Exposition of the Festival Epistles and Gospels, Explication of epistles and gospels 1 · Part 12
The Gospell
MATTH. 2.13.
The Angell of the Lord appeared to Ioseph in a sleepe, saying, arise, and take the childe and his mother, and flee into Egypt, &c.
THe Priests in the law were cōmanded that the bLeuit. 6.13.fire should euer burne vponupon the Altar, & neuer goe out. And cFerus ser. 1. de 5. Ioan. Euang.so that the fire of our deuotion (at this holy time) kindled vponupon the altar of our heart might not be quenched by the water (which vsually the cold serpent casteth out of his mouth, Apoc. 12.15.) The Church adioyneth vntounto the celebratiō of Christs birth, other three festiuals in one weeke. Wherein her meaning is not to withdraw our louelove from the Creator to the creature (for all the twelue daies are called Christmas, dedicated onelyonly to Christs honour) but that wee might hereby praise this our Iesus vncessantly both in himselfe and in his Saints. And the reason (as dIoan. R…ulin. ser. 2. de beatis Inn…cent.some coniecture) why S. Steuen, and S. Iohn, and the blessed Innocents are named aboue the rest, is happily to shew that Christ came into the world to saue all sorts of men, of whatsoeuer degree. The Chiualdrie represented by S. Steuen, a resolute Knight and warriour in the Lords battell: the Clergie represented by S. Iohn, stiled the Diuine: the Commonaltie or Infantrie represented by the sillie children H…rod slew; or intimating that Christ was borne for men of eueryevery seueral age, for men of perfect strength, as Steuen: for old men on their crouches, as S. eWho liued after … on 63 …, … H…ro… i… …us … … Bi… I…m. … in 99. … 49Iohn: for Infants in their cradles, a▪ the blessed Innocents. Or it may bee that these Saints are mentioned at f… …up…aChristmas rather then other, because Christ faith in the Gospell, If any man will follow me, let him forsake himselfe, and t…ke vp his crosse. Mat. 16.24 the seruant is not greater th…n his Master, if they hauehave persecuted me, they will persecute you also, Ioh. 15.20. Now there bee kBr… rd sr. …. Jon cert. …em …r…n. J…n … & … … … i.e.three kinds of suffering or martyrdome in Christs cause. The first, Volunta…is & operis, in will and in act, as that of S. Steu…n. The second, Voluntatis sed n…n operis, in will but not in act, as that of S. Iohn. The third, Operis sed non voluntatis, in act but not in will, as on this day the death of the Bethlemitills Innocents. And for as much as S Steuens martyrdom come… nee est vntounto the suffe…ings of Christ, his festiual is next to Christs in the first place, S. Iohns in the second, the blessed Innocents in the third. And so Christ (as it is Cant. 5.10.) is white and ruddie, the chiefest among ten thousand. lL … part. 10 13.Cand…d… in Io…nne, rub…undus in Stephano, electus ex mi…us in Innocentibus. In the Gospell allotted for this …ay, Two points are more principally remarkable:
1. Christs humanitie, for that hee was a child, and did mAr…eus. ….si…e.
2. Herods inhumanitie m…rthering
T… foreign, &c.
n….Innocēt babes who neither would nor could hurt him.
Ha…us, All the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, f…u… two …ee…es o…d and vnderunder, according to the …me which hee had …gently knowne of the Wiseme…. All in eueryevery place nere the place where Christ was borne, not sparing his owne o…child, flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone; which occasioned p…sa … … 2 c.…. 4.Augustus Caesar tauntingly to say, … hi… este …e H…rod…s p…rcum qu…m puerum. It is better to bee H…rod, …o… then his sonne.
The A…gell of the Lord appeared vntounto Ioseph in a sleepe] qLut…er, Culman, Bea…xamis.Hence wee may learne what a tender care God hath ouer his children in their greatest affliction, rPsalm. 3.47.his Angell …arrieth round about them that feare him, and deliuers them; and therefore let vsus s1 Pet. 5 7. Psalm. 55.23.cast all our care vponupon him, for hee careth for vsus: tPsal. 103.13.as a father pitieth his owne children; euen so the Lord is mercifull to them who feare him. It may besaid of our heauenly Father, as the uVirgil.Poet of an earthly parent,
Omnism Ascanio chari stat cura parentis.
