Exposition of the Festival Epistles and Gospels, Explication of epistles and gospels 1 · Part 14
The Gospell
Lvke 2.15.
And it fortuned, assoone as the Angels were gone away from the shepeards into heauen, &c.
AL…eit this text commend vntounto your consideration a great many of remarkeable vertues of the glorious Angels in preaching Christ, of the good sheepheards in seeking Christ, of blessed Mary the Virgine in keeping Christ, as his mother in her louing armes, as his handmaid in her lowly heart; yet the more proper and proportionable parts accommodated vntounto the present feast are principally two:
1 The C…c…ci…ion of Christ.
2 The imposition of his name Iesu….
Of these first I purpose to speake ioyntly, then seuerally. These two were ioyned together, d….to thevv that Christ our Mediatour betweene God and man, was both a man in be…ng circu…d, and God in being Iesius e….that is, a Sau…r of his people from th… … : f…or Christ happily was called I…sus, and … at the …a…me to …gnitie that there is no remission of sinne … it … of blood. Heb. 9.…1. Hee could not therefore become Iesus, vntill hee had giuen vsus a taste of his blood; for wee hauehave redemption through his blood, euen the forgiuenesse of sinnes according to his rich grace …phe…. 1.7. or the dolorous Circumcision and sauing Iesus are coupled together, insinuating that there should be persecution and bloodshed in the world for the preeching of this name. So Christ in the gM…. 10.….Gospell assured his Apostles expresly, Yee shall … …ted of …men … my name. And h… 1….9.Paul saith of himselfe while hee was an oppressour of the Church, I …r…ly thought in my selfe that I ought to doem …: or these two were conioyned, to put vsin minde ho… God doth exalt the humble and mecke. Christ humbled iP…. 2.5.9.himselfe (quoth Paul) and became obedient, W…efore Go I hath also highly exalted him, and g…uen him a n…me …houe eueryevery name, that at the name of Ie…us eueryevery …nee should bow, both of things in …en, and things in earth, and things vnderunder earth. Or it may be that these were both at once, to witnesse that Christ is the true kL… 5.31.Physition of the world. For when all mankinde was exceeding sicke in head, and heauy in heart, when from the sole of the foot vntounto the head, there wa… nothing whole but wounds, and swellings, and sores full of corruption, as it is in the lEsay 1.5.6.Prophet; then our blessed Sauiour came to mLu…. 1.68.visit his people, nLuk 10.34.binding vp their wounds on this day, Pelaculae carnis, and powring in oile and wine, washing them euen with the wine of his blood, and mollifying them also with the sweet oile of his sauing name Iesus. For oV…de Case… …on, not …n epist. § …issen. ad …u…at.some deriue foreign of the Greeke foreign. Or (as almost all Interpreters obserue) these two went together, p… Cal…in. Ar…t…i…l…e.for that it was vsuall among God people the Iewes to giuegive names vntounto children in their circumcision, as it is among vsus in Baptisme. So wee reade in the first lesson appointed to be read this morning praier, that God altered Abrams name when he did institute Circumcision. Thy name shall not any more be called Abram, but Abraham: for a father of many nations hauehave I made thee. Now the reason hereof is plaine, qF…ming. p…s…la.that as often as we heare our selues named, we might instantly call to minde the Couenant betweene God and vsus in holy Baptisme: to wit, how God on his part promised to be our God, and we vowed on our part by Godfathers and Godmothers, that wee would forsake the deuill and all his workes, the vaine pompe of the world, the carnall desires of the flesh, and continue Christs faithfull souldiers and seruants vntill our liues end. Hitherto concerning Circumcision, and the name Iesus iointly: let vsus now treate of these parts apart, and first of Circumcision which is
rArdens …em. d… Circum. Dem.Threefold, Carnall, vnderunder the Law.
Threefold, spirituall, vnderunder grace.
Threefold, Celestiall, in the kingdome of glorie.
