RHYTHM THE FIRST.
This is the day that gladdened them, the Prophets, Kings, and Priests, for in it were their words fiilfilled, and thus were the whole of them indeed performed ! For the Virgin did today bring forth Immanuel in Bethlehem. The voice that eist Isaiah spake, to-day reality became. H^ was bompg^^e, there who in writing should the Gentiles' number tell ! The Is. lo, Psalm that David once did sing, by its fiilfilment came to- ^^' day ! The word that Micah once did speak, to-day was mjc. 5 actually done! For there came from Ephrata a Shepherd,^ and His staff swayed over souls. Lo! from Jacob shone 24, 17. the Star, and from Israel rose the Head. The prophecy that^°^ ^» Balaam spake had its interpreting to-day ! Down also came the hidden Light, and from the Body rose His beauty ! Hie light that ^ spake in 2iachary, to-day did gleam in Bethlehem !
* The word bere used in the Syriac exactly metrical character of them apis frequently employed by the Babbins pears to justify the adoption of the title (not withoat great countenance from ^ rhythm,' especially as the term has althe use of the root in Holy Writ) to ready been used in other parts of the ezprcts ' a mystical commentary' on the Church for devotional compositions of a Text of Scriptare. There is much similar cast
analogons to this in these discourses of *" St £. may probably here have
St Epbrem; while the more or less intended to imply, that the phrase
B
2 Tlie Nativity qf Christ fulfik the types
Risen is the Light of the kingdom, in Ephrata the cit^ of the King. The blessing wherewith Jacob blessed, to its fulfilment came to-day ! That tree likewise, [the tree] of life, Prov. 3,bringeth hope to mortal men ! Solomon his hidden proverb had to-day its explanation ! To-day was bom the Child, and Isa. 9, His name was Wonder called ! For a wonder *tis that God as Pg 22 6. 3- Babe should shew Himself. By the word Worm ' did the Spirit Him in parable foreshow, because His generation was without marriage. The type the Holy Ghost did figure, today its meaning was [explained.] He came up as a root before 18.63,2. Him, as a root of parched ground. Aught that coyerUy was infr. R. said, openly to-day was done ! The King that was in Judah hidden, Thamar stole Him from his thigh ; to-day arose His con- '^- quering beauty, which in hidden estate she loved'. Ruth at arosetiie Booz side fell down, because the Medicine of Life hidden in victory hiiji ghe perceived. To-day fiilfiUed was her vow, since beauty, from her seed arose the Quickener of all. Travail Adam on cealeT ^^ Woman brought, that from him had come forth. She to-day nem of her travail ransomed, who to her a Saviour bare ! To Eve ^. ' our mother birth a man gave, who had had no birth himself. How much more should Eve's daughter be believed to have borne a Child without a man ! The virgin earth, she bare that Adam that was head over the earth ! The Virgin bare today the Adam that was Head over the Heavens. The staff of Aaron, it budded, and the dry wood yielded firuit ! Its mystery is cleared up to-day, for virgin womb a Child hath borne**!
«3*)3*7n"]M^Dn, the Angel that spaie "°jo^ with God in Christ which the m me, was the Angel of the covenant, "wnta enjoy. For to God time is as the Liffhtof Light; and it seems that a nothing, and those who through grace created being would not so readily be "■*'® o°® Y^^ Him, begin to view tiiings conceived of as speaking m a person. ** He views them. See Zech. 1,9. * So the hymn in the Salisbury Brev. It maybe well also to notice here, ^orthefeastof the Nameof Jesns, Aug. how St Ephrem (in common with St. ^* ^^ among the list of His Names, Leo, St Chrysostom, St Augustine, * Vermis.' S. Austin, in Joan. Tr, i. 13. and others) speaks of the celebration of ^^^ on Ps. 2 1 , 7. may be also referred to. the day as if it was the day itself, partly ** It was common anciently to interas exhibiting their intense realization P^^^ ^^ ^d out of the stem of Jesse through faith of the mystery and the ^^ the Bl. Virgin, and the Branch from re-presentation of it, to ut«e the word in ^'^ *'oots of the Messiah. Thus Jerome its ancient sense; partly as evincing, on the place: ^^ Jews interpret rod on^ perhaps, a belief in the unabidingness hranch of the Lord Himself, because forof our conceptions of time— a belief re- >ooth the power of a ruler is indicated by salting, it may be, from the mystical the rod, by the flower (so he renders
and explains them. 3
Shamed is that folk that holdeth the prophets as tnie ; for unless our Saviour did come, falsified their words have been ! Blessed be the True One who came from the Father of the Truth and fulfilled the true seers' words, which were accomplished in their truth. From Thy treasure-house put forth, Lord, from the cofiers of Thy Scriptures, names of righteous men of old, who did look to see Thy coming ! Seth who was in Abel's stead shadowed out the Son as killed, by Whose death dulled was the envy Cain had brought into the world ! Noah saw the sons of God, saints that sudden waxed wanton, and the Holy Son he expected, by w^bom were hallowed whoremongers'. The brothers twain, that covered Noah, saw the only Son of God who should come to hide the nakedness of Adam, who was drunk with pride. Shem and Japhet, being gracious, did the gracious Son expect, Who should come and set free Canaan from the servitude of sin.
Melchizedek expected Him, — as His vicegerent, was looking, that he might see the Priesthood's Lord, whose hys-LeT.i4, sop whiteneth the world. Lot beheld the Sodomites how * they perverted nature's' course : for nature's Lord he looked *S. right who gave a holiness not natural. Him Aaron looked for, °* for he saw that if his rod ate serpents up. His cross would eat B:xod.7, the Serpent up that had eaten Adam and Eve. Moses saw the hanging serpent that the bites of asps had cured, and he looked to see Him who would heal the ancient Serpent's wound. Moses saw that he himself alone retained the gleam from God, and he looked for Him who came and multiplied gods by His teaching ^
Caleb the spy bore the cluster on the staff, and came and longed to see the Cluster, Whose wine should comfort the world. Him did Jesus son of Nun long for, that he might conceive ■ the force of his own surname ; for if by His name « S. he waxed so mighty, how much more would He by His^*^^
8.
'Mtii) ^® beaaty. Bat let us aDderstand like the Pharisees were acting a religion
the rod of the root of Jesse, of the Holy without feeling it. See also 1 Cor. 6,
Virgin Mary &c." St. E. on the place ^^; i? • „ , , „ , ,
(after the Ch. Paraph,) interprets the ' St. E. refers here to St. John x. 34.
Toois of the kin of Joseph and Mary. ^^^^^ *»»e Word Himself teacheth ua
• St. E. here ailades apparently that it was by His coming to them that
to the fact, that nnder onr Lord's Saints of old were called Gods. See on
nilc impure persons were more likely ^^' Sc^u** ^xix. and A than. c. Ar.
to come to baptism, than those vvho *• 3^- A"st. in Nat. xi. 3. and ix. 1.
b2
4 The Nativity of Christ fulfils the types
Birth ? This Jesus that gathered and carried, and brought with him of the fruit, was longing for the Tree of Life to taste the Fruit that quickeneth all. Raliab too for Him was looking ; for when the scarlet thread in type redeemed her from wi*ath, in type she tasted of the Truth. ^Twas for Him Elijah thrilled, and when Him on earth he saw not, he through faith most throughly cleansed, mounted up in heaven to see Him. Moses saw Him and Elijah, the meek man from the depth ascended, the zealous from on high descended, and in the midst beheld the Son*. They figured the mystery of His Advent: Moses was a type of the dead, and Elijah a type 1 Thess. of the living, that fly to meet Him at His coming. For the ^' * death the dead have tasted, them He maketh to be first: and the rest that are not buried are at last caught up to meet Him.
Who is there that can count me up the just that looked for the Son, whose number cannot be determined by the mouth of us weak creatures ? Pray ye for me, O beloved, that another time with strength endued, I in another legend may their foretaste so set forth, as I am able. Who is adequate to praising of the Son of the Truth ^ that hath risen to us ? For 'twas for Him the righteous thrilled, that in their generation they might see Him. Adam, he was looking for Him, for He is the Cherub's Lord, and could minister an entrance and a residence hard by the branches of the Tree of life. Abel after Him did thrill, that in his days He might come, that instead of that lamb that he ofiered, the Lamb of God he might behold. Eve for Him was also looking, for woman's nakedness was sore,
c Elijah and Moees are spoken of And with this the next words seem to
as ascending and descending, as types fall in.
of thefaithfol quick and dead ; but what b St £. before spoke of the Father
Is recorded of their earthly ends had of the Truth, i. e. of Christ; here
also an analogy with their character, he speaks of the Father as the Tmth.
Elijah's ascension with his fiery zeal, It is important to notice this, because
Moses' burial in the heart of the earth the Fathers have been sometimes
with his meekness, which was at the accused of decyinff to the Father oer-
Lord's Coming to be exalted. Perhaps tain attributes, and not allowing these
St. £. also wishes to blend together the to exist except as having a personality
eyentsoftheTransBguration with those of in the Son; a^i though the Father were
the timesof Moses and £lijah,whose pre- not as perfectly God as if there were
sence there always had a typical mean- neither Son nor Holy Ghost, and They
ing attributed to it: and hence introduces again each as perfectly G^ as if there
Moses as coming from the earth in was no Father. 3ee St Athan. Oral,
which he died, and wa« buried ; (see iv. 9. St. Aust de Trin. yii. 2. A« xv. 7.
St. Jude 9.) and Elijah from the Hea- 8. Greg. Nyss. ii. p. 320. b. yen to which without death he ascended.
and explains ihem, 5
and He capable to clothe them, not with leaves, but with that same glory that they had exchanged away. The tower that the many builded symbolically looked for One, who coming down would build on earth a tower that lifts up to Heaven. Yea the ark of living creatures for our Lord looked in a type; for He should build the Holy Church, wherein souls find a refuge. In Phaleg's days earth was divided into tongues threescore and ten^ He looked for Him who by the tongues, to His Apostles earth divided. Earth which the flood had swallowed up, in silence cried to her Lord. He came down and opened^ Baptism, and men were drawn by it to Heaven. Seth and Enos, Cainan too, were sumamed sons of God; for the Son of God they looked, that they His brethren by grace might be^ But little lacking of a thousand years did Methusalah live : He looked for the Son that maketh heirs of life that never ends \ Grace itself with mystic instinct', was beseeching in ' ia hidtheir stead that their Lord might come in their age and fill up ten?^'* their fallings short. For the Holy Spirit in them, in their Rom. s, stead, besought with musing: He stirred them up, and i^i^pet,] Him did they look on that Redeemer, after whom they thrilled n* [with longing.]
The soul of just men in the Son a Medicine of life perceived, and so it felt desires that He might come in its own days, and then His sweetness would it taste. Enoch, he was thrilling for Him, and since on earth the Son he saw not, he was justified by great £uth, and mounted up in Heaven to see Him. Who is there that will spurn at grace, when the Gift' that* p. 14. they of old gained not by much labour, fi'eely cometh to men now^? For Him Lamech also looked who might come and'tolatlovingly give Him quiet from his labour, and the toiling of his **'"*•"• hands, and from the earth the Just One had cursed. Lamech Gen. 6, then his son beheld, Noah, — ^him, in whom were figured types ^^*
' This in round numbers is the re- i If in Ps. 82, 6. the title ' sons of ceiTed aceonnt of the number of Ian- the Most High' seems applied to those gnages at the dispertdon. See St. before Christ, it mnst be only by aniic. in Dent. 33. p. 286. £. and Pot- cipation of the grace to come, and not ter npon St. Clement, Strom, i. §. 142. as though .they were pi^u My an excap. 16. p. 404. Upon the nei^ words pression which ufas applied of old to compareSt. AustinS.S. inPentec. 269. Christians. See on Atnanas. note k,
^ Alluding probably to Gen. 7, 11. p. 56. And on Tertullian, Apol. p,
the windows of Heayen were opened, 64.
6 Ttit vigils of worldlings
relating to the Son. In the stead of Lord afar off, type at hand afforded quiet. Yea Noah also thrilled to see Him, the taste of whose assisting graces he had tasted. For if the type of Him preserved living things, Himself how sure to bestow life upon souls ! Noah longed for Him, by trial knowing Him, for through Him had the ark been stablished. For if the type of Him thus saved life, sure much more would He in person.
John 8, Abraham perceived in spirit that the Son's Birth was far off"; stead of Him in person even His day he saw with gladness. To see Him Isaac thrilled with longing, as having tasted the
Heb.ii, taste of His redemption; for if the sign of Him so gave life, much more would He by the reality.
Dan. 4, Joyous were to-day the watchers, that the Wakeful came to wake us! Who would pass this night in slumber, in which all the world was watching" ? Since Adam brought into the world the sleep of death by sins, the WakeAil came down that He might awake us from the drenching sleep of sin. Watch not we as usurers, who, on money put to interest thinking, watch at night so oft, to reckon up their capital, and interest. Waking, full of cool devices, is the thief, who in the earth hath buried and concealed his sleep". His wakefulness all ends in this, that He may cause much wakefulness to them that be asleep. Wakeful likewise is the glutton, who hath eaten much and is restless ; His watching is to him his torment, because of stint he was impatient. Wakeful likewise is the merchant, of a night he works his fingers telling o'er what pounds are coming, and if his wealth doubles or trebles. Wakeful likewise is the rich man, whose sleep his riches chase away : his dogs are sleeping, he doth
» St. E. probably here Tiews the its own will." And presently he addu,
whole world or creation (u the word *' this hunger indicates that hnnger more
literally means) as waiting for the sore than it, wherewith onr race before
manifestation of the Son of G^d, whose the advent of the Lord was vexed, whto
fnrther manifestation in them whom He it was in want of the heavenly Bread ;
IS not ashamed to call His brethren it which was qnenched and parsed away
yet waits for. Eom. 8, 19. Hence on by the preaching of the Gospel." It was
Joel 1 , 1 8—20. he says, * * the groaning usaal formerly to nsher in all the greater
of the herds is a type of the groaning of feasts with a vigil, which St. E. here
the creation, indicating how it groan- makes .the occasion of the practical
•th and waiteth for the manifestation remarks following,
of the sons of God. Hence the divine ■ This is to us a very strong figure :
. Paul saith, that the creature (i. e. ere- Shakspeare's expression, * Macbeth hath
ation) was subjected to vanity not by murdered sleep,' is not unlike it.
and of Christiana contraaied, 7
guard his treasures Arom the thieves. Wakeful also is the careful, by his care his sleep is swallowed: though his end standeth by his pillow, yet he wakes with cares for years to come. Satan teacheth, O my brethren, in one watching*s stead another, that to good deeds we be sleepy, and to ill awake and watchful. Even Judas Iscariot, for the whole night through was wakeful, and he sold the righteous Blood, that did purchase the whole world. The son of the dark one put on darkness, having stiipped the Light from off him : and the Creator of silver, for silver did the thief sell. Yea Pharisees, the dark one's sons, all the night through kept awake : the dark ones watched that they might veil the Light which is unlimited. Ye then watch as [heaven's] lights in this night of starry light. For though so dark its colour is, yet in virtue it is clear".
For whoe'er is like this clear One, wakeful and at prayer in darkness, in this darkness visible him a light unseen envelopes ! The bad man that in daylight standeth, yet as a son of darkness dealeth, though with light clad outwardly, inly is with darkness girt. Be we not deceived, beloved, by the fact that we are watching! For whoso doth not rightly watch, his watch is an unrighteous watch. Whoso watcheth not cheerfully, his watching but a sleeping is : whoso also watcheth not innocently, even his waking is his foe. This is the waking of the envious one ! a solid mass, compact with harm. That watch is but a trafficking, with scorn and mockery compact. The wrathful man if he doth wake, fretful with wrath his wake will be, and his watching proves to him full of rage and of cursings. If the babbler be waking, then his mouth becomes a passage which for sins is expeditious, but for prayers disrelish shews.
The wise man if so be he that watches, one of two things chooseth him, either takes sweet "^9 moderate, sleep, or a holy
■ i. e. This night, though dark out- hear the earth, &c.) an intercomma-
wardly, ia efficaciona in brightening nion between heaven and earth and its
the inward man from what happened joyii is promised in Christian times. See
OB it That Christian festiyals are sea- St. Cyril on the place, p. 66. The
sons when grace is more folly poared English word wake, originally meant a
oat, will be obvious if we reflect that vigil before the feast of a dedication of
blessings are promised to joint nrayer, a Church. See Johnson. It is here
and that Angels were of old tnongbt used sometimes for a vigil, to join in them. In Hosea 3, 23. (I • There is some difficulty in this
wiu hear tiie heavens, and they shall passage : the Syriac word means origi-
8 Mercifulness recommended to us
Pfi.4A, yigil keeps. That night is fair, wherein the Fair One rose
Caot 1 ^ come and make us fair. Let not aught that may disturb
}^- it enter into our watch ! Fair be kept the ear's approach",
chaste the seeing of the eje! hallowed the musing of
S5.fil- the heart! speaking of the mouth be cleared*. Mary
**^* bid in us to-day leaven come from Abraham. Let us
then so pity beggars as did Abraham the needy. To-day
the rennet^ fell on us from the gentle David's house. Let a
I Sam. man shew mercy to his persecutors, as did Jesse's son
Vkiu^ to Saul. The prophets' sweet salt is to-day among the Gen-
a, 20. liies scattered. Let us gain a new savour by that, by the
13. 'which the ancient people lost their savour. Let us speak
the speech of wisdom; speak we not of things beside it, lest
we be ourselves beside it I
In Uiis night of reconcilement let no man be wroib or
gloomy ! in this night that stilleth all, none that threateneth
or disturbs i This night belongeth to the sweet One ; bitter
none, nor harsh be in it ! In this night that is the meek One's,
high or haughty none be in it ! In this day of pardoning
* 8. not let us not be unforgiving ' ! In this day of gladnesses
ti^. let us not spread sadnesses! In this day so sweet, let not
pa08e8. 113 be harsh ! In this day of peaceful rest, let us not be
nallT sweetlj, then temperately. Bened. of these two modes of keeping Hie TigiL
renders it somnam suavem, noxiis ao Vigilv might be made an occasion of
trifftibus vacuum curis, sibi statait. Per- falling: hence St. Hilary says on the
haps he was influenced in this by the Psalm jnst quoted, '* The nightlj
words of the hymn in daily ose at Com- vigils may not be made into a danger-
ptine, Procul recedant somnia, Et oua leisure wherewith to unnerve the
noctium phantasmata &c. Comp. Ps. soul: but it is by prayers and suppU-
119, 66. I have thought upon Thy cations, and confessions of sin, that its
Name, O Lord, in the eight season, and attention must be arrested ; so that at
have kept Thy law : this I had, be- the very time, when to the vices of the
cause I kept thy commandments, — body an occasion is administered, then
where being able to have God before especially may those very vices by the
UM in the night reason, in spoken of as a calling to mind of ^e Law of God be
reward for keeping His commandments, crushed."
See too Aristot. Ethic. Nicoro.i.&v. fin. P St. E. here alludes to the early
<< Better are the dreams (p^vrmfftmrm) days of David : ha brought cheeses
of the good than those of ordinary men." to his brethren; these were made hj
However we find in the Gospel that our separating the curd from the whey with
Lord does not stay up late to pray, but rennet, a small quantity of which will
either passes the toMe night in prayer, curdle much milk, as a little leaven
or elrie rises up very early in the morn- leaveneth the whole lump. As to the
ing; and it seems to me that St. E. ^ord lAffi^ m<is<o, which seems nneon-
whose manner It IS to allude tacitiy to nected with Semitic languages, it pro-
Scnpture, wished to lead men not to bably is the same as the Sanscrit ««•
throw away His blessed example (^ whey,
herein, and to recommend taking one '
b]f the mercies Christ has shewn us. 9
wrathfiil in it! In this day when God did come to anners, in his mind uplifted let not just o^er sinner be ! In this day in which there came the Lord of all unto the servants, condescending too be masters to their servants lovingly ! In this day in which the Rich poor became for our salces, let the rich man make the poor man at his table with him share. On this day to us came forth the Gift, although we asked it not ! Let us therefore alms bestow on them that cry and beg of us. 'Tis to-day that opened for us a gate on high to our prayers. Let us open also gates to supplicants that have transgressed, and of us have asked [forgiveness.] To-day the Lord of nature^s self was against His natine changed ; let it not to us be irksome oar evil wills to turn. Fixed in nature is the body, great or less cannot become: but the will hath such dominion, it can grow to any measured To-day' Divinily did seal itself upon Humanity, that so Humanity might be vnih the Godhead's stamp adorned.
4 This is one of the many pasi^ages and godliness and salvation, bnt that it is
where the wording would have been the ordinary nature of man : and thai
more cantions after the Pelagian con- this, though it fell through transgression
troversies; although the sequel shews and sin' irom happiness, and became
what, in St. £.*8 mind, was that which estranged from God, is yet that which
gives such strength to the will. An by the worthiness of its own determi-
opportunity will occur for pointing out nate will both invites and rejects the
his tenets upon this subject, in the Holy Spirit. But the Nestorians in
fifth Rhythm against die heretics. regard to the Head itself of the body.
' This again is not technically accu- even Christ, shew the same kind of mina
rate language, owing to the fact that and boldness. For they say ; since
Nestorianism was subsequent to this Christ is of our nature aod God willeth
period. As we say that a man comes all men alike to be saved, and each by
to life at the day of his birth, without his own determinate will to amend his
thereby meaning to assert that the life- own short-comings and make himself
giving soul did not exist with the body worthy of Him ; that this is the reason
in the womb: so in a loose way of why it was not the Word who was
speaking it was open to St. Ephrem to brought forth ; but rather, He who was
Kpeak as if the divine and human na- gendered of Mary, through the worthi-
tures were then united, without his nesa of His own determinate will, bad
really meaning that they were not the Word to go along with Him, while
uniteid in the womb. The words of it was from that worthiness only, and
St Cyril, ap. Phot. cod. 64. may be in similarity of name, that he shared
advantageously quoted here. "The the title of Sod." The two points in St
Nestorian heresy is the same with E/d mind here are shewn by this pas-
the Celestian (i. e. Pelagian.) And sage of St. Cyril to be so intimately
this is plain — ^for the Celestians have connected, that exact language upon
the boldness to assert, in regard to the them was not to be expected antece-
body or members of Christ, (that is, the dently to the heresies just mentioned.
Church,) that it is not God, (that is to In the sequel of these Khythms several
say, the Holy Ghost,) that divideth to passages will occur which shew, how
every man severally as he will, as well strongly St. E. held the Blessed Virgin
faith as alflo all things necessary to life to be the Mother of God.
RHYTHM THE SECOND.
Blessed be that Child, that gladdened Bethlehem to-day !
Blessed be the Babe that made manhood young again to-
p.2.n.d.day! Blessed be the Fruit', that lowered Himself to our
J. IS. n. famished state ! Blessed be the Good One, who suddenly
enriched our necessitousness and supplied our needs ! Blessed
He whose tender mercies made Him condescend to visit
our infirmities ! Praise to the Fountain that was sent^ for
our propitiation. Praise too to Him that undid the Sabbath
by fulfilling it! Praise be to Him that rebuked the leprosy
and it remained not, whom the fever saw and fled ! Praise
to the Merciful, who bore our toil ! Glory to Thy coming,
which quickened the sons of men ! Glory to Him, who came
to us by His First-bom ! Glory to the Silence, who spake by
His Voice*. Glory to the One on high, who was seen by
His Day-spring ! Glory to the Spiritual, who was pleased to
have a Body, that in it His virtue might be felt, and He
p. 19. n. might by that Body shew mercy on His household's bodies!
^y] ' Gloiy to that Hidden One, whose Son was made manifest !
Scrutx. Glory to that Living One, whose Son was made to die ! Glory
adT. to that Great One, whose Son descended and was small!
Scrat
* This is a mystical name of the naal abstioenoe from the wearying toil Messiah which St. E. very often of sin. Their doctrine on this subject is uses, and is perhaps taken ^om Is. compendiously stated in what Jiw* 37, 31. Ps. 72, 16. Ezech. 47, 13. [If tin M. says to Trypho the Jew, c. 13. ^ood men are spoken of as trees yield- '' The new Law wflleth us to keep coning frait, it is in so far as they have tinnal Sabbath : but ye by idling one Christ in them, and shew His presence day fancy ye are religious.'' by their deeds.] ^ This name is given by St. E.
*> There is perhaps an allusion here to the Fadier, to suggest to the mind
tn the pool of Siloam, which comes from that there was a period when the Fa-
t e root employed in the original. S. ther had not begun to work by His
V ers. makes the pool ' a baptistery.' St. Word. It must not be confounded with
Austin, de Doc. Christian. 2. 16. the heretical notion that Sigi and Lo-
poiots out the importance of the in- gos (siJenoe and word) coexisted in
terpretation given by the Evangelist: one rleroma; S. Iren. ii, 13, 3; but
and the term 'AnSmX«f is applied is rather to be paralleled with those ez-
to Christ, Heb. 3, 1. The next words pressions in the Psalms, (be not thou
contain the usual teaching of the silent fye. Ps. 83.) where God's appm-
Fathers upon the Sabbath ; who held rent abstinence f^m working it called
uno ore, that the Christian Sabbath lay Mlence. See adv. Scrut. xi. not in observing days, but in a conti*
xxxii.
