ON SAINT JOHN EVANGELIST’S DAY, AT GRIMSTHORPE, ANNO 1552.
Luke 2:8-12<420208>
And there were in the same region shepherds abiding in the field, and watching their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord stood hard by them, and the brightness of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. But the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, that shall come unto all the people; for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And take this for a sign, you shall find the child swaddled and laid in a manger, etc.
Yesterday I entreated somewhat of the nativity of Christ our Savior. And you have heard by what occasion Mary, his mother, came to Bethlehem with her husband Joseph, namely, to shew obedience, as all subjects ought to do, to their governors. You hear what good chance she had in that she was obedient; and so all those that be obedient to their rulers and governors, according to the ordinance of God, they shall have good speed. Now what happened unto Mary? She brought forth the Savior of the world. Oh, what good chance was this! And here we learn, that it is a good thing for every one to keep him in that order as God hath appointed him. Mary with her husband Joseph were subjects, and therefore, in doing their duties, in obeying the magistrate, they pleased God: which ensample of Mary and Joseph should occasion all us to follow them in their doing;
and if we do so, we shall please God. There is one thing I did forget, the last time when I spake of obedience, which is, an objection that some do make, when they are required to do their duties to the magistrates. I told you at that time, that we must bear willingly those burdens which are laid upon us, considering that God commanded us so to do: and then, again, that he hath delivered us from that great burden of our sins, which should have thrust us into everlasting damnation; willing and commanding us to bear, with a good will, such little burdens as the magistrates shall lay upon us. Again, I told you, at the same time, that whosoever beareth with
a good will the common burden of this realm, they shall be blessed in all things: it shall not be a diminishing of their stocks, but it shall be rather an increase than a diminishing.
Now cometh the objection that some make: they say, “To bear the common burden is not an increase, but a diminishing and hurt; for there hath been many burdens in England, as the burdens of the fall of money:
therefore that is not so as you say; for I know that some have lost so much, that they cannot recover the same again so long as they live.” And, indeed, I know myself a man that lost eight score pounds by the fall of money; yet as for that man, he took it well, and I doubt not but God will work with him, so that it shall be nothing to his hurt. But to answer this carnal man, which maketh such a carnal objection against the promise of God: I deny not but that there be some, which indeed shall never recover that which they have lost. But I tell you what is the cause: the cause is not in God, or in his promises or fidelity, but the fault is in themselves. As thus: you must understand that where God requireth a thing to be done, he will have it done with a good-will, with a merry heart, with a loving countenance. Now there be many of us which do it indeed, but with cursing and banning; so that, though they be no rebels outwardly, yet they rebel in their hearts. Unto such fellows God is not bound to keep his promise, for he made them no promise; but unto them that do it with a willing heart, and loving countenance, be hath promised increase. And they that do it with an ill will, they rather provoke God to anger, than that they should receive any benefit of him. For St. Paul commandeth us to obey the magistrates, Non propter iram, sed propter conscientiam,
“Not for fear of their punishment, but rather for conscience sake, for God’s sake, in respect of God, of whom we have all things, who willeth us to do so.” So that they that do it with an ill will, and afterward having no increase, are not able to recover again, the fault is in themselves, and not in God; for they obey not for conscience sake, as St. Paul would have them do, but rather for fear of punishment.
Yesterday, also, I shewed you the commodities which we receive by the coming of Christ; and, again, the discommodities if he should not have come; namely, that we should have been lost for ever, world without end.
To this end I spake of such things, to give you occasion to consider his goodness and wonderful benefits, and to shew yourselves thankful towards him. Further, I shewed you what he was before he took our vile nature upon him; namely, the eternal Son of God the Father; begotten
before the world began; equal to his Father in power and dignity: he took our vile nature upon him, was made very man, to the end that he might deliver man from the curse of God and eternal damnation. Then, I shewed you what we be without God, without this Savior; namely, cursed and banished out from everlasting life to everlasting damnation.
This we are, without him, of our own nature; for we can do nothing but commit sin, and are not able to make amends for the least sin that we commit: but he, our Savior, I say, hath made satisfaction upon the cross for the sins of all mankind. Then, again, I told you how we should follow the ensample of David, which when he considered the great benefits of God, burst out in these words, saying, Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae tribuit mihi? “What shall I give unto the Lord for all that which he hath given unto me?” Then he concludeth and saith, Accipiam calicem salutaris, “I will take the chalice of health;” that is, I will bear all the crosses which the Lord shall lay upon me. And so we must do when we consider the great benefits which God hath done unto us: then we must be content with all our hearts to bear such crosses as he shall lay upon us, and to shew ourselves thankful with a godly and honest life, for that he suffered for us; which passion he suffered, not compelled
thereunto, but willingly he suffered it, moved by that great love which he bare towards us. Therefore, let us shew ourselves thankful: let us take all calamities and miseries that he shall lay upon us willingly: and in all these crosses let us call upon him, and take in good worth whatsoever it shall please him to lay upon us. This is the chiefest honor that we can do unto him.
