Exposition of Marys Magnificat, Exposition 1 · Part 10
The fyft and ſyxte workes.
He fylleth the hongry vvyth good thynges, and letteth the rych go empty.
It is ſayd aboue that they of lovve degre are not to be called thoſe that are of a vyle & lowly eſtate, but ſuch as are contente to be ſo taken, ſpecially whan they are compelled therto for mayntaynynge the worde, ryght, & law of God. Euen ſo ought to be called hongry, not they that hauehave lytle or no meate, but they that wyllyngly do wante it, ſpecially yf they be cōpelled therto of other for Gods or hys truthes ſake. What is more abiecte, vyle, vayne or myſerable then the deue…l, them that be damned, or them ye be racked, famyſhed & hanged for theyr myſdedes, or what ſo euer they be ye are brought lowe agaynſt theyr wyll? Yet doth not God helpe them, but rather augmenteth theyr myſery. Of ſuch doth not the mother of God ſpeak, but of them that agre wyth God, which are one wyth God, & God is one wyth them.
Agayne, what hyndered Abrahā, Iſaac & Iacob ye they were ryche? What hyndered Dauid hys kyngly ſeate? ether Daniel ye power of Babilō? or who ſoeuer was or is in hygh degre & wealth, yf theyr harte doth not ſet ſtore by thē, or ſtandeth in hys owne conceate? Salomō ſayeth in ye .xvi. Chap. of the Prouerbes: It is the LORD that weyeth ye ſpretes or myndes, that is: he iudgeth not after ye vtter appearaūce, whether he be rych, poore, in authorite or abiecte: but after the ſprete and hys behaueoure in the aforeſayd eſtates. The difference of ſtates, maners & perſones muſt remayne in earthe, as longe as we lyue: but the harte may not cleue vntounto nor flye: not cleue vntounto them of hygh eſtate and rych, nor flye the abiecte▪ deſpyſed and nedy. After thys maner ſayeth Dauid alſo in the .vii. pſalme: Maynteyne the iuſte thou ryghteous God, that tryeſt ye very hartes and the reynes. But mē iudge after the vtter appearaunce, wherfore they erre ofte.
And theſe workes are wrought ſecretly alſo (as is ſayde aboue of other) ſo yt no man feleth them vntyll they be ended. The rych man doth not perceaue hys vanite & myſery before he dye, or peryſh otherwyſe, as teſtifyeth the .lxxv. pſal. on thys wyſe: The proude ſhalbe robbed & ſlepe theyr ſlepe, & the myghty ſhalbe able to do nothyng wt theyr hādes. Contrarywyſe yt hongry can not tel how ful they be, before they come vntounto ye ende of honger, for thā do they fynde the word of Chriſt in ye .vi. of Luke: Bleſſed are ye yt hōger here for ye ſhalbe ſatiſfyed, & thys cōfortable promyſe of Gods mother: He fylleth the hongry vvyth good thynges. It is ſo impoſſible that God ſhulde ſuffre ony hongry man to peryſh by famine whych truſteth in hym, that euen ye angels muſt come & fede hym. Helias the prophet dyd a rauen fede, & wyth ſo muche meele as coulde be holden in one hande was he ſuſtayned a great whyle by ye wedowe of Sarepta. For he can not forſake them that put theyr truſt in hym, as wytneſſeth Dauid in the .xxxvi. pſal. ſayeng: I was yonge, & now am olde: yet ſawe I neuer the ryghteous forſakē, nor hys ſede to ſeke theyr breade. Who ſo truſteth in God, is ryghteous. And in the .xxxiii. pſal. ſayeth Dauid alſo: The rych ſhall wante and ſuffre honger: but they whych ſeke the LORDE, ſhal want no maner of thynge that is good. Lykewyſe alſo ſayde Anna the mother of the prophete Samuel. i. Reg. ii. They that were fylled afore, are ſolde for bread: and they that were hongry, are ſatiſfyed.
