A SERMON PREACHED AT White-hall, on Easter day the 16. of April. 1620.
By the Bishop of Winchester.
LONDON, Printed by ROBERT BARKER, and IOHN BILL, Printers to the Kings most Excellent Maiestie. M.DC.XX.
Maria autem stabat iuxta monumentum, &c.
Ver. II. But Marie, stood by the Sepulchre, weeping, and as she wept she stouped, and looked into the Sepulchre,
12. And saw two angels, in white, sitting, the one at the head, the other at the feete, where the body of Iesus had Iyen.
13. And they said to her, Woman, why weepest thou? She said to them, They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they haue laid Him.
14. When she had thus said, she turned herselfe about, and saw Iesus standing, and knew not that it was Iesus.
15. Iesus saith to her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She (supposing He had beene the gardiner) said to him, Sir if thou have borne Him hence, tell mee where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him thence.
16. Iesus saith to her, Marie: She turned herselfe, and said to Him, Rabboni; that is to say, Master.
17. Iesus saith to her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father, But, goe to my brethren, and say to them, I ascend to my Father and to your Father, and to my God and your God.
This last verse was not touched.
IT is Eastr day abroad: And it is so in the text. We keepe Salomons rule,1. Reg. 8. 59. Verbum diei in die suo: For, all this (I haue read) is nothing else, but a report of CHRISTS rising, and of His appearing this Easter day morning, His very first appearing of all. S.Mar. 16. 9. Marke is expresse for it, that Christ was no sooner risen this day, but He appeared first of all to Mary Magdalene: which first appearing of His, is here by S. Iohn extended, and set downe at large.
The summe of it is, 1. The seeking Christ dead; 2. The finding Him aliue.
The Maner of it is, That Mary Magdalene staying still by the Sepulchre, first she saw a vision of Angels: and after, she saw Christ himselfe. Saw Him, and was herselfe [Page 2] made an Angel by Him, a good Angel, to cary the Euangel, the first good and ioyfull tidings of His rising againe from the dead. And this was a great honour (all considered) to serue in an Angels place. To doe that at His Resurrection (His second birth) that,Acts 13. 33. at His first birth an Angel did. An Angel first published that; Mary Magdalen brought first notice of this. As hee, to the Shepherds; so shee, to the Apostles, the Pastours of Christs flock, by them to be spred abroad to the ends of the world.
To looke a little into it.
1. Mary is the name of a woman:
2. Mary Magdalen, of a sinfull woman.
1 That, to a woman first; it agreeth well, to make euen with Eue; that, as by a woman came the first newes of death; So, by a woman also might come the first notice of the Resurrection from the dead. And the place fits well: for, in a garden, they came, both.
2 That, to a sinfull woman first; that also agrees well. To her first that most [Page 3] needed it: most needed it, and so first sought it. And it agrees well; He be first found of her, that first sought Him: Euen in that respect she was to be respected.
In which two, there is opened vnto vs a gate of hope, Hos. 2. 15. two great leaues (as it were) one that no infirmity of sex (for a woman we see: (the other, that no enormitie of sin, (for a sinfull woman, one that had the blemish, that shee went vnder the common name of peccatrix, Luke. 7. 37. as notorious and famous in that kinde:) That, neither of these, shall debarre any to haue their part in Christ, and in His Resurrection; any, that shall seeke Him in such sort, as shee did. For, either of these non obstante, nay notwithstanding both these, she had the happinesse; To see His Angels (and that was no small fauour:) To see Christ himselfe: And that, first of all, before all others, to see and salute Him: And, to receiue a commission from Him of Vade & dic, to goe and tell, (that is, as it were) to be an Apostle, and that to the Apostles themselues, to bring them the first good [Page 4] newes of Christs rising againe.
THere are three Parties that take vp the whole Text: and if I should diuide it, I would make those three Parties the three parts; 1 Mary Magdalene, 2 the Angels, 3 and Christ our Sauiour.
I Mary Magdalen begins her part in the first verse, but she goes along through them all.
II Then the Angels part in the two verses next. 1 Their appearing, 2 and their speech to her: Appearing, in the twelfth, Speech, in the thirteenth.
III And last, Christs part in all the rest. 1 His appearing, 2 and Speech, likewise. Appearing, first, vnknowen, in the fourteenth, and His speech then, in the fifteenth.
After, His appearing, and speech againe, being knowen, in the sixteenth and seuenteenth. 1 Forbidding her, Mane & tange, to stay, and to touch, 2 and bidding her, Vade & dic, together quickly to His brethren, and tell them, His resurrection was past, for (ascendo) Hee was taking thought for His ascension, and preparing for that. Thus lieth the order, and the parts.
[Page 5]The vse will be, that we, in our seeking, cary our selues as she did: and so may we haue the happinesse, that she had, to finde Christ, as Hee is now to be found in the vertue of His Resurrection.
VER. 11.
