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
Behavior we do not stick to say Christ is deceiv'd the eternal Wisdom of Heaven is mistaken in the Choice he would make for us Christus fallitur Titles of Honor Places of Respect Worldly Dignities Riches and Plenty are much better for us the World knowes best how to make a good Choice for us the World is in the right Christ is deceiv'd Christus fallitur Mundus non errat But Christians how then shall Jesus Christ be a Saviour to us How shall he give Glory to God or bring that Peace and Joy to Men which you heard the Angels publish this Day Must we desire this Divine Infant to return back again to Heaven to take some new Instructions to resolve on some new Counsels some other Methods Must we desire Him to come to us after another manner than that we now behold him in He thought this the most proper to glorify God and save Men. His eternal Father is well pleased with it He has sent down a multitude of Angels to express his Satisfaction These Blessed Spirits no sooner beheld the Humility and Poverty of his Birth but they presently sung Glory to God. And I must tell you all that desire to have any share in that Peace and Joy they publish'd at the same time to Men must be of the same Judgment All that will be sav'd by Christ must conform themselves to the Measures and Methods he has taken to be their Saviour What He came from Heaven to teach we must learn upon Earth What Jesus did to save us we must do to be sav'd by Jesus which is what I am to discourse of in my Second Part. Second Part. 'T is hard to say whether it be more astonishing that God should not disdain to become like Men or that Men should disdain to become like God That God should come down from Heaven to teach Men or that Men should be unwilling to learn of such a Master That He should undertake to be their Physician or that they should refuse to make use of his Remedies In the First Part of this Discourse we have seen how God has made himself Little Poor and Abject to teach us a Lesson of Humility Poverty and Mortification We have seen also how this heavenly Physician is come down to the Bed-side as St. Augustin observes of sick Man and He not only prescribes him Remedies but also to make them go down the easier he first makes tryal of Prior bibit Medicus sanus ut bibere non dubitaret Aegrotus St. Aug. Serm. 59. de verbis dai them himself Ad sanandum grandem Aegrotum descendit omnipotens Medicus Humiliavit se usque ad mortalem carnem tanquam ad lectum Aegrotantis But who is willing to practice the Lessons he teaches Who is willing to apply the Remedies he prescribes Which of you is resolv'd to make his Humility an Antidote against your Pride Which of you is resolv'd to draw from his Poverty a Motive to abate something of that Vanity in your Apparel that Superfluity in your Furniture that Excess in your Table Let every one say's St. Bernard examin himself and see what Effect these powerful Remedies have wrought in him Cogitet unusquisque quantum in eo operentur tam salutaria Medicamenta But Alas my dear Brethren is it not true what the same Holy Father adds Is it not true that there are some Christians to whom Christ is not yet born who are not willing to be sav'd after the manner he has taken to be their Saviour who are not really glad that Christ is come into the VVorld Sunt quibus nondum natus est Christus The Angels were full of Joy at his Birth and they made hast to communicate this good News to Men to carry them the joyful Tydings that their Saviour is born Evangelizo Luâ— 2. 10. vobis gaudium magnum quia natus est vobis Salvator But Christians are you glad to hear this good News Is it a Joy to you to hear your Saviour is born Certainly all that are in Misery must needs be glad to hear of a Saviour And methinks every one in this Assembly speaks the Content of his Heart by the joyful Air of his Countenance every one seems well pleas'd to hear from the Angel that our Saviour is born But Christians are you glad let me once more put the Question to you are you glad to have the Infant Jesus for your Saviour Are you willing to be sav'd after the Method he has taken to be your Saviour I must then tell you plainly He can no otherwise be a Saviour to you than by taking out of your Heart that Pride that Ambition that Avarice which have so long kept possession there He cannot be your Saviour once more hear it but by taking out of your Heart that love of the World that love of Honor that love of Riches that love of Pleasure which has been so long Master of your Heart And are you glad to hear of such a Saviour Are you willing that he should free you from those pleasing Enemies of your Salvation Are you willing that he should tear from your Heart those so long settl'd Affections Are you willing that Jesus Christ should make a total Change an entire Conversion a thorough Reformation in your Soul Are you willing that he should settle the same Judgments the same Affections the same Inclinations in you which this Day you have seen appear in him In a word Are you willing that he should make you like himself as he has made himself like you They that are not willing he should do this they that will not permit him to do this must look for some other Saviour they must with the Jews expect the coming of another Messias The Divine Child of Bethlehem is no Saviour for them the Infant Jesus is not born for them Sunt quibus nondum natus est Christus He is a Saviour because he 's Humble He is a Saviour because he 's Poor He is a Saviour because he Suffers Whosoever will not partake of his Humility of his Poverty of his Mortifications shall have no share in his Redemption He will be no Saviour to them Sunt quibus nondum natus est Christus And what Must then Rich Men divest themselves of all their Possessions Must Noble Men turn their Beds of State into Mangers Must Kings and Queens leave their Thrones and retire into Stables to partake of this Days great Blessing to be sav'd by a Messias who appears all in Poverty and Humility No no Christians The Divine Child of Bethlehem whom this Day you see worship'd by poor Shepherds twelve Days hence you will see ador'd by Kings 'T is not therefore the exterior Marks of Honor or Humility of Plenty or Poverty but the interior disposition of the Heart that he regards 't is Poverty of Spirit 't is Humility of Heart that he requires in all those that will be sav'd by him Alass there are many
