having espoused the Soul to himself now his love runs out in full streams towards him he loves him above all the rest of the Creatures in some respects above the Angels themselves as standing in a nearer relation to him than they do On the other hand the Souls love is drawn out to Christ and loving him he is espoused to him and being espoused to him he loves him yet more now Christ is laid between his breasts in his most intimate Affections he has the Throne in his heart Cant. 1.13 yea the Soul by degrees comes to be sick of love to him as you have it Cant. 2.5 Stay me with Flagons sayes she comfort me with Apples for I am sick of love to whom to Christ And truly this as one of the Antients hath observed is a sweet sickness a blessed languor Hic amor dulcis hic languor sica vis haec infirmit at sancta Bern. a pleasant love And this love between Christ and his Spouse is a chast love a Virgin love a love that is pitched upon the person of each other Christ loves the person of the Believer and the Believer loves the Person of Christ Of which more in its place V. This Espousal or Marriage-relation between Christ and Believers carries in it a mutual rest and complacency for ever In a Marriage-relation there is great delight and complacency the Parties have or should have each in other especially in the day of Espousals You know how Solomon speaks Rejoyce with the Wife of thy Youth let her be as the loving Hind and pleasant Roe let her Breasts satisfie thee at all times and be thou ravished alwayes with her love Prov. 5.18 19. All noting that joy rest and complacency that that relation carries in it and the Parties have in each other and we read you know of the joy of the Bridegroom as the highest and purest that is found among the Sons of men Non ille aliam velit amitam nec ego amicum alium uterqe alterius actore contentus est Merc in Cant. 2.16 So in this spiritual Espousals between Christ and Believers there is a mutual rest and complacency which they have in each other They are as it were the rest the joy the satisfaction of each other the solace of each others Soul On the one hand Christ rests and rejoyces in the Believer as one would do in the Wife of his Youth This his Spouse is to him as a loving Hind and pleasant Roe and he lives joyfully with her hence she is called his delight and that as being married to him Thou shalt be called Hephzibah Vecaberis Chephziba h. e. ita exornata amaena eris ut volupt as mea in te futura st Glas Gra. Sac. sayes he to her for the Lord delighteth in thee thou shalt be the joy and delight of my Soul Isa 62.4 And again As a young man marryeth a Virgin so shall thy Sons marry thee and as the Bridegroom rejoyceth over the Bride so shall thy God rejoyce over thee vers 5. The sum of all which amounts to this That Christ marrying his People to himself delights in them and rejoyces over them and that with the highest and purest delight and complacency of all others a delight and complacency sutable to the relation The truth is he speaks as if all his delight were in them as if he had forgotten to delight in the Angels or in any of the works of his hands but in them alone My goodness sayes he to the Father extendeth not to thee but to the Saints in whom is all my delight Psalm 16.2 Yea he declares himself ravished with them as his Spouse Cant. 4.9 Thou hast ravished my heart my Sister my Spouse thou hast ravished my heart And he speaks as one ravished indeed Cant. 7.6 How fair and pleasant art thou O Love for delight and Chap. 6. v. 5. he acknowledges himself captivated by her Turn away thine eyes from me for they have overcome me Yea he has declared them to be his Rest Psal 132.14 This is my rest for ever sayes he here will I dwell for I have desired it It 's spoken of Zion as a Type of the Church and Spouse of Christ and his rest in her and indeed they are his Rest his Soul is at rest in them in them is his highest joy Hence that sweet word Zeph. 3.17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty he will rejoyce over thee with joy he will rest in his love upon thee he will joy over thee with singing as much as to say his whole rest solace and delight shall be in thee On the other hand the Believer rests and rejoyces in Christ as in his Head and Husband I sat down under his shadow sayes the Spouse with great delight Cant. 2.3 She did suaviter requiescere as one expresses it sweetly rest and repose her Soul in him Her Soul was at rest and filled with delight great delight she had great springings of joy within her and all this in Christ her Bridegroom in his Person in his Presence in his Protection in the fruits of his Grace and Love And therefore it follows and his Fruit was sweet to my taste as if she should say O with what joy what solace what delight and satisfaction of Soul did I converse with him and feed upon him Thus in these Espousals there is a mutual delight and fatisfaction between Christ and Believers and O how sweet is this this makes this Espousal to relish strongly of Heaven and to set the Soul down even at the Gate thereof Thus I have shewen you what this Espousal or Marriage-relation between Christ and Believers is CHAP. III. In which the way and means of the accomplishment of this Espousal or Marriage-relation between Christ and Believers is enquired into and a general account thereof given HAving seen somewhat of the nature of the Espousal or Marriage-relation between Christ and Believers the next thing to be enquired into is How this Espousal or Relation is made up and accomplished To be sure naturally we are all strangers to it and unacquainted with it being as the Apostle speaks without Christ that is without union with him or any spiritual Relation to him Ephes 2.12 But how then and in what way is it brought about In general it is from Divine Grace the Grace of God in Jesus Christ acting and laying out it self for us and upon us and it is from Divine Grace two wayes or as that Grace carries a double opposition with it First As it stands in opposition to any thing of worth or deservings in us and so it flows from the riches of Divine Grace as its onely Spring and Fountain And secondly as that Grace stands in opposition to any thing of power or ability in us and so it is effected by the Power of Divine Grace as its Principle and Esticient Accordingly take this General in these two Propositions I. This Espousal or
