"Sacramental, ritual, and ceremonial things": Donne, the Incarnation, and the order of signs

God "placed Himself in the order of signs".

Poet and artist David Jones.

Therefore the Lord shall give you a sign; Behold, a Virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 8:14, and the text for Donne's 1624 Christmas Day sermon.

We must so far satisfy ourselves with the word of God as that we despise not those other subsidiary helps which God in his church hath afforded us; which is true (as of sacraments especially,) so of other sacramental, and ritual, and ceremonial things, which assist the working of the sacraments, though they infuse no power into the sacraments. For, therefore does the prophet say when Ahaz refused a sign, Is it a small thing to weary men, but that you will weary God himself. He disobeys God in the way of contumacy, who refuses his signs, his outward assistances, his ceremonies which are induced by his authority, derived from him, upon men, in his church, and so made a part, or a help, of his ordinary service, as sacraments and sacramental things are.

From Donne's 1624 Christmas sermon.

(The illustration is from Edward Burne-Jones, 'The Nativity'.)