Exposition of Marys Magnificat, Exposition 1 · Part 2
And my ſprete reioyceth in God my Saueoure.
What the ſprete be, hauehave we ſhewed a lytle before, namely, it that perceaueth thynges incomprehenſible by fayth. And therfore ſhe calleth God hyr Saueoure or ſauynge health, the whiche fayth ſhe had conceaued by the worke that God declared to her. And verely ſhe begynneth after a comly order in that ſhe calleth God fyrſte hyr LORDE, and than hyr Saueoure, and fyrſte hyr Saueoure before ſhe rehearſe his workes. Where wyth ſhe teacheth vsus, howe after a ryghte order we oughte to louelove and to thanke God onlye and purely, nother ſeke ought of oure owne. Nowe doth he louelove and thanke God purely, ſyncerelye and truely, whyche prayſeth hym for none other cauſe, ſaue that he is good: ether beholdeth noughte in hym, but only hys bare goodneſſe, and in the ſame only he hath hys ioye and delyte. And thys is the hygheſt and mooſt fayreſt maner to louelove & prayſe God, which agreeth very well vntounto ſuch an excellente and demure ſprete, as the holy virgins is.
The vncleane and frowarde louers, which are nothynge but vſurers, ſekynge in God that is theyr owne, ſuche nother louelove nor prayſe hys bare goodneſſe. For they do beholde themſelues, countynge only howe good God be to them, that is, howe muche he doth declare hys goodneſſe towarde thē and doth well by them, euē that they do fele it: the whiche do alſo conceaue greate and hyghe thynges in theyr myndes of hym, and ioyfully do ſynge of hym and prayſe hym, as longe as they fele the benefites of God. But whan God doth hyde hymſelfe, or withdraweth a lytle the beames of his goodneſſe, ſo that they ſeme bare and banyſhed, than hath the louelove and prayſe an ende, nother can they louelove or prayſe the bare and vnfeleable goodneſſe hydde in God: whereby they declare, yt theyr ſprete dyd not reioyce in God theyr Saueoure, & that there was no true louelove, no prayſe of the bare goodneſſe of God, but that they delyted more in the ſauynge health, than in the Saueoure, in the gyftes thā in the geuer, in ye creatures more then in the creatoure. Nother can they remayne of one mynde in plentyfulneſſe and in ſcarſeneſſe, in abundaunce of goodes and in wantynge the ſame, in ryches and pouerte: contrary to ſaynt Paule, whych ſayde to the Philippians the .iiii. Chapter: I hauehave learned in whatſoeuer eſtate I am, therwith to be contente. I can be lowe and I can be hygh. EueryEvery where and in all thynges I am mete, both to be full, & to be hungry: to hauehave plenty, and to ſuffre nede. I can do al thynges thorow Chriſt, whych ſtrengtheth me. Of thys thynge ſpeaketh the .xlviii. Pſalme on thys wyſe: He ſhall ſpeake good of the, ſo longe as thou doeſt hym good. As though he wolde ſaye: He ſeketh his, and not thyne. Yf they had receaued pleaſure and riches of thyne hande, thou ſhuldeſt be lytle ſet by of them, they wold make lytle of the. As Chriſt alſo ſayd Ioh. vi. vntounto them that ſought hym Verely, verely I ſaye vntounto you: Ye ſeke me not becauſe ye ſawe the tokens, but becauſe ye dyd eate of the loaues and were fylled. Suche vncleane falſe ſpretes ſtayne and defyle all Gods gyftes, lettynge hym to geue more, and to worke more luckelye wyth them. Wherof let vsus heare a proper enſample:
A certayne honeſt woman and fearyng God dyd ſe .iii. virgins ſyttyng by an altare, and at maſſynge tyme, a goodly boye lepte from the altare vntounto ye fyrſt virgyne, vſynge her very frendly, claſpynge her aboute the necke, and ſmylynge vponupon her. After that wente he to the ſeconde, but he dyd not behaue hymſelfe ſo familiarly to her, neuertheleſſe he lyfte vp hyr vayle, and ſmyled vponupon her. VntoUnto the thyrde he ſhewed no ſygne of louelove at al, but bet her on the face, haled her by the heere, trode her wyth hys fete, & vſed her very vncourteouſly: and ſodenly lepte agayne vponupon the altare, & vanyſhed awaye.