or do not close in with Christ in a Marriage-Union and Relation here Why then should you stand off from him Yea why should not this be the day of espousals between him and you Oh be not shie be not coy to Christ but embrace his love surely his Arms are wide open to receive you his Heart is upon you and his desire is towards you Lift up therefore the everlasting Doors and let this King of Glory in Give up your Names and Souls unto him for ever Some of you are young and have your Affections green and fresh Oh that you would now go with me to sweet Jesus and become his Spouse you cannot love him nor be married to him too soon Oh let him have your hearts before this World hath defiled and debauched them Others of you are older and have outstood the Calls and Offers of Christ long yet loe he once more tenders himself to you Oh now close with him and all will be well yet But for the better succeeding of this Treaty I shall in the managing of it speak to three things 1. I 'le shew you what manner of Husband the Lord Jesus Christ is and how he is qualified to render him desirable in that Relation 2. I 'le shew you what great things he does for all his Spouses 3. I 'le shew you how much his heart is upon a Match with you And now as Abraham's Servant when he was to get a Wife for Isaac Prayed saying O Lord God of my Master Abraham send me good speed this day Gen. 2.12 So would I upon the bended knees of my Soul pray O Lord God the God and Father of my Royal Master Jesus Christ send me good speed this day that I may win through thy Grace a Spouse for him CHAP. VII Which shews what manner of Husband Christ is and how qualified for the endearing of him to Souls and rendering him desirable in a Conjugal-Relation WHat is thy Beloved more than another Beloved that thou dost so charge us So the Daughters of Jerusalem spake unto the Spouse Cant. 5.9 In like manner may some say to me Who or what is this Christ that you do so press us to an espousal with him What is there in him to render him desirable to us Who or what is he Truly I can't tell nor could I had I the tongue of Men and Angels and I am almost afraid to speak of him lest I should darken his Glory instead of displaying it This I am sure of He is as one speaks of him Earths Wonder and Heavens Wonder both and has all that in him and that in infinite eminency and perfection that should render him grateful and desirable to Souls in a Conjugal-Relation Look therefore upon him and view him a little and see if there be any thing you can desire in such a Relation that is wanting in him I 'le lay this more fully before you in these following Particulars 1. Are you for Dignity and Greatness This goes far among men and makes many a Match for this none like Christ none so great so glorious so honourable as he pray view him a little As to his descent He came forth from God viz. by eternal Generation and is the eternal Son of the Eternal Father John 16.28 View him in his Person and there you will see nothing but greatness for he is no other than God-Man and has all the excellencies of both Natures in one Person He is Emmanuel God with us God in our Nature Mat. 1.23 He is God Heb. 1.8 The true God John 5.20 The great God Titus 2.13 The mighty God Isa 9.6 God over all or the most high God Rom. 9.5 God equal with the Father having the same Divine Essence Qui in his Verbis clare assert aeternam Christs divinitatem non videl prorsus caecus est Calv. in â—â—cum and Essential Perfections in him that the Father hath in him Phil. 2.6 He is the brightness of his Fathers Glory and the express Character of his Person one in whom the whole Majesty Luster and Glory of the Father shines forth one on whom the Father has engraven all his eterval Excellencies Heb. 1.3 Some small Beams and Rayes of God's Glory do shine forth in the Saints and Angels Pater totam suam essentiam majestatem filio a se ab aeterno genito intimè quasi insculpserit seipsum in filio quasi effigiârit ut sit substantialis imago ejus Glas Rh. Sac. but in Christ the Fulness Lustre and Brightness of it appears View him in his Office and Relation with the Dignity that even here he is advanced unto He is a King a great King King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 19.6 King of Saints Rev. 15.3 King of Nations Jer. 10.7 King of Glory Psal 24.7 He is the head of all Principalities and Powers and 't is their glory that they have such an Head Col. 2.10 He is the Fellow of the Lord of Hosts Zech. 13.7 He is the first-born of God higher than the Kings of the Earth Psal 89.27 He is set down at Gods own right hand in heavenly places far above all Principalities and Powers and Might and Dominion Ephes 1.20 He is made higher than the Heavens Heb. 7.26 Among all Persons and in all Things whether in Heaven or Earth he has the preheminence Col. 1.18 Such is his greatness that the whole Creation is bound to perform Homage and Worship to him the Angels themselves not excepted Let all the Angels of God worship him says the Father Heb. 1.6 Phil. 2.9 10. God hath highly exalted him and given him a Name above every Name that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in Heaven and things on Earth and things under the Earth i. e. Angels as well as Men must perform worship to him And indeed a refusal so to do would turn Angels into Devils He is to be loved feared believed on obeyed prayed unto praised admired and delighted in by all He is to have equal honour from all with the Father All must honour the Son as they honour the Father Joh. 5.23 What shall I say He has the sovereign Lordship and disposal both of Grace and Glory in his hand The Son quickeneth whom he will John 5.21 He sayes unto one Live and he lives and to another Live and he lives and the rest of the dead live not He has the Keys of Death and Hell Rev. 1.18 He has the Government of the whole World in his hand His Kingdom ruleth over all Psalm 103.19 He is in full possession of a Kingdom over the whole Creation all Judgment being committed to him John 5.22 And O how glorious is he in the whole of it Glorious in his Throne which is at the right hand of God Heb. 1.3 Glorious in his Commission which is all power in Heaven and Earth Matth. 28.18 Glorious in his Scepter which is a Scepter of Righteousness Psal 45.6 Glorious in his Attendants
