LI sermons preached by the Reverend Dr. Mark Frank ... being a course of sermons, beginning at Advent, and so continued through the festivals : to which is added a sermon preached at St. Pauls Cross, in the year forty-one, and then commanded to be printed by King Charles the First.

A SERMON ON THE ANNUNTIATION OF THE Blessed Virgin Mary.

St. LUKE i. 28.

And the Angel came in unto her, and said, Hail thou that art highly favoured, The Lord is with thee, Blessed art thou among women.

THe day will tell you who this Blessed among women is, we call it our Lady-day; And the Text will tell you why she comes into the day, because the Angel to day came in to her. And the Angel will tell you why he to day came in to Her; she was highly favoured, and the Lord was with her, was to come himself this day into her, to make her the most blessed among women, sent him only before to tell her so, to tell her, he would be with her by and by himself.

This makes it Annunciation day, the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, as the Church calls it, and the Annunciation to her, as we may call it too: The Annunciation or announcing and proclaiming of Christ unto her, that he was this day to be Incarnate of her, to take that flesh to day upon him in the womb, which he was some nine months hence on Christmass∣day to bring with him into the world. And (2.) the Annunciation or announcing, that is proclaiming of her blessed among, above women by it, by being thus highly favoured by her Lords thus coming to her. A day upon these grounds fit to be remembred and announced or proclaimed unto the World.

Indeed, Dominus tecum is the chief business, the Lord Christs being with her, that which the Church especially commemorates in the day. Her being blessed, and all our being blessed, highly favoured, or favou∣red at all, either mens or womens being so, all our hail, all our health,

and peace, and joy, all the Angels visits to us, or kind words, all our Conferences with heaven, all our titles and honours in heaven and earth, that are worth the naming come only from it. For Dominus tecum cannot come without them; He cannot come to us but we must be so, must be highly favoured in it, and blessed by it. So the Incarnation of Christ, and the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, his being incar∣nate of her, and her blessedness by him, and all our blessednesses in him with her make it as well our Lords as our Ladies day. More his, be∣cause his being Lord made her a Lady, else a poor Carpenters Wife, God knows; all her worthiness and honour, as all ours, is from him; and we to take heed to day, or any day, of parting them; or so remembring her as to forget him; or so blessing her, as to take away any of our bles∣sing him; any of his worship to give to her; Let her blessedness, the respect we give her, be inter mulieres, among women still: such as is fit and proportionate to weak creatures, not due and proper only to the Creator, that Dominus tecum, Christ in her be the business: that we take pattern by the Angel, to give her no more than is her due, yet to be sure to give her that though, and that particularly upon the day. And yet the day being a day of Lent seems somewhat strange, 'Tis surely no fasting work, no business or occasion of sadness this; What does it then, or how shall we do it then in Lent, a time of fast and sorrow? Fast and feast too: how can we do it? A Feast it is to day, a great one, Christs Incarnation, a day of joy, if ever any: and Lent a time of sorrow and repentance: a great one, the greatest Fast of any; How shall we reconcile them? Why thus, The news of Joy never comes so seasonable as in the midst of sorrow; news of one coming to save us from our sins can never come more welcome to us than even then when we are sighing and groaning under them: never can Angel come more acceptably than at such time, with such a message, as All Hail, thou art highly favoured, blessed art thou; 'Tis the time that Angels use to come when we are fasting: So to Daniel, Dan. ix. 3, 21. So to Cornelius, Acts x. 30. the time when we best hear a voice from heaven, and best understand it with St. Peter, Acts x. 13, 15, 16, 20. the time when God himself vouchsafes to spread our Table, as he did there of all kinds of beasts and fowls, to St. Peter, all heavenly food and mysteries. 'Tis the very time for gratia plena, to be fill'd when we are empty; the only time for Dominus tecum, for our Lords being with us when we have most room to entertain him. So nor the Church, nor we in following it, are any whit out of order. Dominus tecum, Christ is the main business, both of our Fasts and Feasts: and 'tis the greatest order to attend his business in the day, and way we meet it, be it what it will.

