74 Of the N AT 1 v 1 T 1E. Sermon 9· ~~~~----~~------------------- Matth,1,3:Z.o 2 :z..Ee&t,ti:Ui~ pitt. L..k,I,J4. Luk;'·H· Luk.J,jl. luk.I.J7• Markeg.:z.3. lign~. that is no figne; tell them, ofa marvell, not to bemarvelled at. - Reje~them then,and reade confidently, as Saint Matthew doth,Behold, A rirgi 11 , W1th Hun, refr hardly, on the skill andintegritie ofall theSeventy; that morethan :mhundred yeares, before it came to pa!fe,turned it .,Jp8.,& (inGruke) that is,a rir. gin; whocouldskilloftheir owne tongue, better than any Kimchi, or Albo, or any BAbbinofthem all. This, for licct Yirgo. And, looke what wcirke we haq with the Iew, about Em Yirgo, thelike !hall we have-with the Gmtile, about Yirgo concifiet. To conceive this conceiving; to joyne thefe tw·o,a .Yirgin,an4yet conceive,or beare; or, conceiveandbeare, and yet be arir. gin. For, before the birth; yea, beforetheconceivingcome,therirginitie is gone. True, inNature: But, this isajigne; and fo, above Nature. And,inReafon/o : but, this,isniji credideritu,non imd!igetu, to be beleeved,othcrwifenotto be underfrood (as,alittle before was faid.) For,what Go o can doe,Faith can beleeve; Reafoncan~ not comprehend. But, this,it can :that, wedoe Go ono great favour (as, well faith Saint Auguffiru) Si Dmm[Atemur, &c. Ifwuonfeffe, GoD can doefome-what which we confeffe, ortr reafoncannot·ru.ch. . TheBle!fedYirgin her felfe,while lhee frood upon a reafon, uponquia noncogncfc 1 virum, asked, Ho"' it might bee? Bur, relled in theAngels refolunon : andfo let us, 'Which was ofrwo forts : Firll, That the Ho L Y G Ho s T lhould be Agent in it, and thePowerofthe moft High bring it to pAjfe. That, which, ofitfelfe, feemeth not credible, put the Authorcoit, put toExSpiritu Sant1o, and it will feemc not in– credible. Specially (and, that is the fecond;) Ifwe fer another by it, as unlikdy as it, and done,though: As,thisEcceoftheYirgins,tbe Angd!exemplifics,by another Ecce,of Zacharies,inamanner,as hard; which yet fell out, at thefame time. For, E!iz,.heth, being barren, firfr by nature,then by age; andfo, wanting power, to conceive : fl1ee, was (then)gonejix m~mths with child. Now, the want of power roconceive, is no le!femateriall, to hinder che conception, every way; than, want ofthe foile, no le!fe,than the want offeed. He, that couldfupply that; couldalfo, chis. He, that doe it,without one; doe ic,withoucthe other. They were Coufens, (rheBlef– fedVirgin, and lhe : ) And, theirSignes were fo, too. One ofthem madecredibk, by the other. · Bur,I aske Saint PAuls quefrion:Why jhouldit lmhought A thingincredible,thU to the Gentiles; If, (as their Religion taught them) they admitted, of Minerva'sbirch, or Pyrrh,: s progeny, they need not make fl:range, atthis. Ifthey fay,the GoD ofNa– cure is not bound to the rules ofNature: we fay the fame. And yet, even in Nature, we feeit made not altogether incredible.Thelighc palling thorow a body,the boqy yet remaining whole: And it is put cherfore into the Yer(e,topatterne this,Lttce pent· trAtur, &c. Theljghccommeth thorow the gla!fe,yet the gl.ufe isnorperilhed. No more, than the light ofHeaven,pafling rhocow, breaketh the gla!fe ; No more, did the Go o ofHeaven, by His pa!fage,violate any whit,the Virginity of His Mother; if we will allow Go o themaker efthelight,ro doe as much,as the light,He bath made. Buc,I hold everbefr, eo let every thing refl: upon his owne bafe,or bonome : Na– tucall,upon Reafon; Supernaturall,upon Faith.And,this is Supernacurall : In which, tot" reio fat1i eftwpotentia facienti<: the power ofthe doer, is thereafon ofth>thing done. Go o is the Doer ;cujmdicert,eftfacere, to whom,it is as eafie to doeic,as to fay it.AstheAngt!lconcluded,fo doeI: With Go Di<nothing imp#ib!e : And that ofC HR r s T, To faith, Allthings art pojih!e : And here are both : and, wherethey meet, they make no le!fe amiracle chan Mdlerand rirgo, or DemandHm•o; Even Fides and .fl.atio. · And this, for rirg1 concieiet. Now,
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