Now let us a little better consider his poverty, which he suffered as soon as he was born. We read not that Mary his mother had any midwife when she was delivered of him. And here we have occasion to speak of
midwives. The same office of a midwife is a necessary office; but I would wish the bishops f219 would see better unto them, that they might be better instructed in God’s word: for no doubt these midwives are the occasion of much superstition and dishonoring of God. The fault is, because they are not instructed in the word of God; and therefore, when the women be in travailing, and so in peril of their lives, they cause them to call upon our Lady: which no doubt is very idolatry, and dishonoring of God; for we ought not to call upon any creature; we must call only upon God alone; unto him only pertaineth that honor.
Further, I told you that our Savior Christ was formed and framed of the most poorest flesh; and he became the natural son of Mary, and she also was his natural mother. I told you, the last time, of one Joan of Kent f220 which was in this foolish opinion, that she should say our Savior was not very man, and had not received flesh of his mother Mary: and yet she could shew no reason why she should believe so. Her opinion was this, as I told you before. The Son of God, said she, penetrated through her, as through a glass, taking no substance of her. But our creed teacheth us contrariwise; for we say, Natus ex Maria Virgine, “Born of the Virgin Mary:” so this foolish woman denied the common creed, and said that our Savior had a fantastical body; which is most untrue, as it appeareth evidently in the epistle to the Hebrews, where St. Paul plainly saith, that Christ was made of the woman, that he took his flesh from the woman.
And though Mary had a prerogative, as she had indeed, namely, that she knew no man, that she was a virgin; yet her prerogative took not away the very humanity of Christ. She alone, above all other women, had this prerogative, to be a virgin, and yet to bring forth a child: the Holy Ghost did supply the office of a father; she was filled with the Holy Ghost: but he was her natural son in all other points; but yet this his humanity was preserved from all sin and wickedness. In all other things he was very man, and she his very natural mother. And no doubt she had a great belly, as it appeared in the first chapter of Matthew, where the evangelist saith, Inventa est gravida, “She was found with child;” and so Joseph seeing it, could not but suspect her, and therefore was minded to go away from her, if he had not been admonished by the angel: but being in this perplexity, the angel came unto him, saying, Ne timeas, “Fear not, Joseph, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. She shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus.” So here appeared plainly that Mary was big with child, after the manner of all other women:
for we may not make him a fantastical body, but a very body, having flesh, blood, and bones, as our bodies have; and I think that Mary
travailed after the manner of other women. I doubt not but she had pains as other women have; for I think she was obedient unto that law, which was made by God himself, In dolore paries filios tuos, “In sorrow and pain thou shalt, bring forth thy children.” For she kept other laws too, to which she was not bound, to which she had no need; as of purification;
and he of circumcision: so that it is to be pre-supposed, seeing she obeyed other laws, she obeyed this law too, to shew and to signify unto the whole world her obedience. Therefore they that will go about and say
that she brought him forth without pain, not after the manner of other women, they seem to do more hurt than good: for so we might come in doubt whether he had a very body or not.
Now the evangelist saith there was no place in the inn, they had no room to refresh themselves: for the innkeepers took only those which were able to pay for their good cheer; they would not meddle with such beggarly folk as Joseph and Mary his wife were. And here we may learn, by the ensample of Joseph and Mary, to take all things in good part, and to be content with poverty and miseries. Let us follow their ensample. We read not that they grudged or murmured against God; but they were content to take all things in good worth, though they could get never a lodging in the whole city; so that they were fain to take a stable there, to repose themselves. And, as some writers say, it was a common stable in the market-set, f221 as some towns have common stables for the folk that come to the market; for they are not able to spend money in the inn, and therefore they set their cattle there. f222 But this is no certainty, whether it was such a common stable or not; but this is certain that they were in great poverty and misery; no doubt of that. Therefore, you poor folk, comfort yourselves with this ensample, though you have no houses after your mind: consider that Mary, the mother of Christ, lacked a lodging, and that in her greatest need. But I tell you where you may have houses enough, and that good cheap; for little money you may have them. In dome Patris mei sunt multae habitationes; “In the house of my Father be many dwelling-places.” There you may have them, they are offered you in Christ, and through Christ; ye need not to give money for them.
Therefore, I would not have you in any wise to grudge or murmur because ye lack houses; for no doubt, if we will be content with that that God sendeth unto us, and be thankful unto him, houses or no houses in this world, we shall be sure that we shall lack no houses in the other world.
