Greg. l. 24 moral c. 6 in such sorte as the foure holy Beastes following the Impulsion of the holy Spirit did strike one another with their Winges prouoking as it were one another to followe him the more feruently Secondly they shewed greate obedience for albeit the Angell commaunded them not expressely to goe to Bethlehem yet they contented themselues that hee shewed that it was the good liking of God for to this ende he reuealed and Inspired it And to one perfectly obedient it suffizeth to haue any signification whatsoeuer of the diuine Will to put it presently in practize albeit it were needefull to leaue therefore as the Shepheardes did both his flocke and all that he hath Thirdly they executed the Will of God with greate zeale And heereupon it is sayde that they went with speede moued by the diuine Spirit with a desire to see the Worde that the Angell had saiede vnto them which was the eternall Worde of God made fleshe for our sakes And their zeale made them worthye to finde what they sought the Angell guiding them to the manger where he was O that I might Imitate the zealous obedience Colloquie and diligence of these holy Shepheardes to seeke and to finde out the Sauiour O soueraigne Shepheard whose Sheepe all other Shepheardes are discouer vnto mee with thy diuine Illumination the place where thou lyest and feedest in thy holy Natiuitye that I may so seeke thee and finde thee that I may knowe and loue thee worlde without ende Amen The second Pointe HEere is to be considered what these deuoute Shepheardes did when they founde what they sought The first is to beleeue that in entring into the Stable there did shine from the face of the most blessed Babe such a light and splendour as penetrated their Vnderstandings and discouered vnto them by a liuely faithe how he that was there was God and man the Sauiour of the worlde and the Messias promised in the Lawe and with this light inflamed in his Loue with greate reuerence prostrating themselues on the grounde they adored him and were thankefull for his comming into the worlde beseeching him to goe forward with this worke to be compassionate to his people of Israel and likewise they offered themselues to serue him with wordes very full of Deuotion It is likewise credible that they offered him somewhat of what they had according to their pouertye for our Lord reduced to their memorye that of Deuteronomye which sayeth Thou shalt not appeare before our Lord emptye handed Deut. 16 16. O with what affection might they offer and with what Loue might the Childe accept retourning vnto them such abundant giftes of his grace that they should not departe emptye from his presence It is also credible that the blessed VIRGIN was thankefull with Humillitye and that they spake vnto her with greate respect admiring at her resplendent sanctitye and recounting vnto her all that had passed with the Angells whereat she receiued exceeding greate Ioye for the glorye of her Sonne O sweete IESVS Colloquie I adore thee with these holy Shepheardes and I desire to adore thee with that deuotion that they adored thee and not to come emptye into thy presence I offer thee my hearte and libertye and all that I haue And I beseeche thee o my God suffer me not to departe emptye from thy presence but fill me with thy grace that I may therewith serue thee and obtaine Life euerlasting Amen The third Pointe And the Shepheardes retourned glorifying Luc. 2.20 and praising God in all that they had seene and hearde and they published it to all that they mette causing greate admiration in all but MARIE kept all these wordes conferring them in her hearte Concerning this Veritye it shall not be amisse to consider for our owne proffit foure sortes of Persons that were in Bethlehem and the confines thereof and the manner how they behaued themselues about this natiuitye of the Sonne of God applying it to myselfe for my owne proffit Some came not at all to the Inne in Bethlehem for allbeit they heard what the Shepheardes sayed and admired to heare it yet notwithstanding we reade not that they went to see it beeing drunke in their owne Affaires and Businesses as there are many now who come not to contemplate these mysteries thorough Sloth and thorough busying themselues in other affaires of their owne pleasure Others by chaunce entred into the Inne in passing by but they neither knewe the Infant nor the mother nor stayed vpon more then that exteriour that they sawe before their eyes Such are they who assist in these mysteries with a deade faithe without staying vpon them or sounding the depth of them and so they gather no proffit Others like the Shepheardes entred being moued by God and with a liuely faithe adored the Childe and reaped greate proffit thereof but they remained not there but retourned to their office praising God and publishing his wonderfull workes Such are the Iust who at times giue themselues to Praier and Contemplation of these mysteries and from thence goe to fullfill their Obligations and to preache what they haue knowen of God mouing