Sermons Upon all the Sunday Gospels, Sermon 5
Christmas day. ¶The Gospell of S. Luke ij.
ANd it chaunced in those dayes, that there went out a commaundement from August the Emperour, that all the world should be taxed. And this fyrst taxing was made when Syrenius was lieftenaunt in Syria. And eueryevery man went vntounto his owne Citie to be taxed. And Ioseph also ascended from Galile, out of a Citie called Nazareth, into Iury: vntounto the Citie of Dauid, whiche is called Bethleem, because he was of the house and lynage of Dauyd, to be taxed with Mary his spoused wyfe which was with childe. And it fortuned, that whyle they were there, her tyme was come that she shoulde be delyuered: and she brought foorth her fyrste begotten sonne, & wrapped hym in swadlyng clothes, and layde him in a manger, because there was no rowme for them within the Inne.Math. 1.
And there were in the same Regyon shepheardes, abydyng in the fielde, and watchyng theyr flocke by nyght. And lo, the Aungell of the Lorde stode harde by them, and the brightnes of the Lorde shone rounde about them, and they were sore afrayde. But the Aungell sayde vntounto them: Be not afrayde. For beholde, I bring you tydynges of great ioye, that shal come to all the people; For vntounto you is borne this daye in the Citie of Dauid, a sauiour, whiche is Christe the Lorde. And take this for a signe: ye shall fynde the chylde swadled and layde in a manger. And strayght way there was with the Aungell, a multitude of heauenly souldiours, lauding God, and saying: Glorye to God on hye, and peace on the earth, and vntounto menne good will.
THE EXPOSITION.
THE feast of Christes byrth was ordayned in ye congregation especially, that the hystory therof myght be taught and knowen perfectly of all men, that the youth and the other sort of people might hauehave it in remembrance, & prynt it well in their myndes. For although this matter be hādled yearely, yet can it neuer be sufficiently knowen.The cause of the feast. Wherfore we will make two partes of this Gospell. Fyrste we will reherse the history. Then will we see, what the Angels dyd shewe, and what seruice they kept this day also. Fyrst the history is this,1. The tyme of this byrth. that Christ was borne at that tyme, when the fyrste taxe was made amongest the Iewes vnderunder Augustus Caesar. At this tyme dyd Christ begin his kingdō in the worlde, howbeit somwhat priuily. Neither could the most valiant Emperour Augustus be free from the seruice of this king, so yt in this his cōmaundement he maketh a way for the prophecy, yt Mary with Ioseph might come to Bethleem,2. The place. & yt there might be borne ye sauiour of the world. If this had not bene, Ioseph and Mary would hauehave taried at home at their busines.Miche. 5. But Bethleem was appointed to be yt place of Christes natiuitie. And therfore was Cesars commandemēt necessary yt Christes parents might come to Bethleem. Albeit neither the Emperour, neither the worlde did know any thing of this matter. For if the worlde had knowen (such is the malice therof) that it would rather hinder it alway then set it forth. But this is the marueilous prouidence of God, that he hath it vnknowing obedient vntounto him, and can obtayne nothyng of it wittyngly.
After they were come frō Galile in to Bethleem by yt cōmandemēt,3. The Emperour of Rome helpeth knowing not what he doth. Maries tyme of bringing foorth was come (saith ye Euāgelist.) Ther was no prouision at al made for her child bed. They be bothe in a strange lād, farre frō their coūtrey wher their dwellīg was,4 The maner of the byrth. & had no part of their own stuffe. And although it was like, yt they had kinsfolke there, yet were thei not regarded, because of their pouertie▪ Furthermore yt towne it self was so full of men as it appeareth by the Euāgelist, yt there was no roume for thē in ye Iune. They are content because they were of a lowe degree, to take part of an oxe stalle with beastes. Here was nothing buylded, prepared, no bedclothes. They lye amongest straw & hay, no better thā yt beasts doth. In this place, in the middest of ye cold, in the night is borne ye moste excellent babe Iesus Christ. And this is the hystory,Why this hystory is writē. which ye Euangelist putteth forth so plainly vntounto vsus, which are so hard harted: if perchance he might moue vsus, to ye consideratiō of this thing, yt oure sauiour was borne into ye worlde in such great scarcity of al things, yt we thereby should greatly abhorre from the madnes of ye worlde, which despiseth so disdainfully these holy things & the kingdome of God. Who would not curse Bethleem for the lytle humanity therof, which in such comberance of straungers, fyndeth them not meane thyngs. The fyrst swathyng clothes are the mothers lappe, after that the, oxe stalle. With these delicates is thys babe cherished. The mother in her trauell, if she feared cold, had no other vesture but her clothes that she wore. Here was no man here to lend any thing to their necessitie. For what pourpose did the Euangelist describe so diligently the great pouertie of this byrthe?
