Exposition of Marys Magnificat, Exposition 1 · Part 7
The ſeconde ſpirituall worke, is to ſubdue the proude.
He ſhevveth ſtrēgth vvyth hys arme and ſcattereth them that are proud in the ymaginacion of theyr harte.
Let no mā be moued wyth thys my true tranſlacion, in that I hauehave tranſlated aboue vvorketh myghtely, but here I ſay: he ſhevveth ſtrength. For the cauſe why I ſo do, is that the wordes myght be the playner & eaſyer to vnderſtande, whych oughte not to be bounde ether to tyme or place: but that ye nature and workes maye be more frelyer vttered, the whych he alwaye hath done, doth, and ſhall do, ſo that it is as much as though I had ſayd: God doth ſo playe the LORDE, that hys workes proſpere ſo myghtely, that he ſcattereth the proude, and geueth mercye vntounto them that feare hym.
The arme of God is taken in ſcripture for hys owne power, by ye whych he worketh wythout ony meane of the creatures: the whyche is done priuelye and vnloked for, ſo that noman is ware of it, before it be diſpatched: and that no man can knowe the ſame arme or power, ſaue onelyonly by fayth. Wherfore, few do geue fayth therevnto, as Eſaye doth cōplayne in the .liii. Chapter, ſayenge: Who geueth credence vntounto our preachyng? Or to whō is the arme of the LORD knowen? Al thys is done (as it followeth in ye ſame place) becauſe ye al thinges ar wrought pryuely vnderunder an vnequall appearaūce of ſuch power. Abac. the prophet ſayeth alſo in hys .iii. Chapter that God hath hornes in hys handes, meanynge thereby hys great ſtrength: yet notwythſtandynge doth he ſaye that the ſame power is hyd. But how is thys done? namely after thys maner:
Whan God worketh by the meane of creatures, than is it euidentlye ſene where ſtrength or febleneſſe is: wherof is ryſē this prouerbe: God doth ayde the ſtronger part. Whatſo euer prynce therfore vanquyſheth the other, the ſame is he, thorow whom God doth ſtryke the other. Yf a wolfe teare ony man, or he get ony dāmage otherwyſe, that ſame is done by ye creatures. Of thys wyſe doth God make or deſtroye one creature by another. He that ouercōmeth, ouercōmeth: he that abydeth, abydeth. But where as he hymſelfe worketh wyth hys arme, there goeth it otherwyſe to worke: for there is ye matter deſtroyed or made agayne, contrary to our opinion, no man perceauynge it. Thys kynde of workynge doth he vſe in two ſortes of men, namely good and wycked: for ye good he ſuffreth to be ſo feble, ſtrengthleſſe and oppreſſed, that eueryevery man wold thynke it were all done wyth them, and that they were at theyr latter meace, & at the very ſame tyme is he ſtrongly by them, and that ſo ſecretly, that they themſelues that ſuffre can not tell therof, but beleue it. There is ye ful ſtrength and arme of God. For whan the ſtrength of man fayleth, than cōmeth the power of God in: yf fayth only be there, waytynge for the ſame. Now whan the trouble is come to an ende, then doth it appeare what ſtrength lay hyd vnderunder the febleneſſe. Of thys wyſe (lo) was Chriſt deſtitute of ſtrength on ye croſſe and euen than wrought he exceadyng great thynges, vanquyſſyng ſynne, death, ye world, hell and all euell. After thys maner were all martyres ſtronge and ouercame: and after thys maner do all ſuch as be troubled nowe a dayes ouercōme. For the which cauſe Ioel ſayeth in the .iii. Chap. Let the weake man ſaye, I am ſtrōge, but in fayth, not in felyng, vntyll it be nearehande come to an ende.
