having received infinite ornaments and graces from their Lord and Master retained still his favour Hom. 34 in lect Evang. and ever stood before him S. Gregory stiles him a principall Angell treating of principall things Some have not feared to call him the supreme Angell as Damascen and others Serm. de Virginis assump Truth will answer for him that amongst all the celestiall spirits none are so predicated in holy Writ as he and Michael to whom the Declaration and Exposition of so high Mysteries so often were committed as in Daniel Zachary and Mary is specified Some will have his name to signifie God and man and that this Etymology containes a miraculous mystery Amongst these is Proculus Arch-Bishop of Constantinople Geber saith he signifies man El God In 1 cap. Luc. alluding to his Embassy which treated of his approaching birth who was both God and man Saint Bernard judgeth the servant of Abraham to have beene a type of Gabriel In parvis serm Gen. 24. for he was sent by his Master not to seek anâ— Virgin that came next to hand but such a one as the Lord Goâ— had prepared for the Sonne of hiâ— Lord. Hom. de incomprehensibili Dei natura This Gabriel saith Saiâ—â— Chrysostome the Painters presenâ— to us winged not that God create him so but to denote the sublimmity and agillity of the celestiall Nature as also to admonish us that with gratefull hearts wee acknowledge him 〈◊〉 have for our cause descended from 〈◊〉 highest habitation And sweeth Chrysologus An Angell treated wiâ—â— Mary concerning our salvation because an Angell had dealt with Eâ—â— touching our damnation Serm. 142. Serm. 1. de nat Virgin This blessed Spirit and Saint Iohn the Evangelist Damianus compares to two Lyons which carefully guarâ— this our sacred subject I will nâ— here seeeke to satisfie the over-curious and needlesse doubts of Luther and others whether she knew Gabriel to be an Angell or no nor whether or no he entred her chamber the doore being shut nor whether he appear'd to her in a gentle familiar shape or in his full splendour as when he so much amaz'd Zachary and strucke him dumbe These questions serve rather to busie curiositie then enflame zeale Neither hath all that tender sexe to whose good I dedicate this discourse received an education that renders them capeable Iudges of such disputes And I freely acknowledge that in this Treatise I have not so much as used any one word not frequent and familiar because I would make the sense cleare to the Femal Readers Withall I professe my scope is not to sharpen their wits but to beautifie their lives and to kindle in their faire bosomes an holy ambition to aspire to the perfections of that devout life which this our incomparable Lady led and ended with the applause of men and Angels Laying aside therefore these superfluous arguments I will proceed as my method commands me to deliver her inestimable worth and sober demeanour towards the Angell which no eloquence can so well expresse as 〈◊〉 silent and reverent admiration Much I need not say of her of whom I never can speake enough especially having already produc'd so many ancient and learned extollers of her excellencies to which my vote would adde no more then a dimme lampe to the glorious eye of heaven or an obscure gloworme to a starry night Yet since at the Altar of this meek one sweet and chast as the Incense there daily burned a single graine sent from a simple heart is acceptable I will not feare to pay her a due oblation though it come as short of her value as I of her goodnesse May it please thee then pious Reader gratefully with me to acknowledge that this is she who gave flesh to him by whom all flesh is sav'd This was the Dove that first brought to us the Olive of our peace This is the Rainbow or first signe of our reconciliation to the divine Majesty And to shut up all in a little this was the Tabernacle and Throne of the Almighty whence his Majesty obscured his love shined forth to all humanity But in that a plaine delivery of her vertues adorne her more then can all the flowers of Rhetoricke I will though in an inelligant phrase set such downe as shall appeare most eminent in this unparalell'd colloquy wherein were handled the profound mysteries of the sacred Trinity as of the Fathers omnipotency the holy Ghosts efficacy the Sonnes excellency and in him the proprietie of both natures Her prudency Her Prudency shall take the first place not as the greatest but as the most diffusive because cleane through this Dialogue it blends with all the rest First she awfully and advisedly gives him full audience and at once both observes the laws of patience and the custome of good manners in quietly attending the period of his salutation Many of her Sexe would have so cut him off at every word that hee should never have peec't his speech together againe Being more mistresses of their tongues then their eares The common sort when the Moone was eclipsed thought her to be enchanted and with basons and other things made a hideous noyse to barre her from hearing the