Now you hear how Mary, the mother of Christ, brought forth her son into this world in a stable. But here I would not have you to think that Mary was saved because she brought forth Christ; no, not so. She was saved because she believed in him; because she set her hope and
confidence in him. She doubted not but that he should take away her sins, and all the world’s sins; so that she was not only his mother after the flesh, but she was his spiritual mother: she believed in him; she seeketh neither salvation by her own works.
There was once a woman, when she heard our Savior make a sermon, she thought him to be a wonderful man: she could no longer hold her tongue, but burst out into these words, saying, Beatus venter qui to portavit, et ubera quae suxisti; “Blessed is that womb that hath borne thee, and happy are the teats that gave thee suck:” that is to say, Happy is that woman that hath such a son. But what answer made our Savior unto her? Quin imo beati qui audiunt verbum Dei, et custodiunt illud; “But blessed are those that hear the word of God and keep the same.” For Mary was not justified nor saved because she was his natural mother; for if she had not believed in him, she should never have obtained the felicity of heaven: though she was a singular woman, yet if she had only staid at that, all had been to no purpose. But she was otherwise his mother with believing him to be the Son of the eternal God, and the Savior of the world, according to the promise made of God the Father himself in Paradise; namely, that “the Seed of the woman should break the serpent’s head.” And in such wise all we may be the mother, sister, and brethren of Christ.
Furthermore, we read in the gospel of St. Matthew, that once she was pricked with vain-glory; for when he was preaching, she came and would needs speak with him, for she would have been known to be his mother:
which doing of hers no doubt had a smell of ambition. f223 And it is good for us to know such things, for so we may comfort ourselves; when we hear that the very mother of Christ had sins, and yet was saved, we shall be saved too. God is as merciful as ever he was: so we shall comfort and keep ourselves from despair. But, I pray you, what answer made he unto her, when she interrupted his sermon? “Who is my mother? And who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hands over his disciples, and said, Behold my mother, and my brethren: for whosoever doth my Father’s will that is in heaven, the same is my brother, sister, and mother.” Here you see, that he would not be led by the affections of his mother, and set aside his calling. This ensample all we ought to follow, and specially preachers: they may not preach after affection; they shall not rule the word of God, but they must be ruled by the same. Likewise we read in the gospel of John, that when he was at the marriage in Cana of Galilee, and his mother too, and there was wine lacking, she would take upon her to appoint him what he should do f224 saying, Vinum non habent; “They have no wine, thou must needs help.” But what answer made he unto her?
Mulier, quid mihi est tecum? “Woman, what have I to do with thee?
Shall I be at your commandment?” Here you see that Christ would not bear with his mother in her folly. Which ensample we ought to follow: we shall not bear or comfort any man in his sins and wickedness, but
admonish him; nor flatter him against our conscience, as some do, which will not displease, but rather allow things against their own conscience.
But our Savior did not so; he would not bear with his own mother:
therefore, as I told you before, she was not only his carnal mother, but by faith she believed in him. And so ought we to do, if we will be saved: for when we believe in him, undoubtedly then we conceive Christ; then we be his mother; then we shall reign with him world without end.
Now followeth in the text, “And there were shepherds in the same region,” etc. You know there is a common saying, Ignoti nulla cupido;
“When a body knoweth not a thing, he desireth it not greatly:” so it had been with us, if this birth of our Savior should have been hid from us; we should not have desired the same, and he had done unto us no good at all. Therefore it must needs be known; it must needs be opened. Now here the evangelist beginneth to shew to whom this birth was opened at the first, and through whom it was first published; who were the first preachers; which were the angels of God, they were the first preachers.
And here you may perceive what is the office of the angels of God, namely, to serve, to keep us; and therefore St. Paul calleth them, administratorios spiritus, “serving spirits.” But now you will say, how chanced it that the angels teach not us as well as they did the shepherds?
Sirs, you must understand, that God hath appointed another office, other officers, which shall teach us the way to heaven; which way to heaven was opened first by the angel. He told the shepherds that Christ the Savior was born: but now God sheweth unto us the self-same sermon of the angel by and through his ministers, which teach us the same. But, I pray you, to whom was the nativity of Christ first opened? To the
bishops, or great lords which were at that time at Bethlehem? or to those jolly damsels with their vardingals, with their roundabouts, or with their bracelets? No, no: they had so many lets to trim and dress themselves, that they could have no time to hear of the nativity of Christ: their minds were so occupied otherwise, that they were not allowed to hear of them.
But his nativity was revealed first to the shepherds: and it was revealed unto them in the night-time, when every-body was at rest; then they heard the joyful tidings of the Savior of the world. For these shepherds