lie hid in the dunghill and be in the world and the world know him not it pleased the Lord by many signes and tokens by many Prophesies and prefigurations to describe him plainely vnto all posterities that none might aledge Ignorance for an excuse of their wickednesse Therefore his starre was shewne vnto the wisemen of the East by the conduct whereof they came from the rising of the Sunne to the citty of Hierusalem to signifie that a new Sonne of Righteousnesse was risen in the Earth who by his bright resplendent beames should inlighten and delight euery one that commeth into the world many rare and prodigious things also were seene at that time euen amongst the Infidels and Heathen people declaring the Restauration of the world the Restitution of man the Solace of the Iewe the Saluation Redemption of all mankinde to be come into the world For as Orosius reporteh out of a certrine streete in Roome there sprung vp a fountaine of oyle which flowed most aboundantly for the space of a whole day and also which is worthy to be noted though the Romane Emperour had obtained the Scepter of the whole world and a generall peace was concluded so that the Temple Ianus was shut vp close a thing scarce euer seene before Yet Augustus forbad that any should call him Lord not without the wondering of all that heard it and about that time he set at liberty 30000. bond-slaues which had fled from their Lords being prouoked no doubt by the motion and Instinction of God himselfe These things did God ordaine to be done in the Imperiall citty euen in the citty of the Earths Emperour to declare vnto the world that the mediator of mankinde the Oyle of Gladnesse the Prince of peace was come into the world vnto whom the title of Lord is onely or most rightly to be attributed seeing he is the true deliuerer of miserable man the Vassall and Bond-slaue of Sinne flying from God from life and from Heauen vnto Hel vnto Death the seruice of the Diuel and restoreth him vnto his true Lord and Maister againe that so being freed from Sin and made the seruant of God hee might attaine vnto Liberty of the Angels in Heauen What neede I recite many Records hereof seeing God did point at him and distinctly name him the Angels came ministred vnto him millions of men did heare him see him the very diuels of Hell did acknowledge and confesse him But of all manifestations that is none of the obscurest that was shewne the very night of his Natiuity vnto the shepheards of Iurie which we haue chosen for the ground-worke of this booke and the foundation of our writing An History which will bring you like the Wisemens starre vnto the place of his Birth and an History which if you marke it wil vnfold vnto you the fruites of his Birth Feare not for behold I bring you tidings of great ioy which shal be vnto all People That is vnto you is borne this day in the Citty of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lord. These wordes are an Epitomy or short sum of the whole Booke of the new Testament cōtaining the long expected Tydings of mans happy saluation in Iesus Christ They were vttered as I saied vnto certaine shepheards of Iury Shepheards that were faithfully attending their flockes in the fields being the true Resemblance of gods spirituall pastors and faithfull ministers and that by an Angell sent as a solemne Embassadour from the Court of Heauen The summe of whose message was this That God considering the wretched estate of his woefull creatures and the damnable condition of the sons of Adam how they lay sweltring in their fathers goare how they stuck fast in the mire and clay and were not able to Recouer the tree of Life from which they had fallen but continued subiect vnto the Doome of damnation frō which by the Law there was no Redemption without satisfaction for their fathers transgression That therefore God of his mercy not vnmindefull of his promise that he had made vnto Adam That the seede of the Woman should breake the serpents Head Which also by an oth he had ratified vnto Abraham viz That in his seed all the Nations of the Earth shoulde bee blessed Had now sent his son from Heauen into earth to bring man frō earth into Heauen vnto him that by becōming Sin for Man though he knew no sinne that man might be made the righteousnesse of God in him And therefore that they needed not to feare the death damnation that was due vnto them for their Fathers transgressions but with Ioyfull harts should embrace the Life and Saluation that was comming vnto them by the sonne of Gods Incarnation in whom whosoeuer beleeued should not perish but haue life euerlasting Feare not for behold I bring you tidings of great Ioy which shal be vnto c. The words as you may