as Mary was welcome unto him again, so shalt thou be also welcome, when thou shalt meet with the Lord, and he shall accept well of thee. The Lord enable us to take heed to this, that seeing we must remain absent from our Lord for a time here, we may ever cast us to be well occupied, and walk carefully in that calling that he hath placed us in. And then, when that the Lord of glory shall appear, whom we have served in this life, our souls and bodies shall enjoy the full fruition of his presence in heaven. To whom be glory for evermore. Amen.

THE THIRTY-FIFTH LECTURE.

OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.

MATTH. CHAP. XXVIII.

9. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus also met them, saying, God save you. And they came and took him by the feet, and worshipped him.

10. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go and tell

that they go into Galilee, and there shall ye1 see me.

MARK, CHAP. XVI.

my

brethren

10. And she went and told them that had been with him, who mourned

and wept.

11. And when they heard that he was alive, and had appeared to her,

they believed it not.

BELOVED brethren, these days past we have heard, first, the history of Mary Magdalene, how she returned home, and how she came again to the grave of her Lord, and of her mourning and weeping at the grave, of her looking again into the grave, of the sight of the angels meeting with her, of Christ's words unto her. First, he spake aloof and afar off unto her, "Woman, why weepest thou? Whòm seekest thou?" Then he speaks homely unto her, calling her by her name, and says, "Mary." She answers him, "Rabboni;" as he had named her homely, so she answered him homely. He named her like a master, and she answered him like

1 A mistake for they.

a reverent disciple. He calls her as a shepherd, and she answers him as one of his flock, knowing him by his voice. She offers to embrace him, but he prevents her, and says unto her, "Touch me not, for I am not ascended to my Father." Perceiving her to be over much addicted to his bodily presence, before he will have her touch him, he will have her first to believe in him, and to touch him in glory, by the hand of faith. Then he sends her in commission, "Go to my brethren," so calling his disciples;-a loving style;" tell them of other tidings than ever they have heard yet. They heard of my resurrection, but they believed not; but now I go to the heavens, to my Father, and to your Father; to my God, and to your God." And this is the commission. Mary receiving it, she executes it, and runs to the disciples to tell them; and, as John says, she preaches to them the thing that she had heard of the Lord. Mark says, that when she came to them she found them weeping. This was a weeping time, but shortly after followed a time of joy. This change, of course, ye see in the world; for though thou be wanton and laugh here never so much, yet thou wilt weep soon after. But wilt thou weep and mourn here for a while, when there is matter of mourning, thou shalt laugh and rejoice shortly afterward. Now, when Mary finds the apostles weeping and mourning, she tells them that the Lord is alive. She confirms it that he spake, and says, she saw him with her eyes. But how take the apostles with this commission? They remain faithless for all that she could say; they would not believe her. No, it is a hard matter to believe the article of the resurrection, that a man that is dead can rise again and take life. Flesh and blood will never dite this unto thee, that one that is dead can live again. The women, who were more simple, and not so wise in worldly wit as the apostles were, are more ready to credit the resurrection than the apostles, who were strong, according to the flesh. The resurrection is hard to be believed of any man, but this is sure, the resurrection is hardest to be believed of them who are wisest in this world. No, he that hath this worldly wisdom, he counts these heavenly and spiritual things but folly, "till he be made a fool that

he may be made wise," as the apostle Paul speaks, 1 Corinthians, chap. iii. verse 18. That is, till he renounce this worldly wisdom, he shall never believe these spiritual things.

When I consider the words of Mark, I find many faults in the disciples. They were lying mourning. This was a vain mourning. What cause had they of mourning for him who they thought was dead, but yet was alive, so they had matter of joy, and not of mourning? And from whence proceeded this mourning? First, they were ignorant of the Scriptures, which had foretold" that he should rise again." Then they had forgotten the word which the Lord had spoken unto them, "That he should die, and rise again the third day." Yet there is worse in them than this. The first company of women who told them of Christ's resurrection, they would not believe them. Then the next company comes, neither would they believe them one word. And, last, Mary came, who not only met with the angels, but also with the Lord, and received a commission; and yet they would not believe her, notwithstanding she told them that she had seen him. So there is not only an unbelief, but a stiffness in them. So that if ye will count these faults, their dolour is, first, without comfort; and, secondly, an ignorance of the Scriptures; and, thirdly, a forgetfulness of the word of the Lord; and, last, there is an infidelity, that they would neither believe the women who came from the angels, nor Mary, that came from the Lord, and saw him, and spake with him. So that they are as new to enter to learn, as though they had never seen nor known Christ. Yet there was some good thing in them, for certainly, howbeit the dolour came of ignorance, forgetfulness, and incredulity, yet I am sure of this, that the love which they carried towards Christ caused them to mourn; for if they had not loved him, they had not mourned for him. No, there was none of the high priests that wet their cheeks for his death. So, of necessity, love caused them to mourn for him. And this spunk of love, that was covered and kept down afore, in end it brake out, and burnt through all their imperfections. It is a wonder to see how the Lord will keep in a spunk of grace

under a hundred imperfections. And this should make us to be loath to judge, and to give out sentence; for all the evil that we see in any, it may be that the Lord will let thee see that there was some spunk of grace in that man covered, which spunk will break out in its own time.

Now, I have ended the history of Mary Magdalene, who loved the Lord so well, and so entirely. In the words following, to wit, in the Gospel of Matthew there are two discourses. The first is, of the two companies of women, at their turning home again; as they met with the angels afore, now they meet with the Lord himself. In the next discourse, we have a piece of a history of them that were set to keep the grave, who returned to the scribes and to the high priests with these same tidings, " He is risen again." Now, I shall go through, this day, the first discourse, and piece of history, as God shall give us grace. Then to return to the women. It is said, that as they returned home," the Lord met them ;" but Mary was returned before these women came forth; she had met with Christ, and returned home again.' This company meets with the Lord as they returned homeward. Ye will perhaps ask, what was the cause that he met with Mary Magdalene? No doubt, this was the cause, she loved him best, she loved him above them all, and she had the greatest languor to see him, and she rested never till she had seen him and met with him. What was the cause that these women saw him afore the apostles? No question, their languor to see Jesus was next to Mary. The apostles' languor was last, and, therefore, they got the last sight of him. Now, the lesson is easy. Thou that longest most for the Lord Jesus shalt see him first, with Mary Magdalene. A man will thirst for earthly things, and be disappointed of them; but it is impossible, if thou thirst for Christ, and to see thy Lord, but thou shalt see him. So, "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness; for they shall be

1 The account given by the Commentary is this," While these events" (connected with Mary Magdalene) are occurring, the other women return to the tomb, and while they are leaving it, entirely ignorant of what had befallen Mary, Jesus meets and salutes them."-P. 1075.