and shall reign with him for ever Rev. 1.6 In Christe beatam immortalitatem gloriam possidemus Calv. in loc Is he in Heaven in possession of happiness and glory so are they Hence they are said to sit together with him in heavenly places Ephes 2.6 What shall I say his glory is theirs The glory which thou gavest me saith he to his Father I have given them John 17.22 Yea all his divine fulness is theirs and how empty and imperfect soever they are in themselves yet they are perfect and compleat in him and in his fulness Col. 2.9 10. In him dwelleth all the fulness of the God-head bodily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 h. e. Verè perfectissimè immutabiliter non typicè tantum ut in Templo Hierolosolymitane Glas Rh. Sac. bodily that is truly perfectly unchangeably and not typically only as in the Temple of old All the fulness and perfection of the God-head dwelleth truly and perfectly in him Et estis in ipso completi q. d. quod retus Deus in Christo resldet ideo ut ipsum adepti solidam in ipso perfectionem pollideamus Calv. in Col. 2.10 And what then why it follows and ye are compleat in him q.d. You are poor and empty things in your selves but your Head and Husband hath all the fulness of the God-head in him and it is alwayes in him for it dwelleth in him and it is all yours and you do communicate with him in all so far as you are capable of it to compleat you both in Grace and Glory Thus Christ communicates himself unto the Believer and admits him into a participation with him in all he is and hath On the other hand Christ partakes and holds communion with Believers in all they are and have And what is their All truly a poor All in and of themselves they have nothing but sins and sorrows guilt and afflictions Indeed in marrying of them he gives them Gifts Graces Comforts and the like and having given them these he holds communion with them in all their Gifts and Graces their Joys and Comforts are his but I say in and of themselves they have nothing but sorrows and sins and he in a sort holdeth communion with them in both he holds communion with them in their sorrows hence it is said that in all their afflictions he is afflicted Isa 63.9 He looks upon their sorrows as his and their sufferings as his I was an hungry and ye gave me no meat I was thirsty naked imprisoned c. Mat. 25.35 36. And often you know in Scripture their Sufferings and Afflictions are called the Sufferings and Afflictions of Christ And why the Sufferings and Afflictions of Christ not onely because for the most part they suffer for his sake but also because he suffereth and is afflicted in them * Christus nominat suas iniquitates quia sensit in se translata esse peccata omnium nostrsim seque propter haec plecti non aliter ac si ipse se mois tuis omnium hominum scaeleribus polluisset Mol. and with them He communicates with them in their afflictions And as in their sorrows so also in some sort in their sius too Hence he calls their sins as well as their afflictions his Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me Psal 40.12 Which Luther and others understand of Christ speaking of our sins and calling them his Not my Beloved that he doth admit of any the least stain or tincture of sinful defilement upon himself but he so looks upon our sins as his as to take them off from us and looks upon himself responsible to the Fathers justice for them so he was said to be made sin for us * Ipse peccatum non suum sed nostrum nec in se sed in nobis factus est Aug. 2 Cor. 5.21 O what Grace is here I close this head with a great and sweet saying which I have read in one of the Ancients sutable to this purpose †Non sunt inventa aeque dulcia nomina quibus Verbi animaeque dulces adinvicem exprimerentur asfectus quemadmodum sponsus sponsa quippe quibus omnia communia sunt nil proprium nil a se divisum habentibus una utriusque haereditas una domus una mensa unus thorus una etiam caro Bern. Serm. 7. in Cant. The like sweet Names are not to be found by which the sweet Affections of Christ and the Soul are expressed each to other as those of the Bridegroom and the Bride for why all things are common with thent nothing proper having nothing separate and apart each from other they have both one Inheritance one House one Table one Marriage-bed also one flesh The sum is they communicate with each other in all they are and have IV. This Espousal or Marriage-relation between Christ and Believers carries in it strong and ardent Affection In a Marriage-relation there is the dearest strongest and most intimate Affection that is to be found among the Children of Men 'T is a Relation made up of love Love is not only a concomitant of Marriage but it is even a part of it and is essential to it In Marriages Hearts must be joyned as well as Hands or they are not right So here in this Spiritual-espousal or Marriage-relation between Christ and Believers there is a very dear and intimate Affection each to other their hearts are indeed knit and do intimately cleave to one another The Saints sayes one are called the Spouse of Christ Propter amoris magnitudinem because of that great and unparallel'd love that is between them And it is a sweet saying which I have read in one of the Antients to this purpose Christus se sponsum nostrum appellat ut magni tudinem insinuet sui amcru qui tempore non decrescit amicam suam sponsam non uxcrem eo quodillius amer semper novus st Bern. de pass Dom. Christ sayes he calls himself our Bridegroom that he might insinuate the greatness of his love to us which decayes not with time and he calls us his Spouse not his Wife noting that our love to him should be alwayes new alwayes lively and vigorous The truth is no love like that between Christ and his Spouse Christ loves and espouses and the Soul loves and is espoused and both being espoused do love for ever and so this relation is both founded in love and perfected in love 't is both made up and managed with love on all hands Christ sets his love upon the Soul and in that love espouses him to himself and having in this love of his espoused him to himself then he loves him as his Spouse often in the Book of Canticles his Spouse is called his Love as also he on the other hand is called her Beloved and what doth this note but that the whole relation consists mainly in love and that they are most dearly and intimately beloved by each other Christ
