104

ADVENT.

Tr. 2.

sweet on the festival, and announce their joy on their exteriour.

cient faints.

very

The eve of Christmas was of all others the most folemn. All were invited to fpiritual joy, by reading the little chapter at Vefpers," Rejoice (48)." The verficles of the foregoing Vefpers contain the most languishing fighs of the anThat" Come to redeem (49)," was fung by two children. That "Drop down in dew, &c." by one child. The lauds of the eve were fung with the greatest folemnity, by the provost of the collegiate, or abbot of the monaftery, accompanied with the mufic of all the inftruments (50).

(48) Capitulum Gaudete. (49) Veni ad liberandum; Rorate Cœli. (50) Martenne de Ant. Monach. Ritibus, 1. ii. &c.

THE

THE

THIRD TREATISE.

ON

THE

FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS.

TH

Second Sunday after EPIPHANY.

HE devout Chriftian foul which has learnt to know her divine Redeemer, the Author and Finisher of her falvation, and being crucified to the world, and all fenfual appetites, and having purified her affections from all infection of their poifon, is capable of tafting the fweetnefs, and comprehending the glory and happiness of his holy love, finds him in every mystery, and in every circumstance, infinitely amiable and infinitely adorable. Every feast in his honour, the embraces and celebrates with unfpeakable spiritual joy and devotion. That of his holy Name seems in fome measure to comprise every mystery, every mercy, every title of honour, every benefit, every grace, every effort of divine love, which we adore in the whole process of his Incarnation, Life, Death, Refurrection, Afcenfion, and Coming as fovereign Judge of the living and dead. This facred Name of Jefus prefents to our mind the majesty and glory of his Divinity, the most endearing charms of his humanity under the character of the divine Saviour and eternal Spouse of our fouls. The adorable Name of Jefus was given by the Father to his only co-eternal Son, to be the title of his fupreme majefty, power and dominion, and of his glorious victory over fin and hell, and to express in him the unexhaufted fource of all grace, bleffings and comfort which he is to us.

The holy Name Jefus was given to our bleffed Redeemer at his Circumcifion. It was a devout custom among the Jews to name the male children at that religious ceremony, a cuftom derived from their holy Patriarch Abraham; for when he was circumcifed, God changed his name Abram, i. e. High Father, into Abraham, which fignifies Father of Multitudes (1). It is indeed moft fitting, that at the (1) Gen. xvii.

time

ป

time when a perfon is enrolled among the children of God, honoured with his alliance, and moft precious graces, and made heir of his eternal promifes, he fhould then take a name, which may be a title, or badge of his honour, and always put him in mind of the fublime character which he bears, from which he dates a new heavenly life. Chrift would take his auguft Name at his Circumcifion, to conform himself in all things, not only to the ordinances, but even to the picus cuftoms of the people of God, and of the law, to teach us to conceive the greatest love and esteem of, and the moft fcrupulous fidelity in all the religious practices and rites of the church. This ceremony was also most fuitable for taking this facred name which fignifies Saviour, because he fhewed himself our Saviour, by offering the first fruits of his precious blood, the price of our redemption.

We must not imagine that an angel, or S. Jofeph or the Virgin Mary herfelf, gave this name to the divine Infant S. Luke affures us that the arch-angel Gabriel brought it from heaven before the Chrift was conceived (2). It was then revealed to Mary; it was again difcovered by an angel in another vifion to S. Jofeph (3). Thefe vifions and revelations ferve to raife our expectation and veneration of this mystery left we should look upon it with indifference: They were only preparatory; the myftery was referved to God himself, it was neceffary that God himself fhould give the name to his own Son. None but the eternal Father had fuch a right amongst men; even it is the father's prerogative to name his children, and those names are most suitable which agree to, or exprefs the nature and most effential excellence of the things which they fignify. Adam, who knew the natural properties of all living creatures upon earth, gave to each a name expreffive of its nature. Among the ancient patriarchs and our own remote ancestors, parents who knew not the characters or future difpofitions or actions of their children, often borrowed their names from trifling circumtances which attended their birth, or from imaginary qualities with which they hoped they would be endowed; in which how often did the event disappoint their expectations? We frequently fee the most illuftrious names borne by the moft infamous of men; Chrift ought to bear the name which beft expressed his most adorable character: The Fa ther alone knew perfectly the unmeasurable excellencies of