others to seeke and to knowe him Others finally as S. Ioseph and the blessed VIRGIN were allwaies in the Inne assisting the Childe and seruing him with Loue keeping in their memorye all that they sawe and hearde and conferring it in their Hearte O how diuine a conference the blessed VIRGIN had of all this She conferred what God was in Heauen with what that Childe was vpon Earthe what the Prophets saide with what she behelde with her eyes what the Angel and Shepheardes had spoken with what was present in that manger and this conference was not drye but tender full of greate admiration and of feruent affections of Deuotion And in this she spent the eight dayes vntill the Circumcision This our LADYE they imitate that dedicate themselues largely some dayes to the Contemplation of these mysteries making these spirituall conferences in their heartes Happy are those that in this manner can and knowe how to assist this Infant in the manger O soueraigne VIRGIN Colloquie teache me to conferre within myselfe what Faithe doth dictate vnto me of thy Sonne and that which thou diddest conferre of him in thy Hearte that Imprinting it in my spirit I may neuer departe from his presence but employ myselfe in knowing louing and seruing him for euer and euer Amen In the 26. Meditation shall be pondered another manner of meditating this mysterye The twentieth Meditation D. Th. 3 p. q 37. ar 1 Luc. 2.14 Of the Circumcision of our Sauiour on the eigth daye The first Pointe FIrst is to be considered how on the eigth day after the natiuitye the blessed VIRGIN and S. Ioseph determined to circumcize the childe in accomplishment of the Lawe Leuit. 12.3 with Imposed vpon the Parents a precept thereof vpon which I am to ponder First the obedience of the VIRGIN
things with facultye to make others also greate before God by Participation of his Greatenesse The third that in such manner he shall be her Sonne that hee shall bee likewise the Sonne of the most High God The fourth that his eternall Father shall giue him the Throne and the Empire ouer all the Elect figured by the Seate of Dauid and by the House of Iacob of whome according to the fleshe hee descended The fifth that his kingdome shall bee eternall and haue no ende O glorious Embassage O most ioyfull newes Happye Virgin to whome such a Sonne is promised and blessed Sonne in whome so greate Greatenesses are contained of all which the Angell gaue notice to the Virgin that shee might knowe that this Sonne whome shee was to conceiue was the Messias promised by the Prophets of whome so greate Excellencyes were written From whence I will collect a greate Estimation and Loue of this soueraigne Messias rejoicing at eache one of these fiue Excellencyes rehearsed and recording the fiue woundes that hee receiued on the Crosse that vnto his Elected and to mee hee may applye the fruite of them for on the Crosse they were all made manifest as heereafter when time serueth shall bee declared I will now meditate only how these Greatenesses had their Originall from the most profounde Humillitye of the only begotten Sonne of the euerliuing God which is included in the first Worde spoken by the Angell to the Virgin Ecce concipies in vtero â—eholde thou shallt conceiue in thy wombe as who should say This Sauiour and this eternall king beeing so greate yet will so farre humble himselfe as to streighten himselfe to the smallnesse of an infant conceiued in the Wombe of a Woman And â—â—om this smallnesse his greatenesse shall haue beginning complying with that of the Prophet Isaias Isa 9.6 A litle Childe is borne to vs and a Sonne is giuen to vs and Principallitye is made vpon his Shoulder his name shall bee called Admirable Counsellour God Puissaunt Father of the Worlde to come Prince of Peace His Empire shall bee multiplied thorough the whole Worlde and there shall bee no ende of Peace O Soueraigne Prince that descendedst from Heauen Colloquie Dan. 2.34.45 as a Stone without heades beeing without thee action of man conceiued in the VVombe of a Virgin and then camest to bee so greate a mountaine as to fill the VVhole Earthe dilating therein thy kingdome which is a kingdome eternall and without ende I humbly thanke thee for hauing chozen so straunge a smallnesse to bee the Originall of so soueraigne a Greatenesse Graunt mee o Lord that I vnder-propped not by mine owne handes but by thine may conceiue such resolutions in thy seruice that they may increase to very greate workes of thy Glorye Amen The Second Pointe THe blessed VIRGIN hauing heard this Embassage Luc. 1.34 saide to the Angell How shall this bee donne because I knowe not man As if shee should say I doubt not of Gods Omnipotencye nor of thy promise but I desire to bee informed how I should obey this Commaundement hauing made a vowe not to knowe man In this aunswere the holye VIRGIN discouered aswell greate Wisdome as excessiue Loue of Virginitye and therefore with much reason Holy Church calleth her the most Prudent Virgin For though the promise of the Angell was so greate yet shee was not presently