424 Uook IV. j!.rolung unto ')JdnS'. Chap. I • .)ctt. 5 . _____ o_u_r_b_o_d_i-es-ev_e_n_d-ea_d_,_a_n_d. t~-,;~efe~;-;t;e-;;; ali~e-agai;~ the day or"-;b;-~fu;r;aion~ . But in this apparition we fee ftmher, a qudhon, and anfwer; 1. The Angels GUe– lhon Mar)', Woman wh)'weepeft t/Jou? May I paraphrafe upon thefe words. it is as if they had faid, 0 Mar)'! what caufe is there for tbefe tears? where Angels f ejoyce it agrees not that a woman lhould weep ; thou could!! before with a manly couroge ~rm thy feet to run among fwords when thou camell: to the gra·1c, and art thou now fo much a woman that thou ca~ll: not command thine eyes to forbear tears ? 0 woman, wh)' •vecp– cft thou? If thy Chnll: were here .n Ius grave, under tins Tomb-ll:one, we might think thy forrow for the dead enforced tby tears, but now that tboufindelt itaplaceof the 1ivm~,why doll: thou !land here weeping dead ?for the ifthy tear< be tearsof love, as thy love ts acknowledged, fo let thefe tears be fupprelfed; if thy tears be tearsof anoer,they lhould not here have been ll1ed, where all anger was buried; if thy tears be"tears of forrow and dunes to the dead, they are beftowed in vain where the dead is now revi– ved; and therefore, 0 woman, rrhy wcepeft thou? would our eyes be dry , if fuch eye-ftreams were behooveful for us? drd not Angels alwayes in their vilibJe refem– blances reprefent their Lord's invifible pleafure ; ll~adowing their lhapes in the drifts of his intentions? As for inll:ance, when God was incer.fed they brandill1ed fwords. wJ 1e 11 he was appeaf~d, they lheathed th_em in fcabbards; when he would defend, tl;ey re– fembled Sou!dters ; when he wowd t~mfie, they took terrible forms· and when he would comfort, they carried mirth in their eyes, fweetnefs in their coun;enance, mild– nefs in their words, favour, and grJce, and comelinef> in their prefence: why then doll thou weep, fceing us to rejoyce? doll: thou imag1ne us to degenerate from our na– ture, or to forget any duty, whofe ll:.re is neither fubject to change, nor capable of rhe leafl: offence? ar't thou more fervent in thy love, or more privy to the counfel of our eternal God, than we that are daily attendants at his Throne of glory? 0 woman, why John 20.13. )jJuft. .Arfw. Jcr. ;r. 3• Pfa/. S4'· 11, '"'· 5+7·8. John '4· •S· wecpejl thOil ? Thus for paraphrate. 2. For her anfwer; She faith zmto them,· becall[e the)' h,weta~n alWI)' m)' Lord, and Jkpowr.otwhere theyhavelaidhim: Herewasrhecaufe of .11aries tears; r. Theyhave tak§nawaymy Lord. 2. Ik...now n•t where the)' havehtidhim, q. d. He is gone without all hope of recovery: for they, bm I know not who, havetaktuhimmvay, bur I know not whither ; and they hii'Ve laid hi,, bm I know not where ; thet·e to do to him, but 1 know not what. 0 what a lamentable cafe is this ! /he knows not whither to go to find any comfort; her Lord is gone, his l.ife is gone, his foul is gone, his body i; gone, yea gone, and carried lhe knows not whtther; and do they 2sk her, Woman, why weepeft rho11? why , here's the caufe, 'The)' have taksn away my Lord, ( i. ) the dead body of my Lord tmd I k!to\V not where the)' ha'.le}aid him. !Vh:re a little of Chrift u left, t!nd that u loft it z1 a lamentable lofs. Mar)' had fometimes a polfeftion of whole Chrift, Jhe l1ad his prefence, /JJC heard his words; IIJC faw his divinity in his mira.cles, and in calling frven devils out ofher own body; but now llJe had loll: all Chri/1:, hi>prefence Jolt. Ius preaching loll:, his divinity loll:, his humanity loft, his foul !of!, and !all: of all his body loll:. Oh what a lamentable Jofs was this! Mary wowld now have been glad of a little of Chri/1:; 0 ye Angels, fill but her arms with the dead body of her Jefus, and /he will weep no more; one beam of that Sun of righteoufnefs would fcatter all the clouds of Maries grief. But doth Chrift ever leave his totally? . . . I anfwer, not in deed, but only in apprehenfion. In deferttons aClmfhan may to his own apprehenfion find nothing of Chria; and this was the cafe of Mary Magd.1ie11: or if Chrilt defert a foul mdeed, and truth (for defertrons are foroeumes tn appear– ance, and fometiroes real) yet never doth he forfake his own both really and to.tally: 'The Lord will not wholly forfoks hw people, for hwgreat Name fak§, the acts of hrslove may be withdrawn, bu~ his love is ll:ill the fame, it is an everlafting love; thofc ads which arc for well-being may be withdrawn, but h1s acts of love that are for bemg,llJail never be removed, No f~tch good things will God withhold from them tlw rvalk_ ~tp>·ightlJ. Or Chrill: may go away for a feafon, but not for ever; l'or a mome~t bave I forfak}n thee, bm withgreflt mercies will I gather thee ; w ahttle wrath have lhtd my fa~e from thee for a moment, bHt with everlafting kjndnefs wt!l I have mercy ort thee, fatth tfJe Lord thy Redeemer; It was Chr:ift's promifero Jm Drfoples, I will not leave )'O" comfoNkfs, or a.s O>piJ.ws, bm I will come again. Though hrs compallions may be reftraroed, y.et they ca•1not be extinguii!JCd; as the Sun fm to nfe agam, and as th<; tender Mother byes downher Child to ta)<:e itup again, fo deals Chrill: with his, onIy for file prefent t.t JS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=