1. Tim. 6.12 euen the Eyes and View of the present World and with Dauid not to be ashamed to speake of Gods Testimonies before Kings f Psal 119.46 not to swarue from Gods Testimonies though our Persecutors and Oppressors were many g Psal 119 157 Heerein wee must be followers of Christ Iesus the Author and finisher of our Faith who witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate the Iudge that condemned him h 1. Tim. 6.23 and of Abraham the Father of the Faithfull who built Alters to the Lord and called vpon the name of the Lord when the Canaanite an Idolatrous Nation that serued other Gods was in the Land i Gen. 12.6.7 For then wee especially shew that the loue of Christ is in vs when we abide with him in tribulation that wee come to him sinceerely when wee take vp the Crosse and follow him k Mat. 16.24 Non est magnum si tunc a Dei Testamonijs non declines cum te nullus persequitur It is no great matter if then thou goest not astray from Gods Commandements when no man persecuteth thee It is no great matter to bee as resolute as Peter when no daunger is at hand to march vnder the banner of religion when authority alloweth it honour and prosperity followeth it but then to indure when the heate of the Day ariseth when the firie tryall commeth is a proofe of our rooting and grounding in Christ The Deuill himselfe knoweth that Trouble is the best Triall of Religion and therefore thinking Iob to bee but a Temporizer one that serued God for wordly neede hee would haue him tryed by aduersity Lay now thine hand vpon all that hee hath and he will curse thee to thy face a Iob. 1.11 Scilicet vt fulvum spectatur in ignibus aurum Tempore sic duro est inspicienda fides Good gold from drosse is in the sornace tri'de And faith from falsehood in trouble descri'de The souldiers courage is not so well seene in the campe as in the battaile when they cloase together Pede pes densusque viruir foote by foote and man cloase with man The marriners skill is not so well discerned Cum placidum ventis stabit mare When there is not a wagge of winde as when vnâ Eurusque Notusque ruunt creberque procellis Africus c. When all the windes hurry together And the constancy and courage of the souldier of Iesus Christ is best seene and showne when tribulation ariseth when he can indure to the end though he be hated of all men for Christs sake b Matt. 10.22 It is the protestation of the Church of the Iewes That their heart was not turned backe nor their steps declined from Gods way though God had sore broken them in the place of Dragons and couered them with the shadow of death that they had not forgotten the name of their God nor holden vp their hands to any strange God though for his sake they were killed all the day long and counted as sheepe for the slaughter c Psal 44.18.19.20.21.22 Shidrach Meshach and Abednego would not forsake the Lord their God whom they serued to fall downe before the idole that Nebuchadnezzar had set vp though the Kings anger were the messenger of death vnto them but were euen fortiores ignibus stronger then the fire it selfe d Dan. 3. Daniell would not intermit his ordinary deuotions which he had formerly vsed no not for a little time though the decree of his casting into the Lyons Denne were signed and vnalterable according to the Law of the Medes and Persians a Dan. 6. Let vs not then be ashamed of Christ and his Gospell when for the same we come before the Herodes the Princes of this world but let vs confesse him boldly before them who when they haue killed this mortall body the baser part cannot come neere our immortall soule the better part And let vs not with Nichodemus be such cowardly professors that wee should come to h m by night b Ioh. 3. doing the workes of light in the darkenesse nor with Ioseph of Arimathea bee his Disciples in hidde-locke for feare of trouble c Ioh 19 38. nor with the Parents of the blinde man d Ioh. 9.22 and many of the Iewes beleeue in him but not dare to confesse him for feare of being put out of the Synagogue e Ioh. 12.42 but let vs be stronge in the Lord and in the power of his might that we may be able to stand and withstand in the euill day f Eph. 6.10.13 let vs with Paul be ready not be bound onely but also to die at Ierusalem for the name of the Lord g Act 21.11.12.13 not passe for all that may happen nor reckon our life deare so that we may fight the good fight of Faith and a good Conscience and let vs cast our expences count what it will cost vs and resolue to indure the heate of the day as Chrysostome did to beare whatsoeuer the Empresse Eudoxia would inflict vpon h Histor tripart lib. 10. cap. 18. him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he i Chrys in Epist ad Cyriaeum Episcopum If the Empresse will banish mee let her banish me the earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof If shee will saw me asunder let her I haue Esay for an example If she will throw mee into the Sea I remember Ionas If she will cast me into the Fornace I haue the three Chrildren that counsell me this If she will cast me to wilde beasts I remember Daniell cast to the Lions in the Denne If shee will stone mee let her I haue Stephen the first Martyre If she will take mine head let her take it I haue Iohn the Baptist If shee will take my goods let her take them naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I return The Apostle telleth me that God accepteth not the person of man and if I should yet please men I were not the seruant of Christ and Dauid armeth me saying I spake before Kings and was not ashamed I haue beene sufficiently accountable for the first particular I passe to the next the moouing cause that bringeth them to come and enquire For we haue seene his starre in the East Of all the senses wherewith God hath indued man for preseruation of nature there are two the hearing and the seeing that are as windowes wherby he reueileth Diuine misteries and conueieth supernaturall truthes vnto the minde For by hearing he acquainteth vs with his will and word faith commeth by hearing a Rom. 10.17 and let h m that hath an eare heare what the spirit saith to the Churches b Reu. 2.7 And by seeing his workes either of nature in the creation and preseruation of the vniuersall or beyond nature in the wonders that he doth we learne that the workeman is God alone that none is like him c Isai 46.9 and that he
Moses not one whose tongue is as the penne of a ready writer by a country Amos not a courtly Isaiah and by him that is rude in speech not one that commeth with excellency of words And so I tender them to your Honour in all humilitie with that farewell benediction of Iacob to his Sonnes going into Egypt God Almighty giue you Fauour in the sight of the Man c Gen. 43. â—4 Now the Lord of Lords who hath brought your Honour hitherto fasten you as a nayle in a sure place blesse your House that it may continue for euer before him and after fulnesse of Dayes Ritches and Honour heere on Earth giue you the fulnesse of Ioyes in his presence in Heauen Your Honors in all humble Duty BARTHOLOMEVV PARSONS The first fruits of the Gentiles In three Sermons preached in the Cathedrall Church at Sarum MAT. 2. VERS 1.2 1. Now when Iesus was borne in Bethlehem of Iudaea in the dayes of Herod the King behold there came wise men from the East to Hierusalem 2. Saying where is he that is borne king of the Iewes for wee haue seene his Starre in the East and are come to worship him I Cannot but ingeniously acknowledg heere with Chrysostome that Multa nobis opus est vigilantia c. Wee haue neede of much watchfulnesse many prayers that wee may passe through and learne the difficultie of this present place a Chrysost homil 6. in Mat. For the strife betweene the heard-men of Abrahams Cattell and the heard-men of Lots Cattell about their pasturage b Gen. 13.7 was neuer so great so irreconcileable as the strife betweene the sheepeheards of Israell is heere what these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wisemen were what their Profession what their Countrie when they came thence at what time after Christs birth they came to Hierusalem and Bethlehem what this starre was when and how it first appeared and rose how it guided them in their Iourney one as it was in the case of Ahab Saying on this manner and another on that manner a 1. King 22.20 Manasses being against Ephraim and Ephraim against Manasses and both of them against Iudah b Isa 9.21 Amongst all which varieties and extreamities I holde it the best discretion to keepe that which is good for edification c 1. Thes 5.20 to cast away that which is but the fewell of contention rather to finde out and follow that which may minister the edifying which is in Faith d 1. Tim. 1.4 then to doate about vaine and vnprofitable questions e 1. Tim. 6.4 which doe but gender strife f 2. Tim. 2.23 To come to the Text then there is a word in it and it is Ecce Behold which is Nota attentionis promittens rem magnam a note of attention promising some great matter to follow after which serueth as an Index to poynt out vnto vs many admirable remarkeable things here related and which standeth as a Beacon on an hill to discouer a strange and vnexpected comming and enquirie not of enemies but of friends for the new borne Messias accompanied and attended with many circumstances of Times Places Persons Causes and Ends all of them full of admiration For is it not wonderfull in our eyes that such persons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wisemen shoulde come and enquire for him that they which sate in darkenesse should see great light g Matt. 4.16 and that light should spring vp to them which