Hymns
on the Nativity.
————————————
Hymn I.
This is the day that gladdened them, the Prophets, Kings, and Priests, for in it were their
words fulfilled, and thus were the whole of them indeed
performed! For the Virgin this day brought forth Immanuel in
Bethlehem. The voice that of old Isaiah spake,355
to-day became reality. He was
born
there who in writing should tell the Gentiles’ number! The
Psalm that
David once
sang, by its fulfilment came to-day!
356
The word that Micah once
spake,
357
to-day was come indeed to pass! For
there came from Ephrata a
Shepherd, and His
staff swayed over
souls. Lo! from
Jacob shone the
Star,
358
and from
Israel rose the Head.
359
The
prophecy
that
Balaam spake had its interpreting to-day! Down also came the
hidden
Light, and from the Body rose His
beauty! The
light that
spake in Zachary, to-day shined in Bethlehem!
Risen is the Light of the kingdom, in Ephrata the city of the King. The blessing wherewith Jacob blessed, to its
fulfilment came to-day! That tree likewise, [the tree] of life,
brings hope to mortal men! Solomon’s hidden
proverb360
had to-day its explanation! To-day
was
born the
Child, and His name was called Wonder!
361
For a wonder it is that
God as a
Babe should show Himself. By the word
Worm did the Spirit
foreshow Him in
parable,
362
because His generation was without
marriage. The type that the Holy
Ghost
figured to-day its meaning was [explained.] He came up as a root
before Him, as a root of parched ground.
363
Aught that covertly was said,
openly to-day was done! The King that in
Judah was hidden, Thamar
stole Him from his thigh; to-day arose His conquering
beauty, which in
hidden
estate she
loved. Ruth at
Boaz’ side lay down,
because the Medicine of
Life hidden in him she perceived. To-day
was fulfilled her
vow, since from her
seed arose the Quickener of
all.
Travail Adam on the
woman brought, that from him had come
forth. She to-day her
travail ransomed, who to her a Saviour
bare! To
Eve our mother a man gave
birth, who himself had had no
birth. How much more should
Eve’s
daughter be believed to
have borne a
Child without a man! The
virgin earth, she bare that
Adam that was head over the
earth! The
Virgin bare to-day the
Adam that was Head over the Heavens. The
staff of
Aaron, it
budded, and the dry
wood yielded fruit! Its
mystery is cleared up
to-day, for the
virgin womb a
Child hath borne!
364
| 364 Notice here,
how St. Ephraim (in common with others) speaks of the
celebration of the day as if it was the day itself, partly in
exhibiting his intense realization through faith of the mystery and the
re-presentation of it, to use the word in its ancient sense partly as
evincing, perhaps, a belief in the unabidingness of our conceptions of
time—a belief resulting, it may be, from the mystical union with
God in Christ which the saints enjoy. For to God time is as
nothing, and those who through grace are one with Him, begin to view
things as He views them. |
Shamed is that people which holds the prophets as true;
for unless our Saviour has come, their words have been falsified!
Blessed be the True One Who came from the Father of the Truth and
fulfilled the true seers’ words, which were accomplished in
their truth. From thy treasure-house put forth, Lord, from the coffers of Thy Scriptures,
names of righteous men of old, who looked to see Thy coming! Seth
who was in Abel’s stead shadowed out the Son as slain, by Whose
death was dulled the envy Cain had brought into the world! Noah
saw the sons of God, saints that sudden waxed wanton, and the Holy Son
he looked for, by whom lewd men were turned to holiness. The
brothers twain, that covered Noah,365
saw the only Son of
God who should come to
hide the
nakedness of
Adam, who was drunk
with
pride.
Shem and Japhet, being gracious, looked for the
gracious Son, Who should come and set free
Canaan from the servitude of
sin.
Melchizedek expected Him; as His vicegerent, looked that he might see the Priesthood’s Lord whose
hyssop366
purifies the
world. Lot beheld the
Sodomites how they perverted
nature: for
nature’s
Lord he
looked who gave a
holiness not
natural. Him
Aaron looked for, for
he saw that if his
rod ate
serpents up,
367
His
cross would eat the
Serpent up that had eaten
Adam and
Eve.
Moses saw the uplifted
serpent that had
cured the bites of
asps, and he
looked to see Him who would
heal the ancient
Serpent’s
wound.
