A compleat history and mystery of the Old and New Testament logically discust and theologically improved : in four volumes ... the like undertaking (in such a manner and method) being never by any author attempted before : yet this is now approved and commended by grave divines, &c. / by Christopher Ness ...

CHAP. VI.

FROM the foregoing Histories many more Remarkable Mysteries may be learn∣ed. As,

1. Christ humbled himself so low as Conception, (wherein we receive our first Tincture of sinful Corruption, that he might become a compleat Saviour to us who are Conceived in Sin. Oh how humble should we learn to be from Christ, Mat. 11.29. and to be humbled for him, as He was humbled for us, be cloathed with Humility, 1 Pet. 5.5. which is the Root, Mother, Nurse, Foundation and Riband or String, that tyes together (as the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifies) all those precious pearls, the rest of the Graces, if this string break, they are all scattered, yea it also keeps them all sweet for God. As the lowest Vaults and deepest Cellars keep Wine in the briskest Flavor. So humblest Hearts preserve our Graces in their sweet taste and relish, &c. Christ is call'd the Lilly of the Valleys, Cant. 2.1. growing in the Lowly not in the Lofty Heart.

2. Christ took upon him, not only our whole Nature, but also the frailties of it, He took not the best of Man's Nature (to wit, that in the State of Innocency) but the worst of it, even our weaknesses, &c. This should teach us, we must be contented to take not only the best, but also the worst things for Christ, Shame as well as Honour.

3. Oh stand and wonder at this Born Babe of Bethlehem: Did ever Man see a branch of the Tree Elder than the Root from whence it sprang? Was it ever Heard off, that a Child in the Womb should be the Maker of the World, that an Infant was Father to his own Mother, that Eternal Life began to live? That the Antient of Days was a Babe not of an hour old? that He, whom the Heavens could not contain, should be but a Span long? That he who was from Eternity should come within the compass of Time? And that he who was an Infinite Being, should be comprehended in a finite place, both in the Womb, and in the World? Behold this blessed bundle of Won∣ders, &c.

4. Augustin saith excellently, Christ was born as a Child, lived as an Angel, Died as a Lamb, Rose again as a Lion and Ascended to Heaven as an Eagle, &c.

5. Chrysostom w••ll observeth, that the Angel told no Christ's Birth to mighty Mo∣narch•• for their Ears are clo••••••d and closed with Honours and Pleasures, &c. But the happy Tidings hereof were told to poe•• despi••able Shepherds.

6. The Wisemen offer'd Christ Gold as to a King, Frankincense as to a Priest, and Myrrh as to a Mortal Man. 〈◊〉〈◊〉, Thus; Myrrham Region hominies D••••••. The Gold was to De••••••y his Charges in his flight, &c. The Frankincense was to perfume his ••••••••ing S••able, and the Mo•••• he has for his Burial. We ought often (in Soul) to go with the Wisemen to Bethlehem, (being directed by the Star of Grace) and there ••all down and worship this little King, offering to him the Gold of precious Faith, the Frankincense of servent Prayer, and the Myrrhe of bitter Penitency and Patience, and then return, not by Cruel Herod, &c. but by a better way to our happy home. We must carry a little of each, the best of the best, Gen. 43.11. as our Pepper Corn to the Lord of all, Isa. 16.1. Acts 10.36.

7. Oh how ought we to love this lovely Babel more lovely than Moses, Acts 7.20. Whose beauty while a Babe first moved his Parents, and then the Princess to pity him▪ Exod. 2.26. Thus Christ was (1.) Lovely to men, to the Wisemen, whom when they saw, they could not find in their Hearts to betray him into Herod's Hands, but did Homage to him, when but in the shape and state of a poor, feeble, helpless Infant, that we might come to the fulness of the Age in Christ, Eph. 4.13. (1.) He was love∣ly to Angels, who praised God for his Birth though they had not so much interest in him nor benefit by him as we (Luke 2.13.) for he was good Will to men, v. 14. yet a whole Quire of those Heavenly Choristers sang him into the World. (3.) Lovely to God, his beloved Son, his Darling in whom he delighted daily, Mat. 3.17. Sporting with him from Eternity, Prov. 8.30. (If we men love him not) 1 Cor. 16.22. wo to us, &c.

