Reafone, colouring thecomplaint of the third Sondayin Lent. Ser.19. thole ofNazareth agaiñtChrift. 317 cred wemeet with that one ofDauid,and that otherof ludeth, whoaduentured their huesfor their Countrie. In aword,Nature (as Saint Hicrome faith) plan- ted thisloue with that deeperooting inour brefis, that Lucian faid , That the fmokeofour ovineChirnnieswas farre betterthan thefireofother mens. And Plutarch affirmeth,That euerie man commends theayre ofhis owne Country. Hierodes Riles this loue, anew God,ànd our firft andgreateft father. Silicas ¡tali- cur introducetha father notifying to his forme , That not any fouler finnedid defcend vntoHell, than amans oppofing himfelfeagainft his owne Countrie. This loue beinglò dueadebt, and fo deferuing our pittie, it caufeth no fmall' admiration,that Chrift our Sauiorfhouldgrow fo cold towardhisowne Coun- trie,andmultiplie fuchacompanieof miracles vponother the Cities of Iudea and Ifraell, andperforme fo few inNazareth,wherehewasbred. Secondly , This difficultie is increafed by theNazarites iuft requeft; ailed- ging, That finehe had preachedin his owne Citie fucha new and ftrange kind of Dadrine, therewas agreat deale of reafonthat he fhould confirme the fame bymiracles. : For, put cafethat thishad notbeenhis ownenatiue Country,yet wasit a generalldebt,which he had paid toother Cities. Thirdly, becaufe in expoundingthat place ofEfay,The Spirit oftheLordis up- on me,becaufehebath annointedme,that lfhouldpreach the Gofpellto thepoore he faid, That that prophecie was fulfilled in himfelf, being that annointedMeffias there fpokenof: Whichbeing fo, it was fit that heefhouldprooue it by thofe fignes and miracles which were prop;ìccied of the Meffias. .Fourthly,Thisdifficultie is indeeredby that which the EuangeIift S. Make reportethof our, Sauiour Chrift; towit , Thatbee could doe no great workcs inNazareth : As ifhis vermeandpower had beene hindered and debarred of doing them ; infomuchthat itmadeourSauiourChriftto meruaile much atir. Fiftly, If the leviesof Nazarethdid thus bindhishands,more were thofeof Capernaum whichhecompared to Sodome ; Ferif the miracleshadbeendone inTyrur and Sydon,which hauebeene doneinyou,theyhadagreat while agoe repented, fitting inSackclothandLAfigs. Thereforeitfhallbeea f erfor Tyrus arid at the ludgement,thanforyou. Greaterwere thofeofBethfaida andChorazin ; Vs tibi Bethfayda, vatibi Chorazin, be. And greaterwere thofe oi; Ierufalem ; whereof Ezechiel faid, Samaria dimidiumpeccatorum tuorum rionpeecauit, vied easfceleri- bua tuis. Sixtly, Hehaddoneother greaterhonóurs toNazareth ; therehewas incar- natedin the wombeof the VirginMarie, which of all other miracles was the greateft. He tooke his name fromNazareth, as it appeareth by that his title vp- onthe Croff`; bythatwhich the Deuills roared forth ;and bythat which our Sauiour himfelfePaidto Saint Paul, lam IliaofNazareth, Egofum lefas Nazare- nrie, &c.And therefore havinggiuen the more,itwas not muchhoe fhould give theleffe. . Seuenthly, Miracles were that milkewhich the Iews werebred vp with,and hadbeen antiently accufkomed vnto ;Judeafignapetunt,&c. The Iemesdemand afigne. Efay ihtportuned King Achab,.Tharhewould asks lignes from Heauen, Earth, or Hell ; Petetibifignum a Domino,&c. Mofes and Gideon de red fgnes, and thereforehischildren fhpuld havebeenbettered thereby, andmore efpe- cialIythofeof his owne Countrie. After that lofeph had furnifhed /Egypt with corne,hèfeeopenGranaries tothe neighbouring Prouinces. Laftly, It was ptopheciedof the Meffias, Thatbee fhóuld beeno accepter of perfons : Hewas Lord ofal,& toal(iu al reafon)he fhouldPhewhimfelfe equall D d ; and $/qP 615 t. Marc.6. S.
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