Take the child and his mother] He who was in the beginning that eternall word and xEsay 9.6.euerlasting Father, about this time for our sake came downe from heauen, and became an infant and a childe. Nobis puer natus, Esay 9.6. VntoUnto v… a childe is borne, and vntounto vsus a sonne is giuen: a childe, not in meeknesse only (for so the greatest man ought to be as a little childe. 1 Cor. 14 20. Concerning ma…tiousnesse bee children, and yMat…h. 18.3.except yee become as little children, …e shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen) bat a childe in weaknesse also, zLuk 2.7.wrapped in swadling clothes, and lai…d in a cratch. It is not said take thy childe and thy wife: but the childe and his mother: aHieron. in l…c. Sec Gospell, d…m. 1. p. i… pip…an.hereby signif…ing, th…t Ioseph was not the naturall, but onelyonly the nursing father of Iesus. It is true that this Angell appea…ing to Io…ph at another time before Marite was deliuered of her childe, said vntounto him expresly (for auoyding suspition of incon…inencie) bMat. 1.20.feare not to take Mary for thy wife; but after the birth of Christ (as the cH…lariu…, The p…ylact. I…sen.Doctors …bser…e) …o shew that hee was borne of a Virgine, M…i…s …le is the mother of Iesus, not the wife of Io…ep…. Againe, it is not take the mother and her childe, but the ch…e and his m…th…r: dChrys…st.insinuating that his grea…e… care …hou…d be to p…ou…de for the babe, both in re…e… of d…ger (for Herod sought to destroy him) and in respe… of d…rie, because the child is greater then hi me…he…, …b…ing her eLuke 1.47.Sauiour so well as her sonne.
And … ] Christs ha…d ente…ta…nment at … into the world, …ewes that h… …ingdome was not of fIohn 18.36.this world: hee had (as gSer. i… f…r. 4. beb….Bernard sweetly) while hee liued pass…uam a…tionem, and when hee died actiuam passionem. It is obserued by S. Luke, Acts 1.1. that Christ alway first did and then taught, hee that would hauehave vsus to hMat. 10.13.flee from Citie to Citie, fleeth himselfe from Country to Country: before hee grants the patent, hee giues the iArdens. Anselm.paterne, fleeing, and that in the night kAsusculus.warily; or hee did flee now for that his houre was not yet come; hee had not as yet lIohn 17.4done the worke, and the will of his Father, for which hee came into the world, mBeauxami…Christus enim …otam causam nostra salutis occiderat, s… se paruulum permisisset occidi. But whether doth he flee? into Egypt: as being out of Herods nAretius. Mald…nst.iurisdiction; or into Egypt, to oJansen.signifie that Gods kingdome should bee translated from the Iewes vntounto the Gentiles: and so Ioseph in carrying Iesus and his mother into Egypt, pAnselm.represents liuely the blessed Apostles and Preachers, in conueying the Gospell vntounto nations in time past, qEphes. 2.11.alians from the Common-wealth of Israel, and strangers from the couenants of promise, without Christ, and so without God in the world. O the deepnesse of the riches of Gods mercy! Babylon and Egypt whilome were rT…phylact. in loc.malorum officine, the very shops of all villanie: but now behold the Wisemen come from the one, and Christ here fleeth into the other. sChrys…st.V… populus qui ante fu…rat persecutor populi primogeniti fier et custos fi… vnigeniti: but what need wee such a quare, seeing heauens messenger in the text hath vttered a quare, namely, that is might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet, saying, out of Egypt hauehave I called my Sonne. How that word, Numb. 23.22. or Hosea 11.1. originally spoken of Israel his tExod. 4.22.adopted sonne, is well applied vponupon this occasion vntounto Christ his naturall sonne; See Rupert, Ribera, Caluin in Hosea 11.1. Ia…sen. Concord cap 11. Bea…xamis harmon. Tom. 1. fol. 73. Caietan, Arboreus, Maldonat. in loc.
uRupert.Mystically] God calleth his children out of the worlds Egypt, deliuering vsus from the power of xColos. 1.13.darknesse, and calling vsus into maruellous light, 1. Pet 2.9 yMaldonat.or out of Egypt, for that his children grow best in grace when they be taught in the schoole of affliction: or (as Rupert obserues) it may be that Hierusalem is called here, as it is zApoc. 11.8.elsewhere, Egypt spiritually, for that her Prince and people were so cruell as Egypt, in seeking to destroy the childe Iesus.
