Chapter VII
Christ s discovery of himself to the soul, instanced in the example of Christ s manifesting himself to Mary Magdalene, after his resurrection, as a pattern of his like dealings with believing souls, seeking him now after his ascension into heaven.
Jjsus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Eabboni ; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not ; for I
380 OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [PART II. BOOK II. am not yet ascended to my Father ; but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God. JOHN XX. 16, 17.
We are married to an husband risen from the dead (as you have it in express words, Rom. vii. 4) ; there is nothing can be supposed, therefore, more welcome than to hear authentic stories of his deportment and con verse, after his advancement, and so great an alteration, with any that were his familiars before, and espoused to him, as we all are. And in this chap ter, wherein you find his first flight after his being risen again, you have two eminent such instances, the one in his demeanour towards a poor mean woman, and the other towards his apostles, who were as mean crea tures as herself.
It seems to me evident, that the most eminent scope of these stories left to John, after all the rest, to record, is to hold forth this sweet and plea sant disposition of Christ our Lord to such souls as love him, and the ground and intent of this relation is to shew how his spiritual dealings, and all discoveries of himself to poor souls, now he is in heaven, do hold pro portion and analogy with these bodily appearances and converses, accom panied with suitable spiritual impressions unto this woman.
, And as a ground for this, I take in its coherence that promise, John xiv. 21 ; he had promised to his apostles to comfort them personally ; not by his Spirit only, but by his own personal seeing and conversing with them again after his resurrection: ver. 18-20, Yet a little while, ays he, and the world seeth me no more ; for after his resurrection he appeared not to one carnal man, but only to his own ; but you shall see me, and that alive, risen from the dead ; and because I live, you shall live also ; and in that day (as also by my Spirit after my ascension), you shall know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you. Now, lest others in after ages should think that they, being born out of time, are therefore deprived of this privilege of Christ s appearings, such as he made unto the apostles and others in that age upon his resurrection, he adds that promise, ver. 21. So then these his bodily apparitions, with spiritual impressions, as they were to these his disciples, were proofs and pledges of like spiritual manifestations of himself to our faith unto the end of the world.
Obs. 1. That Christ by a strong and strange providence singleth out some special persons, to make them partakers of special privileges and discoveries from himself. And it was a great privilege Christ vouchsafed to this woman, in manifesting himself to her after his resurrection. It gladded his Father s heart to see his Son risen again, as he utters it rejoicingly, Ps. ii. 2, This day have I begotten thee, speaking of the resurrection, as appears from Acts xiii. 33. As Solomon s mother s heart rejoiced at the day of his coronation, so God s heart is glad at the coronation of his Son, of whom Solomon was a type. It must needs also proportionably rejoice the heart of a poor soul, who so dearly loved Christ, to be the first that should see him alive again, and in his new robes and dress ; and that Mary had this first sight of him was not casual, nor fell out indifferently, but elective!}
7 , and as done out of choice by Christ, he had a set design to take and find her alone, and so to honour her more eminently with this discovery, and his providences were answerably strong to accomplish it (as you may observe in the history), that it might appear he intended to put a differing respect upon her from the rest. Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, with other women, had visited his sepulchre,
CHAP. VII.] OF JUSTIFYING FAITH
and after them also Peter and John, Luke xxiv. But still our Lord with holds himself, and comes not out of his invisibility ; and Mary Magda lene herself, for whom this favour was designed, was deprived of the sight of her Lord at present, because they were in her company. But when they were gone home, and Mary stood without at the sepulchre (John xx. 10), and was now severed from the rest, Christ had her alone, and then breaks forth from out of his obscurity ; and that it was a designed favour to her, the Holy Ghost remarks, and puts a note upon it : Mark xvi. 9, that he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
Are there not some of you here present, towards whom in eminent dis coveries of himself, or in some other privileges, God hath held the like course, and hath made a manifest difference between you and others ? He hath shewn thee perhaps more mercy than all thy kindred, or than others of thine own rank, sex, society, and country, wherein thou hast lived. Hast thou not perceived how God hath revealed his secrets to thee a babe, when he hath industriously hid them from the wise and prudent ? Christ thanks God for this on his disciples behalf, Mat. xi. 25, and wilt not thou thank him on thine own behalf ? Kings and prophets have desired to see and hear the things which you see and hear. We should learn to observe and study out such peculiarities of mercies, by considering what God hath done for us comparatively to others.
Another thing to be considered is, Who was this Mary to whom Christ vouchsafed this first discovery of himself ? I insist not on it that she was a woman, to whom Christ revealed himself, in his person, in such a manner as he vouchsafed not to the whole college of apostles ; however they excelled her in the discovery of the deep mysteries of the gospel, which was their glory, 1 Cor. ii. ; yet in the personal discovery or manifestation of the per son of Christ himself, she is preferred before them. I therefore limit it to the revelation of his person, because there is a * Spirit of revelation in the knowledge of him, which consists in personal communion with him ; as wen as there is a way of notional wisdom and prudence vouchsafed to ordi nary Christians, Eph. i. 17, and many a poor soul is therein preferred to the holy, learned ones of the world, the reason of which is evident, because the promise of that manifestation is made to them who love him most, John xiv. 21, which weak ones, women and unnotional souls, often most do, and of this intuitive knowledge such souls are as immediately capable as the learnedest.