FraiUofthe Incarmation. 11
m
Glory to the Power who did stint' His greatness by a foim, Hb unseen nature by a shape ! With eye and mind we hare beheld Him, yea with both of them. Gloiy to that Hidden One, who even with the mind cannot be felt at all by them adv. that pry into Him ; bat by His graciousness was felt by the j^^ ^^^ hand of human beings! The Nature that could not be touched, by His hands was bound and tied, by His feet was pierced and lifted up. Himself of His own will He embo- . died for them that took Him. Blessed be He whom free will crucified,because He let it: blessed be He whom the wood also did bear, because He did allow it. Blessed be He whom the grave bound, that had [thereby] a limit set it. Blessed be He whose own will brought Him to the Womb and Birth, to arms and to increase [in stature]. Blessed He whose alterations* purchased life for human nature.
Blessed He that sealed our soul^ and adorned it and espoused it to Himself. Blessed He who made our Body a tabernacle for His unseen Nature. Blessed He who by our tongue interpreted His secret things. Let us praise that Voice whose glory with our lute is hymned, and His virtue with our harp. The Gentiles have assembled and have come to hear His strains. Glory to the Good One's Son, whom the evil one's sons rejected! Glory to the Just One's Son, whom the sons of wickedness did crucify! Glory to Him that loosed us, and was bound for us all ! Glory to Him that gave the pledge, and did redeem it too ! Glory to the Beautiful, who conformed us to His image'! Glory to that Fair One
^ The original genne of the root here Tdtimately to decay, the same when
employed appears to be * to press, to undergone by our Ix>rd tended to life,
compress:' tiiis has two derivatiTe It may be right to remark, that this
senses,— to straiten as in a siege, and to is a passage in which One Person is
shape, probably by pressure. The lexi- contemplated as God, and as taking
cons only give the fatter as the sense of oar Nature ; both on the Cross and in
the Syriac, bat one cannot help think- the Womb. Nestorius, on the other
iog, that the primitive sense is neces- hand, ' believed the blessed Virgin
sarily implied here: hence it has been Mary Was the mother of a man only, in
rendered * stint by a form,' because the such way as to make one Penon of the
Syriac seemed to require iL St. E. Flesh and another of the Godhead."
however, of coarse, did not hold that the Leo. £p. 83. The yery Fathers,
Godhead of Christ was limited by its who seem, if one may theorize on the
union with the Manhood. See adv. subject, divinely permitted tosay in some
Scrut.xviii. It is therefore only aforci- passages things that enable subsequent
ble way of stating the »iMrif and veiling heretics 'to hXL back and stumble,'
of the Divine Natore. seem also divinely commissioned in
* B. renders, commeroia. St £. others to anticipate and meet them, seems to mean, that whereas the alter- ' The Syriac here is literally : who
adons man undergoes in his body tend formed us in His likenesses, i. e. who
12 Hie loving condescepision to man's needs
Pto. 97, that looked not to our foulnesses! Glory to Him that sowed
li.*l>K His Light in the darkness, and was chidden' in His bidden
'^ state, and covered His secret things. He also stripped and
took off from us the clothing of our filthincss^. Glory be to
Him on high, who mixed His salt* in our minds, His leaven
or reii- in our souls. His Body became Bread, to quicken our deadness.
J^pp, Praise to the Rich, that paid for us all, that which He borrowed
t^jJP* not, and wrote [His bill,] and also became our debtor I By His
Comp'. yoke He brake from us the chains of him that led us captive.
16^6 ^^^^ ^ ^^® Judge that was judged, and made His Twelve to
sit in judgment on the tribes, and by ignorant men condemned
]^ou{oit the scribes of that nation ! Glory to Him that could never be
?° ^•7- measured by us! Our heart is too small for Him, yea our
4, ]3. mind is too feeble. He fooleth our littleness by the riches
of His Wisdom. Glory to Him, that lowered Himself, and
asked that He might hear and learn that which He knew,
that He might by His questions reveal the treasure of His
helpful graces I Let us adore Him that enlightened with His
doctrine our mind, and in our hearing sought for a pathway
for His words. Praise we Him that grafted into our tree His
fruit. Thanks to Him that sent His Heir, that by Him He
might draw us to Himself, yea make us heirs with Him I
Thanks to that Good One, the cause of all goods I
Blessed He who did not chide, because that He was good ! Blessed He that did not spurn, because that He was just also !
made ns likenesses of Himself, probably tbority for such a use, I have preferred
with allusion to Bom. 8, 29. where the keeping the ordinary sense of the root.
Syriac employi* the same roots aa are As the next words allude to the stripping
here used. The restoration, as the con- of Christ, these may allude to the re>
text shews, is here spoken of, and not proaching of Him, before His eruci-
the creation. A restoration however fixion.
implies somewhat to which a person is ^ Zech. 3, 3. is explained by St.
restored, and this is the likenetw to the £. on the place, of Christ taking
Son ; not that we are not made in the upon us the iniquities of us all ; and so
Image of the Trinity, (whose unity is also Origen in Joan. 2, 21. " Having
implied by the unity of roan made in bomii our infirmities and diseases, He
His Image,) but *^ because it was neces- owneth that He hath His soul in a very
sary for those who were to be called sorrowing and troubled estste, and is said
sons of God to be made in the likeness in Zacbary to be clad with filthy gar-
of the Son rather, that the stamp of ments, which, seeing he should put them
sonship might fittingly belong to us.'* off, are said to be sins.*'
S. Cyril, c. Anthrop. vi. t Salt was used in Bsptism in the
s The Syriac root here in its primsry West. Ezek. 16, 4. is thought to have
sense means to cover, then to cover the given rise to the practice. I am not
face as in shame, to be reproached, &c. able to find, however, such a use iu the
Probably St. £. intended the pri- East, and ^erefore St. £. probably al-
mary sense here, but as I have no au- ludes to Mark 9, 49.
displayed in the Incarnation, 1 3
Blessed He that was silent and did chide, that He might quicken us with both ! Severe His silence and reproachful. Mild His severity even when He was accusing ; for He chode the traitor, and kissed the thief. Glory to the hidden Husbandman of our intellects ! His seed fell on to our ground, and made our mind rich. His increase came an hundred-fold into the treasury of our souls ! Let us adore Him who sat JohDU, down and took rest, and walked in the way, so that the Way ^» *^'^' was in the way, and the Door also for them . that go in, by which they go in to the kingdom. Blessed the Shepherd that became a Lamb for our reconcilement! Blessed the Branch that did become the Cup of our Redemption ! Blessed also be the Cluster, Fount of medicine of life ! Blessed also be the Tilman, that became Wheat, that He might be sown, and a Sheaf, that He might be cut ! [Blessed be] the Architect, that Pa. 61 , became a Tower for our place of safely ! Blessed He that so p^.^^ hath tempered the feelings of our mind, that, we with our harp is, lo. should sing that which the winged creatures^ mouth wists not with its strains to sing! Glory to Him, who beheld how we had pleased us to be like to brutes in our rage and our greediness, and came down and was one of us, that we might become heavenly ! Glory be to Him, who never felt the need of our praising Him, yet felt the need, as being kind to us and thirsted as loving us, and asketh us to give to Him, and Mat.35y longeth to give' to us. His Fruit was mingled with us men, ' that in Him we might come nigh to Him, who condescended to us^. By the Fruit of His stem He grafted us into His Tree. Let us praise Him, that prevailed and quickened us by His stripes! Praise we Him, that took away the curse by His thorns! Praise we Him, that put death to death by His dying! Praise we Him, that held His peace and justified us! Praise we Him^ who rebuked death that had overcome us ! Blessed He, whose helpful graces cleansed out the left side*!
■ Allnding to the waye-offering, Levit. to Ezek. 47, 13. of the Eucharist Sapr.
23, 1 1 . which was ordinarily interpreted p. 10.
of Christ. See also on Joseph's sheaf, * Allusion is here made perhaps to
Ambrose de Jos. 3. §. 7. *^ Herein is the Eccles. 10, 3. < a wise man's heart is at
Besurrection of the Lord Jesus re- his right hand, but a fool's heart is at
Tealed, whom, when the eleven had bis left* Ezek. 4, 4. ' Lie thou on thy
seen at JerusaJem, they adored Him. left side, and lay the iniquity of the
1^ This is probably said with reference house of Israel upon it.' And other
14 Tfie loving condescension of Christ.
Praise we Him that watched and put to sleep him that led us
captive. Praise we Him that went lo sleep, and chased our
drenching sleep awaj. Gloiy be to God that cured weak
humanity! Glory be to Him that was baptized and drowned
See our iniquity in the deep, and choked him that choked us!
S3, tmd' ^^ ^^ glorify with all our mouths the Lord of all creatures!
LXX. of Blessed be the Physician who came down and amputated
.16, 14. without pain, and healed wounds with a medicine that was
not harsh. His Son became a Medicine, that shewed sinners
mercy. Blessed be He that dwelt in the womb, and wrought
> 5. per- therein a perfect Temple, that He might dwell in it, a Throne^
|[^^ that He might be in it, a Garment that He might be arrayed
in it, and a Weapon that He might conquer in it. Blessed
be He whom our mouth cannot adequately praise, because
His Gift is too great for skill of orators [to tell] ; neither can
the faculties adequately praise His goodness. For praise
Him as we may, it is too little.
And since it is useless to be silent and to constrain ourselves, may our feebleness excuse such praise as we can s& per. sing*. How gracious He, that doth not demand more than ouTrong ^^^ strength can give ! How would Thy servant be condemned of praise in capital and interest, did he not give such as he could, and did he refuse that which He owed ! Ocean of glory that needest not to have Thy glory sung, take in Thy goodness this drop of praise, since by Thy Gift'" Thou hast supplied my tongue a sense for glorifying Thee.
pasnages where the left side is con- praise,' in the Hebrew runs thas, ' out
nected with the wicked. In the Cle- of &c. Thou hast founded strength;' and
mentines, 7. 2. which abound with in 16, 9. ' mj tongue,' is put by the
Jewish ways of thought, as written by LXX in the place of *■ my glory.* This
an Ebionite, Simon Magus is called the passage of St. £. throws light upon such
kfi power of God. Tersions, as reminding ns that it is the
^ It may be observed, that the words inward Gift which gives the praise its
Ps. 8, 3. *• out of the mouths of babes character and being, and sucklings Thou hast perfected
RHYTHM THE THIRD.
Blessed be that first day of thine. Lord, wherewith this day of Thy Feast is stamped ! Thy day is like Thee, in that it sheweth mercy unto men, in that it is handed down and cometh with all generations. This is the day that endeth with the aged, and returns that it may begin with the young ! a day that by its love reiiresheneth itself, that it may refresh by its might us decayed creatures'. Thy day when it had visited us and passed and gone away, in its mercy returned and visited us again : for it knoweth that human nature needeth it, in all things like unto Thee as seeking us. The world is in want of its fountun, and for it, Lord, as for Thee, all therein are athirst. This is the day that rules over the seasons ! the dominion of Thy day is like Thine, which stretcheth over generations that have come, and are to come! Thy day is like unto Thee, because when it is one, it buddcth and multiplieth itself, that it may be like Thee ! in this Thy day. Lord, which is near unto us, we see Thy Birth that is far off! Like to Thee be Thy day to us. Lord, let it be a mediator and warranter of peace. Thy day reconciled Heaven and earth, because therein the Highest came down to the lowest Thy day was able to reconcile the Just One, who was wroth at our sius; Thy day did forgive thousands of sins, for in it bowels of mercy shone forth upon the guilty ! Great, Lord, is Thy day, let it not be small upon us, let it shew mercy according as it useth to do, upon us transgressors! And if every day. Lord, Thy forgiveness welleth forth, how exceeding great should it be upon this day ! All the days from the treasure of Thy bright day gain blessings. All the feasts from the stores of this feast have their fairness and their ornaments. Thy bowels
• St. £. bere Tiews the day of Christ's through the soccessive ages a separate
Birth, as handed down in the anniver- existence, ntill the whole sum of the
Hiries of it, as Chriiit Himself is in His faithful which hj the font of Baptism
members — as having a presence, so to came to birth, as they were crocified
say, in the anniversaries, as Christ has with Christ in His Passion, raised
in them. Thus too St. Leo, Hom.Ti. in again in His Resurrection, and placed
Nat. ' The generation of Christ is the at the right hand of the Father in His
origin of Christ's people, and the birth- Ascension ; so were we born along
day of the Head, U the birth-day of with Him in His Mativity.' See also
the Body. Though each single one of St. Chrysoet Horn. 31. in Nativ. vol. ▼.
tbo<9e that are called have his station, p. 418. a. Ed. 1636. and all the children of the Church have
10 The Incarnation reversed the
of mercy upon Thy day make Thou to abound unto us, O Lord !
Make us to distinguish Thy day from all days ! for great is
the treasurehouse of the day of Thy Birth, let it be the ran-
somer of debtors! Great is this day above all days, for in it
came forth mercy to sinners. A store of medicines is this Thy
great day, because on it shone forth the Medicine of Life to the
wounded! A treasure of helpful graces is this day, for that
on it Light gleamed forth upon our blindness ! Yea it also
brought a sheaf unto us, and it came, that from it might flow
plenty upon our hungriness. This day is that forerunning
Cluster, in which the cup of salvation was concealed! This
day is the first-born feast, which being born the first, over-
cometh all the feasts. In the winter which strippeth the
see lia. firuit of the branches off from the barren vine, Fruit sprung
' ' up unto us; in the cold that bareth all the trees, a shoot was
green for us of the house of Jesse. In December when the
seed is hidden in the earth, there sprouted forth from the
> 5. Ni- Womb the Ear of Life. In March ' when the seed was sprout-
Ler.ss ^^8 ^^ ^^ ^^^ * Sheaf sowed itself in the earth. The han^est
10. thereof. Death devoured it in Hell, which the Medicine of life
that is hidden therein did yet burst open! In March when
the lambs bleat in the wilderness, into the Womb the Paschal
Esek. Lamb entered ! Out of the stream whence the fishers came
^^ ' up, He was baptized and came up Who incloseth all things
in His net; out of the stream the fish whereof Simon took,
out of it the Fisher of men came up, and took him. With the
Cross which catcheth all robbers. He caught up unto life that
robber! The Living by His death emptied Hell, He unloosed
it and let fly away from it entire multitudes ! The publicans
and harlots, the impure snares, at the snares of the deceitful
fowler did the Holy One catch! The sinful woman, who
was a snare for men. He made a mirror for penitent women !
The fig that casteth its fruit, that refiised fruit % offered
b St. E. seenui to blend here the ac- word rational is here uned to expre**,
count of the withering of the fig-tree myvtieal: thus on Romans 12, 1. we
and thatof Zacchseos climbing into the have k»ymii Xcr^jW, which Origen ex-
wUdfig-treey as the S. V. renders iL plains, of falfilling in the spirit the
St. Ambrose on St. Lake 19, 15. sacrifices which the law by its types
^* Zaechaeos in the sycamore, is, so to prescribes. And in the same way St.
say, a new frait of a new era ; and so Clement calls Baptism, X&yu^ tf^,
in this there is also a fnlfilment of that mystical water. Frotrept. $. 99. p. 79.
verse: The fig-tree ptUtetk fmih her Pott. green fige, Cant. 2, 13. Sec." The
wonted course of things, " 17
ZacchsBus as fruit ; the fruit of its own nature it gave not, but it yielded one rational fruit! The Lord spread His thirst orer the well, and caught her that was thirsty with the water that He asked of her. He caught one soul at the well, and again John 4, caught with her the whole citj: twelve fishers the Holy One*^' caught, and again caught with them the whole world. As for Iscariot, that escaped from His nets, the strangling noose fell upon his neck! His all quickening net catcheth the liying, Mat.13, and he that escapeth from it escapeth from the living.
And who is able. Lord, to tell ane up the several succours that are hid in Thee ? How shall the parched mouth be able to drink from the Fountain of the Godhead ' ! Answer ' A than, to-day the voice of our petition, let our prayer which is in words note e. take place in deeds. Heal us, O my Master; every time that we see Thy Feast, may it cause the rumour [of wars] that we have heard to pass away ^ Our mind wandereth amid these voices. O Voice of the Father, still the voices [of these reports] ; the world is noisy, in Thee let it gain itself quiet, for by Thee the sea was stilled from its storms. The devils rejoiced when they heard the voice of blasphemy : let the Watchers rejoice in us as they are wont*. From amongst Thy fold there * see is the voice of sorrowfulness; O Thou that makest all rejoice, lo^ ' let Thy flock rejoice ! as for our murmur, O my Master, in J^^^jf it reject us not: our mouth murmureth since it is sinful. ' Let Thy day, O Lord, give us all manner of joy; with the flowers* of peace, let us keep Thy passover. In the day of Thy Ascension we are lifted up : with the new Bread shall John20, be the memorial thereof. O Lord, increase our peace, that we may keep the three feasts of the Godhead? Great is Thy day. Lord, let us not be despised. All men honour the day of Thy birth. Thou righteous One, keep Thou the glory of Thy birth; for even Herod honoured' the day of His birth ! The dances of the impure one pleased the tyrant ; to Thee, Lord,
' The fear of an invasion of some Pharaoh and Herod make it a feast,
kind is a^in alluded to in the last of Job (3, 3.) and Jeremiah (20, 14.) curse
the three Rhythms, ady. Scmt. further the day of their birth. The reason of
on in the volume. this is, becau.se we are born the chiU
' Flowers used at Easter in the dren of wrath. See St Hilary on Ps.
Churches are here alluded to. 119. $. 12. and St. Aust. c. Jul. Pel. vi.
• Origen in Levit. viii. 33. remarks, §. 78. who- quotes the same instances,
that none of the Saints is found (in Holy Christ on the contrary was born sinless,
^rit) to have kept his own birthday or and therefore His Birthday is a day of
that of a son or daughter as a feast : yet joy.
18 Cfirisfs birih-day contrasted with Herod^s :
let the voice of chaste women be sweet ! Thee, Lord, let
the voice of chaste women please, whose bodies Thou guard-
est holily. The day of Herod was like him. Thy day too is
like Thee ! The day of the troubled one was troubled with
sin ; and fair as Thou art is Thy fair day ! The feast of the
tyrant killed the preacher ; in Thy feast every man preacheth
glory. On the day of the murderer, the Voice' was put to
silence, but on Thy day are the voices of the feast The foul
one in his feast put out the Light, that darkness might cover
' p* ^' the adulterers. The season of the Holy One trimmeth lamps',
fin. * that darkness may flee with the hidden things thereof. The
' P* 31. day of that fox' stank like himself, but holy is the feast of the
13^, S2. True Lamb*. The day of the transgressor passed' away like
35.tran8. himself: Thy day like Thyself abideth for ever. The day of
the tyrant raged like himself, because with its chain it
* p. 8. put to silence the righteous Voice. The feast of the Meek^
One is tranquil like Himself, because His sun shineth
upon His persecutors. The tyrant was conscious that He
was not a king, therefore to the King of kings he gave place.
The whole day. Lord, sufficeth me not to balance Thy praise
with his blame. May Thy gracious day cause my sin to
pass away, seeing that it is with the day of the impure one,
that I have weighed Thy day ! For great is Thy day beyond
comparison! nor can it be compared with our days. The
day of man is as of the earthy : the day of God is as of
God ! Thy day, Lord, is greater than those of the prophets %
and I have taken and set it beside that of the murderer !
Thou knowest, O Lord, as knowing all things, in what sense to
^ S. how take ^ the comparison that my tongue hath made. Let Thy day
' grant our requests for life, since his day granted the request for
death. The needy king swore on his feast that half his kingdom
should be the reward of the dance ! Let Thy feast then, O
Thou that enrichest all, shed down in mercy a crumb* of fine
' This was a common name of old ^ It might seem from this that there
for St. John Baptist, with allusion to were some days kept in their honour in
St. John 1, 23. as is the Light with the East: the Maccabees were honoured
allusion to Ps. 183, 18. John 5, 36. in this way in St. Greg. Naz.'s time.
V. Cyril, de Ador. p. 346. St Aust. on Orat. 22.
the Psalm. * B. renders bncoellB mioam. Miff It may be well to obeerre onoe for chaelis gives, on Barbahbnl'sandiority, all, that trae is often used, as in John the sense of panis similagineus. The 16, 1. foT ' real,' in opposition to ' typi- word 'parkuko' is scarcely Syiiao: poecal,' as in Scripture, so in the Fa- sibly connected with the Pereias perthers. l^ung, dulciarii genus. Meninski.
its sacramental /ruiis J with the miracles. 10
wheat floor ! From the dry land gushed the Fountain, which sufficed to satisfy the thirst of the Gentiles! From the Virgin^s womb as from a strong rock sprouted up the seed, whence was much fruit! Bams without number did Joseph Grea.4i, fill, and they were emptied and failed in the years of the^^* famine. One true Sheaf gave bread, the bread of Heaven, whereof there is no stint. The bread which the First-bom John 6, brake in the wilderness failed and passed away though very ^' ^^' good. He returned again and broke the New Bread ^ which ^ p. lo. ages and generations shall not waste away! The seven Mat. 15, loaves also that He brake failed, and the five loaves too that]y[^^ j^ He multiplied were consumed; the Bread that He brake ex- ^^• ceeded the world's needs*, for the more it was divided, the more ^ s.overit multiplied exceedingly \ With much wine also He filled thT^ the waterpots. They drew it out, yet it failed though it was^**^^^ abundant: though of the Cup that He gave the draught was;, small, very great was its strength, so that there is no stint thereto. A Cup is He that containeth all strong wines, and Ps. 16,5. also a Mystery in the midst of which He Himself is ! The one Bread that He brake hath no bound, and the one Cup that He mingled' hath no stint ! The Wheat that was sown, ^ p- 25. on the third day came up and filled the Gamer of Life. The 5/^^' ' spiritual Bread, as the Giver of it, quickeneth the spiritual spi- ^^^"*^» ritually, and he that receiveth it carnally, receiveth it rashly to Mat. 13, no profit This Bread of grace let the spirit receive discern- ^^* ingly, as the medicine of Life. If the dead sacrifices in the 1 Cor. name of Devils were offered, yea eaten, not without a mystery, ^^' ^^' in that olSering of the holy Sacrifice^, how much more doth it* S, at behove us that this mystery be circumspectly administered [^f^^^Jj by us. He that eateth of the sacrifice in the name of devils, theoflTerbecometh devilish without all contradiction. He that eateth "^'
^ St £. here applies the miracles to that it is as easy for Christ to multiplj
the end for which they were ultimately His own spiritaal Body now, as it was
selected, i. e. to teach believers, not to then for Mim to multiply a natural body,
convince gainsayers. See St. John Sc. Hilary de Trin. iii. 6. may be re-
20, 30. 31. So St. Austin in Joann. ferred to, who makes use of the same
Tr. xxiy. §. 3. " As to this miracle, two miracles, to shew our ignorance of
siooe we have heard how great it is, the mode in which mctter is multiplied*
let us also search and see bow deep (See too St. Aust. de Trin. iii. §• 10.)
it is." His principle di comparing the The same writer notices on Mat xv.
mirades of grace with those of nature, (as St. £.) that the disciples continued
in order to shew that the latter are as with Him three days, because ^ they
mysterious, is only carried farther here passed the whole time of the Lord's Pas*
by St £. while he argues implicitly, sion with Him.' Mat 16, 32. and 27, 63.
c2
20 Satan^s tveapans turned against himself.
the Heavenly Bread, becometfa Heavenly withoat donbt!
Wine teacheth us, in that it maketh him that is famifiar
therewith like itself: for it hateth much him that is fond of
ProT. ity and is intoxicating and maddening, and a mocker to him !