OF the fauours vouchsafed this same faelix peccatrix, (as the Fathers terme her) this day, 1 To see but Christs Angels, 2 To see Christ at all, 3 To see Him first of all, 4 But, more then all these, to be employed by Him in so heauenly an errand; reason wee can render none that helped her to these, but that, which in a place Christ himselfe renders, Quia dilexit muliùm, Luke 7. 47. Because shee loued much.
She loued much: we cannot say, Shee [Page 6] beleeued much. For, by her sustulerunt thrise repeated, at the second, thirteenth, fifteenth verses, it seemes, shee beleeued no more, then iust as much as the High Priests would haue had the world beleeue,Matt. 28. 13. that He was taken away by night.
Defectus fideinon est negandus, affectus amoris nō est vituper and us: It is Origen. we cannot commend her faith; her loue, we cannot but commend; And so doe: Commend it in her, commend it to you. Much it was, and much good proofe gaue she of it. Before, to Him liuing: now, to Him dead. To Him dead, there are diuers: 1 She was last at His Crosse, & first at His graue: 2 Stayed longest there, was soonest heere: 3 Could not rest, till shee were vp to seeke Him: 4 Sought Him, while it was yet darke, before shee had light to seeke Him by.
But, to take her as wee finde her in the Text, and to looke no whither else. There are, in the Text, no lesse then ten, all arguments of her great loue, all, as it were, a commentarie vpon dilexit multùm. And [Page 7] euen in this first verse, there are fiue of them.
The first, in these words; stabat inxta monumentum, that she stood by the graue. A place, where faint loue loues not to stand. Bring Him to the graue, and lay Him in the graue, and there leaue him: but come no more at it, nor stand not long by it. Stand by Him, while He is aliue, So did many, stand, and goe, and sit by Him. But, stans iuxta monumentum, Stand by Him dead, Marie Magdalen, she did it, and she onely did it, and none but she. Amor stans iuxta monumentum.
The next is in these, Maria autem stabat.2 But Marie stood. In the autem, the but (that, helpes vs to another.) But Mary stood (that is asmuch to say, as) others did not, But, she did.ver. 8. Peter and Iohn were there but euen now. Thither they came, but not finding Him, away they went. They went: But Marie went not, she stood still. Their going away commends her staying behinde. To the graue she came before them, From the graue she went to tell them, To the [Page 8] graue she returnes with them, At the graue she stayes behind them. Fortior eam figebat affectus, saith Augustine, a stronger affection fixed her, so fixed her, that she had not the power to remoue thence. Goe, who would, she would not, but stay, still. To stay while others doe so, while company stayes, that is the worlds loue: But Peter is gone, and Iohn too: all are gone, and we left alone; then to stay, is loue, and constant loue. Amor manens, alijs recedentibus, Loue, that when others shrinke and giue ouer, holds out still.
3 The third in these, she stood, and she wept; And, not a teare or two: but she wept a good (as we say;) That the Angels, That Christ himselfe pitie her, and both of them, the first thing they doe, they aske her, Why she wept so? Both of them begin with that question. And, in this, is loue. For, if, when Christ stood at Lazarus graues side and wept, Ioh. 11. 36. the Iewes said, See how be loued him: may not we say the very same, when Mary stood at Christs graue and wept, See, how she loued him? Whose presence she wished for, [Page 9] His misse she wept for; whom she dearely loued, while she had Him, she bitterly bewailed, when she lost Him. Amor amare flens, Loue running downe the cheekes.
The fourth in these, And as she wept, shee 4 stouped, and looked in, euer and anon. That is, she did so weepe, as, she did seeke withall. Weeping without seeking, is but to small purpose. But, her weeping hindered not her seeking; Her sorrow dulled not her diligence. And, diligence is a character of loue, comes from the same root, dilectio & diligentia from diligo, both. Amor diligentiam diligens.
To seeke, is one thing: not to giue ouer 5 seeking, is another. For, I aske, why should she now looke in? Peter and Iohn had looked there before, nay had beene in the graue, (they.)Ver. 8. It makes no matter: Shee wil not trust Peters eyes, nor Iohns, neither. But, she her selfe had before this, looked in, (too.) No force, she will not trust her selfe, she will suspect her owne eyes, she will rather thinke, she looked not well before, then leaue off her looking. It is not enough for [Page 10] loue, to looke in once. Thus we vse, this is our manner when we seeke a thing seriously, where we haue sought already, there to seeke againe, thinking wee did it not well, but, if wenow looke againe, better, we shall surely find it, then. Amor quaerens vbi quaesiuit. Loue, that neuer thinkes, it hath looked enough. These fiue.
And, by these fiue, we may take measure of our loue, and of the true multum of it. Vt profit nobis ejus stare, ejus plorare, & quaerere (faith Origen) that her standing, her weeping, and seeking, wee may take some good by them.
I doubt, ours will fall short. Stay by Him aliue, that we can, juxtamensam: but juxta monumentum, who takes vp his standing there? And our loue, it is dry eyed, it cannot weepe; it is stiffe-ioynted, it cannot stoupe to secke. If it doe, and wee hit not on Him at first, away wee goe, with Peter and Iohn; wee stay it not out with Mary Magdalen. A signe, our loue is little, and light, and our seeking sutable, and so, it is without successe. We find not Christ, [Page 11] no meruaile: but seeke Him as shee sought Him, and we shall speed, as she sped.
