Works of Joseph Hall, Part 30
The Purification.
THere could be no impurity in the Sonne of God, and if the beſt ſubſtance of a pure Virgin, carried in it any taint of Adam, that was ſcowred away by ſanctification in the wombe, and yet the Sonne would be circumciſed, and the Mother purified: He that came to bee ſinne for vsus, would in our perſons be legally vncleane, that by ſatisfying the law, he might take away our vncleanneſſe: Though he were exempted from the common condition of our birth, yet he would not deliuer himſelfe from thoſe ordinary rites, that implied the weakeneſſe, and blemiſhes of humanity: He would fulfill one law to abrogate it, another to ſatisfie it; He that was aboue the Law, would come vnderunder the Law, to free vsus from the Law: Not a day would be changed, either in the Circumciſion of Chriſt, or the Purification of Mary. Here was neither conuenience of place, nor of neceſſaries for ſo painfull a worke, in the ſtable of Bethleem; yet he that made, and gaue the Law, will rather keepe it with difficulty, than tranſgreſſe it with eaſe.
Why wouldeſt thou, O bleſſed Sauiour, ſuffer that ſacred foreskin to bee cut off, but that by the power of thy circumciſion, the ſame might be done to our ſoules, that was done to thy body? we cannot bee therefore thine, if our hearts bee vncircumciſed: Doe thou that in vsus, which was done to thee for vsus; cut off the ſuperfluitie of our maliciouſneſſe, that we may be holy in, and by thee, which for vsus wert content to be legally impure.
There was ſhame in thy birth, there was paine in thy circumciſion: After a contemptible welcome into the world, that a ſharp raſor ſhould paſſe thorow thy skin for our ſakes, (which can hardly endure to bleed for our owne) it was the praiſe of thy wonderfull mercy, in ſo early humiliation: What paine, or contempt ſhould we refuſe for thee, that haſt made no ſpare of thy ſelfe for vsus? Now is Bethleem left with too much honour, there is Chriſt borne, adored, circumciſed: No ſooner is the bleſſed virgin either able, or allowed to walke, than ſhee trauels to Ieruſalem, to performe her holy Rites for her ſelfe, for her Sonne; to purifie her-ſelfe, to preſent her Sonne: She goes not to her owne houſe at Nazareth, ſhee goes to Gods Houſe at Ieruſalem: If purifying were a ſhadow, yet thankſgiuing is a ſubſtance: Thoſe whom God hath bleſſed with fruit of body, and ſafety of deliuerance, if they make not their firſt iourney to the Temple of God, they partake more of the vnthankfulneſſe of Eue, than Maries deuotion.
Her forty daies therefore were no ſooner out, than Mary comes vp to the holy City: The rumor of a new King borne at Bethleem, was yet freſh at Ieruſalem, ſince the report of the wiſe-men: and what good newes had this beene for any picke-thanke to carry to the Court, Here is the Babe, whom the Starre ſignified, whom the Sages inquired for, whom the Angells proclaimed, whom the Shepherds talkt of, whom the Scribes and high Prieſts notified, whom Herod ſeekes after? Yet vntounto that Ieruſalem, which was troubled at the report of his Birth, is Chriſt come, and all tongues are ſo lockt vp, that he, which ſent from Ieruſalem to Bethleem to ſeeke him, findes him not, who (as to countermine Herod) is come from Bethleem to Ieruſalem. Dangers that are aloofe of, and but poſſible, may not hinder vsus from the duty of our deuotion: God ſaw it not yet time to let looſe the fury of his aduerſaries, whom hee holds vp, like ſome eager maſtiues, and then onelyonly lets goe, when they ſhall moſt ſhame themſelues, and glorifie him.