Agayne, the other parte ſuffreth God to heaue and exalte it ſelfe, wythdrawynge hys power from them, and letteth them be puft vp by reaſon of theyr owne ſtrength. For whan mans power cōmeth in, than goeth the power of God out. But whan the bladder is full, & eueryevery mā thynketh to hauehave the better hande, then commeth God ſodenly, and prycketh the bladder, whereby all is daſhed. Thoſe fooles knowe not, that euen whan they ryſe and proſpere, they are forſaken of God, & that Gods arme is not wyth them. Therfore doth theyr endeuoure laſte an appoynted ſeaſon, and after that doth it ſayde and vanyſh, lyke a burble, and becommeth as though it neuer hadde ben, wherof Dauid (maruaylynge in the .lxxvii. Pſalme how it happened that the wycked and vngodly became ſo rych, careleſſe and myghtye) at the laſt doth ſay: I coulde not know this, vntyl I wēte into ye Sāctuary of God, & conſydred ye ende of theſe mē, namely: how yu haſt ſet thē in a ſlyppery place, that thou mayeſt caſt them downe headlynges, & deſtroye thē O how ſodenly do they cōſume, peryſh, and come to a fearfull ende? Yee euen as a dreame whan one awaketh, ſo makeſt thou theyr ymage to vanyſh out of ye cytie. And agayne in the .xxxvi. Pſal. he ſayeth: I my ſelfe hauehave ſene ye vngodly in great power, & floryſhyng lyke a grene Baye tre: but whā I went by, lo, he was gone: I ſought hym, but he coulde no where be founde.
Lacke of fayth is only the cauſe that we can not alſo abyde a lytle, or els ſhulde we ſe ſeatly how the mercy of God is wyth them that feare hym, and the arme of God alſo agaynſt the proude wyth all force & ſtrength. We faythleſſe grope blyndfeld with our fyſt after the mercy of God and hys arme. The whych yf we do not continently fele, thā do we euen thynke all be loſt of our parte, and oure enemyes to hauehave gotten the felde: as thoughe both Gods mercy and grace were wythdrawen from vsus, and hys arme to be agaynſt vsus. And that cōmeth therby, becauſe we knowe not hys workes, wherfore we know not hym, hys mercy, nor hys arme. It is neceſſary, and he wyl be knowen by fayth Therfore muſt ye wytte & reaſon be ſhut vp, theyr eye offendeth vsus, we muſte therfore plucke it out, and caſt it awaye.
Lo theſe are the two workes of God repugnaūt ech to other, wherin we are taught that to be the mynde of God, that he be farre from the wyſe and prudente, but be neare vntounto the foolyſh, whiche muſte ſuffre wronge. Thys maketh God to be loued and prayſed, and conforteth the ſoule, body and all powers.
Now conſydre the wordes: He ſcattereth them that are proude in the imaginacion of theyr harte. Thys ſcatterynge or wayſtynge is done (as it is ſayde) whan they are wyſeſte of all, and mooſte fulleſt of theyr owne wyſedome, for than ſurely is the wyſdome of God gone. But what waye can he ſcatter them better, than wyth depriuynge them of hys eternall wyſedome? and by permittynge them to be fylled wyth worldly & tranſitory wyſedome. It is pythy that ſhe ſayeth: them that are proude in the imaginacion of theyr harte, that is, ſuche as theyr owne mynde, vnderſtandynge (the which not God, but theyr harte doth miniſtre) doth greatly playſe, as though they only were the mooſt iuſteſt, wyſeſt and beſte: whereby they auaunce themſelues aboue ſuch as feare God, myſprayſynge theyr opinion and ryghte, reuylynge & perſecutynge them to the vtermooſte, ſo that theyr cauſe only muſt be iuſte and abyde. The which whan they hauehave optayned, they heaue them ſelues vntounto the cloudes, as the Iewes …, that wythſtode Chriſte, and yet perceaued not that theyr matter came to nought thereby, and was deſpyſed, and Chriſt contrarywyſe to be exalted and ſet vp vntounto an exceadynge glory. Thus do we ſe than that thys verſe ſpeaketh of ſpirituall goodes, and teacheth by what meanes the workes of God are knowen on both partes, and teacheth vsus alſo to embrace wyllyngly the pouerte of ſprete, and to ſuffre iniury, to permitte vntounto oure aduerſaryes theyr requeſt, for they ſhal not longe reioyce. Herein is a ſtronge and ſure promyſe that the proude ſhal not eſcape Gods arme, they muſte be throwen downe, though they heaue themſelues neuer ſo ſore, yf we at the leeſt be fully ſo perſuaded. For where ſuch fayth is not, there doth God not worke ſuch greate workes, but leauynge thē he worketh openly by creatures as is declared before. But theſe are not true workes whereby he maye be knowē, for the powers of the creatures are ioyned to them alſo: Nother are they the bare workes of God, which ought be to ſuch, as he worketh alone, wtout ony foren helpe, which is done whan we are oppreſſed for oure opinion and ryghte, and ſuffre ye power of God to vſe hyr wyll in vsus. Theſe are hys noble workes.