' ' Light teacheth us, in that it maketh like unto itself the eye
the daughter of the sun: the eye by the light saw the
1 above, nakedness, and ran and chastely hid the chaste man. As for
^' ' that nakedness it was wine that made it, which even to the
chaste skilleth not to shew mercy M
With the weapon of the deceiver the first-born clad Himself, that with the weapon that killed, He might restore to life again ! With the tree wherevrith he slew us, He delivered us. With the wine which maddened us, with it we were made chaste ! With the rib that was drawn out of Adam, the wicked one Gen. a, drew out the heart of Adam. There rose from the Bib "" a hidden iSamU^ power, which cut off Satan as Dagon : for in that Ark a Book ^* was hidden that cried and proclaimed concerning the Conqueror ! There was then a mystery revealed, in that Dagon was brought low in his own place of refuge ! The accomplishment came after the type, in that the mcked one was brought low in the place in which he trusted ! Blessed be He that came Mat.20, and in Him were accomplished the mysteries of the lefl' hand, 9 above ^^^ ^® ^E^^ hand. Fulfilled was the mystery that was in the p. 13. Lamb, and fulfilled was the type that was in Dagon. Blessed aDdCan.is He who by the True Lamb redeemed us, and destroyed Necr. v.Quy destroyer as He did Dagon! In December when the sbelovr, nights are long^ rose unto us the Day", of Whom there is no ^' bound ! In winter when all the world is gloomy, forth came
^ In bifl oommentary on tbe place, from the rib of Cbridt; and from tbe
p. 162. St. £. excofieo Noah on ibe score Blood from His side the nations that
of nx years' abstinence, which would believe, get them sweetness, being the
of course make the wine take unwonted young of the Heayenly Eagle." It seems
effect St. Aust de C. D. ivi. 1. c. necessary to suppose St £. to have had
Faust, xii. 23. notices Noah's inspired this doctrine in mind here also, in order
knowledge of what had happened in to make his sense connected ; it being
his sleep, as a proof that he was not his object to shew how Christ wielded
deserted then by God, and so not really against Satan the very things Satan had
blameworthy. His nakedness was used to man's destruction. Upon 1 Sam.
thought typical of Christ upon the 5. he says, * when the Ark, that is,
Cross. Compare also Method. Conv. V. Christ, was taken to a place not its
X. 3—6. J. Martyr, p. 3S8. Cyril, own, that is, to the sepulchre. He forced
Glaph. p. 43. death and hell to give birth to the dead
■> On Job 39, 37—30. St. E. notices which were bound in the graves.* the flowing of Sacraments from Christ's '^ So St Austin, Hom. on Nativ. 6. side: <<The Eagle is Christ, the Rock (189.) < Who is the Day, of the Day His Cross. The young ones that suck (Dies de Die), but the Son, of the Fablood are the saints that are fattened ther, Light of Light.*
T%e Comcepiiam uuirmciivej and io whom. 91
tbe Fair One that cheered all in the worid ! In winter that maketh the earth barren, raginitj learned to bring forth. In December, that canseth the travails of the earth to cease, in it were the travails of virginity. The eariy lamb no one ever nsed to see before the shepherds : and as for the tme Lamb, in the season of His birth, the tidings of Him too hasted nnto the shepherds. That old wolf saw the sucking Lamb, and he trembled before Him, though He had concealed* ' ■ & who himself; for because the wolf had put on sheep's clothing,,^* the Shepherd of all became a Lamb in the flocks, in order S<>nit. that when the greedy one had been daring against the Meek, the Mighty One might rend that Eater^ The Holy OneJndg. dwelt bodily' in the womb ; and He dwelt spiritually in thei^^^ mind. Mary that conceived Him hated ^ the marriage bed,p-^> let not that soul commit whoredom in the which He dwelleth. ^J^]^ Because Maxy perceived Him, she left her betrothed: He^* dwelleth in chaste virgins, if they perceive Him. The deaf ^^ ^> perceiveth not the mighty thunder, neither doth the heady man the sound of the commandment For the deaf is bewildered in the time of the thunderclap, the heady man is bewildered also at the voice of instruction ; if fearful thunder terrified the deaf, then would fearfiil wrath stir the unclean ! That the deaf heareth not is no blame to him; but whoso trampleth [on the commandments] it is headiness. For from time to time there is thunder: but the voice of the law ihundereth every day. Let us not close
" St. Leo, H. li. §. 3. in Nat and §. 4. Jerome to be partly mistaken in quoting
' VTlien oar mercifol and Almighty S»- this as St. Ignatias's, it having come
▼ioor did in such sort overrule His from Origen m Luc. Hom. 6. See also
firbt taking upon Him the manhood, for a similar opinion, St. Justin M. ap.
as to hide that Deity which could not Iron. ▼. 36. §. 2. and Massuet on the
be severed from His Human Nature place, and Petav. de Aug. i. 8. there
with the veil of our feebleness, the quoted.
craftiness of the enemy, now unobserv- ? St. £. on Judges, views Samson
ant, was made a mock of, in that he throughout as a type of Christ, aud so
fancied nut the Birih of the Child, Who St. Ambrose de Sp. S. ii. cont Austin
was brought forth for the salvation of on Ps. Ixxz. 13. c. Faust, xri. 32. which
mankind, to be more injurious to himself falls in with Heb. 11, 32. 33. See
than that of all other children.' De Pass. R. viii.
Bom. zi. §. 3. S. Jerome on S. MaL 1. ^ 6p. Bull, Serm. iv. < The neces-
* The Martyr Ignatius addeth another sary consequence of this dignity of the
reason why Christ was conceived of one Blessed Vir^n is, that she remained for
betrothed, viz. that the Ofl&pring might ever a Virgin, as the Catholic Church
be conceal^ from the Devil while he hath a/tixiy«held aud maintained.' The
fancied It bom not of a Virgin, but of heresy which denied the ever-virginity
a married woman.' S. Ign. ad Magn. is combated by St. Jerom. adv. Helv,
§. 19. where see Coteler, who shews and St. Epiph. Hsr. Izxviii.
22 !%€ Infant Christ is very God,
our ears when their openings, as being opened and not closed against it, accuse us ; and the door of hearing is open by natore, that it might reproach us for our headiness against our will. The door of the voice and the door of the mouth our will can open or close. Let us see what the Good One hath given us, and let us hear the mighty Voice, and let not the doors of our ears be closed.
Glory to that Voice which became Body, and to the Word of the High One that became Flesh ! Hear Him also, O ears, and see Him, O eyes, and feel Him, O hands, and eat Him, > below, o mouth M Ye members and senses give praise unto Him, «p. 10. that came and quickened the whole* body! Mary bare the silent Babe, while in Him were hidden all tongues 1 Joseph bare Him, and in Him was hidden a nature more 3 p. 28, ancient than aught that is old^ ! The High One became as ^^ ' ' a little child, and in Him was hidden a treasure of wisdom sufficing for all ! Though Most High, yet He sucked the milk of Mary, and of His goodness all creatures suck ! He is the Breast of Life, and the Breath of Life ; the dead suck from adv. His life and revive. Without the breath of the air no man liveth, without the Might of the Son no man subsistelh. On His living breath that quickeneth all, depend the spirits that are above and that are beneath. When He sucked the milk of Mary, He was suckling all with Life^ While He was lying on His Mother's bosom, in « below, His bosom were all creatures lying. He was silent^ as a ^' Babe, and yet He was making His creatures execute all
His commands. For without the First-bom no man can approach unto the Essence', to which He is equal. The thirty years that He was in the earth, who [else] was ordering all creatures, who [else] was receiving all the offerings of praise from those above and those below. He was wholly in the depths and wholly in the highest ' ! He
' S. Cyril in Joan. i. 6. p. 62. ' Let * This expression and one or two
them that thnist out the Son from others in these Rhythms, are probably
the Essence of God and the Father, used with reference to the A nomoeans —
tell us, how He can quicken as of which more hereafter,
being Life, this being an attribute ' This points to the substantial omni-
which the Divine Nature keepeth unto presence and so DiTiniCy of Christ while
Itself and yieldeth unto none other. ... in the womb, vide on Athan. p. 18, note n.
Creatures partake of necessity of the Much here said is like what St. Leo, H.
Son as needing Life.' see on Athan. in Pass. yi. §. 4. said ^fter the times of
p. 32. Nestorius.
and retained in the womb His ailribuies as God, 23
was wholly with all things and wholly with each. While His body was forming within the womb, His power was fashioning all members ! While the Conception of the Son Ps. 139, was going on ' in the womb, He Himself was fashioning babes 1 5, f^. in the womb. Yet not as His body was weak in the womb, was "WoniDg His power weak in the womb ! So too not as His body was feeble by the Cross, was His might also feeble by the Cross. For when on the Cross He quickened the dead. His Body quickened them, yea^ rather His Will ; just as when He was dwell- ' 5. or ing wholly in the womb. His hidden Will was visiting all ! ^*^|, For see how, when He was wholly hanging upon the Cross, His Power was yet making all creatures move! For He darkened the sun and made the earth quake; He rent the graves and brought forth the dead ! See how when He was wholly on the Cross, yet again He was wholly every where' ! > & He Thus was He entirely in the womb, while He was again J[*^^ whoUy in every thing ! While on the Cross He quickened the dead, so while a Babe He was fashioning babes. While Mat27, He was slain. He opened the graves, while He was in the ^^ womb He opened wombs. Come hearken, my brethren, concerning the Son of the Secret One that was revealed in His Body, while His Power was concealed ! For the Power of the Son is a free Power, the womb did not bind it up, asp.u.D.d. it did the Body ! For while His Power was dwelling in the womb. He was fashioning infants in the womb ! His Power Jer. si, compassed her, that compassed Him. For if He drew in * His Power, all things would fall " : His Power upholdeth all things ; while He was within the womb. He left not His hold of all. He in His own Person shaped an Image in the womb, and was shaping in all wombs all countenances. Whilst He was increasing in stature among the poor, fi'om an abundant treasury He was nourishing all ! While she that anointed^ Him was anointing Him,with His dew and His rain He was dropping^ » s. anfatness over all ! The Magi brought myrrh and gold, while in ®*°**°fi^ Him was hidden a treasure of riches. The myrrh and spices
" St. A art. c. JqL Pel. vi. §. 59. ' If it occurs presently. Perhaps it iwere as
Crod's goodness were withdrawn.... well to render: * While she that mea-
things created would he utterly reduced sured Him was meararing Him, He
to nodiing. with His dew and His rain was mea-
▼ The Syriac word means either suring [supplier;] to all.' anointing, or measuring — in whichsense
24 Christ being Ood in St, Mary^s womb
which He had prepared and created, did the Magi bring Him
of His own. It was by Power from Him that Mary wais able
^ p. 3. to bear' in Her bosom Him that beareth up all things ! It
was from the great storehouse of all creatures, Mary gave
Him all which she did give Him ! She gave Him milk firom
Himself that prepared it, she gave Him food from Himself
that made it ! He gave milk unto Mary as God : again He
B. viii. sucked it from her, as the Son of Man. Her hands bare Him
ss.eiDp-in that He had lightened* His strength, and her arm
3*p!!*io. embraced Him, in that He had made Himself small '. The
ad7. measure of His Majesty who hath measured. He caused His
zxTii. measures to shrink into a Raiment. She wove for Him and
clothed Him because He had put off His glory. She measured
Him and wove for Him, since He had made Himself little.
The sea when it bore Him was still and calmed, and how
4B.Tiii.came the lap of Joseph to bear Him ? The womb* of hell
conceived Him and was burst open, and how did the womb
of Mary contain Him ? The stone that was over the grave
He broke open by His might, and how could Mary's arm
contain Him ? 7 hou camest to a low estate, that Tliou mightest
raise all to life ! Glory be unto Thee from all that are
quickened by Thee ! Who is able to speak of the Son of the
Hidden One that came down and clothed Himself with a
Body in the womb ? He came forth and sucked milk as a
child, and among little children the Son of the Lord of
all crept about. They saw Him as a little Child in the
street, while there was dwelling in Him the Love of aU '.
Visibly children surrounded Him in the street; in secret
Angels surrounded Him in fear. -Cheerful was He with the
little ones as a child ; awful was He with the Angels as a
Commander: He was awful to John for him to loose His
shocks latchet: He was gentle to sinners that kissed His
feet! The Angels as Angels saw Him; according to the
measure of his knowledge each man beheld Him : according
* It may not be out of place to ob- contemplation, be reasonably assamed
senre, that tbere is a tligfd resemblance to have taken place as St. £. represents ;
in some points here noticed to things in in the Apocryphal Book miracles and
the Apocryphal Evangelium Infantile actions are unwarrantably and ohildisUy
Christi, cap. vi. x. xxi. xl. There imagined by the author. It should be
is however this great difference, that added, that a careful study of the types
St. Ephrem dwells only upon things of Holy Writ often furnishes indirect
which must have taken place somehow, proof that such representations as those
and may, for purposes of devotional in the text are just.
sustains her, and all that minister to Him. 25
to the measuie of each man's discernment, thus he perceived Him that is greater than all. The Father and Himself alone are a fall measure of knowledge so as know Him as He is^' ! ^ & bow For every creatore whether above or below obtaineth each his measure of knowledge ; He the Lord of all giveth all to us. He that enricheth all, requireth usury of all. He giveth to all things as wanting nothing, and yet requireth usury of all as if needy. He gave us herds and flocks as Creator, and yet asked sacrifices as though in need. He made the water wine as Maker : and yet He drank of it as a poor man. Of His own He mingled* [wine] in the marriage feast. His wine He > p. 19. mingled and gave to drink when He was a guest. In His love He multiplied [the days of] the aged Simeon, that he, a mortal, might present Him who quickeneth all. By power from Him did Simeon ' carry Him ; he that presented Him, ' p. 7. was by Him presented [to God]. He gave imposition of hands £xod. to Moses in the Mount, and received it in the midst of the ' ^' river from John. In the power of His gifts John was enabled to baptize, though earthy, the Heavenly. By power from Him the earth supported Him: it was nigh to being dissolved, and His might strengthened it Martha gave Him to eat: viands which He had created she placed before Him. Of His own all that give have made their vows : of His own treasures they placed upon His table.
J St. Iren. !▼• 432. quotes one who the Son is a measare of the Father, since said, that ' the immeasarahle Father He compriseth Him.' Vide Damascen. Himself was measured in the Son : for Parall. i. 3.
RHYTHM THE FOURTH.
This is the month which bringeth all manner of joy; is the freedom of the bondsmen, the pride of the free, the crown of the gates, the soothing of the body, that also in its love putteth purple upon us as upon kings. This is the month that bringeth all manner of victories: it freeth the spirit; it subjugateth the-body ; it bringeth forth life among *p. 9, mortals; it caused, in its love, Divinity' to dwell in Hu- "** '* manity. In this day the Lord exchanged glory for shame, as being humble : because Adam changed the truth for unrighteousness as being a rebel, the Good One had mercy on him, justified and set right them that had turned aside. Let • above, every man chase away his weariness, since that* Majesty was ^ ' not wearied with being in the womb nine months for us, and It. i> 10. in being thirty years in Sodom among the madmen. Because 8, ' 'the Good One saw that the race of man was poor and ^dbov«, humbled, He made feasts' as a treasure-house, and opened ^ ^ them to the slothful, that the feast might stir up the slothful one to rise and be rich. Lo ! the First-bom hath opened unto us His feast as a treasure-house *. This one day in the whole year alone openeth that treasure-house : come, let us make gain, let us grow rich from it, ere they shut it up.
•M Mat. Blessed bo the watchful, that have taken by force from it the 11 1^% .
* ' spoil of Life. It is a great disgrace, when a man seeth his
neighbour take and carry out treasure, and himself sitteth in
the treasui^hoase drowsy, so as to come forth empty. In
this f^'ast, let each one of us crown the gates of his heart
The Holy Spirit longeth for the gates thereof, that He may
enter iu and dwell there, and sanctify it, and He goeth
round about to all the gates to see where He may enter. In
« TV $rn«c i«wi tliik»: TV> «m ^ yiay^ tko«ck ke anr also wish
4aT«|«»iKt ia tW Tiesar«op«tt«tk aliWiN lo iatiauu* br fcypf h ole, 'the inade-
lke«. A« Wr ha4 «»^««i th* oth«r twMO H^**^7 cif «aa*$ liaj,aag.t to express die
dhM1^ fk ir% thi» 9Cr«is » fnhaMr M |En(<anN«9 d^ the Aar.
The time (^ Chrutmas ngnificative. 27
this feast, the gates are glad before the gates ^ and the Holy One rejoiceth in the holy temple, and the voice resoundeth io the mouth of children, and Christ rgoiceth in His own feast as a mighty man.
At the Birth of the Son the king was enrolling all men for the tribute-money, that they might be debtors to Him : the King came forth to us Who blotted out our bills, and wrote See Col. another bill in His own Name that He might be our debtor.^' ^^' The sun gave longer light ', and foreshadowed the mystery i s, preby the degrees which it had gone up. It was twelve days^^ since it had gone up, and to-day is the thirteenth day : a type exact of the Son's Birth' and of His Twelve. Moses shut upEzod.
IQ ft
a lamb in the month Nisan' on the tenth day ; a type this oft p' 15. the Son that came into the womb and shut Himself up therein on the tenth day'. He came forth from the womb in this month in which the sun gives longer light The darkness was overcome, that it might proclaim that Satan was overcome, and the sun gave light, that it might triumph, because the First-bom was victorious. Along with the
^ i. e. the gates of the heart, before Prolegg. ad Annales Sjriac. 1. cap. 4.
die gateM of the Church. with Bayer, Hist. Osrhoene. 1 . §. 4.)
* The increase of light at the time to say nothing of the uncertainty as to of the Nativity is noticed by St. Greg, the day for which St. £. intended this Nyss. iii. p. 340. extr. St. Aust. Horn. Bhythm. For this (as the President of iii. §. 3. ix. $. 3. xi. 1. 1. and S. Leo, ii. 6. Mfl4nlalen has kindly suggested) might Of the dwelling on the number we have be Jan. 6, and as scTersd took the 23d another instance in B. vii. As for the or 24 th of December for the winter solprecise time St. E. refers to. I am stice, (vide Ideler, as above.) Jan. 6. unable to discover what it is, unless, ac- might be the day intended oy St £. cording to the computation which was which would be the 13di day, if the followol in Syria, the winter soUtice was 25th be called the^Srv^ day' after the considered to take place upon the 12th solstice. It is to be observed, that St. of December, when the Sun enters Ca- Chrysostom (in Nativ. init.) speaks of pricom : which would give exactly thir- the celebration of the feast in December teen dayf*. Macrob. Sat. i. 21. speaks as newly introduced, of Capricorn as bringing'the Sun back ^ Nisan. So on Exod. 12, 3. * The from lower to higher regions, (cf. Censor. Lamb is a tj-pe of our Lord, who on de D. N. xxi. IX Sen. N. Q. iii. 29.) the tenth of Nisan entered into the Petav. (de Doot. Temp. iv. 6. p. 340.) womb ; for from the tenth day of the says, that ''such of the ancients as di- seventh month when Zachary received vided the year so, that the months the message of John's birth, even to thereof should answer to the signs of the tenth day of the first month when the zodiac, always divided them in such Mary received the messaa:e from the way as to adapt the beginnings of each Angel, are six months.' If this be not to the sun*s entering into the several the usual interpretation, it may be resigns." See Ideler M. u. T. Chronol. 1. membered that St. £. draws a parallel p. 435. The question, however, is in- between Christ's precious Death and volved in several difficulties, the mere Burial, and the Conception^ (B. viii.) statement of which would occupy too which will connect the two interpretamuch room here ; (compare Frdlich tions.
28 St. Joseph and Si. Mary astonied
darkness the dark one was overcome, and with the greater light our Light conquered !
Joseph caressed the Son as a Babe, he ministered to Him as God. He rejoiced in Him as in the Good One^ and he was awe-struck at Him as the Just One, greatly bewildered. '^ Who hath given me the Son of the Most High to be a Son to me ? I was jealous of Thy Mother, and I thought to put her away, and I knew ' not that in her womb was hidden a mighty treasure, that should suddenly enrich my poor estate. David the king ^rung of my race, and wore the crown : and I have come to a very low estate, who instead of a king am a carpenter. Yet a crown hath come to me, for in my bosom is the Lord of crowns !"
I or en- With rival* words did Mary wax hot, yea she lulled Him, [saying,] Who hath given me, the barren, that I should conceive and bring forth this One, that is manifold, a little One, that is great; for that He is wholly with me, and wholly every where ? The day that Gabriel came in unto my low estate, he made me free instead of a handmaid, of a sudden : for I was the handmaid of Thy Divine Nature, and am also the Mother of Thy human Nature, O Lord and Son! Of a sudden the handmaid became the King's daughter in Thee, Thou Son of the King. Lo, the meanest in the house of David by reason of Thee, Thou Son of David, lo, a daughter of earth hath attained unto Heaven by the Heavenly One !
'p. S3. How am I astonied that there is cast before me a Child S
* older than all things ! His eye is gazing unceasingly upon
Heaven. As for the stammering of His mouth, to my
seeming it betokens, that with God its silence speaks.
Who ever saw a Child the whole of Whom beholdeth
'p. 33. every place'? His look is like one that is ordering all creatures that are above and that are below! His visage is like that Commander that commandeth all. How shall
* p. 17. I open the fountain of milk to Thee, O Fountain * ? Or how shall I give nourishment to Thee that nourishest all from Thy Table'? How shall I bring to swaddling clothes One
• In the Apocryphal History of St. '' Him whom the heavens contain not
Joseph's death, cap. xvii. he is intro- the hosom of a single woman bore : onr
dnced as begging mercy of Christ on his Rnler did she rale : Him in whom we
death-bed ; ' I did not understand the are. she carried : to onr Bread she gave
mystery of Thy Nativity.' suck." Zeno Veron. in Nat iv.
f St. Austin in Nat. i. 3. (H. 184.)
at the Incarnation and its attendant signs. 29
wrapped roiind with glory-rays ? My mouth knoweth not how I shall call Thee, O Thou Child of the Living One : for to venture to call Thee as the Child of Joseph, I tremble, since Thon art not his seed : and I am fearful of denying the name of him to whom they have betrothed me. Whiles Thou art the Son of One, then should I be calling Thee the Son of many. For ten thousand names' would not suffice* Thee,* adv. since Thou art the Son of God and also the Son of man^j^ij]^^ yea, David^s Son and Mary^s Lord. Who hath made the Lord of mouths to be without a mouth? For my pure conception of Thee wicked men have slandered me. Be, O Thou Holy One, a Speaker for Thy Mother. Shew a miracle that they may be persuaded **, from Whom it is that I conceived Thee ! For Thy sake too I am hated. Thou Lover of all. Lo! I am persecuted who have conceived and brought forth One House of refuge for men. Adam' will " *>«lo'^, rejoice, for Thou art the Key of Paradise. Lo, the sea raged J', g/ against Thy mother as against Jona. Lo, Herod, that raging wave, sought to drown the Lord of the seas. Whither I shall flee Thou shalt teach me, O Lord of Thy Mother. With thee 1 will flee, that I may gain in Thee Life* in'p-M. every place. The prison with Thee is no prison, for in Thee man goeth up unto Heaven: the grave with Thee is noJoi«»ii, grave, for Thou art the Resurrection !'
A star of light which was not [in the course of] nature gleamed suddenly; less than the sun and greater than the sun, less than it in its visible light, but greater than it in its hidden might, by reason of its mystery. The Morning Star cast its bright beams among the darknesses, and led them as blind men, and they came and received a great ligbt: they gave ofierings and received life, and they worshipped and returned. In the height and the depth two preachers were there to the Son: the bright star shouted above ; John also preached below, two preachers, an earthly
t Aretas in Apoc. xix. 14. ' The un- Inyisible, Unchangeable ; f till His Es-
knowableness of uie Name indicates the sence hath do name, being knowable to
incomprebensibleneM of His Essence : Himself alone.'
for although, tfaroagh His dispennatioDs, ^ There is some diffionltj* in the
He be of many nameif, as, for instance, printed text here : probably we should
Good, Shepherd, Son, Light, Life, read U^ in the plural:* shew miracles,
Sanetification, Redemption : or again xi .x luITT^.^ ..JLnoii^ Tw^^rxi a,^ »
in negadTe attributes, L InwrrupAle, *^** ^^ "^^^ P^""*^^ t'"^"^' ^'
30 Holy men and women adore
and a heavenly. That above shewed His Nature to be from the Majesty^ [of God], and that below too shewed his Nature to be from mankind. O great marvel, that His Godhead and His Manhood each was preached by them. Whoso thought Him earthly, the bright star convinced him that He was heavenly, and whoso thought Him spiritual, John convinced him that He was also corporeal.
In the Holy temple Simeon carried Him, and lulled Him, [saying,] ' Thou art come, O Merciful One, shewing mercy on my old age, making my bones to go into the grave in peace. In Thee shall I be raised from the grave into Paradise!' Anna embraced Him, and put her mouth to His lips, and the Spirit dwelt upon her own lips. As when Isaiah's > bdow, mouth was silent, the coal ' ^ which approached his lips opened ^' ^* his mouth, so Anna waxed hot with the Spirit of His mouth, yea, she lulled Him, [saying,] '^ Son of the Kingdom, Son of the lowliness, that hearest and art still, that seest and art hidden, that knowest and art unknown, God, Son of Man, glory be unto Thy Name.*' The barren also heard, ran, and came with their provisions: the Magi came with their treasures, the barren came with their provisions. Provisions and riches were suddenly accumulated in the honse of the poor. The barren woman cried out, as if at a haven', Who hath granted me this sight of thy Babe, O Blessed One, by Whom * p. 10, the heaven and earth are filled ! Blessed be thy Fruit% which
ru. 1.
13, n. k.
* The Svriao word correBponds to the Eocharist See Aasemao. B. O. i.
the Latin ^ magnitado/ greatnesfl. St. p. 79. Cyril c. Nestor, ii. p. 32. has
Austin de Trin. v. $. 11. " Seeing that the same application of the text.