who under a poor and abject Appearance cover ambitious and covetous Minds who are still complaining repining and murmuring against Providence and these Persons tho they are poor and abject yet have no comfort in the Poverty and Humility of the Infant Jesus On the contrary There are others whom God Almighty has plac'd in eminent Stations who by the disposition of Providence not by any ambition of their own Heart are rais'd to high Dignities who possess vast Treasures but as St. Augustin say's of them amidst all the Honors and Pomps of the World conserve an humble Heart to God. In superbo cultu cor Humile Who whilst they St. Aug. Epist 199. behold their Saviour in his Stable look upon themselves with a holy kind of Contempt to see their Condition so different from his In fine who often pronounce in their Heart what we read of the incomparable Queen Hester who when She was at the heighth of all the Greatness and Glory a most powerful Monarch could raise her too yet confidently told Almighty God that He knew she was so far from taking any complacence in those Honors that she rather submitted to them by Necessity than affected them by Vanity Tu scis necessitatem meam quod abominer signum Esther 14. 16. Gloriae meae quod est super caput meum in diebus ostentationis meae To wear rich Apparel to have a House well furnish'd to receive the Respects and Submissions of Men may be a decency due to the Rank God Almighty has plac'd you in but to take pride in those Honors to delight in those fine Cloaths to busie your Thoughts much about them to set your Heart upon them is a Vanity our Saviour condemns by the Humility and Poverty of his Stable To be Great to be Rich may be a Blessing of Heaven but to place ones Happiness in such things to thirst vehemently after them is that great that general Crime of the World which the whole Life and Doctrin of our Saviour was a condemnation of Those Persons therefore whose Minds are always big with ambitious Designs who are continually gaping after some new Preferment whose Hands are open on all sides to receive Mony who gripe all the Wealth that comes near them Oh! these are they who have no share in that Peace that Joy which our New born Saviour brought this Day into the World. How much then are they deceiv'd in their Devotion who because they were present last Night at the Divine Office because they heard the Three Masses because they receiv'd the Blessed Sacrament therefore think they have done all that is requisit to honor this great Feast Alas all this is but the exterior of this Days Devotion The true Honor due to this Solemnity is the disengaging of our Heart from the love of this World 'T was for this that Christ was born in a Stable 't was for this that he came down from Heaven that as the Apostle speaks he might disengage us from this wicked World that we might renounce all Impiety and worldly Desires Whosoever therefore will cherish in his Heart any of those Desires any of those Passions which Christ came to free us from will find no comfort in the Birth of his Saviour No no St. Bernard tells us plainly and truly The poor Stable of Bethlehem will afford no comfort to those that set their Hearts on Riches Christs low and humble Manger will afford no comfort to those that aspire at Titles of Honor high Places of Preferment His poor Swadling Bands will afford no comfort to those that delight in fine Cloaths Non consolantur panni ejus ambulantes St. Bern. Serm de Nativ in stolis non consolatur praesepe stabulum amantes primas Cathedras in Synagogis Those Persons also that live always out of themselves that willl be always abroad always in Company and Entertainments neither will they find any comfort in the Solitude and Silence of the Infant Jesus they that will be always in Mirth and Jollity will find no comfort in the Tears of this weeping St. Bern. Serm. 5. de Nativitate Babe Non consolatur Christi Infantia garrulos non consolantur Christi lacrymae cachinantes No no Christians They that will find comfort in Jesus must not seek it in things which he banish'd far from himself Riches Honors Plays Divertisements and great Entertainments are not to be found in his Stable and therefore who sets his Heart on these things will never find Content in his New-born Saviour You know well two Persons can never live easily together they can never find Satisfaction in each other they can never make up a lasting Friendship unless they be something alike in their Judgments in their Humors and Ways You see what are the Ways of the Infant Jesus you see his Humor his Inclination is to be in Solitude and Silence 'T is for this that He chose rather to be born in the Fields than Town of Bethlehem that he might be far from the Noise and Disturbances of this busie World 't is for this that the public Inns were no place of abode for him He chose rather to lye in a Stable than not to be in Retirement Whosoever therefore desires to make up a Friendship with him must be of the same Humor he must sometimes withdraw himself from the Conversation of Men and noise of worldly Affairs if he will enjoy the company of Jesus in his solitary Stable You see also what is his Opinion what Judgment he makes of Things what Spirit predominates in Him You see he esteems Poverty Humility Lowliness Mortification Whosoever pretends to be his Friend must be of the same Opinion the same Judgment he must be acted by the same Spirit For the Apostle tells us plainly He that has not this Spirit of Christ do's not belong to Christ he cannot be one of his Friends Si quis non habet Spiritum Christi hic non est ejus Christians Do you rightly apprehend this terrible Expression of the Apostle Reflect a little on it Not to belong to Jesus Christ to have no share in his Friendship to have no part in that Peace and Joy which he brought this Day into the World Oh God! what a dismal Sentence is this Si quis non habet Spiritum Christi hic non est ejus He that has not his Spirit of Humility his Spirit of Poverty his Spirit of Mortification he do's not belong to Christ Non est ejus Examin therefore well your Hearts see whether you have this Spirit of Christ and that you may not be deceiv'd for alas the Heart of Man is an Abyss of Darkness They that are continually searching into it by their most serious Considerations and pious Meditations have difficulty enough to discover the secret Springs and hidden Sourse of that Pride Avarice and Ambition which lye deep rooted in our Nature Therefore that you may not be deceiv'd in the Judgment you make of