A Century of Sermons, Sermon 1
THE FIRST SERMON UPON THE INCARNATION.
LUKE ii. 7.
And ſhe brought forth her firſt born Son, and wrapped him in ſwadling cloths, and laid him in a Manger, becauſe there was no room for them in the Inn, &c.
THis is a part of that joyful news which God did impart at firſt unto the Angels, which the Angels in the twelfth ver. did reveal unto the Shepherds, which the Shepherds in the ſeventeenth verſe made known abroad, and thereby at firſt, perchance, it came to St. Luke, which St. Luke made known in this Goſpel to the Church; which the Church from time to time hath delivered unto us; which I at this day deliver unto you, and which you muſt tell unto your Children, that one Generation may comfort another with it unto the ends of the World. I am in love with my Text; but how ſhall I open and dilate my joy upon it? No, that moſt venerable name Mary, the bleſſed Mother of our Lord, knew not how to do it. For although when Gabriel brought tidings unto her, that ſhe ſhould conceive, then ſhe could come out with a ſtrange word foreign, as if her ſpirit friskt and danc'd within for gladneſs; yet upon the birth no foreign would ſerve the turn, the joy was too big for the Language of man to deliver. How ſhall we then expreſs our ſelves for the honour of the day? Preaching is our preſent buſineſs; but words were too little, and therefore the Angels turn'd Muſicians and ſung it; Muſick was not enough, and therefore Wiſe men brought Gifts unto the Cradle; Neither were Gifts the way, for you may ſee by the cratch and the ſwadling clouts that He affected Poverty. The Tongues of men, that is Preaching and Prayer; the Tongues of Angels, that is Muſick and Singing; the courteous Gifts of the Eaſtern men, Gold, Myrrh, and Frankincenſe, all are fit for the ſolemnity of theſe twelve days, but not all ſufficient.
This happy day made an end of the woful Captivity of the Sons of men under ſin and Satan. See how far David went, when none but the Tribe of Judah came back from the Captivity of Babylon, When the Lord turned the Captivity of Sion, then were we like to them that dream. This is the greateſt ſtrain of joy, as we may interpret it. I do not mean that we ſhould doubt whether we were verily preſerved from the captivity of Sin by the birth of Chriſt, whether it were ſo indeed, or but a dream, like the Poets amorous fancy, Credimus? an qui amant, ipſi ſibi ſomnia fingunt? Eclog. 8. Lib. 33.or as Livy ſaid of the Grecians when the Romans ſent them unexpected liberty after their hard thraldom, Mirabundi velut ſomni ſpeciem arbitrabantur, they were amazed as if they were not awake, but ſleeping: but I would have your Soul tranſported as it were with an Extaſie of devotion, as if Zeal and the Love of Jeſus Chriſt put you in a dream; imagine ſtrongly that this day is not the Anniverſary to be celebrated after many years, but the very day it ſelf of Chriſts Nativity. Cannot you think that this Church is the Cratch that received the Babe? O cui cuncta poſſunt invidere marmora. Cannot you think your ſelves to be thoſe Shepherds whom the Angels ſent of the good Errand, to look out a Saviour? Who had not rather be one of them Shepherds than any King in the world? Then ſtrongly poſſeſs your ſouls that you ſee the Son of God; that you ſtand over him and behold him, as he is wrapped in ſwadling clouts, lying in a Manger. O that we could ſo deeply perſwade our Soul that this Text is no report, but a viſion before our eyes. So we muſt do, or elſe it is not full Chriſtmas joy, it is no true Angelical devotion.
And then you ſhall ſee in this verſe Mary laid of her Child: O the paſſing exaltation for fleſh and bloud to be ſuch a Mother, and the Child laid in a Manger. O the wonderful humiliation of the eternal God to be ſuch a Son! But that every part of the Text may be handled apart by it ſelf in his own order I will inſiſt upon theſe five things: 1. Here is the ſtrange condition of the Mother, Et illa peperit, and ſhe brought forth a Son, who by nature was no bearer, for ſhe was a Virgin. 2. The ſtrange condition of the Babe, ejus primogenitus, the firſt begotten of God was the firſt born Son of fleſh and bloud. 3. The ſtrange condition of the Birth, that it was without the curſe of woman, without the pangs of travail; the Fathers collect it from hence, that as ſoon as the Babe was born ſhe could wrap him in ſwadling clouts, a manifeſt ſign that there was no debility or weakneſs in her. 4. The ſtrange condition of the place of the Nativity, She laid him in a Manger. Laſtly, the ſtrange condition of men, that there was no room in the Inn for Jeſus and Mary; theſe are the parts of my Text: With great reverence be it ſpoken, I may call them the ſwadling clouts wherewith I muſt wrap my Saviour.