God is not great by any greatness that ' The primary sense of the con-
is not identical witii Himself, as if God troverted phrase in the original
partook thereof, when He was great, ( j^oO> i,^|) is probably, < as in an
^r at that ratethat greatness would opportune, ^.' and accordingly as
be greater than God, when there is no- ^ /^^ ^^ ^^^^ -^ ^ ^^ ^ ^^'wah^
thing greater thaja God j) He is therefore ^^^^^ {^ ^^ ^^,^ * opportune,' it may
Seat through that greatness whereby j,^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ sense * ex insperato,'
eis the seBbame greatness." Great- i. e. ' so opportunely as not to haVi been
ness IS an attribute of God. and when anticipatyi,' or ' inportu.' P. Benedict
r.T*^' ?r* "•!!! ^"^f'^PT '*' W-* ^^^ the former, an'd with it Michaelis
^1. * V^l l^'^'-A ^^ r"..v"TT?'' ^°d Bernstein appear disposed to take
other attributes) IS Identical with Him- The latter Is a rendering ««Pplied
setf. Hence the use of it to mean ^^ ^^^^ p q. i.p.24. and rfi-ali
•God,' as m the pr^ient passage, so ^^ Michaelis) which appeaiB to me to
nnL^^l^^/ .^*" "'^IL^^'^'Ik^. the sense from which the others moT«
understood withcmt remembering, that n.^raUy flow ; it seems to be used nn-
Oie Coal m Is. f wasin the^yrian -^ertionably in this sense in Ae Carmen
Church an especially flrequent type of J^ ^i„^ ^^. Chrestom. p. 7«. 4.
the Infant^ with the whole creation. 31
made the barren vine to bear a cluster. Zacharias came and opened his venerable mouth and cried, ' Where is the Kingy for whose sake I have begotten the Voice* that is to * p. 18, preach before His face ? Hail, Son of the King, to whom °* ' also our Priesthood" shall be given up !' John approached with his parents and worshipped the Son, and He shed glory upon his countenance; and he was not moved as when in the womb ! Mighty miracle, that here he was worshipping, there he leaped ! Herod also, that contemptible fox, that stalked about like a lion, as a fox crouched down, and howled, when he heard the roaring of the Lion, who came to sit in the kingdom according to the Scriptures. Rer. 6, The fox* heard that the Lion was a whelp, and as a suckling, s'']g^ and sharpened His teeth, that while He was yet a child the fox might lie in wait and devour the Lion ere he had grown up, and the breath of His mouth should destroy him.
The whole creation ' became mouths to Him, and cried ' p- ^> concerning Him. The Magi cried by their offerings! the barren cried with their children, the star of light cried in that air, lo ! the Son of the King I The Heavens were opened, the waters were calmed, the Dove glorified Him, the voice of the Father, louder than thunder, was instant and said. This is my beloved Son. The Angels proclaim Him, the children shout to Him with their Hosannas. These voices above and below proclaim Him and cry. The slumber of Sion was not dispersed by the voice of the thunders, but she was offended, stood up, and killed Him because He aroused her.
"> On Ezech. 21, 27. S. Vers, f will hood, and has been shewn it only to abaw him that is high : for iniquity [increase] its iniquity and wickednesR. and wickedness will I do this till He is what compelleth it to he shewn, till
which ban been shewn to tais priest- deliver it up to Him.
RHYTHM THE FIFTH.
At the birth of the Son, there was a great shouting in
Bethlehem; for the Angels came down, and gave praise there.
Their voices were a great thunder: at that voice of praise the
silent ones came, and gave praise to the Son. Blessed be
> p. 10. that Babe in whom Eve and Adam were restored* to youth !
The shepherds also came laden with the best gifts of their
flock: sweet milk, clean flesh, befitting praise! They put
a difference, and gave Joseph the flesh, Mary the milk,
^Me note and the Son the praise'! They brought and presented a
*'^' 'suckling lamb to the Paschal Lamb, a first-bom to the Rrst-
bom, a sacrifice to the Sacrifice, a lamb of lime to the Lamb
of Truth. Fair sight [to see] the lamb ofiered to The Lamb!
The lamb bleated as it was offered before the First-bom. It
B. xiii. praised the Lamb, that had come to set free the flocks and
PBJM),9.the oxen firom sacrifices, yea that Paschal Lamb, Who
'■•^'^' handed down and made present the Passover" of the Son.
The shepherds came near and worshipped Him with their
staves. They saluted Him with peace, prophesying the
while, * Peace, O Prince of the Shepherds.' The rod of Moses
Exod. 4, praiseth Thy Rod **, O Shepherd of all, for Thee Moses praiseth,
although his lambs have become wolves, and his flocks as
it were dragons, and his sheep fanged beasts. In the fearful
wilderness his flock became furious, and attacked him. Thee'
" S. wAa^O Wo*' ' the same roots «»i A** iMriTr§vcmf, are used above, Rhythm iii. * Thy day " St. Cyril de Ad. in S. et V. p. 68.
is haaded down and cometh with explains Ex. 4, 4. &c. of Christ's coming
all generations. The P. Lamb is here down to earth, and making by His
said to hand down the Passover, i. e. Passion Adam, the stem or rod whence
the Holy Eucharist. So on Exodus 12. ^e come, to flourish again in Paradise.
Standing on your /«rf, i. e. that they So too St. Auntin on Ps. Ixxiii. §. 5.
should not receive the living Body ' Death is from the serpent, and if death
sitting, and, no ttranger thaU eat there- be from the serpent, the rod in the ser-
ofj i. e. no one titat is unbaptized, may P^i^t is, Christ in death. . . .first it was
eat of the Body. So St. Athan. c. Ar. made a serpent, but being held by the
ii. 9. calls the Sacrifice of Christ *■ a tail, it became a rod : first He was
faithful Sacrifice, which abidech ever, killed, afterwards He rose again,' &c. and hath no intermission,' ^(w»rcf ki)
Chriffs nanciifying influences. 33
then the Shepherds praise, because Thou hast reconciled the wolves and the lambs within the fold. O Babe, that art older ' below, than Noah and younger than Noah, that reconciled all^' ' within the ark amid the billows! David Thy father for a lamVs sake slaughtered a lion. Thou, O Son of David, hast killed the unseen wolf that murdered Adam, the simple lamb who fed and bleated in Paradise. At that voice of praise, brides were moved to hallow themselves^ and virgins to be chaste, and even girls became staid**: they advanced and came in multitudes, and worshipped the Son. Aged women of the city of David came to the daughter of David, they gave thanks and said, ^ Blessed be our country, whose streets are lightened with the rays of Jesse ! To-day is the throne of David established by Thee, O Son of David.' The old men cried, * Blessed be that Son Who restored Adam to youth *, Who * p. i«. was vexed to see that he was old and worn out, and that the serpent who had killed him, had changed his skin and had gotten himself away. Blessed be the Babe in Whom Adam and Eve were restored to youth'.' The chaste women said, O' p- lo. Blessed Fruit, bless the fruit of our wombs*; to Thee may ♦S. oar they be given as first-bom. They waxed hot and prophesied concerning their children, who, when they were killed for Him, were cut off, as it were first-fruits. The barren also fondled Him, and carried Him*; they rejoiced and said,*p. S6. Blessed Fruit bom without marriage, bless the wombs of US that are married; have mercy on our barrenness, Thou wonderful Child of Virginity !
P ' Wbo else among men, after his age profess that virgiiiity which is
death or even when aliTe, ever gave ahove the Law.' St Athan. de Incarn.
l^soDfl in Yirginity, and shewed this §.51. This was often inristed upon as
virtue not to be impossible among men P a special gift of Christianity and a
But oar Sayionr and the King of all, mars of its divinity, as by St. Justin,
Christ, hstk had so great success in the Mart. Apol. i. §. 15. St. Chrysost. in
giving let^oDB therein, that children Bom. p. 192. O. T. St. Methodius. C.
that have not come up to the' legal Virg. i. 4. St. Aust c. Faunt. v. 9, &c
RHYTHM THE SIXTH.
Blessed be the Messenger that came laden with abundance of peace ' ! The Bowels of the Father brought Him 1 S. was down to us ; He did not bring up our debts to Him, but ^^^ made a satisfaction to that Divine Person* with His own came, a goods. Praised be the Wise One, who reconciled and blended •» J^e. the Divine with the Human Nature. One from above and -^•J^*'one from below, He mingled the Natures as medicines, and ship, see being the Image of God, became man'. That Jealous P' ?^* One when He saw that Adam was dust, and that the cursed
n. 1. ,
serpent had devoured him, shed soundness into that which sp.68. was tasteless, and made him a 'salt, wherewith the accursed see Job serpent should be blinded. Blessed be the Merciful One, ^' ^' who saw the weapon by Paradise, that closed the way to the Tree of Life, and came and took a Body which suffereth, that * p. 20, with the Door that was in His side^ He might open the way into °' "** Paradise. Blessed be that Merciful One, who lent not Himself to harshness, but without constraint conquered by wisdom %
4 The Syriac word here used means but in a derivative one. An explana-
literally to * mix," npon which word tion of St E.*s object in using the word
see on TertuUian, p. 49. The word similar to that given by St. Cyril, is
occurs in Isai. 5, 8. of Joining field to employed by Pbiloxenus de Incam. ap.
field : and in adv. Scrut. liv. of Christ's Assem. B. O. i. p. 80. familiar intercourse with His servanU r Xhe text runs oC^ } v>\ , Jooio and handmaidens. The words of St. . * J'
Cyril on the subject may be added here, C*J| ^ Ben. renders < et facias est
adv. Nest. i. p. 16. b. * Though the Word una penona Deus Homo.* What au-
did become Man, yet doth He not cast thority he has for rendering jv^^ , oflf His being God, for neither do we say ^ . t> v *ir
that there was a change of the Flesli P«"«»°»» does not appear. Perhaps the
into the Nature of thVSodhead. . . .for P^saS is hteraUy—* and Ae Image
that of the Word remained that which 0- «• Chnst, see Petav. do Tnn. ti. 6.)
It is, though united to the Flesh.... became God-man. At this rate, Uie
The expression 'mixture,' some even OU^ would be a shortened form adopted
of the noly Fathers adopted in to express the union; though the con-
their earnest desire to shew the struct form is used for the absolute,
close union of the Natures that had One may suspect it should be read
come together. And we say that the OL^ { i^^ 9 * ^^^ ^be Image of God
Word, of ^^^ti*" K**- "i^^^Wn' became man.'
with His own Flesh, into a umon in- , j,^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ . ^^^ ^^^^
discerpUble and unchangeable. He overcame Satan by justice not by power, then proceeds to shew bow Scnptomj ^ ^^.^^ g^ ^ ^^^ ^^^ ^ JJJ^^^ abio used the word not in its strict sense, ^^ ^^ 3 ^^^^^^ , wverity.*
Christ as Husbandman and Carpenter. 35
that He might give an ensample unto men, that by virtue and wisdom they might conquer discerningly. Blessed is Thy flock, since Thou art the gate thereof, and Thou art the staff thereof. Thou art the Shepherd thereof, Thou art the Drink thereof, Thou art the Salt thereof, yea, the Visitor thereof. Hail to the Only-Begotten, that bare abundantly all manner of consolations ' ! The husbandmen came and did ^S, aaobeisance before the Husbandman of Life. They prophesied to Him as they rejoiced, [saying,] * Blessed be the Husbandman, by Whom the ground of the heart is tilled. Who gathereth His wheat into the Bam of Life.' The husbandmen came and gave glory to the Vineyard that sprung of the root and stem of Jesse, the Virgin Cluster of the glorious Vine. * May we be vessels for Thy new Wine that reneweth all things. In Thee may the Vineyard of my Well-beloved that yielded wild grapes* find peace ! Graft its vines from Thy stocks; let^s.hueki it be laden entirely firom Thy blessings with a fruit which may reconcile the Lord of the Vineyard, Who threateneth it.* Owing to Joseph the workmen came to the Son of Joseph. Blessed be Thy Nativity, Thou Head of Workmen, the impress of which the ark bore, fashioned after which was the Tabernacle of the congregation ' that was for a time only ! Our craft praiseth Thee, Who art our glory. Mayest thou make the yoke which is light, yea easy, upon them that bear it; make the measure, in which there can be no falseness, which is full of Truth, yea devise and make measures'" by
' St. Cyril de Ad. in S. et Y. p. 293. of Immanuel, which is incorrnptible, " The ark would be the type and image and not Boiled by sin. By the gold of Christ: forifwe look back to the way within and without he indicates the of the Incarnation of the Only-Begotten, Divine Nature of the Word, which wa» we shall see, that it is in the temple of united unto all the functions (5. vessels) the Virgin as in an ark that the Word of the Soul and the Body in a man • of God took up His abode. For in Him ner no discourse can reach, seeing He dwelt all the fnlness of the Godhead anointed oar manhood with His Godbodily, as the Scripture saitb. But the head." See too adv. Scrut. yiii. §, 5. tefttimonies in the ark were a word of and 6. These words appear to make God, and the wood of it was imperish- it plain, that St. £. means the same able, and with pure and choicest gold ark above as in this passage ; he, howwas it beautified within and without, ever, uses a different word, and one For the Body of Christ is incorruptible, which others contend iv only applied to being by the power and brightness of Noah's ark.
the indwelling Word, and the nntiire " St. Mark, 6, 3. intimates that our
and life-giving operation of the Holy Lord was a carpenter Himself, while
Ghost, maintained in inoorruption.'^ on earth. We find St. £. here and adv.
And so too St.E. himself upon Exodus Scrut xyii. fin. dwelling upon it, as
37. '^ And Bezaleel made an ark of later devotional writers have done, undecayiog wood, a type of the Body
d2
36 Present fruition contrasted
righteousness, that he that is vile may be accused therebj, and he that is perfect, may be acquitted thereby. Weigh therewith both mercy and tnith, O just one, as a judge.
Bridegrooms with their brides rejoiced. ' Blessed be the
Babe, whose Mother was Bride of the Holy One ! Blessed
the marriage feast, whereat Thou wast present, in which when
wine was suddenly wanting, in Thee it abounded again T
The children cried out, ^ Blessed He that hath become unto
us a Brother, and Companion in the midst of the streets.
Blessed be the day which by the Branches ' giveth glory to
the Tree of life, that made His Majesty be brought low, to
our childish age !' Women hoard that a Virgin should conceive
and bring forth a Son: honourable women hoped that Thou
wouldest rise from them ; yea noble ladies that Thou mightest
spring up from them ! Blessed be Thy Majesty, that humbled
Itself, and rose from the poor! Yea the young girls that
1 pp. 33, carried * Him prophesied, saying, * Whether I be hated or feir,
Deuf^ or of low estate, I am without spot for Thee. I have taken
31, 16. Thee in change for the bed of Childbirth.'
Epb.^5 Sarah had lulled Isaac as being a slave, that bare the Image
37. of the King his Master on his shoulders, even the sign of His
Cross, yea on his hands were bandages and sufferings, a type
* p. 44. of the uails^ Rachel cried to her husband, and said. Give me
Gen. 30, sons. Blessed be Mary, in whose womb, though she asked
^' not, Thou didst dwell holily, O Gift, that poured itself upon
1 Sam. them that received it. Hannah with bitter tears asked a child,
' ' Sarah and Rebecca with vows and words, Elisabeth also
with her prayer : after having harassed themselves for a long
time yet so obtained comfort. Blessed be Mary, who without
vows and without prayer', in her Virginity conceived and
* He allades to Palm Sunday, on ' O blessed womb, which through
which the children carried them. As- its extreme parity drew unto itself
seiuanni, as above, speaiks of this the goods of the ponl.' p. 363. b.
Rhythm as if intended for the Annan- * The woman hath made an excuse
elation, which would bring it nearer for the woman:.... the one through
the time of Palm Sunday. Bnt see R. the wood introduced sin, the other
on Palm Sunday ; and on Rhythm xiii. throoffh the wood introduced against
7 So above, p. 2. ' She to-day Eve's it a bieiving.' St. Greg. Naz. Or.
travail ransomcKl, who to her a Saviour 38. p. 620. A. *■ Conceiv^ of a Vir-
bare.' And p. 8. ' Mary hid in us gin, and her previously purified in
to-day leaven come from Abraham.' soul and body by the Spirit' St. Leo in
And again, p. 20. *• There rose from the Nat. 1. §. I. < A Royal Virfin of the
Rib a hidden power.' See also Rh. viii. stock of David is chosen, who, as ia-
p. 41. St. Greg. Nyss. iii. p. 348. b. tended to be with child with the Holy
mth ancient longings for Christ. 37
brought forth the Lord of all the sons of her companions, who have been or shall be chaste and righteous, priests and kings. Who else lulled a son in her bosom as Mary did? who ever dared to call her son, Son of the Maker, Son of the Creator, Son of the Most High ? Who ever dared to speak to her son as in prayer ? O Trust of Thy Mother as God, her Beloved and her Son as Man, in fear and love it is meet for thy Mother to stand before Thee !
Oflbpriog, conceived the Divine and be the Mother of the living.' And St Human Child in her mind before she Irencens, v. 19. §.1. 'As the human did in her body.' S. Epiph. Ixxviii. 18. race was fettered to death bj a virgin, (who ia speaking of Eve aa a type of it is restored by a Virgin, by a rest. Mary,) ' From Mary the Life Itself adjustment of the balance a virgin's hath been bom into the world: that disobedience [is restored] through a she might bear a Living One, and Mary Virgin's obedience.'
RHYTHM THE SEVENTH.
The Son of the Maker is like unto His Father as Maker ! He made Himself a pure body, He clothed Himself with it, and came forth and clothed our weakness with glory, which in His mercy He brought from the Father. From Melchizedek
> above, the High Priest a hyssop* came to Thee, a throne and
^' ' crown from the house of David, a race and family from Abraham. Be Thou unto me a Port for Thy own sake, O
< p. 43. great Sea'. Lo ! the Psalms of David Thy Father, and the words also of the Prophets, came forth unto me, as it were ships. David Thy father, in the hundred and tenth Psalm ', twined together two numbers as it were crowns to Thee, and came, O Conqueror! With these shalt Thou be crowned^and unto the throne shalt Thou ascend and sit. A great crown is the number that is twined in the hundred, wherein is crowned Thy Godhead ! A little crown is that of the number ten, which crowneth the Head of Thy Humanity, O Victorious One !
For Thy sake women ran after men. Tamar desired him that was widowed, and Ruth loved a man that was old, yea, that Rahab that led men captive was captivated by
Gen. 38. Thee. Tamar went forth, and in the darkness stole the Light, and in uncleanness stole the Holy One, and by uncovering her nakedness she went in and stole Thee, O glorious One, that bringest the pure out of the impure. Satan saw her and trembled, and ran to trouble her. He brought the judgment to her mind, and she feared not; stoning and the sword, and she trembled not. He that teacheth adulteiy hindered adultery, because he was a hinderer of Thee. For holy was the adultery of Tamar, for Thy sake. Thee it was she thirsted after, O pure Fountain. Judah defrauded
* Above, p. 27. Jerome on Isai. book not squared to the LXX's divigion of
xvii.init. finds a mystery in the number tbe Psalms, according to which this is
' seventeen' and used the seventeenth the 109th Ps. For specimens of the mys-
Psalm to illustrate it. The number shews tical meaning of numbers, the Ven.
that the Syriac version at that time was Bede, on Gen. 5, may be referred to.
Tamar and Ruth honourably shameless. 39
her of drinldng Thee. The thirsty womb * stole a dew draught of Thee from the spring thereof. She was a widow for Thy sake. Thee did she long for, she hasted and was also an harlot for Thy sake. Thee did she vehemently desire, and was sanctified in that it was Thee she loved. May Tamar rejoice that her Lord hath come and hath made her name known for the son of her adultery ! Sure the name she gave Gen«38, him was calling unto Thee to come to her. For Thee honourable women ^ disgraced themselves, Thou that givest^p. 3. chastity to all ! Thee she stole away in the midst of the ways, who pavest the way into the kingdom ! Because it was life that she stole, the sword was not able to put her to death.
Ruth fell down by a man in the threshingfloor for Thy sake; her love made her unbashful for Thy sake, O Thou that teachest all penitents unbashfulness. Her ears refused [to listen to] any voices for the sake of Thy voice. The living coal that glowed in the bed of Booz went up, fell down there, saw the High Priest, in whose loins was hidden a fire for his incense ^ ! She ran and was a heifer to Booz, that should bring forth Thee, the fatted Calf ^ She went a leasing for her love of Thee; she gathered straw. Thou didst quickly pay her the reward of her lowliness; and instead of ears of corn, the Root of Kings, and instead of straws, the Sheaf of Life', didst Thou make to spring from her. ' p. 13.
n. i.
* S. ]^-^v^ which, according to the ^^o " called a coal) to he acceptahle.
root it comes from, means either a rill Perhaps the words might be rendered,
or a womb : such a play on the word ^^^ *^ere was hidden in his (Booz's)
was probably designed. It is common ^^^^^ * ^^^^ ^or ^" incense, i. e. Christ,
in Hebrew Scriptures, as well as in ^^<^ ^0"^^ sancti^ the strange fire
pagan writers. A similar interpretation ^^^<^^ ^« offered Him by marrying a
of Gen. 9. to that here given may be Moabitess. I cannot however help sus-
fonnd in St. Cyril. Glaph. p. 196. St. pecting that we should read with the
AmbroB. in Lnc. iii. St. Austin, o. feminine affix— saw the HighPnesi
jnly(
qnali6ed praise bestowed in Heb. xi. ;^\«o «Pp? ]»<>* coals and his feet not
intelligible. "® burned,' &c. In Gen. 38. p. 90. c.
k The introduction of Ruth after be makes Tamar say,* Thy Knowledge,
Tamar was doubtless suggested by l^ ^<^^»1 condemneth me not of a deed
Ruth 4, 12. Mat. I, 3. &S. St. E. ^[ lu«t, since my having thirsted after
seems to mean, * Ruth saw by faith **»** ^d'*^** " hidden in the Hebrews
Christ the High Priest, in whose loins pleadeth for me,' &c.
was to be that Fire of Righteousness ^' '-^^e 1^ 30- See Jerome ad
whicb alone could make the incense -Damanum, and Origen in Levit. i. §, 2.
(i. c. th€ child which rose up from Ruth, S. Arabr. in Luc. vii. §. 232.
RHYTHM THE EIGHTH.
That Thy Resurrection might be believed among the gainsajers, they sealed Thee up within the sepulchre, and set guards; for it was lor Thee that they sealed the sepulchre, and set guards, O Son of the Living One ! When they had buried Thee, if they had neglected Thee and left Thee, and gone, there would have been room to lie [and say] that they did steal, O Quickener of all ! When they craftily sealed Thy sepulchre, they made Thy Glory greater. A type of Thee therefore was Daniel, and also Lazarus, one in the den, which the Oentiles sealed up, and one in the sepulchre, that the [chosen] people opened. Lo! their signs and their seals reproved them. Their mouth had been open, if they had left Thy sepulchre open. But they went away because they had shut Thy sepulchre and sealed i^ and closed up their own months. Yea they closed it, and when they had senselessly covered Thy sepulchre, all the slanderers covered their own heads. But in Thy Resurrection Thon persuadest them concerning Thy Birth, since the womb was sealed, and the sepulchre closed up, being alike pure in the womb, and living in Ps. 88, the sepulchre. The womb and the sepulchre being sealed ^' were witnesses unto Thee. The belly and hell cried aloud
of Thy Birth and ITiy Resurrection: the belly conceived Thee, which was sealed ; hell brought Thee forth which was closed up. Not after nature did either the belly conceive Thee, or hell give Thee up! Sealed was the sepulchre whereto they had entrusted Thee, that it might keep the dead above, [safe]. Virgin was the womb which no man knew. Virgin ^* * womb and sealed sepulchre, like trumpets, proclaimed Him in the ears of a deaf people. The sealed belly and the closed rock were amongst the accusers. For they slandered the Conception as being of the seed of man, and the Resurrection as being of the robbery of man ; the seal and the signet convicted them, and pleaded that Thou wert of Heaven.
Marvellaumesi of Chris fs Birlh. 41
The people stood between Thy Birth and Thy Resurrection. They slandered Thy Birth, Thy Death condemned them : they set aside Thy Resurrection, Thy Birth refuted them ; they were two wrestlers that stopped the mouth that slandered. For Elijah they went and searched the mountains: as they sought him on earth, they the more confirmed that he was taken up. Their searching bare witness that he was taken up, in that it found him not. If then prophets that had had presension of Elijah's ascensiofT, as it were doubted of his going up, how s Kings much more would impure men speak slander of the Son ? By ' * their own guards He convinced them that He was risen again.
To Thy Mother, Lord, no man knew what name to give. Should he call her Virgin, her Child stood [there], and married no man knew her to be ! If then none comprehended Thy Mother, who shall suffice for Thee? For she was, alone, Thy Mother, along with all, Thy Sister. She was Thy Mother, she was Thy Sister. She along with chaste women Pb. 46, was Thy betrothed. With every thing didst Thou adorn ^*' Her, Thou ornament of Thy Mother. For she was Thy Bride by nature^ ere Thou hadst come; she conceived Thee not by nature after Thou wast come, O Holy One, and was a Virgin when she had brought Thee forth holily. Mary gained in Thee, O Lord, the honours of all married women. She conceived [Thee] within her without marriage. There was milk in her teats not after the ordinary way. Thou niadest the thirsty land suddenly a fountain of milk. If she canied Thee, Thy mighty look made her burden light ; if she gave Thee to eat, it was because Thou wert hungry ; if she gave Thee to drink, [it was] because Thou wert thirsty; willingly if she embraced Thee, Thou, the coal' of mercies, didst > p. so. keep her bosom safe. A wonder is Thy Mother. The Lord" * entered her, and became a servant : the Word entered her, and became silent within her': thunder entered her, and 'p. 83. His voice was still : the Shepherd of all entered her ; He ' '
«i That is, by the established course other womeD, inasmnob as she was the
of things (as the root of the original holiest of holy women. Seen. y. on p. 86.
word wonld^snggest): holy women once The expression ^Uu M^ as referred to
made holy /though by grace, are natu- in note 1. p. 5. will furnish a ftirther
rally brides, of Christ: only she was iUustration of the application of the
* adorned with e^ery thing' above all word in the text.