But there is another consideration beyond this, upon which the Scrip ture itself hath put the notoriety and greatest observation, and that is this, that she had been the greatest of sinners. We have this from the Holy Ghost himself, who would have us to observe it, and therefore upon this very occurrence he hath recorded it, there where he mentioneth this privi lege, Mark xvi. 9. It is all one as if he had said, he appeared first to Mary, who had been of the highest rank of sinners ; so, then, as her sins hindered her not from being converted to Christ, but he shewed his power therein the more, so they hindered him not from vouchsafing to her the highest and choicest favour of manifesting himself. Take her fellowparallel in this, the apostle Paul : Not only to me the greatest of sinners, he shewed mercy first in my conversion, 1 Tim. i. 13 ; but, after conversion, he had that sight of Christ which exceeded this of Mary Magdalene s, and that of all other apostles. Fore-past sins then hinder not, but other pre dispositions concurring, invite Christ rather to the highest manifestations of himself. Neither doth this hold true only of great sins before conversion,
882 OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [PART II. BOOK II. but after it also, for who shall set the limits to the dispensations of free
7 Magdalene, which drew forth to her this peculiar favour of manifestation from Christ ? You read formerly of her love, Luke vii. 47 ;* but you find her heart here more full of it, even to a running over, than were the hearts of all the grace ? But what was it which was considered in this Mar} rest of the apostles. It was full sea with her when it was a low ebb with the rest, and it was that which took Christ s heart ; do but compare the present springings and beatings of her heart and spirit with those of the apostles. But Mary, says the text, John xx. 11, stood weeping without, &c. ; that but is a note of singular commendation put upon her for her affection, in comparison with the carriage of their spirits ; they, after a little search, carelessly went home, ver. 10, but Mary yet was solicitous, and remained in a weeping posture at the sepulchre. Observe in her all sorts of characters of a prevailing passion of love in the midst of fears, despairs, and unbelief; she stood, she would not go away when they did, and, as she was not discouraged by their example, so all the halberts of the guards about her affrighted her not, she feared no colours, but love made perfect had cast out fear, and had fixed her with an unmoved courage at th grave, and a secret instinct of the Spirit arrested her, that she could not stir out of the circle ; and then she weeps, which shewed that she could not bear the absence of him whom she loved, whereas the rest were gone away with dry eyes ; and as she wept, she stooped down, looking into the sepulchre, though Peter and John had told her, and she herself had seen, that Christ was not there ; yet, for all this, she looks, and looks again, and cannot content herself. It is the nature of vehement love and desire after what we want and value, to look, and search for it where we know it is not ; so violent was her love and desire, that she would not trust her own eyes ; yea, she was so overcome with these affections to her Lord, that though she saw two angels in white, who began to comfort her (ver. 12), yet love and desire after Christ had so transported her, that she minds them not, nor all their comforts ; and out of restlessness and impatience of spirit, that suffered her not to continue in one place or posture long (as is the nature of violent affections), she turns herself back from them, as refusing to be comforted by them, and espied Christ, and thought him to be the gardener, and Christ discovers himself to her, and calls her familiarly by her name : Jesus saith unto her, Mary, ver. 16. Now, I shall make some observa tions concerning Christ s thus discovering -himself to her, and I shall make an analogy between this his bodily appearing in this case to Mary, and his spiritual manifestation unto such souls which seek him.
Obs. 1. That the persons unto whom Christ delights to manifest himself are such who are impetuously and passionately fond of him. They are such who can no way be satisfied but by seeing him, and enjoying com munion with him ; and when Christ stirs such a spirit unto an unconquer able desire after him, he answers it, and corresponds with it. As Jesus
Christ knows what it is to love, so he doth love and value a soul s fondness of himself, and delights in nothing more. And as he knows that without manifestations of his love, the spirit which he hath made would fail before him, Isa. Ivii. 16, so he answerably takes care that to be sure no soul shall die for love of him; it is his own promise, John xiv. 21, and this gives the full reason of this his dealing with Mary. Faith carries it in the point of justification from all other graces, but love carries from all other graces as to Christ s manifestation of himself to the soul ; and Mary, you see, loved much, and there is no reward for such pure quintessential love as is fixed
If the woman there mentioned was indeed Mary Magdalene. ED.
CHAP. VII. j OF JUSTIFYING FAITH
on the person of Christ, but love again manifested, and the enjoyment of his person, nor else will, or indeed can recompense the loving soul.