see do generally containe an argument vnto encouragement and in it more perticularly I obserue these 3. partes First the encouragement it selfe in these words Fare not Secondly the reason of it for I bring you Tidings of Ioy. Thirdly the ioyfull tidings what it was in these words vnto you is borne this day in the Citty of Dauid c. And first of the first Feare not As the comfortablest comfort that Adam receiued in his Paradise of pleasure was the pleasant fruition of his Creators presence it being replenished with all ioyes and consolations So since his fall like a guilty malefactor he hath shunned nothing more then that his sight presence and therefore as soone as euer he heard his voyce in the garden hee presently sought a bush to hide his head thinking to flie from him from whom no man can flie but by flying vnto him So likewise all of his posterity being partakers of their fathers impurity haue shunned the fight of God as the Executioner of their eternall misery The Israelites had rather beene encountered by an hoste of the Philistines by whom they were in no other likely-hood but to be vtterly destroyed then to come into the presence or voyce of God by whom oftentimes they had beene most mightely protected And Sampsons wifes parents thought the sight of God so fearefull and deadly a thing that they halfe despaired of life when but an Angell appeered And so these simple shepheards were stroken downe amazed when the Glory of this God began to shine about them Thus sinfull Cain shaketh at euery shadow euery tree he thinketh a gallowes euery one that meeteth him he deemeth will massaker him yea euen his owne friendes he mistrusteth will kill him for he knoweth that stuble can not stand before the fire that darkenesse cannot continue when the light approacheth and that man must needes perish when as the God of Iustice is come in presence seeing man is as stuble and God a consuming fire seeing man is Darkenesse and God is a Light seeing man is wicked
God is righteous Timuerunt ergo timore magno They feared therefore saith Luke with a great feare their sinnes were the cause of their feare and ours deseruing no lesse then theirs we haue no cause but to feare with them but what comfort hath the Angell brought with him marry this Feare not As though he should haue said yee sorrowfull and sinfull shepheards who by reason of your manifold sins and iniquities are ashamed like the pensiue Publican to cast vp your polluted eyes vnto the vnspotted throne of the righteous God but go mourning like reiected Cains and cursing with Iob the dayes of your Natiuitie because yee lie subiect vnto the horrible curse of Lucifer and his Angells by reason of your originall and actuall sinnes and therefore feare lest God should cause the earth to swallow you vp as it did Corah and his confederates or else to be consumed with fire by reason of this fiery Light that shineth about you as the Sodomites were in the dayes of Lot If ye knew for what cause I am come downe vnto you ye would be so farre from feare or sorrow that you would rather with that Democrites passe ouer your dayes in perpetuall Laughter For behold I bring you Tidings and Tidings of so great Ioy that the very mountaines if they could heare it would skip like Rams and the little hills like young sheepe so that henceforward you may sing Salomons song as heretofore ye haue sighed out leremies Lamentations wherfore looke vp and behold behold the Angell of God who am sent from the Throne of his Almighty Maiesty with all the rest of these heauenly Souldiers to declare tidings of ioy vnto you wherefore seeing that you are in such fauor with the King of Kings the Almighty Iehouah the Lord of hostes in that he hath regarded you more then all the nations of the earth in that you shall see the Redeemer of mankinde euen Iesus Christ the Son of God before any else Seeing I say you are in such fauor and so regarded of him who is onely to be feared there is no cause that ye ought to feare But here by the way wee must note what Feare is meant in this place for a Diuision must needs be granted els there wil be found an Opposition in Religion which Religion denieth and a concordance of repugnant contrarieties in one subiect which Reason in no sort admitteth For Feare is called Principium sapientiae the beginning of wisedome and Salomon saith it is the root of Life the fulnes of knowledge the glory and renowne of a Christian and the most happy gift And Dauid saith that the Lord hath prouided an euerlasting heritage for them that feare him and yet it is said here Feare not S. Paul in the eight to the Romanes setteth downe two kindes of feare the one a Seruill feare proper vnto the diuells