Firſt, Let us conſider the ſtrange condition of a maiden Mother, Et illa peperit, and ſhe brought forth a Son, who by nature was no bearer, for ſhe was a Virgin. A Doctrine which the Heathen and Pagan men will not admit, and which the Incredulous Jew to this day after his manner derides. The Heathen were ſo confident that a Virgin could not bring forth, that as Oroſius reports, when Auguſtus Caeſar had reſt round about from all his enemies, He ſhut up the Gates of Janus his Temple, and called it the Temple of peace; and enquiring from their Oracles of Sorcery how long it ſhould ſtand ſhut; it was anſwered, Quouſque Virgo pariet, untill the time that a Virgin brings forth a Son. The Meſſengers thought this anſwer to be, as if he had ſaid,Oroſ. lib. 6. c. 20. it ſhould ſtand ſhut for ever: and ſo they wrote upon the Gates, Templum pacis aeternum, The Temple of peace was eternal. Let me diſpute the caſe with a meer natural man, How doth the harveſt of the field enrich the Husbandman? It is anſwered, By the Seed which was ſown in the ground. Say again, How came Seed into the world to ſow the ground? Surely you muſt confeſs, that the firſt Seed had a Maker, who did not derive it from the Ears of Wheat, but made it of nothing by the power of his own hand; Qui ſine ſeminibus operatur ſemina, &c. ſays St. Auſtin, Ep. 3.then God could make a man without the Seed of man in the Virgins womb, who made Seed for the corn before ever there was earing or harveſt. Nay, there is an inſtance for it in the little Bees, as the Poet doth Philoſophize, they do not bring forth their young ones, as other Creatures do, by the help of Male and Female together; but they gather the ſeed which begets the young ones from the dew of leaves,Vir. Geor. lib. 4. and herbs, and flowers, and ſo they bring them forth. Nec concubitu indulgent nec corpora ſegnes in Venerem ſolvunt, and therefore the Bee by ſome is called the Emblem of Virginity.
And as for the unbelieving Jew, the darkneſs and blindneſs of his heart cannot put out the light of Iſaiahs Propheſie, Behold a Virgin ſhall conceive and bear a Son; for what though the word in the Original ſignifie not only a Virgin, but any woman of a young and tender age?Iſa. 7.14. Yet in that place, as St. Hierom ſays very well, it muſt be nomen integritatis non aetatis, a name of Virginal integrity, and not of young age, or elſe you drown the aſtoniſhment which the Prophet doth ſo much exaggerate and amplifie. I will give you a Sign; why, what ſign is it for a young woman to bear a Child?St. Auſt. Ser. 6. de Nat. No extraordinary one I am ſure. Nay, ſays he, Ecce Virgo, behold and wonder at it. Behold a Miracle which ſhall never be wrought but once in the world. This was Virga Aaron florida, nec humectata; Aarons Rod which was not watered, and yet being a dry ſtick, which had the help of no ſap to make it fruitful, it flouriſht and put out, and brought forth fruit: So this maiden Mother knew no man,Lib. Moral. 1.18. c. 33. ſhe did not conceive after the manner of women, but by the power of the Holy Ghoſt. The Holy Ghoſt ſhall over-ſhadow thee, ſays Gabriel. Bene dictum eſt obumbrabit, ſays Gregory, Ʋmbra enim a lumine formatur & corpore, i. e. A Deo & Virgine. The world is full of expreſſion, which ſays the Holy Ghoſt ſhall over-ſhadow her; for a ſhadow is cauſed by the reſplendency of Light, and the opacity of a groſs body ſtanding between: So Chriſt, who is the ſhadow of our refuge, under which we ſtand to couch our ſelves from the ſcorching anger of Gods wrath, he was conceived in the womb of the bleſſed Virgin, that was the body, the Light of Heaven, and the Holy Ghoſt reflecting upon it. Ʋerbum fuit pater ejus & auditus mater, ſays Fulgentius; Upon the word of the Salutation of the Angel, and by the Ear of Mary that heard the word, between theſe two alone he was made man, and they were unto him like as a Father, and a Mother.
St. Auſtin ſays very ſweetly that this admirable Creature Mary the Mother of our Lord is in this verſe like unto the Church of Chriſt; the Church is often called a Virgin, the Virgin the Daughter of Sion. I,Sermo. de Temp. 1 9. but ſince ſo many faithful Sons are born unto the Church by the Preaching of the Goſpel, how can they be the Sons of the Church, or the Church their Mother, if ſhe be ſtill a Virgin? Very fitly and conveniently as he anſwers, Virgo eſt & parit, Mariam imitatur quae Dominum peperit; the Church is a Virgin, and yet fruitful of Children; for ſhe is like the Mother of our Lord, who was a Virgin Mother. Why God did make this choice, I mean why he choſe this Bleſſed Virgin of the line of David to carry her own Redeemer and ours in her Womb before all the daughters of women, ask in Gods name, and ſeek the reaſon; but let this be the ground upon which you build, Sapientia aedificavit ſibi domum, Prov. 9.1. Wiſdom did build her ſelf an houſe, God did befit himſelf with ſo clean a veſſel as there was not a more heavenly creature upon earth, neither ſince nor before her: and ſuch a Virgin was the pureſt casket which might be found wherein to lay up the gem of the world. The very body of Chriſt without the ſoul was laid up in a tomb, wherein never Corps were laid before, in a new Tomb, and reaſon good; for though the ſoul was flitted away, yet the union between the Body and the Divine Nature was not diſſolved: and therefore his Sepulchre was a new Sepulchre which was never ſeaſoned with man before. O then when the living Body and the Godhead were united into one perſon, very meet and requiſite it was that no Child ſhould ever take up that Womb before the Son of God; the ſon of a ſinner was not firſt to poſſeſs that place which was ordained for the Son of God. Moreover as the Woman Mary did bring forth the Son who bruiſed the Serpents head, which brought ſin into the world by the woman Eve, ſo the Virgin Mary was the occaſion of Grace, as the Virgin Eve was the cauſe of Damnation: Eve had not known Adam as yet when ſhe was beguiled, and ſeduced the man; ſo Mary had not known Joſeph, Et illa peperit, and ſhe brought forth her firſt born Son. And thus you ſee Sapientia adificavit ſibi domum, wiſdom did build her ſelf an houſe.