Moses saw that he himself alone retained the brightness
from
God, and he looked for Him who came and multiplied gods by His
teaching:
368
| 368 St. E. refers here
to St. John x. 34, where the Word Himself teaches us that it was by His coming to them that Saints of old were called Gods. |
Caleb the spy bore the cluster on the staff, and came and longed to see the Cluster, Whose wine should comfort the
world. Him did Jesus son of Nun long for, that he might conceive
the force of his own surname: for if by His name he waxed so
mighty,369
how much more would He by His
Birth? This
Jesus that gathered and carried, and brought with him
of the fruit, was longing for the
Tree of
Life to
taste the Fruit that
quickens all. For Him
Rahab too was looking; for when the
scarlet
thread in type
redeemed her from
wrath, in type she
tasted of the
Truth. For Him
Elijah longed, and when Him on
earth he saw not,
he, through
faith most throughly cleansed, mounted up in
heaven to see
Him.
Moses saw Him and
Elijah; the
meek man from the
depth
ascended, the
zealous from on high descended, and in the midst beheld
the Son. They figured the
mystery of His
Advent:
Moses was
a type of the dead, and
Elijah a type of the living, that
fly to meet
Him at His coming.
370
For the dead
that have
tasted death, them He makes to be first: and the
rest
that are not buried, are last caught up to meet Him.
Who is there that can count me up the just that looked
for the Son, whose number cannot be determined by the mouth of us weak
creatures? Pray ye for me, O beloved, that another time with
strength endued, I in another legend may so set forth their foretaste,
as I am able. Who is adequate to the praising of the Son of the
Truth that has risen to us? For it was for Him the righteous
longed, that in their generation they might see Him. Adam looked
for Him, for He is the Cherub’s Lord, and could minister an
entrance and a residence hard by the branches of the Tree of
life. Abel longed after Him, that in his days He might come; that
instead of that lamb that he offered, the Lamb of God he might
behold. For Him Eve also looked; for woman’s nakedness was
sore, and He capable to clothe them; not with leaves, but with that
same glory that they had exchanged away. The tower that the many
builded, in mystery looked for One, who coming down would build on
earth a tower that lifts up to Heaven. Yea the ark of living
creatures looked in a type for our Lord; for He should build the Holy
Church, wherein souls find a refuge. In Peleg’s days earth
was divided into tongues, threescore and ten.371
| 371 This in round
numbers is the received account of the number of languages at the
dispersion. |
For Him Who by the
tongues, to His
Apostles divided
earth.
Earth which the
flood had
swallowed up,
in
silence cried to her
Lord. He came down and opened
Baptism,
and men were drawn by it to
Heaven.
Seth and Enos,
Cainan too,
were surnamed sons of
God; for the Son of
God they looked, that they by
grace might be His
brethren. But little short of a
thousand years
did Methuselah
live: He looked for the Son Who makes heirs of
life that never ends!
Grace itself in hidden
mystery was
beseeching on their behalf that their
Lord might come in their age and
fill up their shortcomings. For the
Holy Spirit in them, in their
stead, besought with meditation:
372
He
stirred them up, and in Him did they look on that Redeemer, after whom
they longed.
373
The soul of just men perceive in the Son a Medicine of life; and so it felt desires that He might come in its own
days, and then would it taste His sweetness. Enoch was longing
for Him, and since on earth the Son he saw not, he was justified by
great faith, and mounted up in Heaven to see Him. Who is there
that will spurn at grace, when the Gift that they of old gained not by
much labour, freely comes to men now? For Him Lamech also looked
who might come and lovingly give Him quiet from his labour and the
toiling of his hands, and from the earth the Just One had
cursed.374
Lamech then beheld his son,
Noah,—him, in whom were figured types relating to the Son.
In the stead of the
Lord afar off, the type at
hand afforded
quiet. Yea
Noah also longed to see Him, the
taste of whose
assisting graces he had
tasted. For if the type of Him
preserved
living things, Himself how sure to bestow
life upon
souls!
Noah
longed for Him, by
trial knowing Him, for through Him had the
ark been
established. For if the type of Him thus
saved life, assuredly
much more would He in person.
Abraham perceived in Spirit that
the Son’s
Birth was
far off; instead of Him in person he
rejoiced
to see even His day.
375
To see Him
Isaac longed, as having
tasted the
taste of His redemption;
376
for if the sign of Him so gave
life, much more would He by the reality.