Though perhaps it seem stranger too to hear of an Angel coming into a Virgins Chamber, at midnight, (as is conjectured) and there saluting her. But no fear of those Sons of God if they come in unto the daugh∣ters of men. Angels are Virgins, may be with Virgins, in the privatest Closets, are always with them there to carry up their Prayers, and to bring down blessings. No strange thing then to hear of an Angel with any of them whom God highly favours, with whom himself is too: no won∣der to hear of an Angel or Ave to any such. The only wonder indeed to us will be to hear of an Ave Mary. Indeed I cannot my self but wonder at it, as they use it now, to see it turn'd into a Prayer. 'Twas never made for Prayer, or Praise, a meer Salutation; the Angels here to the blessed Virgin ne∣ver intended it, I dare say, for other, either to praise her with, or pray unto

her. And I shall not consider it as such, I am only for the Angels Ave, not the Popish Ave Marie, I can see no such in the Text.

Nor should I scarce, I confess, have chosen such a Theam to day, though the Gospel reach it me, but that I see 'tis time to do it when our Lord is wounded through our Ladies sides; both our Lord and the mother of our Lord most vilely spoken of by a new generation of wicked men, who, because the Romanists make little less of her than a Goddess, they make not so much of her as a good woman; because they bless her too much, these unbless her quite, at least will not suffer her to be blessed as she should. To avoid both these extremes we need no other pattern but the Angels, who here salutes, and blesses her indeed; yet so only salutes and blesses her, so speaks of and to her as to a woman here, though much above the best of them; one highly favoured, 'tis true, yet but favoured still; all her grace, and blessedness, and glory still no other, meer fa∣vour and no more, and Dominus tecum, the Lords being with her, the ground, and source, and sum of all; Virgin and Day both blessed thence. The better to give all their due, Angel, and Lord, and Lady, and you the bet∣ter understanding of the Text, the scope, and matter, and full meaning of it, we shall consider in the words these two Particulars: The Angels Visitation, and the Angels Salutation.

I. His Visitation, or coming to her in these words: And the Angel came in unto her.

II. His Salutation to her, or saluting her, in these, Hail thou that art highly favoured; The Lord is with thee, Blessed, &c.

In the Visitation we have,

(1.) The Visitor. (2.) The Visited. (3.) The Visiting. The Angel, the Visitor, He. The blessed Virgin, this the Visited, Her: And the Visi∣ting, his coming in unto her.

In the Salutation there is to be considered both the Form of it, and the Titles in it.

1. The Form threefold: (1.) Hail. (2.) The Lord is with thee. (3.) Ble∣sed art thou, or be thou blessed, Sis benedicta, it may be, as well as es.

2. The Titles given her, they three too: Thou that art highly favoured, that's one. Blessed thou, that's another. Blessed among women, that's the third. These all so evident and so plain, that none can miss them; But to these two Points two more are to be added, The Grounds and Bounds of these great titles.

1. The Ground of this high blessedness and favour: (1.) Full of grace, so our old Translation, and the old Latine render it, her fulness of grace and goodness, that's one. (2.) But the Lord is with thee, that's the main, thence all her blessedness, thereby it is that she is so highly favoured, because the Lord is with her.

2. The Bounds or Limitation of these titles, they come first with a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, no other form then what is and hath been given unto men; though great they be, yet divine they be not. The greatest Title secondly is but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 from meer grace and favour. Thirdly, It must still too acknow∣ledge Dominus tecum. She hath a Lord, is a Subject as well as we. And lastly, All her blessedness is but inter mulieres, among women; how much soever she excels all vvomen, she is but inter mulieres, among such Crea∣tures, in the rank of Creatures, no Goddess, nor partner vvith the God∣head, either in title or vvorship.

By considering and laying all these Points together vve shall both vindicate the blessed Virgins honour, as vvell from all superstitious as

prophane abuses, and our selves from all neglect of any duty to the mo∣ther of our Lord, one so highly favoured, and blessed by him, whilst we give her all that either Lord or Angel gave her, but yet dare not give her more.

And now Dominus mecum, and Dominus vobiscum too, the Lord be with me whilst I am speaking it, and with you whilst you are hearing it, and bless us both whilst we are about it, that we may learn to bless where we should bless, whom, and when, and how to do it, and rightly both accept and apply God's blessings and our own.

We are now to learn it from the Angel, his visiting and blessing the blessed Virgin here. His visit and his Salutation to her. But his visit, or visitation, that stands first. Where the visiter, the visited, and his visit; the Angel, the Virgin, and his coming into unto her are all to be consider∣ed. And the Angel came in unto her.

And who so fit as an Angel to come into her, to give this visit, to give this blessing? It was a bad Angel that brought the curse, upon the woman, 'twas fit a good one should bring the blessing.