Well might the bleſſed Virgin hauehave wrangled with the Law, and challenged an immunity from all ceremonies of purification; what ſhould I neede purging, which did not conceiue in ſinne? This is for thoſe mothers, whoſe births are vncleane, mine is from God, which is purity it ſelfe: The law of Moſes reaches onelyonly to thoſe women, which hauehave conceiued ſeed, I conceiued not this ſeed, but the Holy Ghoſt in me: The law extends to the mothers of thoſe ſons, which are vnderunder the law, mine is aboue it. But as one, that cared more for her peace, than her priuilege, and more deſired to be free from offence, than from labour and charge, ſhe dutifully fulfils the Law of that God, whom ſhe carried in her wombe, and in her armes: Like the mother of him, who though he knew the children of the Kingdome free: yet would pay tribute vntounto Caeſar: Like the Mother of him, whom it behoued to fulfill all righteouſneſſe: And if ſhe were ſo officious in ceremonies, as not to admit of any excuſe in the very circumſtance of her obedience, how much more ſtrict was ſhe in the maine duties of moralitie? That ſoule is fit for the Spirituall conception of Chriſt, that is conſcionably ſcrupulous in obſeruing all Gods Commandements, whereas hee hates all alliance to a negligent, or froward heart.
The law of Purification proclaimes our vncleanneſſe: The Mother is not allowed after her child-birth to come vntounto the Sanctuary, or to touch any hallowed thing, till her ſet time be expired; What are we whoſe very birth infects the mother that beares vsus? At laſt, ſhe comes to the Temple, but with ſacrifices, either a Lambe; and a Pigeon, or Turtle, or (in the meaner eſtate) two Turtle doues, or young Pigeons: Whereof one is for a burnt offring, the other for a ſin-offring: The one for thanksgiuing, the other for expiation: For expiation of a double ſinne, of the mother, that conceiued, of the childe, that was conceiued. We are all borne ſinners, and it is a iuſt queſtion, whether we doe more infect the world, or the world vsus? They are groſſe flatterers of nature, that tell her, ſhe is cleane: If our liues had no ſinne, we bring enough with vsus; the very infant, that liues not to ſinne as Adam, yet he ſinned in Adam, and is ſinfull in himſelfe. But oh, the vnſpeakeable mercy of our God! we prouide the ſinne, he prouides the remedy: Behold an expiation wel-neare, as early, as our ſinne; the bloud of a young lambe, or doue, yea rather the bloud of Him, whoſe innocence was repreſented by both, clenſeth vsus preſently from our filthineſſe. Firſt, went circumciſion, then came the ſacrifice, that by two holy acts, that which was naturally vnholy, might be hallowed vntounto God: VnderUnder the Goſpell our Baptiſme hath the force of both: It does away our corruption by the water of the Spirit; It applies to vsus the ſacrifice of Chriſts bloud, whereby wee are cleanſed: Oh that we could magnifie this goodneſſe of our God, which hath not left our very infancy without redreſſe, but hath prouided ſuch helps, as whereby wee may be deliuered from the danger of our hereditary euills.
Such is the fauourable reſpect of our wiſe God, that hee would not hauehave vsus vndoe our ſelues with deuotion: the ſeruice be requires of vsus, is ruled by our abilities: EueryEvery poore mother was not able to bring a lambe for her offring: there was none ſo poore, but might procure a paire of turtles or pigeons. Theſe doth God both preſcribe, and accept from poorer hands, no leſſe, than the beaſts of a thouſand mountaines: He lookes for ſomewhat of eueryevery one, not of eueryevery one alike: Since it is hee, that makes differences of abilities (to whom it were as eaſie to make all rich) his mercy will make no difference in the acceptation: The truth and heartineſſe of obedience is that, which he will crowne in his meaneſt ſeruants: A mite from the poore widdow, is more worth to him, than the talents of the wealthy.
After all the preſents of thoſe Eaſterne worſhippers (who intended rather homage, than ditation) the bleſſed Virgin comes in the forme of pouerty with her two doues vntounto God; ſhe could not without ſome charge lie all this while at Bethleem, ſhe could not without charge trauell from Bethleem to Ieruſalem; Her offring confeſſeth her penury; The beſt are not euer the wealthieſt: Who can deſpiſe any once for want, when the mother of Chriſt was not rich enough to bring a lambe for her purification? We may bee as happy in ruſſet, as in tiſſue.