Elect as well as others were all gone into captivity sold under sin and Satan in bondage to Death and Hell and Wrath which is the condition of all by Nature and if Christ will have them as his Spouse he must ransom and redeem them from all which accordingly he does he bleeds he dies he gives himself a ransom for them in order to the marrying of them to himself He had indeed a mind to a Spouse among the Children of Men and was in love with them from all eternity as he himself tells us Prov. 8.31 and so in love with them as that he does in effect say unto the Father as Schechem did to Jacob Ask me never so much Dowry and I will give it Why my Son sayes the Father if thou wilt have them and marry them to thy self thou must give thy Blood thy Life for them thou must redeem them from Sin and Death and Hell whereunto they are in bondage which can't be done by less than thy giving thy self a ransom for them all which Christ assents unto and complies with and that with delight freely giving himself for them And oh what Grace is this Oh to give such a price for such a Spouse a price so great for a Spouse so black and unworthy this is glorious Grace indeed V. Christ makes love to them tenders himself unto their embraces and withal wooeth them for their acceptance of him and that with the greatest and most affectionate importunity How much soever it has cost Christ to redeem poor sinners and how great a Dowry soever he has given for them yet they are unwilling to close with him they have no mind no heart Christward and so the Match is not like to be made up unless something further be done therefore after all Christ as one phrases it comes a wooing to them he makes love offering himself to them and earnestly follicites them for their love and acceptance he importunes them and that in such a way as if he were resolved to take no denyal in Ezek. 16.8 we read of a time of love a time that is of Christ's making love to sinners lying in their blood and gore And indeed Christ has his times of love times when he makes love and offers himself with all his Riches and Treasures to poor sinners when his language to them is Behold me behold me Isa 65.1 and look unto me and be ye saved all ye ends of the earth Isa 45.22 Now he comes and tells over the stories of his love to them how much he has done and suffered for them how much his desire is towards them what great things he will bellow upon them and instate them into and all to win and allure them to himself to gain their love and consent to accept of him and to be his in a Marriage Covenant Time was when Christ came and did this himself in person when he stood and cryed If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink John 7.37 Time was when in his own Person he importuned poor sinners from day to day he made love to them time after time as he did you know to Jerusalem Matth. 23.37 for some years together he wooâ—d them and offered himself and his grace to them in his own person and though he does not now come in person yet as David sent his Servants to Abigail to commune with her and to acquaint her with his purpose and desire to take her to Wife 1 Sam. 25.39 so Christ sends us his Servants his Ministers to poor sinners to commune with them and to declare the love and purposes of his heart towards them and to woo them for him yea and as Ambassadors for Christ we do woo poor Souls and as in Christ's stead beseech them to be reconciled to God to give up their Names and Souls to Christ in a Marriage-Covenant 2 Cor. 5.20 And because we can prevail nothing by and of our selves upon the spirits of men in this great Matter Christ over and above sends his own blessed Spirit to woo them and gain upon them making them willing in the day of his power Psal 110.3 And this leads me to the consideration of those other Acts of Grace in this business wherein the Father and Jesus Christ work by the Spirit in us and upon us for the making up of the Match between Christ and us Only by the way let us still see and admire the Grace of Jesus Christ to poor sinners O that he should woo such poor vile Creatures as we are and make love to us Should you see a King a great King wooing a Begger coming now himself in person and then sending his Servants to her to sollicite and importune her love you would look on this to be great Grace but oh this is nothing to the Grace of Christ in condescending to woo such as we are sinners lying in our Blood CHAP. V. Which gives an account of those which I call more near Acts of Grace which the Father and Jesus Christ by the Spirit do put forth in us and upon us for the effecting of the Espousals between Christ and us DIvine Grace has not yet done its work no there are other Acts which it does and must put forth if ever the Marriage be made up between Christ and us and these I call more near because they are wrought in us and upon us and do more immediately conduce to the tying of the Marriage-Knot between Christ and the Soul And as in the former the Father and Jesus Christ wrought more immediately of and by themselves so in these the blessed Spirits influence comes in and his Grace shews its self they in these acting by him and the truth is the Match is all this while but half made but now God comes and by his Spirit working in and upon the Soul carries on and compleats it which he does by these five Acts of Grace I. The Soul is by the Spirit of God divorced from its old Husband the Law and thereby is fitted and prepared for an espousal to Christ Naturally we are all married to another Husband even to the Law and we must be divorced from that or we can never be married and espoused to Christ So much the Apostle clearly holds forth Rom. 7.4 Wherefore my Brethren ye also are become dead to the Law by the Body of Christ that ye should be married to another even to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God Pray mark marryed to another the Law then was their Husband to which they were married and that they must be dead to and divorced from if ever they would be married to Jesus Christ Look sayes he for 't is his own Argument and Allusion in vers 2 and 3 as a Woman can't be the Wife of two Husbands at once but her present Husband must be dead before she can be married to another so neither can a Soul be espoused to these two Husbands