To make ſome uſe of this point unto our ſelves, we ſee how well the Womb of the Virgin Mary did fit the Birth of Chriſt: but will you know what manner of houſe wiſdom doth build unto her ſelf, even unto this day? Our Saviour was ſo well pleaſed with a Virgin-dwelling for once, that ever ſince he loves to abide and dwell in a Virgin, and unpolluted heart. Cor ſimplex eſt cor Virgineum, a plain dealing heart, ſuch a one as Jacobs was: a charitable well-meaning heart is a ſingle heart that hath no guile; ſuch a one is in travel with Chriſt. Cor duplex eſt cor adulterum, an hypocrites heart that hath two faces and ſpeaks with two tongues, he conceives miſchief, and brings forth ungodlineſs; this is an adulterous heart: and as concerning the heart of the hypocrite, and malicious, if any man ſay, loe here is Chriſt, or loe there is Chriſt, believe them not. Beloved you ſee how curiouſly every feathered Fowl makes a neſt to lay her young one, art and reaſon are not able to make ſuch a work, as the ingenuity of Nature doth; wherefore let it not irk you once again to hearken how to prepare a neſt wherein to lay your Saviour; Grace is more choice and curious than either Art or Nature. Still I am reſolved it muſt be a Virgins breaſt that is fruitful to bring forth Chriſt; but in my ſenſe Zacheus was a Virgin; and perchance living in the ſtate of Wedlock. Nay Mary Magdalen was a Virgin in this acception, though ſometimes a Sinner given to the fleſh: yet Anna the ancient Widow may paſs for this Virgin without a Paradox: For as a Virgin is at the diſpoſe of her Father to be given and betrothed, ſo is the virgin ſoul altogether into the will of God: and ſurely in a ſort Chriſt himſelf is there, for it hath conceived by the Holy Ghoſt.
Nothing is wanting that this ſoul ſo formed into obedience ſhould be anſwerable unto Mary; but as we read of her, it muſt be of the houſe and lineage of David. Saint Chryſoſtom ſaid of David's heart, it was volumen charitatis, a volume of love and charity, always chanting and ſinging zeal and devotion, to let your heart ſay according to the tune of his heart, My heart is fixed O God, my heart is fixed, I will ſing and give praiſe, as if it could not be removed from God nor God from it; and then it is of the houſe and lineage of David. I have ſaid enough I think to ſhew what is in ſome competent ſort proportionable in a good Chriſtian to the virginity of Mary, that his ſoul may be made fit to bring forth Chriſt. St. Bernard calls me back a little, Reſpexit Dominus humilitatem Mariae non virginitatem, Mary confeſſed her ſelf that God regarded her lowlineſs, and not her virginity. Et illa peperit, and the lowly hand-maid brought forth the Babe of exceeding glory. Hail thou that art highly favoured, ſays the Angel: yea but thrice hail thou that art lowly minded: Etiam in coelo ſtare non potuit ſuperba ſublimitas, if we will not beware of pride by the fall of men whoſe examples are often ſeen, why take heed of it by the fall of Angels. Heaven would not let pride be unpuniſhed in Lucifer but threw it lower than the earth. Chriſt would not let great humility be unrewarded in Mary, but exalted it I may ſay above the heavens; for ſo you ſhall perceive by the ſecond part of my Text the ſtrange condition of the child. Et illa peperit promigenitum, &c.