and his damnable adherents the other a filiall feare or the feare of children towards their parents which is peculiar vnto the Seruants of God A seruil feare may be seene in Pharao who feared the Lord when he let the people of Israell depart but it was onely for feare lest hee should be destroied by those plags punishmēts which were denounced against him which he had begun already to haue tasted of So Cain feared when he had slaine his brother so Iudas feared when hee had betrayed his maister Thus the Gentiles feared their Idols for it was not for any Loue that they could beare thē being so wicked vngodly as they were but only lest they shold be hurt by them if they did not serue them Of this feare Saint Peter speaking saith Timorem eorum ne timueritis Feare not their feare or feare not after their maner of fearing meaning the seruil feare of wicked men But of the other kinde of feare he saith presently after Dominum autem Christum sanctificate in Cordibus vestris cum modestia et timore But sanctifie the Lord Iesus in your harts with modesty and feare And S. Paul writing of this feare saith Cum timore tremore vestrum c. worke out your saluation with modesty and feare And this feare is called the feare of children which feare their Parents more for displeasing them or prouoking their anger then for the punishment which by the offence might redownd vnto themselues This feare was neither forbidden the shepheards nor vs nor any else but onely that seruil feare which the Law did bring with it whē nothing but plagues punishmēt was denounced against them that did not whatsoeuer by the Lawe was commaunded vnto them Therefore many of the Iewes did seruilely feare God but they loued him not as may appeare in that they had rather haue worshipped any stock or stone if thei might haue had their choise without feare of punishment But now seeing Christ is come to fulfill the Law for vs and that God doth require nothing but our endeuoure if with firme faith we cleaue vnto the merrits and suffrings of his sonne therfore in this respect it is said vnto the Shepheards in them vnto vs Feare not And thus much of the comfort now of the reason therof why we need not feare For beholde I bring you Tidings of Great Ioy which shall be vnto all people Non oportet esse tristitiae locum vbi est natalis gaudiorum There ought not to be any place for feare or care saith Augustine when the Birthday of Ioy blisse is come in presence for can the childrē of the Bridechamber moorne when the bridegroome is with them haue the thunderclaps of Sinai bin able to deiect vs shall not the songs of Sion be as forcible to erect vs shall the Law terrifie vs when the Gospel is sent to cheere vs But what is this that he saieth that this Ioy shall be vnto all people shall all be saued shall there be no lost sheep in the house of Israel no goats to stand on the left hand in the day of iudgement shall all be carried into Abrahams bosome shall all be voide of feare by his comming I answer the Lord knoweth who are his And hath tould vs that as the way of Life is narrowe and the gate straight so there shal be but few that shall find it For many saith he shal cry Lord Lord open to vs and shal be sent away with Nescio vos I know you not And in his prayers Christ saith of himselfe that he prayed not for all the world but onely for those that his father had giuen him out of the world Therfore it is manifest that although the Angel saith that this Ioie of his Birth should be vnto all yet that all shall not be made Pertakers of the fruits therof But as touching the merrits of Christ we must speake after two sorts either according to Sufficiencie or as touching Efficiencie Christ his Death was sufficient to haue saued all but it was not efficient vnto any but onely vnto those
that beleeued in him which were not borne of water and bloud but of the spirit of God And so by all we may vnderstand the kinds of people as a learned father saith Non pro singulis generum sed pro generibus singulorum c. Christ died not for all of euery kinde but for the kinde of all euen for those that were of his Church and beleeued in him And in this respect saith Augustine let euery one wipe his teares from his eyes and bannish feares from his heart that doth beeleeue in this Sauiour that is sent Art thou a sinner saith he Reioyce now because a pardon is sent from the Iudge vnto thee Art thou a Gentill Reioice now because thou shalt receiue saluation with the Iewes hast thou bin a stranger from God and an Aliant from his couenant be glad now because thou mayest be ingrafted into his Body And in an other place he saith Reioyce ye Iust because it is the Birthday of your Iustifier Reioyce ye feeble and