Sermons Upon all the Sunday Gospels, Sermon 14
The fyrst Sonday after Twelfth day, vponupon the Gospell, Luke ij.
THE Father and mother of Iesus went to Ierusalem after the custome of the feast day. And when they hadde fulfilled the dayes, as they returned home, the chylde Iesus abode styll in Ierusalem, and his Father and mother knewe not of it: but they supposing him to hauehave ben in the companye, came a dayes iourney and sought hym amonge theyr kinsfolke and acquayntaunce. And when they founde hym not, they went backe agayne to Ierusalem, and sought hym. And it fortuned that after three dayes, they founde him in the tēple, sitting in the middest of ye doctours, hearing them, and posing them. And all that hearde hym were astonyed at his vnderstanding and aunswers. And when they sawe hym, they meruayled, and his mother sayd vntounto him: Sonne, why hast thou thus dealt with vsus? Beholde, thy father and I hauehave sought thee sorowing. And he sayd vntounto them: Howe happened that ye sought me? wyst ye not that I muste go about my fathers busynes? And they vnderstode not that saying, which he spake vntounto them. And he went downe with them, and came to Nazareth, and was obedient vntounto them. But his mother kept all these sayinges together in her heart. And Iesus prospered in wysdome and age, and in fauour with God and men.
THE EXPOSITION.
THIS Gospel hath a very depe & profound vnderstāding, and it is a hard thing to attempt the interpretation therof. It is conteyned in this hystorie, how the matter goeth, when the chyld Iesus is loste out of the heart. But we for this tyme will let passe this hyghe mysterie, and will deferre it vntounto an other tyme. And will now take that vponupon vsus to expounde, which is moste playne and euident. As touching the last feaste, this hauehave we sayd, that it is named the Epiphanie or appearing of Christ. Which thing was done to the entent that this chylde new borne should not be kepte priuie, but be opened to al men. For otherwyse should we hauehave no vse of this chylde, if we had not gotten the knowledge of hym. And for this cause other hystories are put foorth, out of the whiche it appeareth, howe Christ hath reueled and opened hym self: As when Iohn baptised hym in Iordane, and he opened his glorie by a signe in the mariage of Canaā, euen that he is suche a Lord, that hath full power of the creature. And that he should not only be knowen amōgest men, but also be coūted famouse for a power farre passing the power of mā. And because he is knowen to be such a lord, whose power is most hyghest & almightie: we ought to take hym for oure Sauiour, vntounto whome we should hauehave refuge in all difficultie & aduersitie, & looke for helpe of him. And to this thing doth this present Gospell belonge. For this is also a reuelation, by the whiche CHRIST doth declare, that he is a child not after the common sorte, but after a peculier manner and trade, whereas he commeth away hym self pryuily from his mother, he regardeth not obedience, whiche otherwyse all other chyldern owe to their parents after Gods cōmandement.How Christ was loste at Ierusalem. This matter chanced by such an occasion. The parents, as other Iewes, were bound eueryevery yeare to kepe the passouer. They came to the temple of the Lord to Ierusalem. And wheras they had brought the child Iesus with them, whē the feast was done, the child folowed not the companie of his parents, but taried in the temple. At the begynninge the mother was not so sorowful for him, peraduenture because he was wont in tymes paste to go to his kynsefolke. For Christ folowed nothing in the fyrst yeares but after the common capacitie of that age, he was not grym and sadde, otherwyse than it was agreable to a chylde. In runninge and playe he shewed not hym self vnlyke to other chyldern, excepte that that there appeared not suche sedes of vyce in hym. And hereof it is that Ioseph and Marie were sone persuaded that he was with his kynsfolke, and are not carefull for hym. But when they had iorneied one daye, at euening they inquire in the Inne for the chylde: And when they found hym not amongest their kynsfolke, they were greatly moued. For this chylde was committed peculiarly to the mother. And Ioseph also hadde no litle cōmaundement, to see diligently to this chylde. But yet was Mary the only mother. Wherfore she toke this matter moste greuously, and feared very greatly, for that she found hym not where she sought hym. And it is easie to iudge that it was no smalle feare. Doubtlesse they returned by night the nigheste way, but they finde not the chyld. What they thought in this case and what heart they hadde, iudge thou of thy owne felinge, although it be not lyke? For one day was passed ouer without care, in the whiche he was loste, vponupon the second they make inquisition, in the thyrde daye at length they fynde hym. And as for two nyghtes together they slepte not, but passed it ouer with carefull thoughtes. And doubtelesse the mothers mynde was greuously wounded with suche moste bytter suspitions, reasoning this with here self: God hath taken away thy Sonne from the, he will not suffer thee to take anye longer ioye of this gifte, bycause thou haste kepte hym so negligently. Ioseph toke it for a punishement of Gods wrathe, bycause he tooke no better hede to this only chylde.