The first is, S…cram…ntum …acr…res: the second, sacra … : the third, res sacramenti. The first, in it due time was good: the second, at all time… is better: the third, in eternitie best of all. The first is s…a…lin. se…. 1. i… …u…cum. Dem.nascen…, eueryevery manchild of eight d…ies old among you shall …he circumcised, Gene…. 17.12. The second is renascenti…, a circumcision of the heart in the spirit, Rom. 229. when as the regenerate by the sword of the spirit (which is sharper then the t….sharpe kniues vsed in circumcision, yea sharper then any uHeb. 4.12.two edged sword as being a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart) doe not onelyonly circumcise the fore, kinne: but x…all the power of the soule, and all the parts of the body. Circumcising their eye, … they looke vponupon a ylib 31.1.damse…, or behold vanitie. Circumcising their eares and their lips, hedging their possessions …rit … t…ornes, and making doores and bars for their mouth, Ecclesiast, 28.24. Hedging their eares again't heresie, backbiting, …ttery: barring their mouth against zE…. 4.2….lying, a… 20.7.blasphemie, bEph…. ….4.foolish …lking. Circumcising their hands that they steale no more, but worke the thing that is good, Ephes 4.28. Circumcising their feet that they be not cP…. …4.6.swift to shed blood. Circumcising their very thoughts, Esay 1.16 Wash you make you cleane put away your …tents out of my sight, as our olde English translation according to the vulgar Latine. In a word, cutting of all dA….superfluous lusts of the flesh, and all superfluous cares of the world, casting off all the old man which is corrupt, and putting on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Ephes. 4.22. The third kind of circumcision is resurgentium, in the world to come, when all superfluity shall be cut off vtterly, when as wee shall appeare before Gods throne without any eA…. 14.….spot in our soule, or f1 C…. 15.53.corruption in our body.
Now the circumcision of Christ heere mentioned is that of the flesh: gHem…g. …t. ….for Almighty God before mans fall, and after is fall; before the Law, vnderunder the Law, and after the Law, certified his will vntounto man, especially by two things, an vnderstanding minde, and a perceiuing sense. When God had created A…m hee put him in Paradise, giuing him his hGe…. 2.…ord as a witnesse of hi… will, and vntounto the word hee did adde a twofold outward signe namely, the tree of life, and the tree of knowledge of good and euill. After Ad…ous fall, he gaue him a promise touching the blessed seede, Gen. 3.15. and added thereunto sacrifices as outward signes of his worde. When the floud was ouerpast, hee made a promise neuer to destroy the world againe with water, and hee made the iGen. 9.13.Rainbow a signe of the same. Hee promised deliuerance from the bondage of Egypt, which hee performed also: but he sealed the promise with the Paschal Lambe. Exod. 12. To father Abraham hee gaue his promise that his seed should be multiplied, and in perpetuall remembrance thereof hee did institute Circumcision. Gen 17. At the length in the fulnesse of time he giueth his owne Sonne, and by him he promiseth kIohn 3.16.euerlasting life to such as beleeue, the which hee confirmes with two Sacraments, as seales of his grace; Baptisme, and the Lords supper. Thus the father of mercies in all ages euermore prouided for our weaknesse, that wee might (lAug H…ming. & T…rrecrem. ex ponunt third de sacramento c…rporis Chrisii. as it is in the mPsal 34.8.Psalme) taste and see how gratious the Lord is; and therefore such as are so spirituall as that they cannot endure significant ceremonies and outward rites in the Church: hauehave runne a violent course quite contrary to the goodnesse of God and meeknesse of his holy spirit, who doth instruct the conceiuing minde by the perceiuing sense. For the Sacraments (as nApud Marty. …m in Rom. 4.Augustine speakes) are visible words, and Circumcision (in the iudgment of oIn Rom. 4.Chrysostome) was a Preacher of the righteousnesse of faith. I confesse that the Iewish ceremonies are now no more necessarie pndal prolog. in L…uit.then a token left in remembrance of a bargaine is necessarie when the bargaine is fulfilled: but christian rites ordained by lawful authority for outward comelinesse in the Church ought to be retained, as hauing qHooker Eccl. p…lit. lib. 5. §. 65.more in weight then in sight.
In the C…r…ti…on of …h…t ob…e…ue these … po…n…s.