Joyous377
were to-day the Watchers,
378
| 378 I. e., the
Angels; as usually in St. E.’s writings. |
that the
Wakeful came to wake us! Who would pass this
night in
slumber, in
which all the
world was watching? Since
Adam brought into the
world the
sleep of
death by
sins, the Wakeful came down that He might
awake us from the
deep sleep of
sin. Watch not we as usurers, who
thinking on
money put to interest, watch at
night so oft, to reckon up
their capital, and interest. Wakeful and cautious is the
thief,
who in the
earth hath buried and concealed his
sleep. His
wakefulness all [comes to] this, that he may cause much wakefulness to
them that be
asleep. Wakeful likewise is the glutton, who hath
eaten much and is
restless; his watching is to him his
torment, because
he was impatient of stint. Wakeful likewise is the
merchant; of a
night he works his
fingers telling over what pounds are coming, and if
his
wealth doubles or trebles. Wakeful likewise is the
rich man,
whose
sleep his
riches chase away: his
dogs sleep; he
guards his
treasures from the
thieves. Wakeful also is the careful, by his
care his
sleep is
swallowed: though his end stands by his pillow,
yet he wakes with cares for years to come.
Satan teaches, O my
brethren, one watching instead of another; to good
deeds to be sleepy,
and to
ill awake and watchful. Even
Judas Iscariot, for the whole
night through was wakeful; and he sold the
righteous Blood, that
purchased the whole
world. The son of the
dark one put on
darkness, having stripped the
Light from off him: and Him who
created silver, for
silver the
thief sold. Yea,
Pharisees, the
dark one’s sons, all the
night through kept
awake:
the
dark ones watched that
they might
veil the
Light which is unlimited. Ye then watch as
[
heaven’s] lights in this
night of starry
light. For though
so
dark be its colour yet in
virtue it is clear.
For whoever is like this clear One, wakeful and
prayerful in darkness, him in this darkness visible a light unseen
surrounds! The bad man that in daylight stands, yet as a son of
darkness deals; though with light clad outwardly, inly is with darkness
girt. Be we not deceived, beloved, by the fact that we are
watching! For whoso does not rightly watch, his watch is an
unrighteous watch. Whoso watches not cheerfully, his watching is
but a sleeping: whoso also watches not innocently, even his
waking is his foe. This is the waking of the envious one! a solid
mass, compact with harm. That watch is but a trafficking, with
scorn and mockery compact. The wrathful man if he wakes, fretful
with wrath his wake will be, and his watching proves to him full of
rage and of cursings. If the babbler be waking, then his mouth
becomes a passage which for sins is ready but for prayers shows
hindrance.
The wise man, if so be he that watches, one of two things chooseth him; either takes sweet, moderate, sleep, or a holy
vigil keeps.379
That
night
is fair, wherein He Who is Fair
380
rose to come and make us fair. Let not aught that may disturb it enter into our
watch! Fair be kept the
ear’s approach,
381
| 381 St. E. here alludes
to the early days of David; he brought cheeses to his brethren; these
were made by separating the curd from the whey with rennet, a small
quantity of which will curdle much milk, as a little leaven leavens the
whole lump. |
chaste the seeing of the
eye!
hallowed
the musing of the
heart! the speaking of the mouth be cleared.
Mary hid in us to-day
leaven that came from
Abraham. Let us then
so pity
beggars as did
Abraham the needy. To-day the rennet fell
on us from the
gentle David’s
house. Let a man show
mercy
to his persecutors, as did
Jesse’s son to
Saul.
382
The
prophets’ sweet
salt383
is to-day sprinkled among the Gentiles. Let us
gain a new savour
384
by that whereby the ancient people lost their savour. Let us
speak the
speech of
wisdom; speak we not of things outside it, lest we
ourselves be outside it!
In this night of reconcilement let no man be wroth or
gloomy! in this night that stills all, none that threatens or
disturbs! This night belongs to the sweet One; bitter or harsh be
in it none! In this night that is the meek One’s, high or
haughty be in it none! In this day of pardoning let us not exact
trespasses! In this day of gladnesses let us not spread
sadnesses! In this day so sweet, let us not be harsh! In
this day of peaceful rest, let us not be wrathful in it! In this
day when God came to sinners, let not the righteous be in his mind
uplifted over sinner! In this day in which there came the Lord of
all unto the servants, let masters too condescend to their servants
lovingly! In this day in which the Rich became poor for our
sakes, let the rich man make the poor man share with him at his
table. On this day to us came forth the Gift, although we asked
it not! Let us therefore bestow alms on them that cry and beg of
us. This is the day that opened for us a gate on high to our
prayers. Let us open also gates to supplicants that have
transgressed, and of us have asked [forgiveness.] To-day the Lord
of nature was against His nature changed; let it not to us be irksome
to turn our evil wills. Fixed in nature is the body; great or
less it cannot become: but the will has such dominion, it can
grow to any measure. To-day Godhead sealed itself upon Manhood,
that so with the Godhead’s stamp Manhood might be
adorned.
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