A SERMON OF THE Nativity of Our Lord. Preach'd before the King and Queen At WHITE-HALL 1687. By Bonaventure Giffard Doctor of Sorbon Chaplain in Ordinary and Preacher to Their MAJESTIES Publish'd by His Majesties Command LONDON Printed by Henry Hills Printer to the King 's most Excellent Majesty for his Houshold and Chappel and are to be sold by Him at the Ditch-side in Black-Fryers 1688. A SERMON OF THE Nativity of Our Lord Preach'd before the King Queen Gloria in altissimis Deo in terrà Pax Hominibus bonae voluntatis Glory in the Highest to God and in Earth Peace to Men of good Will. These Words were sung by a full Choire of Angels at the Birth of our Saviour as we find related by St. Luke c. 2. v. 14. A Stable A Manger A little Hay Some poor Swadling Bands A helpless Infant Adesolate young Maid An Ox An Ass What great Matter of Glory to God or Subject of so much Joy to the Angels What is there in all this poor Equipage that should deserve to call down these Noble Spirits from Heaven to solemnize it's Triumphs upon Earth Oh God! How different are thy Judgments from those of Men And by how opposit Ways dost thou seek thy Glory from those which Men take to establish Theirs Men place all their Glory in great Riches magnificent Houses brave Apparel sumptuous Entertainments numerous Attendants and such like Supports of their Vanity and Misery But all the Glory God Almighty designs to draw from the great Work of the Worlds Redemption behold he grounds it on the Poverty Humility and abjection of His eternal Son. Hence as you see for his Royal Pallace he has provided him a ruinous Stable for his Bed of State a hard Manger for his Noble and numerous Attendants an Ox an Ass or at best some few poor Shepherds In fine Instead of mighty Treasures and great plenty of all Things the utmost extremity of Poverty This Christians this is the conduct Almighty God has us'd with his eternal Son at his first coming into the World This is the Method he has taken to purchase that Glory to himself to give that Peace and Joy to Men which the Angels this day publish to the World in their Christmass Carol of Gloria in altissimis Luke 2. 14. Deo in terrâ Pax Hominibus bonae voluntatis Divine Spirit enlighten my Mind inspire my Thoughts help me to apprehend the design of thy Eternal Wisdom in this astonishing Mystery I beg this of Thee by the Intercession of the Virgin Mother who this Day brought forth that heavenly Child which She conceiv'd by the Operation of thy Virtue at the same time that the Angel saluted Her. Ave Maria c. Glory in the Highest to God and in Earth peace to Men of good will. The Glory which Almighty God had in the World before the coming of our Saviour seems to have been much eclips'd and reduc'd to a very small Point for the Devil who no sooner became his Enemy but also turn'd his Rival since he could not become like to God in Heaven resolv'd at least to be ador'd for God upon Earth And thence as St. Gregory Nazianzen observes he has endeavor'd to possess that Divinity in the Opinion of Men which he could not steal from the uncommunicable Nature of his Maker Qui Divinitatem in Coelis habere non potuit in Terris habere conatus est And indeed if the Worship of Men could encrease or lessen the Majesty of God if his Glory were to be calculated by the number of his Adorers one might thence think which otherwise to imagin were a Blasphemy that Lucifer had got the upper hand Since if we reflect on the sad Condition the whole World was in before the Birth of our Saviour we shall find that this proud and rebellious Spirit was more worship'd more glorify'd by Men than his Sovereign Lord and Maker For if the true God was then worship'd by the Jews false Gods were ador'd by all other Nations If God had some zealous Prophets to pronounce his Oracles the Devil had many Idolatrous Priests to publish his Lies If God had an Altar consecrated to his Service in Hierusalem the Devil had many Temples dedicated to his Honor throughout the rest of the World. If God was honor'd by the Sacrifice of Beasts the Devil was worship'd by the Slaughter of Men. So that we are forc'd to own and lament that before the coming of the Messias the external Glory of God which consists in the Worship of Men was shut up within a narrow compass confin'd to one little Corner of the Earth Notus in Judaea Deus Psal 75. But on this Day God Almighty begins to do himself right He has sent down his Eternal Son to vindicate his Honor to establish his Glory to subdue his proud Rival to dispossess him of the Empire he had gain'd over the Minds of Men. St. John the faithful Interpreter of his Designs tells us That 't is for this the Son of God is come into the World to destroy the Works of the Devil In hoc apparuit Filius Dei ut dissolvat opera Diaboli 1 John 3. 