14-4 ~~t.~.lf. ,· Ofthe N A T 1 v 1 T 1 E. -Sermon r;. dead ofWinter. Yenimtu, Wee are come, ifthat be one. YenimiM, Weear~ (nvw) come,comeatthistime, that(fure)isanother. ' · , ;• And thefediflicultiesthey overcame, of a wedri:-(o,me,irkfome,trouhlefome,'lldntt· ro111, rmfeafonable journey: And for all this,rhey came. And, catne it c~erefully,.a1td quickly; As appeareth, by the fpeedthey made.!t \Vas but Vidi~mu, Venimtu, \virh them; Theyjaw, and-they came: No fooner Jaw, bur they ferouqirefenrly. S.o,as upon the firltappearing oftheStarre (as it might be, !all night) they knew; i,t was Balaam'sftarre; it called them away,theY. made ready firaight tdbegintheir jourile~ this morning. A figne, they were high!yconceited ofHisBirth; beleeved fome great matter ofit, that they tookeall thefe pain:s, lilade.all·this hall:e;•that they might be there to 1vorjbip Him, with all the poflible fpeed they could. Sorry for nothing fo much, as that they could not be there foone enough!·with the very firft, to doe it even thisday, theday of His Birth. All confidered, there is more in Veliimtu thln ihewes at the firll: fight. It was not for nothing, it \vas {aid (in the firlt Verfc) Eue Venemnt; their comminghath anEcct on it: it well deferves it. '· And wee, what fl10uld we have done~ Sure, thefe men of ·the Eaft ihall rffc ';;J lt1dgement againft the men oftheWeft, that is, us: and their fatth, againfl:'ours,intliis poinr. With them, it was bur Vidtmm ,venimtt<: With us,-it would·have beene but veniemtu at moll:. Our fafhionis,to fee and fee againe, before weftirrl! a foot:· Spe– cially, if it be to the worfhip of C H R r n. Come fuch :t Iourney·,al fuch a time ~ No : but fairely have putlt offto the Spnng of the )ieare, nil the day!es .Jqnger, al\d thewayes fairer, andtheweatherwarmer; nil better rravellingroCn a r s T• Our Epiphaniewould (fure) have fallen inEafter-weekeaurhe foonefl:•. · ·. '' . But then,forrhe dijlance,defolatenef!e,tedioufn1fe,and the reft, any ofthem were 'enough to marre ourVenimtu quire.Ir mull beno great way (litit) we muft COlne: we love not that. Well fare rheShepherds yet, rhey came'but hard b'y.: Rather like them than theMagi. Nay, not like them neither. For, with us, the neerer (!iglu!y) thefur– ther off: Our Proverbeis (you know)Tl1e neerer the Chrmhthefurther from Go o. Nor,it mult not be through noDefart,over nu Petr«a. If rugged, or tineven rhe way; ifthe weather ill difpofed; Ifany n~ver fo little danger, it is enough to fray us. Tochrijl we cannot travel!, but weather and .vay and all mull: be faire, Ifnor, , no journey, hut fit fiill and fee further. AsinJeed,all our Religion is rarherVidimrn,– aContemplation, thanVenimm, a Motion, or ftirring to doe ought. Bu when wee doeit, wee mufi be·allowedleafure. Ever,Veni~mw;neverVe. nimtu : Ever comming ;never,come. We love tomakenovery ,.reat hafle. To other things, perhaps: Not to<.Ad~rare, the Placeoftheworfhip o? Goo. Why fhould. wee~ CHRl sT, is no Wild-Cat. Whattalke you of twe!ve daycs~ And it b~fortle dayes hence, yee (hall be fure to find His r.Mother and Him; She cannot bechur– chedti!l then: Whatneedsfuch hafie ~ The truth is, we conceipr Him and His birth . but ilenderly, and our hafte is even thereafter. Bur,if wee beat that poinr, we mult bee out of this Venimtt< : they like enough to leave us behind. Beft,get us a ne\v chrifl-majfe in September : wee are notlike to come to chrijl atthis Fe'!ff. Enough, forVenimtu. · 4 But,what is Venimtuwithout Invenimtu? And,when they come,they hit not on Their Enquiry Him, at firft. No more muftwethinke', as foone as ever webe corn~, to find Him vb~tfl 1 ftraight. They are faigne to come to their Vbi eft? We muft now looke backew that. For, though it ftand before in the Verfe, here is the right place of it. Theyf,11v before they cAme ; andcame,before they a~ked: Asked,before theyfound; andfo~tnd, before they worjhipped. BetweeneVenimtt< (their comming) and Adorare (their wor· fhipping) there,is the true place of[Dicentes, vbi eft ? ] · Where (firfr) we note a double ufe of their Dicentes, rhefe Wife menhiP : • As to manifefi what they knew,Natu; eft,t!m He is borne; fo,to confeffe and aske what they knew not, the Place, Where. We, to have the like. • Secondly, fetdowne this: That, to findwhere He is, we mufllearne of thcfe, to
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