8. Christ broke not Prison before the Period of time in the course of Nature, but calmly suffered his nine months confinement to the narrow Little-Ease of his Mothers Womb, to teach us patience under Persecutions and Imprisonments, till the Tim•• that our word come as Joseph did, Psal. 105.19. and then did the Sun of Righteousnes•• (Mal. 4.2.) break forth from and out of a fruitful Cloud: This Sun had been so lon•• in Virgo, and when he takes to himself his great power, Rev. 11.15, 17. He will ther be in Leo, but when he comes to Judge the World, then this Sun will be in Libra, &c.

9. 'Tis a great comfort to poor People, that Christ (their Redeemer) was born poor (of a poor Mother, in a poor place, on a poor bed or uneasie Craddle, nothing to seed upon but a little breast Milk, &c.) That he also lived poor, feeding upon Barley Bread, &c. John 6.9. And wanting Money, so that for paying Tribute, he must fetch it by a Miracle out of a Fish's Mouth, Mat. 17.27. and he likewise Died Poor, ha∣ving no Houses, Lands, or Goods and Chattels to Dispose of by his Will to Friends and Relations: Never think God can love us better than his own Son, &c.

10. Christ at eight days old began to bleed for us, which was a Pledge and Praeliba, men or Foretast of that Sea of Blood to be shed for us at his Death. This bloudy Co∣venant of Circumcision he Entred, not as needing it himself, for he had no Sin. But (1.) To assure us of his Humanity. (2.) To Satisfie and Sanctifie for the Sins of our Infancy. (3.) To leave the Jews without excuse, who would have despised him, had he been Uncircumcised. (4.) Because he had taken Abraham's Nature, there∣fore must he have on him Abraham's Signature, though it was a bloody one, Exod. 4.24, 25.

The Third Passage of Christ's Privare Life, was his Return safe from Aegypt. How long he staid there hath various Computations, after mentioned. However betwixt his Flight Thither and his Return Thence, did fall out the merciless Massacre of the Bethlehem Babes of two years old and under, Mat. 2.16. Wherein some affirm Fourteen Thou∣sand Innocent Infants were bloodily Butchered: So 'tis Recorded in the Greek Ka∣lendar, and (they say also) that John Baptist was in eminent Danger of being Murder∣ed too, had not his Parents hid him from Herod's hands, by sending him away into the Desart, (the Place of his abode, Mark 3.3.) for which his Father Zacharias was slain betwixt the Temple and the Altar, Mat. 23.35. And Tertullian saith, the Blood of this Holy Priest could never be washed out from the place where it was shed; much less out of the Murderers Conscience.

The Remarks upon this are these. 1. No History makes mention of any such matchless Murther as this None-such was, whereby, without any heat of War, so ma∣ny Thousand Infants only perished, all others of other Ages escaping.

(2.) Neither the Consciences of those Cut-throats, nor the Outcries of either the Mothers or their Sucklings could move to any Compassion, no not to Herod's own Child, which was there put out to Nurse among them, which Augustus Caesar hearing of, said, It was better to be Herod's Hog than his Son, for he fed the former, but kill'd the latter, lest the Jews should take him and make him King.

(3.) Yet how marvelously did God hide his own Son Christ from the hands of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 bloody Tyrant until the Indignation was over past, Isa 26.20: While Herod waited for the Wisemens Return, the Child Jesu is conveyed away to Egypt; Herod mocked the Wisemen, and yet takes it ill, that he was mocked by them, Mat. 2.16. but never takes notice, how God mock'd and made a fool of him, as he doth of all His and His Sons Adversaries, setting bounds which they cannot pass.

(4.) Mark here the Just Judgment of God upon those blind Bothlemites, That could behold no Beauty in this Blessed Babe Jesus at his Birth, to afford him no better en∣tertainment than in a stinking Stable, They could find Room in their best Guest Chambers for Rioters, Revellers and Roaring Boys, but no Room for this Holy Child Jesus, whom they thrust out into the worst place. Their Sin therefore was writ up∣on their Punishment; They must all be bereaved of their Sons by a bloody Butchery of them, for their unkindness and unnaturalness to the Son of God. The like Sin in us must bring the like Judgment, 1 Kings 17.18.

5. This matchless mourning for the Murder of so many Innocents was foretold by Jeremy the Prophet, Jer. 31.15. When a Woman should compass a man, ver. 22. That is, at the Birth of Christ, to teach us, not only that the fulfilling of Prophecies is a convincing Argument of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures; but also, that so Tyrant committeth any outrage in the World at his own Will and Pleasure, but only according to the Praeordination and Appointment of God, who had foretold here, what Herod should Hellishly act in his Day, Man. 2.17. Pilate can Act nothing against Christ (nor any Tyrant against his Members) without God's lending Power, John 18.11. The Borrowing Power can never over match God, who is the Lending Power.