8. And the Way he has taken to do this is as strange in it self as it has prov'd efficacious in the Effect The Devil grounded all his Glory on the deluded Imaginations of his Followers To make them Idolaters of his false Deity he first possess'd them with an erroneous Conceit of their own Greatness To persuade them to offer Incense to the Statu's they had rais'd in his Temples he first taught them to adore the Idols he had set up in their Minds Honor Riches Pleasure are the three great Gods he places on the Altar of their Hearts to these he makes them sacrifice all their Thoughts all their Affections their Body their Soul their Eternity their All. He persuades them that all their Glory consists in worldly Greatness all their Happiness in an affluence of temporal Riches and their chief Beatitude in a full enjoyment of sensual Satisfactions To destroy this Work of the Devil to disabuse Men of these false Notions he had imbu'd them with the Son of God is come into the World after the manner in which our present Solemnity represents him to us to shew us how little esteem we ought to make of all the Glory and Greatness of the World He would become a Child He would appear little and abject to quench in us that ardent Thirst we have after Riches He has reduc'd himself to the greatest Poverty imaginable To take out of our Hearts that inordinate Love of Ease and Pleasure He begins his Life all in Sufferings and Mortifications 'T is thus that Jesus Christ most Successfully establishes the Glory of God because 't is thus that he most powerfully Triumphs over those Vices which keep Men Slaves to the Devil And hence when the Angels saw him laid thus low in the Manger then it was
that they begun to sing Glory to God and Peace to Men. Glory to God because Jesus is come to cure our Pride by his Humility our Avarice by his Poverty our Excesses and Intemperances by his Mortifications Gloria in altissimis Deo. Peace and Joy to Men of good will to Men that are willing to learn of such a Master to Men that are willing to be instructed by such an Example to Men that are willing to be sav'd by such a Saviour Pax Hominibus bonae voluntatis 'T is thus the Angels divide their Canticle and 't is thus I shall divide my present Discourse The First Part whereof shall shew you what our Saviour did this Day for our Instruction The Second what we must learn from his Example What Jesus did to be a Saviour to Men what Men must do to be sav'd by Jesus These two Points make the division of my Sermon and Subject of your Attention The First Part. If the Vnion of the eternal God to our human Nature be astonishing the manner of his coming into the World is not a little surprizing For tho an excess of Goodness might have carry'd him to this strange Communication of himself tho the love of Men might have mov'd him to become Man yet methinks he might have done it after the most honorable manner he might have appear'd at the full Stature of a Man and accomplish'd with all the Perfections human Nature is capable of But to Cloath himself with our Mortality in its meanest Dress to shut himself up for nine Months in the Bowels of a Woman to come into the World under the Form of a Child to have Reason in it's highest Perfection and yet to be reduc'd to the Condition of an Infant This is what astonisheth Heaven and Earth this is the admiration of Angels and Men. And certainly Christians whosoever should reflect well on the Majesty Infinity Immensity Eternity and the rest of Gods glorious Attributes and then should behold a Child newly brought into the World questionless he would stand amaz'd to think that the Majesty of Heaven should Inhabit within such an inconsiderable piece of Flesh that so boundless an Ocean should be shut up within so narrow a Channel that the eternal God should become a Child And yet thus it is Christians the great God of Heaven is become a Child the Antient of Days is newly come into the World the eternally begotten Son of the Divine Father behold he 's born an Infant Parvulus natus est nobis Filius datus Isa 9. 6. est nobis Whatsoever therefore you have seen whatsoever you imagin to be the Condition of other Infants at their Birth think the same of your great God for he is become exactly like them in all things excepting only Sin. He 's Heb. 4. 