VER. 12.
For what came of this? Thus staying by it, and thus looking in, againe and againe, though she saw not Christ at first, shee sees his Angels. For so it pleased Christ to come by degrees: His Angels, before Him. And, it is no vulgar honour, this, to see but an Angel, what would one of vs giue to see but the like sight?
We are now at the Angels part. Their appearing, in this verse. There are foure points in it. 1 Their place, 2 Their habit, 3 Their site, 4 and their order. 1 Place, in the graue, 2 Habit, in white; 3 site, they were sitting; 4 and their order in sitting, one at the head, the other at the feet.
The Place, In the graue shee saw them:1 and Angels in a graue, is a strange sight, a fight neuer seene before, not till Christs [Page 12] body had beene there, neuer, till this day; this the first newes of Angels in that place. For, a graue, is no place for Angels (one would thinke) for wormes, rather: Blessed Angels, not but in a blessed place. But, since Christ lay there, that place is blessed. There was a voice heard from heauen, Blessed be the dead, Reu. 14. 13. Precious the death, Glorious the memorie now, Psal. 116. 15. of them that die in the Lord. And, even this, that the Angels disdained not now to come thither, and to sit there, is an auspicium of a great change to ensue in the state of that place. Quid gloriosius Angelo? quid vilius vermiculo? saith Augustine. Qui fuit vermiculorum locus, est & Angelorum. That which was the place for wormes, is become a place for Angels.
2 Their Habit, In white. So were there diuers of them, diuers times, this day, seene, in white, all, in that colour. It seemes to be their Easter day colour; for at this Feast, they all doe their seruice in it. Their Easter day colour, for it is the colour of the Resurrection. The state whereof when Christ would represent vpon the Mount. [Page 13] His raiment was all white, no Fuller in earth could come neere it. And, our colour it shall be,Reu. 7. 9. when rising againe, wee shall walke in white robes, and follow the Lambe whither soeuer He goeth.
Heauen mourned on Good-Friday; the Eclipse made all then in blacke. Easter day, it reioyceth, Heauen and Angels all in white. Salomon tells vs, it is the colour of ioy. And,Eccles. 9. 8. that is the state of ioy, and this the day of the first ioyfull tidings of it, with ioy euer celebrated, euen in albis, eight dayes together, by them that found Christ.
In white, and sitting: As the colour, of 3 ioy: so, the situation, of rest. So wee say, Sit downe, and rest. And so, is the graue made by this mornings worke, a place of rest. Rest, not from our labours onely, so doe the beasts rest when they die: But, as it is in 16.Psal. 16. 9. Psalme (a Psalme of the resurrection) a rest in hope; hope, of rising againe, the members in the vertue of their head, who this day is risen. So, to enter into the rest, which yet remaineth for the people of God, Heb. 4. 9. euen the Sabbath eternall.
[Page 14] 4 Sitting, and in this order sitting, at the head, one; at the feet, another, where His body had lyen.
1 Which order may well referre to Christ himselfe, whose body was the true Arke indeed,Col. 2. 9. In which it pleased the Godhead to dwell bodily; and is therefore heere betweene two Angels, as was the Arke (the type of it) betweene the two Cherubims. Exod. 25. 19.
2 May also referre to Mary Magdalen. Mat. 26. 7. She had annointed his head, Ioh. 11. 3. she had annointed his feete: at these two places, sit the two Angels, as it were to acknowledge so much for her sake.
3 In mysterie they referre it thus. Because caput Christi Deus, 1 Cor. 11. 3. the Godhead is the head of Christ,Gen. 3. 15. and His feet (which the Serpent did bruise) His manhood; that either of these hath his Angell. That, to Christ man, no lesse then to Christ God, the Angels doe now their seruice. In principio erat verbum, His Godhead, there an Angell: Verbum caro factum, His manhood; there, another. And let all the Angels of God worship Him in both.Heb. 1. 6. Euen in His manhood, [Page 15] at His cradle (the head of it) a queere of Angels; At His graue (the feete of it) Angels likewise.Luk. 2. 13.
4 And lastly, for our comfort (thus.)4 That, henceforth euen such shall all our graues be, if we be so happy as to haue our parts in the first resurrection, Reu. 20. 6. which is of the soule from sinne. We shal go to our graues in white (in the comfort, and colour of hope) lye betweene two Angels, there: they guard our bodies, dead, and present them aliue againe at the resurrection.
1 Yet before we leaue them, to learne somewhat of the Angels: specially, of the Angell that sate at the feete. That, betweene them there was no striuing for places. He that sate at the feet, as well content with his place, as he that at the head. We, to be so, by their example. For, with vs, both the Angels would haue beene at the head, neuer a one at the feete: with vs, none would be at the feet by his good will, Headangels all.
