A Christian duty composed by B. Bernard Francis.

DISCOURS V. OF THE THIRD ARTICLE (Book 5)

Who was conceived by the holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Marie. (Book 5)

SPirituall and devout soules, who meditate upon the Misteries of this Article, are transported with joy and admiration, at the sight of the great wonders divinely wrought in the wombe of the B. Virgin, in the Conception of JESUS-CHRIST. For if in this Conception there is one thing natural, there are many that surpass all nature. That our Redeemers Body was formed of the Blood of a woman is a natural thing: But that it was formed, not by mans operation, but by the opera∣tion of the holy Ghost; That his Body was made in an instant, without the imperfections in which ours are made; That in this instant it receives a reasonable soule, without the igno••ance where

in we are conceived: without the stayne of original sin which Adam put upon us; But on the contrary, with perfect know∣ledg of all things and with plenitude of Grace; That this Body and soul are united to the second Person of the B. Trinity; That, that which arises by this Vnion is perfect God and perfect man; That He was such in a womans wombe; That she remaining a Virgin, was a Mother: Mother of a Man-God: Morher of God and Mother of Man: these, I say, are things which surpass Nature: and are the subjects of our admira∣tion. I admire not sayd S. Cyprian, the stabylity of the earth which stands by its own weight in the midst of the Vnivers; I admire not the volubility of the firmament, which moves day and night and hath no Center in which it may end its motion; I admire not the inconstancie of the Moon, which never remains in the same state, but increases, or decreases every moment; I admire not the Sun which shews it self always full, which is infatigable in its cours, and marches as a Gyant to communicate its light and heat to all the quarters of the world; But I admire God made man, I admire a God in the womb of a Virgin: I admire the Omnipotent an impotent infant: And we may add, I admire the Creator made a Creature: the Lord and Soverign, a subject, and a slave: and the Iudg, a criminal in appearance. In all the other wonders of nature, I finde some reasons that do satisfy me; But in this Mistery I have nothing els, but that which the prophet Abacuc did say, I have considered your works, and am astonished.

2. Born of the Virgin Marie. This is the second Birth of the Son of God; In his first, He issued forth of the Vnderstanding of the Father from all eternity; In this He came forth of his mothers womb in time. The eternal birth is admirable: the temporal is amiable; I honor and reverence the eternal; I em∣brace and love the temporal; I rejoyce in that▪ and I enjoy this; I glorify God for the first: and I thanke him for the second; the eternal created me, and the temporal repaired me; It would have nothing profited me to have been created, if I had not been redeemed; by IESUS begotten of the Father I was created; by IESUS born of the Virgin I was redeemed; I have then more obligation to IESUS born of the Virgin, than

to IESUS begotten of the Father; And I find many marvells in this second birth, as well as in the first. I will explicate the marvells of these his births, and of his Conception, by a comparison so proper and so natural, so clear and so intelligi∣ble, that the most indocible may come by it to a competent knowledg of these misteries.

3. Amongst all the creatures purely corporal, there is not one that expresses God so naturally as the Sun. You see the Sun produces a Ray, which is its offspring; There is no∣thing more visible than the Sun producing its Ray: nothing also is more clear, bright, and visible than the Ray; and nevertheless there is nothing that we have so much difficulty to eye: we cannot fix our eyes upon it: not through want of light; but through excessive clearness, and through the weakness of our sight; So the Son of God is begotten by his Father in the light of his Divinity, by the way of understanding and of know∣ledg; there is nothing then more intelligible than this Generation: and nevertheless there is nothing that we are so unable to under∣stand: 'tis darkness to us, by reason of the weakness of our understanding

Thô the Ray be the offspring of the Sun: it is nevertheless as ancient as the Sun: and if the sun had been from all Eter∣nity, its Ray would have also been eternal; So though IESUS CHRIST according to his Divinity be the Son of God thc Fa∣ther: He is nevertheless as ancient as his Father: He is from all Eternity, even as his Father.

The Sun by its Ray warms the air, makes the earth fruitful and produces gold and silver, metalls and mineralls in the heart of it; So the eternal Father by his Son Created Heaven and earth, men * 1.1 and Angells, and does by him his works: omnia per ipsum facta sunt

The Sun loses nothing by giving Being to its Ray: on the contrary, the ray is the glory, beauty, and ornament of the Sun; So the Son of God is the splendor of the Father, and the figure of his substance: 'tis the Father's great perfection to begett a Son, who is God as He, and the same God with him.

The Ray coms forth of the Sun, and is sent down to us: but it coms forth of it, without comming from it: you see it in the Sun, thô it be upon the earth; So when faith teaches

us, that the Son of God descended from heaven, and came into this world, this is not to say he left the bosome of his Father: He always remain'd there thô He appeared here.