Christ That is nothing can separate us from his love Neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor Things present nor Things to come nor Heighth nor Depth nor any thing else can do it Rom. 8. 35 38 39. And I think sayes an Holy Man his unchangable love hath said unto me I defie thee to break me or change me Oh sirs experienced Souls will tell you how sweet and good and rich Christ's love is They will tell you one sight one taste of it makes Heaven in the Soul that 't is better than Wine Cant. 1.2 And will you reject him and his love too Will you pour contempt upon so much kindness O how justly then will you perish under his wrath He has wrath in him as well as love wrath for Enemies as well as love for his Spouses and his wrath is as hot and terrible as his love is sweet and comfortable yea his love will if rejected by you turn into wrath and no wrath like that that is the result of abused love Oh therefore close close with Christ this day VII Are you for a Person of esteem one that is much valued and beloved An ingenious Soul would desire this and for this none like Christ As there is none so kind and loving as he so there is none so much valued and beloved as he He is beloved by all whose love is worth the having He is highly valued and beloved by all the Saints both in Heaven and Earth the Saints in Heaven they admire and adore him 't is a part of their happiness to love him and delight in him for ever and the Saints on Earth they love and value him above all others whatever he is the dearly Beloved of their Souls How often does the Spouse call him her Beloved and her Well-Beloved And once and again she declares her self sick of love to him she is enamoured on him he is indeed the desire of all Nations Hag. 2.7 That is to say He whom all the faithful in all Nations do love desire and delight in Hence also that of the Apostle to you that believe he is precious 1 Pet. 2.7 The Saints love and value Christ above all their Natural or Creature-Enjoyments above Father and Mother Husband and Wife and Children and Houses and Lands and the like So much is intimated Mat. 10.37 19.29 they love and value him above all their Spiritual Attainments accounting them but Dung for Christ Phil. 3.8 They love and value him above their lives being ready to die for him Acts 21.13 Rev. 12.11 Oh how dear is Christ to Saints He is also highly valued and beloved by all the Holy Angels He is the great object of their Love and Admiration Hence he is said to be seen of Angels that is to be beloved and delighted in by Angels 1 Tim. 3.16 The blessed Angels do see that in Christ which does enamour them on him and fill them with love to him and delight in him yea which does fill them with perpetual admirings and adorings of him Rev. 5.12 Yea which is more than all this He is infinitely valued and beloved by God the Father also The blessed God sees that in Christ that renders him infinitely amiable and desireable in his Eye and to his Soul both as Son and also as Mediator he is even infinitely dear and precious to the Father As he is the Son of God the Son of the Father as the Apostles expression is so is he the Darling and Delight of the Fathers Soul and was so from all eternity so much he himself tells us Prov. 8.30 So he is the infinite and eternal Favorite of the infinite and eternal Father so he is one in essence with the Father and accordingly must be infinitely dear to the Father Hence he is said to be in the Fathers bosom Tilius in sinu Patris est 1. In aeterna generatione 2. In arctissima unitate 3. In ardentissima dilectione 4. In secretissimorum communicatione Glass Rhet. Sac. and as Son he was so from eternity John 1.18 Now the Bosom is the seat of Love and his being in his Fathers Bosom notes that strong ardent intimate love which the Father has for him yea even as Mediator the Father loves him John 3.35 Yea he loves him with a choice a signal and an eminent love with a love of the highest strain the choicest excellency the sweetest influence a love that has a stamp of special glory upon it Hence he is called the Beloved Ephes 1.6 He hath made us accepted in the Beloved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. in Filio sibi gratissimo dilectissimo Zanch. that is in Christ who is most dear to God Hence God calls him his beloved Son This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Mat. 3.17 Filius dilectionis i.e. Filius dilectissimus Daven in loc Yea he is called the Son of his Love he hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son the Greek is the Son of his Love Col. 1.13 Yea the Father proclaims him to be the delight of his Soul Behold saith he my Servant whom I have chosen mine Elect in whom my Soul delighteth Isa 42.1 What shall I say God loves himself infinitely Omnia diligit Deus quae fecit inter ea magis diligit creaturas rationales in illis eas amplius quae sunt membra unigenitisui multo magis ipsum suum unigenitum Aug. and next to himself he loves Christ and delights in him 't is true he loves all the works of his hands as such especially rational Creatures and among them he has a peculiar love for his Saints and the Holy Angels but he loves Christ unspeakably more than all He indeed is first Beloved and most Beloved and best Beloved by him of all others Naturam humanam assumptam a Dei Verbo in Persona Christi Deus plus amat quam omnes Angelos Aqui. God as the School-men observe does love the very flesh or Humane Nature of Christ more than all the Angels In a word he loves him so as that he is even ravished with him and he can't but love all that are in him or related by Covenant to him and that though altogether unlovely in themselves Now Sirs will you not love and embrace this beloved one one that is thus valued and beloved by Saints by Angels and by God the Father And let me say one that is hated and despised by none but Devils and devilish ones Soul if thou reject him whom all the Saints and Angels love admire and adore then never expect to live with them in the fruition of him But reckon upon living with Devils and damned spirits in Hell for ever If thou reject him whom the Father loves and delights in then expect to be rejected both by him and the Father for ever but Soul rather be prevailed with to love him too VIII Are you for Immortality for one that lives for