This therfore is most worthye to be marked, that Christ wolde declare his priuiledge,Why Christ wold hyde hym self. that he is not bound with lyke force as other chyldern be, to be subiecte to the parents. But that whatsoeuer he dyd, he dyd it for an example of a free will, and not constrayned by the rigour of the lawe: For he was not only the sonne of his mother, but also her God and Lorde. Wherfore he is not here subiecte to his mother, as we shall heare nexte, where as he sayth: Woman, what hauehave I to doo with the? So doth he here also, and declareth that he is not a pure man, whiche can be constrayned by necessitie to obey his parents. But this doth he openly professe, that he hath a hygher parent, to whome he is more bound then to Mary & Ioseph. How is it (sayth he) that ye sought me: Knew ye not, that it behoued me to be about those thinges that belōged to my Father? As though he should say: I am youre sonne, but yet on suche wyse, that I am more bounde to obey the heauenly Father.
Wherfore he is made open and manifeste for oure behalf, that we might wel know hym, and repose and lay vp within vsus the true example of hym, that he is not only man, but also God. Wherfore assone as his mother said vntounto him: Sōne, why dyddest thou deale thus with vsus? He aunswereth, I am not disobedient vntounto you, I hauehave not despised you as ye thought. Wherfore he defendeth his right against his mother, and bycause of his parents sorow and great vexation of their mynde, their case semeth so muche the worse. For they might hauehave called to mynde the words of ye Angels and shepheards, as touching this chylde, and might know, that although this chylde folowed not them, yet he ought not to be blamed as disobedient, but it was their part to thinke of a greater obedience whiche ought to be shewed to the heauenly Father.Christs example tendeth to this purpose to know that God muste be more obeyed then man. And for a necessarie cause was this example to be put forth of Christ against oure reason & ouerthwart maner, which doo alwayes iudge that ye seruice inuēted by man is better than the seruice appoynted by God. Wherfore this rule is here to be learned, that when the matter commeth to this point, that we muste either denye God of his seruice, or els oure parents and magistrates, we muste aledge CHRISTES worde for oure defence, and say: I muste rather be about these thinges that belonge to my Father, whiche is in heauen? Besyde this case, I will gladly do all that I can to fulfill my duetie towarde my Father and mother, toward the powers, and satisfie the familie and maister. But in this state I muste declare that I hauehave an other Father, whiche ought more to be obeyde. This thing had CHRISTS parents forgotten in this place, wherfore Christ calleth them agayn into the way, and admonisheth them as touching their duetye.
