Ser111on tt$. Oftbe NATIVITI E. And,inligneit was then,look there co~es a~eerof Angels downe,therc·comes Luk.•.• t. Starre forth to reprefentthe thmgsmheaven : There comes together a fort of aze'b ds andthereisgathering to them atroopeofgreat Prmcesfromthe Eaft, to re. Mlt,..,, S '£ erthe thingsonearth, which conlifr(as thefedoe)ofhighand low;nobteand ba[e, P~~entdjim,•le : All to celebrate, and make lhew ofthisgatheri11g, ofthis great .,~ ean r , A d · h · l l h · ' ' f h. • ·nrothisfmallx<~'Jdi>•. n ,mt etr 1eaven yHymne,t eretsmennono c 1s "'"1 1h"~-'" 1 • I•excel!fis, andinterri• fet together; as if, all (in both) were nO\y infull Luk.•~ ga ermg. " . . . and perfeEIharmome. . b N whenthefeafons had travelled with; at lalt roughtforthHi"'; that was ·'"'· ." the b~~~hing,they had,or ihould ever bring forrh,then were they at the belt. When Him,inwhom it pleafed the FATHER; al'l (nlne.Jfe ihou[dd,vtll, chen ;yere th~y at the fi•H· Thegatheringofthe thmgs,fofu/l,as lt madeplemtudorerttm : Thegathermg of chefettfons,[ofie!l,as it madeplemtr~do temporttm. And fo have we brought both parts ([eafons,and things) together. . . . . . Thesnmme is at the foot; theOrat:on,at thepmode; the Butldmg, at thehead.ftone; RoRl. 11.• s: cheTide, atthe full : rhejidnelfe ofthe Gentiles :u~ come into His Church, w!¥ch is Vcrfe.• 3· Hisbody, the fulne([eof Hem that jilleth all tN aH. . But;why GoD, in thedijfmfation of thefea{ons, did fo order, that at !itchayeare TheAppuwr. ofrhe ,vorld,fuch amonethoftheyeare, fuch a day ofthe '!!oneth, tllis ihouldfall out ::,%',~C:,"~ jufr,thi~ is more,thanI dare take uponme to de_lin.e.Bur,t}ltS I may :thattheChriftian and ·io '"' worldhath ever o.bferved dtverfe good congrumes oftlus Fe'!ft, wtth rhis Text. I"e•m? TheText is ofaRecapitulation : The feaft is fo. T!Velve moneths recapitulate to """''' t!Velve daies. Sixe;for theold; Infixe daies was the creation oftheold. And,when the 1 DldthiMgsarepajl, as many for thenew ; For, beholdallthings ate lftlV ;And,ifany be • Cor. P~; inCa It 1sT, h.eisanewmatnre. Butrhe[erecapit,.latein onefea{imeq,.a!lj divided. Equally dividedb~tweene both ; yet fo, as thedaiuofrhe!aft are fer before theji>jl, Ml~ 19-304 that fo erunt novijimiprimiis verified even ofthe feafon, :md,the la.ft,ji>ft,there alfo. TheTexris ofagathering: and that falls fit wirh,thefeafon ; and giveth hlS great ; caufe to admire the high wifdome ofG o D,in the difpenfarion offeafons; That,now at thisfeafon, when we gather nothing, when nothing groweth tobegathered, there ihould be agathering(ycr)and a great one :nay,the grearefr gathering,that ever was, or will be: Andfo by that meanes,thepoorefl andemptieflfea(on innatures,become the fullejl and riche.ft ingrilce. · · Now we doe,our [elves(in effeCl:) expreife as much as this comes to. For; we alfo ~ake it a,feafonofgathering together; ofneighbot;rly meetings,and invitation's. Whermwe·comerogether, and both (our.felves) have;and we make each other partakers " .ofwhat we havegathered, all the,yeate before. . . . '·<-'- .• · In which U:nle alfo, we may Gallitrhefeafon of diJPen{ation; in that wethendi.' · 0 f}enfnhe blefings, GoD hathfentus ; and that is,ingaod heufe keeping, and h<;ifi~ talttze. . . ., And(ifyou will) offulne.Jfe too. For, the moll: part doe thcrn ufc robe betterjil4 led, ·and wirhbetterfare, chat are not fo full againe, all the yeare betide. Th~tone may truly fay, rhcre is more fielnelfe in this feafon, than any otlie_r,. And fo it is rhe fehafonoffulneiferhen; For, rhchrmgry arethenjilledw;thgoodrkings; then, ofall Pfai.Io7.9~ t e[e.fons of the yeare. . ,• ,, · · h~ndlafr, ther_eisi_nthe Text (anditi~themainewordintheTex_r) ._,,,.,~'~"'""'• i'• · " w llh~tn the Pnmmve fenfe) ts the makmg the foot ofanaccompt , whichi!gteerh ;e .wtththefootofthey(are, for,, atrhefoot of the !cafe Srem11tes ufe to bee Jet. e~ ~ atth~ head,or fer it atthefoot.; iris the foot ofthe old, and theheadofrheNcf~: ~n so,thefitteft(eafon,tocelebrateitin. For,bcirhead,orbcit(oot, CHRIsT lt T • ?> ;.ecap,tulatton, orgathering, fielnej[e, or diJPenfatiotJ, or Summmg a!/ tep, the , extts 1 eafonable, , llut, thcfe (I have !'poke of) are of things on tarth, Were it not to be wiihed, we In'heavmt, . would thi•gs,
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