But the curſed infidelite doth alwaye wythſtand & let, yt God can not worke theſe thynges in vsus, & that we can not perceaue & hauehave experience of it. We wyl be ful & hauehave plenty of al, before honger & neceſſite do cō ſtrayne vsus, prouydynge vsus aforehande, yt we be not greued wt the nede & pouerte to come that ſo we nede none of Gods workes or grace. What fayth is yt wherby thou truſteſt in God, whan yu feleſt & knoweſt ſtoare ynough, wherwyth yu mayeſt helpe thyſelfe? Infidelite is ye cauſe yt we ſe ye word of God, the truth, & ryght to lye vnderunder, and iniury to hauehave ye vpperhāde, & yt in the meane ſeaſō we kepe our peace, punyſhe nothynge, ſaye nothynge to it, nor forbyd ought: but let eueryevery man hauehave ye brydel & rūne at large, ſuffryng hym to do as it pleaſeth hym. But what is the cauſe: Euen becauſe we feare to be attached alſo, & brought to pouerte, & ſo finally dye for hōger, & remayne euer an vnderlyng And yt is ſayd to ſet more by tēporal goodes, then by ye feare of God, & to worſhip thē as Idols in his ſteade: whereby we are vnworthy to heare or to vnderſtande this promyſe of God, full of cōforte, namely: that he exalteth the oppreſſed and of lovve degre, and putteth dovvne the proude: that he fylleth the poore vvyth good thynges, and letteth the rych go empty. And ſo come neuer to yt knowlege of hys workes, wythout ye whyche neuertheleſſe ther is no bleſſe, but muſt be dāned for euer, as ye .xxvii pſal. doth teſtifye, ſayenge: For they regarde not ye workes of ye LORD, nor ye operaciō of hys hādes: therfore ſhal he breake thē down, & not buyld thē vp. And yt ryghtfully, for they beleue not hys ſo many promyſes, coūtynge hym a lyght & faylyng God, vpō whoſe word they darre begynne nought: ſo lytle felynge hauehave they of hys truth. Ye muſt aduenture & put your ſelues in haſarde vponupon hys worde. For he ſayeth not: He hath fylled the ful, and ſet vp the hygh: but he hath fylled the hōgry, & hath exalted the lowly & vnderlynges. Ye muſte fyrſte come by honger in the myddes of nede, & know what hōger & nede do meane, ſo yt ye hauehave nought to truſt vntounto, or yt ye may vſe hereafter, or whereby ye may be holpen hereafter, nother by yourſelfe, nor of other, but only of God: ſo that the worke yt is impoſſible vntounto other, be only Gods. Thus muſt ye not only thynke & ſpeake of lowlyneſſe, but alſo come therto, ſticke faſt therin, be helpeleſſe & deſtitute and forſaken of eueryevery man, that God onelyonly maye worke there: or at the leeſt to deſyre ſuche and not ſho…e it yf we can attayne it wyth the dede. And for thys cauſe are we called Chriſtians, and hauehave the Goſpell (whyche the deuel and mē can not beare) that thereby we beynge come to anguyſhe and lowlyneſſe, God maye entre in to hys workes. Thynke ye by your ſelues, yf he ſhuld fyl you, before ye were hōgry or exalte you before ye were brought lowe, he ſhuld be fayne to playe the iuggler, not beynge able to fulfyl his promyſe, & ſo ſhuld his worke be nothyng ſaue a mockage, whā the page missing neuertheleſſe doth ſay in the .C.x. Pſalme▪ The workes of hys handes are verite and iudgement, al hys cōmaundemētes are true Yf he ſhuld be fayne to helpe you at the intraūce of your anguyſh & lowlyneſſe, ether in eueryevery ſmal ſuppreſſion & nede, than ſhuld hys workes be ſlenderer thā becōmeth hys maieſte: Where as it is ſayd in ye ſame pſal. that the workes of the LORDE are greate, ſought out of al them ye hauehave pleaſure therin