sicke because it is the Birthday of your spirituall Phisition Reioyce ye that liue in captiuity because it is the Birthday of your Deliuerer Reioyce ye seruants because it is the Birthday of your Lord Reioyce ye freemen in heauen because it is the Birthday of him that did set you free Reioyce all Christians because it is the Birth-day of Christ and to be short Reioyce all people because it is the Birthday of the Sauiour of all people If any man haue cause to feare or be sorrowfull still this is the cause that though Light came into the world yet he loued Darknesse more then the Light because his works should be euill And thus much of the reason of the comfort why they should not feare now to the Tidings of Ioy it selfe Vnto you is borne this day in the Citty of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lord. Wherein wee will note first the Person who was borne Secondly the Person of whom he was borne Thirdly when Fourthly where and Fiftly for what cause he was borne In the beginning of this Treatise you heard in part of the misery of Adam after his fall that whereas he had bin placed in Paradise a garden of pleasure inioying the sight and presence of God his state was comparable euen to the Angels of Heauen for though he were subiect vnto God his Creator yet was he Soueraigne ouer all his Creatures his labour was rest and his rest might haue bin continuall his paine was pleasure and his pleasure might haue bin eternall he had health without danger of sicknesse and life without feare of death the flesh and the spirit neuer striued the body obeyed the soule and the soule gouerned the body In a word neither hell nor graue death nor diuell could so much as touch or trouble him so standing as God had appointed But when he presumed to taste of that fruite that onely was forbidden him presently the case was cleane altered so that in stead of life he heard that fearefull sentence Thou shalt die the Death Then was the Earth accursed for his sake and he was thrust out of Paradise in the entrance whereof God set the Cherubines with the blade of a sword shaking to keepe the way of the tree of life so that he was faine to betake himselfe to this miserable and wretched world the kingdome of the Serpent whither could he now goe but he should meete with a curse seeing all things were accursed What might he do but lie sweating in the miserable and pittifull pangs of desperation What comfort might hee finde in his wife or his wife in him but teares and torments sorrowes and sighes crying and howling weeping and wailing groaning and gnashing of teeth Beeing so clogged with the intollerable burden of their sinnes so ouerwhelmed with the bloody floudes of Gods vengeance so pittifully and plentifully powred out vpon them now they perceiue the wages of their sinne to be death and damnation now they pine away for hunger and would be glad of the worst and sowrest apple in all Paradise now they thirst like the Hart after the water of those sweet running Riuers now they feele the want of Gods presence and amiable countenance they perceiue the Serpent to be busie about their heeles most greedily sucking their blood neither can they both finde out the meanes to shake him off or bruise his head therefore they sit like two children hauing by misfortune slaine their deere and louing father weeping and howling the one to the other they had slaine the Image of their heauenly father they had poisoned their soules with an Apple which the venemous serpent had spit vpon they feele the worme of a guilty conscience lie gnawing their bowells and all Creatures disobeyed them and rebelled against them in that they had shewed themselues disobedient rebells against their Lord and Creator But what followed The mercifull and louing Lord when we stood at this point and in a maner at defiance with him although he saw that the imaginations of mans heart would be euill and that he would alwayes beare a stiffe stomacke against him and his holy will yet did he not vtterly cast vs off but blessed O blessed be his name therefore hee hath shewne vs a glad and cheerefull countenance it greeued him that we had deserued his wrath but it would haue greeued him much more if that we had died the deserued death therefore that Iustice might haue his course and his mercy neuerthelesse might be seene ouer all his workes he was content to send the Diadem of his deitie that precious pearle his owne glory in whom was all his delight his onely begotten his best beloued Sonne euen him before whom the 24. Elders threwe downe their Crownes humbly whom the Angels magnified and all the hoast of heauen worshipped continually and to this end that he might bee borne of sinfull