15. born Naked and Needy like other Infants Weak and Feeble like others He Weeps and Cry's like others He 's wrap'd in Swadling Cloaths like others He Feeds at his Mothers Breast like others and something below the meanest Condition of all other Infants instead of a Cradle He is laid in a hard Manger expos'd to the sharp Winds of a Winter Night the Wants and Incommodities of a desolate Place Pannis eum involvit reclinavit Luke 2. 7 in praesepio O Blessed Jesus how do's this poor Lodging suit with Thee who hast Heaven for thy Throne and the whole Earth for thy Footstool How do's this Manger agree with Thee who reposest in the Bosom of thy Divine Father How do these Tears become thee who art the Joy of all the Angels in Heaven and God of all Consolation here upon Earth How do's this want of Cloaths this need of a little Milk fall upon Thee who featherest the Birds feedest the Beasts and art absolute Lord of the whole Universe Ah Christians let us stop and pause here a while let our Heart speak by it's Affections what our Tongue cannot utter by Expressions let us behold with a silent Astonishment what we cannot discourse but with Admirations and Exclamations The great God of Heaven become a Child the increated Wisdom and Word of God silent and speechless the King of Glory lodg'd in a Stable the Lord of all things in Want and Poverty Oh Heavens What think you of this Or rather Dear Christians since 't is for you He 's born what think you of this Why think you has the great God of Heaven thus humbled himself upon Earth Why did He choose to come into the World after this strange manner I say why did he choose For we must not imagin that these Things happen'd thus by chance 'T was not the Unkindness and Inhumanity of the hard-hearted Bethlemites that forc'd him into a Stable 't was not their refusing his Mother a Lodging that oblig'd him to lye in a Manger Oh no! He that can soften the Hearts of Tygers could have made his Mother find a Welcom amongst her own Relations He that places Kings on the Throne could have rais'd himself a Palace in the Fields of Bethlehem 'T was not therefore any want of Power or Forecast 't was not any Necessity or chance that reduc'd him to this Condition Other Infants indeed have it not in their Power to choose the Time the Place and manner of their Birth but this divine Child had all these things at his own choice and disposal And why then did he choose to be born in the depth of Winter and obscurity of the Night Why did he choose a Stable a Manger for his Lodging Why did he call only poor Shepherds to give him the first Welcom into the World Ah! St. Bernard gives the true reason when he tells us All this was to confound the Pride and Vanity of the World to condemn the luxe Ease and Excesses of Men. Cur stabulum Christus elegit Plane ut reprobet Mundi gloriam ut damnet saeculi Vanitatem To instruct us by Example before he could teach us by Words to convince us say's St. Augustin by his own Choice what little Esteem we ought to have of all the Glory Greatness Riches Pomps and Pleasures of this Life He contemn'd them all Omnia terrena bona contempsit Christus ut contemnenda monstraret He chose to be poor that rich Men might not think themselves happy He would not be rich that poor Men might not think themselves miserable He would want all that the World most esteems He would suffer all that the World most abhors that we should neither place our Happiness in the one nor fear any Adversity from the other Vt nec in istis quaereretur felicitas nec in istis timeretur adversitas Christ saw that Men would lose the Glory of Heaven by their ambitious Desires of Temporal Greatness and therefore He made himself so little Christ saw that Men would forfeit their eternal Inheritance by fixing their Hearts so much on the Goods of the Earth and therefore He appears so poor and indigent Christ saw
that Men would lose the Joy's of Paradise by indulging their Ease and Pleasures in this Life and therefore He chose to lye in a Manger Omnia terrena bona contempsit Christus ut contemnenda monstraret O my God! 