Moreouer, Mary doth connyngly checke the vngodly hypocrites here, and loketh nother to theyr handes nor eyen, but to the harte, and ſayeth: them that are proude in the imaginacion of theyr harte, where wyth ſhe doth ſpecially meane the enemyes of the truth, euen as the Iewes were ſometyme agaynſte Chriſt, and as ſome are now a dayes lyke vntounto them. For ſuche holy and learned men are not proude in clothynge and behaueoure, they praye, faſte, preache, ſtudy, ſaye maſſe oft, they go doukynge with theyr heades, and thynke nomā to be a greater enemy vntounto pryde, couetouſneſſe, or hypocriſy than themſelues, and that noman be a greater frende of God than they themſelues. How coulde they hynder and hurte the truth, were not they ſo holy, honeſte & learned mē? For ſuch theyr vtter apperaūce, glyſtereth, ſhyneth and bleareth the eyes of the cōmune people. Good LORD how wel are they perſuaded, callynge vpō God, and take pytie vponupon poore Ieſus that doth ſo euell, is proude, and finally not lyke vntounto thē in ryghteouſneſſe & honeſty▪ Of them ſayeth Chriſt in the .xi. of Mathew: that wyſedome is iuſtifyed of hir chyldren, that is, they are wyſer and more ryghteous than I myſelfe, whyche ame the godly wyſedome. Whatſoeuer I do that is nought, and muſt be checked and correcte of them.
Theſe are the mooſt wycked and poyſoneſt men on earth, whoſe pryde of harte is ſo depe and deuellyſh, that ſhe can brouke no medecyne nor wholſome counſell. For they heare not what is ſayde, yee they reken it not to be ſpoken vntounto them, but vntounto the wretched ſynner, which hath nede of it, they nede it not. Ihon baptiſte doth call them the generacion of vipers Mathew .iii. and Luke the thyrde: and euen ſo doth Chriſte alſo Mathew the .xii. and .xvi. Theſe are they that do not truely feare God, do & ſerue to be deſtroyed of God wyth theyre pryde and arrogācy. But ſeynge ther is noman that ſo perſueth ye truth & ryghteouſnes as theſe do, (though they thynke it be ongods behalfe as we hauehave ſayde before) therfore amonge the thre enemyes of God muſte they go before and beare the ſtandarde, the ſeconde & leeſt are the rych, whome the greate men and rulers, the thyrde enemyes do paſſe in executynge power. But theſe learned men excell ether of the other farre beyonde the nocke, for they do hurte on both partyes with theyr bloudy entyſynge. The rych men quenche ye truthe by themſelues only: The men of authorite chace her from other: But theſe learned men quenche her cleane out in themſelues, & in ſteade thereof they brynge forth ye imaginacion of theyr owne harte, ſo that ſhe can neuer ryſe agayne. Now as the truth is better in herſelfe than men, in whome ſhe hath hyr dwellynge, ſo much are the learned men worſe than the greate men, or rych mē. O how doth God abhorre and hate ſuch, as they be worthy?