2 Againe, from them both. That, inasmuch, as the head euer stands for the beginning, [Page 16] and the feete for the end; that we be carefull, that our beginnings onely bee not glorious (O an Angel at the head in any wise) but that we looke to the feete, there be another there, too. Ne turpiter atrum Definat, that it end not in a blacke Angel, that began in a white. And this for the Angels appearing.
VER. 13.
NOw to their speech. Their question. It was not a dumb shew, this, a bare apparition, and so vanished away. It was visio & vox, a vocall vision. Heere is a dialogue, too: The Angels speake to her.
And they aske her, Quid ploras? Why she wept? what cause shee had to weepe. They meane, she had none (as indeed no more she had.) All was in error, piae lachrymae, sed caecae, Gregorie. teares of griefe, but false griefe, imagining that to be, that was not, [Page 17] Him to be dead that was aliue. She weepes, because shee found the graue emptie, which God forbid she should haue found full, for then Christ must haue beene dead still, and so, no Resurrection.
And this case of Marie Magdalen is our case oftentimes. In the error of our cōceit, to weepe where we haue no cause; to ioy, where we haue as little. Where we should, where wee haue cause to ioy, we weepe: and, where to weepe, we ioy. Our ploras hath neuer a quid. False ioyes, and false sorrowes, false hopes, and false feares this life of ours is full of, God helpe vs.
Now because she erred, they aske her the cause, that she alledging it, they may take it away, and shew it to bee no cause. As the elen [...]h, à non causà pro causà makes foule rule among vs, beguiles vs, all our life long.
Will ye heare her answere to,Her answer. Why weepe you? Why? sustulerunt, that was the cause, Her Lord was gone, was taken away.
And a good cause it had beene if it had 1 beene true. Any haue cause to grieue, that [Page 18] haue lost, lost a good Lord, so good and gracious a Lord, as He had beene to her.
2 But that is not all: a worse matter, a greater griefe then that. When one dieth, we reckon him taken away; that is one kind of taking away. But his dead body is left; so, all is not taken from vs; That, was not her case. For, in saying (her Lord) she meanes not, Her Lord aliue, that is not it; shee meanes not, they had slaine Him, they had taken away his life (she had wept her fill for that, already.) But, her Lord, that is, his dead body. For, though His life was gone, yet His body was left. And, that was all, she now had left of Him (that, shee cals Her Lord) and, that, they had taken away from her, too. A poore one it was, yet some comfort it was to her, to haue euen that left her, to visite, to annoint, to doe other offices of loue, euen to that. Etiam viso cadauere recalescit amor, at the sight,Ambros. euen of that, will loue reuiue, it will fetch life of loue againe. But now, heere is her case; that, is gone, and all, and nothing, but an empty graue, now left to stand by. [Page 19] That S. Augustine saith well, sublatus de monumento, grieued her more, then occisus in ligno, for, then something yet was left; now, nothing at all. Right sustulerunt, taken away quite and cleane.
And thirdly, her nescio vbi. For though 3 He be taken away, it is some comfort yet, if we know where to fetch Him againe. But here, He is gone, without all hope of recouery, or getting againe. For they (but shee knew not who) had caried Him (she knew not whither) laide Him (shee knew not where) there to do to Him (she knew not what.) So that now she knew not, whither to go, to find any cōfort. It was nescio vbi, with her, right. Put all these together, His life taken away, His body taken away, & caried no man knowes whither; and, doe they aske, why she wept? or, can any blame her for it?
The trueth is,Her errour. none had taken away Her Lord, for all this: for, all this while Her Lord was well, was, as shee would haue had Him, aliue and safe. He went away of himselfe, none caried him thence. What of that? Non credens suscitatum,Augustine.credidit sublatum, [Page 20] for want of beliefe He was risen, shee beleeued, He was caried away. Shee erred in so beleeuing, there was errour in her loue, but there was loue in her errour too.
And,Yet, her loue. giue me leaue to lay out three more arguments of her loue, out of this verse (to make vp eight, towards the making vp of her multùm.)
1. The very title shee giues Him of Dominum meum, is one, My Lord, that she giues Him that terme. For, it shewes her loue and respect was no whit abated, by the scandall of His death. It was a most opprobrious, ignominious, shamefull death Hee suffered, such, as in the eyes of the world, any would haue been ashamed to own Him, (or say of Him, Meum:) But, any would haue beene afraid to honour Him with that title, to style Him, Dominum. Shee was neither. Meum, for hers, Dominum meum, for her Lord, shee acknowledgeth Him, is neither ashamed, nor afraid to continue that title still. Amor scandalo non scandalizatus.
2 Another (which I take to be farre beyond [Page 21] this) That, shee hauing looked into the graue a little before, and seene neuer an Angel there; and of a sudden looking in now, and seeing two, (a sight, able to haue amazed any; any, but her) It mooues not her at all. The suddennesse, the strangenesse, the gloriousnesse of the sight, yea euen of Angels, mooue her not at all. Shee seemes to haue no sense of it, and so to be in a kinde of extasie all the while. Domine, propter te est extra se, saith Bernard. Amor extasin patiens.