Obs. 2. That Christ makes early discoveries of himself unto those believers who are vehement in affections and desires after him, when he defers the manifestations of his loveto others, who though holy and having well settled affections, yet have them not so vehement and flaming. For let us but consider the different course which Christ held towards this Mary Magdalene and the other disciples, according to that different temper of spirit which was in her and them. We have two sorts of Christians exemplified in them and her. In the apostles we have an instance of judicious, wise, discreet professors, yet holy, that have true and solid affections to Christ, though not so flaming ; who while they think to live by a solid and rational faith, and content themselves with it, are apt to think any extraordinary assurance, or special manifestation of Christ, to be idle tales, and will not hearken to them ; or if they think there is anything in them, they come (as John and Peter did to the sepulchre) and see the grave-clothes of Christ, and rest in inferior discoveries of graces as signs in themselves which satisfy them, whereas these are but the grave-clothes of Christ, and severed from his person, afford but little hearty comfort ; and they go again about their business, as Peter and John did, and think it a folly to look any further. But others are, as Mary, more affectionate, passionate Christians, that have great impressions made on their wills and affections, they know not how or why, that come to the throne of grace to seek Christ, and have his love from himself manifested, as Mary did, and find little, as she did not at her first coming to the sepulchre, the first time, that look, and look again, and see nothing appear, and yet will not go away. Now though the first sort are loved by Christ, yet he defers his appearing to them all day long, until night, until the evening of their days, as he did to his apostles ; but the other sort of believers, being impatient after him, and lying down at his feet, and not stirring till they are blessed with a sight of him, are favoured with the appearance of him to them in the morning early, as Mary was, for it was early in the morning when this manifestation was made to her, and therefore, perhaps, it not being fully light, she took him for the gardener.
06s. 3. That the time and season of Christ s discovery of himself to the soul is, when it hath run through the use of all means, and ventured diffi culties for it. We see that Christ stayed from manifesting himself to Mary, who loved him so much, till she had been twice at the sepulchre, for she thought that he must be thereabouts, or nowhere, and would not go away, but stayed there, looked in, inquired for him of angels, ay, and of Christ himself too ; but then, after the full use of means, though they in them selves were vain and ineffectual, Christ stays not a jot longer, but unex pectedly appeared, John xx. 14. She had said all her poor soul could say to express affection, and had done her due in the use of all means, and all in vain ; and when Christ had left her to the extremity of mistakes and distresses about what she desired, then, at last he who had stood behind the curtain all that while, and under a disguise, steps out and manifests himself to her. And thus it often falls out (that the analogy may be observed), in the inquisition of poor souls after Christ in their own hearts, and in the mani festation of himself to them. He both useth gradual means in that discovery, and yet all along leaves them to doubts and distress, till himself breaks forth and appears. They would know whether Christ be risen in them, or to them, or not; they run to the ordinances, and first this angel, this minister, then another minister gives them encouragement, and sometimes
384 OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [PART II. BOOK II. reproves them for not believing ; yea, they are bidden to remember the days of old, and God s dealings with them then, and they have promises brought home to their hearts in a seasonable manner, yea, and impressions and suggestions, sometimes in whispers, sometimes in loud testimonies to their hearts in prayer ; but then they go abroad and talk with Christians stronger than themselves, and find them to have such a work upon them which they want, and find them to speak of such discoveries to which they are strangers, and then such and such corruptions break forth and over power them, to think that Christ is stolen out of their hearts (as Mary says here, John xx. 13), and then all which they had received of Christ before seems as idle tales to them, and so they are possessed, as she was, with a fixed imagination, that either he was never in their hearts, but that in all hath been a counterfeit work, or that he hath been driven away by their lusts, or stolen away by Satan ; and yet in the midst of this distress their love works, as Mary s did, and they inquire all over the city for him, as the church in the Canticles, Cant. iii. 1, 2. Then Christ sends angels, ministers, and good friends, one of a thousand, to comfort them ; and they ask why the soul weeps, and tell it that it is in a mistake ; but the soul is so far prepossessed with prejudice, that it turns away from all com fort, as Mary did, and refuseth to be comforted, Ps. Ixxvii. 2 ; then Christ himself begins to appear, though luce dubid, in some more doubtful light, as to Mary here, which yet is truly from himself, in impressions of ravish ing joy, or the like ; but they presently question this too, and discern not Christ in the business, but take him for another, as Mary mistook him for the gardener; they are ready to think, that Satan having stolen Christ from them, endeavours to delude them with false joys, and so they turn away from Christ, as Mary did, John xx. 14-16 ; but when Christ hath drawn out their affections towards himself to the utmost, in this dark way, wherein doubtings are mingled with their faith, which yet doth whet their love and desires after his presence, as it had such an effect on Mary, then at last he breaks forth in discovering himself to them, as Joseph did to his brethren ; and his bowels turning within him, he can hold no longer, but appears as the sun out of a cloud, as Christ risen from the dead indeed, he appears like himself glorious to their souls. He appears to be such indeed as they looked not for. They, like Mary, sought for a dead Christ (as Christ is no other in our imaginations, till we see him to be what he really is, when he thus appears to us), but they find a living, quickening Christ, bringing heaven and glory into their hearts. The reason of this dispensa tion of Christ is, that he may take their hearts the more when he doth appear, and that he may come to them with a greater evidence. Nihil tarn certum, quam quod ex dubio certum ; there is nothing more certain than that whose certainty is cleared out of doubts. And dothing proves more certain when made manifest, than what before was most doubted. And besides, he renders himself doubly welcome, when he comes not only unexpected, but at that time when we have had all our thoughts, desires, and hopes, seemingly baffled and frustrated with mistakes. Though Christ is now risen, and in heaven, yet he deals with us more nostro, in a way suited to our state, after an human way, and plays with us in prcdudiums, discovers himself, and withdraws. He appears first in such a dress as we shall not know him. Thus Moses contrived the discovery of himself, and of his love to his brethren, in such a taking way, and suffered their hearts to be pre pared by all such circumstances, that when he should discover himself, a way might be opened to fill their hearts with a greater joy and astonish ment, he laid a train for their affections, to blow them up at once. I need
not tell you, that man hath such a principle in him, that is apt to be ever taken with such a story, when told, whether it be true or feigned, as relates the congress and meeting of two absent friends, or lovers, who ran through many difficulties and mistakes about each other ere they met. We all find the powerful influence of such relations. Who almost when a child hath not been moved to weep, in reading the story of old Jacob the father, and of Joseph and his brethren, and of his discovery to them ? Christ our elder brother, though in heaven, yet plays with Christians, as those who are under age.* If you would frame a romance, it could not be more full of variety than is this manifestation of Christ to Mary ; thus he dealt with his disciples going to Emmaus, he mingleth himself with their company, talks as a stranger, makes as if he would have gone farther, warms their hearts, breaks bread, and vanisheth. Have there been any such transactions between Christ and thee ? They all have proceeded from the same love and pleasant kindness as these did towards Mary Magdalene, and are of the same kind, and shall be told as largely at the "latter day, as this concerning her is recorded here.