sying good have you any mind to life and would you have your souls live for ever have you any mind to my Covenant and all the riches and treasures of that then accept of me and my love in whom you shall have all How sweetly do he melt and how tenderly do his Bowels yearn towards them and over them he comes to them not onely with invitations in his Lips but also with tears in his eyes and tender compassions in his heart strongly working towards them now he weeps and then he groans now he drops a sigh and then a tear and all to melt their hard and unbelieving hearts to draw and allure them to himself O Jerusalem Jerusalem says he how often would I have gathered thee Math. 23.37 Repetitis nominis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in dicat amoris commiserationis Pare 9 in Loc. the repetition of the name shews the depth of his love and commiseration towards them And indeed methinks I see how the tender heart of my dear Lord melts and even bleeds over this unbelieving City and in them all unbelieving sinners to whom he offers himself he is melted into tears towards them so you have it Lukt 19.41 42. in Mat. he groans only but in Luke he both Weeps and Groans loe then here is sweet Jesus weeping and groaning here 's the joy of the whole Earth weeping and groaning and that over Jerusalem a bloody City a City embroiled in the blood of his Saints and a City thirsty of his own blood a City full of wickedness full of the contempt of his Gospel his Grace his Salvation How freely and openly does he reveal and offer himself to them The offer Christ makes is not a Limited offer but general and extensive to all nor is it an offer made upon hard and severe terms but upon terms of Grace Love Look unto me and be saved all ye ends of the Earth Isa 45.22 Hot every one that thirsteth come ye to the Waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come buy Wine and Milk without money and without price Isa 55.1 Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest Mat. 11.28 Whoever is a thirst let him come unto me and drink Joh. 7.37 Behold I stand at the door and knock if any Man will hear my voice and open the door I will come in Rev. 3.20 And again Whoever will let him come and take of the Water of Life freely Rev. 22.17 Mark all every one whoever will though never so vile and sinful never so black and deform'd though he has been never so desperate an Enemy to me and my glory Surely were not his heart much in the business he would not thus freely and unlimitedly offer himself How affectionately does he beseech and intreat them The tender trembling Child cannot more affectionately intreat and beseech his offended Father to spare him and be reconciled unto him then Christ does intreat and beseech offending Sinners to be Espoused to him and be made happy by him for ever Now then we are Embassadors for Christ sayes the Apostle as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5.20 Pray mark here is praying and beseeching the Lord of Glory as it were upon his knees to poor Sinners begging them to accept of him and his Love We pray you in Christ's stead h. e. 't is not we but Christ by us that prays and beseeches you O what condescension is this once more How sweetly does he draw and allure them draw me sayes the Spouse and we will run after thee Cant. 1.4 And indeed he does draw and allure Souls and that with admirable sweetness I drew them with Cords of Love with the bands of a man sayes he Hos 11.4 Now he sets his Beauty Riches and Glory before them thereby to draw and allure them anon he drops a little Myrrhe upon the handle of the Lock he gives them some little taste and feeling of his Grace and Love thereby to draw and allure them Now he sweetly insinuates his Love to them he tells them how much his heart is upon them what great things he has done and suffered for them and how that he has no design upon them but to make them happy for ever anon he lets them see how infinitely happy a Marriage-Union and Communion with him would make them he lets in some small glimpses of Heaven and Glory upon them he opens the Treasures of his Covenant and Kingdome to them And all this to draw and allure them to himself and over and above all this he ever and anon comes and as it were takes the Soul aside and by the still voyce of his Spirit makes love to him Come poor Soul says he look upon thy bleeding dying Saviour come see what I have done and see what I have prepared for thee see what Treasures of Life and Love of Grace and Glory there are in me look here is my Love taste and see if it be not better than Wine here is my Bosome make thy Bed in it and see if it be not a warm Bosome Come Soul though thou hast no Love for me yet I have Love for thee and would fain have thee happy for ever why therefore should'st thou stand at such a distance from me Thus he sweetly woos and sollicits them for their Love and acceptance of him Now Soul does he thus woo thee And wilt thou refuse him If so know that the time of Love will not alwayes last yea and the time will come when though thou callest and cryest yet he will not hear let me therefore say to thee as Paul to his Corinthians Receive not the Grace of God in vain for behold now is the accepted time now is the day of Salvation 3. Such is the heart of Christ and so set upon an Espousal with Sinners that he not only thus woos them but also waits long upon them often renews the offers of his Love to them and puts up many horrid affronts and provocations at their hands if at last he may prevail with them Suppose a Man should not only make Love to a Person but he should also wait long upon her in the tenders of his Love and that though he met with many affronts and unkindnesses from her this you would say would argue his heart to be much set upon her and is it not thus with Christ towards poor Sinners O how long does he wait upon them how often does he renew the offers of his Love to them And what affronts indignities and unkindnesses does he bear with at their hands Behold I stand at the door and knock sayes he Rev. 3.20 standing is a waiting posture Christ does not give a call or a knock at the door of the Sinners heart and away no he stands knocking he gives call after call and knock after knock being ever ready to