The imployment (2.) suits none so well. 'Twas news of joy who could bring it better, than one of those who were the first sons of eternal joy, the first enjoyers of it, who could pronounce it better?

Who fitter (3.) to come with a Dominus tecum, before the face of the Lord, with a message of his coming down to earth, than they who always behold his face in heaven, St. Mat. xviii. 10.

Who fitter (4.) to come to her, she was an immaculate and unspotted Virgin, and to whom do Virgins Chambers lie ope at midnight but to Angels? God sends no other thither at that time of night, and that that time it was may be well conjectured from Wisdom xviii. 14, 15. When all things were in quiet silence, and that night was in the midst of her swift course; Thine Almighty Word came down from Heaven, then it seems was the time of her Conception, of Christs coming to her, before whom immediately the Angel came to bring the message that he was a coming, if, as St. Bernard says, he were not come already.

And (5.) with such a message to a Virgin, as that she should conceive, without a man, who was convenient to bring it but an Angel? Ne quo de∣genere depravaret affectu, says St. Ambrose, that there might not be the least ground of a false suspition.

But (6.) to such a Virgin, one so highly favour'd as to be made the mother of God (for the mother of Christ is no less, he being God) what messenger could come less than an Angel? Prophets and Patriarchs were too little for so great an embassage, and Angels never came upon a greater.

Nay, (7.) every Angel neither was not fit for so high an Office: The Angel Gabriel it was, he is the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 here. Gabriel is by St. Hierom, and St. Gregory interpreted Fortitudo Dei, the Power or strength of God, and in this work it appear'd indeed. Gods strength and power never so much shewn as in the saving of us by Christ. It is by others (2.) interpreted Vir Deus, or Deus nobiscum, God man, or God with us. Could any be thought fitter to bring this news upon his lips than he that carries it in his name? Especially (3.) being the same that foretold all this to Daniel, Dan. ix. 21. fit that he should see to the performance who brought the promise. (4.) Petrus Damiani thinks he was the holy Virgins Guardian Angel, proper therefore to bring her this good message, or any else. (5.) God had se∣veral times employed him before, to Daniel, Zachary, and others, and found

hm faithful, he therefore now employs him still, that we may know, he that is faithful in the least God will by degrees trust him with the most, the greatest matters.

In a word, Angels drove us out of Paradise, and now they come to let us in again. Then they placed a Sword to keep us out, now they bring the word to let us in. None now you see more fit for this business than an Angel, than the Angel Gabriel too, whether we respect the persons, either from whom, or to whom the message comes, or the message or the time, or the way and order of it. So we have done with him, come we now to her, a greater than He, if we may speak with Epiphanius, and some others.

Yet I shall not give her other Titles than the Scripture gives her, I am afraid to give her such as many do. A Virgin espoused to a man whose name was Ioseph, of the house of David she was, and her name was Mary, in the verse before the Text. (1.) Of royal descent and linage. (2.) Espoused to an Husband of the same Kingly house. (3.) Of a name very answerable to her greatness. Of Davids Seed, for so her Son the Messiah was to be. A Virgin, for of such a one he was to come: Semen mulieris, not maris, from the beginning the womans seed, and not the mans, so necessarily a Virgin then, and so plainly foretold to be by Isaiah, Isa. vii. 14. A Virgin shall conceive and bear him; yea, a Virgin espous'd; (1.) To conceal the my∣stery of his Incarnation from the Devil; (2.) To take away all occasion of obloquy from devilish men; (3.) That the birth of our Saviour might be with all possible honour; and (4.) That his Genealogy might so be reckoned as all others regularly by the man, as you see them both by St. Matthew and St. Luke.

Of a high and illustrious name besides; Maria is Maris stella, says St. Bede. The star of the Sea, a fit name for the mother of the bright morn∣ing star, that rises out of the vast sea of God's infinite and endless love. Maria (2.) the Lyriack interprets Domina, a Lady, a name yet retain'd, and given to her by all Christians, our Lady, or the Lady mother of our Lord. Marie (3.) rendred by Petrus Damiani de monte & altitudine Dei, highly ex∣alted, as you would say, like the Mountain of God, in which he would vouchsafe to dwell, after a more miraculous manner than in very Sion his own holy Mount. (4.) St. Ambrose interprets it, Deus ex genere meo, God of my kin, as if by her very name she was designed to have God born of her, to be Deipara; as the Church against all Hereticks has ever stil'd her the Mother of God: you may well now fully conceive no Embassador so fit to come to such an one as her but some great Angel at the least.