It was Nicodemus his problem which he propounded to our Saviour, Iterum poteſt homo naſci? Can a man be born again, or the ſecond time? that which is impoſſible to Nicodemus is true in the perſon of our Saviour; John 3.for he that was the firſt begotten of God before all worlds, is Ejus primogenitus, at a ſecond birth he is become the firſt born Son of Mary: De Nata. Dom. Serm. 16.De victo genere ſumſit hominem per quem generis humani vinceret inimicum, ſays St. Auſtin. The Devil thought that at one skirmiſh in the Garden of Eden he had made a perfect conqueſt over the poor nature of man, fleſh and blood could never riſe up again to take arms againſt him: His malice was like Caligula's, that wiſht all the ſubjects of the Roman Empire had but one head upon their ſhoulders, that at one blow he might deſtroy the whole generation; but de Victo genere, as the Father ſaid, Chriſt mannageth the quarrel between us and Satan, ſo fairly and indifferently, that he took upon him not the ſubſtance of Angels, but even the fleſh which was overcome, that in the ſame Nature he might deſtroy our enemies. The Potter may make what veſſels do like him beſt out of his own clay. But how ſtrangely was the wheel turn'd about when the Clay did make the Potter; was it not enough to make man after the image of God, but moreover to make God after the image and likeneſs of man? was it not enough that the breath of the Lord ſhould be made a living ſoul for man, but that the eternal word of God ſhould be made Fleſh; Bernard.Ʋtinam ſicut verbum caro factum eſt, ita cor noſtrum fiat carneum, O that as the word was made fleſh, ſo our ſtony hearts, as the Prophet ſays, may be made fleſh, that we may believe and glorifie this wonderful generation; but the manner of this generation is a ſecret of God, within the rail, and I will not touch it.
Let it ſuffice us to know concerning her firſt-born. 1. That he was never called the Son of the Holy Ghoſt, though he were conceived by him. 2. That among all thoſe of the genealogy from whom he deſcended, eſpecially he is called the Son of David and Abraham: But 3. by the neareſt intereſt he was Ejus primogenitus the firſt-born Son of Mary. Touching the firſt, it is an Article of our Creed, that the Holy Ghoſt was the active principle of the generation of Chriſt; and why then was he not called his Father? becauſe to be the father of another thing is not enough to be the active principle of it: for even the Sun is the active cauſe that produceth Worms and Flies, and all thoſe which are called inſecta animalia, and yet it is not called the father of thoſe creatures; but a father muſt beget a thing according to his own kind and ſpecies; and therefore Chriſt was born after the ſpecies and nature of the Woman, whereby he is called not the Son of the Holy Ghoſt, but the Son of Mary.
Again, as for the next thine obſerved in the Preface of St. Matthew's Goſpel among all thoſe that belong to the line of our Saviours Parentage, the perſons eſpecially pickt out are David and Abraham; which was the Son of David, which was the Son of Abraham, and that for this reaſon, though Chriſt came from the loins of many others. St. Luke counts 77 deſcents between Adam and Chriſt, yet the words of promiſe benedicentur in ſemine tuo, it was only ſpoke unto Abraham and David, that in their ſeed, that is in Chriſt all the Kingdoms of the earth ſhould be bleſſed: And therefore Abraham and David were known by name above others: It was in every mans mouth that the Meſſias ſhould come out of their ſtock; the Oath which he ſwore to our fore-father Abraham ſays Zachary in his Song; Maldonat. Lyra, Toſtatus.and blind men and beggars had it at their fingers end, Son of David have mercy on us. The more to illuſtrate this, you muſt know that there was a twofold root or foundation of the Children of Iſrael for their temporal being:2 Kings 13.28. Abraham was the root of the people; the Kingdom was rent from Saul, and therefore David was the root of the Kingdom; among all the Kings in the Pedigree none but He hath the name,2 Kings 8.19. and Jeſſe begat David the King, and David the King begat Solomon; and therefore ſo often as God did profeſs to ſpare the people, though He were angry, He ſays he would do it for Abrahams ſake: So often as He profeſſeth to ſpare the Kingdom of Judah, He ſays he would do it for his Servant Davids ſake. So that ratione radicis, as Abraham and David are roots of the People and Kingdom, eſpecially Chriſt is called the Son of David, the Son of Abraham; and to ſay no more, their Faith in the Incarnation of Chriſt is of ſome moment in this point.De Incarnat. David having obtained the name to be called the Prophet foreign, becauſe he doth ſo fully expreſs the Birth and Paſſion of our Saviour; and Abrahams faith is moſt notable in that one inſtance ſays Fulgentius, when He made Eleezer his Steward, put his hand under his thigh, and take an oath in the name of the Lord, not that he thought there was any connexion between his own fleſh and the God of heaven, Sed ut oſtenderet Deum coeli ex eâ carne naſciturum, but to ſhew that the bleſſed Babe of Mary ſhould deſcend lineally from his Loyns.