enter if the Soul will at all open to him so again all the day long have I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and gain-saying People a people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face Isa 65.2 3. Rom. 10.21 Fidem resipiscentiam ces in vitavi Scult in Loc. all the day Ionâ— Christ waits day after day and week after week and moneth after moneth and year after year upon Sinners yea and many affronts and indignities does he put up and pass by from them all the day long have I stretched forth my hands opened the Arms and Bosome of my Love and that to a gain-saying and rebellious People an opposing refusing resisting People a people that provoketh me to my face continnally every day a People that are daily loading me with their sins and provocations a People that will not let me go one day without affronting me and that to my face a People that are every day daring me to damn them O what patience is this So Mat. 23.37 O Jerusalem Jerusalem how often would I have gathered thee and thou wouldest not How often not once or twice or ten times but very often it notes that he waited long upon them and strove long with them and that after many and often repeated affronts and refusals on their part he still tender'd himself and his love to them and thus he deals by Sinners still he tenders himself and his Love to them but they will have none of him he renews his offers and they renew their refusals they spurn at his Love yet he makes love still he tells them what great preparations he has made and how all things are ready and how welcome they shall be to the Marriage-Feast but they make light of all preferring a Worldly interest before him and it Mat. 22. beginning Well however he leaves them not but sends again and calls again notwithstanding all They do in effect tell him they desire neither him nor his Grace that they had rather enjoy their Lusts then his Love they abuse his Grace they despise his corrections they slight his calls they resist his Spirit O what affronts are these And after all this it may be he renews his suit laying himself and his Love at their feet if yet he may win them to him Oh how much must his heart be upon an Espousal with them Soul let it melt thee into Love to him Oh who would withstand such a Lord such a Lover What woo and wait so long too put up such and so many affronts and still make Love Was ever Love like this and patience like this 4. Such is the heart of Christ and so set upon an Espousal with sinners as that he has laid himself under Bonds to receive them and accept of them in case they are willing to be Espoused to him and what greater Discovery of his heart then this Should a young man lay himself under Bonds to Marry such or such a Woman though as yet she hated him and were utterly averse from him you would surely conclude that his heart was much set upon a Match with her and truly this is no more then Christ the Lord of Glory hath done he is become bound to Marry poor Sinners to himself yea though at present they hate him and are altogether averse from him yet in case they shall at last be willing to close with him he is become bound to receive them he is become bound both to the Father to them 1. He is bound to the Father to receive Sinners Espouse them to himself in case they come to him so much is held forth in Jo. 6.27 Labour not for the Meat that perisheth but for that which endures unto Everlasting life which the Son of man shall mark shall give unto you for him hath God the Father Sealed That is God the Father hath ordained and appointed Christ he has laid a Law upon him to give Eternal Life and therefore himself to Sinners coming to him and we may therefore rest assured that he will do it yea Christ looks upon himself as under a law from the Father to do it and therefore Sayes â—h Law is within my heart â—â—al 40.8 thy Law what Law why the Law of his Mediatorship which commands him as to dy for Sinners so to accept of Sinners when they come unto him and surely he that so freely fulfilled it in the one will not be disobedient to it in the other in a word in that Covenant by Divines called the Covenant of Redemption which past between the Father and Jesus Christ from Eternity concerning the Salvation of Sinners Christ became bound to the Father to receive all that should come to him and he will be faithful 2. He is bound to Sinners themselves in the case he has indeed given them his Bond he has given them his promise which is his Bond and a strong one too an invincible obligation and the soul may look on it as such but where is his promise truly the whole Gospel is but as it were one general promise made by him to this purpose but take one for all the rest Jo. 6.36 All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out i.e. I will most assuredly receive him and bestow my self and eternal life upon him and how often has he renewed this Bond of his yea and that it might be Firm and valid to our Faith as well as in it self he hath hereunto added his Seal and that such a Seal as renders it altogether unquestionable for 't is the Seal of his own Blood Hence the Gospel is called the new Testament in his Blood that is Seal'd and ratisied in his Blood Lâ—ke 22.20 And his Blood is caled the Blood of the Covenant because the Covenant and promises thereof are Seal'd with that Blood â—el 9. Latter end Yea more yet if his promise and his Seal be not enough they shall have more for to both these he has added his Oath for their further security in the case Verily verily sayes he he that believeâ—â— on me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation and again verily veâ—il he hour coweth and now is when the Dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that bear shall live Joh 5.24 25. As I live was the form of God's Oath in the oll Testament he there Swears he hath no pleasure in the death of Sinners but had rather they would 〈◊〉 and live Ezek. 33.11 and verily verily is the form of Christs Oath in the new Testament and he there you see Swears that Souls shall live coming to him O faelicâ—s nos quorum causa deus jurat O insidâ—les nos Si juraâ—ti non credanus Tertul. Lib. de paenit O happr we as one of the Antients Cryes out for whose sakes God doth Swear but O unbelieving we if we do not believe him swearing Thus