42 Ctiriit though typified as mighty
became a Lamb in her, and came forth bleating. The Belly of iS.or- Thy Mother changed the order' of things, O Thou that ^®"' arrangest all! The Rich went in, He came out poor: the High One went in, He came out lowly. Brightness went into her and clothed Himself, and came forth a despised form. The Mighty went in, and clad Himself with fear* from the Belly. He that giveth food to all went in, and gat hunger. He that giveth all to drink went in, and gat thirst. Naked and bare came forth from her the Clother of all.
The daughters of the Hebrews that cried in the Lamentations of Jeremiah, instead of lamentations of their Bibles', used luUing-songs from their own books: a hidden Power within their words was prophesying. Eve lifted up her eyes from Hell and rejoiced in that day, because the Son >p.2,36.of her daughter as a medicine of life' came down to raise up the mother of His mother. Blessed Babe, that bruised the head of the Serpent that smote her ! She saw the type of Thee from the youth of Isaac the fair^ For Thee Sarah, as seeing that types of Thee rested on his childhood, called him, saying, O child of my vows, in whom is hidden the Lord of vows. Samson the Nazarite shadowed 3 See forth a type of Tby activity '. He tore the lion, the image of 24* ' death, whom Thou didst destroy, and caused to go forth from his bitterness the sweetness of life for men *". Hannah also
• Fear is here mentioned because it Church, O Father, (speaking of a debelongs to the perfectionofman'snature, parted Bishop,) with tby prayers that especiallv in childhood. See Is. 11, 2. are heard, and pray for it as did Moses, Our Lord is only recorded to have shewn that it may have a priest such as it in the garden. In the same way igno- Joshua. Though David had departed ranee of futurity which belongs to man of a long season, and he was not in in childhood most, is recorded more con- Hezekiah*s days, yet his prayer de> spicuously of Him in His later years, fended and delivered Jerusalem from Mark 13,32. on which passage see adv. Sennacherib." So too on Job xvi. Scnit, Ixzvii. p. 7. *' ' In heaven are my witnesses, and
' S. —aOUCiAd possibly alluding to t^^ey that know me.' Either it is of God
JW ^^^^:'n V;Tl"eltltil* i-t .eo ^at he' .peak,." yUen.
^ - Tj ^*^-p r«i-« iur..^. .. o^o seems a further meaning here, as though occur. V. Buxtorr. Clav. Masor. p.242. , , u i. 5 r n i
There U ~me rea«>. for thi„Uin| that ^"^.Prh^'i.rX Xitl'^t^ tnDO, (the other word employed by St. told and ushered in the Coming of our E.) is not used of the Hagiographa. Lo^d for which they longed, as the souls S i. e. Eve saw m Isaac a type of of the Martyrs and Apostles and Pro- Christ. St. E. 8 habit iH to contemplate ptets seem to do for His second Advent, the departed as taking an interest m feev. 6, 9, 10. 11, 16 sqq. things on earth. Thus m the Necro- h Several of the Fathers view Samsima, 1. voL in. p. 227. "Visit Thy son in this light: which assuredly ac-
veiled His might in powerlessness. 48
embraced Samuel; for Thy righteousness was hidden in him who hewed in pieces Agag as [a type] of the wicked one. He wept over Saul, because Thy goodness also was shadowed see forth in him. ^ ®"g°-
How meek art Thou! Howmighty art Thou, O Child! Thy Luke's, judgment is mighty, Thy love is sweet! Who can stand against Thee ? Thy Father is in Heaven, Thy Mother is on earth ; who shall declare Thee ? If a man should seek after Thy Is. 63. Nature, it is hidden in Heaven in the mighty Bosom of the Godhead ; and if a man seek after Thy visible Body, it is laid down before their eyes* in the little bosom of Mary. The '& and mind wandereth between Thy generations, O Thou Rich One ! g^^ Thick folds* are upon Thy Godhead. Who can sound Thy «or looks, depths. Thou great Sea' that made itself little ? We come to f' ^g see Thee as God, and, lo ! Thou art a man : we come to see ref. 2. Thee as man, and there shineth forth the light of Thy Godhead !
Who would believe that Thou art the Heir of David's Throne? A manger hast Thou inherited out of [all] his beds, a cave has come down to Thee out of all his palaces. Instead of his chariots a common ass's colt perchance cometh down to Thee. How fearless art Thou, O Babe, that dost let all have thee [to carry*] : upon every one that meeteth with* p. 36, TBee dost Thou smile : to every one that sees Thee, art Thou 3 / * ' gladsome ! Thy love is as one that hungereth after men. Thou makest no distinction between Thy fathers and strangers, nor Thy Mother and maidservants, nor her that suckled Tliee and the unclean. Was it Thy forwardness or Thy love, O Thou that lovest all ? What stirxeth Thee that Thou didst let all that saw Thee have Thee, both rich and poor ? Thou assistedst them that called Thee not. Whence came it that Thou hungeredst so for men ? How great was Thy love, that if one rebuked Thee, Thou wert not wrath ! if a man threatened Thee, Thou wert not terrified ! if one hissed at Thee, Thou
cords better with Judg 14, 4. Heb. 11. Hilary de Trin.vi. $. 15. ix.§. 8. notices
than any other view. See Pseudo-Am- that Scripture uses the word womb P0.
bros. de Sp. Saoct. ii. init. St. Aust. c. 110. of the incorporeal Father by an ac-
Faost. xii. 32. commodation to oar ignorance, to shew
1 St. Aust. on Nat. xiii. '' The Nati- that it was not a creation out of nothing,
Titiea of our Lord J&nis Christ be two : but a natural birth of His Only-Begotten
the one without a woman for mother, from Himself, the other without a man for father. " St.
44 Christ contrasted with types.
didst not feel vexed ! Thou art superior to the laws of the avengers of injuries.
Moses was meek, and [yet] his zeal was harsh, for he
struggled and slew. Elisha also, who restored a child to life,
tore a multitude of children in pieces by bears. Who art
Thou, O Child, whose love is greater than that of the Prophets?
S°and ' "^^ ^^^ ^^ Hagai who was wild, kicked at Isaac. He bore it
SI, 9. and was silent, and his mother was jealous ^ Art Thou the
re^! 2. ' mystery of him, or is not he the type of Thee ? art Thou like
Isaac, or is it not he that is like Thee ?
RHYTHM THE NINTH.
Come rest, and be still in the bosom of Thy Mother, Son of the Glorious. Forri'ardness fitteth not the sons of kings. O Son of David, Tbou art glorious, and [jet] the Son of Mary, who dost hide Thy beauty in the inner chamber. To whom art Thou like, glad Babe, fair little One, Whose Mother is a Virgin, Whose Father is hidden. Whom even the Seraphim' are » p. 24. not able to look upon ? Tell us whom Thou art like, O Son ^^^ of the Gracious ! When the wrathful came to see Thee, Thou R. ▼. madest them gladsome: they exchanged* smiles one with*^™'*^" another : the angry were made gentle in Thre, O sweet One; Blessed art Thou, little One, for that in Thee even the bitter are made sweet. Who ever saw a Babe that was gladsome when in arms to those that came near him, lo ! reached Himself unto them that were far ofP ? Fair sight [to see] a Child, ' p* 4S, that is thoughtful for every man that they may see Him ! He that hath care came and saw Thee, and his care fled away. He that had anxiety, at Thee forgat his anxiety ; the hungry by Thee forgat his victuals ; and he that had an errand, by Thee was errant and forgat his journey ! O still Thyself, and let men go to their works ! Tbou art a son of the poor, learn from Thyself that all the poor had to leave their work to come. Thou who lovest men, hast bound men together by Thy gladsomeness.
David, that stately king, took branches ^ and in the feast amongst the children as he danced, he gave praise. Is
^ Scriptvre does not mentioo this : the trees of tb« wood were then spoken
neidier am I able to find that the of as rejoicing before the Lord, (see
Rabbins had a tradition to that eflTect. 1 Chron. 16, 36 and 33.) the assamptioo
St. E. probably looked apon the entrance may be considered to ha\e some war-
of Dam with the ark into Jerusalem, rant from Scripture. MichaVs conduct
MM typical of oar Lord's entry into that is noticed as typical of that of the
oity. Hence he assumed the same synagogue by St. £. on 3 Sam. ti. G.
things to go on in each ; and perhaps and in the R. on Palm Sunday. St.
aa t£s Hosannah Psalm was used, m Ambros. on Ps. 118« part, by Darid on that occasion, and as
46 The Syfiagogue reproved in types; and laws.
it not the love of David Thy father that is warm in Thee ? Lo !
the daughter of Saul ! her father^s devil spake in her : she
called the stately [king] a vile fellow, because he gave an
ensample to the elders of her people of taking up branches
with the children in the day of praise to Thee. Who would
not fear to lay it to Thee that Thou art forward ? For lo,
the daughter of Saul who mocked the child, cut ojff her
3 Sam. womb from childbearing ; because her mouth derided, the
' ■ reward of its mouth was barrenness. Let mouths tremble
at blasphemy, lest they be shut up ! Keep, O daughter of
Sion, thy mouth from Him, for He is the Son of David, Who
is gladsome before thee. Be not unto Him as the daughter
of Saul, whose race is extinct. The impure people as
whoremongers and jealous* did God see to be \ety slanderous,
and He shewed mercy upon the women, in that He enlarged
His revelations among the slanderers for their sakes. If a
i&ifherman shall hate' his partner, he was to write a [divorcement],
shall*" ^"^^ ^endi her away ; and if he were jealous, the waters used
hate her. to try her, and if he had slandered her, he used to give up
I™' ' the cloth. All slander was put to shame by Mary, for she
Dent, was sealed ; Moses detected them beforehand to be very slan-
^ ^^* derous. For if while the cloths of virginity were with their
own wives", they accused them and put them to death, how
much more would they slander the mother of the Son ?
With the trying waters and the cloth he taught them alle-
8S.<j^»jgorically', that when the Lord of conceptions should come
and they should slander the belly wherein He dwelt, the signs
of pure virginity present after conception, might plead in its
behalf. If then the signs of virginity which have come forth,
used to deliver the wife of man from the sword ; watch and
take earnest heed thou wise man thou, for if thou art found
guilty, it is with her Lord thou next shalt have to fight.
Because Elijah restrained the desire of the body, he with-
1 The meaning perhaps Is, that though solnhleness of marriage. See St. Matt.
Moses for the hardness of their hearts 19.
allowed them to do what in the spirit "^ That is, the fact that ajfter their
of jealousy and adultery they abused, accusations, the signs of virginity were
God saw that this led to an oppressive sometimes found, implies that they were
and backbiting temper, and, after wink- oftentimes willing and sometimes would
ing at their sins, at length avenged the succeed in putting innocent wives to
cause of women, and gave further re- death, velations a« to the sanctity and indis-
Supernatural powers given to holiness. 47
held rain from the adulterous; because he kept under his body, he kept dew from the whoremongers, who let their fountains be loosely poured out. Because the hidden fire of the lust of the body ruled not in him, to him the fire from on high was obedient. And since he subdued on the earth the lust of the flesh, he went up thither where holiness dwelleth and is at peace. Elisha also who deadened his own body, quickened the dead. The resurrection of the dead was in the usual course by a sanetification not in the usual course ; He raised the child, because he purified^ his soul like a weaned child. Moses, who^ & fildivided and separated himself from his consort, divided ^^ the sea before the harlot". Zipporah though daughter of a heathen priest kept sanctity: with a calf the daughter" of Abraham went a whoring.
■ i. e. the Jewish Church. These that the miracles therewith connected
inntances are given, after what has been were hidden types and fore-runners of
said of St. Mary's purity, perhaps, to the exceeding miracle of His Holy
shew the great excellence of Virginity Incarnation, that there was, so to
in God*s sight, in that He vouchsafed speak, a certain harmony in the pre-
these miracles in connection with virgin vious connection of miracles with vir-
or married continency. It may be also, ginity.
RHYTHM THE TENTH.
Bev. 3, In Thee will I begin to speak, Thou Head that didst begin
*^* all created things. I, even I will open my mouth, but it is
P8.81, Thou that fillest my mouth. I am the earth to Thee, and
Heb. 6 Th^" ^^ ^^ husbandman. Sow Thy voice in me, Thou
7. ' ' that sowedst Thyself in the Belly of thy Mother. " All* the
chaste daughters of the Hebrews, and the virgins' daughters
of the chief men, are astonished at me ! For Thee doth the
daughter of the poor meet with envy, for Thee, the daughter
of the weak with jealousy. Who hath given Thee to me ?
Son of the Rich One, that hated the bosom of the rich women, who led Thee to the poor? for Joseph was needj' and
1 also in want, yet Thy merchants have come, and brought gold, to the house of the poor." She saw the Magi : her songs increased at their offerings ; " Lo ! Thy worshippers have surrounded me, yea ihy offerings have encircled me. Blessed
aav. be the Babe who made His Mother a harp for His words : Scrut. j^n^j 3^ ijjg jjg^jp waiteth for its master, my mouth waiteth
1 5. Thy ^^^ Thee. May the tongue of Thy Mother bring what pleaseth ' '^U Thee; and since I have learnt a new Conception by Thee, let my mouth learn in Thee, O new Son, a new song of praise. And if hindrances are no hindrances to Thee, since difficulties are easy to Thee, as a womb without marriage conceived Thee, and a belly without seed brought Thee forth, it is easy for a little mouth to multiply Thy great glory. Lo ! I am oppressed and despised, and yet cheerful : mine ears are filled with reproof and scorn, and it is a small thing to me to bear, for ten thousand troubles can a single comfort of Thine chase away, and since I am not despised by Thee, O Son, my countenance is bright ; and I am slandered for having con-
** St. £. without Dotice iDtrodaces Rhythms, althoagh it has generalir the B. v. M. as speaking. Such a been sqnared to our habits by adding change of persons is frequent in these * saying* or the like.
St. Mary addresses the Infant Christ. 49
ceived^ and yet have brought forth theTruth** who justifieth me.
For if Tamar was justified by Judah S how much more shall * P- 38-
I be justified by ITiee !
David Thy father sung in a psalm of Thee before Thou hadst come, that to Thee should be given the gold ofPs. 78, Sheba. This psalm that he sung of Thee, lo! it, whilst Thou art yet a Child, in reality heapeth before Thee myrrh and gold ; and the hundred and fifty Psalms that he wrote, in Thee' were seasoned % because all the sayings of pro- 'p. 8. phecy stood in need of Thy sweetness, for without Thy salt scrut. all manner of wisdom were tasteless. ^^•
P St. Anst. on Ps. 84. §. 13. < When only." The next words allade evidently
righteousness looked down from Hea- to Job 6, 6. for the word oOS> occurs
Ten,' i. e. that we might be justified by jn both. One may suspect, however,
Divine grace, Truth was bom from the that St. Eph. had seen the LXX. .
Virgin Mary Truth flourished version of the passage; which is
oat of the earth, and righteousness literally rendered in the portions of the
looked down from Heaven. Syriac Hexapla pubUshed by Middle-
q St. AuBtin. on Ps. 69. $.1." Scarcely ^ dorpf, and runs thus, 'Can bread be
Shalt thou find in the Psalms aught but eaten without salt? or is there any
the words of Christ and the Church, savour in empty words P' either of Christ only, or of the Church
E
RHYTHM THE ELEVENTH.
I SHALL not be jealous, my Son, that Thou art with me, and
also with all men. Be Thou God to him that confesseth
Thee, and be Lord to him that serveth Thee, and be Brother
to him that loveth Thee, that Thou majest gain all! When
1 p. 28. Thou didst dwell in me, Thou didst also dwell out of me\ and
when I brought Thee forth openly, Thy hidden might was not
removed from me. Thou art within me, and Thou art without
me, O Thou that makest Thy Mother amazed, for I see that
outward form of Thine before mine eyes, the hidden Form is
«St.Leo, shadowed forth ' in my mind *, O holy One. In Thy visible form
' 1 see Adam, and in Thy hidden Form I see Thy Father, who is
^S.wie blended with' Thee. Hast Thou then shewn me alone Thy
n!q. Beauty in two Forms? Let Bread shadow forth Thee, and
also the mind ; dwell also in Bread and in the eaters thereof.
In secret and openly too may Thy Church see Thee, as well
♦aeeadv.as Thy Mother*. He that hateth Thy Bread is like unto him
X. 8. ihat hateth Thy Body. He that is far off that desireth Thy
Bread, and he that is near that loveth Thy Image, are alike.
In the Bread and in the Body, the first and also the last have
seen Thee'. Yet Thy visible Bread is far more precious than
Thy Body ; for Thy Body even unbelievers have seen, but they
have not seen Thy living Bread. They that were far off
^5. as- rejoiced! their portion utterly scometh' that of those that
JJgoJjj are near. Lo ! Thy Image is shadowed forth in the blood
of the grapes^ on the Bread; and it is shadowed forth
' See Adv. Scrat. Ixiv. where he conDection with His answer, of some-
sajs, " Shadow not forth in thine in- what of the kind, telleot thine own mind's guess-work." ^ ' This allades to a rite in the
The word here is used in a merely Syrian Liturg}", in which the officiating
metaphorical sense. Priest is instroctcd to dip one portion
■ St. £. may he here perhaps taken of the consecrated hread into tne cap
to conceive that our Lord in His youth and sprinkle the rest with it' Ben.
told the Blessed Virgin how He would By the colours of faith he means the
give His flesh for the life of the world, outward words used to paint it, ao to
tier teeming impatience at the marriage say, on the mind. ' Faith' is used adr.
is perhaps indicatire, when taken in Scrut. xx. $. 2. for a Creed.
Si. Maiff^$ second Birth through her only Son. 51
on the heart with the finger of love, with the colours of faith. ( Bleesed be He that by the Image of His Truth caused the; graTen images to pass away.
Thou art not [so] the Son of Man that I should sing^ unto * s. iiUi Thee in a common way ; for Thy Concepticm is new, and Thy Birth mar?eIIous. Without the Spirit who shall sing to Thee i A new muttering of prophecy is hot within me. How shall I call Thee a stranger to us, who art from us i Should I call Thee Son? Should I call Thee Brother ? «ee Mat Husband should I call Thee i Loid should I call Thee, '^'' ^'
Child that didst gire Thy Mother a second birth from the waters i For I am Thy sister, of the house of David the father of us Both. Again, I am Thy Mother because of Thy Conception, and Thy Bride am 1 because of lliy sane- p. 36. tification% Thy handmaid and Thy daughter, from the Blood and Water wherewith Thou hast purchased me and baptized me. The Son of the Most High came and dwelt
in me, and I became His Mother, and as by a second birth ■■
1 brought Him forth, so did He bring me forth by the regeneration*; because He put His Mother's garment on, she ' ^« seclothed her body with His glory '. ^^^^
Tamar, who was of the house of David, Amnon disgraced, and Tirginity fell and perished from them both. My pearl is not lost : in Thy treasury it is stored, because Thou hast put it on ! The scent of her brother in law stank from Tamar, whose perfume she had stolen away. As for Joseph's Bride, not even his breath exhaled from her garments, since she conceived Cinnamon. A wall of fire' was I'hy Conception Caot. 4,
« The word oaed in the oriffinal here Riven to her the making of garments ^°j^''
is applied particnlarly to the dedication lor the viflible nakedness of the yisible ^*9 ^*'-
of a Church, and then to fonr Scmdays bodv ; but to Mary was it given by
before AdTent. God that she should bring forth to as a
" The second Birth is His birth of Lamb and Sheep, and that from the
Marj in tiii>e, the First, the Eternal gh>ry of the Lamb and Sheep, as from
GenemtioD of The Father, see p. 43. i. a Fleece, by a wise device we should
9 have, through His virtue, a garment
Perhaps. In what foUows, for OIV^ of immortality." . ^ ^ ^
^ ' ^ "^^^ • St. Thorn, in the Catena quotes
we should lead OIV^, " because His St. Hihu-y as saying that St. Joseph
^'fN^^' knew not St. Mary because, while God
Body had put on His Mother's gar- was in her womb, she glistened as
menty" i. e. because His Flesh He had Moses did and could not be looked
taken from His Mother. upon. Though this is not now found
E 2
52 Si. Joseph ministers to his Spouse,
unto me, O holy Son. The little flower was faint, because Cant. 3, the smell of the Lily of Glory was great. The Treasurehouse of spices stood in no need of flower or its smells! flesh stood aloof because it saw in the Belly a Conception from the Spirit.
The woman ministereth before the man, because he is her head. Joseph rose to minister before his Lord, Who was in Mary. The priest* ministered before Thy ark by reason of > p. 36. Thy holiness. Moses carried the tables of stone ^ which the Lord wrote, and Joseph bare about the pure Tablet in whom the Son of the Creator was dwelling. The tables had ceased, because the world was filled with Thy doctrine.
had abrightDessliketoMoseSytooTpr- because ''St. £. would hare
awe the creatores, and at p. 31. f. that « «
Ere after sin, was not immediately oiGu]^ not OUApOOit^ had he meant
•tripped of ihia glory, that Adam's faith any external brightness." Tbe fact of
might be tried also, that he might not the Conception which the Angel had
be frightened at seeing her countenance declared to St. Joseph, was itself '' the
fallen. This put together with the last wall of fire." S. Matt. 1, 24. 25]
note throws a light on the passage. » St. E. possibly here looks on St.
As the sight of Eve bereft of glory Joseph as a type of the Priesthood,
would make Adam stand aloof of her, St Ambr. in Luc. u. §. 7. " Haply tbe
so the sight of St. Mary glistening with reason that St. Mary was married to
glory would make flesh, i.e. St. Joseph, one and filled by Another b, because
stand aloof of her. It may be added, individual Churches are filled with the
that on Genesis 19. he notices that Spirit and grace, but yet are married to
Sarah during her supernatural preg- a visible temporal priest"— junguntur ad
nancy had some unwonted external ap- temporalis speciem sacerdotis — ^where
pearance, which made her, even at her Sacerdos is used for the Bishop, as in
age, attractive to Abimelech. [The St. Cyprian, and St. Austin c. Jul. Pel.
writer subsequently rejected this note, ii, as, &c.
RHYTHM THE TWELFTH.
The Babe that I carry carrieth ^ me, saith Mary, and He * * pp- 23, hath lowered His wings, and taken and placed me between His pinions, and mounted into the air, and a promise has been given me that height and depth shall be my Son^s. I haye seen Gabriel that called him Lord, and the high priest the aged servant, that carried Him and bare Him. I have seen the Magi when they bowed down, and Herod when he was troubled because the King had come. Satan also^x. i, who strangled the little ones that Moses might perish, murdered the little ones that the Living One might die. To Egypt He fled, who came to Judea that He might labour and wander there : he sought to catch the man that would catch Himself. In her virginity Eve put on the leaves of shame. Thy Mother put on in her Virginity the garment* of Glory that sufficeth'p-fii. for all. She gave the little vest of the Body to Him that covereth all. Blessed is she in whose heart and mind' Thou' P- 36.
note T.
wast! A King's palace she was by Thee, O Son of the King, p. 50. ' and a Holy of Holies*' by Thee, O High Priest ! She had not ^«^- 2- the trouble nor vexation of a family, or a husband ! Eve, again, was a nest and a cave^ for the accursed serpent, that *& reentered in and dwelt in her*. His evil counsel became bread f^^™ to her that she might become dust. Thou art our Bread, and Scrut. l. Thou art also [of] our race and our garment of glory. He that *
• St. Zeno in Nat. iv. '* O wonderfbl any good deed whereby to bring him-
thing ! Mary conceives of Him 'Whom self into notice, set the temple of Diana
she bringeth forth. Her womb enlargeth on fire ; and when nobody could say
with the Majesty, not with seed; and a whose the sacrilege was, he came
Virgin contains Him Whom the world before the public himself and owned
and the world's largeness containeth that he had done it to gain notoriety,
not. Meantime her limbs carry the Bat you [Helvidius] have set on fire
Maler of them, and the work dotheth the Temple of the Lord's Body, and
the Workman with its form." defiled the Sanctuary of the Holy
^ St. Jerome c. Helvid. *^ As the Ghost, by making out that brothers
story goes, a man who was unknown and sisters, four in a row, came out from
to the world, and not able to think of it." i. e. from St. Mary.
54 Men in all conditions invited
hath sanctity, if he be in danger, lo ! here is his Guardian ! He that hath iniquity, lo ! here is his Pardoner ! He that hath a devil, here is the Pursuer thereof! They that have pains, lo ! here is the Binder up of their breaches. He that hath a child, let him come and become a brother to my Well- Mat 12, beloved! He that hath a daughter or a young woman of his race, let her come and become the bride of my Glorious One ! He that hath a servant, let him set him free, that he may come and serve his Lord. The son of free men that beareth Thy yoke, my Son, shall have one reward ; and the slave that beareth the burden of the yoke of two masters, that above and that below, there are two blessings for him, and two rewards of the two burdens". The free woman, my Son, is Thy handmaid : also if she who is in bondage serve Thee, in Thee she is free: in Thee she shall be comforted, because she is CaDt. 2,fTeed; hidden apples in her bosom are stored up, if she love Thee !