Obs. 4. From the manner of Christ s discovering himself, observe, that nothing can give full joy, or thoroughly settle the heart in believing, and overpower all doubts, till Christ himself comes and manifests himself to the soul. If the vision of angels, and comfort spoken by them, could not have this effect on Mary, what then can do it ? Though they sympathise with us in our distress, and in some cases suggest comforts to us, yet they cannot comfort us without Christ s appearance to our souls.
Obs. 5. When Christ himself comes on purpose to manifest himself, you then need no other witness. What cared Mary Magdalene for angels, or grave-clothes, &e., when she had Christ himself before her ? As you need not light a candle by which to see the sun, so when Christ witnesseth im mediately to our hearts it is enough; as when he swears by himself, there needs no other oath to confirm what he says.
06s. 6. When Christ is pleased to direct one word, it sufficeth. Mary, says he to this woman, and no more, John xx. 16. Thus when Joseph said to his brethren I am Joseph, it was enough. She was before in the depths of distress, and ready to faint away; and one word from that mouth who speaks from heaven not only wipes away all tears, but fetcheth and revives her again. If a soul be never so far shot into despair, one glance of Christ s eye in prayer, and one beam from him, shoots it back again. Be not therefore discouraged in thy deepest desertions, since one word from Christ in a moment will revive thee.
Obs. 7. When he is pleased to appear, and speak to any soul, he doth it as punctually and effectually as if he called it by name. He is the good shepherd who knoweth his sheep by name, and they know his voice, John x. 3, 4. We are the stars in his right hand, Rev. i. 20; and he calleth all the stars by their names, Ps. cxlvii. 4. And well he may ; for as hang ing on the cross our names and the bills of our sins were brought to him, so now he is in heaven, as our high priest, he bears the names of the tribes on his breastplate, and hath our names to present to his Father ; and when he speaks comfort, though he doth not vocally name us, as here he calls Mary, yet he speaks this comfort as punctually as if he named us. Thus m the manifestation of himself unto Moses, Exod. xxxiii. 17, says he, * Thee have I known by name ; i. e., I discover myself to thee as one that speaks to such an one by name. Doth he write any love-letters from * Ludit in humanis divina potentia rebus. VOL. VIII.
38G OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [PART II. BOOK II. heaven to thee ? He punctually directs them to thy heart, as if he had wrote thy name.
Obs. 8. Christ must, when he appears, own us, before we can own him. He begins first, and calls Mary; then she answers, Rabboni, Master. As he loves us first before we love him, so he must manifest himself first before we know him, or rather are known of him.
Thus we have seen Christ s manifestation of himself to Mary Magdalene; let us now consider her carnage and behaviour.
Ver. 16, She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to to say, Master. She calleth him Rabboni, too low a word, and not full enough of reverence for Christ, considering that state he was now in. Thomas afterward riseth higher, and said, My Lord, and my God ; but she here plainly Rabboni, which was the usual title given to those who were teachers among the Jews, and the old name which she used to give Christ before. Ver. 17, Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father. It was a loving familiarity that she was entering into; she would fain have been touching of him, and embracing of his feet, as we read the woman did, Mat. xxviii. 9. The Greek word (here in John xx. 17 translated touch) avrov signifies to hang about one, to cleave to one. It was a loving fi.rniliarity, such as she had used to Lazarus her brother* when risen; she thought to have enjoyed him as a friend, and as a friend on earth, with such a love answerable. It was this same woman that formerly fell at his feet, and washed them with her tears, and wiped them with her hair, and after that poured ointment upon his head ; and she thought that she might use her wonted respect in such a familiarity, which became not that state wherein Christ was now. It is certain that she used no gesture uncomely for a woman to use to a man, her friend, supposed to be in an earthly state, for then she should have had some special reproof for it from Christ ; neither indeed was her spirit at this time capable of any such thing ; but the unmeetness of it lay with respect to the present condition of Christ, which she considered not, and that was, that he being now risen, and so in that state wherein he was changed from an earthly to an heavenly man, 1 Cor. xv. 44, 45, that kind of converse which was once suitable was not so now ; as if a friend should be made a king, embracing or familiar speaking would not be so proper as bowing to him. It was then some familiar converse with him which she desired, such as she was wont to have, proceeding from her love unto him ; and therefore he only saith unto her, * Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father. The truth is (and you shall find it true in expe rience), when souls are admitted into near fellowship with Christ, there is an aptness in them to be too familiar, as here we see Mary was ; and there fore, it is a good lesson that is given to the church in Ps. xlv., who being advanced to be a queen, and to sit at the right hand of Christ her Lord, hath this counsel given her by God, He is thy Lord, worship thou him, ver. 11. The King saith he shall greatly desire thy beauty, and so be familiar with thee ; but withal remember that he is thy Lord : therefore, worship thou him. It is such a familiarity as still must be joined with the greatest observance. Or it may be, this poor woman, being in a kind of amazement, forgot herself, she knew not what she did, even as Peter when he was with Christ transfigured in the mount, the text saith, * He knew not what he said : no more did she now well know what she did. But why did Christ forbid her to touch him ? It is evident that he did suffer men to touch him after his resurrection. He suffered the disciples here in this * Was Mary Magdalene the sister of Lazarus ? ED.
