190 Book IV. 11-CO!~mg untO 'jduz. . Ch.'P+ Sect+ cy out-pace bowels pinched with hung~~G~s--.,~~~;-yi;·;v~-~1-hi~--:.v~ks, and Cc;'; IS over all our needs, and over all our fins. 5. He r~n, and fell o11 ht5neck_; ( ;, ) he hugged and embraced h1m; 0 wonder! who would not have been loth to have touched him? was he not m h1s loathfomdhnkwg rags? fmelt he not of the hogs and fwine he lately kept? would not fomedamtyflom~cks have been ready to have ca£1: all up upon Ezck.•~. 6, fuch embracements? we fee mercy IS not mce, When I P4fed by (faith God) JJaw thee poi/Hted m thy own blood, and I fazd tmto thee when,thou waft m thyblood, live; yea, I faid unto thee when thot< waft in thy blood, live; that very rime of her blood was the time of love; then the Lord fpread hio Spirit over her, and coveredher n•k§dnefs: and (ware 11 nr 0 Vcr. s· her, andemred tnto aCovenant lVtth ker, and fl" became his. 6. Heran, and fell on his neck, and k,jjfed him; who would have brooked a rerfon in fofilthy a pickle? what? k1fs thofe l1ps that have been fo lately lapping in the hogs-trough? rhofe lips that had fo often k11Ted tbofe bafe, and beggarly, and abominable harlots? one woull think he fbould rather have kicked, than kilTed him: there is a pafTage fomewhat like rhis, and Gen. 33•4· E{au ran tomeet [acob, and he em_bracedhim, and fdl onhu neck_, and k,jJ!cd him; before he bad thought to have ktlled bun, but now he ktfTed him • its not to tell how dear the Father was to his prodigal fon, when he ran, and fell on hi< nrc/z., and embraced, and . k,jffidhim. The fcope of the Parable is this, that Chrill is willing and glad to receive Ezek. 33· 'I• finners : Turn ye, wrn ye, from yoiSr evilw~yes, for why will ye dye 0 ho1t{e of Jf– rael.' 2. Chrifl manifeil:s this willingnefs in his pr~Clife really, amongfr many in!lances I lhall infi£1: only on one, a notable infiance of this year: One of the Pharifees named SiLuke iJ17;7· mon invited Chrifl to eat with him: into whofe houfe when he had entred, a certain wo– man that was a finner abiding there in the City, heard of it ; a widow the \Vas, and prompted by her wealth and youth to an intemperate life: 01e came to Jefus in the Pha– rifees houfe, and no fooner co111e, but 0Jelayes her burrhen at Jefusfeet, and prefems Vcr. 38, him with a broken heart, and weeping eye, and an Alabafler box of Ointment, She ftoodttt hi< fm bthind him weeping, andbegan to w-Jh hi< feet with her tears, and to 1vipe them with the ha:rs of her heAd; and j1JC kjjfed hu feet, andannomud them with ointment. I .Sheftands at hufut,afignofher humility :0what achange lOI< that was before married to a Noble perfonage, a NatiTe oftheTown and Ca!lle ofMAgdal, from whence fbe had her name ofMagdalen ;and lhe that now was awidow, and therefore took her liberty ofpride and lull, who fo proud and vile aa Mary Magdalen? at this time fbe comes in remorfe and regret for her fins, and throwing away her former pride, fbe lloops, and waits, and hum· bly il:ands at J efus feet. 2. She flood at his feet behindhim; a bluOiing fign of faith; it comprehends ill it a tacite confeffion of her fins, 01e knew her felf unworthy of Chrills prefence. fbe durfl not look him in the face, but believingly fbe waits behind him: her fbame fp;aks her repentance; and her waiting on him, and not llyingfrom him, befpeaks her faith. 3. She il:ood at his feet behind him weeping, her grief bur£1: our in tears: fli< heeds not the feaft,or feafier, though ufually they are accompanied with joy, and mirth, and mufick; and fuch feail:i attended with fuch vanities OICmany a time had probably ob– ferved, yet now lhecomesin trembling to thisfea£1:, and falling down before Chri£1:, lhe weeps, and weeps bitterly for her ·fins. 4· She began to waj11 hu feet with tears; her tears were not feigned, but fruitful ; 01e wept a Owwer of tears ; one confidering her tears, cries it our, Terra rigat calum, the very earth bedews heavm; her eyes that before were abufed tO lull, are now founrains of rears; lhe poures out aflood, great enough to walh the feet of her blefTed J efus . this was the manner of the Jews, to eat their meat lying down, and leaning on their ~]bows. or if many eat rogether, leaningin the boJo!.n.I3·13· foms of one another. thus at the Pafsover'it is faid that there w.u leaning on [efiu bofo~• one of hi< difciples whom 'feftU loved; and in this P.ofiure Jefus fitting or ~ying at meat, M .try had the convenience to weep oR his feet, whtch he had .ca£1: behmd Ius ~ellow; and 0 how fbe weeps amain! the tears fo trickle, that the begms ro wath Chnfls feet, 01e ]cr. 9. t. not only waters them, but walhes them; that which Jeremy wifbed, O,h that my head were waters, andmineeyts 11 fountain oftears! Mary fulfils; for her h~ad IS water.s, a?~ her eyes &re foumains. Rivers of tears mn down her ejes ;· 0 fbe had pterced Chrtil:~;V1t her fins, and now the ~eeps over him whom lhe had pierc~d ; crying out as we may Jma_– gine, 0 my fins! and 0 my Chrijl ! 0 foul fins! and 0 fweet 'fe{~< ! .5· Sh: unpe. 1 . h,; feet with theh•irs of her head; her ,hair added to herb~auty, fomeumes m.curlmg rmgd, or in feemly fbed, fbe made it a fnare for men; but now fbe confecrates .It to he; Lor ' and makes it a towel to wipe Chrifls feet withall : 9 here's a \\'orrhy fru11 of f~~~~sn~~ ,
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