sate in the region and shadow of death that they to whome he was not spoken of should see and they that haue not heard should h Isa 52.12 vnderstand any thing of him k Ioh. 1.11 who comming amongst his owne was not receiued by his owne i Rom. 15.21 could haue none honour in his owne Countrey l Mat. 13.57 Nato Christi exultabat Chaldea saith Maximus m Maxim 9. homill in hunc locum When Christ was borne Chaldea was glad and all Hierusalem with her princes was troubled the Iewe persecuted him the wise man adored him Herod whetted his Sword the wise man prepared his gifts that they should come at such time as this king was newlie borne hauing no forme nor comelinesse no beautie that hee should be desired a Isai 53.2 no better Chayre of state then an Oxes Manger b Luke 2.7 before he had knowledge to refuse the euil to choose the good c Isai 7.15 and in the dayes of Herod the King who to attaine and maintaine his Crowne spared neyther Priest nor presbyterie rooted out all the posteritie of Dauid that hee could finde butchered the Infants of Bethlehem made hauock of all the nobilitie of Iury yea hated his owne flesh killed his owne brother Pheroras his owne wife Mariamne with all her kinred his owne Sonnes Aristobulus Alexander and Antepater d Ioseph Antiq lib. 16. c. 17. that they should come from the East leauing their owne people and their fathers house and beeing followers of the obedience that was in Abraham the Father of this new borne King who went out of his Countrie and from his kindred and fathers house vnto a Land that God shewed him e Gen. 12.1 with the religious Eunuch goe so farre a Iourney to worshippe f Act. 8.27 that they should come to Hierusalem that so Israell might know that God might prouoake them to Iealousie by them that are no people and anger them by a foolish Nation g Rom. 10.19 and Vt studio magorum damneretur pigritia Iudaeorum h Remigius apud Thomam in catena by the diligence of the wise-men the sluggishnesse of the Iewes might be condemned that they should come by the guidance of a Starre God creating a new Starre not to giue light by night i Ier. 31.35 but to bee a light to lighten these Gentiles that they might see and finde the way to that starre of Iacob k Num. 24.17 of which Balam had fore-prophecied and calling them per ea quae familiaria ijs consuetudo faciebat l Chrysost homil 6. in Matt. by those things which custome made familiar vnto them that they should come to worshippe him looking not on the things which were seene his outward contemptible appearance his beeing in the forme of a seruant but on the things which were not seene his eternall God-head and power his being in the forme of God and his thinking it no robberie to be equall with God a Phil. 2.6 yea and acknowledging him which was Rex Iudaeorum King of the Iewes to bee also Rex Seculorum b August serm 31. de temp the eternall King magnum aliquod latebat in paruo saith Saint Austin c August serm 35. de temp there lay hidde some great thing in that little one which those men the first fruits of the Gentiles which came so suppliant from so farre learned by heauen that shewed it not by the earth that brought them and by
adoring they desired to obtaine the fauour of that which by beholding they did not see are not all these wonderfull wonders are they not the great misteries of Godlinesse d 1. Tim 2 16. are they not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The great workes of God e Act. 2.11 worthy to bee published to the World with an Ecce a note of attention of admiration The body the summe of all heere is an Historicall narration a description of a solemne comming and enquirie for the new borne Messiah which being as the Center hath many circumstances as the circumference compassing it about on euerie side First of the time when Iesus was borne which birth is farther illustrated either by the place at Bethlehem of Iudea or the time In the dayes of Herod the king Secondly of the persons who Wise men Thirdly of the places eyther from whence From the East or whither to Hierusalem Fourthly of the forme of the inquirie Where is he that is borne King of the Iewes Fiftly of the moouing cause Wee haue seene his Starre Sixtly of the finall cause and end We are come to worship him To prosecute these in the order I haue proposed them I must beginne first with the time when all this was done for to euery thing there is a season and a time to euery purpose vnder the heauen f Eccles 3.1 and that is Now when Iesus was borne presently vpon his birth all this falleth out for hee that as long as hee was in the World was the light of the World a Iohn 9.5 could not bee hidde after his comming into the world Quis enim celauerit ignem Lumine qui semper proditur ipse suo saith the Poet for who can hide fire which is alwayes disclosed by it's owne light