422 Book IV, jl,co~ung unto jjcfus. ~-----------____:::__ ----- Jvhn 10.1. Ecclef J2.t. Mat,6. 3l· Cant.6. 2. Luke 7· 47• John w. ·n. away from th< fcpulchr<; fhe came whiles it was yet dark-; Oted~p;~t~d from home be.· fore day, and by chat time Ote ome to the fepulchre the Sun wa; about to rife, thither come, Ote finds the !lone rolled away, and the body of Jefus goue; upon this fi>e runs toPper and John, and tells them, They have ta'<!n mvay the Lord ow of the fcpu!chre, and tve /zt1~W 11ot whtre. they have laid him. Then Peter and John ran as tail: , they could to fee, tncy looked m:o the fepulchrc, and not findtng the body there, they prefently re– turned. . By tlus mne Mary Magdaien was co~e back, and howfoc·,.er the difciples would not ftay, yet Ote was refolved to abtde by tt 1 and to fee the iffuc. \Ve find this apparition for our further affurance, compaffed and fet about with each needful circumltance; here's the time when, the place where, the perfons to whom, the manner how he appeared; together with the confequenrs after his appari:ion. I. For the ttme when he appeared; Notv upon the fi.rfl day of tb: ~reek_, very early in the r"ormng. It was the firit. day of the week~ the next day to their SabbHh; I Ollll fpeak more parttc.ularly to thts m the next opparmon; and it ·vas very car y in th' morn– •ng; the appa:tttOn was early, but Maries feekmg ofChrilt Wlsfo early that it tr.u yer dark._; fitee s gomg to the grave, when by courfe of llltUte Ote fhould have been in her bed; flte fought him elrly whom the loved entirely: gi1ing us to learn that we thould feek Chnlt bettme>, even in the dPyes of our y~mh; that in thefe firil: dayes of the. week we lhould rtfe up early to enqmrc after Chnft; theydmwill not feek Chrilt unttl they have given over feeking other things, may jullly fear to mifs C.hrift, Firfi fcelz. the Kingdom of God and his righteoufnefs, and then (fait it Chri:!) all other things Jhall be added unto you. 2. For the place where he appeared, it was in the garden, where Chrifl was buried· in l garden Adam firll: !inned, in agarden Chrift fim appeared; in a garden death firft was .rhreatened and deferved, and in a gar.den life is rdtored, and conferred upon us; Chnft makes chotce of a garden both for lm grave, and refurrection, and firft apparitton, to tell us where we mtght feek lum, tf we have lolt bun, My beloved is gone do 1 vn into his garden, to the beds offpices, to' feed in the,gardens, and to gtaherlil/ies, that is, Jefus Chrilt is to be fougllt and found in the parttcuilr a!Temblics of his people; they are the garden of his pleafure, .wherein a!C varieties of all the beds of renewed fouls, there he walks, and ·there he feeds, and there he folaceth himfelf with tbofe fruits of rigbteoufnefs and new obedieoce, which they are able to bring forth to him. 0 there let us feek him, and we fiJJII find him. 3. For the perfon to whom he appeared ; it was Mary Jt-fagdalm, llte that fame– times lived a linfu[ life, that was no be ter than a common Currizan, now is firlt up to feek her Saviour. Let never aoy defpair of mercy, that but hears of the converlion of Mary Magd.den, Dyonifiu• tells us, elm jhe that lVM loofe and d'ffo!me in her youth, be– took_ her fclf in old~ge to 11 m•fl folitary life ; that jhe fcquejl red her (elf from all worldly pleafures in the mo11ntains oj Bal ma; full thirty years; in all which time jhe g.wc her fclf to meditation, j:rjfing and prayer. The Text tells us, That much w.u forgiven her, .tnd jhdoved much. Her love to Chrifl appeanat this time. EmMay floodwithottt at the Jepu!clm weeping, ~nda. Jhe 1Vtpt, Jhe flooped down, and looksd into the fcpu/chre, this Scripture we may oil" fong of lo~ves, or if you will a fang of degrees; every word is a flep, or degree of love more •ban other: A>--- . . _ . r. M.try flood at the fcpulchre; fite flood by the grave of Chnlt? 1t figmfies her great love to Jefus Cluilt; many would l\and by him while he was altve, but to !land by him dead none would do it 1 thofe we love molt we Wt•l. watt on them ltvrng, or rf they dye, we will bring them to the grave, and lay them rn the grave, but there we leave them: -- only Mary chufeth Chrilt's Tomb for her bell: home, and his dead corps for her chief comfort, llre praifetb the dead more than the ltving! and having loft that light of the S11n of Righteoufnefs, fire delired tO dwell rn darknefs, tn the fltado\V of death. 2. But J Mary flood. q. d. others did not, but Ore did: Peter and John were there even now, and when theyco.uld not find lefus, away they went, bitt M.~ry wem not, lhe flood ftill: their going away commends her ~1yrn~ behtrrd; how many ctrcumfhnces may we obferve in M11.ry, fetting out her love to Chrtft above them all? to the grave /he came before them; from the grave fhe went to tell them ; to the grave fire returns wtrlt them; a ...d at the grave Ote !!ayes behind them. Certatnly there was mMary a flronger affec'!ion than either in Peter or {ohn, a~d this affecbof1 fixed her there, that are could not flir. go who would, the would not go, but flay fttll. BMMar;y flo•d !Vlthout. ' • 3• Em
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