1 The…i…e when, the e…ghth day.
2 The… …e …he…e, implyed here for that C…i: but exp…essed in the first Lesson a…o…e… for this a… nin …rayer. (…en 17.11. to be the …
3 The e…se …hy, … that is (… in the wo…d… fo…o … …r the L….
When the eighth … ] Ch…e en were circume…sed on the e…ghth day, fo…th… in this tender age they co…d more e…stly b…re the g…ese of circumcision, or e…re…meised on the e…gh…h d…y, r…h…use tha… is the day …h…rein our ble…sed Sauiour …ofe …m the dead. Seuen daie signifie the time o… this …efe…e wor…d and the …gh…h d…y the re…e…ion, when al…co…uption of the …eth shall he e…o…, accord…g to that o… Paul … C…r 15.5…. T…s … … For th…s end …he circumci…on kni…e … m…de of … Exod 4.25. I… …a 5.2. To si…niti… …h… …ece…e … C…cumc…on is by Chri…t the …ocke …nd …h…ad co…e… …en….
C…cumci…on …s placed in the generatiue p…t for th…eere…on e…ally. First, for that it …as a se…e of G… …e th… C…t h…d …e …o…ne of Ab…m… …. Se…nd …ee…e the prop…tion of original… …nne …. Thi…dly, Q… … … co…ci…i… … O… … o…he… …o… tha… i… … …ne of G… … the …ent and h… …e… …. Gen. 17.7. …
Th… …ns… h… C… … …ecei…ed and b…rne …, are …ni….
1 To shew that he was of the seede of Abraham…. Heb. ….16.
2 To declare himselfe a member of the Iewish. Church, in which eueryevery man child was circumcised.
3 To c… … an. …. 30.demonstrate that hee had true flesh, against …: and such a flesh as was not of the same substance with his deitie, Co… … corpus, against Apol…naris: or fetched from heauen, as Val…ntinus imagined; hee was, I say circumcised, to shew that he was made of the seede of … accor… to the …. Rom. 12.
4 For that he was the truth, of which Circumcision was a type, dCa… c…n. … …. d….V… …rami… …ritas …ir….
But the principall reason i… in…nuated in the text, for that thei… required that eue…y man child should be cir…s s…d. He therefore was circumcised to …e …hi… obedi…nce to the l…w; eCa…a…h. 4.4W… the …al…es of ume wa… come, God … …th his … m…e o… a …oman, make vnderunder the Law, t…at …e …i… re… m…t…m th…t were v…der the Law. As then he …a… borne for …s, Esay 9.6. Puer natus …st ne… is; And Luk 2.11. V…s n…tu…, VntoUnto you is borne, that i…, vntounto yo… a men a… an Ange…l expounds the Prophet: euen f… … hee …m…sed for y…, fKi…ius con. de Circ…m. Chris….h…reby giuing a publike …y …no…i… …h… he would fu…fill all the whole Law for vsus, fo… gGalat…. 52.eue…y … i… circumc…s…d …s b…d to keep the whole L…w.
Ho… the cons…la…orie name Ie…us, inuented by God, … p…ed b… the Ang…l, invocated by men, is proper to Ch…i…t …: S…e Gospell on the Sunday next after …. And how his named aboue all name Epist. … will end here with a diuine … …ccurate Poet.
…;
… of content,
… rent.
… p…ne.
O take thy crosse, and nai…es, and therewith straine
My hearts desire to his full extent,
That thy …ea…e louelove therein may not be …ent.
But thoughts man hauehave free scope thy louelove t'explaine.
Ah new my heart more p…uneth then before,
Because it can receiue, and hath no more.
O fil… this emptinesse, or … …e:
Now stretch my heart againe, and now supply.
Now I want …pace now grace to end a… smart,
Since my heart … not thee, hold thou my heart.
Almighty God, which madest thy blessed sonne to he circumcised and obedient to the Law for man: gran… vsus the true circumcision of the spirit, that our hearts and all our members being mortified from all worldly and carnall lusts, may in all things obey thy blessed will through the same thy sonne Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen.