Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

2. Whom seekest thou? she seeks Christ, and Christ asks her, Woman, Whom seekest thou? We may wonder at this also; if she seek Christ, Why doth she not know him? or if she know Christ, Why doth she seek him still? O Mary! Is it possible thou hast forgotten Jesus? there is no part in thee but is busy about him, thy eye weeps, thy heart throbs, thy tongue complains, thy body faints, thy soul languisheth, and notwithstanding all this, Hast thou now forgotten him? What, are thy sharp eyes so weak sighted, that they are dazzled with the Sun, and blinded with the Light? O yes! a shower of tears comes betwixt her and him, and she cannot see him, or it may be, Her eyes were holden that she should not know him; ¹or it may be he appeared [Greek or Hebrew] in some other shape, such as resemble the Gardiner; whom she took him for; howsoever it was, ⟨p. 426⟩She saw Jesus standing, but knew not that it was Jesus, and therefore saith Jesus to her, Woman, Why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? There is a double presence of Christ, felt, and not felt; the presence felt, is when Christ is graciously pleased to let us know so much, and this is an heaven upon earth. The presence not felt, is that secret presence, when Christ seems to draw us one way, and to drive another way. So he dealt with the Woman of Canaan, he seemed to drive her away, but at the same time he wrought in her by his Spirit an increase of faith, and by that means drew her to himself. Thus may a soul suppose Christ lost, and seek and weep, and weep and seek, and yet Christ is present.

2. Whom seekest thou? she seeks Christ, and Christ asks her, Woman, Whom seekest thou? We may wonder at this also; if she seek Christ, Why doth she not know him? or if she know Christ, Why doth she seek him still? O Mary! Is it possible thou hast forgotten Jesus? there is no part in thee but is busie about him, thy eye weeps, thy heart throbs, thy tongue complains, thy body faints, thy soul languisheth, and notwithstanding all this, Hast thou now forgotten him? What, are thy sharp eyes so weak sighted, that they are dazled with the Sun, and blinded with the Light? O yes! a shower of tears comes betwixt her and him, and she cannot see him, or it may be, Her eyes were holden that she should not know him; ¹