Who in the third place by the neareſt intereſt, is called Ejus primogenitus, the firſt-born Son of Mary. Non quod poſt eum alius, ſed quod ante eum nemo, ſays St. Auſtin: not called the firſt-born Son as the eldeſt of them Sons that followed, but as being the firſt fruits of a Virgin-womb that had none before nor after; here is Iſaiahs Propheſie, Puer natus nobis, a Child born unto us; Natus eſt non ſibi Chriſtus, ſed mihi, for He was born not for himſelf, but for me, and for all the Faithful. Here is Jeremies Propheſie, Mulier circundabit virum, that a woman ſhall compaſs a man; Jer. 31.22. The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, a woman ſhall compaſs a man. For Iſaiahs Child is called a Man in Jeremiah, Inſinuans, ei nunquam defuiſſe virtutem, becauſe in the very ſwadling clouts he came forth, not as a weak Infant, but full of power and virtue, as a Giant to run his courſe. He grew on indeed, ſays St. Auſtin, from an infant to a man, but never to be an old man, Creſcat & fides tua robur inveniat, vetuſtatem neſciat. So let thy faith wax more and more; let it come to perfection, and maturity, but never unto old age, as if it droopt and were declining.
I come to the third ſtrange condition of the Birth, it was without travel, or the pangs of woman, as I will ſhew you out of theſe words, Faſciis involvit, that ſhe wrapt him in ſwadling clouts, and laid him in a Manger. Ipſa genitrix, fuit & obſtetrix, ſays St. Cyprian, Mary was both the Mother and the Midwife of the Child; far be it from us to think that the weak hand of the woman could facilitate the work which was guided only by the miraculous hand of God. The Virgin conceived our Lord without the Luſts of the fleſh, and therefore ſhe had not the pangs and travel of women upon her, ſhe brought him forth without the curſe of the fleſh. Theſe be the Fathers compariſons, As Bees draw honey from the flower without offending it, as Eve was taken out of Adams ſide without any grief to him, as a ſprig iſſues out of the bark of the tree, as the ſparkling light from the brightneſs of the Star, ſuch eaſe was it to Mary to bring forth her firſt-born Son; and therefore having no weakneſs in her body, feeling no want of Vigour, ſhe did not deliver him to any profane hand to be dreſt, but by a ſpecial abillity, above all that are newly delivered, ſhe wrapt him in ſwadling clouts. Gravida, ſed non gravabatur, ſhe had a burden in her womb, before ſhe was delivered, and yet ſhe was not burdened: for her journey which ſhe took ſo inſtantly, before the time of the Childs birth from Nazareth to Bethlem was above forty miles, and yet ſhe ſuffered it without wearineſs or complaint, for ſuch was the power of the Babe, that rather he did ſupport the Mothers weakneſs than was ſupported; and as he lightned his Mothers travel by the way from Nazareth to Bethlem that it was not tedious to her tender age, ſo he took away all her dolour and imbecillity from her travel in Child-birth, and therefore ſhe wrapt him in ſwadling clouts.
Now theſe clouts here mentioned which were not worth the taking up, but that we find them in this Text, are more to be eſteemed than the Robes of Solomon in all his Royalty; yea, more valuable than the beauty of the Lilly, or any Flower of the field or garden, which did ſurpaſs all the Royalty of Solomon. I may ſay they are the Pride of Poverty, for I know not in what thing poverty may better boaſt and glory than in the raggs of Chriſt. His tears are no comfort to them that laugh; his Crach in the Manger is no comfort to them that affect the higheſt rooms in the Synagogues; his want is no comfort to them that are rich; his mean apparel is no comfort to our coſtly garments: but this is a comfort to them that want cloathing to cover their Nakedneſs, that Chriſt himſelf was wrapt in ſwadling clouts. He triumphed over poverty in this poor and baſe Array, ſays St. Auſtin, as truly and verily as he triumphed over death. Now death was conquered by Chriſt, not that we ſhould not dye at all, but that we ſhould vanquiſh death by the Reſurrection: So Poverty was thus led captive, and overcome, Non ut omnino eſſugeamus, ſed ut majori letitia toleremus; not that we ſhould never ſuſtain it, but that we ſhould ſuſtain it chearfully, and with patience. This was but the beginning of ſorrow, to be tenderly bound up in warm cloths, there is a worſe binding to come when the high Prieſts Servants ſhall find him in the Garden, and lead him away bound like a Malefactor; Feret aſpera grandior aetas vincula cum palmam clavus utramque premet, ſays a Chriſtian Poet; his hands will be ſtraiter bound when they are pinned to the Croſs with Nails and Iron; for as the bloud which he ſpent at Circumciſion was but an earneſt of thoſe drops which he ſhould ſhed at his Paſſion: So this wrapping and ſwadling of his Arms and Legs was but a repreſentation how he ſhould yield up all his Limbs to be bound unto the Croſs.
O behold this thing, you that think it no Chriſtmas without bravery upon your backs, theſe were our Saviours cloaths for this good time, he had no other gaudy Garments; but take up the fringe of your own Coats, look upon the Ornaments you wear, and tell me what Saviour it is you imitate; you lay all you can upon your backs to celebrate his firſt coming into the world, which was in baſeneſs and poverty. I pray you what would you be willing to put on when you ſhall meet him at his ſecond coming in the clouds? O then our mortal ſhall be ſwallowed up of immortality: and as holy Nazianzen ſays foreign, nakedneſs is all the cloathing we ſhall put on at the day of the great Reſurrection. Bleſſed Mary, ſays St. Auſtin, began betimes to let her Babe ſee nothing but modeſty about him. Nunc mulieres cum lacte in cunis ſuperbiam infantibus inſtillant; Now adays, ſays he, our women do ſo nuzzle their little Imps in their Cradle, that they ſuck in vanity as ſoon as they take the dug; and for the moſt part (let men be ſo baſe to follow it if they will) all our gay faſhions come from ſome ſhe inventrix, as Syneſius ſays of the Wife of Triphon, that it was all her ambition, foreign, to have the name of the curious Lady, and that all faſhions were warranted by her invention; when by their leaves I think it is as little for their reputation, as it was for Anak to find out Mules.
