo? What bath Heaven or heavenly Perfonages to doe here, with the Cratrh ~It lhould feeme,[ome cr.elefliaUthing there is in it: aslow as it feemes,it rea. cheth h1gh,as h1gh as Heaven; Heavenly things,and heavenly Pcrfonages both. A. bout it here comes divers from Heaven: For ir,there goes G!orie up to Heaven. So that theftsne is al[ojzgnum de crelo (urfr•m; from on high,by reafon of the ~eer: as well as ajignefom the earth benwh, in refpeCl: of the Cratch here. 2 How appeare they~ThefePer[o~ag~s were Angel!s. It is fald exprefly, (I 5.v.) Inwb,.habit. Yet are they here faid tobe·Souldiers. What lhall wr: havewarre then~ (for they are in the habit of the warre: ) True, of war; but,it is war (not,that now is, or hereaf- ,Ephef•.j. ter ihould be,but of war) that had bin before even to the day of this 'Birth;but now, Gen.p 4• toceafe(witndfePax in terri<.)There had bin no Peace with heaven, but plaine ho. fiility,betweeneanh and it; Nogood will tOJV4Ydmen,butftliiir£,children ofwrath a(/. Ever lince the Cherubin fir!l: drew upon Adam,andwith ajhakenfwordkeptthe entry ~t-Paradi(e; Ever lince,in armes,till this very day. Their habitlhewes,what was be. fore: their {ong, what now Chould be. By vertue of Chrifl. nativitie, Peace to earth, fromHeaven; Good-will,to men,from God. So now,upon His Birth,they weretodif– arme: bur, before they put their armour of, yet b.eing in it, they would havea P.ean, .and ling of the new world, that was now to enfue. A ligne this, and a il:range one, (this conjunction,)JPecies pr£liantmm, and voces cantantiam, thehabit ofwar, and the fong ofpe•ce. Sot<ldiers makeacampe,come to fight : Thefe make a~eer, come to jing. They are nor,in thehabit of J!J£eer men,yet they ling: They are,in the habit of men ofwar, yet fing ofpeace. · What number~ A multitude there was of them. Firil:,for the more aurhoritie; What Jmbtr? that, in themouthes of many, this truth might be eil:ablilhed : many, to wirneife it. • Then,forthe bettermulicke;if, a full ~eer,many to found ir our. It wasamatrer of great weight; fo,diverfe to teil:ifie it: It was a matter ofhigh praife; divers there– fore,ro celebrate and fetit forrh. When we heare of a multitude, we feare aconfulion. But (you will oblerve 1 ) this multitude was multitudo Militi£; No confufed rout: No;butacies ordinata, a well orderedarmie. There is order, inan armie: There is order, in a~eer : There is order amongAngels: coordinate among tlremfdves, {ubordinateto their headand and leader. So, amultitude withoutconftifion. And yet, there is a further matter in this Came multitude. For, that there were not fome few of them, but a great many J that was aiigne,it was no perie Saviour,thar I <!<le 11 . 1 f· was borne. To have Angelscome, by one, and by two, as atthe birth ofSamfon, or Gen.• s... J(aac,and others; ButthegrandSavioflr, ofall,by his troops of them; the Lordof hqfls Himfelfe, as attended by the whole Armie. Hcb. 1 .6, For,at His Birth was fulfilled rhar,the Apojlle fpeaks of(Heb. r .6.)When he brings ~iJ only begotten Sonne into the world, He{aith,Let all the Angels of Goo worjhip Him, Letthe wholeHojl offleaven·dohim honor: As,honor Him (here)they doe. For, l'f•l.so.•l· they that ojfertpprai{e, honor Him; and praifethey offer Him,the(next word is fat<· dantium.) And,even now they doe it: even,here,is this honor done; Even to Him,in his cratch,is it done. And Heavenit felfe,for a while,left emptie,that it may be done. l.ht.> 6 .n. All which is bur a ligne,to lhew,what a lhcw He could have made, ifHe had liCl:ed: that he might have had the Legions,hefpeakes of at his Dearh,that had them infuch a multitude, to day, at His Birth. Afigne He was nor weake(what ever hefeemed) that had thefe militarie forces,ifHe would,to takearmes for Him. That Hewas not tobe defpifed how ever He appeared,th:tt had thefe conforrs ofAngels,tojingabout His cr•tch,and to praife God for Him. . ,Wh:!t
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