A harmony upon the the three Evangelists, Matthew, Mark and Luke with the commentary…A harmonie vpon the the three Euangelists, Matthew, Mark and Luke with the commentarie…

| | Luke. 1. Matthew. | Mark. | 34. Then said Mary to the Angel: how shall this be, seeing I know not man? 35. And the Angel answered, and said unto her: the holy Ghost shall come upon thee, & the power of the most high shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be borne of thee, shall be called the son of God. 36. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age, & this is her sixth month, which was called barren. 37. For with God nothing shall be unpossible. 38. Then Mary said, Behold the servant of ⟨p. 27⟩the Lord, •ee is done unto me according to thy word: So the Angel departed from her.

| | Luke. 1. Matthew. | Marke. | 34. Then sayde Marie to the Angell: howe shall this be, seeing I know not man? 35. And the Angel answeared, and saide vnto her: the holy Ghost shall come vpon thee, & the power of the moste highe shall ouershadowe thee: therfore also that holy thing which shal be borne of thee, shall be called the sonne of God. 36. And beholde thy cousin Elizabeth, shee hath also conceiued a sonne in her olde age, & this is her sixte moneth, which was called barren. 37. For with God nothinge shall bee vnpossible. 38. Then Marie sayd, Behold the seruaunt of ⟨p. 27⟩the Lorde, •ee is done vnto mee accordinge to thy woorde: So the Angell departed from her.

34. Howe can this be. The holy virgin seemeth as hardly to restrain the power of God, as Zechariah did before: For that doeth she account to be unpossible, which is beyond the comm•n order of nature, for thus she reasoneth. I know no man, how then should I believe that this should come to pass which thou tellest me? It is not needful that we should greatly labour to clear her of all fault, for by faith she ought to have risen to the omnipotent power of God, which is not tied to natural means, but surmounteth the whole world, & yet she now stayeth in the common course of generation: yet it is to be known that she doeth not so doubt or demand, as if she would have the power of God made subject or equal to her senses, but being stricken with a sudden admiration, she is only moved to ask this question. And that she obediently and gladly receiveth this promise, may be gathered by this: That, whereas there were many doubts on the contrary part, she yet did stay but at this one. She might easily have objected: where is that throne of David become, seeing that all the dignity of that Empire had now a long time ben abolished, & all the glorious beauty of the kingly stock was extinguished: So that if she had weighed the matter with the judgement of flesh, she should have taken all that she heard of the Angel but for a fable. Wherefore it is not to be doubted, but that she easily gave place, & was throughly persuaded of the restitution of the church, a thing according to the flesh incredible. And it is probable that the prophecy of Isaiah 11. 1. was commonly spoken of every where, whereas God promiseth to raise a graft to grow out of the contemned stock of Isay. Faith therefore being through the grace of God conceived in the virgins mind, caused her without doubt to believe the message that was brought her of erecting of the throne of David. If any except and say that there was also an other Prophecy, that a virgin should bear a son, I answer that the knowledge of that mystery was as then very dark. The fathers hoped that they should have a king borne, under whom the people of God should be blessed & happy. But the mean lay hidden from them, as if a veil had been put between them and it.