lie shewed them his hands and his feet, and bids Thomas to handle him ; and in Luke likewise, he bids the apostles feel whether a spirit had flesh and bones ; and the women in Mat. xxviii., to whom he did appear, they embraced his feet. What should be the reason, then, that Christ would not ^have this woman to touch him ? Some say the reason was, because Christ was now about to send her upon a message to his disciples, whom he knew were in great need of comfort ; and therefore, though for her to have communion with Christ had been exceeding sweet, yet, saith Christ, do not you stand staying here with me, to shew your love to me as formerly you have done ; do not hang about me, I have other work for you to do : go and comfort those poor souls which are weeping at home ; go, tell my brethren that I am risen again ; as for conversing with me, there will be time enough hereafter for that : chapter, ^
* I am not yet ascended to my Father.
This, indeed, is a very probable and good meaning, and shews that our Lord and Saviour Christ took a great deal of care of his poor brethren, that seeing now he was risen, and had begun to declare it, they likewise should have the news of it, that they might be comforted. But I rather think the reason of the difference to be this, that he permitteth his disciples thus to handle him and touch him, and forbiddeth her to do it, was because that they might be witnesses that he was truly risen again with a true body, and that so they might be fully satisfied of his resurrection ; but now this woman she was already, by this appearance of his, fully satisfied in it, and there fore, as her aim was not to touch him for any such end, so there was no need she should touch him for any such end for which the rest of the apostles did indeed handle him, her aim only being to have some familiarity with him. Therefore, though Christ appeared to his disciples, and suffered him self to be touched by them, yet it was in order to beget faith, it was not in a way of familiarity ; but now that faith that he was risen again being begotten in Mary, he forbids her that familiarity with him that she was entering into. And observe the reason he himself gives
for, saith he, I am not yet ascended to my Father ; the meaning whereof is this, that he forbids her this familiarity in this earthly state wherein she was, and forbids it also to all such. But in that state of the world to come, when he and she, both glorified, should meet, then she should have a full fami
I am not yet ascended, saith he, nor you with me ; but one day we shall meet, though not in bodily embraces, for they profit nothing, yet in bodily substance, and what is answerable and analogical hereunto. And it is as if he had said, When you and I shall be in heaven liarity with him. together, with all my saints and children, you shall have familiarity enough with me ; but now, saith he, this kind of familiarity is not ordained to you, nor is it the time appointed. I am not in a state to be familiar in that way I was before ; but when I am ascended, and when you shall be risen again and ascended, and shall have glorified bodies with me, then we shall be familiar. As one thing is forbidden to her, so to quiet her, another thing is promised ; and it is implied that, when he is ascended, and his children with him, when they shall have bodies taken up thither, and be where he is, John xvii. 24, that then he will be familiar with them. If you mark it, he doth not say, Touch me not, for I am risen ; as if he had only intended to shew that his present state allowed it not, or as if he meant to say, Though you were familiar with me before my death, yet now you must not be so, for I am risen. No ; it is a higher reason : * For, saith he, I am not yet ascended ; which clearly holds this forth, that indeed there is a time after his ascension in which he and his people shall be familiar, when he and they are in heaven together. Stay but till then, saith he ; and in
388 OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [PART II. BOOK II. the mean time, between me and you though there be a spiritual familiarity by faith now I am risen, and shall be when I am ascended, yet this kind of familiarity which you would now have with me, is reserved to the life to come ; and when I am ascended, and so you are with me, then we shall be familiar ; and therefore he addeth afterward, I ascend to my Father and your Father ; we shall all be together one day, and then we shall be familiar.
