Therefore our Saviour saith, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light," because he helpeth to bear them; else indeed we should not be able to bear them. And in another place he saith, "his commandments are not heavy;" they are heavy to our flesh, but, being qualified with the Spirit of God, to the faithful which believe in Christ, to them, I say, they are not heavy; for though their doings are not perfect, yet they are well taken for Christ's sake.

You must not be offended because the Scripture commends love so highly, for he that commends the daughter, commends the mother; for love is the daughter, and faith is the mother: love floweth out of faith; where faith is, there is love; but yet we must consider their offices, faith is the hand wherewith we take hold on everlasting life.

Now let us enter into ourselves, and examine our own hearts, whether we are in the livery of God, or not: and when we find ourselves to be out of this livery, let us repent and amend our lives, so that we may come again to the favour of God, and spend our time in this world to his honour and glory, forgiving our neighbours all such things as they have done against us.

And now to make an end: mark here who gave this precept of love-Christ our Saviour himself. When and at what time? At his departing, when he should suffer death. Therefore these words ought the more to be regarded, seeing, he himself spake them at his last departing from us. May God of his mercy give us grace so to walk here in this world, charitably and friendly one with another, that we may attain the joy which God hath prepared for all those that love him. Amen.

THE BIRTH OF CHRIST.

A SERMON,

Preached on Christmas Day, 1552.

LUKE ii.

And she brought forth her first-begotten son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same region shepherds abiding in the field, watching their flock by night, &c.

THIS gospel makes special mention of the nativity of our Saviour Jesus Christ, declaring, how Mary, with her husband Joseph, came according to the commandment of the emperor, from Nazareth unto Bethlehem, the city of David, of whose lineage and tribe she was. What miseries and calamities she suffered by the way, and how poor and miserable she was, having nothing that pertained to a woman in her case, you may well consider; and concerning his nativity, his poverty, how he was born in a stable among beasts, lacking all manner of necessary things which appertain to young children. Wherefore Mary his mother laid him in a manger, where he was shown, not to the rulers of this world, nor to kings, potentates, or bishops; but to simple shepherds, and poor servants keeping their sheep in the field. To these poor men the angel of God was sent who proclaimed these great things unto them; saying, "Be not afraid, for behold I bring you tidings of great gladness that shall come to all people: for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord," &c.

This is the greatest comfort in the world, to know that our Saviour is born, that he is abroad, and at hand to every one that calleth upon him. What greater gladness

can there be unto a man who feels his sin, and sees his damnation before his eyes; unto such a man nothing is more acceptable than to hear that there is a Saviour who will help him and heal his sores. Therefore this message

of the angel was very joyful tidings.

The angel bade them go unto Bethlehem and search for the child: and forthwith a great many angels came together rejoicing, singing, and praising God for our sakes, that the Redeemer of mankind was born into the world. For without him nothing avails in the sight of God the Father; without him no man can praise God, because it has pleased God for his Son's sake only, to show himself favourable and loving unto mankind, and only to receive that prayer which is made unto him in the name of Christ our Saviour. Therefore all those who come before God without him, shall be rejected as persons rebellious against God and his constitutions. For the will, pleasure, and counsel of God is, only to receive those who come to him in the name of his Son our Saviour, who know themselves, lament their own sins, and confess their own naughtiness and wickedness, and put their whole trust and confidence only in the Son of God, the Redeemer of mankind, as the angels themselves testify.

Here, in this gospel, note, that there was singing and rejoicing, for the great and unspeakable goodness and mercy of Almighty God the Father, whom it pleased to redeem mankind through the death of his only, true, and most dearly beloved Son our Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, very God and very man; the Son of God after his Godhead, the son of Mary after his manhood, which he hath taken upon him for man's sake, to redeem and deliver the same from all misery, and to set him at unity with God the Father, and finally to bring him to everlasting life.

