416 TO THE READER,
days ; tlioy arc the even and steady walkers. Whereas those that have only a ' form of godUness,' 2 Tim. iii. 5, a sHght tincture — who have only out of novelty and curiosity, or pride and ambition, or other self ends, pro- fessed religion — will prove giddy and unconstant, ' like clouds carried about with every blast,' Eph. iv. 14, and while they promise themselves liberty, be a prey to the net of every fancy and opinion.
To the sound and practical Christian that is not squeesy-stomached,* will the truths in this treatise be grateful. Supposing therefore and desiring, if thou art not, thou mayest be such a one, here is offered to thy con- sideration a divine and heavenly discourse betwixt Christ and Mary, between a soul-burthened sinner and a burthen-removing Saviour.
That thou mayest here see how diligent Mary is to seek, how ready Christ is to be found. Mary hath her heart brimful of sorrow ; Christ comes, as it were, ' leaping over the mountains,' Cant. ii. 8, with comfort and bowels of compassion. Mary was in a strong pang of affection, nay, her affections were wound so high that her expressions seem broken ; and her actions might seem to savour of irregularity, were it not that the excel- lency of the object did warrant the height of her affection, and the com- passion of Christ was large enough, not only to interpret for the best, but also to pardon and cover all her infirmities. The woman was better at her affections than expressions. ' They have taken away my Lord.' She speaks at random, names nobody, whether Jews, or disciples, or soldiers. But see the strength of her faith. She is not ashamed to call him ' Lord,' even in the lowest state of humiliation. Though Christ be reproached, per- secuted, despised, rejected, dead, buried, yet he shall be Mary's Lord. Again, ' I know not where they have laid him.' She dreams of a bodily asporta- tion f and resting of Christ somewhere, and speaks with indignation, as if she looked upon it as an indignity or incivility, nay, of cruelty — Savitum est in cadavera, saritum est in ossa, sfcvitum est in cincres (Cyprian) — of the Roman emperors' cruelty, to remove a dead body («). What was done to Christ, Mary takes it as done to her ; and, good heart, she thinks she hath so much right to him, that he should not be stirred without her knowledge. And ' I know not where,' &c.
Now while Mary is seeking Christ — who is never far absent from a seek- ing soul — he stands at her back. Christ is nearer to us many times than we think of. Sometimes a poor soul wants the sight of comfort more than matter of comfort, and is, like Hagar, weeping for water when the well is hard by. Seeking of Christ is the soul's duty ; but Christ manifesting himself is the soul's comfort. Mary turned herself, and she saw Jesus. Gerson saith, the angels rose up at the presence of Christ, which Mary seeing, made her turn about. | But omitting that conjecture, the original word s-Psfi'sSai is sometimes used for a turning of the face, but most fre- quently for a turning of the whole body. But to put it out of doubt here, it is said cxegetically, Jffrgapjj ii; ra oc/ffw, ' she turned herself back,' The same phrase the Septuagint§ use of Lot's wife looking back (b). Many times Christ hath his face towards us, when we have our backs upon him ; and therefore if thou w'ouldst find Christ, turn thyself to him.
* That is, ' queezy,' ' squeamish,' = rising on the stomach. — G
t That is, 'a carrying away.' Cf. Richardson, sub voce. — G.
X In margin here, ' Ideo conversa est quia angeli assurrexerunt presentise Christi. — Gerson.
§ Ka! s'TTifSXi-^iv 7] yvr/j avrov iig rot, off/ffw; i.e., se domum versus prjeter virum suum qui subsequebatur ipsam. — Junius in anal, in Gen.
TO THE READER. 417
'' Again, Here thou mayest see the true Joseph. He knows Mary when she knows not him, but takes him for the gardener. Christ is always beforehand with us in his grace. He loves us before we love him, and calls us before we call him. Mary travails with desires to find Christ, and Christ is full of yearnings towards her. Like Joseph, he could restrain no longer, and because the general manifestations of Christ wrought little, he calls her by her name, * Mary ;' and she being a sheep of Christ, * knows his voice,' and answers him with a title of dignity, Rabhoni ; that is to say, * My Master.'
We may see here that discoveries of grace are not fruitless. They stir up believers' reverence and obedience. ' Let us sin because grace abounds,' is the devil's application of Christ's doctrine, Rom. vi. 1.
These and several other particulars are with much brevity, spirituality, and perspicuity handled in this treatise, and with that liveliness that they shew they come from one whose own heart savoured what he taught to others. The largest part of this book is spent upon that sweet doctrine, viz., a believers interest in God as a Father, and the comforts that floiv from that sweet relation. The foundation of our relation to God is here handled, and how God is first a Father to Christ, and in him to us. What can be more comfortable in this earthly, interest- shaking, disjointing, confounding age, than to clear up our soul's interest in God ? Tolle meum, et tolle deimi, as he said (c). It were better for me there were no God, than that he should not be my God. This will be thy comfort, that when thou canst not say. My state, my libertj^ my house, my land, my friend, my trade, thou mayest be able to say, * My Father, my God.' . If therefore thou savourest the things of God, this subject will be acceptable and grateful to thee ; and if this treatise may be any ways instrumental for putting thee upon study how to get it, or upon practice how to improve it, or in case thy soul sits in darkness, how to endear and clear thy interest, the publishers shall have much of their aim, and thou wilt have no cause to repent thy cost in buying, or thy pains in reading. We shall add no more than this. Blessed is that man or woman that hath an interest in him who is the Father of Jesus Christ by eternal generation, and of all believers in Christ by adoption and regeneration ; in which inheritance and portion, that thou mayest have a share, shall be the prayer of