Then Herod when hee saw that bee was mocked of the Wisemen.] It is vsuall with God to aIob 5.13.take the wilie in their owne craftinesse; and therefore seeing Herod mocked the Wisemen, it pleased the Lord to direct the Wisemen in such a course, that they likewise mocked Herod. The craftie Fox deluded the Wisemen in telling them he would (if after their diligent search hee should vnderstand where he was) bMatth. 2.8.adore the babe, for his intent was cRaulin. ser. 3. de B. Innocent.sauire, non seruire, to woorie, not to worship, that innocent Lambe. And the Wisemen deluded Herod in returning to their Country not by Hierusalem as they went, but another way. Then Herod seeing hee was mocked of the Wisemen, was exceedingly wroth, and sent foorth men of warre, &c. dCulman.for when once tyrants cannot preuaile with craft, they come to crueltie: when Politicians Rhetoricke failes, Carters Logicke must doe the feat.
eIoan. Osorius.Great bodies are discerned easily with a little light, but small things are not found in the darke without a great light. God the Father in the Creation of the world is so glorious and so great, that the little light of nature sheweth his handie worke, Psalm. 19.1. but God the Sonne in our Redemption is so little, that we need a great starre to direct vsus vntounto the babe Iesus lying in a manger, a large measure of faith and grace to finde the great God made a little childe. No maruell then if Herod could not finde, seeing he did seeke not in fDeus enim non crudelitate sed cred…litate quare…dus. I… seb. I …s. …om. 1 de Epiphania.faith, as hoping to be saued by Christ; but in furie, meaning to destroy Christ. And the reason heereof is rendr…d in this present Chapter at the 3. verse, When Herod heard of Christs birth at Bethlehem, hee was troubled, and all Herusalem with him, as fearing that this babe being lineally descended from the seed of King Dauid, should in time, challenging the Scepter of Iudea, thrust him out of his kingdome.
gPr…dentius ….Successor instat, pellimur,
Satelles i, f…rrum rape,
Perfunde C…nas s…nguine.
Mas om…is infans occ…de…,
Scrutare nutricum …inus,
Inter… materna …ber….
Ensem cruenter pusi…,
O foolish Herod, wilt thou not suffer the King of heauen and earth, and the whole world, to reigne in …u…ie? wilt thou be so barbarous, as fearing thy successour, to kill thy Sauiour? Well maiest thou hM….seeke, but thou thalt not see the destruction of his Kingdome: iHeb. 1.8.for his Scepter is a right Scepter, and his Trone is for euer and euer. Well maiest thou destroy the bodies of poore children, but their liues are kC…l …. 3.3.h…d with the babe Iesus in God: and …o thy mischiefe shall turne to merciemercy. lLeo set. 1. … epipha….Quo… Rex impius eximit ma…do, Christus inserit Carlo: for they died for him who was to die for them, and so death had no conquest ouer them: mLu…er …. in loc.Moriuntur propter Christum, qui… facit vt ips… mi… morte teneri possent.
Herod nR…, Os… tiui, G… in l… & Leos…. 6 de e…p…n.represents the deuill, who oAp…. 12.4.stands before the woman in the wildernesse great with childe, readie to deuoure her babe. Hee knew that the pG…. 3.1….seed which should breake his head, was to be borne of the Iewes; and therefore caused Pharao to murther all the Hebrew males, Exod. 1. and stirred …p Haman to destroy the whole Nation of the Iewes, Ester 3. and Athalia to kill all the sonnes of Dauid, 2. Kings 1…. and here so soone as the noise was of Christs birth, hee did cut the throats of all the children in Bethlehem, and in all the co…sts thereof from two yeeres old and vnderunder. Mystically, Satan as soone as he seeth in an… any good motion, he stands (as Herod here) ready to kill it although it be neuer so little a babe.
In R…man as there a voice heard] That is, qHieron. Muses …. I…nsen.in excelso, for the voice of bloud is loud, and rGen. 4.10.c…ieth euen from earth vntounto heauen: eueryevery murther is sacriledge, for that our bodie are the temples of the holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6.19. Herod then at once committed many fo…le sacriledges, in slaying so many both in towne and countrey, who were so great innocents, in being so little children, that as sHym, in ep…p…an.Prudentius excellently,
Locum minutis a…rubus
Vix interemptor invenit
Que plagade seendat patens,
Iugloque maior p…gio e…t.
This barbarous outrage caused lamentation, weeping, and mourning: tChrysost.that is, lamentation of the mothers, weer… of the children, and such a mourning on all sides, as that the cry penetrating the clouds, and knocking at heauen, gate did uIames 5.4.enter into the cares of the Lord of hostes.
xIuutnous.Horrendis grauiter Coelum pulsasse querelis.