Now it follows in the text, "As soon as the angels were gone from them," &c. Mark here, that the angels as soon as they had done their business, returned unto their Master who had sent them. By which all good and godly servants may learn, that whenever their masters send them on their business, they ought to do the same diligently, and quickly to return again to their masters; not spending the time in loitering and evil practices, as the common sort of servants do in these days; quite contrary to the example of these angels of God, who returned to him immediately after their message was done. And would to God that all servants

would consider this, and keep in remembrance these angels of God: for if this were well considered, there would not be such great complaints of the bad conduct of servants as there is every where; God amend it.

We read here that the angels appeared visibly and in sight; by which we shall consider, that whensoever or wheresoever the word of God is preached, there the angels are present, who keep in safe custody all those who receive the word of God, and study to live after it: for St. Paul calleth them, "The administrators and servants of the Spirit." (Heb. i.) Therefore seeing the angels are present, it is meet for us to come with great reverence to the word of God, where himself with his angels are present.

"The angels return to heaven." Here I will not dispute before you, where heaven is, nor how many heavens there are. Such obscure questions appertain not to you that are unlearned. For this is sufficient for you to know, that wherever God exhibits and shows himself, there is heaven. God is every where, as he saith, "I fill heaven and earth;" but wherever he most apparently exhibits himself to his saints and angels, the same properly is called heaven, and thither these angels went after they had done their message, to wait upon the Lord, ready to go and do all that he would command them. Wherein you may learn the great love and kindness of God the heavenly Father, who made and created them for our sakes, that they should defend and keep us from our strong and mighty enemy the prince of this world, the devil, whose power passes all man's power: insomuch that except God preserved us from him by the ministration of his obedient angels, we should all perish, both soul and body. But thanks be unto God who never ceases to provide for us, to preserve both our souls and bodies. But mark here, that we are not bound to call upon the angels when we hear that they serve us; but rather to give God thanks in them that he hath vouchsafed to set such watchmen about us. Therefore learn to hope and trust in the Lord only, and give laud and thanks unto him, like as the angels themselves do, singing with loud and pleasant voice, as Luke saith.

This is enough of the angels. Now let us come to the shepherds. "The shepherds said one to another, Let us go unto Bethlehem, and see these things which we hear say have happened, that the Lord hath showed unto us." Here note the faith of these poor shepherds, who believed

the saying of the angels so steadfastly, that they were ready to go and do according to the commandment of the angels. They did not as many of us do, who are so slothful that we will scarcely abide one hour to hear the word of God. And when we have heard the same, we believe it not, we regard it not, it goes in at one ear and out at the other. Wherefore it is not to be wondered at that God is angry with us, seeing we are so forgetful and unthankful for his exceeding great benefits showed unto us in these latter days of the world.

This is a comfortable place for servants, who should be more diligent in their business than they are, considering that God regards them so much, that he is content to open his great and high mysteries unto servants first, setting aside all kings and rulers in this world, who alone are esteemed in the sight of men. Here therefore learn, O ye servants, and consider that God regards you no less than the greatest lords in the world, if you live according to his commandment, which is, that you shall serve your masters truly and uprightly, and not with a feigned heart.

"Let us go to Bethlehem," said the shepherds. Here is to be noted in these shepherds a great charity* among themselves, in that one exhorts another to go to follow the word of God. Many folks now-a-days agree and exhort each other to do wickedly, to steal, to pick, and to do all evil: but they will not agree to exhort their neighbours to do any goodness as these shepherds did. Therefore let us not be ashamed to learn of these poor shepherds, to follow their examples. When we hear the word of God let us exhort one another to follow the same, and let us agree in goodness, to seek Christ and to follow him according to his word, and then we shall find him. Let the curate exhort his parishioners to follow the commandments of God: let the householder exhort his wife, children, servants, and family to seek Christ; let every neighbour exhort another to goodness, yea, let every one consider that no one person is born into the world for his own sake, but for the commonwealth sake. Let us therefore walk charitably, not seeking our own commodities, but the honour and glory of God, and the wealth of all Christians, with exhortations, admonitions, and prayers one for another, that the name of God may be magnified among us, and his will known and fulfilled. Of these poor shepherds we may learn much * Love. + Welfare.