charmers voyce they would never have given him hearing till they had beene weary of talking One of these Iuvenal makes mention of in his 6. Satyre who made a din able to free the Moon from the power of the enchanter This vertue of an opportune silence few women obtain if they do it comes to them the last of all other Their tongues are clocks which once wound up few of them go lesse then sixteene houres But this wisest of Saints in a seasonable silence and caution of speech was alike admirable Insomuch that through the whole Bible we finde not that she spake above five times Her opportune silence and caution of speech Twice to the Angell Gabriel as How shall this be and againe Behold the Hand-maid of the Lord. Next in the encounter betweene her and her cousen Elizabeth A fourth time to her beloved Sonne after long absence Why have you dealt so with us Lastly when she becomes a petitioner for the poore Because they have no wine Here in this place she intentively hearkens to the Angell whom she heares twice ere she replyes once She made two pawses usher her answer which she fram'd with such care and sobriety as if Modesty had seal'd up her bosome and lippes and that without her speciall warrant they were not to be opened And though her thoughts were perplex'd and troubled yet she apparrell'd them in such a cleare smooth calme of language that it would have gentiliz'd Barbarisme it selfe When her Chastitie is call'd in question which she esteemes above health liberty or life it selfe she positively denies nothing in that strange and to her impossible assertion of the Angell but answers with an humble enquirie How shall that be Well might she make this demand
when she once knew him and his Embassy she then undaunted discours'd with him as an Angell whom before she quak't at as a man I conjure all modest soules that shall peruse this passage by all things deare to them to dwell long upon it as worthily deserving both their admiration and imitation Though she received from him extreme and heavenly praises yet she was afraid because she was alone O Saviour of the World Purity feares an Angell shall not Impurity then suspect a man though in the shape of an Angell when his complement and discourse are sensuall Virginity cannot bee too heedfull which makes it practise the doubt of things safe that so it may accustome it selfe to the feare of things dangerous If heathen women have by nature so abhorred pollution that they have chosen death before it how odious must we judge it to the Angellicall innocency of Gods owne Mother Well what course tooke she She rejected these his commendations not with her tongue but her lookes which put on a dislike of all he had said She had heard that when Castles come to a parley it is a signe of yeelding and therefore thought it her safest way to involve her selfe within humility and a sober silence But the Angell quickly delivered her our of this Agony into a greater out of this feare into a more tormenting care Feare not MARY saith he for thou hast found favour with God for loe thou shalt conceive in thy wombe and beare a Sonne and shalt call his name IESUS He shall be great and shall be called the Sonne of the most high and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David And he shall raigne over the house of Iacob for ever and of his Kingdome shall be no end To this her answer was How shall that be since I know no man It is true it is true most blessed Virgin thou knowest no man but let thy modesty rest secure for the operation of God and not of man is here required God should never beconceived in thee wert thou not a Virgin nor borne of thee shouldest thou not remaine such Thou canst not be spotted with the conception or birth of an issue so immaculate This feare is as needlesse as that of defiling thy fairest fingers with the purest fountaine If Obededon having received the Arke within his walles was so enriched with all manner of Treasure that Felicity was voyced to have descended from heaven into his house what shall we judge of thy supreme blisse O glorious Virgin who art not to be the receptacle of a wooden Arke but of his only Sonne With confidence therefore consent to thy owne happinesse and the Redemption of all Humanity But indeed I do not wonder at her astonishment when I consider her bashfulnesse Mee thinks I see her now casting her eyes up to heaven now fixing them on the earth and now againe on the Ambassadour himselfe resolving to give up her soule rather then her virginity Harsh must the word conception needs found to her who was a votary nere to know man whose onely love was prayer whose onely childe was piety But when the Angell urged Gods will she forthwith yeelded a handmaid to her Lords desire Let us intentively listen to the text And the Angel answer'd and said unto her The holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee therefore also that holy thing that shall be borne of thee shall be called the Sonne of God And beholâ— thy cousen Elizabeth shee hath alsâ— conceived a sonne