And thirdly, as that strange sight affected 3 her not a whit: so neither did their comfortable speech worke with her at all. Comfortable, I call it, for they that aske the cause, why, (why weepe you?) shew, they would remooue it, if it lay in them: Neither of these did, or could mooue her, or make her once leaue her weeping: she wept on, still (Christ will aske her, quid ploras? by and by againe.) If shee finde an Angel, if she finde not her Lord, it will not serue. She had rather finde his dead body, then them in all their glory. No man in [Page 22] earth, no Angel in heauen can comfort her, none but He that is taken away, Christ, and none but Christ; and, till she find Him againe, her soule refuseth all maner comfort: yea, euen from heauen, euen from the Angels themselues: These three. Amor super amissum renuens consolari.
Thus shee, in her loue, for her supposed losse, or taking away. And what shal become of vs, in ours then? That lose Him 1 not once, but oft, 2 And not in suppose, as she did, but in very deed, 3 And that, by sinne (the worst losse of all,) 4 And that, not by any others taking away, but by our owne acte, & wilfull default; and are not grieued, nay not moued a whit, break none of our wonted sports for it, as if we reckoned Him, as good lost as found. Yea, when Christ, and the holy Ghost, and the fauour of God, and all is gone, how soon, how easily are we comforted againe for all this? that, none shall need to say, quid ploras? to vs, rather, quid non ploras? aske vs, why we weepe not, hauing so good cause to doe it, as wee then haue? This for the Angels part.
VER. 14.
Alwayes the Angels (wee see) touched the right string, and shee tells them the wrong cause, but yet the right, if it had beene right.
Now, to this answere of hers, they would haue replied, and taken away her errour touching her Lords taking away; that, if she knew all, shee would haue left her seeking, and fit her downe by them: and left her weeping, and beene in white, as well as they.
But, here is a supersedeas to them: The Lord himselfe comes in place. (Now come wee from the seeking Him dead, to the finding Him aliue.) For, when Hee saw, no Angels, no sight, no speech of theirs would serue, none but her Lord could giue her any comfort; Her Lord comes. Christus adest.
Adest Christus, nec ab eis vnquam abest, à [Page 24] quibus quaeritur, saith Augustine. Christ is found, found by her; And this case of hers, shall be the case of all that seriously seeke Him. This woman heere, for one, shee sought Him (we see.) They that went to Emmaus to day, they but talked of Him sadly, and they both found Him. Why, He is found of them that seeke Him not. Esa 65. 1. but, of them that seeke Him, neuer but found. For, thou Lord neuer failest them that seeke Thee. Psal. 9. 10. God is not vnrighteous, to forget the worke and labour of their loue that seeke Him. Heb. 6. 10.
So, finde Him they shall, but happily not all so fully at first, no more then shee did. For, first (to try her yet a little further) He comes vnknowen, stands by her, and she little thought it had beene Hee.
A case that likewise falls out full oft. Doubtlesse He is not farre from euery one of vs, Acts 17. 27. saith the Apostle to the Athenians. But He is neerer vs many times then we thinke;Iob. 9. 11.even hard by vs, and we not aware of it, saith Iob. And,Luke 19. 42. O si cognouisses & tu, O if wee did know (and it standeth vs in hand to pray [Page 25] that we may know) when He is so, for, that is the time of our visitation. Luk. 19. 44.
Saint Iohn saith here, the Angels were sitting: Saint Luke saith, they stood. Luk. 24. 4. They are thus reconciled. That, Christ comming in presence, the Angels which before were sitting, stood vp. Their standing vp, made Marie Magdalen turne her to see who it was they rose to. And so, Christ she saw, but, knew Him not.
Not onely not knew Him, but misknew Him, tooke Him for the Gardiner. Teares, wil dim the sight, and it was yet scarse day, and shee, seeing one, and not knowing what any one should make in the ground so early, but he that dressed it, she might well mistake. But it was more then so: Her eyes were not holden onely,Luk. 24. 16. that shee did not know Him, but ouer and beside,Mar. 16. 12. He did appeare [...] in some such shape as might resemble the Gardiner, whom shee tooke Him for.
Proper enough it was, it fitted well the time and place (this person.) The time, It was the Spring: The place, It was a [Page 26] garden (that place is most in request at that time) for that place and time, a Gardiner doth well.
Of which her so taking Him, Saint Gregorie saith well, Profectò errando non errauit. She did not mistake in taking Him for a Gardiner: though she might seeme to erre, in some sense, yet in some other she was in the right. For, in a sense, and a good sense, CHRIST may well be said to be a Gardiner, and indeed is one. For, our rule is, Christ, as He appeares, so He is, euer: No false semblant in Him.
1 A Gardiner He is then. The first, the fairest garden that euer was (Paradise) He was the Gardiner, it was of His planting. So, a Gardiner.