And his coming to her comes next to be considered, And the Angel came in unto her. Where we are taught both how he came, and where he found her. By his coming, or being said to come, we are given to un∣derstand, that it was in a bodily and humane shape; So Angels often used to come in the likeness of men, and at this time it was of all ways the most convenient that the Angels should come like men, seeing their Lord was now to come so: and one of them to come before him with the news. When he himself would vouchsafe to wear the livery of our flesh, 'tis most convenient his servants sure that wait upon him, whom he sends upon his errands, should appear at least in the same Livery. Nor could his Message easily be delivered in more sweetness, nor the Blessed Maid entertain it with less terror or diffidence any other way.

For though it could not but trouble her, as we see it did in the follovv∣ing

verse, to see a man at that time in her Closet, ere she was aware, yet his coming in so insensibly when the doors were shut upon her, besides per∣haps the brightness of his countenance and raiment could not but tell her it was an Angel, and so abate her fear a little.

Yet observe here a difference between the Angels coming now, and heretofore; we never read of an Angels appearing but abroad, or in the Temple, till now. Now they begin to grow more familiar with us, come in into our Closets now Christ is coming; the Kingdom of Heaven 'tis a sign is come nigh unto us. And 'tis a good Item to us to keep much in our Closets seeing Angels are now to be met with there.

And (2.) 'tis an Item too for Virgins to keep within; Dinah went out and met with you know whom, came home ill-favouredly. The blessed Virgin keeps in, and meets with an holy Angel, and the title of highly favoured, and blessed for it. The stragling, gadding huswife meets no Angel to salute her, whosoever does; if we look for Angels company, and salu∣tations we must be much within. A Garden enclosed is my Sister, my Spouse, a Spring shut up, a Fountain sealed, says Christ, Cant. iv. 12. The Spouse of Christ, the Soul he loves and vouchsafes his company, much private, oft within. Within, and at her Prayers and Meditation too. So was the blessed Virgin, say the Fathers here, blessedly employed, watching at her devotions; no way so sure to get an Angels company, or hear good news from heaven, to obtain a favour or a blessing thence, as this, as prayer, and watching in our Closets.

This we piously believe of the blessed Virgin, but we are sure she was within, a true daughter of Sarah in it; who it seems kept commonly within doors in her Tent, Gen. xviii. 10. whose daughters you are, says St. Pe∣ter, 1 Pet. 3. 6. as long as you do well; must be too in this, as well as other things, if you vvould do vvell.

For lastly, to shevv the truth of the Angels vvords, that she vvas full of grace, the Scripture tells us, by the Angels coming into her, that she vvas vvithin, vvhere, qui habeat abundantiam gratiae, says Hugo, they that are full of grace, keep in as much as they can, fearing the corrupt discourses and conversations of the World. None so scrupulous of appearing abroad, none more fear idle, loose, or vain discourses (vvhich cannot be avoided by such vvho go often abroad) than they that are fullest of grace and goodness. Nor do they care for the salutation, favours, and comple∣ments of men, vvho are highly favoured of the Lord. No matter at all vvith them to be neglected by men, vvho desire only to be saluted by an Angel, as vvas the Virgin here, vvhich falls next to be considered. The An∣gels Salutation.

Tvvo Points vve told you there vvere to be handled in it. The form of it, and the titles in it: The form in vvhich it runs, the Titles vvith vvhich it's given.

The form is in three expressions, Hail, the Lord is with thee, Thou art, or be thou blessed. Three several salutations, as it vvere, and that (1.) for the greater reverence and honour to her, so Kings and Queens are com∣monly saluted vvith three adorations. (2.) To shevv from vvhom he came, from Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, from all three persons in the Tri∣nity. That (3.) she vvas so intent and busie at her devotions, that she minded not perhaps his first and second Salutation, he vvas fain to add a third; To shevv lastly the triple blessing that he came vvith, Peace, and Grace, and Blessedness; that Heaven vvas novv at peace vvith us, Grace vvas thence coming dovvn apace, Heaven doors set open, and

very blessedness of Heaven clearly now propounded and proffered to us.

