130 Of the N A T 1 v I T 1 E. Sermon '4· ~------~~----~~-----------------------------~ For,of thctwaine this is the Greater. Grcater,in it fdfe: Grearer,to us. Two waies greater, in it felfe. Th' <;>ther (of theShepherds) apoore one: poore andmeane. This (ofrheWt{emen) a Stgne offoll).eState: high and heavenly. 'Eiay 7 .u. GoD bade Ahaz:. aske 'itSigne; Askeone.fromhere he/o,v;orone.from theheight ahove: He would aske neither, but Go o gave both. From below, Hoc eritjignum, JDII jhall Lukn.u. Jfnde the Babein amanger: Low enough: (That we have done withall.) Now, fi·om• above, Eccevidimmjlellam, The Signe.from Heaven: His nervStarre. Befides, (to fpeake uprightly) one might in fome fort complaine, of the pri. vateneffe of the <.Angelsappcanng: Somewhat obfcure it was; few privie to it : paffed over in the night betweene the vfngels and them. And, upon it, three or foure shepherds gorrhemimo thejlable; and, what there they did, nomancoitld take notice of. More f.1mous,and mtlre ManifeJiation-like was this here. Anew Li<>ht kindled in heaven, A Stnrre, never feene before. The world could not but looke~p at it,and l'f.!.•H· aske whaut meant. Nothmg appcareth there, bur, the So11ndofitgoeth out into all Lands, and thenerves ofit tdothe 11tmoHparts ofthe e.rth. This made another manner venerunt: upon this came there to Hierufalem(.not a rout of Shepherds, but) a troupe ofGreat Perfons. And not from a heath, or Sh<!ep– common hard by; bur, from afarre, from the Eaj/, twelve dayes journeyoff. All Hiemfalcmrang ofit. TheKing, Priejls, and Peoplebufiedwith it. To this day, re! --Jl~ ' 6 ·• 6 • membred in all Stories. It cannot be fOrgotten: For this rv.u not dQne in a corner. This was (indeed) a Mani(effa;ion. Better, in it felfc, thus. And, forcs, Better :"For us all. For wee (all) hold by this. It was a bracke in the former; TheSermonwas made, and thevfntheme fung, and none ar it but the la.""' 1._6, Shepherds. And what werethey~ lt1ves: vVhat is that to us~ Thu Scrlpt11re offereth moregrace. Thefc (here) that c.rme.fromthe Eafl, firfi:, thenvereGentiles. Gentiles; that concerncs us, for fo are we. We may then looke our, if we tan fee this Starre. It is ours, it is the Gentiles St-arre. Wee may fet outcourfe by it, tofeekeandjinde, andworfoip Him, as well ~s they. . If1y:.t.t, 2.Pet.l.19, Pbl.llO.;. •z:lch.6.tz.. • Luke 1.78. This is for us all. But there is yet moregrace offered to fome in particular. The Shepherds were a fort of poore limplemen altogether unlearned ; But, h~recomea troupe of men ofgreatJ'lacc, high account inthcircounrrey: And withal!, ofgreat Lcarnednlen (theirname gives them tor no Ieffe. ) This (Ioe) falls fomewhat proper to this Place and Prefence,that will be glad:ro heareit.lt IS fJuJfum& f•ltttare syd,., to fuch; that ••ealth, worth, or wi(dome{hall hinder none, but they may have their parrs in CH R 1 s y's Birth, as well ~sthofeoflowdegree. It is not onlySte!la Genti11m, but Stefld Magomm: The Great Mens, the Wife mens Starre, this. ' So, qt~Mdnos,for us, itfitteth well. And,qt~oadfe, ofit felfe, iris fit every way: This Starreleads us to another Starre; even rheRootandGeneratim of D4'1Jid, the bright morningStarre. He ofwhom • Zachary faith, in the Old Td!amcnt, Ecce r ir, Oriens nomen Ejtu: Yea, Oriens ab alto (fitith * Zachary, in the New:) Vifirs thofeofthc Eafl, whencethe day fpringeth; takes them that are neercfi: Him; and l'rov.S.u. His riling workes upon theplac.efirfi:, that beares His,Name. The wifd•meofGoo the beginning of ail hu wayes is found by Wife men, ofall other ( becaufe they be Wife) mofi fit to finde Him. TheDivijion, Two verfes I have re,td. In the former, after the<.Matter ofthe Ftafl firfi: reI. membred, rwhen I • s u s rv,u horne,) accompanied with the two circumfi:ances bfPlaceandTime, (ThePlAce wh~re, BetMehem Juda; The Timewhen, the d.<yes of Jlerod the King : ) There is a memorable accident (that then happened) fer downe: A venmmt, A Commingorarrivallat Hiem(alem. And they, thatfocame, were a comp1ny of 011agi,__from the E•fl. And this (loe) bath the Ecceo.athe l:cad ofit, Ecce, venemnt011agt ab Ortente, Behold, therecame, &c. As thefpecull pomt, Ul the II. Text: and fo, we to make it. In rhe later is fet downe their Errand. Both the 1 occajion, and the 'End: bell: cxprdfed by rh~mfelves, out of their 01vne dicmtes. I, TheOccajion: vidimus jlel– latll,
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