Then was the interpretacion of that ſyght ſhewed vntounto the woman. The fyrſte virgyne ſignifieth the vnclenly ſpretes, ſekynge theyr owne, vntounto whome God muſte geue many good thynges, and rather accomplyſh theyr mynde and wyll, then hys owne, whyche wyll wante nothynge, and euer hauehave comforte and pleaſure of God, not beynge ſuffiſed wyth the goodneſſe of God. The ſecond ſygnifieth thoſe ſpretes, whych hauehave begonne to ſerue God, and can ſuffre ſome ſcarceneſſe, yet neuertheleſſe are not wythout louelove of themſelues and theyr profyte. VntoUnto them muſte he ſometyme ſhewe a ſmylynge countenaunce, lettynge them aſſaye hys goodneſſe, that thereby they myght learne to louelove hys bare goodneſſe, and hyghly to prayſe it. The thyrde virgine, poore, wretched and cleane forſaken hath nothyng but myſery & ſmarte, ſhe ſeketh no profyt ſhe is content therwyth yt God is good, though ſhe ſhulde neuer aſſaye it (the whych neuertheleſſe can not be) the ſame abydeth of one faſhion and of both the ſydes, ether to louelove or to prayſe ye goodneſſe of God, as wel whā it is felt, as whā it is not felt: nother doth ſhe fal vponupon ye goodes whā they fal to her, nor falleth frō thē whā they fayle. And this is ye true ſpouſe of Chriſte, whych ſayeth to hym: I wyll not it that thyne is, but thyſelfe: I louelove the no better whyle all thynges go proſperouſly, than I do hate the whyle it goeth cō trary wyth me.
Wyth ſuch maner of ſpretes is it fulfylled that is wrytten: Thou ſhalte not turne from the ryghte waye of God, nother to the ryght, nor to the left hande. That is, Ye ſhal louelove & prayſe god aryght & ſtraightly, nother bended to your ſelues, nor youre profytes. Suche ſprete had Dauid, whan he beynge dryuen from Ieruſalem by hys ſonne Abſalon, was of that mynde▪ that he beynge caſt awaye for euer, wolde neuer loke for to come agayne, nother in the kyngdome, nor in the fauoure of God, ſo that he ſayde (as it is wrytten in the ſeconde boke of Samuel the fyftenth Chapter:) Yf I ſhal fynde grace before the LORDE, he ſhall fetch me agayne, and let me ſe it (meanynge the Arke) and the houſe of it. But yf he ſaye thus: I hauehave no pleaſure to the, beholde, here am I, let hym do wyth me as it pleaſeth hym. O what a pure ſprete was that, whych dyd not ceaſſe to louelove, prayſe and to obey the pleaſure of God, no not in extreme neceſſite. Suche ſprete alſo doth the holy mother and virgine Marye ſhewe, whan ſhe ebbynge and flowynge in the myddeſt of al ouerflowynge and excellent goodes dyd not ſtomble nor fall at them, nother ſeketh hyr owne, but kepeth hyr ſprete pure and wythout blame in the louelove and prayſe of the mere goodneſſe of God, glad and wyllynge to take in good worth, yf God wyll ſpoyle her of the ſame agayne, and leaue her a poore, naked and faylynge ſprete.