Thus I have followed the ſtream, not departing from the common adnotation upon this place, which ſays that Chriſt did conſecrate, and as it were ſanctifie Poverty by this inſtance, that he was wrapt in ſwadling clouts: which is not ſo to be underſtood, I think, as if the firſt Linnen Ephod, which was ſo happy to apparel the great High Prieſt of the Church, had been ſome baſe or wragged piece of cloth. For beloved, to do all due right to the ever bleſſed Virgin, ſhe was not ignorant what a heavenly burden ſhe bore, ſhe knew that after the cuſtom of women the time of her deliverance was at hand; ſhe underſtood the Scriptures as well as the high Prieſts and Scribes that Chriſt muſt be born in Bethlem of Judah, the place to which ſhe went to be taxed with Joſeph her husband. Can we then imagine but that this moſt religious Mother had made preparation for ſuch a Child, and had furniſht her ſelf againſt their journey, Cum lineis pannis puriſſimis, utpote partus conſcia, with the pureſt fine linnen cloths, becauſe ſhe knew the hour of the moſt happy Nativity was at hand? foreign, ſays the Greek Text; in one word, ſhe ſwadled him up, but ſure with all obſervance, and reverent decency.
But the poor and abject eſtate into which this Kingly Babe was caſt as ſoon as he was born will appear moſt clearly by the fourth circumſtance of the Text, the ſtrange condition of the place of his Nativity,1 Kings 3.17. She laid him in a Manger. And will the Lord dwell upon earth, ſays Solomon when he had dedicated unto his name the moſt auguſtious Temple in the world; Was a queſtion made concerning ſuch a Magnificent houſe, whether it were fit for the Lord? Then what ſay you to this grot? This Manger of the Stable? As Seneca ſaid of Caius Marius, when he was turned abroad to ſeek his lodging among the flags of the Fens, Quis eum fuiſſe conſulem aut futurum crederet? Who would ever think that a man who ſhrowded his head in ſo mean a place had been the great Conſul of Rome before, or ſhould be Conſul again? So he that ſhould find Chriſt in ſuch a deſpicable corner of a Room where beaſts did feed, who could think that it was that God that created the World before, or ſhould judge the World hereafter? But to ſay the truth, was he not ſafer among the beaſts than he could be elſewhere in all the Town of Bethlem? His enemies perchance would ſay unto him as Jael did to Siſera, Turn in, turn in my Lord, when ſhe purpoſed to kill him; as the men of Keilah made a fair ſhew to give David all courteous hoſpitality, but the iſſue would prove, if God had not bleſſed him, that they mean to deliver him into the hands of Saul that ſought his bloud. So there was no truſting of the Bethlemites, who knows but that they would have prevented Judas, and betrayed him for thirty pieces of Silver unto Herod? More humanity is to be expected from the beaſts than from ſome men, and therefore ſhe laid him in a Manger.
Do not your bowels yearn, Beloved, to make Chriſt ſome amends for this poor entertainment? Do not you perſwade your ſelves if you had been in Bethlem it ſhould not have been ſo as it was? Your Zeal is good, and there is no time loſt to do it yet. Non erat ei niſi anguſtia in terris, ut tu ei locum cordis tui proprium dilatares. Chriſt was ſtreightned for room in the Inn, and thruſt into the Stable, that you might open your heart wide, and enlarge it, to give him an habitation to content him. The heart of an Heretick, the heart of a profane perſon is more loathſom, more unfit for Chriſt than any Manger in the world; between ſuch a polluted ſink of iniquity, and this Manger as it was adorned, there was no compariſon. It was the recreation which the old Friers had in their Monaſtical Cells, to write lies; Legends are for the moſt part fabulous, and I had as lieve believe the dreams of a ſick man as believe all the ſtory of our Saviours birth which goes under the name of St. Bridget: Yet I am altogether inclined to think, that the Stable wherein Chriſt was born was ſo beautified for the time with the light of heaven, which did ſhine in the place, that a Palace of beaten gold could not ſeem to be half ſo rich and precious; my reaſon is, that if the glory of the Lord did ſhine about the Shepherds in the field with ſuch an heavenly luſter, when the Angels came to ſing their Carol, moſt likely it is, that the ſame glory ſeven fold brighter did caſt celeſtial beams upon this place, where this Child was laid in a Manger: But no ſuch beams of Heaven ever did ſhine upon the heart of a profligate ſinner, and therefore I have good reaſon to ſay that a Manger amongſt beaſts was fitter for our Saviour.