The first salutation is an Ave, a salutation never heard from Angels mouth before. And it speaks joy, and peace, and health, and salvation, both to her, and us by her. The Greek word is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Rejoyce, rejoyce in∣deed, at such a Child as now is to be born of thee, O Virgin Daughter Be∣hold I bring you tydings of great joy, of a Child, all our joy by him, which is Christ the Lord

2. The Hebrew word speaks, Peace be to thee. A wish for peace, the first news of Heaven reconciled; the way to reconciliation being now in agitation, and to be by her. Peace from the Prince of Peace, from the author of our peace, now coming, as joyful a salutation as we can wish, all our peace from this Conception, all begun with this message, and the Angel the Herauld of it.

3. It intimates health as well as peace, we were all sick till this day came, the best with the Spouse, sick of love, Cant. v. 8. the worst sick of somewhat else; none well till this news came, till the next morning af∣ter this great Conception, rose with healing in his wings. Now all hail, and whole, and well again.

4. It signifies a wish of salvation too. Ave, says one piously, though not learnedly, a vae, all woe now away, temporal and eternal. Eva spell'd backwards, all Eves ill spun web unravel'd, undone, roul'd backward by the Conception of this blessed Virgin here foretold, temporal and eternal woes taken all away, nothing but joy and salvation to us if we will hear it with the Blessed Virgin, and accept it.

The second salutation is, The Lord is with thee, and it may be either an apprecation, or wishing that he would be, or an Annunciation, or affirma∣tion, a declaring and affirming that he is, or a prediction or foretelling that he will be with her.

It was an apprecation when Boaz gave it to the Reapers, Ruth ii. 4. that God would be with them.

It was an apprecation and an affirmation both, when the Angel gave it to Gideon, Judg. vi. 12. The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

It is affirmation, apprecation, and prediction, all three here, to our Blessed Lady, a wish that the Lord would, an assurance that he is, a pre∣diction that he will be yet more signally, and more particularly with her by and by.

'Tis somewhat to be saluted by an Angel, and 'tis not common; we hear often of their coming with a message, seldom with a salutation: 'tis sign of more then ordinary acquaintance and familiarity with God, and of his respect particular unto us, when he sends his Angels, not only upon errands, but how-do-yous to us.

With such a salutation too, as the Lord is with thee. The hand of the Lord was with him, 'tis said of St. Iohn Baptist, and that was well, his hand and not himself; and yet the greatest of them that was born of women was not greater than he, St. Matth. xi. 11. But here 'tis he him∣self with the greatest among women. It is a great favour to have his hand, but it is an high one to have himself with us.

Yet the Angel says to Gideon, Judg. vi. 12. The Lord be with thee, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, but 'tis here 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, an Article, an Emphasis put upon it: he is not with her, as he is with any else, Tecum in mente, tecum in ventre, as the Fathers gloss it, Tecum in spiritu, tecum in carne, with her he was, or would be presently, as well in her body, as in her soul, personally, essen∣tially, nay bodily with her, and take a body from her, a way of being

with any never heard before or since, a being with her beyond any ex∣pression or conception whatsoever.

And the Lord thus being with her, all good must needs be with her, all the gracious ways of his being with us are comprehended in it, so the salutation no way to be exceeded: And well may he chuse to be with her, even make haste and prevent the Angel, as St. Bernard speaks, to be with her. He is with the pure in heart, with the humble spirit, and pi∣ously retired soul, and she is all. And though by the Angels words, ver. 31. we cannot conceive that the Lord was yet conceived in her, he speak∣ing in the future, yet as sure it was, even whilst the Angel was in his salutation, as if he were already incarnate in her flesh: upon this may well follow the third salutation, Blessed art thou, or be thou blessed. Yet,

I shall not here say much of this, I reserve it to be handled amongst the titles, onely tell you it may as well pass for a salutation as the other. We still sometimes use it in our salutations, use to say God bless you, when we salute sometimes; so the mowers to Boaz, return his salutation of, the Lord be with you, with The Lord bless thee, Ruth. ii. 4. And Gen. xlvii. 7. we read that Iacob blessed Pharaoh when he came before him, that is, saluted him in a form of blessing.