While the bleſſed Virgin brought her Sonne into the Temple, with that paire of doues, here were more doues than a paire: They, for whoſe ſake that offring was brought, were more doues, than the doues that were brought for that offring: Her Sonne, for whom ſhe brought that doue to be ſacrificed, was that ſacrifice, which the done repreſented: There was nothing in him, but perfection of innocence, and the oblation of him is that, whereby all mothers and ſonnes are fully purified. Since in our ſelues we cannot be innocent, happy are we, if we can hauehave the ſpotleſſe Doue ſacrificed for vsus, to make vsus innocent in him.
The bleſſed Virgin had more buſineſſe in the Temple than her owne; ſhee came, as to purifie her ſelfe, ſo to preſent her Sonne: EueryEvery male, that firſt opened the wombe, was holy vntounto the Lord; He that was the Sonne of God by eternall generation before times, and by miraculous conception in time, was alſo by common courſe of nature conſecrate vntounto God: It is fit the holy mother ſhould preſent God with his owne: Her firſt borne was the firſt borne of all creatures: It was he, whoſe Temple it was, that hee was preſented in, to whom all the firſt borne of all creatures were conſecrated, by whom they were accepted; and now is he brought in his mothers armes to his owne houſe, and as man, is preſented to himſelfe as God: If Moſes had neuer written Law of Gods ſpeciall proprietie in the firſt borne, this Sonne of Gods Eſſence and LoueLove had taken poſſeſſion of the Temple; His right had beene a perfect law to himſelfe: Now his obedience to that law, which himſelfe had giuen, doth no leſſe call him thither, than the challenge of his peculiar intereſt.
He that was the Lord of all creatures (euer ſince he ſtrooke the firſt borne of the Egyptians) requires the firſt male of all creatures, both man and beaſt, to bee dedicated to him; wherein God cauſed a miraculous euent to ſecond nature, which ſeemes to challenge the firſt and beſt for the Maker: By this rule, God ſhould hauehave had his ſeruice done onelyonly by the heires of Iſraell: But ſince God, for the honor and remuneration of Leui, had choſen out that Tribe to miniſter vntounto him, now the firſt borne of all Iſrael muſt be preſented to God, as his due, but by allowance redeemed to their parents: As for beaſts, the firſt male of the cleane beaſts muſt be ſacrificed, of vncleane exchanged for a price: So much morality is there in this conſtitution of God, that the beſt of all kindes is fit to be conſecrated to the Lord of all. EueryEvery thing we hauehave is too good for vsus, if we thinke any thing we hauehave too good for him.
How glorious did the Temple now ſeeme, that the Owner was within the walls of it? Now was the houre, and gheſt come, in regard whereof the ſecond Temple ſhould ſurpaſſe the firſt: this was his houſe built for him, dedicated to him: There had hee dwelt long in his ſpirituall preſence, in his typicall: There was nothing either placed, or done within thoſe walls, whereby be was not reſembled, and now the body of thoſe ſhadowes is come, and preſents himſelfe, where hee had beene euer repreſented: Ieruſalem is now eueryevery where: There is no Church, no Chriſtian heart, which is not a Temple of the liuing God: There is no Temple of God wherein Chriſt is not preſented to his Father: Looke vponupon him (O God) in whom thou art wel pleaſed, and in him, and for him be well pleaſed with vsus.
VnderUnder the Goſpell wee are all firſt borne, all heires: EueryEvery ſoule is to bee holy vntounto the Lord, we are a royall generation, an holy Prieſthood: Our baptiſme as it is our circumciſion, and our ſacrifice of purification, ſo is it alſo our preſentation vntounto God: Nothing can become vsus but holineſſe. O God, to whom we are deuoted, ſerue thy ſelfe of vsus, glorifie thy ſelfe by vsus, till we ſhall by thee be glorified with thee.