This I take to be the meaning, and I know not how otherwise to resolve it ; other senses are put upon it, but to me this is most natural and genuine, and indeed most for our comfort. I will strengthen it with one instance, which I have often thought of, to this very purpose, and it is of our Saviour Christ s appearing in his transfiguration, when he carried up James, Peter, and John into the mount, and was transfigured before them. Now all the evangelists have this as a preface to that story, that Christ said, There are some standing here that shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man in his kingdom. So that that transfiguration was a glimpse or an entrance into that glory of his kingdom, which, with his saints and children, he is and shall be possessed of. Now in that kingdom, to shew that fami liarity that shall be between his members and himself, you have Moses and Elias both (one having had his body in heaven afore, and the other, through the power of God, assuming his body, and being risen again) talking and familiarly conversing with him. Thus it will be in the kingdom of heaven ; and this, I say, Christ implies in this speech of his to Mary, * Touch me not, saith he, for I am not yet ascended ; forbear this familiarity with me till we be in heaven together, for then we shall be familiar enough. He meaneth not that there shall be embracing of him, as here she would have done, but metaphorically, that there shall be an intercourse of familiarity between him and his children. It is a parallel phrase of speech with that in Mat. xxvi. 29 (and indeed the one interprets the other), I will not drink of this fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new with you in my Father s kingdom. It is not that Christ will then drink wine, but he metaphorically expresseth the mutual joys which he in and with the saints, and they in and with him, shall have by the spiritual entertainment in heaven. Look, then, what familiarity there is amongst men at table, when they eat and drink together: such a kind of enjoyment, in a familiar way, shall the saints have with Jesus Christ in heaven, whereof there is some earnest here, Kev. iii. 20, as that there is but a metaphorical expression, BO this of touching him here is : then in heaven they shall touch him, that is, they shall be familiar with him. He expresseth it in one place by that familiarity we have one with another at a supper, and in this place by her touching of him, or embracing him. It is certain that much of our happi ness in heaven will lie in a blessed familiarity with Jesus Christ. Christ is a perfect husband, and all other husbands are but shadows of him, and there shall be the utmost familiarity then between us ; not that kind that is between man and wife here, but what transcends it, our bodies shall be made spiritual, 1 Cor. xv., as his also is ; and yet, as bodies earthly are * they two are one flesh, so suited each to other in converse earthly, Christ s spiritual body and ours in an heavenly way ; yet I say that all euch near converses here are but the shadows of it, because it will be transcendently more intimate, for we shall be one spirit with Christ ; therefore, in that 1 Cor. vi., where the apostle saith, that the body is not for forni cation, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body, he addeth, ver. 14, God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power ; that is, God hath appointed the very bodies of the saints (take
them as glorified), for Christ to take pleasure in them, and for them to take pleasure in Christ ; and as he hath suited the eye to beauty here, so he hath suited those spiritual senses there to that glory which is in Christ.
Obs. 1. In the mean time, Christ being now risen and ascended, we may learn this, not to know him after the flesh. Mary here would have been familiar with him in a kind of human familiarity; our Saviour Christ refuseth this, to teach her that though he would one day be thus familiar with her, yet for the present that familiarity she was to have with him was by faith. Henceforth, saith Paul, 2 Cor. v. 16, I know no man after the flesh ; yea, though I have known Christ after the flesh, I know him no more. Though the apostles had the earthly image of Christ in their fancies, yet, when they prayed to him, they did not set before them such a Christ as they had seen, but a spiritual Christ, as glorified, as ascended, as risen again ; and under these considerations did they put forth their faith to him, and unto this doth he call Mary here, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended. If you will have any converse with me by faith, so it is ; as for that familiarity to which we are ordained hereafter, that becometh not us now. So that, indeed, the least knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Christ in a spiritual way by faith, it is worth all the bodily knowledge we can have of him ; though he should appear to us all a thousand times, and be never so much otherwise familiar with us, it were nothing in comparison of that we may have by faith.
Though I have seen Christ after the flesh, saith Paul, which expression of his, I think, may rise to this : though I was enabled, by the eye of my body, to behold him in heaven glorified (for so he did when he was converted, and so wicked men shall see him at latter day), yet that sight I have by the new creature, by faith, is worth more than all the other. That sight that the poorest believer hath of Jesus
Christ by faith, is a higher one than that which Paul had of him by his bodily eyes. It was a means, indeed, of converting Paul, and it may be of the Jews ; but else had not Christ wrought in him a touching of him by faith, a sight of him by faith, and by the new creature, that other would have done him no good, for it will do wicked men no good at latter day. Therefore now, if you will deal with Jesus Christ, you must deal with him by faith, you must touch him that way: there is no other, till such time as you come up to heaven, and be ascended with him; then, indeed, you shall see him face to face, and have familiarity enough with him. Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father ; but go and tell my brethren, &c.
Obs. 2. You see our Lord and Saviour Christ was not only careful to die for us, but to apply comfort to us. You shall read in the story of the evangelists that the disciples were got into a corner, and there they were weeping and mourning. Saith Christ unto Mary, What do you stand staying here with me ? Go your ways, saith he, and tell my brethren ; poor souls, they have need of comfort. Such are his dealings with poor souls now he is in heaven. He seeth such an one weeping and mourning after him. What doth he ? Why, he doth in his providence order such a speech in a sermon : though he doth not tell the preacher so much, yet his Spirit doth secretly guide him. Go, saith he, and tell such a one such a truth as shall comfort his heart. Jesus Christ knows all your distresses, and as he sent Mary to his disciples, so he sendeth a word providentially, either publicly or privately, or he sendeth, indeed, his own Spirit a better messenger than Mary was down into your hearts, to be a messenger of comfort to you, when you go up and down mourning, and want comfort. Ye may see, I say, how careful our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is of
390 OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [PAET II. BOOK II. those that are in distress, in want of him ; how he takes care to have them comforted, therefore he despatcheth away this good woman to his disciples. That is one observation.