Leaste thou shouldest forgett it at any tyme, and that these thynges myght make the sober, and amend thy naturall fearcenes, and that when thou haste heard yt done for thy self, thou mightest take confort therof, and geue thanks to GOD. And it was a long iorney from Nazareth of Galile vntounto this toune Bethleem. They went further then it is from Saxon to Franconie. And herof a man may easely gather, that they caried not much stuffe with them, and that their swathelyng clothes and suche other things wer not very costely, so that he put on her smocke on the child and laid it in the maunger. For she could not alwayes hold yt in her lappe, she must warme the clothes, and dresse their couche, and do such other things, that wer requisite for an infāt. And in the meane tyme must the babe reste in the oxe stalle. Neither could Ioseph be lackyng to this necessary busynes. And it is lyke that he went about to some of the maydens of the house to gett water, and to do such other busines. But this is not written, that any mā came to proffer seruice vntounto them in this trauaill. They regarded it not, whan it was tolde them, that the mayde was deliuered of a chylde in the stable. Wherfore this towne is worthy to be hated with his great barbarousnes. For although Mary because of her pouerty, was not thought so much worth, and yf she had bene vnhoneste, yet at this tyme had it ben the part of a man to shewe humanitie. But no man is greued therewith. The childe muste suffer paciently this great extreme pouertye, and looke for no better. In this beggerie & sorowfull life this Lord is borne. Wheras other deuoure, riot awaie cōsume prodigallie al things by costly apparell, & gorgeous buildīg. &c. This is the historie. Whiche is set forthe to vsus, to the entent, that we should graue this picture of Christes byrthe faste in oure hart: with how great miserie the Lord Iesus was borne in this wordle, that we might learne to geue God thankes for this so great benefit. For we misers and wretched men and also damned,We are made on fleshe and bl…d with the sone of God. Hebr. 4. came this day to high renoume. For on this day were we made one fleshe and bloud with the sonne of God, and he that made heauen and earth of nothing, is borne a man lyke vntounto vsus: only this thing excepted, that with this child all things are without synne. Wherfore we may boste magnificently, that God is become oure brother, oure fleshe, and bloude. This renoum is not geuen to the angells, or diuels, but to vsus men. Wherfore although the angells are more excellēt creatures then we, yet God geueth more renoume to vsus, then to all the angells. For he was not made an angell but a mā. Wherfore yf we men could thinke and beleue this. as the greatnes therof requirethe: our mynde wold be moste redie to sett moste by God, to thanke him, and to obey his will gladly. When the Popes religion reigned, there was suche an historie read vntounto vsus: That vponupon a time the diuell came into the Churche to masse: And when these wordes, (and he was made man) were songe, and men made no obbeisance by bowinge of their knees, he gaue one of them a great blow, and rebukinge him said: Thou monsterous beaste, art not ashamed to be so litle moued? why fallest thou not downe on thy face for ioy? yf the sonne of God had ben made oure brother, as he was youres, surely we wold hauehave no measure in reioycing. And although this matter be not true, yet it semeth to be fayned of a good man,The incarnation of Christ which well dyd perceaue, the great renoume geuen vntounto vsus, when the sonne of God became man, and that not after the maner of Adam and Eue, which was made of the grounde, but he was made more conioyned vntounto vsus. For he was borne of the fleshe and bloud of the virgin Mary, as other men were, excepte this, that Mary the virgin was sole and alone, and he was conceaued without synne, by the holy Ghoste. Excepte this, that he is worthely named the naturall sonne of a woman. Adam and Eue were not borne but made. For God made man out of the earth, and a woman of his ribbe:Gen. 1.2. But how much nigher is Christ to vsus then Eue to Adam, because he is oure bloud and flesh. We ought to esteme this renoume highly, and to hauehave great meditation thervpon, in that the sonne of God is made oure fleshe, and that there is no difference betwene his flesh and ours, except only synne. For he