A SERMON

PREACHED BEFORE THE

KING'S MAJESTY, AT WHITEHALL,

ON THE TWENTY-SEVENTH OF MARCH, A.D. MDCVIII., BEING EASTER-DAY.

MARK XVI. 1—7.

And when the Sabbath day was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet ointments, that they might come and embalm Him.

Therefore early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre, when the sun was yet rising.

And they said one to another, Who shall roll us away this stone from the door of the sepulchre?

And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away; for it was a very great one.

So they went into the sepulchre, and saw a young man sitting at the right side, clothed in a long white robe; and they were afraid.

But he said unto them, Be not afraid: ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, Which hath been crucified; He is risen, He is not here; Behold the place where they put Him.

But go your way and tell His disciples, and Peter, that He will go before you into Galilee: there shall ye see Him, as He said unto you.

[Et cum transisset Sabbatum, Maria Magdalene, et Maria Jacobi, et Salome emerunt aromata ut venientes ungerent Jesum.

Et valde mane uná sabbatorum, veniunt ad monumentum, orto jam sole.

Et dicebant ad invicem : Quis revolvet nobis lapidem ab ostio monumenti?

Et respicientes viderunt revolutum lapidem. Erat quippe magnus valde.

Et introeuntes in monumentum viderunt juvenem sedentem in dextris, coopertum stola candida, et obstupuerunt.

Qui dicit illis, Nolite expavescere: Jesum quæritis Nazarenum, crucifixum; surrexit, non est hic, ecce locus ubi posuerunt Eum. Sed ite, dicite discipulis Ejus, et Petro quia præcedit vos in Galilæam: ibi Eum videbitis, sicut dixit vobis. Latin Vulg.]

SERM.
III.

The sum.

I.

II.

III.

The division.

[And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him.

And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away; for it was very great.

And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.

And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted. Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, Which was crucified: He is risen, He is not here; behold the place where they laid Him.

But go your way, tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see Him, as He said unto you. Engl. Trans.]

THE sum of this Gospel, is a gospel, that is, a message of good tidings. In a message these three points fall in naturally: I. the parties to whom it is brought; II. the party by whom; III. and the message itself. These three: 1. the parties to whom,-three women, the three Maries. 2. The party by whom,-an Angel. 3. The message itself, the first news of Christ's rising again. These three make the three parts in the text. 1. The women, 2. the Angel, 3. the

message.

Seven verses I have read ye. The first four concern the women, the fifth the Angel, the two last the Angel's message. In the women, we have to consider 1. themselves in the first; 2. their journey in the second and third; and 3. their success in the fourth.

In the Angel, 1. the manner of his appearing, 2. and of their affecting with it.

In the message, the news itself: 1. that Christ "is risen;" 2. that "He is gone before them to Galilee;" 3. that "there they shall see Him;" 4. Peter and all. 5. Then, the Ite et dicite, the commission ad evangelizandum; not to conceal these good news but publish it, these to His Disciples, they to others, and so to us; we to day, and so to the world's end.

1.

The par

three

As the text lieth, the part that first offereth itself, is the parties to whom this message came. Which were three ties to women. Where, finding that women were the first that had whom : notice of Christ's resurrection, we stay. For it may seem women. strange that passing by all men, yea the Apostles themselves, Christ would have His resurrection first of all made known to that sex. Reasons are rendered, of divers diversely. We may be bold to allege that the Angel doth in the text, verse 5. Vos enim quæritis, for they sought Christ. And, Christ "is Heb. 6. 10. not unrighteous to forget the work and labour of their love" that seek Him. Verily there will appear more love and labour in these women, than in men, even the Apostles themselves. At this time, I know not how, men were then become women and did animos gerere muliebres, and women were [M. T. men. Sure the more manly of the twain. The Apostles, off. 1. 18.] they set mured up, all "the doors fast" about them; sought Joh. 20.19. not, went not to the sepulchre. Neither Peter that loved Joh. 21. Him, nor John whom He loved, till these women brought them word. But these women we see were last at His Passion, and first at His Resurrection; stayed longest at that, came soonest to this, even in this respect to be respected. Sure, as it is said of the Law, Vigilantibus et non dormientibus succurrit Lex, so may it no less truly be said of the Gospel. We see it here, it cometh not to sleepers, but to them that are awake, and up and about their business, as these women So that there was a capacity in them to receive this

were.

prerogative.

Cicer.