flesh that it being defiled with sinne might be cleansed by the seede of righteousnesse to be hungry for materiall bread that our hungry soules might be fed with the bread of life to be polluted with our spitle that we might be cleansed by his spirit to be condemned to death by vs that we might attaine vnto life by him to bee crowned with a crowne of thornes that we might be crowned with crownes of glory to sustaine our sorrowes that we might attaine his ioyes and in a word to be borne in misery to liue in beggery and to die with ignominy for his cradle was a cratch his life crossed and his kind of death accursed that mankind might be blessed but of this hereafter The person of whom he was born is most distinctly expressed and expresly designed in Luke both with the name of hir espoused Husband the Citty she dwelt in the linage and Tribe she came of and the messenger that was sent from god vnto hir All which I thinke was not superuacaniously or in vaine set downe seeing that neither a leafe from the tree nor
an haire can fal to the ground without the will and prouidence of God There is not a Letter or sillable in the Gospell but hath some special vse and also is replenished with celestiall and heauenly sweetnesse if it haue a dilligent examiner that can tell how to sucke Hony out of the Rocke and Oile out of the Flint stone as the prophet speaketh Esay 45. The Angell Gabriell was sent to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Ioseph Luke 1. c. But what virgin was it that was so venerable as to bee saluted of an Angell and yet so humble as to be espoused to Ioseph a carpenter O most excellent no doubt was the commixtion of virginity and humillity neither doth that person smally delight God in whome Humility commendeth Virginity and Virginity exorneth and beautifieth humility Wee heare she was a Virgin and and we heare she was humble if we can not imitate the virginity of this humble woman yet let vs folow the Humility of that Virgin Commendable is Virginity but more necessary is Humillity for that is but Counselled but this is commaunded that we are inuited vnto but vnto this we are compelled Of that it is said I would that euery one were a virgine as my selfe but of this it is affirmed That except we be as humble as little Children we cannot enter Heauen For without Virginity a man may be saued but without Humillity hee can not And therefore saith Mary in her song of thanksgiuing He respected what not my Virginity but the Lowly estate of his handmaid Of this humble virgin came Christ in his humility for this he respected hir to shew vs how he respecteth the humble It was meet that shee should be meek and Humble of whom the meeke and humble in hart should proceed it was requisite that she should be a pure Virgin vnspoted of whom the Immaculate vnspotted Sauior should be born that should clense the spots of the impure world Adam and Eue as they were the begetters of all so were they the destroiers of all yea and which is a more mischiefe they first destroid vs before they begat vs for their Seed being impure by their sinne we were al conceaued sinfull and subiect vnto destruction The consideratiō whereof might cause vs to feare with the Shepheards But saith the Angell Feare not for ye haue wherewith to redeeme the Impurity of your conception euen the purity of the conception of your Redeemer If he had bin vncleane himselfe in his cōception how could he haue clensed ours therfore to make them cleane which were borne of vncleane seed he was conceiued without any seed of man For as the Angell Gabriell tould hir the Holy Ghost came vpon hir the power of the most High ouershadowed hir And therefore that holy thing that was borne of hir was is called the son of God what greater miracle then this yea who euer heard so great miracles as these as that God should be man and yet God stil That a virgin should be a mother without the corruption of hir Virginity Surely I may now with security expect that that holy one shall not see corruption but shall rise againe for our Iustification seing he would not suffer corruption in the Virginity of his mother Further we may obserue this in the wisdome of God how he maketh the woman a Conduite Pipe of our comfort and Felicity which before was the instrument of our care and misery so that as before we laid the fault vpon Eua Saying The woman which thou gauest me gaue to me to eate c. So now we may with ioiful harts say to God Mary which thou gauest me gaue me of the Tree of Life I did eate of it And it was sweeter thē hony vnto my mouth for in it thou hast reuiued me Thus the wise woman rebuildeth the house which the foolish had cast downe before Mary like the tree of