O praeſepe ſplendidum in quo panis inventus eſt Angelorum: O holy and venerable Cratch which was the repoſitory to receive the bread of Angels. Reclinavit is the ſtrangeſt word to me in all the Text, that Mary could part with him out of her arms, and lay him aſide in the Manger. I did ever think old Simeon much indebted to her for that favour that he was permitted to take him up in his arms; but what, did the Stable and Cratch deſerve to be the Throne of the Son of God? Surely, if Jacob underſtood that there was a Myſtery in it, when he laid his head upon a ſtone to ſleep, then it cannot be without many Myſteries that this Infant was laid in a Manger. I will ſeparate all the Meditations which the Fathers raiſe upon it that he was born in an Inn, and confine my ſelf only to expreſs why this homely Room was lent him in a Stable.
Firſt, Beloved, Periculoſum eſt inter delicias poni; 'tis full of peril to reſt among pleaſures and delights; It is better to go to the houſe of mourning than to the houſe of feaſting, Eccl. 7.2. Adam had his habitation among the ſweet ſavours and moſt delightful recreations of the Garden of Eden; his ſenſes were ſo filled with objects of pleaſures, that he forgot the Lord: Therefore Jeſus Chriſt the Second Adam, who came to reſtore all that was loſt, pitcht upon the worſt corner of the houſe, where there were no delights at all to move tentation. Shall I tell you a paradox which St. Chryſoſtome held? He ſaid, he had rather be caſt into Priſon with St. Paul, into the houſe of affliction, than be wrapt up with him into the third Heavens. Kings houſes, and well furniſht Manſions have their occaſions of Lewdneſs, but ſhe laid her Son in a Manger.
Secondly, Omnis caro ſicut foenum, all fleſh is graſs, and our beauty is as a flower of the field, this cauſed the fleſh of Chriſt to be laid in the part of the Stable, where the graſs is cut down and withered; Corruption ſorts with Corruption; the Saints that are in glory, and can dye no more, their dwellings are in the higheſt heavens, which are free from change and alteration, but the Son of man hath put on mortality, and to ſignifie that his body is like unto ours, which ſhall wither like graſs; Reclinavit in praeſepi, he was laid in a Manger.
Thirdly, Learn from hence to condeſcend unto the Humility of Chriſt if you mean to aſcend unto his glory; for as the cuſtom of thoſe Regions was, this Manger was foreign, a Vault cut out of a Rock, as low a place as he could caſt himſelf into; but no man projects ſo wiſely to raiſe up a mighty building as he that lays a low foundation: It is reported of Sixtus Quintus, how he was ſo far from ſhame that he was born in a poor Cottage, that he would ſport with his own fortune, and ſay, he was Familiâ illuſtri natus, born in a bright reſplendent Family, becauſe the Sun lookt in at every cranny of the houſe; it is not the meanneſs of the place that can juſtly turn to any mans ſcorn, nor doth a magnificent Palace build up any mans reputation. Holofernes had a coſtly Tent to cover him, and yet was never the honeſter; and it was a pretty objection of Plutarchs againſt the vain conſumption of coſt upon the decking of our houſes. Quare homines in auratis lectis ſomnum capiunt quem Dii gratis dederunt: What do we mean, ſays he, to be at ſuch coſt to deck our Chambers? Why will we pay ſo dear for our ſleep, when God, if you pleaſe, hath given you that for nothing? the ſlendereſt place ſerved our Saviour to cover his head, Reclinavit in praeſepi, She laid him in a Manger.
Fourthly, and laſtly, God provided the Virgins wombe for our Saviour before he was born, man provided a Manger after he was born, that you may ſee that God is ever worſe provided for by man than he provides for himſelf. Let him provide for himſelf the manner of an Ark, or inſpire the heart of Solomon what Temple ſhould be built unto him, and the world had never ſuch a piece of work for beauty and magnificence. Let him truſt to the benevolence of men, I praiſe God I am not in the place now where I need to complain, but more eyes have ſeen ſuch Churches, eſpecially ſuch Chancels which our Zealous Lay Parſons of the Kingdom have ſacrilegiouſly unroof'd, and uncas'd the Lead, and left them thatch and ſtraw for a covering, and ſcarce that too. O God I ſhame to ſpeak it, ſurely by all deſcription of antient Writers, our Saviour was better provided when He was laid in a Manger.