2 And euer since it is He that (as God) makes all our gardens greene, sends vs yearely the Spring, and all the hearbs and flowers we then gather; and neither Paul with his planting, nor Apollo with his watering, could doe any good without him. So a Gardiner in that sense.
3 But not in that alone; But He it is [Page 27] that gardens our soules too, and makes them, as the Prophet saith,Iere. 31. 21. Like a well watered garden, weedes out of them whatsoeuer is noysome or vnsauoury, sowes and plants them with true rootes and seedes of righteousnesse, waters them with the dew of His grace, and makes them bring forth fruit to eternall life.
But it is none of all these, but besides all these, nay ouer and aboue all these, this day (if euer) most properly He was a Gardiner. Was one, and so after a more peculiar manner, might take this likenesse on Him. Christ rising was indeed a Gardiner, and that a strange one, who made such an hearbe grow out of the ground this day, as the like was neuer seene before, a dead body, to shoote foorth aliue out of the graue.
I aske, was He so this day alone? No, but this profession of His, this day begun, He will follow to the end. For, He it is, that by vertue of this mornings act, shall garden our bodies, too: turne all our graues into garden plots: Yea, shall one [Page 24] day turne land and Sea and all into a great garden, and so husband them, as they shal in due time bring forth liue bodies, euen all our bodies aliue againe.
Long before did Esai see this and sing of it, in his song Esa. 26. 19. resembling the Resurrection to a Spring garden. Awake and sing (saith he) ye that dwell for a time are as it were sowen in the dust, for His dew shall be as the dew of hearbs, and the earth shall shoot forth her dead. So then: He appeared no other, then He was: A Gardiner He was, not in shew alone, but opere & veritate, and so came in His owne likeness. This for Christs appearing. Now to His speech (but, as vnknowen still.)
VERS. 15.
STill she wept: Christs questiō vnknown. So Hee begins with quid ploras? askes the same question the Angels [Page 29] had before; onely quickens it a little with Quem quaeris, Whom seeke you? So, quem quaeris, quaerit à te quem quaeris, whom she sought, He asks her whom she sought? Si quaeris, Augustine, cur non cognoscis? si cognoscis, cur quaeris? saith Augustine. If she seeke Him, why knowes she Him not? If shee know Him, why seekes she Him still? A common thing with vs (this also.) To seeke a thing, and when we haue found it, not to know, wee haue so; but euen Christum à Christo quaerere, to aske Christ for Christ. Which howeuer it fall in other matters, in this seeking of Christ, it is safe. Euen when we seeke Christ, to pray to Christ, to helpe vs to finde Christ; we shall doe it full euill without Him.
This quid ploras, it comes now twise. The Angels asked it, wee stood not on it, then. Now, seeing Christ askes it againe, the second time, wee will thinke there is something in it, and stay a little at it. The rather, for that it is the very opening of His mouth, the very first words that euer came from Him, that He spake first of all, [Page 30] after His rising againe from death. There is sure some more then ordinary matter in this quid ploras, if it be, but euen for that.
Thus say the Fathers; 1 That Marie Magdalen standing by the graue side, and there weeping, is thus brought in, to represent vnto vs, the state of all mankind before this day, the day of Christs rising againe, weeping over the dead, as doe the heathen that haue no hope: 1. Thess. 4. 13. comes Christ with His quid ploras, Why doe you weepe? As much to say, as ne plores, Weepe not; why should you weepe? There is no cause of weeping now. Henceforth none shall need to stand by the graue to weepe there any more. A question very proper for Easter-day, for the day of the Resurrection. For, if there be a rising again, quid ploras, is right, why should shee, why should any weepe, then?
So that this quid ploras of Christs, wipes away teares from all eyes, and as we sing in the 30 Psalme (whose title is, the Psalme of the Resurrection) puts off our sackcloth, that is, our mourning weeds, girds vs with gladnesse, puts vs all in white with the Angels. [Page 31] Ploras then: leaue that for Good-Friday, for His Passion: Weepe then, and spare not. But, quid ploras, for Easter-day, is in kinde (the Feast of the Resurrection) why should there be any weeping vpon it? Is not Christ risen? Shall not He raise vs with Him? Is He not a Gardiner, to make our bodies sowen, to grow againe? Ploras, leaue that to the heathen, that are without all hope; but to the Christian man, quid ploras? Why should he weepe? he hath hope: the Head is already risen, the members shall in their due time follow Him.
I observe, that foure times this day, at foure seuerall appearings, 1 at the first (at this heere) He askes her, quid ploras? Why she wept? 2 Of them that went to Emaus, quid tristes estis?Luke 24. 17.Why are ye sad? 3 Within a verse following this Text (the 19.) Hee saith to the Eleuen, Pax vobis, Peace be to them: 4 And to the women that met Him on the way,Matt. 28. 9. [...] that is, Reioyce, bee glad. So, no weeping, no being sad, now; nothing this day, but peace and ioy: they doe properly belong to this feast.