hooked therewith vntill shee might perceiue how it would accord with her Vowe shee had made of Chastitye vnto the which shee was so entirely affected that shee made difficulty to bee the mother though it were of such a Sonne with the Losse thereof And all bee it shee knewe by the Prophecye of the Prophet Isaias That the Mother of the Messias should bee a VIRGIN Isa 7.14 yet shee would prudently examine the Reuelation of the Angell to see how it agreed with the Reuelation of the Prophet From whence I will collect a feruent and heartye Loue of Chastitye auoyding as much as lyeth in mee all whatsoeuer that may bee any Occasion to impaire it yea though it carrye with it an appearance of Piety and Religion For in imitation of the most sacred VIRGIN I am to examine well the Spirit that shall incline mee to a thing wherein there may bee daunger fearing leaste it may bee the Spirit of Sathan who as sayeth the Apostle S. 2 Cor. 11.14 Paul transfigureth himselfe into an Angell of Light to deceiue those which are either very simple or ouer-confident or exceeding zealous of other mens good without regarding their owne Secondly I am to consider in these wordes A rule to speake PrudeÌ„tly beeing the first that wee reade of the blessed VIRGIN foure Circumstances with the which shee did speake them in the which is pourtrayed an admirable rule how to speake prudently for these wordes were but fewe and no more then necessarye and in a case of greate importance and in a very humble and decent manner It seemeth that the Virgin helde firmely in her memorye that counsell of Ecclesiasticus which sayeth Eccl. 32.10.11 Habeat caput responsum tuum Young man speake in thine owne cause scarcely more then is needefull if thou bee asked â—wise let thy aunswere haue an head that is let it bee breife and to the purpose In many things bee as it were ignorant and heare holding thy peace and withall asking All this the B. VIRGIN meruailously obserued in these breife Wordes which shee vttered not till the Angell had spoken to her twise And though shee had occasion to inlarge herselfe in this Question yet shee touched no more then the necessarye Pointe and that with greate bteuitye declaring the Vowe of Chastitye that shee had made with humble and chaste wordes but sufficient for the Angell to vnderstand her saying vnto him I knowe not man O most sacred VIRGIN Colloquie Cant. 4.5 11. with much reason was the diuine Spouse pleased with thy Lippes saying That they were like a girdle of Scarlet in graine and like the Honnye-combe that distilleth by litle and litle for thy Wordes are well girt and much pondered and vttered with repose sweetnesse and Charitye And seeing this rule in speaking is so pleasing vnto him beseeche him to imprint it in my Hearte that my Wordes may proceede from it well ordered and ruled The third Pointe TO this Question of the Virgin the Angell made aunswere saying Spiritus sanctus superueniet in te c. Luc. 1.35 The holy Ghost shall come vpon thee and the power of the most High shall ouershadowe thee And therefore also that which of thee shall bee borne Holye shall bee called the Sonne of God In these wordes may bee pondered three most excellent promises made by the Angell to the most sacred VIRGIN First that this Conception should not bee by the worke of man but by the power of the Holy Ghoste who from Heauen should come vpon her to accomplish this Worke. And for that the Workes of the
will learne to reuerence the secret Iudgements of God to humble myselfe and to passe ouer his Deuises expecting the conuenient time of his visitation seeing there is no day that commeth not at last and what this day hee graunted to S. Elizabeth he gaue afterwardes more largely to Zacharias The thirtenth Meditation Of the birth of S. Iohn the fore-runner of our Sauiour Christe The first Pointe FIrst For the feaste of S. Iohn Baptist Luc. 1.11 I will consider what happened before the Conception of this Sainct for God hauing elected him for his fore-runner was willing to honour him to demonstrate in him the greatnesse of his mercye and the heigth of the office that he gaue him in charge all for the glorye of Christ IESVS whose fore-runner he was As first he would that he should be miraculously conceiued of barren Parents that he should be the Sonne of holy Parents and the Sonne of Praiers holy Desiers for Praier is the meanes that God vseth to execute the Deuises of his eternall predestination as S. Gregory sayeth Lib. 1. dial c. 5. speaking of the birth of the Patriarch Isaac Whereby he moueth vs to haue greate Affection Confidence in Praier though it be concerning things that seeme difficult seeing for all it is auaileable He would likewise that his Conception should be annunciated by the Angell S. Gabriel who annunciated that of his Sonne and with the selfe same spirit of prompt Obedience the Angell came to declare both the one and the other because it was God that commaunded it Tob. 5.5 In the same manner that S. Raphael came to serue Tobias in very base things with no lesse pleasure then