Works of Joseph Hall, Part 27
The Annuntiation of CHRIST.
THe Spirit of God was neuer ſo accurate in any deſcription, as that which concernes the Incarnation of God: It was … no circumſ…nc… ſhould bee omitted in that Story, whereon the faith and ſaluation of all the World dependeth: Wee cannot ſo much as doubt of this truth, and bee ſaued; no not the number of the monethmonth, not the name of the Angell is concealed: EueryEvery particle imports not more certainty, than excellence: The time is the ſixth monethmonth after Iohns Conception, the prime of the Spring: Chriſt was conceiued in the Spring, borne in the Solſtice: Hee in whom the World receiued a new life, receiues life in the ſame ſeaſon, wherein the World receiued his firſt life from him; and hee which ſtretches out the dayes of his Church, and lengthens them to Eternitie, appeares after all the ſhort and dimme light of the Law; and inlightens the World with his glory; The Meſſenger is an Angell; A man was too meane to carry the newes of the Conception of God: Neuer any buſineſſe was conceiued in Heauen, that did ſo much concerne the earth, as the Conception of the God of Heauen in Wombe of earth: No leſſe than an Arch-Angell was worthy to beare this tydings, and neuer any Angell receiued a greater honour, than of this Embaſſage.
It was fit our reparation ſhould anſwer our fall; an euill Angell was the firſt motioner of the one to Eue a Virgin, then eſpouſed to Adam in the Garden of Eden: A good Angel is the firſt reporter of the other to Mary a Virgin eſpouſed to Ioſeph, in that place, which (as the Garden of Galile,) had a name from flouriſhing: No good Angel could be the Author of our reſtauration, as that euill Angell was of our ruine; But that, which thoſe glorious ſpirits could not doe themſelues, they are glad to report as done by the God of Spirits: Good newes reioyces the bearer; With what ioy did this holy Angell bring the newes of that Sauiour, in whom wee are redeemed to life, himſelfe eſtabliſhed in life and glory? The firſt Preacher of the Goſpell was an Angell; that office muſt needs be glorious, that deriues it ſelfe from ſuch a Predeceſſor: God appointed his Angell to be the firſt Preacher, and hath ſince called his Preachers Angels: The meſſage is well ſuited; An Angell comes to a Virgin, Gabriel to Mary; He that was by ſignification the ſtrength of God, to her that was by ſignification exalted by God, to the conceiuing of him, that was the God of ſtrength: To a Maid but eſpouſed; a Maid for the honour of Virginitie, eſpouſed for the honour of Marriage: The marriage was in a ſort made, not conſummate, through the inſtinct of him, that meant to make her not an example, but a miracle of women: In this whole worke God would hauehave nothing ordinary; It was fit, that ſhe ſhould be a marryed Virgin, which ſhould bee a Virgin-mother: Hee that meant to take mans nature without mans corruption, would bee the Sonne of man without mans ſeed, would bee the ſeed of the woman without man; and amongſt all women, of a pure Virgin; but amongſt Virgins, of one eſpouſed, that there might be at once a Witneſſe, and a Guardian of her fruitfull Virginity; If the ſame God had not bin the author of Virginity and Marriage, he had neuer countenanced Virginity by Marriage.
Whither doth this glorious Angell come to finde the Mother of him that was God, but to obſcure Galile? A part, which euen the Iewes themſelues deſpiſed, as forſaken of their priuiledges, (Out of Galile ariſeth no Prophet.) Behold; an Angell comes to that Galile, out of which no Prophet comes, and the God of Prophets and Angels deſcends to bee conceiued in that Galile, out of which no Prophet ariſeth: He that filleth all places, makes no difference of places; It is the perſon, which giues honour and priuiledge to the place, not the place to the perſon; as the preſence of God makes the Heauen, the Heauen doth not make the honour glorious: No blind corner of Nazareth can hide the bleſſed Virgin from the Angell; The fauours of God will finde out his children, whereſoeuer they are with-drawne.
It is the faſhion of God to ſeeke out the moſt deſpiſed, on whom to beſtow his honours, we cannot runne away as from the iudgements, ſo not from the mercies of our God: The cottages of Galile are preferred by God to the famous Palaces of Ieruſalem, he cares not how homely he conuerſe with his owne: Why ſhould we be tranſported with the outward glory of places, whiles our God regards it not? We are not of the Angels diet, if we had not rather be with the bleſſed Virgin at Nazareth, than with the proud Dames in the Court of Ieruſalem: It is a great vanitie to reſpect any thing aboue goodneſſe, and to diſ-eſteeme goodneſſe for any want. The Angell ſalutes the Virgin, he prayes not to her; Hee ſalutes her as a Saint, he prayes not to her as a Goddeſſe: For vsus to ſalute her, as he did, were groſſe preſumption; For neither are we, as he was, neither is ſhe, as ſhe was: If he that was a ſpirit ſaluted her, that was fleſh and bloud here on earth, it is not for vsus, that are fleſh and bloud to ſalute her, which is a glorious ſpir…t in Heauen: For vsus, to pray to her in the Angels ſalutation, were to abuſe the Virgin, the Angell, the Salutation.
