If thou hadst remembered God's promise, that his
holy, one should not sec corruption - if thou hadst be-
lieved that his godhead, by remaining with his body,
must have preserved it from perishing - thy faith had
been more worthy of praise, but thy love less worthy
of admiration ; since the more corruptible thou didst
conceive him, the more difficulties thou didst over-
come, and the greater was thy love in being able to
conquer them. But thou wouldst have thought thine
ointments rather hams than helps, if thou hast been
settled in that belief ; and for so heavenly a corse, all
earthly spices would have seemed a disgrace. But if
thou hadst firmly trusted in his resurrection, I should
no longer have wondered at thy constant endeavours
since all hazards in gaining him would have been repaid
with usury, if, lying in thy lap, thou mightst have
seen him revive, and his disfigured and dead body be-
come beautified in thine arms with a divine majesty. -
If thou hadst hoped for so good a fortune to thy tearful
eyes, that they might have been first cleared with the
beams of his desired light, or that his eyes might have
blessed thee with the first fruits of his glorious looks -
if thou hadst imagined any likelihood to have made thy
dying heart happy, by taking in the first gasps of his
living breath, or to have heard the first words of his
pleasing voice : - finally, if thou hadst thought to have
seen his ii\juries turned to honours, the marks of his
sufferings to ornaments of glory, and the depth of his
heaviness to such a height of felicity, whatever thou
hadst done to obtain him had been but too slender a
price for so sovereign a treasure.
What meanest thou, then, O comfort of her life !
to leave so constant a well-wisher so long uncomfort-
ed, and so severely to punish one who so well deserv-
eth pardon ? Dally no longer with so known a love,
which so many trials avouch to be so true ; and since
there is nothing in her that is displeasing to thee, let
her taste the benefit of being only thine. She did not
follow the tide of thy better fortune, to shift sail when
the stream did alter course; she began not to love
thee in thy life, and yet to leave thee after death ;
neither was she such a guest at thy table, as to act the
stranger in thy necessity. She left thee not in the
lowest ebb ; she revolted not in the last extremity. In
thy life, she served thee with her goods ; in thy death,
she departed not from the Cross ; after death, she
came to dwell with thee at thy grave. Why, then,
dost thou not say with Naomi — Blessed be the name of
our Lord, because what courtesy she afforded to the
quick, she hath also continued toward the dead.
Do not, sweet Lord, any longer delay. Behold she
hath attended thee these three days - she hath not what
to eat nor wherewith to foster her famished soul,
unless thou, by discovering thyself to her, dost minister
unto her the true bread, and provide her with the
food that hath in it the taste of all sweetness. If,
therefore, thou wilt not have her to faint on the way,
refresh her with that which her hunger requireth, and
at the same time restore the life of her soul.
But fear not, Mary - thy tears will prevail : they are
too mighty orators to let any suit fail ; and though
they were to plead at the most rigorous bar, yet have
they so persuasive a silence, and so conquering a com-
plaint, that by yielding they overcome, and by en-
treating they command. They can chain the tongues
of all accusers, and soften the rigour of the severest
judge ; yea, they can win the invincible, and bind the
omnipotent. When they seem the most pitiful, they
possess the greatest power ; and.when the most ne-
glected, they are the most victorious. Penitent tears
are sweetened by grace, and rendered more purely
beautiful by returning innocence. It is the dew of
devotion, which the sun of justice draweth up ; and
upon what face soever it falleth| it maketh it amiable
in the eye of God.
Yes these tears have better graced thy looks, than
thy former alluring glances ; they have settled worth-
ier beauties in thy face than all thy artificial adorn-
mentas. Yea, they have quenched the anger of God,
appeased his justice, recovered his mercy, invited his
love, purchased his pardon, and proved the spring of
all thy favours. Thy tears were the procurers of thy
brother's life, the inviters of those angels for thy com-
fort, and the suitors that shall be rewarded with the
first sight of thy revived Saviour. Rewarded they
shall be, but not refrained ; altered in their cause,
but their course continued. In the mean time, raise
up thy fallen hopes, and gather confidence both of thy
speedy comfort, and thy Lord's well-being. - Jesus
saith unto her, Mary, She turning, saith unto him,
Rabboni, that is to say. Master,
O, loving Master ! thou didst only defer her conso-
lation in order to increase it, that the delight of thy
presence might be so much the more welcome, as,
through thy long absence, it was much desired, and
yet with so little hope. Thou wert pleased that for
thee she should expend so many sighs, tears, and
plaints, and didst purposely adjourn the date of her
payment, to requite the length of the delay with a
larger loan of joy. Perchance she knew not her for-
mer happiness till she had been weaned from it; nor
had formed a right estimate of the treasures with which
thy presence had enriched her, till her extreme po-
verty taught her their inestimable worth. But now
thou shewest her, by sweetest experience, that though
she repaid thee with her dearest tears, with her fondest
sighs, and tenderest love, yet small was the price she
bestowed in respect to the value she had received.
She sought thee dead, and imprisoned in the tomb,
and now she findeth thee both alive and at full liberty.
She sought thee enwrapped in a shroud, and now she
findeth thee invested in the robes of glory, and both
the owner and giver of all felicity.
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