Obs. 3. Another observation is this, that for us to be means of perform ing of duty to others, to comfort them, and to bring others to faith and to believing, and to go about errands, and to do businesses that Christ sets us about, is much better in its season than enjoying communion with Christ. The thing is clear from this : Mary, though she had not been thus familiar with Christ, yet what a great deal of happiness would it have been to her soul, what comfort to have but stayed by him a while. No, saith
Christ, I have better work for you to do than this, for certainly he did not send her to her loss. Go, saith he, as fast as you can, and tell my brethren; do that work and business, and refer the other till hereafter. And this was better for her, and she should have a greater reward than to have stayed there to behold him, and personally to have communion with him. To be employed in works for the glory of Christ and good of his churches, when he calleth us thereunto, is more acceptable than private communion with him in prayer, &c. Why ? For we shall have familiarity enough with him in heaven. So he saith here, go and do that work I appoint you, and then fear not familiarity when you and I am ascended. Do you that I send you about, and believe me we will find a time for the other; we will meet in heaven. In the mean time, go and tell these poor souls that are mourning, and saddened for the want of me. This may hearten us in the work of our callings, to do what our hands find to do. Spiritual self must be some times denied to do carnal business. Christ denied glorious self when he left communion with his Father to come into the world, and to work out our salvation in it.
Obs. 4. Another observation from hence is this, that God doth often times use means, very weak means, to reveal the greatest truths to his children, yea, to the greatest of his children. Here is the great point of the resurrection ; yea, here is the great point of the ascension, which was higher than the resurrection. Whom doth he employ to break it first but a poor woman, and employs her to the greatest apostles. It is not ministers only that do always bring forth a truth ; God oftentimes blesseth the meanest in a church to do it. Angels teach the women, they the apostles. He would honour, and he did honour Mary to bring the first news of the resurrection to the apostles ; therefore we should not straiten truths only in respect of persons, but, as the Holy Ghost saith, * a child should lead us, Isaiah xi. 6; I mean in respect of truths. Obs. 5. Again we may note this, that if we do know anything of God and of Christ, if any special thing be told us for the good of others, we ought to tell it, and not to keep it close. So soon as ever Christ had told Mary, Go tell my brethren, saith he.
It is the first time he called them brethren. He called them disciples and apostles when he sent them forth to preach, and when he took his fare well of them to die, he called them friends ; but now he is risen again, he calleth them brethren, not only to fulfil what was plainly foretold of him in Psalm xxii. 3 (which psalm, in the former part of it, is a prophecy of the crucifying of Christ), that as he made use when he was upon the cross of that saying, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Nay, God had in his providence put into the Pharisees mouths to speak the very words that he had foretold in this psalm ; so now, being risen again, he useth that compilation which was prophesied that he should use, I will declare thy name unto my brethren; therefore saith he here, Go tell my
brethren. Not only, I say, for this reason doth he call them brethren, but also hereby the more to break their hearts, for they were guilty of more sin against him now than they had been in all their converse with him. Some of them, namely, Peter, had denied him, and they had all forsaken him, yet when he riseth from the dead, the first word he speaks of them he calleth brethren, thereby to assure them how his heart and mind stood toward them, notwithstanding their sin and unbelief.
Obs. 6. Our Lord and Saviour Christ, in the manifestation of himself to souls, still riseth higher and higher. He had called them servants a long while, and they had called him Master ; when he was to take his leave of them he called them friends ; now he is risen he calleth them brethren, a relation that hath more sweetness, a higher style than any of the former.
The longer you converse with Christ, the longer you live with him, the more sweetness you shall find in him, the more nearer and intimate pas sages of his love, and of the sweetness of his relations you shall find to increase and grow upon you. Hast thou found God sweet in one relation ?
Hast thou found sweetness in such a promise ? He hath some further thing reserved to reveal of himself to thy soul. Hath Christ called thee friend?
Wait but a while, and he will rise higher ; he will call thee brother. You see here, after his resurrection, he speaks more kindly than he did before his death: Go, tell my brethren, saith he; and now being ascended, and in heaven, his expressions are yet more sweet; he professeth himself tobe a husband, and they to be his spouse. The longer thou knowest Christ, the more love thou shalt still find in him ; he will still rise higher, and increase in his expressions.
But what is the message he would have his brethren told ? Tell them, < that I ascend unto my Father, and your Father ; to my God, and saith he, your God.