't is here I own the greatness both of thy Mercy and our Misery 't is from the strangeness of this Remedy that I come to understand the depth of our Wounds Ex St. Bern. Serm. 3. de Nativitate consideratione remedii periculi mei aestimo quantitatem Ah Christians How dangerous was our Condition How desperate was our Distemper that stood in need of such a Physician To what a heighth had our Pride carry'd us that it should be necessary for the great God of Heaven to descend into a Stable to abate it How strongly was our Heart fastn'd and wedded to the Riches and Pleasures of the Earth that it should be necessary for the King of Glory to lye in a Manger to disengage it Ex consideratione Remedii periculi mei aestimo quantitatem But Christians will all this suffice Is the Remedy great enough for the Disease Has Jesus Christ laid himself low enough for your Example The great God of Heaven has made himself the least and lowest of Men You great Ones of the Earth will you thence learn to be Humble You little Ones will you leave to be Envious or Ambitious The King of Glory has made himself the poorest of Men You rich Ones of the World will you learn not to set such a value on your Riches You poor Men will you learn not to repine for your Poverty or murmur against Providence The Author of all Bliss and Happiness lies shivering in a cold and hard Manger You delicate Christians of this Age will you learn to Suffer Ah Christians What can be more convincing than these practical Arguments of our divine Saviour What can be more persuasive than the Rhetoric of this silent Babe What can be more powerful than his Example to disabuse Men of those false Notions those wrong Idea's which Opinion and Custom the Principles and Practices of the World have fix'd in them For Christians if our Sovereign Lord and Master came thus into the World if He that had it in his power to appear all in Glory and Majesty if He that could have abounded with all Plenty and Magnificence if He I say chose the Poverty and Ignominy of a Stable what follows then but that terrible consequence St. Bernard draws from thence viz. That either Christ is mistaken or the World is in a great Error either Christ knew not how to make a good choice or Men are convinc'd to make a very bad one Aut Christus St. Bern. fallitur aut Mundus errat Christ made choice of Poverty and Men fly it as the greatest Misery Christ chose to be in want and Men seek nothing but Plenty Christ chose to appear Little and Abject and Men strive all they can to grow Great and Glorious Christ chose to lye hid in the obscurity of a dark Night and Men seek all Means to publish and proclaim themselves to the World Christ chose to be born in the depth of Winter to lodge in a cold Stable a hard Manger and Men seek nothing but the Ease Commodity and satisfaction of their Body Oh! how contrary is their Choice How opposit are their Ways They are in two Extremes they cannot both be in the right therefore S. Bern. either Christ is deceiv'd or Men are under a great mistake Aut Christus fallitur aut Mundus errat And what think you my belov'd Brethren For whom will you pronounce Is Jesus Christ in the right Has the eternal Wisdom of Heaven made a good Choice here upon Earth Do you approve of His Choice Do you approve of His coming into the World after that poor manner in which our Solemnity represents Him unto you Do's his Stable his Manger his poor and low Condition please you If you approve of his Judgment in making such a Choice why then do you govern your selves by such opposit Maxims If you like his Ways why are you so unwilling to tread in his Steps If you esteem the Poverty and Humility of the Infant Jesus why do you so greedily thirst after the Riches and Honors of the World Alas 't is here that we Christians too often imitate the Jews who had a high Esteem a great Veneration for their Messias whilst he was at a distance whilst they beheld him in their glorious Prophesies but when he came amongst them they would not take notice of him The longing expectation of so many Ages the desir'd of all Nations the so much wish'd for Messias when He came into the World they would not know Him because of the low and abject Condition he appear'd in In Mundo erat Mundus eum Joan 1. 10. non cognovit And just thus it goes with us Christians We Honor we esteem Jesus Christ at a distance but if He come near us or begin to draw us near to himself Oh! then we presently fly from him we are asham'd of his Company we find him troublesome to us He appears all in Poverty and we can esteem nothing but Riches and Plenty He talks to us of Humiliations and Abjections and we desire to be Esteem'd and Honor'd He speaks of Sufferings and Mortifications and we love nothing but our Ease and Pleasure Thus you see we imitate the Jews we honor Jesus Christ at a distance but when he comes near us we know him not we esteem the Poverty of our Saviour so long as it remains with him in the Stable we admire and bless his Sufferings his Mortifications provided that he keep them close shut up