15. 20.

dalene

Before I leave this part of the parties, I may not omit to Mary Magobserve Mary Magdalene's place and precedence among the first. three. All the Fathers are careful to note it. That she standeth first of them, for it seemeth no good order.

had had seven devils in her, as we find, verse 9. She had Mark 16.9. * had the blemish to be called peccatrix, as one famous and Lu. 7. 37. notorious in that kind. The other were of honest report, and never so stained, yet is she named with them. With them were much, but not only with them, but before them. With them; and that is to shew Christ's resurrection, as well as His death, reacheth to sinners of both sexes; and that, to sinners of note, no less than those that seem not to have greatly gone astray;-but before them too, and that is indeed

III.

SERM. to be noted; that she is the first in the list of women, and St. Peter in that of men. These two, the two chief sinners, either of their sex. Yet they, the two, whose lots came first Col. 1. 12. forth in sorte sanctorum, in partaking this news. And this to shew that chief sinners as these were, if they carry themselves as they did, shall be at no loss by their fall; shall not only be Lu. 15. 22. pardoned but honoured even as he was, like these, with stolâ prima, "the first robe" in all the wardrobe, and stand foremost of all. And it is not without a touch of the former reason, in that the sinner, after his recovery, for the most part seeketh God more fervently, whereas they that have not greatly gone astray, are but even so so; if warm, it is all. And with God it is a rule, plus valet hora fervens quam mensis tepens, an hour of fervour more worth than a month of tepor.' Now such was Mary Magdalene, here and elsewhere vouchsafed therefore 2 Sam. 23. this degree of exaltation, to be "of the first three;" nay, to be the first of the three, that heard first of His rising; yea, as in the ninth verse, that first saw Him risen from the dead. This of the persons.

19.

Their journey:

in, their

love.

And now, because their endeavours were so well liked as and there they were for them counted worthy this so great honour, it falleth next to consider what those were, that we being like prepared may partake the like good hap. So seeking as they, we may find as they did. They were four in number. The first and third in the second, the second in the first, and the last in the third verse. All reduced, as Christ reduced them. in Mary Magdalene, to dilexit multum, 'their great love,' of which these four be four demonstrations; or, if love be an Cant. 2. 4. " ensign" as it is termed Cant. 2., the four colours of it. 1. That they went to the sepulchre ;-love to one dead. 2. That they bought precious odours ;-love that is at charges. 3. That out they went early, before break of day ;—love that will take pains. 4. That for all the stone, still they went on; -love that will wrestle with impediments. The first is constant as to the dead; the second bounteous, as at expense; the third diligent, as up betimes; the last resolute, be the stone never so great. According to which four, are the four denominations of love: 1. Amor, a mor-te, when it surviveth death. 2. When it buyeth dearly, it is charitas; 3. When it sheweth all diligence, it is dilectio; 4. When it goeth per

saxa, when stones cannot stay it, it is zelus, which is specially seen in encountering difficulties. It shall not be amiss to touch them severally; it will serve to touch our love, whether ours be of the same assay.

the dead:

The first riseth out of these words, "They went to the 1. Love to sepulchre ;" and indeed, ex totá substantiâ, 'out of the whole Amor. text.' For, for whom is all this ado, is it not for Christ? But Christ is dead, and buried three days since, and this is now the third day. What then, though He be dead, to their love He liveth still: death may take His body from their eyes, but shall never take His remembrance from their hearts. Herein is love, this is the first colour, saith a great master in that faculty, fortis sicut mors, "love, that death cannot foil," Cant. §. 6. + but continueth to the dead, as if they still were alive. And when I say the dead, I mean not such as the dead hath left behind them, though that be a virtue, and Booz worthily blessed for it that shewed mercy to the living for the dead's Ruth 2. 20. sake; but I mean performing offices of love to the dead himself; to see he have a sepulchre to go to; not so to bury his friend, as he would bury his ass being dead. To see he have one, and not thither to bring him, and there to leave him, and bury him and his memory both in a grave. Such is the world's love. Solomon sheweth it by the lion and the dog. Ecc. 9. 4. All after Christ living, but go to His sepulchre who will, not we. The love that goeth thither, that burieth not the memory of Him that is buried, is love indeed.

that was

The journey to the sepulchre is iter amoris; had it been 2. Love but to lament, as Mary Magdalene to Lazarus:-but then at charges: here is a farther matter, they went to anoint Him. That is Charitas. set for another sign, that they spared for no cost, but bought precious odours wherewith to embalm Him.

Joh.11.31.

1. To go to anoint Christ, is kindly; it is to make Him Christ, that is, " Anointed." That term referreth principally to His Father's anointing, I grant; but what, if we also anoint Him, will He take it in evil part? Clearly not, neither quick, nor dead. Not quick, Luke 7. Mark 14. Not dead; Lu. 7. 46. this place is pregnant, it is the end of their journey to do Mark 14.3. He is well content to be their, and our Anointed, not His Father's only; yea, it is a way to make Him Christum

this.

Q

&c.