Here, you see, he doth not only satisfy this poor woman, that he was risen again, but he tells her a greater matter than his resurrection atthe very first word, he breaks open to her the great article of his ascension. When Christ once begins to reveal himself to a soul, he goes still on to reveal greater and greater things. Mary here she would have contented herself with his dead body, she seems to desire no more : Tell me where thou hast laid him, saith she, and I will take him away. Poor woman, she had been unable to have borne away a dead body, but her affections goes beyond her strength, and now she hath not only Christ s body dead, but Christ s body risen ; and not only so, but she hath news of his ascen sion : I ascend, saith he. Still our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will exceed our expectations in the manifestation of himself : you look for him risen, you shall find him ascending, I speak in allusion to the text, he will still be better than you can imagine, he hath still reserves beyond whatever your heart can think : I ascend, saith he. As soon as he was risen, his heart was presently upon ascending into heaven. The truth is, it was his due to have ascended into heaven when he first rose, therefore he speaks in the present
I ascend, I am going thither, though he was to stay a long while, tense, forty days upon earth ; but, I say, as soon as he was risen, his heart was above, it was in heaven, all his mind was upon ascending ; he was held here indeed below, to do that service to his disciples and saints, to teach his apostles the mysteries of his kingdom, and of his resurrection, yet his heart was upon his ascension, so should every soul be. What saith the apostle ? Are ye risen with Christ ? What is the next step ? Heaven.
Ascend, saith he. Do we profess ourselves risen with Christ ? Let us not set our affection on things on the earth, let us ascend to heaven, let us
OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [?AET II. BOOK II. seek those things which are above. Christ was up in his affections sooner than in his body
I ascend, saith he. What is the reason that Christ would have Mary to tell his disciples at the first dash, that as he was risen, so he would ascend, and ascend pre sently, ascend soon ?
This is the reason, among others ; they did dream, and their thoughts ran upon nothing but a temporal kingdom, and such a kind of Messiah as should < restore again the kingdom unto Israel. Nay, the truth is, that even when he was ascending they could not be kept off, but still this ran in their minds, Wilt thou at this time, say they, restore the kingdom unto Israel ? For the apostles, you must know, were ignorant in many things, and though it was necessary that they should know infallibly, yet it was not necessary that they should know all things at all times. John did not know his Revelation a long time after he was an apostle. Now, to break off their thoughts from this carnal conceit, the first news he sends them word of, was, that he was to ascend ; he would not let them lie in an error so long ; how careful is our Lord and Saviour Christ, that as his people should not lie long uncomforted, so that they should not lie long in error ; the very first news, you see, that he sends his disciples, afore he speaks with them himself (to drive that error out of their hearts) is, I ascend, saith he, < I ascend to my Father, and your Father; to my God, and your God. You shall find that Christ, when he had spoken of his ascension before, he usually said, < I go to my Father, and I go to him that sent me, &c. ; so John xv. 6, 10, 28, but now he puts their names in too: I ascend to my Father, and your Father : for still (as I said) he reserves comforts for them. It became Christ, when he was risen from the dead, to speak higher things than he had done before. Now the scope and end principally of it is this, he had told Mary that he was not yet ascended, and that therefore she should forbear her familiarity with him ; ay, but, saith he, know, and tell my disciples too, that I ascend to my Father, and your Father, and therefore where I am you shall be also ; I ascend to heaven, you shall ascend thither too ; for what is the reason that I go to heaven but because my Father is there ? I must go to my Father s house ; why, he is your Father too, and therefore you shall ascend too, and that by virtue of my ascension. We go to heaven by virtue of our sonship, or adoption; there fore saith the apostle, Rom. viii. 17, If sons, then heirs, and heirs of God. Christ doth not say, I ascend to heaven ; no, he speaks higher: I ascend to my God, and to my Father. For God considered as a Father is heaven, and therefore in that Rom. viii. we are said to be heirs of God; not heirs of heaven, for indeed God is heaven.
I ascend to my Father. He shews here the reason why he was risen, and why he did ascend, and so why the saints shall rise and ascend; because God is his Father, and God is their Father. What is the reason that Abraham shall rise one day? Because he is the God of Abraham; so Christ himself argues from that very thing in Mat. xxii. 32. So here he shews them the true ground why he was thus risen, and why he was to ascend; because, saith he, God is my God, and my Father. And he plainly intimates that they shall go to heaven too, and rise again, as he had done ; for what God is to me, saith he, the same he is unto you. Is he my Father? he is your Father too; what the consequent was of his being my God and my Father shall be the consequent of his being your God and your Father. The consequent of his being my God and Father is, that I rose again, and am now going to heaven ; so the consequent of his being your God and your Father shall be, that you shall rise again,
CHAP. VIII.] OF JUSTIFYING FAITH. 393
Go, tell my brethren this, saith he, that I ascend to my God, &c. and go to heaven too. This is clearly the scope of Christ : I might shew here how he is the God of Christ and the Father of Christ, and that in him what he is to Christ he is likewise to us. But I will not stand upon that now.
Obs. 7. Only observe this, that the tenor of the covenant is altered, it was the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and Jacob, and so the God of the Jews ; but now it is the God of Christ, and so our God, because he that Abraham typified out is come. Abraham, with whom the covenant was made, was but a shadow, Christ is the substance. And so I proceed to the 18th verse. Verse 18, Mary Magdalene came, and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. There is little I shall observe out of these words, but only that which before I did.
Mary she goes and doeth her duty, she leaves communion with Christ, and goes to perform that which Christ had enjoined her, as indeed we should.
Though communion with Christ may be sweeter to us, as it is with a child to be with his mother all day, yet it is his duty to go to school all day, and then he shall come home to his mother at night ; so it is our duty to be conversant in our callings, to be doing those things Christ sets us about, and it is more acceptable to God than to have communion with him all day long. You see Mary counts it so here ; she leaves Christ, and goes and tells the disciples what he had spoken to her.