But how gladly doe we ſecond the Angell in the praiſe of her, which was more ours, than his? How iuſtly doe we bleſſe her, whom the Angell pronounceth bleſſed? How worthily is ſhe honoured of men, whom the Angell proclaimeth beloued of God? O bleſſed Mary, hee cannot bleſſe thee, he cannot honour thee too much, that deifies thee not: That which the Angell ſaid of thee, thou haſt propheſied of thy ſelfe, we beleeue the Angell, and thee: All Generations ſhall call thee bleſſed, by the fruit of whoſe wombe all Generations are bleſſed: If Zachary were amazed with the ſight of this Angell, much more the Virgin: That very Sex hath more diſaduantage of feare: if it had bin but a man, that had come to her in that ſecrecie and ſuddenneſſe, ſhe could not but hauehave bin troubled; how much more, when the ſhining glory of the perſon doubled the aſtoniſhment.
The troubles of holy mindes end euer in comfort: Ioy was the errand of the Angell, and not terrour. Feare (as all paſſions) diſquiets the heart, and makes it for the time vnfit to receiue the meſſages of God: Soone hath the Angell cleared theſe rroubleſome miſts of paſſions; and ſent out the beames of heauenly conſolation in the remoteſt corner of her ſoule by the glad newes of her Sauiour: How can ioy, but enter into her heart, out of whoſe wombe ſhall come ſaluation? What roome can feare finde in that breſt, that is aſſured of fauour? Feare not MARY; for thou hast found fauour with God: Let thoſe feare, who know they are in diſpleaſure, or know not they are gracious: Thine happy eſtate cals for confidence, and that confidence for ioy: What ſhould, what can they feare, who are fauoured of him, at whom the Deuils tremble? Not the preſence of the good Angels, but the temptations of the euill ſtrike many terrors into our weakneſſe; we could not be diſmayed with them, if wee did not forget our condition. Wee hauehave not receiued the ſpirit of bondage to feare againe, but the ſpirit of Adoption, whereby wee cry Abba Father: If that Spirit (O God) witneſſe with our ſpirits, that wee are thine, how can wee feare any of thoſe ſpirituall wickedneſſes? GiueGive vsus aſſurance of thy fauour, and let the powers of Hell doe their worſt.
It was no ordinarie fauour, that the Virgin found in Heauen: No mortall Creature was euer thus graced, that hee ſhould take part of her nature, that was the God of nature; that hee, which made all things, ſhould make his humane body of hers; that her wombe ſhould yeeld that fleſh, which was perſonally vnited to the Godhead; that ſhee ſhould beare him, that vpholds the world: Loe, thou ſhalt conceiue and beare a Sonne, and ſhalt call his name Ieſus. It is a queſtion, whether there be more wonder in the Conception, or in the Fruit; the Conception of the Virgin; or Ieſus conceiued: Both are maruellous, but the former doth not more exceed all other wonders, than the latter exceedeth it. For the childe of a virgin is the reimprouement of that power, which created the World: but that God ſhould bee incarnate of a Virgin, was an abaſement of his Maieſtie, and an exaltation of the creature beyond all example. Well was that Child worthy to make the Mother bleſſed; Here was a double Conception; one in the wombe of her body, the other of the ſoule: If that were more miraculous, this was more beneficiall; That was here priuiledge, the was her happineſſe: If that were ſingular to her, this is common to all his choſen: There is no renewed heart, wherein thou, O Sauiour, art not formed againe. Bleſſed bee thou, that haſt herein made vsus bleſſed. For what wombe can conceiue thee, and not partake of thee? Who can partake of thee, and not be happie?