[Page 32]And, this I note the more willingly, now, this yeere; because the last Easter we could not so well haue noted it. Some wept then; all were sad, little joy there was, and there was a quid, a good cause for it. But blessed be God that hath now sent vs a more kindly Easter, of this, by taking away the cause of our sorrow then, that we may preach of Quid ploras, & be far frō it. So much for quid ploras, Christs question. Now to her answer.
She is still where she was;Her answer. at sustulerunt before, at sustulisti, now: situ sustulisti: we shall neuer get that word from her.
But, to Christ shee seemes somewhat more harsh, then to the Angels. To them she complaines of others, They haue taken. Christ she seemes to charge, at least to suspect of the fact, as if He looked like one that had beene a breaker vp of graues, a carrier away of corses out of their place of rest. Her (if) implies as much. But pardon loue: as it feares where it needs not, so it suspects oft where it hath no cause. He, or any that comes in our way, hath done it, hath taken Him away, when [Page 33] loue is at a losse. But Bernard speakes to Christ for her; Domine, amor quem [...]abebat in Te, & dolor quem babebat de Te, excuset eam apud Te, si fortè errauit circa Te: That the loue she bare to Him, the sorrow shee had for Him, may excuse her with Him, if she were in any error concerning Him, in her saying, Si tu sustulisti.
And yet,Origen. see how God shall direct the tongue. In thus charging Him, Prophetat & nescit, She sayes truer then shee was aware. For indeed, if any tooke Him away, it was He did it. So, she was not much amisse. Her situ, was true, though not in her sense. For, quod de ipso factum est, ipse fecit. All that was done to Him, He did it Himselfe. His taking away, Chrysologus. virtus fuit, non facinus, was by His owne power, not by the act of any other: Et gloria, non iniuria, No other mans iniurie it was, but His owne glorie, that shee found Him not there. This was true, but this was no part of her meaning.
I cannot here passe ouer two more Characters of her loue, that so you may haue [Page 34] the full ten I promised.
1 One, in si tu sustulisti eum, in her eum, in her [Him.] Him? which Him? Her affection seemes so to transport her, as shee sayes no man knowes what. To one, a meere stranger to her, and shee to him, shee talks of one thrise vnder the terme of Him, If thou hast taken Him, tel me where thou hast laid Him, and I will fetch Him; Him, Him, & Him, & neuer names Him, or tels who He is. This is Soloecismus amoris, an irregular speech, but loues owne Dialect. Him is enough with love, who knowes not who that is? It supposes euery body, all the world bound to take notice of Him whō we looke for, onely by saying, Him, though wee neuer tell his name, nor say a word more. Amor, quem ipse cogitat, neminem putans ignorare.
2 The other is in her ego tollam; If hee would tell her where hee had laide Him, she would go fetch Him (that she would.) Alas poore woman, shee was not able to lift Him. There are more then one, or two either, allowed to the carrying of a [Page 35] corps. As for His, it had more then an hundred pound weight of myrrhe and other odours vpon it,Ioh. 19. 39. beside the poise of a dead body. She could not doe it. Well, yet she would doe it, though. O mulier, non mulier (saith Origen) for ego tollam seemes rather the speech of a Porter, or of some lustie strong fellow at least, then of a silly weake woman. But loue makes women more then women, at least it makes them have [...], the courage aboue the strength, farre. Neuer measures her owne forces, no burden too heauie, no assay too hard for loue, & nihil erubescit nisi nomen difficultatis; And is not ashamed of any thing, but that any thing should be too hard or too heauie for it. Affectus sine mensurâ virium propriarum. Both these argue dilexit multùm. And so now you haue the full number often.
VER. 16.
NOw magnes amoris amor. Christs second speech. Nothing so allures, so drawes loue to it, as doth loue [Page 36] it selfe. In Christ specially, and in such in whom the same minde is. For, when her Lord saw, there was no taking away His taking away from her, all was in vaine, neither men nor Angels, nor Himselfe (so long as Hee kept Himselfe gardiner) could get any thing of her, but her Lord was gone, He was taken away; and that for the want of Iesus, nothing but Iesus could yeeld her any comfort; Hee is no longer able to containe, but euen discloses Himselfe; And discloses Himselfe by His voice.
For, it should seeme, before, with His shape, Hee had changed that also. But now, Hee speakes to her in His knowen voice, in the wonted accent of it, does but name her name, Mary, no more, and that was enough. That was as much to say, Recognosce à quo recognosceris,Augustine. she would at least take notice of Him, that shewed He was no stranger by calling her by her name. For, whom we call by their names, we take particular notice of. So God sayes to Moses, Exod. 33. 17. Te autem cognoui de nomine, Thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee [Page 37] by thy name. As God, Moses; So Christ, Mary Magdalen.
And this indeede is the right way to know Christ; to be knowen of Him first. Gal. 4. 9. the Apostle saith, Now wee haue knowen God (and then correcteth himselfe) or rather haue beene knowen of God. For, till Hee know vs, wee shall neuer know Him aright.
