An Homilie of Marye Magdalene declaring her ferueÌ„t loue and zele towards CHRIST written by that famous clerke ORIGENE Newly Translated and Imprinted ANNO DOM. M.D.LXV Prouerbiorum 1. Audiens Sapiens sapientior erit Prouerb 18. Non recipit Stultus verbâ— prudentiae Nisi ea dixeris quae versantur in corde cius This worthye man Origene lyued and taught in the yeare of our Lord 225. The Gospel Iohannis â—0 MARY stoode without at the sepulchre wee pinge And as she wept she bowed herself into the Sepulchre And saw two Angels in white sitting the one at the head and the other at the fete where the body of IES VS had layne And they saide vnto her Woman why weepest thou She sayd vnto them They haue taken away my lorde I knowe not where they haue layd him When she had thus said she turned her selfe backe and saw IESVS standing and knewe not that it was IESVS Iesus saieth vnto her Woman why weepest thou whom sekest thou She supposing that he had ben the gardyner saide vnto him Sir if thou hast born him hence tell me where thou hast laid him I wil take him away IESVS saide vnto her Mary She turned her selfe and said unto him Raboni whiche is to say Maister IESVS saith vnto her Touche me not for I am not yet ascended to my Father but go to my breethern and say vnto them I ascend vnto my father and to youre father and to my GOD your GOD. Marye stoode without at the Sepulchre weeping c. PVRPOSING to speak to your charytable eares at this present solemnitie most derely beloued the godly loue of that blessed woman Mary Magdalene recoursed to my remembrauÌ„ce howe for that she loued our Lorde aboue all thinges folowed hym goynge to his death where his Disciples forsoke him And howe for that she was kyndled with the fire of true loue in her vehement desire wepinge continually departed not frome his sepulcher For Marye as sayeth the Euangelist stode without at the Sepulcher weping We do hear welbeloâ—â—d of Maries standing without at the Sepulchre we heare also how she wepeth let vs if we can consyder the cause of her standyng let vs also se why she wepeth for both of this her staÌ„ding may we take profite and also of her weeping may we be edifyed Loue it was that made her to stand sorowe constrained her so to wepe She stoode lookyng aboute yf perchance she coulde see him whom she loued But wepte therfore bicause whom she sought for she thought was quite taken away wherby her sorow was doubled Fyrste sorowynge for hym being dead and now sorowing for him taken away and of both griefes this laste was the greater for it was without comfort The first cause of her sorowynge was for that she had lost his lyfe but of this sorowe had shee some comfort for that she thought to haue retained hym dead as he was â–ª But yet of this heauynes could she not fynd comfort for that she found not his dead body Thus fearing if that she found not his body the loue of him her Mayster wold sone waxe colde within her breaste by the syghte yet whereof shee hoped shee mighte ware warme againe In deede Mary was com to his sepulchre bringing with her the odours ointmentes whiche she had prepared that as before when hee was alyue shee had annoynted with precious oyntmeÌ„t his fete so now she mought anoynte his whole dead body with oyntmeÌ„t and wyth her spyces embaulme it And lyke as fyrste she had at Luc. 7. his feete shedd her teares and wept bitterly and with her teares watred his feet for the death of her owne soule so now she cometh to water the Sepulcher with teares for the deathe of her Maister But fyndinge not the bodye in the Sepulchre her laboure of anointinge was lost but the sorowe of her waylyng more increased Present he was not to haue her seruice and yet absent he was not to cause her to sorowe Presente he was not whome she would haue embauâ—ed and yet absent he was not to cause her to weepe Therfore the more she wepte the further he was absente Certes Mary bitterly wept for Sorowe was heaped vppon sorowe And two great sorowes she caried in one heart whiche fayne she woulde haue eased with her teares but they coulde not And therefore was wholye plunged in sorowe fainting both in heart and body and what she shold do she knew not for what could this woman do but wepe whiche bothe had dolor intolerable and founde in comforte no remedy In deede Peter and Iohn came with her to the Sepulcher but wheÌ„ they founde not the body they wente foorthwith theyr waye home againe But Mary abode without at the Sepulcher weeping And as one Rom. 4. hoping against hope did yet pet souere in hope Peter and Iohn were afrayd and therfore stode not but Mary feared not bycause she had nothinge lefte her as she thought for whiche shee ought to feare for shee had loste her Maister whome shee loued so singularly that beside him she could loue nothing could hope for nothing she had