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 loue is at a losse But Bernard speakes to Christ for her Domine amor quem â—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 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 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 the full ten I promised 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 whoÌ„ 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 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 corps As for His it had more then an hundred pound weight of myrrhe and other odours vpon it 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. Iesus saith to her Mary She turned her selfe said to Him Rabboni that is to say Master NOw magnes amoris amor Nothing so allures so drawes loue to it as doth loue 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 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 Te autem cognoui de nomine Thou hast found grace in my sight and I know thee 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 Rabboni If it had lien in her power to haue raised Him from the 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 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 And that might Marie Magdalen well say Hee shewed it for He quickened her and her Spirits that were as good as dead You thought you should haue come to Christs Resurrection to day and so you doe But not to His alone but euen
in the Text no lesse then ten all arguments of her great loue all as it were a commentarie vpon dilexit multùm And 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 no meruaile but seeke Him as shee sought Him and we shall speed as she sped VER 12. And saw two Angels in white sitting the one at the head the other at the feet where the body of Iesus had lien 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 and Angels in a graue is a strange sight a fight neuer seene before not till Christs 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 Precious the death Glorious the memorie now 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 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 His raiment was all white no Fuller in earth could come neere it And our colour it shall be 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
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 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. 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 euen the Sabbath eternall 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 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 2 May also referre to Mary Magdalen She had annointed his head 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 the Godhead is the head of Christ 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 Euen in His manhood at His cradle the head of it a queere of Angels At His graue the feete of it Angels likewise 4 And lastly for our comfort thus That henceforth euen such shall all our graues be if we be so happy as to haue our parts in the first resurrection 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 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. 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 NOw to their speech 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 teares of griefe but false griefe imagining that to be that was not 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 coÌ„ceit 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 elenâ—h à non causà pro causà makes foule rule among vs beguiles vs all our life long Will ye heare her answere to 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 beene true Any haue cause to grieue that haue lost lost a good Lord so good and gracious a Lord as He had beene to her 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 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 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 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 coÌ„fort 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 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 credidit sublatum 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 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 Another which I take to be farre beyond 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 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 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. When she had thus said she turned her selfe about and saw Iesus standing and knew not that it was Iesus 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 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 saith the Apostle to the Athenians But He is neerer vs many times then we thinke even hard by vs and we not aware of it saith Iob. And O si cognouisses tu O if wee did know and it standeth vs in hand to pray that we may know when He is so for that is the time of our visitation 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 that shee did not know Him but ouer and beside 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 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