The Sunbeam coms into this Church and passes through red glass How did it enter into it, how did it go out of ir? I know not; It went into it without opening it: it went out of it, without breaking it; so the Son of God came into this world, and passed through the blessed womb of the Virgin: How was He there conceiv'd? I know not; How was He brought forth? I know not; He was conceiv'd there: He was brought forth: without opening, without breaking, and without prejudicing the Virginal wombe.

The ray passing through the glass beautifies it, renders it more clear and resplendent; So JESUS passing through the womb of Mary, rendred her Virginity more pure, more holy, and more sacred: Matris integritatem non minuit, sed sacravit.

What hath the Ray don in this glass? it hath borrowed a little redness; it is becom coloured, the glass hath cloathed it with a red colour; And what did JESUS in the womb of Mary? He borrowed humane nature, which is made if a little red earth, Adam, that is to say, red earth: He made himself man there, the Virgin cloathed him with our humanity.

The ray borrowing of the glass this red colour, deprived not the glass of it; JESUS borrowing of Mary our humane nature, did not any hurt or prejudice to Mary.

The sunbeam before it entred into the glass, was a Ray, but it was not colour, nor coloured: But since 'tis entred into this glass, and is com into this Church, 'tis a coloured Ray, 'tis a radiant colour, 'tis a colour which is a Ray; So IESUS before the incarnation was God from all eternity: But He was not man: Now since He is entred into Mary, He is a humanised God, He is a Deified man; is a God who is man, and a man that is God.

The support and the subsistance of this red colour that appears here, is the Ray; for this colour subsists not, but by this Ray; So what is the support and the subsistance of the holy Humanity; Tis the Son of God, it hath no subsistance besydes him.

This Sunbeam as a Ray or light of the Sun, is in all the

world: But as a coloured Ray, it is not every where, it is only here and in some other places; IESUS as God, and Son of God, is in every place; But as man He is not every where: He is but in Heaven, and in the holy SACRAMENT.

Who is the Father of this coloured Ray? 'Tis the Sun; But the Sun produced not the colour: But it produced the Ray which is joyned with the colour; and who is the mother of this coloured Ray? 'tis the glass, but it made not the ray but it produced the radiant colour: it cloathed the ray with this Robe of colour; Who is the Father of IESUS MAN-GOD? It is the eternal Father: He begot not of his substance the Humanity of JESUS; But He begot of his Substance the Person of his Son, who is Man; Who is the Mother of this MAN-GOD? It is Mary; she begot not the Divi∣nity: But she conceived the Man who is God: the cloathed the Person of the Son of God with our humanity▪

Which is the more ancient, this coloured Ray, or the glass? The Ray, as a Ray, as the offspring of the Sun, is a long time before the glass, it is from the beginning of the world, it is as ancient as the Sun: But the Ray as coloured is younger than the Sun; Who is the more ancient IESUS or Mary? IESUS as God, or as Son of God, is long before Mary, He is from eter∣nity, as the Father and the holy Ghost: But JESUS as man, is younger than his Mother.

This Ray being in the sun is so bright and resplendent that i•• dazells the eyes of them that look upon it; but the same ray being descended here below, and cloathed with a red colour is easily beheld; so the son of God in the bosome of his Father, is invisible, ineffable, inaccessible, and incomprehensible; But the same Son of God, being cloathed with our humanity, is made visible, palpable, and sensible: to the end He might illuminate and instruct us, that He might be the Director of souls, and the Doctor of justice, as He is called by the Prophets; And He begins betimes to perform the charge: He exercices the office from the beginning of his life.

4. This insant newly born does preach: his pulpit is the cra∣dle: his Auditory the univers: his Doctrine is the contempt of the world; He preaches, not by word: for He cannot speak:

but by example; He preaches not to the eares: But to the eyes: He says, that voluntary poverty is better than riches; And the world on the contrary says, that money is to be pro∣cured in the first place: that a man must have it, tho' he hazard his soul for it.

This divine infant says, the humble, simple, innocent, and mortifyd life is that which pleases God.

The World says, a man must greaten himself, appear glorious, Machevalize subtily, Circumvent and diceive craftily▪ and live in delights and pleasures.

5. Behold two Masters quite contrary, two doctrines diametri∣cally opposite! It is necessary the one, or the other be decei∣v'd. To say this infant is deceiv'd, is horrible blasphemy; He is the eternal Wisdom, the increated Wisdom, the Angel of the great Council. It must then be confest, that the Avaricious, Ambi∣tions, Voluptuous, and Machiavilians are grossly deceived.

6. Let us then Conforme our selves to IESUS who is esta∣blished by the eternal Father as our modell; Let our life re∣semble his, as an Image the Prototipe or original; Let it be a copie, an expression, and a representation of his; that we paticipating his vertues, Spirit, and graces in this life, may be partakers of his glory in the other. Amen▪

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iohn. ••.