with himself in the Manger but if he bring any of his Poverty into our House into our Family if he communicate any share of his Sufferings to us Oh! then we are of another mind then we find a thousand Reasons to disapprove of them we have a thousand Pretences to excuse our selves from admitting of them Hence at the same time that we seem to approve we really disapprove of Christs Choice we like and dislike his Ways we esteem and condemn his Judgments Whilst we only discourse of Things whilst we speak of Him and his Proceedings we are even ravish'd at this admirable conduct of his Wisdom That our God that our great God should become a Child that He should be born in a Stable lodg'd in a Manger that He should come into the World after such a poor and humble manner Oh! 't was the most incomparable Method he could take to cure the Wounds of our Soul 't was the wisest Choice he could make to shew himself our Saviour But when He would apply this Remedy to us when He would make the same Choice for us which we so much approve of in him Oh! then we are of another Judgment then we do not stick to say at least by our Actions and
your Heart observe how you behave your selves in the Occasions and Tryals your Saviour gives you of manifesting his Spirit of imitating his Humility and Poverty When therefore you see others preferr'd before you when you see them rais'd to great Honors and your self neglected and unregarded If you repine and murmur at this when God Almighty takes away some temporal Advantage from you when he lessens your Riches by such Misfortunes as he permits to fall upon you If you are transported with Trouble and Disquiet of Mind 't is a terrible sign that your esteem of his Humility and Poverty was only in Fancy and Imagination 't is an evident mark that your Heart is strongly ty'd to the Honors and Riches of this World 't is a convincing proof that you are govern'd by some other Spirit than that of Christ that you are guided by other Maxims than those he preaches from his Manger Propter vos egenus factus est cum esset dives 2 Corn. â— Alass Dear Christians Jesus was rich and he became thus poor for our sakes that he might quench in our Hearts that ardent Thirst we have after Riches He was at the heighth of Honor Glory and Greatness and he has made himself thus Little and Abject that he might beget in us a contempt of all worldly Greatness He was incapable of suffering any thing in his own Nature and he has taken ours that he may suffer in all Kinds and thereby give us an Example of Penance and Mortification Let us awaken then dear Christians Let us awaken out of that Dream which the Father of Lyes has so long deluded us with Let us withdraw our Thoughts from those Impressions which Custom and Opinion the Principles and Practice of the World have impos'd upon us Let us leave the World to think and speak according to its Rules and Maxims But for us that are Christians let us govern our selves by the Maxims of Christ let us hearken to him who is come from Heaven to be our Master And no where do's he teach us more efficaciously than in the Mystery of this Days Solemnity The Stable of Bethlehem is the proper School of Christians the Manger is the Pulpit from which this great Evangelist first began to preach to the World. Let us therefore often enter into this School let us draw near to this Pulpit let us hearken to this divine Preacher He is Silent but every thing as St. Bernard observes has a Voice every thing Preaches His Stable preaches his Manger preaches his Swadling-Cloaths preach his Tears preach his very St. Bern. Serm. 5. de Nativitate Silence preaches Clamat Stabulum clamat praesepe clamant panni clamant lacrymae ipsa Infantilia membra clamant quid clamant And what is' t they preach They preach Humility Poverty Penance Mortification contempt of all worldly Riches Pleasures and St. Bern. ibid. Honors Clamant Humilitatem Paupertatem Poenitentiam contemptum Opum Deliciarum commodorum Mundi These are the great Lessons Christ preaches from his Manger these are the important Instructions Christians must learn from this divine Master By this we shall joyn with the Angels in giving Glory to God and fit our selves for that Peace which God is come to give to Men. This Peace is the great Blessing our New-born Saviour has brought us from Heaven the greatest Happiness we can enjoy here upon Earth and an Earnest of that eternal Peace and Joy we hope to find hereafter in Heaven Which God of his infinit Goodness bestow on your Sacred Majesty and all this Pious Assembly Amen FINIS