O chaste women, long ye for my Well-beloved, that He may dwell in you, and ye also that are impure that He may hallow you! ye Churches also, that the Son of the Creator Who came to renew all creatures, may adorn you ! He freshened the foolish who worshipped and served all the stars, He freshened the earth which was worn out through Adam, who sinned and waxed old ''. The new formation was the creature of its Renewer, and the all- sufficient One repaired the bodies along with their wills. Come ye blind, and without mone}^ receive lights. Come ye lame, and receive your feet ! ye deaf and dumb, receive your voice ; come thou also whose hand is cut off; the maimed also shall receive his hands*. It is the Son of
*
' This passage is to be observed as whole world might lean upon Him, and
one of the many in which the Fathers be stayed by Him. As he by the bre-
encoarage masters to set slaves free, thren and children , so the world, in the
although they pretty uniformly held (as strength of our Lord, was supported by
St. E. here seems to do also) that Prophets and Apostles. For Joseph
slaves, if they had the choice, should was a wall of plenty to his brethren id
use slavery rather. See Justiniani on the time of hunger, and our Lord a
1 Cor. 7, 21. wall of knowledge to the world in the
<l See pp. 16, S3. On Gen. 49, 22. time of its errors.'^
p. 113, he says, "As Jacob leaned upon « This passage is to be noticed as
Joseph instead of Reuben his first- shewing that St. E. did not think a
born ; so instead of Adam the first- man with a distorted limb merely could
bom, and the embitterer, the world had be meant by the word employed in the
one Son of its old age in the latter time text, of the same, that as upon a pillar the
to come to the great Physician. 55
the Creator Whose treasure-houses are filled with all manner of helps. Let him that is without eyeballs come to Him that maketh clay and changeth it, that maketh flesh, that enlighteneth eyes. By the small quantity of clay ' He shews that it was ^ S.ltttle with His hand that Adam was formed : the soul of the dead^ ^^ also beareth Him witness, that by Him it was that the breath of man was breathed in ; by the last witnesses He was accredited to be the Son of Him Who is the First'. Gather ye together and come, O ye lepers, and receive purification without labour. For He will not wash you as Elisha, who baptized seven times in the river : neither shall He annoy you as the priests did with their sprinklings. Foreigners and also strangers have betaken themselves to the great Physician ; the rank of strangers hath no place with the King's Son ; the Lord doth not make Himself strange to His servants, [or conceal] that He is Lord of all. For if the Just maketh the body leprous, and Thou purifiest it, then, the Former of the body hateth the body, but Thou lovest it. And if it be not Thy forming, being Just, Thou wouldest not have healed it, and if it were not Thy creature, when in health, Thou wouldest not»ce have afBicted it. The punishments that Thou hast cast upon 32^^39. it, and the pains which Thou hast healed, proclaim that Thou art the Creator's Son ^.
^ Ben. renders, Son of the first of the word ' witnesses' seems further Admm. It seems, however, certain to point to Is. 44, 7. that St. £. alludes to Is. 41, 4. 44, 6. ff The argument is this: if God, as 7. &c. St. Athan. c. Ar.iii. §.6. speak- being jast, is obliged to punish His ing of the latter passage, '' The Son creatures, no just beine, nhort of God, is in the one and first and only God, as could interfere with such punishments ; being the onlj Word and Wisdom and but Christ is just, as having all judg- Brightness of Him Who is one, and ment committed to Him, and yet interalone, rmA first. Yet is He also Him- feres with such punishments ; therefore self first, &c." see too §. 9. extr. The use He is God and Lord of all.
RHYTHM THE THIRTEENTH.
15. yean In the days ' of a King whom they called by the name of
Zemcha, our Lord spnmg up among the Hebrews: and
•Bright- Zemcha and Dencha* ruled, and came. King upon earth,
^*°^and Son in Heaven, blessed be His rule! In the days
epring of the king who enrolled^ men in the book of the dead,
our Redeemer came down and enrolled men in the book of
the living. He enrolled, and they also : on high He enrolled
us, on earth they enrolled Him. Glory to His Name ! In the
days of the king CsBsar Augustus, the type and the Reality met
together, the king and the King, the Zemcha and Dencha. He
bare His Cross upon His shoulders, the sign of His Kingdom.
Thirty years He went in poverty upon the earth ! The
sounds of praise in all their varieties let us twine, my
brethren, to the years of the Lord, as thirty crowns to the
thirty years. Blessed be His Birth !
In the first year, that is chieftain over the treasures and
Dispenser of abundant blessings, may the Cherubim who
P8.99,i.bare up the Son in glory, praise Him with us ! He left His
glory, and toiled and found the sheep that was lost. To
Him be thanksgiving !
In the second year, may the Seraphim praise Him yet
Is. 6, 3. more with us. They that had proclaimed the Son Holy, by
2*^^ 53* 'and by saw Him when He was reviled among the gain-
iTim.3, sayers ; He bore the contempt and ^taught praise. To Him
be glory !
In the third year, let Michael and his followers, that ministered to the Son in the highest, praise Him with us. They saw Him on the earth when He was ministering, washing feet, cleansing souls. Blessed be His lowliness !
In the fourth year, let the whole earth praise Him with us. It is but small for the Son, and it marvelled because it saw that it entertained Him in its bed that is so very mean. He filled the bed, and filled the Heaven. To Him be Majesty !
Tlie Creatures invoked to praise Christ. 76
In the fifth year, the Sun glistened unto the earth. With its breath let it praise our Sun Who brought His breadth down low, and humbled* His mightiness, that the subtle eye p. 37. of the unseen soul might be able to look upon Him. Blessed be His brightness !
In the sixth year again, let the whole air praise Him with us, in whose wide space it is that all things are made glorious, which saw its mighty Lord that had become a little Child in a little bosom. Blessed be His dignity !
In the seyenth year, the clouds and winds rejoiced with us and sprinkled the dews over the flowers, for they saw the Son who enslaved His brightness and received disgrace and foul spitting. Blessed be His Redemption !
In the year that is eighth also, let the fields' give praise,' S. wiU that suckle their fruits fi'om His fountains. They worshipped ^™®"® because they saw the Son in arms and the pure One sucking pp* 23, pure milk. Blessed be His good pleasure !
In the ninth year, let the earth glorify the might of her Creator, Who laid seed in her in the beginning that she might bring forth all her produce ; for it saw Maiy, a thirsty p. 2. land, who pelded the fixiit of a Child that was a wonder, yea, a marvel. [Then] it praised Him more exceedingly, for that He was a great Sea of all good things. To Him be exaltation !
In the tenth year, let the mount Sinai glorify Him, it which trembled before its Lord. It saw that they took up stones against its Lord ; He received stones, Who should build His Church upon a Stoned Blessed be His building ! > 5. Ce-
In the eleventh year, let the great sea praise the fists of the ^^ Son that measured it, and it was astonished and saw that He is. came down, was baptized in a small water, and cleansed the creatures. Blessed be His noble act!
In the twelfth year, let the holy Temple praise Him, that saw the Child when He sat amongst the old men : the priests were silent when the Lamb of the Feast bleated in His feast', ' p. 53. Blessed be His propitiation!
In the thirteenth year, let the crowns praise with us the King who conquered, that died and was crowned with a crown of thorns, and bound upon Adam a great crown at His right hand. Blessed be His Apostleship !
58 The Creatures invoked to praise Christ.
In the fourteenth year, let the passover in Egypt pndse the Passover that came and passed over all, and instead of Pharaoh sunk the Legion, instead of horses choked the devil. Blessed be His vengeance ! 1 p. 32. In the fifteenth year, let the lamb' of the gluttons' praise Him: since our Lord was so far from slaughtering it as Moses did, that He even redeemed mankind with His own Blood. He that feedeth all, died for all. Blessed be His Father ! In the sixteenth year, let the wheat praise by its type that johDi2, Husbandman, Who sowed His Body in the barren earth, since ^ ' it covereth all, spreadeth itself out and yieldeth new Bread. Blessed be the Pure One ! In the seventeenth year, let the Vine praise the Lord diat ' P> 64. garnished it. He planted a vineyard', souls were as vineplants. He gave peace to the vineyard, but destroyed the vineyard that brought forth wild grapes. Blessed be its Uprooter !
In the eighteenth year, let the Vine which the wild boar out of the wood had eaten, praise the True Vine which trimmed * see Himself, and kept' His fruit, and brought the fruits to the 9° ^ ' Lord of the Vineyard. Blessed be His Vintage !
In the nineteenth year, let our leaven praise the true leaven
which insinuated itself among those that were in error, and
drove them all together, and made them one mind by one
Doctrine. Blessed be Thy doctrine I
*p. 34. In the twentieth year, let* salt praise Thy living Body,
wherewith are salted the bodies and the souls of all the
Mark faithful, and faith is the salt of men wherewith they are pre-
' ' served. Blessed be Thy preserving I
In the twenty-first year, let the waters of the desert praise
Thee. They are sweet to them afar off, they are bitter to them
Exod. that are near, who did not minister to Him. The [chosen]
' * people and the nations were bitter in the desert, and He
destroyed them. They were sweetened by the Cross* which
redeemed them. Blessed be Thy pleasantness !
f St £. seemd to wish to express in shewed Moses a wood, and he cast it a very strong way what he had alluded into the waters, and they were sweetened, to abore p. 32. that Christ saved not The wood is a tjpe of the Cross, whereonly man, bat also beast from de- by the Gentiles (see Rev. 17, 15.) were struction. sometime to be sweetened.'
s On Exodus he writes thus : *■ Grod
Hie Creatures invoked to praise Christ. 59
In the twenty-second year, let arms and the sword praise Thee : they su£&ced not to kill our adversary. It was Thou that killed him, even Thou who didst fix the ear on, which Simon's sword cut off. Blessed be Thy healing!
In the twenty-third year, let the ass praise Him, that gave its foal for Him to ride on, that loosed the bonds, that<?en.i6, opened the mouth of the dmnb, that opened also the mouth ^ij^ ^ of the wild asses when the race of Hagar gave a shout of°^*°»"* praise. Blessed be the praise of Thee ! ii. '
In the twenty-fourth year, let the Treasury praise the Son. The treasures marvelled at the Lord of treasures, when in the house of the poor He was increasing, Who made Himself poors Cor. 8, that He might enrich all. Blessed be Thy rule !
In the twenty-fifth year, let Isaac praise the Son, for by His goodness he was rescued upon the Mount firom the knife, and in his stead there was the victim, the type of the p- 36. Lamb for the slaughter. The mortal escaped, and He that^gf ' ' qoickeneth all died. Blessed be His offering ! see Is.
In the twenty-sixth year, let Moses praise Him with us, for that he was afraid and fled firom his murderers. Let him praise the Lord that bore the spear and that received the nails in His hands, in His feet. He entered into hell and Is. 49, spoiled it, and came forth. Blessed be Thy Resurrection !
In the year which is the twenty-seventh, let the eloquent speakers praise the Son, for they found no cloke to save our cause. He was silent in the judgment-hall, and He carried our cause. Honour be to Him ! And in this year let Moses and Joshua praise Him, who, as being just men, killed the ungodly; let them praise the Son who died for the wicked, as being good. Though Son of the Just One, He gave them all manner of good things in abundance. Blessed be His bowels of mercy!
In the eight and twentieth year, let all mighty men of valour praise the Son, because they delivered not from him who took us captive. He only is to be praised, who being Bev. 5, slain shewed us life. Blessed be His delivery !
In the twenty-ninth year, let Job praise Him with us, who bore sufferings for himself, and our Lord bore for us the spitting and the spear, and the crown of thorns, and scourges, contempt and reproach, yea mocking. Blessed be His mercy !
60 The Creatures invoked to praise Christ.
In the year that is thirtieth, let the dead praise Him with us, because they are quickened, and the living, because they Mal.4,6.have turned to repentance, because height and depth were set at one by Him. Blessed be He and His Father!
k It mems likely that St Ephr. had will just sapply, as those of St. Austin
in his own mind some principle by do, one for each day up to the time of
which he determined how each oiroum- Epiphany. In case this were so it
stance was to be put to each year: but would of course shew a further dif-
what this principle is I am wholly at a ficulty in explaining the passage in
loss to discover. It is also worth oh- B. It. note e. and whatever probability
serving that there are <AiK0m Homilies; there is that it is so, the same pro-
the first of which is evidently for the bability there is that R. vi. does not
vespers or vigil ; the whole of them belong to the Annunciation.
A RHYTHM
AGAINST
THE JEWS,
DELIVERED UPON PALM SUNDAY*.
L To the feast full of wise meanings hav^e ye been invited^ my beloved. Offer ye the gifts of praise to the Wise One Who invited you. To the marriage supper of all noble things have ye assembled yourselves, ye successful men ; as conquering wrestlers, take the standard upon your hands. Unto the haven of all good things have ye approached to-day : the hidden treasures of the [Divine] Essence are become a spiritual merchandize. Unto the port which is full of peace have ye come as swimmers : spring in and enter into the place where is no danger, since the storms make no eddies^ therein.
■ S. on the firti in the week of Ho» Sunday must have been noticed, in
MfinoA. S. £. AM*emaDni (Pnef. ad some way in the services of the day.
Vol. iii. p. six.) after J. S. Assem. There exist several spurious Homilies
(B. O. i. p. 23. and 269.) noticeg, that upon this feast, which confessedly be-
thtc feast was not kept with the solemn long to a later date. That attributed
benediction of palms and olives till by some to St. Methodius has many
A.D. 498. This is stated on the au- pointM of agreement with this of St.
thority of Severus of Antioch and Ephrem ; a circumstance which ought
Josuah StylitfH, a monk of Edessa, who to be noticed, as favouring the opinion
\vrote a chronicle of the events of the of Combefis and Gallandi, who contend
neighbourhood from A.D. 495 to 507. for its genuineness.
The title, however, (presently alluded ^ Or dwell therein. The Lexicons
to,) *• of the refuge of the haven' given give no other sense, but it seems likely
to the Monday after this Sunday, shews, that the root as well as the derivatives
that the time was a marked one : while should be of the same meaning with the
the whole language oftheBhythm leads ... C^
one to think that the evenu of Palm Arabic ^w-
62 Prayer for restitution of unity and IioUness.
2. Lo ! unto joy hath the King's Son who cometh to our place invited you. Go ye out to meet Him with olivebranches, and sing unto Him with your Hosannahs. It is the Lord of feasts and seasons that hath invited you on this day to come unto this feast, the Lord [it is] of months and years. And Thou hast taught us to sing to Thee in the festival that is dedicated to Thee% and Thou hast shewed us that we should speak unto Thee in the day of the memorial of Thy goodnesses unto us. May the Angels rejoice along with us the while their trumpets sound aloud ; nations and languages exult as joying in their Hosannahs.
3. Let our troubles be wiped away in Thee : let our evildoings also be blotted out by Thy glorious doings for our sakes ! Let our souls be refreshed in Thee, forgetting their straitenings ! Let the creatures also rejoice that were worn
I p. 54. out, and grown old *, and become corrupt ! Let our glorious [gifts] be fastened up and fitted into their wonted places*'; let our Churches be honoured in Thee, Thou Lord of things spiritual ! Let our spirits too be cleansed ! Let our families be blessed in Thee, Thou that art akin to our human nature ! Let our consciences be sanctified in Thee, and let them get their evils corrected ! Let our breaches be builded up in Thee, and let them be holpen against the adversaries ! Let our sound parts also be beautified that we may return to the former fairness ! Let the heaven and the earth and all that is therein glorify Thee, O Lord of those above ! Let the creatures. Lord, praise Thee, [each] in the form wherein
*5. ID the Thou didst stablish it' ! Let all winds rejoice to Thee with
form of
bliflhinff * ^ ^^' ^^^^^*^- ^P* ^S'UaDd. iii. similarity to the text, which one should
^ p. 821. Come now let us also, beloved, expect to find, if St. £. had tihe Horn,
with prepared estate of heart hear what of St. M. in his memory when com-
the Lord God will speak in us, both in posing.
the Prophets and the Gospels, touching ' This looks as if some omamentB
this most godly festival. . . .To-day the were fastened up in the Churches on the
trumpets of the prophets have given occasion, although Assemanni renders
airy lightneifs of heart nnto all the it differently, quae nobis obtigere bona
world, and have gladdened the counte- rata esse jube et ordinario cursu fluere.
nances of the Churches of God that be Both the words used are however of a
in every place with delight. Now from physical not a moral meaning, in their
the boundary line of holy fasts and the commonest sense ; while the word used
wrestlinp; against their passions, these for ' Churches' is often applied to the
with their faithful ones along with them material building. The word y «><^^
have taught them how to sing the hymn V •
of conquest and the new watchword of wp™8 taken from Levit. xxiii. 40.
peace to Christ the victory-Creator." }rA2L# ^X^j ^^fJ^Zi* There neemn to be here just that sort of
Creaimi^et imputed iojoim ike Feasi, ttS
waodeifbl and nimble' blasis ! Let ibe onutmenls of Ilearen > & tw gire hoDoor to the i^oiioasness of Hit Essence ! Let tbe^
hei^^ itgoioe in Thy coming down, the depths also exnlt M«<f and gire gloiT !
4. Let the sea rejoice at Thj tieadings upon it, yea the diy land at Thy footsteps ! Let oar natoie lejcnce and gire gloiy to Thee, because in it Thy Majesty dwelt ! Let my weak mind gire pmise to Thee with words full of discernment ! Let the company of the Prophets rejoice in the roice of the children's praise : let the band of the Apostles exult in the rarious Toices of all measures ! To-day let the heavens rejoice, and all the ghostly companies, when they confess each in his own form Him that bowed His Height and came down ! To-day let the waters that are above' [the firmament] proclaim gloiy in Hosannahsi To-day let the waters that are beneath, yield the fruit of lauds unto Thy high and mighty Name !
5. To-day let the finnament exult and give gloiy to that Essence that bowed the heavens and came down to the earth, that He might dwell with the earthy ! To-day let the sun rejoice, yea, let his rays make them a joyful countenance, as confessing the Mighty Sun that gave shine to worlds and creatures ! To-day let the moon glisten amid the glorious gleamings of the bright stars, as worshipping in a lofty place the Mighty One, Who at His good pleasure humbled Himself! To-day let aU the bright stars in the garnishment of their forms send forth the presents of their praises to the Creator that garnished them ! To-day let the earth exult, and the mountains skip like lambs before the King's Son, Who made Himself lowly, Who came that He might visit things below ! To-day let the sea rejoice, and the islands that are in it wear a glad countenance at the Lord, Who came from His place to the vile place of our human nature !
6. To-day let the thickets rejoice and the groves ' in their
• Ci>mpara$.2. and §.8. »tthe elow. not be confbaDded with the event al- Tbe waters above the Finnament may laded to in the text.
the Angeb. It may be worth ,^T<» f
nonoing, that Ae Jewi thonght they ^ ' S. |A:1-| Groves, apparently from
were^fied by the different branches the context. The place of the name
einia3. SeeOroddeckdeFestoPalm, (Elfth. 9 Kings 16, 6.) is named pro-
in twlin. xviii. p. 62e. Their festival bahlv from a p^m-ffrove in the neiph-
however was in September, and most bourhood. See Sorabo, xvi. p. /76.
64 Vineyard of the Lord overthrotcfi.
trees, for lo ! their branches have been cut off to be a fair banner! To-day do ye beasts exalt; yea, let the wild beasts leap for joy, for lo ! borne upon the ass's foal is the Heavenly One, Who hath come unto our abode I To-day let the city of David rejoice exceedingly and be comforted, for lo ! Lake 9, the Lord of all creatures hath set His face to come unto her! To-day let the places round about rejoice, and let the cities Mat.2i,be troubled at the cry of the children that cry aloud. Blessed be He that cometh !
7. To-day the vineyard of the well-beloved is barren and
Is. 5, 1. scattered among the nations, and lo! the tramplers treat it
contemptuously, for it is made a mock and is broken down !
The hedge thereof that was rejected hath fallen ; to-day it is
removed and destroyed : and its high tower to-day hath the
voice of the cry shaken down as Jericho ', which was ruined
at the voice of their trumpets ! Of the vines that were worn
1 see out and spoiled, to-day a restoration' happened, for in their
FBf. 2. pl^CG ^^B planted the Vine that grew among the nations !
p. 58. The great vineyard that was fruitless did the beasts of the
*&claa- forest feed upon: for it yielded not grapes, but wild clusters',
^^ and the Lord of the vineyard was wrath, and kindled fire in
the branches thereof, and also commanded the clouds that
they give not the rain in its season, that it might be dry and
barren and without fruit or green leaves. He cut off firom it
the rain of the Prophets'* and the spiritual dew of the Seers,
for the well of Jacob was dried up, and the stream of Israel
had failed.
Zech. 8. The two rods fiill of fatness He cut away from the portion
ff On Joel 1. St. E. Bays. * Evil is on Jerem. 43. p. 146. qnoting Is. 19, 1.
^ified by evil that is like itselC * ^... also the noly Prophets are mysti-
It is on this principle that Sodom and cally meant by tiie name of donds, as
Egypt become mystical names for in Isaiah it is written, that God said of
Jerosalem after her sin, Rev. 11, 8. His people Israel, (which is typified by
and Jericho in the text is paralleled the name of vineyard,) < I w&l break
with Jerusalem. down,' &o. Clouds then is what He
>> He is referring to Is. 5, 6. where here calls the prophets, who have rained
he says, '*/ will command the clouds that upon us the heavenly rain." So Jerome
they ram no ram tqnm it, i. e. I will on Is. xix. 1. St. Anst. c. Faust, zii. 22.
prohibit the Prophets from prophesying St. Hil. in Ps. Ixvii. §. 36. St. Cyril
to it: for rain is a mystical name of on Esai. p. 82. b. Pseudo-Bas. in £8.
prophecy and the knowledge of God's p. 483. e. Greg. M. Moral, xvii. §. 36.
will. The Prophets also He sumameth This was ti^en from the Jews who
clouds, because they have rained explain Isaiah 5, 6. in the same' way.
upon us the rain of heaven," quoting v. Chaldee Par. Deut 32, 2. Amos 4, 7. And again
while ike Church is imjoff with the departed. 65
of AbiabaiBy and the kingdom and the priesthood' perished from Israel. He cat off the crowns to-day, loosening the crown EmIc. of Judah ; and the Lord caosed the ruler to pass firom His^^' people, the prince and him that was of venerable countenance. Is. s, s. the wise man, and the coonsellor, and the prophet, with the chief mler! To-day the congregaUon that loved feast-days, See sitteth in sorrow ; because she declined the fi^ast-day of die \^^^ Son, He hath despised and rejected her feast-days ! To-day Hos. s, the glory passed away from the people of Israel, and they stand a^m 6, among the nations ashamed, as Cain was, at their unnatural ^^* deed ! To-day the breaches are multiplied in the dwellings of Jacob in every quarter, seeing the Workman that builded her walls hath now destroyed her comer-stones ! To-day let the synagogue sing this song among the people. He bath Bar. 4, brought upon me a great mourning, the Lord hath left me desolate, and the Lord hath forgotten that I am His heritage, and hath reckoned me as a stranger, and as a widow that is bereaved !
9. To-day let our congregation rejoice with the voice of the sweet things of the Prophets, and let us make the boughs of praise to flourish, and let us flower as the lilies ! To-day let us pluck fruits from the plot of the Prophets, and by the luscious things of their gardens gain we spiritual sweetnesses! Clap your hands, O ye people, in this spiritual feast, and sing with your Hosannahs to Him that crowneth your feastdays. Jacob will come and preach to you the foal and the G«n.49, vine, David will rouse the babes and sucklings' to praise, pg|g 2. Z^chariah crieth to Jerusalem, * Rejoice and be glad, thou'^W* daughter of Zion.' Isaiah again will preach unto us as hinting ones the disciples, ^ Behold upon the mountains the feet of them^^^* ^' that proclaim the glad tidings of righteousness.' His entrance 18.53,7. into Zion with a great procession of Hosannahs is a type of
< So on Zacbariah 1. c. p. 303. / have Grecian kings ; and of the heads of the
detiro^ed three shepherds in one month, people. For erery office of power in
He does not mean, J, eoen /, have de- the nation was, in the course of seasons
4iroved them^—\iut the people of die and years, oat down bit by bit, till our
Hebrews have destroyed them by their Lord came, and by His eommg the
sins, to wit, the order of kings, priebts, whole of their glory passed away and
and prophets. And perhaps this is to came to an end. .. .kmgs, priests, and
be taken of the iniqnitons rulers and prophets, of the ancient people and land,
priests, who sold the priesthood ; and of did the Lord destroy on the day of His
those diat trafficked therein, to wit, the Crucifixion.
66 lViines9€S of the Prophets
joys, and fulfiUeth mysteries and parables. The children ran
before Him with their branches in their hands, and nnto
Him with Hosannahs do simple and artless babes sing:
and after a glorious sort there surrounds Him the band
of the Apostles, and holiness cleayeth to Him, and royalty,
1 §. 13. yea, and the priesthood. And the Prophets' with their
Ijsy^'^ trumpets proclaim before Him their mysteries, and as unto
the King they pour forth to meet Him praise — the gifts they
give Him — and with variety of sounds they picture similitudes
of Him.
Bar. 8, 10. One saith, this is He Whom £ said would come in the
38.
