Exposition of Marys Magnificat, Exposition 1 · Prologue
¶The prologe.
THat we maye the better vnderſtāde thys ſonge of prayſe, it is to be marked that ye laudable virgine Mary ſpeaketh by hyr owne experiēce, where by ſhe is taughte & illumined of the holy gooſt. For no man may perfectly vnderſtande the worde of God, wythout he hauehave it of the holy gooſt wythout ony meanes. And no mā cā hauehave it of the holy gooſt, wythout he proue and ſearche it: and in the ſame tryenge and ſearchynge doth the holy gooſt teach, as in hys ſcoole. Wythout the whyche ther is nought taughte ſaue onelyonly a ſhadowe, wordes and multiplyenge of wordes. Euen ſo lykewyſe (whan the bleſſed virgine had proued by herſelfe that God hadde wrought ſo great thynges in her, whych not wythſtandynge was vyle, poore and deſpyſed,) dyd the holy gooſt teach her thys ryche doctrine and wyſedome, namely: that God is ſuch a LORDE whych hath nought to do ſaue to exalte it that is lowe, to depreſſe & to put downe that is exalted, to breake it that is made, and to make it that is broken. For as in the begynnynge of all creatures God dyd create the worlde of nought: (wherof he is called a creatoure and almyghtye) euē ſo abydeth the ſame nature in hym ſtyll vnchaunged. And all hys workes hauehave ben, & ſhalbe done ſo vntounto the worldes ende, that he ſhal make of ye whych is nothyng, vyle, deſpyſed, ſmall, myſerable and dead in compariſon, ſome ſpecyall, coſtly, honorable, healthfull and lyuynge thynge. And agayne al that is ſōwhat, coſtly, honorable, lyuely, to make it nought, ſmall deſpyſed, myſerable, mortall and tranſitory. After whych faſhion and maner no creature can nor maye worke, that is, of nought to make ought, ſo that hys eyen are toward the depth, and not to the heyght as the .iii. chyldren ſayde, Daniel the thyrde Chapter. Bleſſed be thou that lokeſt thorowe the depe, and ſytteſt vponupon the Cherubins. And alſo Dauid Pſalm. C.xxxvii. Thoughe the LORDE be hyghe, yet hath he reſpecte vntounto the lowly: as for the proude he beholdeth hym afarre of. Item Pſalm. C.xi. Who is lyke vntounto the LORDE our God, that hath hys dwellynge ſo hyghe, whyche humbleth hymſelfe to beholde that is in heauen and earth? For ſeynge he is the ſupreme and mooſt hygheſt of all, and nothynge aboue hym, therfore maye he not loke aboue hym: nother maye he loke beſydes hym, ſeynge none is to be cōpared wt hym. Thus muſt he nedes behold hymſelf, & loke vnderunder hym. And euē ſo ye deper a mā loketh vnderunder hym, ye better he ſeyeth hymſelfe.
But the worlde & mans eyen do the contrary, they loke only aboue themſelues, they wyll mount on hygh as Salomon ſayeth: Pro. xxx. Ther are people which hauehave hygh lokes, & caſt vp theyr eyelyddes. Thus we ſe dayly that eueryevery one loketh only vpward to ryches, honoure, authorite, ſcience, eaſy lyfe and to all that is greate and hygh in thys worlde. And where ſuch are, to thē doth eueryevery man cleue, to thē runneth eueryevery man, thē is eueryevery mā glad to pleaſe and to ſerue, with them wyll eueryevery man ioyne hymſelfe and be partaker of theyr exaltacion & hygh eſtate: ſo that it is not ſayde for nought in ye ſcripture that few kynges and princes hauehave ben good and vertuous.
Agayne nomā wyl loke downward, where are pouerte, deſpyſyng, anguyſh, myſery and ſorow, frō thence doth eueryevery man wende his eyen. And where ſuche people is, frō thence doth eueryevery man runne, they be ſhuned, nother doth ony man aſſyſte nor helpe thē, and prouyde ſo for thē, that they maye be able alſo: but muſt abyde ſtyll in the depth and low eſtate. For ther wyll noman be ſuch a creatoure amōge men, that wyl make ony thyng of that nothynge, accordynge to ye leſſon of S. Paule Ro. xii. ſayenge: Be of one mynde amonge youre ſelues. Be not proude in your owne conceates, but make your ſelues equall with them of the lowe ſorte.
And for thys cauſe doth ye ſyght of God cō tinue of one faſhiō, which beholdeth ye depth, nede, and myſery, & is neare vntounto all ſuch as are in that depth & anguyſh, and (as ſayeth S. Peter) wythſtandeth the hyghmynded, but geueth mercy vntounto the lowly.
Out of thys grounde now ſpryngeth louelove and ye prayſe of God: for nomā cā thanke and prayſe God, without he fyrſt louelove hym: nother may ony mā louelove hym without he confeſſe & knowlege hym in the beſt & ſyncereſt maner he can. Nother maye he ſo be cōfeſſed and vttered, ſaue by hys worke, which is remembred, felte & tryed in vsus. Wherfore now whan he proueth & knoweth God to be ſuch one which loketh towarde the depth, and helpeth only the poore, deſpyſed, wretched, myſerable, forſaken & them that are nothynge, than is he ſo inflamed in louelove, that his hart euen floweth ouer in ioye, leapeth and for delyte that he hath gotten in God. And euen there is than the holy gooſt that teacheth ſuch vnſpeakeable connynge and luſt at the twynklynge of an eye, whan a man is ſo tryed.