in her old age anâ— this is the sixt moneth with her whâ— was called barren For with God nothing shall bee impossible And Mary said Behold the handmaid of the Lord bee it to mee according to thâ— word See here united an incomparable humility and an obedience even unto death For the consenting to be the mother of God waâ— not easie to her in that a meek anâ— humble spirit with greater difficultie ascends the highest steppe oâ— Honours Throne then a proud descends thence to the bottome 〈◊〉 being a thing in nature farre harde to climbe then to come downe 〈◊〉 any man shall yet rest unsatisfieâ— and shall make a further enquiâ—â— after this difficulty he may pleasâ— to consider that her humility ballanc't her Sonnes exalted and her owne dejected estate and as well meditated the care the diligency the reverence and obsequiousnes as the dignity and excellency of her whom God would vouchsafe the most glorious title of Mother She wisely weighed that the Angels were not worthy to wait on him and therefore the service of her whole life must as farre exceed as the name of Gods Mother did excell that of Servant or Angell If Saint Peter yet in the dawn of Grace could so clearly discerne his Masters greatnesse as that he cryed out Depart from me a sinner as deeming himselfe unworthy of his presence If the Centurion for the same respect thought his house too base to receive him what should she thinke who was not to take him into her ship or her lodging but into her wombe where he was to remaine not a visitant but a dweller Full well also she understood that her consent was not onely required to be the parent of the Almighty but the Spouse also of his holy Spirit to whose inspirations she ought a greater obedience then others having received from the same spirit a greater measure of grace and honour She clearly foresaw that she was not onely chosen to conceive the Son of God Many ancient Writers hold that she had the gift of prophecie to bring forth to nurse and governe him but also perforce to yeeld him up such being the divine pleasure to a three and thirty yeares persecution and lastly to the cursed death of the crosse the salvation of others depending on his destruction And that she did foresee all this plainly appeares by the speech of the Angell to her who after he had foretold the conception and birth of Christ added And he shall be called Iesus that is a Saviour An awfull reverence and an inconceiveable joy divided without doubt her all-holy heart when she contemplated her future being a mother to the Messias Can a man imagine any thing more difficult more bitter for humane nature to overcome Yet did her active vertue vanquish all these impediments and with an humble ravisht soule she expected the entrance of him into her sacred wombe whom already she had surely seated in her heart Here before we proceed to her conception we must observe two things not amply and fully enough express'd very remarkable in the Angelicall salutation First the dignity of the Ambassadour next the worth of her to whom his Embassy was directed together with her many vertues equally eminent in this divine Dialogue Concerning the first he was not a man but an Angell neither an Angell of an inferiour order but of the supreme Hierarchy which choise and pure spirits
Autumne I produce the Blossome but you beare the fruit What the most penetrating Eye can discerne in me the most partiall Tongue will call a superficiall ornament but the dimmest sight may soone discover that in you which the most detracting Penne must be forced to style essentiall worth Thus dignified give me leave to tell you sweetest Cousin that you offer me an affront together with your service A seemely sight it were surely to behold decrepit age waiting on active youth wisedome on vanity a venerable Matron on a simple Girle The scope of my journey is to attend you to lend you my strength now your owne failes you and to serve you through all the offices of your Hand-maid Doe but intimate your will by the least signe and you shall see me flye to performe it Your Invention cannot devise any thing so impossible which my will ambitious to please you will not judge most easie to be executed Whereas you intreat me to stay long with you you transgresse the Lawes of Friendship in petitioning her whom you may justly and boldly command A thing strange to me it is that you should thinke me so stupid and sencelesse as that I should need an invitation to be made truely happy Before I had the honour to see you I envied those that enjoyed your sweet and divine conversation and thought they enricht themselves with my losse wherefore a staffe to beat me hence is more requisite than Oratory to keepe mee here Ever since the blessed Angell imparted to me the newes of your being fruitfull my desire to see you hath beene restlesse and next to God I have onely meditated you and your goodnesse O my best Cousin whose fervent and devout prayers obtaine victories whose Fasts abundance joyâ— with me in thankesgiving to God for the grace