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

4. Consider of the several Apparitions of Jesus Christ, especially of those written by the Evangelist John. As,—

1. Muse on His Apparition to Mary Magdalen: Oh the Grief before He appeared! And, Oh the Joys when He appeared!— 1. Before, she apprehended nothing, but that some or other had took away her Lord; these were all the words she uttered before he appeared; They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him; so she told Peter and John: And when Two Angels appeared in White, asking her; Woman, Why weepest thou? she gives the same Answer to them; They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him. A Soul in desertion knows not what to do, but to weep and cry; Oh my Lord is gone! I have lost my Lord, my God, my Jesus, my King! In this Meditation, consider, O my Soul, as if thou hadst been in Mary's Case: Was it not a sad Case, when the Angels of Heaven knew not how to comfort her? Suppose any Son of Consolation had stood by, and had such a one persuaded; O Mary, suppress thy Sadness, refresh thy Heart with this Blessed Vision; thou didst seek but One, and thou hast found Two; a dead Body was thy Errand, and thou hast light on Two alive: Thy Weeping was for a Man, and thy Tears have obtained Angels: Observe them narrowly; the Angels invite thee to a Parley, it may be they had some happy News to tell thee of thy Lord: Remember what they are, and where they sit, and whence they come, and to whom they speak; they are Angels of Peace; neither sent without Cause, nor seen but of Favour; they sit on the Tomb, to show they are no Strangers to thy Loss: They come from Heaven, from whence all happy News descendeth; they speak to thy self, as if they had some special Embassage to deliver unto thee. No, no; these Cordials are in vain; neither Man nor Angel can do her good, or comfort her drooping Soul: Either Christ Himself must come in Presence, or she cries; Miserable Comforters are ye all! Alas! small is the Light that a Star can yield, when the Sun is down: A sorry Exchange it is, to go & gather Crumbs, after the Loss of the Bread of Life. Oh, What can these Angels do? They cannot persuade me that my Master is not lost; for my own Eyes will disprove them: They can less tell me where He may be found; for they themselves would wait upon Him, if they knew but where: I am apt to think, they know not where He is;