All the famous salutations, now you see, of all former and latter times are here rallied up in this, Daniel's Live for ever, for life, and health, and safety, the Angels to Gideon, The Lord is with thee, Boaz his to Ruth, Blessed be thou, of the Lord my daughter, Ruth. iii. 10. Tobit's to the Angel, Gaudium tibi, Tob. v. 11. Ioy be unto thee, Christ's to his Disciples, Peace be unto you: The Apostles grace, and peace, and salvation to their Churches, all in this of the Angel to the Virgin, now in treaty about Christs Incarna∣tion. To shew us (1.) all these are in Christ, all now coming to us, by his coming to us, to be found altogether no where but in him, joy, and peace, and health, and salvation, and blessedness first rising on us by this days business, his Incarnation. To teach us (2.) good forms of sa∣lutation, blessing, and not cursing, though there are some so peevish, to say no worse, to tell us they had as lieve we should say the Devil take them, as God bless them, or God be with them. It seems they had rather imi∣tate the bad Angel than the good, I hope we had not: Good words, if it be no more, are fittest sure for Christian mouths, but yet good wishes too; for he that forbids to say to some, God speed you, 2 John x. inti∣mates we should say so to others: And though the Disciples are bid to salute no man by the way, St. Luke x. 4. that is, when it will retard or hin∣der their holy business, they are yet bid, when they come into a house, say, Peace be to it, ver. 5. And if the Angel do it, and Christ bid it, and do it too, as he does, St. Luke xxiv. 35. I hope we may and will do too. Nay, and give good titles too upon the same account, the Angel does so to the blessed Virgin, and we hasten to them. Thou that art highly favoured, blessed, blessed among women.

Thou that art highly favoured; but why, thou, without a name? why not Mary here as well as after, ver. 30. Why? there he used her name, so to dispel her fear as it were, by a kind of friendly familiarity; here he forbears it in his reverence to her. We use not to salute great per∣sons by their Names, but by their Titles; and the Mother of God is above the greatest we here meet with upon the earth. We must not be too familiar with those whom God so highly favours, that's our lesson hence. We are not to speak of the Blessed Virgin, the Apostles, and Saints, as if we were speaking to our Servants, Paul, Peter, Mary, or the like:

'Tis a new fashion of Religion, neither taken from Saints, nor Angels, nor any of Heaven, or heavenly spirits, to unsaint the Saints, to deny them their proper titles, to level them with the meanest of our Servants: We might learn better manners from the Angel here, manners, I say if it were nothing else, for we dare not speak so to any here that are above us, and we think much to be Thou'd without our titles, by that new ge∣neration of possessed men, who yet with more reason may call the best man thou, then we the Apostles, Iohn or Thomas.

But to descend to a particular survey of these Titles here, Thou that art highly favoured, so our new Translation renders it, Full of grace, so our old one hath it from the Latin, Gratia plena, and both right; for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 will carry both. Grace is favour, God's Grace is divine favour, high in grace, high in his favour, full of his grace, full of his favour, all comes to one.

Now there is Gratia Creata, and Increata, Created grace, and uncreated grace. Created grace is either sanctifying, or edifying; the gifts of the Holy Spirit that sanctifie and make us holy; or the gifts that make us serviceable to make others so. The first to serve God in our selves, as Faith, Hope, Charity, and other graces: The second to serve him in the Church, such as the gift of Tongues, of Prophesie, of Healing, and the like: of each kind she had her fulness according to her measure, and the designation that God appointed her.

For sanctifying Graces, none fuller, Solo Deo excepto, God only excepted, saith Epiphanius. And 'tis fit enough to believe that she vvho vvas so high∣ly honoured to have her Womb filled vvith the body of the Lord, had her soul as fully fill'd by the Holy Ghost.

For edifying Graces, as they came not all into her measure, she vvas not to preach, to administer, to govern, to play the Apostle; and there∣fore no necessity she should be full of all those gifts, being those are not distributed all to any, but unicuique secundum mensuram, to every one ac∣cording to his measure, and employment, and not at all times neither; so neither is she said to be less ful for vvanting them. There is one fulness of the Fountain, another of the Brook, another of a Vessel; one ful∣nes, of the Sea, another of the River, another of the Pond, and yet all may be full. Christ himself is said to be full of the Holy Ghost, and St. Stephen is said to be full, and others said to be full; yet Christ as the Sea or Fountain, they as the Rivulets or Rivers, and yet all as they can hold. 'Tis so in Earth, 'tis so in Heaven: And vvith such a fulness as the Brooks, or Rivers, is our Virgin full, and with no other. Where any edifying Grace vvas necessary for her, she had it, as well as others; more perhaps than others: Where it vvas not necessary, it vvas no vvay to the impairing of her fulness, though she had it not; as the banks of the Rivers rose, or the Channel was enlarged, so were those graces: but in∣ter mulieres, among women at the end, makes me incline to think the ful∣ness of Apostolick endowments do not any way belong to her; women not being suffered in the times of the Apostles, but to teach their children or servants at home: never thought so full of the Spirit as to be sent to blow it all abroad.