(6.) 'Tis a marvelous matter also to consider how Almighty God held Herod's Hands at the Purification of the Mother of our Lord, when Christ (the Babe) was personally present in Jerusalem, and presented to God in the Temple, where Simeon and Anna (both old and eminent persons) gave open Testimony of this Holy Child, and all this was done as (it were) under Herod's Nose, while he was expecting to have an exact account of Christ's Birth and Abode from the Wisemen, or perhaps he was taken up by some more courtly employments, &c. Thus God can give Diversions to the bloodiest Designs of Tyrants as of Saul's pursuing David, 1 Sam. 23.26, 27, 28. and of Burying the slain Witnesses by the Beast, Rev. 11.9.

(7.) Those Innocent Infants suffered for Christ, before Christ suffered for them, hence, the Antient Fathers do affirm with one Mouth, that they died Martyrs for Christ, so were undoubtedly Glorified, which was a blessed Recompence for their be∣ing so Sacrificed, &c. and that their Souls (together with all other Martyrs) Ʋnder the Altar, do daily cry to God for vengeance upon such as be like bloody Herod, and his cruel Cut-Throats, Rev. 6.9, 10.

8. Divine Vengeance doth not ever sleep (though for a while it may) but never dieth. Blood-guiltiness within the breast sooner or later brings severe Judgments up∣on the back; not long after this bloody Butchery at Bethlehem (which was so barba∣rous, as Dead Rachel buried there many hundred years before, Gen. 35.19. could not but after a sort lament it, Mat. 2.18.) This bloody Herod falls into a foul and loathsom disease, He was smitten of God with intolerable Tortures, an unbearable burning over all his body, Gripes in his Gutts, Ulcers in his Fundament, Lice in his Privities, Gout in his Hands and Feet, Convulsions in his Nerves, and stinking putrified matter streamed out from all parts of him; so that feeling himself in Hell while upon Earth, he would have slain himself, and was not suffered. In this Phrenzy he slew his own Son Antipater (whom a little before he had declared to be Heir of the Kingdom) and de∣signed many more Cruelties against the Jewish Nobility, but was disappointed by God. As he lived undesired, so he died unlamented; Qualis vita, finis ita, as he lived, so he died. Perscutors (as we say of the Devil) always go out with a stench.

How long Christ was in Aegygt, Authors do vary in the computation thereof: Some say, he was not there above four or five months, or less; so soon God smote Herod for his butchering the Innocent Children, and for his Murdering Intentions against the Lord of Life. Those that think thus, think also, that Christ was two years old before he left Beth∣lehem, and fled into Egypt: But that Text [Christ was in Egypt until the death of Herod]

Matth. 2.15. is interpreted to be two or three years at the least; for Christ was born in the 32d of Herod's Reign, fled soon after his Birth, and returned not till the death of Herod. ver. 19.20, 21. who Reigned (say Chronologers) thirty seven years. I omit the further canvasing of this controverted Point to the Curious Criticks in Chronology; 'tis enough here to know it was soon after the Burchery of Bethlehem Babes that this Tyrant was struck dead, and God's Angel (glad of an Office to serve the Saints, Heb. 1.14.) comes flying with Tydings to Joseph in Egypt, That they were dead which sought the young Child's Life, ver. 19.20. N.B. Note well. Joseph had not heard from Heaven all the time (less or more) that he had sojourned in Egypt; but God's Time (he knew) was the best Time: As God never comes too soon with false Tydings, so he never stays too long with true ones. So in due time God will send word to his sinking Church, [They are dead that sought thy life.] Though to our thinking God seems to fail us, yet he forsakes us not: [Not, that he doth not] saith the Author to the Hebrews, Heb. 13.5. Oh how many precious Servants of God escaped Smithfield Fires by Queen Mary's Death! Persecutors Day to die must come, Psal. 37.13. David rested on it, 1 Sam, 26.10. N. B. Note well. However there is no doubt but Joseph and Mary were glad they were going (at God's call) out of such an Hell as Egypt, whence Israel brought back One Golden Calf, Jeroboam Two, and these two good Souls could not but get there either Guilt or Grief. As they willingly went thither at God's command, though they (being both strangers) might well enough think with themselves, [How shall we maintain our selves with livelihood in that strange Coun∣try?] yet Christ's Presence was their security, and their going thither was in obedience to God. But the same Authority made them (doubtless) more willing to return into their own Country, so they hasten to Judea thinking to go again to Bethlehem, not then knowing but that the place of Christ's Birth, must be also the place of his Edu∣cation, but the fear of Archelaus (as Cruel, tho not so Crafty as his Father) and the Warrant of an Angel directed them into Galilee, ver. 23.