loste the life of her foule nowe she thought it better to dye than to liue thin king perhappes in her death to haue founde whome in her lyfe she coulde not fynde withoute whom notwithstanding she was not able to lyue Strong as the â—antiâ— 8. Deathe is loue for what more could death do in Marye Shee became as it were without life without sence hauing sence she vsed no sence Seinge she dyd not see hearing shee heard not neither was she where she was for wholy was shee there where her Maister was who notwithstandynge where he was shee knewe not she soughte for him but found him not and therfore coÌ„tinued staÌ„ding at the Tombe and wept altogether lamentable all together miserable O Mary what hope what couÌ„sail what heart was in the which alone didst stande at the Sepulchre when the Disciples were departed Thou camest before them thou returnedst with theÌ„ and after them also there remainedst Why dyddst thou thys wert thou wiser then they Or didst thou loue more then they bycause thou fearedste not as they Truely Mary was nowe wise in nothyng but in louinge and to sorowe for her beloued She had forgot to feare forgot to ioy yea forgot her owne self What shoulde I more say She had forgote all thynges except him whome shee loued aboue al things And which is woÌ„derful shee was so forgetfull that shee knewe not him neither Beleue me if she had knowen hym she had not searched for hym in his Tombe and if she had kept his words still in minde she had not forowed as of one deade but should haue reioyced of him as liuing nor should she haue wept as of one which was takeÌ„ away but she should haue reioyced for that he was risen again For Iesus had forespoken that thus he Luce. 14. should dyc and that he shoulde rise againe the
be shorte I seke not for Angels but him who made me and Angels I seke not angels but the Lorde of my self and of angels They haue take away my soueraigne Lorde him onely will I seeke he alone can comfort me but I caÌ„ not tel where thei haue laid him I looke about if I can see him but I se him not faine I wolde finde the place where he is layed but I fynde it not O wofull Wtoman that I am what shall I do whether shal I go and whether is my beloued gon I sought for him in his Sepulchre and there I found him not I called him but he answered me not wo is me where shal I seeke him where shall I fynd him I will rise truly I will go about I will search in al places I can I will geue no sleepe to myne eyes I will geue no reste to my feete vntil I shall fynde him whome my Soule loueth Wepe ye myne eyes gushe out with teares stynte not walke ye my feete runne about reste not Alas alas whether is my ioye gone where doth my loue hyde him where is my sweete Lorde why hast thou mâ— health forsakeÌ„ me O vnsufferable sorowes O intolerable perplexitie of minde I se troble on euery side what to chuse I know not If I abide next his Tomb yet I finde him not yf I go froÌ„ his Tombe I know not wretch whether to go I know not wherto seeke him To departe from the Tombe is death vnto me to stande at the Tombe is griefe incurable how be it better it is for me to keepe still my Lordes Tombe then to go far from it any further for in goinge further perchaunce at my returne again I shall fynde bothe him takeÌ„ away also his sepulcher destroyed I will stande therefore here will I dye that yet at leste wyse I may be buried nye the sepulchre of my Lorde O how happy shal my body bee if it bee buried nighe vnto my Master O how blessed shall my Soule be whiche passing forth of thys bryckle vessel of my bodie may by and by enter into my Lords glorious Sepulcher My body hath alwaies ben to my soule labour and trauaile my Lords sepulcher shall be vnto me rest and honor Therfore I will not forsake this Sepulcher bycause thus to die it shall be my coÌ„forte and in my death it shall be my reste So longe as I liue I will abide by it when I dye I wil cleaue fast vnto it neither aliue nor dead I wil be seperated from it Alas what a wretched woman I am wherefore did I not then this foresee when I behelde my lorde buryed why did not I stande with him wherefore did I not with trewe attendance keepe the Sepulchre then had I not bewayled his taking away for I had either withstanded them which toke him away or els had gone after them But O woful case I wold haue kepte the lawe and haue let go the Lord of the law I wolde haue obeied the lawe and haue not kept him to whom the lawe it selfe is obediente though with Christe to abyde had not ben to transgresse the lawe but to fulfyl the lawe For the paschal Lambe is not disteined by the deathe of him but is again iterate renewed His corps doth not defile the cleaÌ„e but clenseth the defiled he healeth all suche as touch him and dothe illuminate all suche as come to him But what do I renewe the memory of my sorow I