(z) Luke i. 31. (3) Mat. i. 21.

his

his dignity, nature and functions: He alone fully comprehended his con-fubftantial and co-eternal Word; the boundlefs perfections of his divine nature and perfon; the unfearchable mystery of his incarnation, or his quality of Redeemer of the world. No angel, no creature, in heaven or earth, is capable of comprehending these his perfections and myfteries, each of which is an abyfs which no finite underftanding can fathom. The Father alone to whom the right belonged, and who knew him from eternity, could give him a name agreeable to his facred character and dignity. Some prophets have received names from heaven, but not as Jefus, to whom God himself affigned a title, which he bears to eternity. For this mystery God chose the most suitable time; beholding his Son the object of his infinite complacency and love, cloathed with the veil of a created nature, in the likenefs of finners, fubjected to the humbling knife of circumcifion, in order to honour him before all creatures, declared that he was no finner, but that he was innocence and fanctity itself who came to justify finners. This he did by bestowing on him a name of glory; a name above all other names, at the found whereof all creatures are bound to bend their knees and adore him. The word Jefus fignifies Saviour (a): The Jews could not be furprised to hear the divine infant called by this name which had been taken of many others. We meet with Jefus or Jehofuah the fon of Nun, of Jefus the fon of Sirach, and Jofephus mentions a certain Jew called Jefus, who foretold the impending ruin of their city and nation; but in thefe, the name was only an appellative, a fhadow, not expreffing any reality, or at moft, it denoted only a deliverer of a particular nation from flavery or other temporal calamities: It was not fo in our divine Redeemer, "This my Jefus, fays S. Bernard (b), does not bear an

empty name which imports nothing; it is not in him a "fhadow of a great name, but the truth." He is truly and emphatically our great, our only Saviour, who has rescued us from fin, and that deluge of infinite evils and endless. miferies into which it had plunged us, morcover purchased for us all good, all the advantages of grace, and an immense

(a) Jefus in Hebrew Jefuah or Jchofuah, i. e. Saviour. See S. Thomas 3 p. Qu. 37. a. 2. Suarez 2. in 3. S. Thomæ. Tom. ii. Difp. 15. Sect. 2.

(b) Non ad inftar priorum meus ifte Jefus Nomen vacuum & inane portat: non eft in co magni nominis Umbra fed veritas. S. Bern. Serm. i. de Circumcif.

eternal

eternal blifs and glory; laftly, has fubdued and triumphed over death and hell, and delivered man from their jaws by his redemption. This wonderful falvation he has wrought at the infinite price of his incarnation, fufferings and death; from which mystery the God-head itself receives an infinite glory, fuperior beyond all comparison to that which accrues to him from the homages and fidelity of all mere creatures; a glory commenfurate to his own immenfity, and worthy of him. In recompence of this victory is Chrift's humanity exalted above all pure creatures; as man, he is declared by the Father in an order far above them all, and appointed by him fupreme judge of all men, the living and the dead. The most illustrious Roman conquerors often took names or titles of honour from countries which they had fubdued, or from fome great victory or exploit; as the African, the Afiatic, the Parthian, the Germanic, Dacic, &c. This was foolish flattery and idle vanity: But nothing in God himself challenges our homages of adoration and love in a stricter and more facred manner than his goodness and mercy which is over all his works. Nor does this attribute fhine forth in any of them with fuch a bright and over-powering blaze as in the incarnation. It was therefore most suitable that he should take his name from this glorious work of our falvation, and his victory over the devil and fin: Nor could any name be more glorious in him, or more amiable to us. He hath faved us, and that by humbling himself even to the death of the crofs; for which caufe God hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above all names; that in the name of Jefus every knee fhould bow of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue fhould confefs that the Lord Jefus Chrift is in the glory of God the Father (4). This name prefents to us the God Man, who is the true God, proceeding from the true God, infinitely holy, wife, powerful and merciful, made man to become our faviour, fhewing pledges and tokens of mercy and love, bearing the marks of his fufferings for us, prints of his wounds, and difplaying all the charms of grace and virtue; him in whofe faith and name alone we can be faved (5); in whofe redemption Adam believing was raised from his fin; him at the fight of whofe day to come Abraham exulted with joy (6); him whom all the prophets foretold,

(4) Phil. ii. 9, 10, 11. (5) Acts iv. 12. John iji. 16. xiv. 6. (6) John vii. 56.

and