life beareth the fruite of Saluation for vs as Eue offered the apple of Damnation vnto vs. Nowe let vs proceede to the time of his birth which was in the midst of winter euen of the colde and tempestuous winter when all thinges seeme dead and withered when the Trees not onely beare no fruite but also want their Leaues when the birdes sing not nor the Sunne warmeth nor the heauens are cleere nor the Aire tollerable nor the Earth delightfull nor any creature cheerefull euen in this withered barren and frozen time of the yeare nay of the world yea in the dark night of this winter was our Sauiour Borne for then was the night of which the Apostle speaking saith now is past when darkenes was ouer the face of the deepe yea a spirituall and inward darkenesse of the minde when the Light of Knowledge and Vnderstanding was very much obseured the darkenes of ignorāce had possessed mens harts that few had the true knowledge of God or could be instructed in the path of his wayes There was no Prophet amongst them no chirping of birds was heard in their Land there was a barrennes not onely of good workes but euen of the leaues of good words Theeues made their dennes in the Temple and Foxes crept into Sion Charity was cold and mens hearts were frozen Iustice was banished and vnrighteousnes embraced and therefore according to the time of the yeare I meane the course of their life the stormes and tempests of Gods heauy iudgments might with reason be exspected But euen in this cod dead winter and darke time of the night warme and cheerefull Light appeered vnto the Shepheards and the glory of the Lord did shine most brightly vpon them and the Tidings of this ioyfull Natiuity was tould vnto them which is all one with that which the apostle saith That when we were Sinners Christ died for vs. And this was the fulnesse of time Gal. 4. for the fulnesse of Earthly and temporal things had made a dearth and barrennesse of heauenly and spiritual This was the time which the Prophet Ioell prophesied of when the mountaines should drop downe new wine and the hils should flow with milke and all the Riuers of Iudah should flowe with waters This was the day wherein God promised the Heauens should send downe their Dew and the Cloudes drop Righteousnesse and Saluation and Iustice should growe foorth of the Earth together This was the day which many Kinges and Prophets desired to see and could not see it Yea happy were they that were so happy as to hope for this day Father Simeon desired to liue to this day though hee liued not a day longer and therefore as soone as euer he saw him whom his soule had so long longed after presently he said Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace for myne eyes haue seene thy saluation c. This was the comfortable day in the hope wherof the Prophets comforted vp themselues and the people declaring it in such sort as though the insensible
which the spirit of wisedome so curiously hath expressed Sub sordido palliolo lateat sapientia Vnder a patched coate may lurke wisedome and vnder a plaine stile may mystically be contained most learned institutions so that not onely the deep Ocean sea is to bee sounded but also the shallow foords of Meander are diligently to be considered Neither do I thinke it haphazard that Christ was borne in a stable for such is the place that the Euangelists affirme that he was born in but that it was appointed by God for speciall reasons long before who doth nothing rashly but hath a reason of all his actions Ye heard before how honorable was the condition of Adam in his Innocencie being like vnto God and created in his Image But the Psalmist witnesseth man being in honor and wanting vnderstanding he was compared vnto the Beasts that perish and in natural affections became indeed a very beast and for his beastly similitude and resemblāce stood tied as it were at the manger to receiue the fodder of beasts A strange alteration beloued that he that was the possessor of Paradise the lord of the whole earth the houshold seruāt of the god of saboth the brother of the blessed and celestiall spirits and the perfect Image of the holy Trinity should so degenerate from his kinde as to become so lowe and base as a Beast But marke heere and consider the proceedings of god for whereas man being become a beast had left the Heauenly bread of Life delighting more in the fodder of Beastes Behold now that bread of Life is turned into Flesh nay into grasse which is the food of Beasts for all flesh is grasse and lieth in a racke or manger to be eaten and chewed of vs beasts Therfore let the Oxe now know his own and the Asse his masters crib Let them drawe neere to him in the stable whom they fled from