And indeed it is not said here, full of the Spirit, but full of Grace, and that is commonly understood of sanctifying Grace, of which it is very convenient that we believe none fuller than she: and the original 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 will not inforce it much higher in the business of created grace.

But in respect of the increated Grace, that is, of Christ, with whom

she was now so highly favoured as to be with Child, none ever so filled with Grace indeed. This was a grace of the highest nature, of which created nature was never capable; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 well rendred, highly, high∣ly favoured; for 'tis most highly can be imagined: and this is her first title, O thou that art highly favoured; high in Gods grace and fa∣vour, so high as to be made his Mother, then sure made a fit re∣ceptacle for so great, so holy a guest, by the fulness of all grace and goodness.

From this follows the second Title, Blessed, blessed of God, blessed of men: blessed in the City, and blessed in the Field; Cities and Coun∣treys call her blessed. Blessed in the fruit of her body, in her blessed Child Iesus. Blessed in the fruit of her Ground, her Cattel, her Kine, and her Sheep, in the inferiour faculties of her soul, and body; all fru∣ctifie to Christ. Blessed her Basket, and her Store, her Womb, and her Breasts; the Womb that bare him, and the Paps that gave him suck. Blessed in her going out, and in her coming in; the Lord still being with her. The good treasure of Heaven still open to her, showring down up∣on her, and the Earth fill'd with the blessings which she brought into the world, when she brought forth the Son of God. Blessed she indeed that was the Conduit of so great blessings; though blessed most in the bearing him in her soul, much more than bearing him in her body. So Christ intimates to the woman that began to bless the Womb, that is, the Mother that bear him, St. Luke xi. 27. yea rather, says he, they that hear the word of God and keep it: As if he had said, she is more blessed in bear∣ing the word in her soul, than in her body. But blessed she is; Elizabeth by the Holy Spirit fell a blessing her when she came to see her: And she her self by the same Spirit tells us, all generations shall call her blessed, ver. 28. So we have sufficient example and authority to do it. And I hope we will not suffer the Scripture to speak false, but do it.

And (3.) do it to her above all women, Benedicta tu in mulieribus. That's her third Title. Most blessed, none so blessed; none ever had Child so blessed; none ever bore or brought forth Child as she.

Benedicta in mulieribus, Blessed among women; She indeed only blessed: all others subject to the curse of in dolore paries, of conceiving and bring∣ing forth in sorrow. She wholly free from that, she a perpetual Virgin be∣fore, and in, and after Child-birth. Christ came into her Womb insen∣sibly, came forth as it were insensibly too, without groan or sorrow to her. Blessed (2.) among women; they all henceforth saved by her Child-bearing: notwithstanding she, that is, woman shall be saved in child-bearing, 1 Tim. ii. ie. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 by her child-bearing, says a learned Commentator, not their own, but hers, by the Child she bore; and they therefore shall call her blessed.

Blessed (3.) among women, that is, none more blessed then the best, the highest of them; none above the Mother of God, none sure so good as she which now brings me to consider the grounds of all this honour, all these Titles.

The first is Grace, Gratiâ plena, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 that always the ground of Gods favour, and all our blessedness: So she tells us in her Hymn, Respexit humilitatem. It was the humility of his Hand-maid, that God in this high favour of the Incarnation of his Son respected in her. Humility the ground of all grace within us, all grace without us, of Gods grace to us, of his graces in us, the very grace that graces them all too. Humility makes them the most lovely, pride disgraces them all,

be they never so many, though indeed they can be truly none, that are not founded in and adorned with humility.

The second ground of blessedness is in the Text too, Dominus tecum, the Lords being with her. From Christs being with her and with us, it is, that we are blessed. From his Incarnation begins the date of all our happiness. If God be not with us, all the world cannot make us happy, much less blessed: From this grace of his Incarnation first riseth all our glory: So that, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name give the praise, must she sing as well as we; and they do her wrong as well as God, that give his glory unto her; who will not give his glory to an∣other, though to his Mother, because she is but his earthly Mother, a thing infinitely distant from the heavenly Father. Nor would that hum∣ble Hand-maid, if she should understand the vain, and fond, and almost idolatrous stiles and honours that are given her some where upon earth, be pleased with them; she is highly favoured enough, that her Lord and Son is with her, and she with him: she would be no higher sharer. You may see it in the last particular, the bounds and limitations of her titles and blessedness.