Geii.38 cnd^ unto the earth : and another said, that upon the ladder ^ he saw Him standing. One saith, this is He Whom I saw 2. p. 68!in the bush in the likeness of fire : and another called Him Ezek. i' Wonderful, and Mighty God of the ages K One saith, This is 13; 11, He that came down amid the crashes and the micrhty
23 . . «^ *
lightnings, and came in the voice of a trumpet upon the S®^ . mountain top, and I saw Him. And another cried and said, 14. ' ' Praise thy God, O Zion, take the harp and the lute, and sing Is. 24, unto Him with thy songs ! One said. He is the Remnant that
was plucked ofTfi'om Israel : and another took Him up and
k This is in the Gr. Lat. Syr. and and Theodotion render If ♦DK, n««^
Ar. thongh not in E. V. St. Ephrem, .jg,^. And it is from a combinati<m
who on Jerem. xit. ex^. classes of this title with the preceding, that the
together Barach Md Hab^knk as Syriao version seems to have originated,
disciples of Jeremiah, quotes the book of gj, g. ^^ ^|,^ pi^ce vndeistands the
Baroch as Scripture here and above, prophet to mean ' of the worlds, i. e. of
J. 8. as do St. Athan. de Deer. §. 12. the present, as ordering all, oadng for
f. 15. o. Anan. i. §. 19. ii. §. 49. them, and giving them life ; and of the
Psendo-Bas. c. Eunom. iv. p. 294. e : fotare, as being the King, Judge,
see the note, where S. Clemens Alex. Heritage, and Joy of the Saints,' wluoh
S. Cyprian, and S. Ambrose, are cit^, Theodoret seems to copy. The title,
who quote him as Jeremiah, as do St. however, appears to imply for the Son
Hilar, de Trin. iv. §. 42. St. Cyr. c. a pre-existence to any, even the great-
Jul. ix. p. 267. Spanh. est, duration man can conceive, taking
7: . V«:; ''„.»„„ „» ° _„. /.«_.» tZ note t. and for tbe un of toe title n.
that M the natore ol an ve {mtn) t» _ ty_ ... r\,rUt «~« -w™. s _ vol j
thingt above this world. Bot if bo be 7!^m.^,.^^' Jf'l'^' ^L^'
there is any third thing which they of J^^l?*w ^* S^tJ'u'^v?-"*]*"
tteir own wisdom de4e beride./ lot .Slj«?„°i A'l^ "?* 3" ""^ *°^T
them tell ns. But so long as they have 5?^^' ??J7,!**fJ'J''f? • "'™»i°'
nothing to mention, Irt them not S!i5r«°' **^ ^J^ •*?? °f J^"
forget that they are m^ing the Essence 5?'^T'4^I°'^ ?!7 ^5? ^'^
of the Only-^gotten porterior to the Zt.l^^lF^f^J^T^^ST'i
^•' Tfevefsionex^Uonlyinthe ^/^^.^^^^ )?'""'•'*»'« ^'"^ Syriac, as far as I know. Symmachus "*""
to ike Messiah^s power and atiribuies. 67
proclaimed, For Him it is that the Gentiles wait. One said. Gen. 49,
He is the Herb that sprang up and sprouted without seed : }^'|^ j.
and another answered and said, This is the Stock of Jesse, is. 11,1.
One said. This is the Standard which should be lifted up to 11.5,96.
the peoples of the earth : and another" likened Him to a
sheep before the shearer. One said, doubtless this is He Is. 68, 7.
Whom the Gentiles wait to see : and another, that the Lord Is.6S,2.
Cometh down and treadeth forth over the top of the mountains. Amos 4,
One repeateth the mighty acts and the signs of His visitations;
for, lo ! He looseth the prisoners and bindeth up the broken- Ps- 147,
hearted. Another seeketh " for His Name, and anxiously ]* ' '
enquires how he shall call Him: He that taketh the Wind* in Ptot.
so 4 His fists, what is His Name and the Name of His Son. 1 ^^ '
One saith. As a root, so shall a dry land bear Him : and ^pi"^
Is.SS 9.
another crieth and saith, that before the sun His Name pj. 72,' existed \ One saith, As for this Child, this day was His birth : ^^* and another. The Ancient of Days and the Elder of all theP8.9',7! creation '. One saith, I saw Him standing against a high ^^' ^*
Eooloi. " By * another' St. E. does not seem Chaldee and Syriac. Names of this kind 1 4.
to mean more than another prophetic arenot uncommon in Hebrow. The sense '
witnefis or text : for he had just Wore would then be, Before the existence of
quoted one of the latter chapters of this the sun, a name indicative of His ever*
prophet as Isaiah, §. 9. abiding posterity was giyen to Him.
* It may be obsenred, that St. £. p On I)an. 1. c. " He calls Him the here cites Pror. xxx. as a prophecy. Ancient of Days, as indicating His as this confirms our version of the word Eternity from the Father." By this Wmn, * the prophecv.' However the remark, St E. means to point out that* Chaldee and Syriao re'nder it so. the same name,' Ancient of Days,' is
• The Syriac and Chaldee give the apPjje^ here to Ae Son, as (m v. 13.) la passage this turn, so as to make the appl»ed to the Father, of Whom the S™? part of the verse assert Christ's ^^ of Man received aU power in existence to, the latter from, all eter- ^evven and m Earth. This (which mty. The LXX give, ^Before the sun *»« repeats adv. Scrat. xxxi. 1. 2.) seems
WlU, at tno ena oi sucn couiriupiauuu, ^r rT m j a i ;,o 5ca i S be found abiding before the sun. The ft. Cynl de Ador. p. 113. and St. Auston difficulty arises from the ambiguity of de Tm. ii. §■ S3. Ibe other words do . «. , :. MnU !-• V not occur m the Old Testament. The the Hebrew word "^D?, which means ^^^^ most Uke it is Eoclus. 1, 4. 'before,' either in order of time,orofplace, t -v^isdom hath been created before aU -in the presence of. In ™« letter sense things.' Where, however, the present it has been nsed. v. J. and this, with the g ^ao is, * Wisdom is greater than aU future tense m the Hebrew, confirm the t^ing,.* Or he may wish to refer more English yersion. As, however, we generally to Prov. 8, 22. &o. The see from Moses Haddarschan. a very ^ . • n i i nt • ^* ,-. ancient commentator, (quoted in the Synac in Col, 1, 15. is not CJUaAO> Pugio Fidei, fol. 334.) Ihat the Jews but t;.OnO ; otherwise it appears, anSently took this verb as a proper that St. £. in the next sentence intername, Beforo the Sun < His Nameuntw prets Zech. 4, 4. 10. and 5, 1. to whic^
Jinnon.' Whence we may also see how ne seems to be alluding by a reference
the perfect comes to be supplied in the to Rev. 14, 6. On 6, 1. he says,
f2
68 Witness of the Prophets:
Amoe 7y wall : and another calleth Him Angel, because the Gospel of 2 ChroD. ^^® Father was in His hand •». One saith, Shall God indeed 6, 18. dwell with men ? and another saith on this wise, He b the ir.M,I'.LordourGod.
Zeph 3 ^ ^ • ^"^ ^^^ ^^^^ Jerusalem, Arise and shine, for thy Light I4.p^6.is come : and another, Exult, thou daughter of Zion, rejoice 12. ' ' and shout, Jerusalem. One saith, that He is the Day-Spring: Numb, another calls Him, Star. One saith. He is a Rod : another, Ps'. 1 10, the Shepherd of Israel. One saith. He is a King: another, a fi^^'^'Head and Counsellor. One saith, He is a Lamb: and
UOd. 1,
11. another, a whole Offering. One saith. He is a Stone cut out
53 7. ' without hands : and another calleth Him, a Prince of Peace
Mio.6,5.and Righteousness. One saith, it is He Whom I saw
Dan. 7i carried upon the clouds : and another saw Him sitting upon
Ib. 6 1. ^^ chariot of Cherubim. One saith, that I saw Him sitting
upon a high throne, and with the train of His skirts the holy
Temple was filled: others were making wise significations
of secret mysteries. One said, I heard from the Father,
Gen. 11, saying, Come, let us go down unto Babylon and divide the
Dan. 4, tongues there': another preached and said, To thee They
^^' speak, Nebuchaduezzar. Another said. As for me, I was
preached of that 1 should come forth to preach in the
Gen. 1, world that the Lord said to His Only-begotten, Come, let Us
P8.72 6. make man in Our Image. One shadowed out His coming
down in a shower that cometh down tranquilly, and Mary
again he shadowed forth in a Fleece* comely and pure.
Jer.31, Another foreshewed His Conception, and shadowed out His
22. ^
*^goes/orth.^* i. e. to destroy the earth ^ come let us go down,' were out of place
for the >»ickedne8s of its inhabitants, of one. It was to the Son then and to
What he says of the roll points to the Spirit that He spake, inasmuch as
the Incarnation of Emmanuel, Who neither the former nor the latter tongues
was hung upon the Cross. And if any were given without the Son and the
one should say, * why, he calleth it a Spirit." See also adv. Scrot. Ix. §. 6.
curse,' let him be persuaded by the In the next words he probably means
Apostle, who says, *• He was made a to insist on the pluru rerb. * They
curse for us.' speak' (which the LXX. ana Syriac,
<I It is to be observed, that St. £. following the original literally, pTeserve) here looks upon the Angel as the Son. as indicating the Trinity. Upon Exodus 3. he observes, that ■ The Fleece is commonly thn^ ex- Moses at first saw a dim Tision of an plained. See J. Lauretus SyW. Alleg. Angel, but that as he drew nearer, he n. v. St. £. on Judges, p. 317. " The perceiTcd that it was not an Angel, but Fleece of Gideon, in that it was a re- God speaking in an Angel. See upon ceptacle for the dew of heaven, has S. Athanasius, p. 120. prefigured the Virgin in whom the
' On Gen, 11. *< In this passage it is Wora became Flesh." not one that is npoken to, for the phrase
Christ seemed contemptible to the Jews. 6f^
Birth. One hinted at the Way [saying], Make straight thels.40,3. Way of our God.
12. With these voices was He magnified as He went into Jerusalem, and a company of Prophets moved at His entrance into Zion ; and there were gathered together the See H- children, and Prophets with disciples that they might bring the King in with pomp, and with the grandeur of their Hosannahs. The Church of the Gentiles longed for Him and worshipped Him, the King of kings ; and at Him the harlot synagogue full of stains' was indignant: she received ' ^low, Him not with exultation, as the Prophets had plainly told^' her. She saw His Majesty and felt afraid, that the Most High was come to her, and His Holiness, and she burned with vexation. Because she was wanton between the legs, she looked again upon Him rashly, since He was contemptible in His body ; and turned aside from the ^lory of His Essence, which was hidden in His Godhead. David the son of Jesse cried unto her, because of that hidden glory ; in the beauty pg. no, of holiness was He bom from the Bosom of [His Father's] ^ ^y'* Essence. Him Who rode upon the back of the unharnessed ass's foal, did the Father beget in a hidden way from the beginning^ in His' Essence: from us, however, > 5. the He was [born] visibly in the limits of times and seasons.
The Lord sware and lieth not as speaking to' His beloved Son, ^ 5. because of
« * From the beginning' is paraphrased many different impressions on the mind, by Assem. ' ante omne tempos ; which there is a sense in which we assert, that may be allowable enough as a para- the title *■ Without a Beginning' is not phrase, but is not a translation. The improper to give to the Son. For when phrase '' from the beginning" is probably from tne expression ' Without a Beginlued as DW in Is. 43, 13. for before, n»n?* « intended to imply a Subsistency, literally, /Wm the day, i. e. before having no origin but Itself, we allow time was. St. Hil. de Trin. ii. 13. on t^a* t^« " ^ attnbute only of the St. John 1, 1. ' In the Beginning was ^at^er. But when the discussion is the Word,' says, "Times are passed upon the other significations of * Beginover, ages are left out, eras are put njogj' «"<;« 0°® ™ay «>™ *° »^«a ^^ aside. Set up in your mind any Begin- t^»e beginmng of some creafOTe,or time, ning thai you please, you do not grasp ^ order ; m respect of these of the Him in time, for He already was at the Oidy-Begotten also we attest, that He period the reckoning dates from. . . .for J? ^'«S^*^''® * ^?"°}°f ! so as to be- He was that which He is, neither is heye That by Which all things came to there anytimewhereto He is so bounded «"»» ^ ^ a^^® ^1 beginning of a as to have had a beginning, seeing He creation, or conception of time, or serather in the Beginning was, than came qnence of order : and thus He who m retDbe."Seeadv.Scrutl.§.l Tothismay wctof Hisbubsuitenoyisirerfwithouta
beaddedaiMiS8agefromS.Greg.Nyss.ii. B*?"***;?' ? Si °?w-I*"^''^''** p. aro. « sS^eaie word {A^x^) Begin, confessedly the title < Without a Begin-
ning has many significations, and makes i"^-
> II
70 The Jew9 rejecied^
Tbou art a spiritual Priest Uke Melchizedek, for ever. For David shadowed out for Him this true image : after the mamier of a man he moulded Him in his Psalms discerningly, in that mention is made of His human nature with which He clothed Himself when He came: for in it" it was that the 'p.9S, Priesthood was fore-ordained to belong to that High-Priest' note n. -^y^^ j^^ ^^^ qvqx, and to that King Who shall never decease.
For Thou, it says, art a Priest for ever, Thy dominion is an
Pb. 145, everlasting dominion, and Thy kingdom is over all generations.
s p*. 84 13. In these graces which are blended* with the hidden nature
n* q* of the Godhead, David shadowed forth before the eyes of the
daughter of Jerusalem, similitudes of this King of glory,
before whom the Prophets cried out, Hearken, and look, and
Pk. 46, incline thine ear to the voice of the children's praise, and
forget thine iniquity and thy people's, and the rebellion of
thy father's house, because the King is ravished with thy
* 5. thy grace, andlongeth exceedingly for thee who art so glorious'.
new?"* She despised Ae voice of the Prophets and the preaching of
the Apostles; and to the youths and the children she inclined
not her harlot ear» which listened not, neither went along with
the joyousness or praise. He wrote and delivered to her the
divorcement as being rejected and polluted. He took the
veil from her head, and from her eyes also chasdty': He
stripped her of her ornaments, and doubled back and lifted
up her covering: He took her necklaces from her neck,
and took away her bracelets and her armlets; and as an
adulteress and a harlot He drove her out and sent her forth
from His chamber ; and she sat without a veil, and with her
head uncovered and disgraced !
14. Where is the beauty of thy youth, yea, the glory of thy nuptials ? Where are thy days, those former ones that were of
« St. Cyril c. Nestor. Hi. p. 86. b. inanity with wbieh the estate of Priest-
<< Perhaps (Nestorins) yon will say this, hood sorteth not ill/' &c. It is important
*• When ajB&rming that it is the Word of to notice in how many things the tone
God the Father, with His own Flesh, of St E.'s doctrine bean against Ne-
Who in all things is One Christ and storianism. Comp. note s. Son and Lord, in what sense are you to * This admits of a sense as it stands,
say, that He was appointed High Priest since chastity is of course a gift of God
and Apostle P Will you not in so saying (see 1 Cor. 7, 7.) ; yet one cannot help
be domg an insult to the exceeding fancying the word might have had some
dignity of His Dinne Glory ?* What secondary sense, as * a veil,' aldiough
I, friend, should say is, that the Only- our imp«fect lexicons do not give it.
Begotten Word of God was made Man, Compare Gen. 80, 16* aod it is the proportions of His Hu«
JUfmantledy and ckasiised. 71
old ? Where is thy beantjr, and thy glory, and thy gamitore, and thy comeliness ? Where is the house that Solomon bnilt thee to thy gloiy ? Where is the priest and the ephod which stood and ministered to thee'? Where is the girdle that was ■& stood bound on, and the chain too, and the turban ? Where the^^ fine linen, and the purple, and the bells of gold, and the^- pomegranates? where the row of beryls, the clusters of goodly stones ? Where is the table of gold, and shew-bread which was thereon ? where the fumes of propitiatory sacrifices, and the fat of whole burnt-offerings ? Where is the ark itself, and the tables of stone that were therein ? Where are the cups, and the dishes, and all the vessels of the ministry ? Where are thy feast-days, and thy new moons, and thy observances ? Rejoicing hath ceased firom thee, and the sound of the dance and of thy chanting ! and, lo ! waitings are the chants of thy mouth, and of thy children's mouths !
15. What is thine iniquity, O daughter of Jacob, that thy chastisement is so severe ? Thou hast dishonoured the KingP8.73,i. and the King's Son % thou shameless one and harlot ! The King was dishonoured in the wilderness, and the King's Son again, in Jenisalem. The Father was exchanged for the calf and for sundry similitudes, and the Son also was ex- Lukess, changed for a thief and a blood-shedder ; and the Spirit of p^ ;g* the Lord did they vex among the strange nations. The Trinity ' 40. 41 .
. J 9" ^'-i™- *• ?• ^f* 4??**^ ?y®» Father ever cease to be Father, or the
* He that 18 Kjoff u also the King's Son, Son to be Son and King, nor the Holy
•eang that God the FaAer in King ;' Spint to be that which He is by
which u indeed the nsaal interpretation. Enence.'
Comp. adv. Scrnt. Iviii. 4. S. Metho- s Theee word* may be rendered
dins, M Jbove. c. v. refere appwenUy « the Trinity that was from Eternity,'
V^ A'.W«So^- >=^^- However, .hi. win not eternal and before the ages, as He al^r the paasase in one respect, viz. in hath Who begat Him. For the King- t^s, that St. E. evidently here condom is common to Him, nor is it from templates the generality of the Jews as without that the expression maies the ^»T>°g accMs to a knowledge of the Son to inherit the honour of this King- Tnmty. This opinion seems expressed ship, or as if it had a beginning, or ^^^ wwne limitation, adv. Scrnt. viii. accrued to Him— far from it— but it is §• 2. and xliv. §. 3. lix. §. 2. and cont one natural and His own by a true Sorut i. §. 37. on which see the notes, posseasorship. For there is one King- ^ ^^^^^ >* ^H ^ found, that other ship of the Father and of the Son and Fathers agree with St. E. in proportion of the Holy Spirit, as there is also one m they had access to Jewish sources of Essence and one Lordship. Hence also information. Thus Origen in Josh. iii. we do with one adoration worship the $• 2. " T think that those of old who were Trine Essence of the Godhead, which ""der the Law, attained indeed a knowhath no beginning, creation, boundary, l«lge of the Trinity, though not a whole or Bucoessiveness. For neither will the ana perfect, but a partial one, inasmuch
72 The Jewi adaption qfldoh/or the Trinity
that was of old she despised, and behaved herself madly, and loved rain gods, devils, and fortunes, and images. For Saturn* had honour paid to him, and the Word of the Father got dishonoured; Chemosh** too was beloved, and the Ex. 8, gracious Son was insulted. Thamuz"" was near and dear, and
14.
as iD that Trinity there was wanting to same langoage without any limitadon
them a knowledge of the Incarnation," to the later Jews : and in Hex. Yi. a»
&c. S. Jnst. Mart, hy his reasoning aboTO, seems rather to be looking at the
with Trypho appears to expect them to actual contents of Holy Writ £aa the
allow a plurality of Persons. ' do ye insight the Jews had into it. St. Chrys.
admit, he says, that the Holy Ghost de Incompr. t. '* This (the keeping die
oalleth any else Grod and Lord beside Jews from Polytheism) was the cause
the Father of all,' p. 277. ed. 1686. why the Son of God was not clearly or
comp. p. 274. and St. Athan. below, manifestly, bat darkly and sparingly,
St. Epiphan. p. 18. ^ In the Monarchy made known to the Jews. For as &ey
the Trmity was e^er preached and be- were just set free from Polytheism, if
lieyed upon by the chiefest men among they had had to hear of God, and God
them, i. e. the Propheti and the Saints.' again, they would have turned back
p. 24. ' In the Pentateuch there is scat- again to this mischief.*' Thin may suf-
tered here and there eridence of the fice to shew the degree in which the
Besunection of the dead, yet it is not Fathers admit that a knowledge of the
preached, so as to be yisible to all ; Trinity might have existed under the
and eyidence is scattered also concern- Old Testament, though it were but
ing the Only-Begotten Son of God and obscure aud imperfect -^It may be
the Holy Spirit, and against idols. But added, that the reference to Barabbas,
one has the proof of the Monarchy more which seems out of the order one should
yisible to all, and in the Monarchy the expect, is perhaps intended to refer to
Trinityi8spirituallydeclajed,'cf.p.899. the general character of the Jews: all
' The One Godhead is chiefly declared in along they preferred thieyes and robbers
Moses. More than One (U»t) in the to the Word, whether speaking in diyers
Prophets is fully preached, but in the ways by the Prophets or in His own
Gospels the Trinity is made clear, suit- Person.
ing as it does better in respect of the * Syr. Coyon. Perhaps the same at
seasons and generations for the justified p*3 Amos 6, 26. Some make it Saturo,
' «,»r' /mi_ TXT J j-i 1. -r^ t. uizler, 1. p. 426. who citcs a Nomidian
y.p.317. * The Word did the Fathers mscriptioD, where he is called, King
know, the Word of God they wor- ^f Eternity. On Amos, St. E. says,
shipped, and with the Word the Spint.' t j^gtead of the Pillar of Fire, [i. e. the
What St B. himself says, p. 268, of Spiritual Rock that /o//ewfl/ them,] they
the Ignorance of the Jews does not worshipped a star,' meaning Saturn,
necessanly make against this, as it may gee Abarb. ap. Jablonski Opuso. ii. p. 16.
be observed, that St. Athan. c. Anan. ^nd Acts vii. 43. ' the star of your god
I. §. 38. n. $. 1. ui. §. 28. speaks in a Beuhan.'
Uke way of {rm w* 'U^mLp) the Jews i, Chemosh the same as Baal -peor. So
of that day, (see also adv. Scrut S. Ephr. on Jer. xlriii. 7. and St Jerome
xhT. §. 3.) whereas in §. 40. St A. ©n Isai. xy. 2. whose concordant judg-
speaks of the patriarchs worshipping ment on the question is probably more
the Son. St B.'s words we : ** though to be depended on than that of moderns,
there be many things which separate c Xhamuz, Adonis, see Mover, p. 196.
Christianity off as well from Grecian Ashtaroth or Astarte is made by some
error as from Jewish ignorance, I think Venus, by others Juno or Diana, see
no doctrine more peculiar to Itself exists Mover, p. 600. &c. Cicero de Nat
in the Gospel of our salvation than the pgor. iii 23. mentions that she was the
belief m the Father and the Son. So ^^^^ of Adonis. If the Virgo ccele^tis,
also Greg. Nys. ii. p. 322. b. Still it must as M . thinks, St E.'s contrast would be
be admitted, that in his Hexaem. IX. §.6. clearer, and Horn, xxiv, p. 189. he holds the
ike anue ^jfikeirjlmal refeeium. 73
the Lord on lugh was iqeeted aod despised. Astaroth was paiaded in ereiy place, and the HeaTonly One was pat aside. Baal was honomed by sacrifices, and the Messdah was persecuted of the impore. And the bats and ghosts Bar. e, weie worshipped in her chamber, and He on whose nod the^^ earth hangeth, was smitten with palms in the streets. Who hath heard the like of this which was done to the Redeemer? Jer. 19 Wherefore I will break yon in pieces [it says] and make yon !i' ^' a great reproach. These things did Israel hear from the mouth of prophecy, lo ! ye are as Ethiopians, children that is.24.6. have transgressed My law. For the ox knoweth his owner u.! 3. and the- ass his master's crib, but My people hath not known their God, and Israel hath not considered. Would thatPs.8i, My people had known Me and Israel had walked in My^^ ways, then had their enemies perished in a little while, and I should have turned My hand against them that hated them. For thus He spake with them : with His reproach in severity and in His anger He troubled them, and shame fiUed their faces. Jer. 6I, And He was wroth at Jerusalem and made it also desolate. '^^^ And the Prophet Isaiah cried, intimating [thiogs] concerning it ; that as a shed in the midst of a vineyard, and as a horel j,,! g^, which is let alone, thus hath the Liord left Jerusalem, because of her iniquity. And except the Lord of Hosts had left a small remnant unto the assembly of the house of Israel, which was to shoot up from the stock of Jesse, they would have been as Sodom and would be like unto Gomorrha. 16. Yet now it thinks within itself that a restoration ' shall be
' See§ aO.andadT.Scrat.xlW.S. So the warmth of lore was goDe, and the
too on isai. fin. ' The interpretation leal fur the Law had waxed cold : the
however [of thin pawage] which is cer- nakedness of their coldness was coyered
tain, and squares in all points with the hj the Prophetp, yet from the chilling
words of the Prophets and the history of sin they gat no heat ; for eWl habits
of the times is, that whatever both had seized them, and as ice that is not
Prophets, Isaiah and Ezeluel, have to be thawed, so did these bind their
said of the delivery and restitution limbs with cold : neither was any medi-
of the Jews, is to be taken of the cine found for their inveterate chill,
days d the coming of our Lord and of which had entered into the ligaments
the preaching of His Gospel.' And of their body and rotted the marrow of
elsewhere he notices how prophecies their bones. Assistance from heaven
which had a partial fulfilment at the therefore was expected by them : from
retom from the Captivity were really thencedid the Wisdom of God come down:
fulfilled at Christ's coming, as 00 Jerem. that is it which Abishag, the youthful
16. and 49. So also on 1 Kings 1 . p. 440. and the fair, shadoweth out to us, and
be writes as follows, David in his old She came to Her own, and lay in the
age ** is a type of the way in which, in bosom of the old ; but as this one was
the people of the Jews, when grown old, feeble, there was no cure wrought. For
74 The Jewi infatuation in expecting
again given unto it, this people who hath provoked God with all their perverse tumults; lo! it especteth, and searcheth into the times when its release shall be. It reads foolishly in the Prophets and understandeth not dieir words. And, as one that heareth a restoration [coming], with blustering voice it cries that Jerusalem shall be built again. The Hebrew, though hearkening and longing again, yet knows not wherefore it was destroyed. Again it saith, that its glory is waxing great; and how it is to do so, it knoweth not; and it muttereth to itself that its name shall be great ; and in whom it shall be great, it knoweth not*. It says, that it is Ifl.85,9; called redeemed, and who hath redeemed it, it skilleth not; * * and that it shall be for a [great] name and a glorv it goes on to say madly, and in what, and how, it saith not, because its reason' has deserted it, his heart hath waxed gross, and Israel hath made his ears dull of hearing, that he should not hear aught that is written. Lo ! at the entering in of our Redeemer prophecy cried aloud with its voice, that this
the Jews turned not from their eril be theirs. The Prophet says, ^ diey
ways, and the Messiah also who came have reigned, but not fix>m Me,' Hos.
to them, they hanged on the Cross. 8, 4. their kingdom then is from them-
From that time a gloomy winter came selyes, exists, that is, in the cogitation
over them and removed that Sun afar of their own heart." See sdso ii.
from them. After the Messiah was p. 3S5. a. This is the opinion also
ascended into Heaven, and the disciples of St. Chrysostom, St. Jerome. Origen,
were dispersed into the four quarters of (contr. Cels. iv. p. 174. wnere see
the world, there was awaked over the Spencer,) SL Epiphanius, Hssr. xziz.