Moreouer as it is more ieopardous to refrayne hymſelfe in wealth, ryches & great worſhips, than in pouerte, ſhame and wretchedneſſe, ſeynge ryches myniſtre great occaſion to wyckedneſſe: euen ſo is thys pure and wonderfull ſprete of Mary ſo muche more to be allowed, that ſhe beynge endued wyth ſo exceadyng hygh honoures, doth not for all them ſet vp hyr combe, behauyng her ſelfe as though ſhe ſawe it not, remaynynge ſtrayght & ryght in the hygh waye, leanynge to the goodneſſe of God only, the whych ſhe nother feleth nor ſeyth, ſettynge lytle ſtore by ſuch goodes as ſhe feleth, nor taking pleaſure in them, nother ſekynge it that is hyr owne, ſo that out of a true and ryght fundament ſhe doth ſynge: My ſprete reioyceth in God my Saueour. It is truly a ſpret that ſpryngeth of fayth only, and reioyceth not for the goods of God whych the bleſſed virgine dyd fele, but for God onelyonly, whom ſhe felte not, and is glad of hyr ſaluacion, whych ſhe now knewe by fayth. Theſe lo are the true, lowly, empty, and hungry ſpretes, of ye whych we ſhall ſhortly ſpeake.
By thys now maye we knowe & iudge how ful thys preſent worlde is of falſe preachers, and ſayntes, whych do beate in much of good workes vntounto the ſymple people. And though ther be fewe that preach earneſtlye the very thynge, namely, how good workes ought to be done, (for many one do preache mans tradicions and workes, that they thē ſelues hauehave inuented & ſet vp) yet are many of thē (& that alas of ye beſt of them) ſo farre wyde out of the ſtrayght and ryghte waye, that they dryue the commune people alway vponupon the ryght hande. For they teach good workes and the wholſome lyuynge, not for the mere goodneſſe of God, but for theyr auauntage. For yf ther were no heauen nor no hell, and yf they loked for no grace of the goodneſſe of God, they ſhulde ſoone leaue the goodes of God vnloued and vnprayſed. Thoſe are ſekers of themſelues, hyrelinges, bondmen, ſtraungers and not heyres, which make an Idoll of themſelues, and aſke louelove and prayſe of God, wyllyng God to do that vntounto them, that they neceſſarylye ſhulde do vntounto hym. They hauehave no ſprete. Nother is God theyr Saueoure, but Gods gyftes ſaue them, where wyth he muſte ſerue them as a ſeruaunte. They be the chylderen of Iſraell, vntounto whom it ſuffiſed not to be fedde wyth heauenly Manna, but luſted alſo after fleſhe, onyons and garlyke: and as they peryſhed, and attayned not the londe of promyſe, ſo ſhall ſuch falſe ſpretes do alſo.
Now (God amende it) is all the worlde, all cloyſters and temples full of ſuche kynde of men, whyche all throughe falſe, wycked and croked ſpretes do walke, driue, chaſe and heaue good workes ſo hygh, that finally they imagyn to deſerue heauen by them: where before all thynges the goodneſſe of God ſhulde hauehave bene declared. And it became vsus to knowe, that lyke as God ſaued vsus and made vsus happye, wythout ony of oure meryte or workynge: ſo lykewyſe ſhulde we ſeke to worke wythout reſpecte of all profyte or rewarde, workynge good onelyonly for the goodneſſe of God, ſekynge nothinge but that is pleaſynge to hym: not hauynge an eye to the rewarde, whyche of hys owne ſwynge ſhall befall vntounto vsus, though we do not ſeke nor loke for it. For it can not be but the rewarde muſte followe vsus yf we do worke of pure and vpryghte ſprete, wythout lokynge for rewarde or profyte. God refuſeth a ſprete that ſeketh hys owne profyte, nother wyll he euer geue hym ony rewarde. Moreouer, as a chylde ſerueth hys father gladly and frely as an heyre, only for ye fathers wyl: (for yf he ſerueth him only for the goodes and heretage, he is vnkynde, and worthye to be diſhereted:) euen ſo muſte they do that knowlege Chriſte to be theyr father and brother.