Wherfore Christ putteth foorth an example for reason.We muste obey God mor then man. Whiche, when it ought to obey and serue God, excuseth it self by this pretence, that God hath commanded obedience also to be done to parents and magistrates. Euen as the persecuters of the Gospell do now at this tyme. They hauehave learned of vsus to hauehave the magistrates in hygh reuerence, and they extoll very muche the obedience to magistrates. We know (say they) that this is true and accordyng to scripture, that both kyndes of the Sacrament ought to be receaued: But we are bound to be obedient to the magistrates. Oure parentes are agaynst it, oure kyng is agaynst it, whiche forbiddeth it, wherfore I may not doo so. If thou doste magnifie the power, whiche is appointed vntounto the by GOD: verily God whiche is the geuer of all power, is more to be magnified, whiche before his decree, wherby he gaue this power, speaketh on suche wyse of the greater obedience which is due vntounto hym selfe. I am the Lorde thy God. Ought not this then to seme a iuste cause, that thou sholdest do what soeuer he byd thee to do, yea at that tyme also when thy gouerner commaunde thee the contrary, and that thou shouldest also say and obiect to all thy instant aduersaries? I must go about these thynges that belong vntounto my father.Note. For Gods commandement and charge ought to be more estemed then all thinges that be. If that be fulfilled, then afterwarde thou must fulfil also other ordināces of the emperors, parentes, magistrates, that the commonalties be not disturbed therby.
The vtteryng of this hystorie of Christe, belongeth not onelyonly to faith,Christ vttereth him selfe to be an ensample. as dothe the reuelations made by the starre, & opened in Iordan, and in the mariage: but it pertaineth also to geuing an ensāple, that as touchīg matters of religiō, & things pertaining to the obeying of God, we shold hauehave respect to no mā, neither to parent nor prince. For in this we ar bound by obligation to a more higher lord, yt is to god: whose cōmandemēt must nedes be don, & him must we only serue. If thou hast performed this obedience▪ then maist thou not denie that obedience yt is due to inferior gouerners, but yet on suche wise, that they be not a lette to the performyng of the greater obedience, whose seruice must be done before all others. As touching ye high temptation wherin Christ is lost out of ye heart, I will not speake, I will only hauehave in mynde the vttering of this chyld wherin he declareth himself to be such a one, that hath a greater right then other mē. For that that he casteth, of the yoke of obediēce, which was made without power, & waiteth not vponupon his parēts, but causeth thē to com back vntounto him again, to thintent yt he might confirme that they hearde spoken of the angel: And he shal be called the sonne of the most highest. And that the meaning of this saying might be had in remembrance, and not forgotten, it was expedient that it should be renewed by this dede. So that this reuelation dothe very well agree with the other. For here is it made euident that Christ is the chiefest man as the shepards, & Simeon did testifie of hym. Wherfore he thinketh sure yt his cause & state is chief aboue al other childrē, howbe it he had not yet forsaken the felowship & pastime of his play felowes. But that Christes busines was in the temple, the Euangelist doth sufficiētly declare. For his reasonyng was not as touchyng the dearth of victuals,What busynes Christe had in the Temple. or of suche trifling matters, but he conferred and disputed with the scribes, as touchyng ye word of god. First he knew of them, how they vnderstode & expoū ded scriptures, & then he reproued their errors, but yet on such wise as did agre to his age.Math. 5. And yt I may brīg this for an exāple out of Mathew, where as yt scribes disputed of the fift cōmandement, & so expoūded it, as though yt murder with the hand wer only forbyd ther by. He himself cometh forth with a more perfecter meaning & sence therof, how yt al railings, false accusatiōs, cursyngs, hatred, braulyngs of ye angry, ar to be taken to be against this Precept. For the pythe of the precept is to exclude priuate reuengyng, & all thyngs that geue occasion & inticement thervnto, that there myght be a mercyfull affection and gentylnesse toward al men.
After thys sorte dydde the chylde at that tyme teach to make inquisition for the moste weyghtye and perfecte thynges in the lawe. He hym selfe also demaunded of these thynges, that this reason and meanynge that was newe and neuer hearde of amongest the Scribes, myghte gette admiration and wondrynge. Howe maye it bee, that a chylde shoulde hauehave so perfecte Iudgemente of so greate matters? For thys is doubtelesse, that hee thoughte, that the vyces and faultes of the teachers, and the errours of the interpreters were not to be ouerpassed of hym.