wente I returned I founde the Tombe opened but founde not him I soughte for I will stande therefore I will waite lokinge if happely hee may any where appeare But howe shall I stande alone desolate The Disciples be gone theire waye and haue left me alone weping None do appeare who woulde sorow with me No where doth hee appeare whiche with mee wolde seeke the Maister Here haue appeared Angels but I knowe not for what cause they haue appeared If to comforte me they oughte not then to bee ignorante wherefore I weepe If they bee not ignorante for what I weepe why say they to mee Why wepest thou Do they therefore question with mee to let me from wepinge I beseche them not to swade me to that that they will not counsell mee to that for or els let them kill me What needes mo wordes I will not obey them I will not cease to weepe duringe my lyfe but I finde my lorde But what may I do to finde him whither shall I turne me to whom shall I go of whome shal I inquire of whome shall I aske counsail who shal haue compassioÌ„ on me who shall comfort me who shall Cant. 1â— shew me whom my soul loueth Cant. 2. where he is bestowed where he lieth at noontide where he resteth I beseche you tel him how I pyne with loue and consume with sorowe and that there is no dolor as is my dolor Turne Tren â— againe my beloued turn again Cant 6. my hartes desire and dearling Psalm 50. O amiable O delitable geue againe to me the gladnes of thy comfortable preseÌ„ce Shew me Cant. 2. thy countinaunce let thy voice Psal 90. sounde in mine eares for thy â—0 118. voice is sweete and thy visage is beutiful O my hope confouÌ„d mee not in myne expectation Shew me thy face and it shall suffice my soul While Marye did thus mourn and thus wept as she spak these things She turned her selfe back and sawe Iesus standing and knew not it was Iesus Iesus said vnto her woman why weepest thou Whome seekest thou O thou the desire of her soule why doeste thou aske her why wepeste thou and whome seekeste thou She but a little before with her very eies to the great dolour of her heart beheld the her whole hope to be hanged vpoÌ„ the tree and saieste thou nowe vnto her why wepest thou She the third day beheld thy haÌ„des wherwith she hath ben ofteÌ„ blessed thy feet which she had kissed and whiche she had watered with her teares nailed vpon the crosse thou being her whole sorow saiest vnto her Why wepest thou She beheld the geuiÌ„g vp of her spirit that is to say thy spirite and saiest thou now why wepest thou Yea furdermore she supposeth thy body is stoln away whych she came to anoiÌ„t that by som meaÌ„es she might coÌ„forte her self and saiest thou why wepest thou whome seekest thou Thou well knowest that the alone she seeketh the alone she loueth for that she contemneth all things and sayeste thou What seekeste thou Swete Maister for what purpos I pray that doest thou prouoke this womans spirite for what purpose doeste thou vexe her Soule She wholye dependeth on thee she wholye abydeth in thee All her hope is in the all dispaire in her self She doth so seeke the that seekinge the she can seeke nothinge but the she can minde nothinge but the and therefore perchaunte she doth not know the because she is not in
thee Oure Lorde saith in the gospel If ye Ihon. 〈◊〉 were the children of Abraham ye wolde truly do the workes of Abraham Lo this is a woorke of Abraham do the workes which Abraham did but not with grief 2. Cor. 9. and sorrowe For God loueth a chereful geuer And if ye shal be thus readdy it shal be saied vnto you of God Clyme vp vnto this hygh Land and to the hill which I will shew thee there offerre vnto me thy son And offer thy son not in the deepe places of the earth nor in the vale of wepinge but in the great and high hilles Declare thou then that faith in the Lorde is stronger then any carnal affection For Abraham saith he loued Isaac his son but he preferred the son of God to his owne fleshly loue And so he was found not in the bowels of hys fleshe but in the bowels of Christe that is in the bowels of the word of God of truth and wisedome Abraham saith the text stretched forth his hand to take the sworde and kill his Sonne And the Angel of the lord called vnto him from heauen said Abraham Abraham And he answered Here I am And he said Lay not thy hand vpon the childe neither do any hurt to him For now I know that thou fearest God It is commoÌ„ly out of this place obiected vnto vs how god saith that he knoweth that Abraham did feare him as if he had bene ignorante there of before Wel god which in dede knoweth all thinges before they be done did also know this thinge and was not ignoraunt of it but it is thus writteÌ„ for thy cause for thou haste a faith in God and yet excepte that accomplish the workes of faith except thou obey yea all the hardest commaundements excepte thou