Thus are we to understand that passage in Luke 2.39. They returned into Galilee, to wit, after they had first fled into Egypt: For the Evangelist Matthew had so fully hand∣led the matter of the Wisemen, and of Christ's Journey into Egypt before Luke wrote, that He had nothing left him to say thereof, but makes this Transition from Christ's first coming to Jerusalem to be presented in the Temple about 40 days old, to his coming again from Galilee (where Archelaus had no power, being under Philip's Jurisdiction. So God sets bounds to Persecution) to his second coming thither at 12 years old. Where we have Recorded the Fourth passage of Christ's Private Life. To wit, Christ's Disputing with the Doctors in the Temple, Luke 2.39, 40, 41, 42, &c. There is none of the Evangelists that Recordeth any thing concerning Christ from the time of his Return out of Egypt about two years old, till he came to be twelve, so that there be nine years of Christ's first age passed over in silence.

The 1st. Remark hereupon is, That Christ will not continue for ever in Egypt, but he will return to the Temple again: When Isreal was a Child. then I loved Him, and called my Son out of Egypt Hos. 11.1. Exod. 4.22. Numb. 24.8. & Mat. 2.15. yea If we seek Him, He will suddenly come to his Temple, &c. Mal. 3.1. To Dispute will our Doctors, in our Day.

2. When Christ came to dispute with the Jewish Doctors, then was the time that their School-learning was come to its very 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 or height in the School of Hillel, and Shammai, then did their Scholars grow so high and haughty, that they not only as∣sumed the Titles of Rabbies (ambitiously affected, Mat. 23.8, 9, 10. as if their only opinions had been Oracles, and must stand for a Law) but also quarrell'd together one with another, to the effusion of blood, which animosities could not to be taken up, till a pretended Bath-kol or Voice from Heaven (to such fictions they were forced to betake themselves) caused them to cease. Then had they Invalidated and made void the Commands of God with their Traditions, Mat. 15.3, 6, 9. pretending to perfect the Written Law by the Prescriptions of the Elders, shouldering God out of his Throne, &c. Thus Christ came seasonably to his Temple.

3. Solomon (the Type) shewed his wonderful Wisdom in deciding the controversie between the two Harlots by discovering the yerning Bowels of the one from the other when he was but twelve years old, 1 Kin. 3.16, to ••8. so our blessed Saviour (the An∣titype) at the same Age, manifested his Matchless Wisdom among the Doctours, not only Hearing, but also posing them, so that they were all astonished at His Ʋnder∣standing and Answers, Luke 2.42, 46, 47. For the Grace of God was upon him, ver. 40. yea without measure was his fulness of Spirit, John 1.16. & 3.34. & Col. 1.19. yea so large was his Understanding that some have affirmed it infinite, however he

put forth a Beam of his Delty here, and as he confounded the Jewish, so he can the Popish Doctors.

The Fifth Passage of Chirst's Private Life, is his Parents losing of him for three Days at the Passover Feast, Luke 2.41, 44. &c. See after on this. Remarks hereupon are, 1. Take heed of losing Christ at our Feasts by Mad Merriments, &c. 2. The Best are some∣times at a loss, and hard put to it, yea mostly for their Security, Cant. 3.1. and 5.2, 4, &c. 3. Christ may be lost for three Days, or so, yet found again. 4. The Readiest way to find a lost Christ, is Addressing to the Temple. 5. To seek a lost Christ, is a sorrow∣ful seeking. 6. To be careless of such a precious Pearl (as Christ is) is Dangerous, what could Mary think, but that Archelaus had now got his Prey, or that he was fain Sick, or (at the best) some Angel had caught him and carried him away. 7. Duty to Parents must give way to Duty to God. Wist ye not, &c. 8. The Three days do figure. (1.) Patriach's before the Law. (2.) Prophets under it, sought but found him not as we (3.) do under the Gospel.