Doubtleſſe the Virgin vnderſtood the Angell, as hee meant, of a preſent Conception, which made her ſo much more inquiſitiue into the manner and meanes of this euent: How ſhall this bee, ſince I know not a man? That ſhee ſhould conceiue a Son by the knowledge of man after her Marriage conſummate, could hauehave bin no wonder: But how then ſhould that Sonne of hers bee the Sonne of God? This demand was higher, how her preſent Virginity ſhould bee inſtantly fruitfull, might bee well worthy of admiration, of inquirie: Here was deſire of information, not doubts of infidelitie; yea rather this queſtion argues Faith: It takes for granted, that, which an vnbeleeuing heart would hauehave ſtuck at: She ſayes not, who and whence art thou? what Kingdome is this, where and when ſhall it bee erected? But ſmoothly ſuppoſing all thoſe ſtrang things would be done, ſhee inſiſts onelyonly in that, which did neceſſarily require a further intimation, and doth not diſtruſt, but demand: Neither doth ſhee ſay, this cannot be, nor how can this be; but how ſhall this be? ſo doth the Angel anſwer; as one, that knew he needed not to ſatisfie curioſitie, but to informe iudgement, and vphold faith: Hee doth not therefore tell her of the manner, but of the Author of this act; The Holy Ghoſt ſhall come vponupon thee, and the power of the moſt High ſhall ouer-ſhaddow thee: It is enough to know, who is the vndertaker, and what he will doe: O God, what doe wee ſeeke a cleere light, where thou wilt hauehave a ſhaddow? No Mother knowes the manner of her naturall Conception; what preſumption ſhall it be for fleſh and bloud, to ſearch how the Sonne of God tooke fleſh and bloud of his Creature? It is for none, but the Almighty to know thoſe workes, which hee doth immediatly concerning himſelfe; thoſe that concerne vsus, hee hath reuealed: Secrets to God, things reuealed to vsus.
This anſwer was not ſo full, but that a thouſand difficulties might ariſe out of the particularities of ſo ſtrange a meſſage, yet after the Angels Solution, wee heare of no more Obiections, no more Interrogations: The faithfull heart, when it once vnderſtands the good pleaſure of God, argues no more, but ſweetly reſts it ſelfe in a quiet exſpectation; Behold the Seruant of the Lord, bee it to mee according to thy Word. There is not a more noble proofe of our Faith, than to captiuate all the powers of our vnderſtanding and will to our Creator, and without all ſciſcitations to goe blindfold, whither he will leade vsus: All diſputations with God (after his will knowne) ariſe from infidelitie: Great is the Myſterie of godlineſſe, and if wee will giuegive Nature leaue to cauill, we cannot bee Chriſtians. O God, thou art faithfull, thou art powerfull: It is enough, that thou haſt ſaid it; In the humilitie of our obedience wee reſigne our ſelues ouer to thee: Behold the Seruants of the Lord, bee it vntounto vsus, according to thy Word.
How fit was her wombe to conceiue the fleſh of the Sonne of God by the power of the Spirit of God, whoſe breſt had ſo ſoone by the power of the ſame Spirit conceiued an aſſent to the will of God; and now of an Hand-mayd of God, ſhee is aduanced to the Mother of God: No ſooner hath ſhee ſaid (bee it done) than it is done, the Holy Ghoſt ouer-ſhaddowes her, and formes her Sauiour in her owne bodie. This very Angell, that talkes with the bleſſed Virgin, could ſcarce hauehave bin able to expreſſe the ioy of her heart in the ſenſe of this diuine burden: Neuer any mortall Creature had ſo much cauſe of exultation: How could ſhee, that was full of God bee other than full of ioy in that God? Griefe growes greater by concealing; Ioy by expreſſion: The Holy Virgin had vnderſtood by the Angell, how her Couſin Elizabeth was no leſſe of kinne to her in condition; the fruitfulneſſe of whoſe age did ſomewhat ſuit the fruitfulneſſe of her Virginitie: Happineſſe communicated, doubles it ſelfe; Here is no ſtrayning of courteſie; The bleſſed Maid whom vigor of age had more fitted for the way, haſtens her iourney into the Hill-countrey to viſit that gracious Matron, whom God had made a ſigne of her miraculous Conception: Only the meeting of Saints in Heauen can paralell the meeting of theſe two Coſins: The two Wonders of the World are met vnderunder one roofe, and congratulate their mutuall happineſſe: When wee hauehave Chriſt ſpiritually conceiued in vsus, wee cannot bee quiet, till wee hauehave imparted our ioy: Elizabeth that holy Matron did no ſooner wel-come her bleſſed Coſin, than her Babe wel-comes his Sauiour; Both in the retyred Cloſets of their Mothers Wombe are ſenſible of each others preſence; the one by his omniſcience, the other by inſtinct. He did not more fore-runne Chriſt, than ouer-runne Nature: How ſhould our hearts leape within vsus, when the Sonne of God vouchſafes to come into the ſecret of our ſoules, not to viſit vsus, but to dwell with vsus, to dwell in vsus!