Their unworthineſs deſerves to be parallel'd with thoſe men of ſtrange condition in the laſt part of my Text, that kept poſſeſſion againſt Chriſt himſelf, and ſhut him out of doors, for there was no room for him in the Inn, nor for his Mother Mary. Was there no Obadiah that would receive a Prophet? No Obededom that would take the Ark of God into his houſe? Some ſay, that becauſe the whole City of David was ſo ungrateful to their new-born King, therefore the Angel of purpoſe ſhunned all the Inhabitants, and went into the field to find out Shepherds, and ſent them firſt to behold their Saviour, which is Chriſt the Lord. Others ſay, becauſe Bethlem was ſo pittileſs to this Babe, therefore God raiſed up the fury of Herod, which had no pity of their Babes, but ſlew all their Children from two years old and under. Surely we all ſee how the Roman Conquerours carried them away captive from their own Country, neither man nor child hath room to inhabite Bethlem this day, neither is there ſuch a Town as Bethlem ſtanding, becauſe there was no room for Chriſt. You know the Parable of the good Samaritan, that took the wounded man and carried him to his Inn, and left him ſafe there, and paid his charges. The ſence of the Parable is reduced by many of the Fathers unto Chriſt himſelf; He is the good Samaritan that would not let our wounds bleed abroad, but hous'd us, and lodg'd us in his own Inn, that is, the Church, to upbraid the incivility of men by the Letter of the Parable, that we gave no hoſpitality to the Son of God.
The reaſons given why Joſeph and Mary were thus excluded are three:
The firſt is falſe, nay, indeed calumnious, that they came tardy, and after all other company to pay their Tribute money: No, Beloved, ſuch an haſty Couple, ſo forward to give unto God that which is Gods, would never be ſlack to give unto Caeſar that which is Caeſars. Beſides, if ſhe brought forth her firſt-born Son upon the firſt day of the week, upon Sunday, as ſome caſt it out, then the whole day before ſhe was in Bethlem, for upon the Saturday, or Sabbath ſhe muſt not travel; perchance they had been longer in the City, and, as we ſay, danced attendance, being poor perſons, before the Officers of the Tribute would diſpatch them; and yet all this while no room was made in the Inn, nor in any charitable houſe for the Nativity of Chriſt. The indignation againſt this were able to make us, like Jacob, live under the dew and froſt of Heaven; as the Prophet proteſted, never to climbe up to our bed becauſe Chriſt was ſo diſappointed.2 Sam. 11.11. Or as Ʋriah ſaid unto David, The Ark abides in Tents, my Lord Joab is encampt in the open field, and ſhall I go up into mine own houſe. The glory of Iſrael was laid in a Cratch, the Salvation of the world was turned into a Stable, and doſt thou permit us to live in ſieled houſes?
But the ſecond and true reaſon why the Inn afforded them no room was this: Auguſtus Caeſars Tax had drawn multitudes unto Bethlem that filled every corner; the true uſe of it was, that there might be more attendance about the King of Glory to do him reverence and homage; but the greater multitude, the fouler was the neglect, the more inexcuſable the diſobedience. They that glory in multitudes as a great teſtimony to prove the verity of their Church are as wiſe as them that ſhould prove their Harveſt to be plentiful becauſe it hath abundance of Thiſtles. A multitude flockt after Chriſt in the Wilderneſs, verily it is to eat of the Loaves and Fiſhes, not for the Doctrines ſake. A multitude followed him into the High Prieſts Hall, and the whole Rabble cried out, Let him be crucified; A troupe of Souldiers watcht his Sepulchre, and belied his Reſurrection; a multitude was in Bethlem at his Nativity, and there was no room for him in the Inn.
But thirdly, We may ſuppoſe the multitudes had not ſo peſtered the Town but that one Lodging might be ſpar'd, if there were horſe-room in the Stable, as it appears there was, becauſe Chriſt lay in the Manger, then it cannot ſound in my ear but there might be room made for men in the Inn. Yes, but Lazarus is poor, and therefore he muſt not come over the Threſhold, but lie at the rich Gluttons door; and though the fiſh of the Sea were ſo liberal to pay our Saviours Tribute, the beaſts of the Stable ſo obedient to leave ſpace for his birth, yet reaſonable men ſtood upon it that they would not entertain him for nothing. Booz was a rare example, that took Ruth into his houſe when ſhe went a begging: Booz was a Bethlemite, but it ſeems he had left none behind him, for Mary and Joſeph were poor, and there was no room for them in the Inn. I know not how it came to paſs, but for the credit of Poverty, which was thus deſpiſed, not many rich, but many poor in the days of our Saviour did receive the Goſpel. As dry wood, ſays Bernard, ſooner taketh fire than that which is green and flouriſhing: So the poor did embrace the glad tidings of Salvation without reſiſtance, when the Nobles of the world, that flouriſht in their wealth, refuſed it.
O but let Bethlem be ten times more populous for multitude, were Mary of the pooreſt of the people, which could not be, admitting that ſhe and Joſeph paid Subſidies to Caeſar; nay, were ſhe a Samaritan, with whom the Jew hated to commerce, yet Barbarians would take her in, and cheriſh her in the time of Childbirth. Beloved, it is a kind of churliſhneſs that can admit no Apology. This is all that I can ſay, ſince men had left their civility to be men, to wipe away that foul ignominy God took our nature upon him, and was made man, even He of whom it is ſaid in my Text, She brought forth, &c. It is a ſign of very bad times when we loſe pity and humanity to men, and reverence to God.