if God had commaunded him things of greate heigth for all the Angells place their Glory in accomplishing the will of God Then will I ponder what Greatenesses S. Gabriel spake of the Childe that he might be esteemed by all and to instruct his Father in the manner of his education for so high an office The first was that the Angell himselfe in Gods behalfe gaue him the name he was to haue saying that he should be called Iohn which is as much to say as Crace to signifye that he should be an absolute Portraiture of Grace in whome should be shewen the riches of Gods grace for he truely founde grace before God who without any merits of his elected and called him Isa 49.13 and was mindefull of his name euen from the Wombe of his mother The second that he should be greate before God in those things that God esteemeth for greatenesse which are Vertues and Giftes of Sanctitye So that he should be greate in Humillitye Patience and Obedience greate in Praier and Contemplation and greate in the office that the greate ones haue of the house of God The third that he should be exceeding temperate without drinking wine or sicer as a man of Nazareth wholely dedicated to the seruice of God And for that the Diuine promises are not emptye but full giuing a sufficient portion for all that is promised he addeth the fourth excellencye that hee should be replenished from the Wombe of his mother with the holy Spirit with that fullnesse that was requisite for the Dignitye of his Office because he was elected beginning from the wombe of his mother going on forwarde to his Deathe The fifth that he should goe before our Lord as his Precursor with the zealous spirit of Elias conuerting to God many Israelites and preparing him a People perfectly industriated to receiue the newe Lawe that he was to teache So that according to the Sentence of the Angell this Childe should be perfect in all manner of perfection towardes God towardes himselfe and towardes his neighbours For towardes God he should be greate in the giftes of his Grace towards himselfe rigorous in the workes of mortification and Penance and towardes his neighbours he should be zealous in seeking their Saluation not contenting himselfe to be perfect but endeuoring that all might be perfect and ordaining all this to the glorye of our Lord Christ This patterne of perfection which is the same that is taught vs by the Prophet Micheas I am to set before my eyes for imitation Mich. 6.8 c. And of the Greatenesses that God so much esteemeth I am to pretende for myselfe those which are conuenient for my Estate beseeching his diuine maiestie to giue mee them for the Loue he bare to this Precursor to whome so liberally he graunted them The Second Pointe SEcondly Luc. 1.39 are to be considered the fauours that our Lord did to this holy Babe beeing in the wombe of his mother in the sixth mōneth of his Conception the Worde Incarnate himselfe comming in the Wombe of his mother to visite him and to sanctify him as is declared in the precedent meditation from the which wee may recollect three excellencyes of this Sainct First that S. Iohn was the first fruites of all the Sainctes that our Sauiour made after his Incarnation and therefore he sanctifyed him with greate excellencye giuing him greate Sanctitye and many graces giuen gratis after a very perfect manner graunting him the vse of reason and free will Illuminating his Vnderstanding to knowe his Incarnation and Inflaming his will with feruent affections of Admiration and Loue and with Iubilees and rejoicings in the holy Spirit The second excellencye was that whereas the giftes of God Rom. 11.29 In Luc. 1. as S. Paul sayeth are without repentance it is to be beleeued as sayeth S. Ambrose that he tooke not from him the vse of reason that he had graunted him and consequently that whereas the blessed VIRGIN those three moneths that she was in the house of Zacharias ayded S. Elizabeth to growe in all Vertue so the Childe IESVS that was in the wombe of the VIRGIN ayded the Childe Iohn who was in the wombe of Elizabeth to growe vp in that holinesse that he had graunted him prosecuting it with newe actes of his free-will inflamed with diuine grace by the holy Spirit of whome hee was full The third excellencye was as holy men reporte that in respect of the Childe Iohn Ambr. Bed in Luc. God did so many fauours to his mother that he filled her with the holy Ghost and with the Spirit of Prophecye to giue vs to vnderstand how much he esteemeth this Childe and what good he will doe vs for his sake For the which I am to procure greate Loue to this fore-runner rejoicing at the fauours that he receiued and giuing thankes to God that gaue them him and beseeching him to bee an Intercessor for mee that I may haue some parte in them The third Pointe THirdly I am to consider the most speciall things that happened in the birth of S. Iohn The first was that comming to circumcize him his Parents by Gods Inspiration Luc. 1.59 against the will of their kinred saied his name should bee Iohn which is as much to say as