And now, loe, Christ is found, found aliue that was sought dead. A cloude may be so thick, we shal not see the Sunne through it. The Sunne must scatter that cloud, and then wee may. Here is an example of it. It is strange, a thicke cloude of heauinesse had so couered her, as, see Him shee could not, through it; this one word, these two syllables [Mary] from His mouth, scatters it, all. No sooner had His voice sounded in her eares, but it driues away all the mist, dries vp her teares, lightens her eyes, that shee knew Him straight, and answeres Him with her wonted salutation,Her answere. Rabboni. If it had lien in her power to haue raised Him from the [Page 38] dead, shee would not haue failed, but done it (I dare say.) Now it is done to her hands.
And with this, all is turned out and in. A new world, now. Away with sustulerunt; His taking away, is taken away quite. For, if His taking away were her sorrow; Contrariorum contraria consequentia. Augustine. Si de sublato plorauit, de suscitato exultauit, we may be sure; If sad for His death, For His taking away; then glad for his rising, for His restoring againe. Surely, if she would haue bene glad but to haue found but His dead body; now she findes it, and Him, aliue, what was her ioy, how great, may wee thinke? So that, by this she saw Quid ploras was not asked her for nought, that it was no impertinent question, as it fell out. Well now, He that was thought lost, is found againe, and found, not, as He was sought for, not a dead body, but a liuing soule, nay, a quickening Spirit, then.1. Cor. 15. 45. And that might Marie Magdalen well say. Hee shewed it, for He quickened her and her Spirits, that were as good as dead. You [Page 39] thought you should haue come to Christs Resurrection to day, and so you doe. But, not to His alone, but euen to Marie Magdalens resurrection, too. For, in very deed, a kind of resurrection it was, was wrought in her, reuiued, as it were, and raised from a dead & drowping, to a liuely and cheerfull estate. The Gardiner had done his part, made her all greene, on the suddaine.
And all this, by a word of His mouth. Such power is there in euery word of His, so easily are they called, whom Christ will but speake to.
But, by this we see, when He would be made knowen to her after his rising, Hee did choose to be made knowen by the eare rather then by the eye. By hearing rather then by appearing. Opens her eares first, and her eyes after. Her eyes were holden, Luc. 24. 16. till her eares were opened;Psal. 40. 6. comes aures autem aperuistimihi, and that opens them.
With the Philosophers, hearing is the sense of wisedome. With vs, in diuinitie, it is the sense of faith. So most meet. Christ [Page 40] is the Word; hearing then (that sense) is Christs sense; voce quàm visu, more proper to the Word. So,Pasl. 48. 8. sicut audiuimus goes before, and then, sic vidimus comes after. In matters of faith the eare goes first, euer, and is of more vse, and to bee trusted before the eye. For, in many cases faith holdeth, where sightfaileth.
This then is a good way to come to the knowledge of Christ, by Hodie si vocem, Psal. 95. 7. to heare His voice. Howbeit, it is not the onely way. There is another way to take notice of Him by besides, and we to take notice of it. On this very day we haue them both.
For, twise this day came Christ, vnknowen first, and then knowen, after. To Marie Magdalen, here: and to them at Emmaus. Luc. c. 24. To Marie Magdalen, vnknowen, in the shape of a Gardiner. To those that went to Emaus, vnknowen, in the likenesse of a Trauailer by the way side. Came to be knowen to her by His voice, by the word of His mouth. Not so to them. For, many words He spake to them, and they [Page 41] felt them warme at their hearts, but,Luk. 24. 32. 35. knew Him not for all that. But, He was knowen to them in the breaking of the bread. Her eyes opened by speaking a word: Their eyes opened by the breaking of bread. There is the one and the other way, and so now you haue both. And now you haue them, I pray you make vse of them. (I see I shall not be able to goe further then this verse.)
It were a folly to fall to comparisons, Committere inter se, to set them at oddes togither, these two waies: as the fond fashion now adaies is, whether is better, Prayer or Preaching: The Word, or the Sacraments. What needs this? Seeing we haue both, both are ready for vs; the one now, the other by and by. VVee may end this question, soone. And this is the best and surest way to end it, to esteeme of them both, to thanke Him for both, to make vse of both, hauing now done with one, to make triall of the other. It may be (who knowes) if the one will not worke, the other may. And if by the one or by the other, by either, or by both, it be wrought, [Page 42] what harme haue we? In case it bee not; yet haue we offered to God our serice in both, and committed the successe of both to Him. He will see they shall haue successe, and in His good time (as shalbe expedient for vs) vouchsafe euery one of vs as Hee did Marie Magdalen in the Text, to know Him and the vertue of His Resurrection; Philip. 3. 10. and make vs partakers of both, by both the meanes before remembred, by His blessed Word, by His holy mysteries; the meanes to raise our soules heere, the pledges of the raising vp of our bodies hereafter. Of both which He make vs partakers, who is the Author of both, IESVS CHRIST the Righteous, &c.
LONDON, Printed by ROBERT BARKER, and IOHN BILL, Printers to the Kings most Excellent Maiestie,
M.DC.XX.