And thys is a thynge verye lykely, that he dyd conferre wyth the Doctoures, as touchynge Messias, where he shoulde bee borne, and what his office shold be. Yet dyd hee all thynges wyth such moderation & with such a meanyng, as though he had lerned these thyngs of the discipline of his mother, that they might not iudge this child to be Messias, but yet to be replenyshed wyth the holy ghost, and wyth the towardnes of the chiefest vertue & power. For what hope of vertue and godly towardnesse there is in a chylde, may well be perceyued by certayne tokens at that age.
And this is the hystorie,Christ is subiect to his parents for ou… example. howe the chyld Christ opened hym selfe towarde his mother and Ioseph, and howe that he is aboue the common capacitie of chyldren, because he wyl not wholly be vnderunder the controllyng of his parentes, neyther doth he suffer his office to be blamed in this. Thys hystorie dothe the Euangelist conclude, when he sayth: He came downe with them, and was subiecte vntounto them. This chylde vsed here hys priuiledge, when the matter requyred, that hee myght rather obeye hys celestiall Father. But here hee suffereth hym selfe to bee broughte in order agayne, and submytteth hym selfe to the commaundemente of his parentes, althoughe hee were bounde therevnto by no lawe. As Luke sygnifiethe this, whenne hee sayeth: And he was obediente to them. As thoughe hee shoulde saye, he obeyed them of his owne free will, & not of cōpulsion. But in that ye he was subiect vntounto them, he did it not for his parēts sake, but for an exāple, that as touchyng his seruice in the houshold, we should not doubt, but yt he was very obedient to the cōmandement of his parentes, that he was ready to healpe his father in his worke, and that he dyd other thinges belonging to that age, in helping the familie, and that he thought not him selfe to good to doo it.
This example is put forth to be remēbred of childrē. For if the Lord, which is the God of vsus all, did not refuse to do this, and behaued him self vnwillyng in nothing that he was byd to do of his parents, although it were not all without drudgerie, but many thinges therof were full of seruilitie: verily children ought not to be lothe to shew obedience and modestie to their parentes. For this pleaseth God, and as the fyrst precepte sheweth, he requireth that of all people, that they obey their parentes with all their heartes.
To this very tyme do I remember, that there was in tyme paste a question: Of what sort was Christes chyldhode? And the Monkes fayned a boke of the infancie of CHRIST. And there is tolde a fable of a certayne byshoppe, that he would hauehave knowen this. And for that cause he had a dreame, in the whiche he sawe a carpenter, preparynge wodde to buylde, and by hym a lyttell chylde, caryeng the chyppes of wood, vntyll at laste a vyrgine in graye clothynge, hauynge in her hande a cauldron, came vntounto them, and called bothe the manne and the chylde. And here the byshop in his dreame, semed to folowe them, and to hyde hym selfe within behynde their gates, that hee myghte knowe what meate it was, that they dydde eate. And that when the mother had set meate before the chyld by him self alone, the chylde asked what this mā behynd the gates wold hauehave, and that the byshop was cast in suche a feare by these wordes, that he was waked out of his slepe. But if thou wylt hauehave true knowledge as touchyng the chyldhod of Christ, hauehave respect in this place to the wordes of the Euangelist, whiche are these.
And he was subiect to them.