Jews* city a war, the weapon of de- $.3. Those who, after theology had be-
structton. Then was the nation of the come more sy8tematio,speakdr a return,
Jews like unto a tree against which in as St. Anst. de C. D. zx. 39. St. Cyril
mid-winter mighty blaste blow with evil de Ador. p. 428. on Hos. p. 62. seem
whirlwind : for off it letteth fall its leaves, to hold only, tiiat they w ill be absoibed
and within a little while is cast down into the Church, not be lords over it
on the ground." And presently after ; St. E.'s opinion upon the sobject may
'' Adonijah depicts the haughtiness and be considered as of especial value, since
rebelliousness of the elder son, i. e. of from his youth he had enjoyed a ca*
the people of Israel. For neither the paoity through his knowledge of tiie
sword,nor the yoke of bondage, nor the Semitic tongues for entering more
multitude of troubles that encompassed deeplv than other Fathers into tiie
them, sufficed for their humiliation. But meanmg of the Prophets*
their pride is tobe seen even in our days, * Posmbly there is an allusion here
and there is a hope among them that to the processions, &c. which it appears
upon the coming of that Messiah, whom from St. Chrys. adv. Judeoe, that the
they expect, thev will obtain the king- Jews used- to be in the habit of making,
dom of the world. This Adonijah saw ^ This seems to be the sense :~-SyT.
in bis dreams, when he says, I will * Because it is deserted by its own mind,*
reign : for the Jews, who idly fancy to as though its mind were contemplated
themselves these things, behave proudly as different from itself, and so able to
and extravagantly to every boay. and divorce it^ Possibly, however, the eeUT-
even imagine that they fuw& the king- contempt inwardly felt by the people in
dom which in their own silly mind is to spite of its boasting, is intended.
a Messiah, amd in demjfing thai He has came, 75
18 He of Whom it saitfa, Lo ! He cometh riding upon the foal of an ass. Arise, go forth to meet Him with Hosannahs, and with timbrels rejoice and be glad. Bat the scomfdl one, when she heard the Toice of His praise in Hosannahs, was buniing with grief, and was vexed, and sought to silence the Htde ones, for the voices of the Apostles, and of the children, were intermingled '. Even the Old [Testament] sung with joy $• 9, &e. to the Redeemer, Prophecy along with the children, and the Apostleship in its own person. Lo ! in the Messiah perfected are the Prophets and the Apostles, and both of them at once give praise to the Lord that gave both [Testaments].
17. The Jews, then, not only made themselves strangers to the covenants, but dishonoured the Father, and killed the Son in envy. The Prophet invites the congregation of the house of Israel to praise Him, but it went about to kill Him, and hastened to do mischiefs. The heavens declare His glory, and the synagogue yielded not obedience. The earth was amazed at His homiliation, and the Jews considered it not All the types of Him came true, but they impudently assert that He was not true. And the things that were to come, met their accomplishment', yet they deny that they have ever come nigh '& won to them. The types also which the Seers foreshowed, our^^"* Redeemer fulfilled and brought to a close, and the people, P- ^* hard-hearted and rebellious, deny impudently with an oath
that hitherto new things have been administered unto them, bat say, that they are all still kept a mystery. O fools, how long will ye be unwilling to get wisdom ! Come, and let us search aright the sayings of prophecy, and let us see if these types which were spoken have not been fulfilled !
18. Jacob blessed Judah, saying, ' The sceptre shall not depart from thee, nor an interpreter from between his feet, until GeD.49, the Shepherd come unto him; Whose is the kingdom, and Whom the nations look for to ** redeem them from their errors,
' We learn from St. Lake 19, 37. ^ Tbere is a great variety in the
that it was a multitude of the ducipleM Tersions of this paraage, although they
that praised God, &c. St £. through- all give snhstantially the same sense,
oat appears to consider them as distinct The word ' sceptre' is symhoUc of a
from toe Jews who cried, Cracify Him, king, the word which E. V . renders
— ^which seems more accurate than the ' lawgiver* and which seems to mean
ordinary use made of the passage as a 'a staff,' may he taken as the symbol
oommoo place against the fickleness of of the law giver or interpreter, and henoe
the people. rendered as we find it in the versions.
76 The Jews ottght to be ashamed.
He shall bind His foal to the vine, and his ass, my son, to the vine-branch. In this passage let the Jew that perceiveth not, search and look if there be sceptre in Judah or interpreter between his feet, then the things that are written have not been fulfilled, neither have they hitherto met their accomplishment. But if the sceptre be done away with, and the prophet too be silenced, let the people of the Jews be put to shame, however hardy in impudence diey be. If He sat not upon the colt as Zachariah prophesied, and the children did Ps. 8, 4. not praise Him as David also said, and if He made not the Zeoh. 9, kingdom to pass away from Ephraim as it is written, and if He spake not with the people and things were not accomplished as had been said, then let it not be believed on the earth that He is King for ever.
19. If however He effected these things and accomplished types and parables, let the Jew be also ashamed when hearing Hos. 1, from God, ' Ye are not My people, neither am I your God.' The people is exchanged for the nations, them that are near for Jer. 9, them that are far off. Lo ! I have scattered thee among the Ps. 44, nations, saith the Lord to Israel, and have sold thee without 18; 106, jjjQjjgy^ jjgj^ljgj. y^w I exchange thee any more: because they
were mingled among the nations, and learned their works, lo ! I will remove them far off and call the nations unto Me. ^•28, And, in the midst of Zion will I place a choice Stone, [a stone] of stumbling, and he that trusteth upon His Name shall not be confounded, saith the Lord. And again the
It appears from 2 Kings4, 29. that it was enlarged his klogdom,but Jesoit, DaTid*9
usual for prophets, the aatborized inter- Son, who is the Lord of the Eongdom.
preters of the law. to carry a staff. King then and prophet shall not depart
St. E.'8 words on tne place will con- from the house of Judah nntil He come,
veniently follow: " fie spoke of the ELing- to whom the Kingdom belongs. If this
dom, which, though they were under is not so, let them shew us kings before
trials and humiliations, no body was Bavid, who were descended from Judah
able to take from them. For it was for and kept up the crown for him till Darid.
the Lord of the Kingdom, that a king- And if before David king there was none,
dom was preserved among their tribes, it is plain that it was to descend in the
and to shew that he spoke of the crown line of David and his sons." The word
that was to be derived from him, and ' Kingdom' is added from the Chaldee,
not of his tribe, it is written, ihe tceptre and is not in the present Syriac text.
thaU noi depart^ i. e. the king ; nor the The word Shiloh has been divided by
interpreter^ i. e. the prophet who inter- several versions, in order to make it
prets things to come. Until he comey *■ to whom it belongs,' and ' Kingdom' is
not David, [to whom he had said the is then supplied from the context,
prophecy in its first sense applied,] who < Shepherd* is St £.'8 own addition.
because the prophecies have been/ulfiUed. 77
Prophet saith, I saw the Lord sUnding against a wall of Amos 7, adamant, and io His hand a stone of adamant^ and the Lord said unto the Prophet, in a revelation eyidently, Lo ! I will set an adamant among this people Israel ! David also had foretoFd how He would fulfil all types [saying]. The Stone P»« lis, which the hailders rejected hath become the head of the * building.
20. Learn, therefore, O Hebrew, that the Lord hath*' built Jemsalem, and raised up her walls firm, and blessed her children with peace. The Lord hath remembered His mercy, and in His compassion hath gained many; and as a man whom his Is. S6, mother comforteth that he may forget his son*ows, thus doth ^^' the Lord comfort Jerusalem, saying unto her, In great fiiiy If.54,S; have I smitten thee, and with everlasting mercies will I gain Is. 60, thee; instead of the disgrace of thy rejection and the ignominy ^^* of thy destruction, I wiU lift up thy head among the nations, and will increase thy glory and thine honour : because they have called thee unfaithful, and a city full of stains ', I will ' above, sprinkle upon thee My precious Blood ', and will make thine §^ ' iniquities and thy sins to pass away. And as thou art^^ bereaved of Israel, because I have removed him from My Jer. 7] side, I will open thy gates with joy, and the hosts of the J^'g^ Gentiles shall enter into thee, and shall become in thee an n* elect people, and the Lord shall reign over Zion, and many Is. 24, peoples shall come and shall worship Me in Jerusalem. * And as a land that giveth its fruit, and as a garden that Is. 61, yieldeth its seed, thus shall the Lord cause righteousness * to sprout forth among the Gentiles. And they shall say in that day, lo ! our God is the Redeemer ! lo ! the Lord cometh Ia.47,4. with power, and shall redeem us from our trouble, and with a new name shall they name thee, which the mouth of the l8.63,2.
i This word is adopted by the LXX, ' anach' being the Hebr. word here,
STiniDachas, and the Syriac as a trans- which perhaps is the j»«f , whence hw»
lation of a somewhat uncertain Hebrew x*^*"* ^ angaem facere' may really
wcnrd rendered 'plumhiine' by E. V. come.
Powibly the ancients, who used *■ ada- ^ The emphasis is on hath : St. £.
man t' of several hard sabstances, pointed means that the Chnrch is intended by
their plnmbs with this — that is , assuming Jerusalem, above, p. 73, note d.
they had them of a shape now common 1 Method, fin. ' Christ onr Passover
for accnrate purposes. Hence in Eccins. was sacrificed for as, that they who
16, 14. (alias 19.) l^iM#i» iimftmtn^ and were sprinkled with His precious Blood,
hence perhaps the M^trt wtXitrwmi of and have their lips signed with it as it
Herodotus Tii. Plin. 37* 10. mentions were the door posts, (see Psalm 141, 3.)
the anachUi* amongst the adamants, might escape the darts of the destroyer.'
78 The glories given to the Churchy the tiew Jeruscdenij
Lord shall set on thee. Then Zion spake weeping dis-
8e« l8. tractedly. The Lord hath left me because I have provoked
^^ ' Him, and God hath forgotten me, yea, He hath rejected me.
Can a mother forget to shew mercy upon her beloved, or not lull
and love die pleasant iruit whom she brought forth? Yea, she
may forget, yet I will never forget. Lo ! upon the palms of
My hands have I graven thy high walls, O Jerusalem ! Thine ini-
Ii.40,2. quity is forgiven thee then, O thou humbled one, who hast been
If. 64, exalted suddenly. For, lo! I will make all thy stones beryls,
* ^* and thy choice foundations will I make stones of sapphire, and
thy battlements", I will make them as excellent jaspers, and
thy doors will I make of crystal stone, and thy high wall will
I make of choice stones, and I will fill thee within, O
Jerusalem, with abundance, and treasures, and stores, with
chalcedony, and pearls, and glass', and beryls, and thy
chambers will I fill with sardonyx, and thy palaces with
choice gold! And all thy sons and thy daughters shall be
taught of God, and peace shall abound in thy towers, and
righteousness in thy streets, and before many nations will I
hallow thee, and I will dwell in the midst of thee. Lo ! the
Ii. 60, 3. nations shall come to thy light, and the Gentiles to meet thy
See Is. rising ! I have made thee to be an honour unto Me amongst
^' ^' ^' the nations, and to be My boast among the Gentiles. I will
See Is. pitch My tabernacle in thee, and fix My nails in the midst
^i ^' of thee, I will spread out and enlarge thy comers, and wUl
£z. 87, also stretch forth in thee My curtains, I will dwell in thee,
^' ^* and be hallowed in thee, I will be thy God for ever ; here
Ps. 13S, will I dwell, for I have pleasure herein. And I will bless her
^^' victuals, and will cause the horn of David to flourish, and
My redemption shall never fail her. Because Jerusalem was
vexed at the cry of the children's voices, the Church shall
gather in children, and they shall praise Me with their
Hosannahs, and as she invited the children to glorify Me
"^ This word occam in the Syriao very words of Soriptare, as mittiiig to-
Hexapla. see aboTe, p. 49, note g. As, ge^er such portions as, along widi
howerer, St. £. does not keep to the some words of his own, would fill ap the
words of the Syr. Hex. it is perhaps an metre.
evidenoe that he consolted the Greek, " The word nsed Job 28, 17. for cry-
for fn^^XH mifl^t either be a wall, or stal, (in £. V.) where G^eMnius (Lex.
a hedge, as the Hex. make it see Biel. in v.) maintains we should render glass,
Thes. in ▼. It should be obsenred, how- though more precious than our common
ever, that in this passage, St. E. does glass. jM>t spem so much to Gb quoting the
because not ashamed ^Ckrisfs low estate. 79
in the streets, I wiU gather unta her the mnltitiide of the nadoDs, and they shall chant to Me with Hosannahs. And Jemsalem and her children shall ciy oat. Blessed is He that hath come and is to come ! Hosannah in the height and in the depth, to the Son of the Father Most High. Blessed He that in His love lowered Himself that He might redeem the human race ! Blessed the King that made Himself poor that He might enrich the needy ! Blessed He that came top* 7A. fulfil the emblems and t3rpes of the Prophets ! Blessed He that gladdened the creation' with the wealth and treasure* & tlM of His Father! Blessed He Whose gloiy those dumb by^[J^ nature sung in Hosannahs ! Blessed He to Whom the little li«lo^> children sung a new gloiy in hymns ! Blessed be the new me. King Who came that new [bom] babes might glorify Him ! Blessed He unto Whom the children stammered songs, and lauded Him amongst the disciples !
21. Who, Lord, would not be astonied at Thy love, how gready it humbled itself! When the chariot of Cherubim* beareth up Thy glory in fear', a poor colt was bearing Thy* p. so. Might and holy Power, which in its mercies came unto us, ^^^ that by His peace we might be lifted up on high. Let my i^.«ndT. mouth proclaim Thy righteousness on this day of joy. And
let my tongue speak Thy glory upon this feast-day of blessings. Let my soul exult in this feast whereby all creatures are gladdened, and let my mind carry boughs of praise instead of Hosannah- [boughs] ' which the infants bore before the foal upon which Thy Majesty sat. Let us cry unto Thee with the children, ' Hosannah to the Son of David/ The in&nt whose tongue faltered, did in the channel for maturer speech gender, with their Hosannahs, such a praise as Prophets had never praised Him withal. The children, who sung to the Son, made aghast the old men, that saw the Son, yet praised Him not^.
22. Let my thoughts. Lord, bear Thee about, not as babes which were without discernment, and let me laud Thee like
* Method. ▼. ' Tbey bleesed the Lord 4 So Methodius, as aboTe, o. iii.
God sitting upon the colt as open the " SnoUings pronoanoe Him God, and
Cherabim.^ elders blaspheme, children pioaslj sa-
F The bonghs themselves nsed in the crifice praise : and onpriestly priestf
Jewish festival were termed Hosannahs, impionsly shew indignatiom*' see Bartolocci Bibl. Babbin. in t.
80 The lowliness of Christ's Triumph.
that multitude of disciples who saw Thy powei : and let me rejoice iu Thee as the children who uttered a voice in joy of heart ! On this day our Lord entered Jerusalem the city of kings, and humbled Himself and rode a colt, that He might exalt the low estate of man. He left the Seraphim in a
> adT. high place, who sing ' holy'^ unto Him with His Father, and
j^g^Qj^ received glory from the babes and the children of Jerusalem. To-day our Lord entered into Zion, and rode upon a foal,
Zech. 9. and Zachary preached this aforetime — Lo ! thy King cometh unto thee righteous and meek, and riding upon an unharnessed colt, and the children cried before Him, Hosannah to the Son of David. Blessed He that came and is to come, to Him be glory and to His Father that sent Him. The
3 p. 34. Cherubim' cried unto His Majesty, Blessed be the Lord from out of His place, and the children with boughs of olive gave praise before Him in Hosannahs. To-day the Creator of the worlds humbled Himself'', and left the height of the Cherubim, and sat upon a lowly foal ! Blessed be the Lord of the Prophets Who came and fulfilled their words ; and the children with the disciples yield praise to see His lowliness. Children that as yet knew not the speech of man sung praises from the arms % because they saw that He rode upon a foal.
' Tbis looks like a reference to the as fuel to the fire that went along the
Epidtle for the day. Philipp. 2, 6. &c. groDnd in the plague of Egypt, &c.
' St. £. seems to take the words, See also contr. Somt. iii. §. 18. where
babes and sucklings, in the mont na- he assiiines the<w to be foreign ohUdren
tural and literal sense, and to assume come to the feast. Metbodins suggests
that a miraculous impulse seized even the same Tiew as St. E. has in tiie text,
the children in armf>, the Divine power c. iv. '^ O ye that be disobedient in the
enabling them to articulate as It did wisdom of the just, turn ye your hearts
Balaam 'h ass. Where there was amani- to your children, learn the mysteries of
festation of a Divine power adequate to God. The thing itself that is performing
working miracles, it was usual with the bears witness that it is GU)d who is
Fathers to discover them, where others thus hymned by uninstmoted tongues,
wonld pass them over. Thus St. £. on Search the Scriptures, as ye have been
Gren. 21, 13. assumes, that the thicket told by the Lord, for it is they which
on Mount Moriah was miraculously bear witness concerning Him, and be
produced : the question of Isaac imply- not ignorant of the marvel. . . .iearn
ing that there was no ram, and his car- from themselves who it was that tanght
iring wood that there was no wood in them .... and if it was not anv man that
the place. So too he assumed, p. 82. taught them any of these things, but
that Jacob had miraculous power to it is a supernatural (ii^c/BM?r»v) praise
move the stone given him that he might which they sing, know ye that the work
not espouse himself to Bachel with a is God's We will join in choir with
kiss, until God had espoused him to her these, and with the new glory will sing
with a miracle. And again, on Exod. the song divinely inspired." (add Si
p. 2 10. that the hail acted supernatumlly Chrys . ii loc.)
a slumblifig block to the carnal Jews. 81
23. He rode the foal and came to that Jerusalem that thirsted for blood. She saw Him and was filled with foolish envying, because she saw that He was chaste and pure. Blessed be the King that made Himself lowly and sat upon a lowly colt: and Zion, when she saw His lowliness^ despised Him and would not receive Him. Seraphim are abashed at His brightness', ' adv. neither are they able to look upon it; yet the children with ab.p.46! disciples sung before Him with Hosannahs. Cherubs at
His brightness tremble, and beneath His chariot serve, yet did the disciples make ready a lowly colt for Him, and He sat thereon. O marvel how the King's Son humbled Himself among the earthy, for instead of fiery chariot He upon a foal was borne ! Empyreals haste away firom Him in His high place with His Father, and babes in love shout to Him, ^ Hosannah to the Son of David.*
24. To David the king did the daughters of Israel sing with i Sam. the timbrels, and to the Son of David did the children givej^»^ glory with their Hosannahs, and strawed their garments before the colt of the King of kings. Who rejected horses and chariots, and chose Him a lowly beast S that the word of Zachary might be fiilfilled, which he prophesied to the daughter of Zion ; Lo ! thy King cometh riding upon a colt
the foal of an ass. Before the Ark of God David the king 2 Sam. sported, and before the colt of David's Son youths with the ' * branches yielded praise. Michal despised David, and so above, did the foolish old men the children. They began too ^* ^ ' dying out in churlish mood, let the voices of praise be put ' ' to silence, the shout also of the multitudes of disciples who were lauding the coming of the King of kings. Who humbled Himself and sat upon the lowly colt.
25. The King of kings went into the city with the shout of glory which was fitting, and the contemptuous synagogue asked. Who is this, and what the report of Him ? It saw the multitudes that were praising Him, with new*cut branches of palm, and envy' pricked the contemptuous one to put the' S«e
18.
* Origen in Matth. XTi. §. 16. *' He chariots at the time when He cast above,
came into Zion meek and seated upon Pharaoh's chariots and his host into P* 69.
a beast and a yonng foal to visit Israel, the sea. He came too to destroy
the while He destroyed the chariots the horse, that warlike animal from
from Ephraim (Zech. 9, 10. comp. Jerusalem, that He might make peace
p. 76.) now become like Pharaoh's for Israel, &c."
G
82 ChrisCs lowly triuftiph gladdem the Churchy
children to silence. He went into Zion in lowliness, though Lord of the whole creation, and she started not up from her sleep, that asp that loveth adulterers. Blessed be He that made to be trodden down the haughty one that received Him not, and chose Him an holy Church, and lo ! she praiseth Him with Hosannahs. « See 26. Come hither thou troop of Prophets, ye interpreters^ of
^' \^ ' the verities ! See ye the King hath not turned aside from the way that ye trod out for Him ! Rise, David", and look closely at the Son of David, as thou hast preached Him ; lo ! the youths and the children sing unto Him in their Hosannahs ! That praise is confirmed to Him which the Elders and the Pharisees tainted, which simple youths might receive from the teachers of verity. Rise, and look closely at thy disciples, a beloved troop of children, for lo ! they cry in simple-hearted tone, Hosannah to the Son of David ! The old men cast aside the great glory which was due unto the way of the King, and the artless ones without spot shouted before Him with Hosannahs. Why sleepest thou, O Son of Jesse ? Rise to-day and rejoice with us, and bring thy harp with thee, and sing to the holy Church, " Forget thy people Pv. 45, and thy father's house, then shall the King have pleasure in ^^' thy beauty." Because the daughter of the Hebrews hated Him, the daughter of the Gentiles hath received Him. Oh ! how sweet is thy lute to me, and how soft are the sounds of thy harp ! which taught the simple babes to sing the sounds of glory. David hasted into Zion, and the voice of his harp sounded lustily, and the children clave to him, and be Ps. 118, dictated to them an holy song. ' Blessed be He that cometh ^' in the Name of the Lord !' David preached by his Psalm, and the simple ones sung after him, Blessed He that came and is to come. Zachary, thou Prophet, rise and give praise, that thy prophecy was accomplished, for lo ! He rode the colt, as thou saidst, and the ass's foal, as thou didst proclaim ! Ciy out to the adulterous city that she come foith to meet the
"St. Method. cap. ii. "To-day with joy the arV of God, he joineth in their
doth the blessed JDavid rejoice, having music and sweet iitammerings, saying,
hiR harp stolen from him by the babes, Blessed is He that cometh in the Name
the while with the choir of these he of the Lord; and we will ask him,
joins in spirit and keeping feast along saying. Tell us, Psalmist, who ia this
with them as of old in the presence of that cometh, &c."
whether risible or invisible. 83
Bridegroom, if she will, or, if not, send children to praise Him in their Hosannahs.
27. Exult and rejoice, thou daughter of Jerusalem, for lol thj King Cometh riding, and shout with praise, thou daughter of Zion, for thy King rideth on an ass^s foal ! destroying horses Zech. 9, from Ephraim and 'the chariot from Israel, and proclaiming^^' glad tidings of peace and quiet unto all the nations that believe in EQm. Aged Jacob, rise, ^ve praise, for He hath sealed up * the mysteries of thy blessings; for He hath bound the colt to Geo. 49, the vine, and to the vine-branch the as8*s foal. Rise, give ' praise, thou holy Church, and receive the Bridegroom with Hosannahs, and with babes and children hymn praises amongst the nations upon the feast-day of our Redeemer, thai hath come and delivered thee from error !
' ' Sealed' is used in the name way in of Jacob, cap. ii. who also refers to
Daniel 9, 34. St. £. here contemplates Gen. 49, 10.) On the interest the Pa-
the patriarchs and prophets as *' keeping triarchs were held to take in the doings
feast on seeing their prophecies brought of the Church, see above, p. 43, note g«
into completion/' (to use St. M.'s words and compare $. 9. §. 13. &c.