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Of the Angelical Salutation

15. Which is commonly called the Angelicall salutation?

THat which was pronounced vnto the most holy Virgin,1 the mother of God in these wordes: Haile MARY full of grace, our Lorde is with thee; blessed art thou among women, & blessed is the fruit of thy wombe, IESVS. Holy MARIE mother of God, pray for vs sinners now and in the houre of our death. AMEN.

16. Whereupon came this maner of saluting the mother of God?

FIrst of the wordes and examples of the Gospell, whereas the great Archangell GABRIELL and ELISABETH the holy mother of the2 fore-runner of our Lorde, both inspired by the holy Ghost, do so teach and instructe vs.

Then we haue this forme of salutation confirmed & ratified, by the continuall custome and consent of the Church, which the holy auncient3 Fathers and men of olde time haue religiously obserued, euen to this day, and would haue also of vs to be obserued.

17. What doth it profite vs to vse this manner of salutation?

BY these excelent words, we are first of al admonished of that exceeding greate benefite, that the eternall Father woulde4 beginne in Christ, by MARIE the mother of God, and mercifully bestowe vpon mankinde by redeeming it.

5This is also a singular commendation of the most holy and woonderfull Virgin, which God hath determined to be the finder of grace and mother of life vnto vs all.

Wherefore no meruaile, if after those Godly petitions, which we offered vnto god in our Lords praier; being here mindfull of the grace that we receaued by Christ, we doe not only praise the mother of Christ but also God the Father in the same Virgin mother of God, & reioiceing together with the Angels, with great reuerence, & often salute her.

18. What is the sense of this salutation?6

IN the first wordes therof, we doe iustly reioice with, & in reioicing praise and renowme her, that was to vs the second and that a most happy EVE. For, that woe of malediction that the first EVE brought into the world, this other by her holsome fruite hath taken away, and hath exchanged the very curse of the children of ADAM with a perpetuall blessing.

Most worthy no doubt to be called ful of grace, as who being full of God,7 full of vertues: alone (for I will vse S. AMBROSE his words) obtained that grace which no other had euer deserued before, that she might be replenished with the Author of grace. And what place could there be in her soule or bodye for any vice, when she was made the temple of the holy of all holies?

There is added besides: Our Lord is with thee. because both the power of the Father did singularly ouershadowe8 her: & the holy Ghost came plentifully vpon her: and the9 worde being made fleshe, from her did proceede in most wonderfull wise, as a bridegroome from his chamber.

Then it followeth, Blessed art thou among women. Because she was together a spouse by10 Virginitie and a mother by fruitefulnesse. And therefore with greate right all generations doe, and shall al-waies call her11 blessed. A woman12 all faire and immaculate: a Virgin before her deliuery: at her deliuery, and after her deliuery: alwaies13 vncorrupted: free from all spot of sin:14 exalted aboue all heauens: who no lesse by giuing life was profitable, than vnhappy EVE by killing was hurtfull vnto all mankind.

And blessed is the fruit of thy wombe, IESVS: as he that springing vp like a15 flower from MARIE the roote, hath both shewed him-selfe after a sorte fruite of the earth: and doth in such manner yeeld the fruit of life and saluation to his members, as16 a Vine doth iuice and life vnto the branches. O blessed wombe17 indeede that bare and broughte forthe a Sauiour to the worlde: O blessed pappes without doubt, that being filled from heauen, suckeled the Sonne of God.

Finally the Church hath added in the end;18 Holy MARIE mother of God, pray for vs sinners, now, and in the houre of our death. For we following the19 steppes of the holy Fathers, doe not only salute that wonderfull Virgin, worthy of all commendation, which is as a Lillie20 amongst thornes: but doe also beleeue and professe that she is endowed with so greate power and ability from God, that she is able to profite, fauour, and pleasure miserable mortall men, especially when they doe commend themselues, & their desires vnto her, & doe humblely sue for the grace of God, by the Mothers intercession.

19. Testimonies of the Fathers touching the Virgin MARY.

21IRENEVS: As EVE was seduced to swarue from Almighty God: so MARY was perswaded to obaie God; so that MARY a Virgin was made the aduocate of EVE a Virgin: and as mankind was made subiecte to death by a Virgin, so it is loosened by a Virgin: a Virgins disobedience, beinge counterpeazed by a Virgins obedience.

Saint CHRISOSTOME:22 It is very meete and iust, to glorifie thee the mother of our God, euer most blessed, and al-together vndefiled, more honorable than the Cherubins & more glorious incomparablely, than the Seraphins, which without all corruption hast brought forthe God. we do magnify thee, the very mother of god. Hail Mary ful of grace, our Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women, & blessed is the fruit of thy wombe; because thou hast brought forthe the Sauiour of our soules.