offer vp sacrifice and shew plainelye that thou doest not set more by father mother and children theÌ„ by God it shal not be acknoleged that thou fearest God neither shall it bee said of thee F or now I knowe that thou fearest God And besides this wee may here consider that the Angel which is said here to speake these wordes to Abraham in processe afterwarde is euideÌ„tly shewed to be the Lord. Wherevppon I thinke thus that as amonge vs men he was found in his behauiuiour as man so among the Angels â—â—â— 15 â–ª he was fouÌ„d in his behauiour as an Angel And so the Angels in heauen following his exaumple are glad of one Sinner which repentith reioice greatly when men go forward in god lines For these Angels haue as it were the ouersighte of oure soules vnto whom as tutors Gal. 4â— gouernours wee whiles we are yonglinges are committed vntil the time appointed by the father be comme Therefore thei say now concerninge the goinge forward in godlines of euery on of vs that now I knowe that thou fearest the Lord. But for a plainer exaumple hereof Be it so that I purpose in my minde to suffer martirdom yet the angel can not save vnto mee that nowe I knowe that thou fearest the lord for God only knoweth the secret of the mind but if I abide tormeÌ„ts if I boldly publish a good coÌ„fession if I constantly beare what soeuer shall be doone vnto mee then the Angell as comfortinge confirming me may say Now I knowe that thou feareste the Lorde Thus theÌ„ these thinges were spoken to Abraham and hee so was pronounced to feare the lord And why Because he spared not his owne sonne But let vs compare these thinges with the wordes of the Apostle where he saieth Rom. 8. of god which spared not his owne son but did giue him for vs all Beholde here howe God contendeth with men in bountifull liberalitie Abraham offred to god his mortall sonn not yet like to dye God gaue his immort all son for al men to death What shall we say to theis thinges What shall we render to the Lord for all that he hath beslowed vpon vs God the Father hath not spared his owne sonne for vs. And which of you al thin kest thou at any time shall hear this voice of the Angel sayinge vnto you Now I know that thou fearest God bicause thou haste not spared thy son thy daughter thy wife or thou hast not spared thy wealth thy worldly honour and the pompe of the world but hast dispised them all haste couÌ„ted them as dunge that thou mightst gayne Christ but haste solde all and haste geuen it to the poore hast followed the worde of God Which of you thinkest thou shall he are such a voice of the Angel Yea Abraham heard this voice againe the secoÌ„d time and it was said vnto him Because thou hast not spared thy beloued sonne for my sake c And Abraham saith the texte looking back saw with his eyes and beholde A ramme was holden by the â—ornes in the busshes of Sabet I suppose that we haue saied here tofore that Isaac â–ª bare the figure of Christ and yet notwithstandinge this ramm semeth to beare the figure of Christe also But how these two agree vnto Christ bothe Isaac whiche was not slaine and the ramm which was it is expediente to vnderstand Christe is the woorde of God but this worde was made flesh There is theÌ„ in Christ one thing which is from aboue and an other which is taken of the nature of man and the woombe of the virgine Christ theÌ„ suffered his passion but yet in his flesh he suffered death but yet in his flesh whereof this ramme was a figure according to the saing Iohâ— 1. of Iohn Behold the Lambe of God behold him whiche taketh away the sinnes of the worlde But the worde whiche is Christe accordinge to the Spirite did continew in incorruption whose Image this Isaac was So hee is the sacrifice and highe prieste after the spirite For he that offereth the sacrifice to his father accordinge to the flesh the selfe same is offered vpon the aulter of the crosse and lykewise as it is said of him Beholde the Lambe of God Behold him who taketh away the sinnes of the world so is it also saied of him Thou art a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech Therfore this ramme is holden by the hornes in the bushes of Saber And he toke saieth the text the ram and offered him a burnt offeringe for Isaac his sonne And Abraham called the name of that place the lord sayth Here is a broade way of spiritu all vnderstaÌ„ding laied open for all them that ar skilful to hear these thinges For all that bee here done do â—ende to som spirituall vision bicause it is sayed The Lord seeth This vision of the Lord is in spirit that thou also mayst behold these thinges which are written in spirite as in the Lorde there is nothing corporall or grosse so also that thou in all these thinges sauour nothinge corporally or grosly but that thou inwardly in spirite beget to thy selfe a childe which