Whatsoever thou hearest that moveth delight, pre-
senteth but the loss of thy Master's speeches, which,
as they were the only harmony that thy ears affected,
so,as they are now hushed in deathfuul silence, all other
words and tunes of comfort are to thee but as the Is-
raelitish music on the banks of the rivers of Babylon,
memories of a lost felicity, and proofs of a present
unhappiness. And though love increaseth the conceit
of thy loss, which endeareth the meanest things, and
doubteth the estimate of things which are precious
guilt of their souls. - Perchance some secret disciples
have wrought this exploit, and in spite of the watch
have taken him from hence, with due honour to pre-
serve him in some fitter place. Being, therefore, as
yet uncertain who hath him, the greater probabilities
lie on the better side. Why dost thou call sorrow be-
fore it cometh, which, without calling, cometh but too
fast ? Why dost thou create sorrow, where it is not,
since thou hast true sorrow enough, and imaginary
ones are of no avail ? It is folly to suppose the worst,
when the best may be hoped ; and every mishap bring-
eth grief enough with it, though we do not go first to
neet it wit hour fears. - Quiet, then, thyself, till time
try out the truth ; and it may be, thy fear will prove
greater than thy misfortune.
But I know thy love is little helped with this lesson ;
for the more it loveth, the more it feareth ; and the
more desirous it is to enjoy, the more doubtful it is of
losing. It hath neither measure in its hopes, nor mean
in its fears; hoping the best upon the least surmises,
find fearing the worst upon the weakest grounds. Yet
while it both fears and hopes at one and the same time,
neither does fear withhold hope from the highest at-
tempts, nor hope strengthen fear against the smallest
suspicions : but despite all fears, love's hopes will
mount to the highest pitch and despite all hopes,
love's fears will stoop to the lowest ebb. To bid thee,
therefore hope, is not to forbid thee to fear ; and tho'
it may be for the best that thy Lord is taken from thee,
yet since it may be also for the worst, that will never
content thee. Thou thinkest hope doth enough to
keep thy heart from breaking ; and fear little enough
to force thee to no more than weeping ; since it is
as likely that he hath been taken away upon hatred by
his enemies, as upon love by his friends.
Hitherto, sayst thou, his friends have all failed him,
and his foes prevailed against him ; and therefore,
as they that would not defend him alive, are less
likely to regard him dead, so they that thought one
life too little to take from him, are not unlikely, after
death to wreak new vengeance upon him. And tho'
this doubt were not, yet whosoever hath taken him,
hath wronged me in not acquainting me with it; for
to take away mine without my consent, can neither he
offered without injury, nor suffered without sorrow -
And as for Jesus, he was my Jesus, my Lord, and my
Master : he was mine, because he was given unto me,
and born for me he was the author of my being, and
so my Father ; be was the worker of my well-being,
and therefore my Saviour ; he was the price of my
ransom, and therefore my Redeemer ; he was my Lord
to command me, my Master to instruct me, and my
Pastor to feed me. He was mine, because his love
wa» mine ; and when he gave me his love, he gave me
himself, since love is no gift unless the giver be given
with it : yea, it is no love, unless it be as liberal of
that it is, as of that it hath. In a word, if the food be
mine that I eat 5 the life mine wherewith I live ; or he
mine, all whose life, labours, and death were mine ;
then dare I boldly to say, that Jesus is mine ; for on
his body I feed ; by his love I live ; and for my good,
without any need of his own, hath he lived, laboured,
and died. And therefore though his Disciples, though
the Centurion, though the Angels have taken him, they
have done me wrong, in defrauding me of my right ;
for I never mean to resign my interest in him.
But what if he hath taken himself away, wilt thou
also lay injustice to his charge ? Though he be thine,
yet thine to command, not to obey thy Lord to dis-
pose of thee, and not thee to be disposed : there-
fore, as it is no reason that the servant should be mas-
ter of the master's secrets, so might he remove - and
perchance he hath, without acquainting thee whither ;
revivmg himself by the same power with which he
raised thy dead brother, and fulfilling the words that
he so often uttered concerning his resurrection.
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