Latere inter obscura saeculi lumen caelesti non poterat saith Maximus b Maximus serm 2. in Epiphan the heauenly light could not be hid amongst the darkenesse of the world he that at his lifting vp vpon the Crosse would draw all men both Iewes and Gentiles c Ioh. 12.32 at his manifestation in the flesh doth presently beginne to manifest himselfe to the sheepe-heards of the Iewes and to the wisemen of the Gentiles Noluit intra saith Leo c d Leo serm 1. in Epiphan He would not haue the beginning of his birth hidde within the narrow corners of his mothers House but would presently bee acknowledged by all men who vouchsafed to be borne for all men But here the wisedome or rather the curiositie of man which cannot content it selfe with the reuealed things which are onely ours e Deut. 29.29 but must make it selfe ouer-wise f Eccles 7.17 eate of the forbidden Fruit and prie into the Arke of God g 1. Sam. 6.19 cannot forbeare to enquire into the things that God hath secreted nor keepe it selfe from running vpon the rocks of vaine and vnprofitable questions touching the very particular time and day of their comming after our Sauiours Birth And as in them that were guided by their owne coniectures and not by any heauenly reuelation there were sundrie erronious oppinions about the Sauiour of the World some saying that he was Iohn Baptist some Elias others Ieremias or one of the Prophets h Matt. 16.14 so in this point wherein the Scriptures are silent and haue reuealed nothing vnto vs men following their owne coniectures are deuided in their opinions some saying that they came the very day of Christs byrth and worshipped him with the sheepeheards i August serm 30. de temp some a little before the Virgins purification some presently after some a yeere after this byrth some almost two yeeres after All which if I should at large discourse of or discusse I might happilie builde vpon the foundation Hay and Stubble Vanas inutiles argutias a Beza in 1. Cor. 3.12 vaine and vnprofitable quirkes which would bee but matter for the fire enough for the present that our Churche hath thought fit for a memoriall of these mens comming vnto Christ to celebrate the twelfth day after his Natiuitie and to note withall vnto the disputers heereaabouts that if the wisedome of the spirit which hath singled out those things to be written quae saluti credentium sufficere videbantur b August tract 49. in Ioh. which seemed sufficient for the saluation of them that beleeue had held the precise knowledg of the particular time so necessary it would as well haue recorded it as the very time of the Sheepheards comming to see him which was the very day of his birth c Luke 2.11.15 Howbeit the very Phrase vsed by the HOLY-GHOST 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iesus being borne or as soone as Iesus was borne importing that they came with as great celeritie and speede as so large a Iourney could be accomplished it shall bee good and profitable for vs d Tit. 3.8.9 auoyding foolish questions to learne by this which is written for our instruction to doe that which we heere and see in them heere namely to make hast and delay not to keepe Gods commandements e Phil. 4.9 to make no tarrying to turne vnto the Lord nor to put it of from day to day f Psal 119.60 but to seeke the Lord whilst hee may bee found to call vpon him whilest hee is neere g Eccle. 5.7 that is requisite in all the duties of godlinesse which is required in our vowes that wee must not bee slack to pay them h Isai 55 6. as wheresoeuer the Gospell should bee preached in the whole world that worke of the Woman which powred an Alablaster boxe of precious oyntment i Deut. 23.21 vpon the head of our Sauiour was to be mentioned in memoriall of her k Matt. 26.13 so wheresoeuer the obedience of Gods seruants is recorded the haste that they vsed the diligence that they gaue is euer remembred as that which crowneth the worke Abraham beeing enioyned to circumcise himselfe and his familie doth it the same day a Gen. 17.23 to sacrifice his sonne riseth vp Earlie in the morning to goe about it b Gen. 22.3 Cornelius to send for Peter who must speake vnto him words whereby hee should be saued doth it immediatly c Act. 10.33 Paule to goe vnto the Gentiles to open their eyes and turne them from darkenesse to light doth it immediatly without communicating with flesh and blood d Gal. 1.16 Nescit tarda molimina spiritus sancti gratia saith Ambrose on Luke the grace of the holy Ghost cannot skill of any slow enterprises How sharpely then are the men of this generation to be rebuked who say of the building of the spirituall Temple of Christ in their hearts as the Iewes did of the materiall Temple the time is not yet come e Hag. 1.2 who with the Iewes will not in this their day know the things that belong vnto their peace f