For thys cauſe alſo hath God charged vsus all with death, and the croſſe of Chriſte, and with innumerable paynes and ſufferynges, charged hys ryght welbeloued chylderen the Chriſtians, ſufferynge them ſomtyme to fall in ſynne, that he maye ſe ſo much the deper, that he maye helpe many, worke muche, ſhewynge hymſelfe a true creatoure thereby, that he maye knowe hymſelfe thereby, and maye cauſe hymſelfe to be louynge and mooſte laudable. Where contrary wyſe the worlde (God amende it) wyth his hygh and ouerſeynge eyes is alwaye repynynge wythoute ceaſſynge, and letteth the ſyghte, workes, helpe, knowlege, louelove and prayſe of God, robbynge it ſelfe of ſuch honoure, frute, ioye and ſaluacion. After thys maner hath he alſo throwen his only beloued ſonne Ieſu Chriſte in the depth of all myſerye, and euydently declared hys ſeynge, worke, helpe, nature, counſell and wyll, that it myghte … to what intent he ſuffereth it to …. Therfore remayneth in Chriſte ſuche notable prouynge, full knowlege, louelove and prayſe of God foreuer, as ſayeth the .xv. Pſalme: Thou ſhalt make me full of ioye wyth thy countenaunce. (that is,) That he ſeyth and knowlegeth the. Of thys ſpeaketh Dauid alſo in the .xliiii. Pſalme, ſayenge: that all ſayntes ſhall do nothynge but prayſe God in heauē, for lokynge vponupon thē in theyr depth, and hath made thē thankfull, louynge and prayſynge in the ſame.
Lykewyſe alſo doth here the beloued mother of Chriſte, which wyth the enſample of hyr prouynge, and wyth hyr wordes, teacheth vsus how we ſhulde knowlege, louelove and prayſe God. For ſeynge ſhe reioyceth and thanketh God here wyth a ioyfull and leapynge ſprete, that he hath loked vponupon her, though ſhe were lowlye and nothynge in hyr owne and mens ſyghte: therfore is it to be beleued that ſhe hath had ſymple frendes poore, and rather of the loweſt ſorte. And thys wyll we now ſo ſaye, becauſe of them that be ſymple and of the loweſt ſorte themſelues. At Ieruſalem doutleſſe were the doughters of the hyghe preſtes, and of the counſellers, fayre, yonge and bewtyfull virgines taught and brought vp after ye mooſte honeſt maner before all the contry, as nowe are alſo the doughters of many kynges princes and other noble and rych mē. Notherſemeth ſhe to hauehave ben the doughter of the chefe ruler of Nazareth hyr natyfe cōtry, but rather of a meane poore cyteſins, where vntounto was not geuen greate hede or force. Yee ſhe was rekened amōge hir neghboures and theyr chyldren for none other ſaue a ſeruyng mayde, vntounto whome the charge of houſwyfery and the cattel was committed: as poore maydens do, whome lyke charge is cōmitte to be faythfully executed.
For thus prophecyed Eſaye in hys .xi. chapter: Ther ſhall a rodde come forth of ye kynred of Ieſſe, and a bloſſome out of hys rodde, and the ſprete of the LORD ſhal lyght vponupon it. The ſtocke and roote of the kynred of Ieſſe or Dauid is the virgine Mary, the rodde and bloſſome is Chriſte. Now lyke as it is not ſene, yee incredible that out of a ſeere and rottē ſtocke or roote ſhulde growe a fayre rodde or bloſſome: euen ſo was it not to be loked for nor lykely, that Mary the virgine ſhulde be ye mother of ſuch a chylde. For I thynke Mary was not called a ſtocke and a roote therfore only, becauſe that aboue nature & vnſtayned flore of hyr maydenheade ſhe became a mother, as it is alſo aboue nature ye a rodde ſhuld ſpringe of a dead blocke: But alſo becauſe that ſhe was of a kynglye ſtocke and of Dauids kynred, which was ſō tyme buddynge, floryſſhyng, honorable, puyſſaunte, rych and happy, both in hys and Salomons tyme, and a thynge greatly ſet by amonge men. But at the laſte, whan Chriſte ſhulde come, dyd the hygh preſtes vſurpe and take to themſelues that dignite, hauyng the rule alone, and the kyngly progeny or kynred was fallē to extreme prouerte, and deſpyſed as a deade blocke, ſo that ther was no hope nor lokynge for more, that ony kyng of great worſhyp and renowne ſhulde ſprynge of it. And whā it was in thys ſtate, and euē come to ye loweſt, thā doth Chriſte come of a ſmall ſtocke, borne of a ſymple and poore virgine, and ſo the rodde and bloſſome of ſuch a perſone, as the doughters of my lorde Annas & Caiphas wolde not hauehave wyteſafe to hauehave done the vyleſt ſeruice of theyr handmaydē. Thus go the workes of God and hys ſyghte in the depthes, and the workes and lokes of men only in the heyghte. And thys is the cauſe of hyr loude ſonge of prayſe, which we wyll now heare from verſe to verſe.