For first, how full soever she be of Grace, 'tis yet but grace and fa∣vour, 'tis no more; Gods meer favour so exalted her, respexit only, his respect to her, his free looking on her, no merit or desert, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, he hath highly favoured her indeed, but he has done, done it in the praeter before she could conceive or imagine it.

2. The salutation here, except the titles, given her by the Angels, is not much more than what he gave to Gideon, or what Boaz to his Harvest∣ers: enough to make the Papists afraid one would think of those extra∣vagant, at least, if not blasphemous titles they give her, of their closing their Books and Studies with Laus Deo, & Virgini Maria, joyning her in partnership with God; as if they were as much beholding to her as him. I am sure they learn'd not this from the Angel: he brings no divine, but humane titles and salutations to her. And he knew how to give titles, though not flattering ones, as Elihu speaks in Iob.

3. All her honour and blessedness is from Dominus tecum, the Lords being with her. He is her Lord as well as ours. More indeed he is with her than with us, or with Angels either, plus tecum, quàm mecum as some gloss it: but he is her Lord still for all that, and she is content so to ac∣knowledge it, and leave us a penn'd Hymn in witness of it, to give him the sole honour of her magnifying and being magnified.

Lastly, Though it be Benedicta, 'tis but inter mulieris, among women, all this is; and they are but creatures; a creature-blessedness, a blessedness competible to the creature. All to shew us, that when we exceed this way of honour to her, or this way of blessing her, we are all out in our Aves, we know not what we say. And 'tis well for some, that their ig∣norance excuses them, that they understand not what they speak.

Give we her in Gods name, the honour due to her. God hath stil'd her blessed by the Angel, by Elizabeth; commanded all generations to call her so, and they hitherto have done it, and let us do it too: Indeed some of late have over-done it; yet let us not therefore under-do it, but do it as we hear the Angel and the first Christians did it; account of her, and speak of her as the most blessed among women, one highly favoured, most highly too. But all the while give Dominus tecum, all the glory, the whole glory of all to him; give her the honour and blessedness of the chief of Saints, him only the glory, that she is so, and that by her conceiving and

bringing our Saviour into the world, we are made heirs, and shall one day be partakers of the blessedness she enjoys, when the Lord shall be with us too, and we need no Angel at all to tell us so.

Especially if we now here dispose our selves by chastity, humility, and devotion, as she did to receive him, and let him be new-born in us. The pure and Virgin Soul, the humble Spirit, the devout Affection will be also highly favoured; the Lord be with them and bless them above o∣thers. Blessed is the Virgin Soul, more blessed than others in St. Paul's opinion, 1 Cor. vii. blessed the humble spirit above all. For God hath exalted the humble and meek, the humble Hand-maid better than the proudest Lady. Blessed the devout affection, that is always watching for her Lord in Prayer and Meditations; none so happy, so blessed as she: the Lord comes to none so soon as such.

Yet not to such at any time, more fully than in the Blessed Sacrament, to which we are now a going. There he is strangely with us, highly fa∣vours us, exceedingly blesses us: there we are all made blessed Maries, and become Mothers, Sisters, and Brothers of our Lord, whilst we hear his word, and conceive it in us, whilst we believe him who is the word, and receive him too into us. There Angels come to us on hea∣venly errands, and there out Lord indeed is with us; and we are blessed, and the Angels hovering all about to peep into those holy mysteries, think us so, call us so. There graces pour down in abundance on us, there grace is in its fullest plenty, there his highest favours are bestowed upon us, there we are fill'd with grace, unless we hinder it, and shall hereafter in the strength of it be exalted into glory; there to sit down with this Blessed Virgin, and all the Saints and Angels, and sing praise, and honour, and glory to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost for ever and ever.

Thus by being full of grace, and full of those graces, we also become Maries, and the Mothers of our Lord; so he tells us himself, he that so does the will of my Father, he is my Mother. Let us then strive to be so, that the Angels may come with heavenly errands to us, our Lord himself come to us, and vouchsafe to be again born in us, and so bless us, fill us with grace, receive, and set us highly in his favour, and fill and exalt us here∣after with his glory, and with this Blessed Virgin, and all the Saints and Angels, we may sing praise, and honour, and glory to him, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for ever and ever.