That is to say: He was obedient to their commandement, and thought nothyng to base for hym to doo.The childh… of Christ. And this ought to make all children & seruantes ashamed, when they heare this hystorie of the chylde Iesu. For they obeye neither maisters, neither parentes in the familie. For this do men pretend both by thought and worde, that they woulde gladly folowe Christ, if they knewe how. As the Franciscan friers wyll hauehave them selues knowen by this, in that they folow sainct Francis in vesture, watchynges, and suche lyke. But forasmuche (saye they) as no man hath knowledge of Christes chyldhode, the matter is without example. They say not true in this, that no mā hath knowlege therof. For here is put forth an ernest testimonie of it. And he was subiect vntounto them. By these fewe words the Euangelist compriseth all the chyldhode of Christ, and all the tyme of his adolescencie and youth, yea rather al this whole space vntounto the thirtieth yere. But what is the meanyng of this? And he was subiect vntounto them: Uerily nothyng els but that he looked in the first precept, as in a glasse of all his doynges. Now this commaundement sheweth what chyldren and seruauntes are boūd in the familie to do to their parents for their seruice, in setting things necessarie, in procuryng them in the houshold, and in the fulfyllyng their commandementes, And the childe Iesus thought, that this was belonging to his duetie. And here nowe ought al children to vnderstand their renoume and honor, in yt they hauehave Christ the author of all their woorkes, where as they folow Christes steppes, and do their taskes that are appointed them of their parentes, if so be they only delight in doyng their duetie, as they see that the child Iesus especially endeuoured hym selfe to doo.
There is no neede to hauehave longe commentaries or gloses as touching the actes of Iesu in his chyldhod, if we consyder but onelyonly this, what taskes and works parents do require of their childrē in families. For they hauehave an euident testimonie in this place, that he went not into any wyldernes or cloister. But he cōmeth to Nazareth: He highly estemeth the ciuile felowship: he obeyeth his parents, and as other children are, so is he subiect to discipline. The vnsauery and foolyshe flocke of monkes maketh mēcion of the chyld Christ in their writings, that he made lytle byrdes and small beasts. But these are not works of obedience, neither was he commaunded so to doo of his parentes.
For the obedience of a chylde is of an other sorte, and in other thynges, that is, to make prouysion for the famylye, and that the gouernance thereof may not be neglected, not in the smallest matters that there be. The Euangeliste maketh mencion hereof, and wyth one woorde of obedience declareth the wholle duetie towarde the parentes, that the meanyng thereof may be certayne, and withoute doubte. Neyther lette any manne thynke otherwyse, but that this whole obedience of the fyfthe precepte is sanctified and consecrate by the chylde IESVS, So that it oughte to seeme vntounto vsus a thynge moste to bee regarded, that wee departe not voyde of this mooste perfecte vertue. But the worlde hathe no eares, it hearethe no good counsayle. Wherefore menne dydde laye asyde trewe obedience, and regarded onelyonly mounkerie, and the relyques of sainctes: they vysited them with great labour and coste. EueryEvery man thoughte, that they woulde do better, and more precious thynges, than the chylde Christe dydde.
We dyd not perceaue, that the workes belongynge to an householde bee sanctified, by this glorious persone the sonne of GOD: Which in his youth thought it no shame to doo fylthy and seruile woorkes at his parentes request.
Wherfore we ought to thynke nothyng more excellent, more precious than this hystorie, and hyghly to esteme this our felicitie when we shewe suche obedience. For the example of Christe is not obscure vntounto vsus. And all thinges that are thus doone by the folowyng of Christ, are a thousand tymes more better and more holyer, then all that euer monkes hauehave doone, or doo, or euer shall doo. For the monkes hauehave not Christ for their capitayne, whiche (as the Euangeliste affirmeth) went not into a cloyster, but he went with his parentes home, and was obediente there vntounto them.
But thys is the summe of the Gospell, CHRIST the Lorde is aboue all, and yet he humbleth hym selfe for an exaumple to vsus. He dothe obeye his parentes, that wee myghte hauehave full knowledge of bothe offyces. Fyrste, that we maye shew obedience to God, thenne vntounto oure parentes and Magistrates, and that wyth greatte Faythe and Reuerence. God graunt that the example of the chyld Iesus may admonishe vsus to do our duetie perfectly, and that we may pay vntounto God, that belongeth to God, and to Cesar that belongeth to Cesar, and to the parentes, that belongeth to the parentes. Amen.