was conceaued of the holy Goste,Heb. 4. and God replenished bothe the body and sowle of the virgin with the holy Ghoste, because she was without synne, when she conceaued Christe, and afterward wared great with child by hym. And this is the only difference: in all other things he is lyke other men, in that he vsed meate and drynke, felt hunger, thyrst and colde as other dyd.Phil. 2. He was subiect to all suche naturall infirmities, as Paule sayth: in shape he was found lyke a man, he eate, he drounke, he was sorowfull and gladde.The humblenes of Christ. This is truely a profound humilitie and subiection. For he myght hauehave vsed an other sorte, when he became man, after what sort he is nowe in heauen, where as he hath flesh and bloud as we hauehave. But yet he is not subiecte to naturall actions. He might hauehave done this at the begynning, but he wold not, that he might declare his singular louelove toward vsus, that we might hauehave therby sure confort and ioy, when we knowe that we hauehave a brother nowe in heauen, whose sure helpe we may stycke vntounto, & are bound so to doo. For cursed is eueryevery man that doth not receaue him, and conceaue stedfast hope for his sake. And therfore is this history rehersed eueryevery yere, that ye tender myndes might hauehave meditation theron, and geue God thanks, and say: My matter is in good takynge, I hauehave a brother, and he is made lyke me. But why he was made so, I do not yet tell (for this was the cause,1. That this natiuite might be confortable to vsus. that he might helpe me agaynst syn and eternall death.) But nowe I speake of the renoume of all mankynde, wherof we boaste and reioyce, that the sonne of God is become man. Of this renoume may eueryevery man boaste. But Christian men somwhat more then all other: for because this renoume shallbe to their endlesse profyte. And this is firste to be learned of the history.2. And also that he myght make vsus humble and meke. Secondarily marke also this great example. Where as Christe the sonne of God dothe so humble him self, and communicate all his glory with fleshe, and wheras his hyghe maiestie, before whome the Angells tremble, dothe so demitte hym self, and goeth after ye lykenes of a man. In heauen the Angels worship him, in the earth he serueth vsus, and is subiect to our beggery. Seing then ye sonne of God doth this, this matter is not lightly to be sett by. Lett vsus caste our selues away for his glory & honours sake. And yf aduersitie be to be suffered we muste not refuse it. For Christe him self hathe suffered likewise, frost, hunger, miseries and troubles, & not only these: For whan he was borne into the wordle, he was poore in all things, he had neither place, neither bed clothes, neither stuffe for houshold, A maunger and oxe stable was his refuge. What should I desier any better state, seing my kinsman, ye rather my brother, kinge of heauen, is founde so poore in all things before oure eyes? Why should I refuse hardnes, seing the kinge of glorie refuseth not to take on him all things for my sake. Who am I? a sinner not worthie to lie amonge sharpe cutting flagges, and yet I lie softer than my prince, which suffered to lye in hay, and abhorred not the maunger. And yet after this, the case is so vnworthie, that we stockes and blockes, are so nice and delicate, that we can suffer no payne, and yet we se before oure eyes the example of Christe, what paynes he toke for oure sake. But it is not vnknowen, what reward we shall hauehave for oure foolishnes: And yet if we had any wit, we wold beware.
Now therfore lett vsus briefly reherse bothe these doctrines and lessons:1. The honor of the congregation. The firste is, yt we regarde our owne honoure, in that that Christe is made mā. This honour and renoume is so great, that if a man were an angell in state, he myght worthely and well wish him self a man, that he might be counted amongest them, which glorie and boste: my fleshe and blud is placed aboue the angells: so blessed is ye creature of man. The second is,2. An example of louelove and patience. that this might be an example to vsus of charitie and pacience, which we might folowe, and walke in the steppes of oure brother and kinsman Christe, helping & seruing other men gladly, although it be to oure labour and payn. The which thing God the Father with the holy Ghost, thorough oure Lord Iesu CHRISTE graunt vsus. Amen.