The second Pointe.
THe Angell of our Lord appeared in sleepe to Ioseph, saying: Arize, and take the Childe, * and his mother, and flee into Egipt. and be there vntill I shall tell thee: for it will come to passe that Herod will seeke the Childe to destroy him.
Vpon this reuelation I am to ponder who im∣poseth this Obedience, who intimateth it, vpon whome it is imposed, and with what wordes.
He that principally imposeth this Commaun∣dement is the eternall Father, [ 1] to manifest the Page 262Prouidence that he hath of his only begotten Sonne: for allbeit he had determined that he should dye by men, yet because that hower was not yet come, he had a care to defend him; in signe that he hath the like care of the rest of his adoptiue Children, for the Loue that he beareth to this his naturall Sonne. [ 2] He that de∣clared this ordenance was an Angell, in the name of God himselfe, for his diuine Maiestie will haue vs accustomed to obey him in his ministers, whose office is not only to doe his diuine Will, but to declare it to others in his name, and therefore he saide of them: * He that heareth you, heareth me. And for this cause likewise he sayed by Malachias the Prophet: * [ 3] That the Preiste is the Angell of our Lorde, from whose mouthe, we are to heare what God commaundeth. From hence it is, that this obedience was intimated to S. Ioseph, and not to the VIRGIN, because Ioseph was heade of that familye, and Gods will was, that the VIRGIN should obey S. Ioseph in all that he sayed, he had hearde of the An∣gell, and should suffer herselfe to be gouerned by him. And so she did: for as she was humble, and obedient, she stood not vpon this that the aduise was not giuen to her, but to her Husband: neither did she vainely boaste that God, or his Angells should speake vnto her; like the other Marye who sayed: * Hath our Lord spoken by Moyses onlie, hath he not spoken to vs aso in like manner. Wherein I am to learne this manner of Hu∣millitye, and Obedience of our blessed LADYE, desiring to be gouerned by others, and that greater account should be made of others then of mee, holding it for a greate happinesse to knowe the Will of God, and to fullfill it, whither Page 263I knowe it by reuelation from God, or from his Angells, or by the speeche, and ordination of men. For albeit the first seemeth more glorious, yet in the second more humillitye is exercized, subjecting our iudgement, and Will, not only to God, but to man also for Gods sake. And so the blessed VIRGIN was no lesse resplendent in obeying S. Ioseph, then S. Ioseph was in obeying the Angell, and then the Angell was in obeying God.
O eternall God, * graunt me that I may subiect myselfe to euery humane Creature for thy Lone, obeying what thou commaundest me by men, as thou in heauen art obeyed by Angells, fullfilling thy will vpon Earthe with that deuotion that it is fullfilled in Heauen. Amen.