S. AMBROSE:23 Let the Virginitie and life of blessed MARY be set forthe vnto vs as it were in an image; from whom, as from a glasse, there shineth out bright the beauty of chastitie and fairenesse of vertue. What is more noble than the mother of God? What is more bright, than she whon brightnes did choose? What is more chaste, than she that brought forth a body without contagion of the body? Such a one was MARY, that her only life might be a document to all men.

24Saint ATHANASIVS: Forasmuch as he is a king that was borne of the Virgin, & the same also Lord and God: for that cause, she that bare him is truely & properly iudged to be a Queene, and a Ladye, and the mother of God. This new EVE is called the mother of life, & she remaineth replenished with the first fruites of immortall life aboue all liuing creatures. We doe call her therefore againe and againe, and euermore, & euery way most blessed. To thee we cry, bee mindfull of vs, O most holy Virgin, which euen after thy deliuery remainedst a Virgin. Haile MARY ful of grace, our Lorde is with thee: The holy orders of all Angels, and men doe call thee blessed. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruite of thy wombe: make intercession for vs O Mistres, & Lady, & Queen, & mother of God.

S. GREGORY NAZIANZEN.25

26S. AVGVSTINE, holy MARY succour the miserable, help the faint harted, cherishe the sorrowful, pray for the people, bee a meane for the Cleargie, and make intercession for the deuout woman kinde. Let all feele thy helpe, whosoeuer doe celebrate thy Commemoration.

27FVLGENTIVS: MARY was made the windowe of heauen; because by her, god gaue the true light vnto the worlde. MARY was made the ladder of heauen; because by her God descended down to earth, that by her also men may ascend vnto heauen. MARY was made the restorer of women, because by her they are knowne to bee exempted from the ruine of the first curse.

28S. BERNARD: The kinglie virgine is the very way by the which our Sauiour came vnto vs, proceeding out of her wombe, as a Bridegroome out of his chamber. By thee let vs haue accesse to thy Sonne O blessed inuentrix of grace, bringer forth of life, and mother of Saluation, that by thee he receiue vs, who by thee was giuen vnto vs.

Footnotes

  1. Luc. 1, 28. Chrysost. & Iacob in Liturg. 116. Aug. ser. 2. de annun. Amb. in c. 1 Luc. Chrysol. ser. 140. & seq. Ber. hom. 3. super Myssus est. Fulg. ser. de laud. B. Virg ↩

  2. Luc. 1, 28, 42. ↩

  3. Damasc in Cant. de annunc. Ath. in Euang. de SS. Deipara. & many more as appereth in the 18. & 19. sections. ↩

  4. Gal. 4, 4. ↩

  5. Luc. 11, 27. et 1, 30. ↩

  6. Andr. Hieros. Archie. Cretensis. in salut. Angl. Iren, l. 3. c. 31. & 33. Hier. ad Eusto. ep. 22. c. 8. & 9. Innoc. 3. ser. 2. de assump Ber. hom. 2 in Missꝰ est. Aug. ser. 2. de annun. ↩

  7. Amb. in c. 1 Luc. Ber. ser. 9. ex paruis. ↩

  8. Luc. 1, 35. ↩

  9. Io. 1, 14. Ps. 18, 6. ↩

  10. Esa 7, 14. Ez. 44, 2. ↩

  11. Luc. , 48 ↩

  12. Cant. 4, 7 ↩

  13. Amb. ep. 81. Hier. in Helu & in Apol. aduer. Iouin ↩

  14. Aug. de nat. & gr. c. 36. Conc. Trid. Sess. 5. et Ses. 6. cap. 23. ↩

  15. Esa. 11, 1. ↩

  16. Io. 15, 5. ↩

  17. Luc. 11, 27. ↩

  18. Antiquun Breuiarium & nouum. ↩

  19. Ephrem. de laud. Mar. & in orat. ad eandem & in lament. B. Virg. Iren. 5. c. 19 Naz. or. 18. in Cypr. & in Tra. Christus patiens. Fulg. ser. de laud. B. Virg c. 12. Ber. ser. 2. Dom. 1. post octa. Epiph. & ser. 1. & 4. de Assump. Damasc. or. 1. de Natiui. B. Mariae & in carmine ad eandem. ↩

  20. Can. 2, 1 ↩

  21. Lib. 5, ca. 19. ↩

  22. In Liturgia. ↩

  23. Li. 2. de Vir. ↩

  24. In Euang. de Sancta nostra Deipara. ↩

  25. In. tragoed Christ. pa. tiens. ↩

  26. Serm. 2. de Annun. ↩

  27. Ser. de laud. Mariae. ↩

  28. Serm. 2. de adu. lege eun dem ho. 2. sup. Missus est: & in illud Apoc. Signun magnum apparuit. Et serm. de Nat. Virg. ↩

Chapter 7 of 36