llook IV. jL.col\mg unto 'Jjcfn.S'. Chap. r.Sett.5:- ·----sh:-e Jaw {efm ftmtding, but kc;-;,ot that it 1~-~;-,?"'Ji,-;::;:;J thcrcf;; faith-J~[P~·-;; her,– womrm, n·hy weepeft th011? whom (eeuft tho~<? There is a double prefence of Chri!t, felr, and nor fel r; rhe prefence felt, IS when Chnll:Js gracioully pleafed ro let us know· fo much, a~1d this is an heaven upon eanh. Tl)e prefence not felt, is that fen·er pre– fence, when Clmf! feems to draw m one way, and to dnve another way. So he dealt with rhe wo:nan of Canaan, he feemed to drive her away, bur at the f•me rim· he wrought in her by J1is Spirit an increafeof faith, and by chat means dr~w her ro him– felf. Thus may a foul fuppofe Chrif! loft, and feek and weep, andweep and feek and yet Chriit is prefent. ' 2. For Marics enquiry, She fuppoftng him to be the Gardiner, fait! unto him, Sir, if thou haft born h•m hmce, tellme whererhou haft laid him, and !will tak§ him atvay. In rhe wor?s we may obferve, firll her m1!lake; 2. Her fpeech upon her milhke. I. Her m1ftake, She {ttppoftng him to be the Gardiner; 0 Mary! harh Chrifl lived [~ long, and laboured tO much, and n1ed fo many 11_10wers of blood, rocometo no h1gher preferment than a Gardmet:? rh1s was a very firange mif!ake; and yet in fome fence, and a good fence too, Chnft n:ught be faid to be a Gardiner; .As I. Iris he rhar gardens all our fouls, that plants rn them the feeds of rightepufnefs; that waters them w1rh the dew of grace, and makes them fruitful ro eternal life. 2 . It is he char ·rai{ed to life his own dead body, and will turn all our graves ioto a garden.-plot, Thy de-.d men jhnl! hvc togethu, wtth my dead body Jhal! they arifo, mv,tk§ and fi"l ye th,u: dive/! in duff, for the dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth jh.11! caft out the dead. Befides, there is a myfiery in bur miflake; As A dam in the J1~re of grace and ionocency w2s placed in a garden; and the firft office allotted to him, was to be a Gardiner. fo Jefus Chrill appeared firft in a garden, and prefenrs himfelf in a Gardiners like~efs. And as that lirfl Gardiner was the Parent of fin, the ruine of mank(nd, and the Au– thor of death ; fo is rhfs Gardincr the ranfome for our fins, the raifer of our .rnines, and rh refiorer of our lite. In fome fence then, and in _a myfiery Chrift was a Gardi– ner; bot Mtmes miflakc was in fuppofing him the Gardiner of that only place; and not the Gardiner of our fouls. Souls in defmion are full of mi;1ak§s, thous,h in tl;ei;· miftak§s arc fometime; many myfteries. 2. Her fpeech upon her rniitake; If thou haft born him hence, 6- c. we may ob– ferve. - -- I. That her words to Chrifl are nor much unlike the anfwer flte gave the Angels;. only fl1e feems to fpeak more harllt to ChriJ1, than ll1e did to the A;;gels ; ro them lhe complains of others; They have tak§n "way my Lord; but to Chrif! ll1e fpeaksas if fl1e would charge him with rhe fac't, as if he looked like one that had been a brea-ker up of graves, a carrier away of c01-fes out of their place of refr1 Sir, if thon haft born him hence. But pardon love, as it fears where it needs nor, fo ir fufpects very often where it l1arh no caufe; When love is at a lo(s ; he, onmy that comes but in OilI' t~ay, bath done it, hathtak§nhim away. 2. That fomething /he fp oke now to C!trift which lhc had not memio~ed to rh~ An– gels. She faid not unto them, tell me where he is, bur referved that qu;ftwn for lumfelf to anfwer, Come, tell me where thou haft laid him, q. d. thou art pnvy to the place, and with the action of removing Chril! my Lord ; Oh how llJe errs, _and yet.how ll1e hits the rrurh! J efus mufl tell her what he had done with himfelf, fure lt was fittcll: for his own fpeech ro utter, what was only poffible for his own power ro do. . 3. That theconclufion of her fpeech was a meer vam or Rouriflt, .And I will tak§ him away. Alas poor'woman, /he was nor able rv lift him up, there are more than one or two allowed ro rhe carrying ofa corps; and as for his it had more than an hundred ponnd weight of myrrhe and other odours upon it; fure ll1e had forgotten that women are weak and that ll1e her felf was but a woman . how was it pollible that ll1e lhould tak§ him ;IV ay? lhe could not do it; well, bur lhe'would do it rhou&h; the~e AA no ejfay tooh.trdf.r lpvc; fhe exempts no place, ll1e efteems n? perfo~, fhdpeaks wnhour fear, II_Je promifes without condition, llte makes no exceptwn, as 1f nothmg were 1mpo/lible that love fuggefterh; the darknefs coul~ nor fnght her from fettmg our before day, the watch could not fear her from commg ro the Tomb where Chnfl was la1d ; flte refolved to break open the feals, and ro re'.~love. the ftone, far above he~ firengtlt; and now her lo\'e _bemg more mcenfed With the frell1 wound of h~r lofs, fhe fpeaks ref<,lurely, J will tak! him away, never confidenng_ whether J11e could or no, love is not ruled with rcafon , but With love; Jt · nwher · · regards 0
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