Let vsus now loke vponupon ye contrary parte alſo. Yf he ſhuld deſtroy and put downe the hygh & rych before they became hygh & rych how ſhuld he behaue hymſelfe therin? They muſt fyrſt come ſo hygh & ſo paſſynge in ryches, that eueryevery mā, & they themſelues alſo muſt be perſuaded, (yee & yt it be ſo in dede) that no mā cā deſtroy, wtſtande, or roote thē out, & be ſo ſure of theyr cauſe, ye they ſay it ye Eſaye dyd prophecy in his .xlvii. chap. of the Babilonians, ſayeng: Heare now therfore thou wylfyl, that ſytteſt ſo careleſſe, & ſpeakeſt thus in thyn hart: I am alone, and with out me is ther none: I ſhal neuer be wedow nor deſolate agayne, (that is wythoute ſtrength and ayde.) And yet both theſe thynges ſhall come vntounto the in one daye, in the the twynckelynge of an eye. &c. There hath God than an occaſion to worke hys worke. Of thys wyſe dyd he ſuffre Pharao to heaue hymſelfe aboue the chyldren of Iſraell, and to oppreſ…e them, as God doth teſtifye of hym in the .ix. chapter of Exodus, ſayenge: I hauehave …ered the vp for thys cauſe, euen to ſhew my power vponupon the, and that my name myght be declared in all landes. Of ſuche enſamples is the Bible euen full, which teach nothynge els ſaue God wor…es and workes, and refuſe both the workes and doctrines of men.
Beholde now thys ſtronge cōforte, that is, that not man, but God hymſelfe, geueth not only ſomewhat, but fylleth and ſatiſfyeth. And in that ſhe addeth vvithgood thynges, ſhe ſignifyeth that ſuch fyllyng ſhal not be hurtefull, but profytable and wholeſome, ſo that it ſhall do good both to body & ſoule. By this is ſhewed moreouer that they were empty, and full of all nede. For (as is ſayde before) by ryches are vnderſtāde all faydyng and tranſitory thynges, that concerne the body, wherewyth the ſoule is alſo reioyced. Euen ſo alſo by honger ought to be vnderſtande in this place, not only wāte of meate but of all tranſitory thynges: for ſomtyme maye a mā forbeare al thynges ſaue meate ſo that for the mooſt parte all tranſitory go… des and occupyenges are for theſame. With oute meate can noman lyue, thoughe they maye lyue without clothynge, houſe, mony goodes and men, therfore doth ſcripture here comprehende the temporall goodes for the mooſt neceſſaryeſt, profitableſt and mooſte vſualleſt, that can leeſt be forborē, inſomuch that ſhe calleth couetous mē and them that be ſo gredy vponupon the vnſtable ryches, belly ſeruaūtes, and Paule doth call ye belly theyr God. How coulde than ony body entyce vsus ſo earneſtly and with more comforte to wyl full honger and pouerte, than theſe vehemēt wordes of Gods mother, namely that God wyl fede eueryevery hongry ſoule with good thynges? Whome ſuch comfortable wordes, ſuch honoure and prayſe of pouerte doth not perſuade and entyce therto, he is ſurely wythout fayth and confidence as an Heythen.
Agayne, how can ony man blame ryches more, and fraye the rych more, than wt thys one clauſe, that God letteth the rych go empty? O what greate and plentifull thynges are theſe both: the fyllynge of God and the lettyng go empty? how lytle cā ony creature helpe or geue counſell therein? A man is abaſſhed whan he heareth hys fathers defiaunce, or his mayſters diſpleaſure, and we hygh & rych are not diſmade whan God doth defy vsus. And not only proclameth warre, but threateneth alſo deſtruccion, abiection and rootynge out: Contrary wyſe is it a ioye whan the father is meke, and the mayſter mylde, ſo that many aduenture theyr lyfe & al that they hauehave there vpō. And we hauyng ſuch promyſe, and ſuch ſtronge cōſolacion, cā not vſe and brooke it, we can not geue thankes for it, nor yet reioyce therein. O thou lamentable vnbelefe, whiche paſſeſt the ſereneſſe of a blocke, and the hardnes of a ſtone, that thou cāſt not perceaue ſuch great thynges. Let thys now be ſufficiently ſpokē of the ſyxe workes of God.