which I shall never be able to conceive much lesse to expresse or deserve Him with alâ— my heart and with all my soule I invoke that blessings may fall upon you before and above your wishes and that you may yet long live to his glory and my Comfort Had their three months demeanour each to other together with their godly discourse and pious practise of it beene penn'd to posterity had all other Bookes been burnt save that and the Bible the Femall sexe in these two should have found matter ample enough to exercise both their Meditation and action Sure I am the Romish Church Sess 43. Concil Basileen as in an honourable menoriall of this their Charitable Encounter hath ordained the Annuall Celebration of a solemne Feast And the Councell of Basil of what authoritie in other things know not certainly in this one particular very commendable hath decreed the solemnization of this Festivall day in these verie words The Blessed Virgin being instructed the celestiall Messenger and conducted by the Holy Ghost ascended in haste the mountanous Countrey and entred the humble house of Zachary For IESUS who was in her wombe wade haste to blesse Iohn as yet in his Mothers Belly And the most glorious Virgin visiting her Cousen Elizabeth was pleasing to her both in her loving visitation and fruitfull Colloquie The Consideration of this Excelling Mystery ought to delight the mindes of the Faithfull wherein these two glorious Mothers who bore about them the comencement and accomplishment of our Salvation did so familiarly communicate their joyes and wherein the most excellent Virgin Mary of the House of David and Elizabeth the most venerable amongst the Daughters of Aaron discours'd together The first of these had inclosed in her wombe the Creatour and Redeemer of us all the latter his Forerunner These Saints being made Mothers by a Miracle conferr'd together of the Divine benefits they had received The meeting of this worthy paire was most happie and illustrated with great and glorious testimonies of the divine Grace The one conceived by the cooperation of the holy Spirit the â—her by Myracle in her old Age and both their issues foretold by the celestiall Angell Iohn as yet imprisoned in his Mothers wombe doth worship his Lord borne to him in Maries Belly and Elizabeth fill'd with the Holy Ghost doth congratulate the Conception of the Sonne of God and the Saviâ—â— of Mankinde and prophecying declares her Cousen blessed in beleeving and contemplating the mysteries revealed to her On the other side Mary full of unutterable joy layed up all these sayings in her heart which before she had heard from the Angel and now from Elizabeth and breaks out into a Song of Thanksgiving to the Lord. Who can sufficiently praise so great Mysteries Who can declare those joyes to the full Iohn not yet borne rejoyceth Elizabeth is delighted with the arrivall of the Virgin Mary is extreamely pleased in the Mysteries the Saviour of the world is acknowledged by his Fore-runner not onely the Angels but Heaven and Earth resent the pleasure and the whole Trinitie is glorified with new praises Wherefore the greatnesse of these joyes is to be extolled with especiall commendations and with singular solemnities to be celebrated and the Lord in the wombe the Virgin that beares him the barren that conceives and the Fore-runner that it sanctified ought to be presented with all imaginable praises and honours With this pious and gratefull ordinance of the Church I conclude the visitation of our incomparable Lady and now proceed to her Deliverie Her delivery We reade in holy Writ of three supernaturall Productions the one of Adam the other of Eve the last of Christ which as most miraculous we are now to treat of Here in his Nativitie as before in his Conception let us turne Inquisition into thanksgiving and with one spirit and voyce sing aloud Ps 118.22 The stone which the Builders refused is the head of the corner This was the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes This is the day which the Lord hath made let us rejoyce and be glad in it This is our wedding-day wherein by the Sonne we are joyned to the Father This is the day of the new union wherein he who is God remaineth the same that he was yet for our sakes is borne and made what he was not wherein he that was every where without a Body is made present to us by a Body that what God hath by Nature men might receive by Grace This is a great a joyfull a fortunate a desired day the end of the Law the end of the Prophets the beginning of the Gospell nay the Gospell it selfe This is a day of State usher'd by the Angels follow'd by the Apostles Let our Mindes remove the distance of Time and place and dwell a while with our all-holy-Lord and blessed Lady lest we loose the pleasure of this day the least Accident whereof is Mysterious What a brave assembly of Visitants of all Conditions resorted this day to this place which then might rightly be called the Randevous of the Saints Would you see those who are above men but below him who