in the garden Let them honor him in the manger whom they contemned in his maiesty and let them feede on him beeing grasse whom they loathed when he was bread yea let them with an eager and liuely faith ruminate and chew vpon him that they may be nourished and grow vp by him He must be receiued by Hearing chewed by Vnderstanding and disiested by beleeuing or as an other saith The eating of his flesh is a certaine hunger and desire to be incorporated into him And indeed as our sauiour sayth He that eateth the flesh of the sonne of man c. shall liue for euer A Sauiour But wherefore did Christ so debase himselfe Euen that he might be a Sauior vnto vs that he might drawe vs vnto him with the ropes of man and with the cords of his loue as Ose speaketh And therfore he leaueth no meanes vntried to bring vs vnto him no not though they be neuer so base as to be borne in a Stable There is none of vs that liue in this region of death in the infirmities of the flesh and amidst the Temptations that are commonly offered but hath need of Counsell of Help and of comfort for we are Faciles ad seducendum debiles ad operandum fragiles ad resistendum if we would discerne betwixt good and euill we are easily deceiued If we trie to do good we are quickly tyred And if we are tempted we are sudenly subdued Therfore to enlighten our blindnes to help our weaknes and to defend our frailnesse Christ was borne vnto vs. Therefore Feare not For if he be in vs who shall deceiue vs If hee bee with vs what can we not do in him that strengthneth vs If he stand for vs what need we care who be against vs seeing he is the faithful Counseller which can neither deceiue nor be deceiued seeing he is the Almightie God which is neuer wearied seeing he is the strong man that bindeth Sathan breaketh the Serpents Head and is neuer vanquished Wherefore Feare not O Adam neither flie any longer Runne not in to the bushes from the sight of thy Maker for behold hee hath sent thee this day a Sauiour Once thou wast persuaded by the serpēt to sin against God and being taken in the fact thou hadst reason to feare Yea perhaps he brandished his fiery sword against thee but now it is not so He commeth not with weapons to punish but with mercy to preserue If thou saist thou heardst his voice and therefore fledst why he is an Infant and without any voyce and if he haue a voyce it is a voyce more to be pitied then feared Yea in this thou shalt know that he is come to saue thee and not destroy thee in that he fighteth for thee against such as rose against thee Thou hadst but two enemies Sinne and Death the death of the body and the death of the soule hee commeth to destroy either and to saue thee from both therefore feare not he destroyed sinne in his owne person when hee tooke mans flesh vpon him without any pollution For great was the violence that was offered vnto sinne when humane nature which was alwayes before as it were in a leprosie was found in Christ as white as snowe therefore I hope yea I am assured that he can plucke out the beame in mine eye which hath neuer a moate in his owne that he may satisfie for my sinne which was neuer defiled himselfe with any I reade of two that were called Iesus that is Sauiour who as they went before this that we speake of so I thinke they were tipes and prefigurations of him One of which brought the people out of Babilon the other brought them into Canaan both defended them from their enemies but neither saued them from their sinnes But this deliuereth vs from our sinnes bringeth vs out of bondage and placeth vs as kings in the land of the liuing Sinne had made a separation of the bodie from the soule and the soule from the bodie of both from God but Iesus hath brought them all together again yea in a far neerer coniunction then euer before For now they that were at mutual variance are now reconciled frends Yea and so reconciled that as in the blessed Deity there is a trinitie in persons but an vnitie in substance Euen so in this happy reconciliation there is a Trinitie in substance but an Vnitie in the persons And as there the Triplicitie of persons doth not breake the vnity nor the simplicitie of the vnitie doth not diminish the trinitie So heere in like manner the persons doth not confound the substances nor the substances doe hinder the vnitie of the person for the word the Soule and flesh are become one person and these three are one and this one thing is three not by confusion of the substances but by the vnitie of the person O wonderfull and superexcellent vnion who euer heard that things so diuerse should so meete together as to be one person yea soone person that whatsoeuer God may be sayde to haue done in the body the