the travel of his soul â—nd be sarisfied Isa 53.11 'T is a great grief and trouble to Christ that which wounds his very soul when having wooed poor Sinners and time after time made Love to them they notwithstanding are Shy of him and will not close with them in a Marriage-Covenant Hence he complains as he doe Jo. 5.41 You will not come to me that you might have life and Mat. 23.37 O Jerusalem Jerusalem how often would I have gathered thee and thou wouldst not He speaks complainingly as one grieved at heart at their neglects of him yea this was that which made him Weep as he did over Jerusalem â—uks 19.41 42. Behold the joy of the whole Earth weeping And why Because of their refusals of him and his Grace and the woful Destructions that for these refusals were coming upon them Indeed this is what reflects great Dishonour upon his name poures great contempt upon his Grace and is directly contrary to the whole design of his undertakings as mediator and so cannot but be grievous to him So on the contrary when souls come freely in and give up themselves in a Marriage-Relation to him this glads and rejoyces his heart Oh how should this draw souls to him Sinner why may not this day be made the day of the gladness of Christ's heart by being a day of Espousals between him and thee He has seen many a day of grief of heart and trouble of heart because of thy standing out against him and refusing the offers of his Love Oh now let him see one day of joy of heart and gladness of heart by thy closing up with him in a Marriage-Covenant 3. As Christ delights and rejoyces when souls are Espoused to him so being Espoused to him he delights and rejoyces in this Espousal for ever Men Marry such or such and they rejoyce therein at present but their joy does not last 'T is otherwise with Christ he did rejoyce in the thoughts of it from all Eternity he does rejoyce in the being and accomplishment of it here in time and he will rejoyce in the consummation of it in Heaven for ever the truth is his joy is not compleat till the Marriage be compleat nor will his joy ever end till that end which will never be as in its place may be shewn Thus you see a little what Christ's lieart is and how much set upon this Business as well as what manner of Husband he is and what great things he does for all his Espouses and now after all what do you say Art thou for Christ or no Shall the nuptiall go on between him and your souls or shall it not Soul what answer must I give my Lord and Master that sent me to thee 'T is but a little while and he will call both thee and me to an account concerning these things and I must say Lord I woo'd that soul for thee I besought him to be Espoused unto thee and so far as I was able I displayed thy Beauty thy Riches thy Glory before him I opened thine heart to him shewed him thy Love and thy willingness to be Espoused to him hoping that the cords of thy Love would draw him and with my whole strength entreated him to give up himself in a Marriage Covenant to thee Well and what was the Issue Lord thou knowest But soul what answer must I return Must I be put to say Lord I laboured in vain and spent my strength in vain for he made light of all and would have none either of thee or thy Love O put me not to make this Dismal answer rather let me have cause to say Behold I and the Children which God hath given me Behold this soul and that soul and many souls were won over to thee Amen CHAP. X. Which Directs Souls and shews them the way how to Attain unto this sweet and Blessed Espousal with Jesus Christ AN Espousal with Christ what more sweet what more desirable And who that understands himself would not covet it before any thing this World affords no Husband like Christ and no happiness like to an Espousal to him but the question is how we may attain hereunto Truly soul the work is great and 't is the Divine Spirit alone that does and can tie the Marriage-Knot between Christ and thee but he works in this as well as in other cases in and by the use of means and there are several things highly incumbent upon thee and which must be attended by thee as ever thou wouldst attain to an acquaintance with this Blessed Espousal 1. Would'st thou be Espoused to Christ Then labour to be deeply Sensible of thine utter estrangement from him by nature as also of thy woful misery by reason of that estrangement A deep sense of our Estrangement from Christ and of our misery by reason of that estrangement is one good step towards a conjugal-Union and relation to him and without the one we are never like to attain unto the other Labour therefore for this 1. Labour to be deeply sensible of your estrangment from Christ by nature Naturally we are all strangers to Christ strangers to all conjugal-Union Communion with him We know not what any such thing means As 't was with the Ephesians so 't is with us all by nature they were and we are without Christ in the World Eph. 2.12 And not onely without him but also far from him as it followes 13. I may truly say to every natural man and woman in this as Peter did to Simon in another case Acts. 8. â—1 Thou hast neither part nor Lot in this matter Thou knowest not what Union and Communion which this sweet Lord means Yea not onely are we by nature estranged from Christ but moreover we are at Enmity with him and fill'd with hatred and opposition against him we as those mentioned Lu. 19.14 Do hate him and would not have him to reign over us Naturally we are at Enmity with Christ and with every thing that is his with his Person with his Presence with his Spirit with his Kingdome with his Lawes and Ordinances with his Graces with his Righteousness and the like His person is too holy for us his presence too pure his Spirit too convincing his Kingdom to Spiritual his Laws and Ordinances too strict his Graces too bright his Righteousness to opposite to self and so we hate all and are at Enmity with all Yea we are at Enmity with the very way of Life and Salvation by him Touching the Gospel they are Enemies sayes the Apostle which is spoken of the Jews but true of all by nature Rom. 11.28 We would live but not by Christ We would be Saved but not by Christ Thus naturally we are all estranged from him and thus high does our estrangment rise which we must be deeply sensible of if ever we get Union and Communion in a conjugal way with him Therefore work this a little upon your thoughts till you find your heart
approve of him as such See that the desire of your Souls be indeed towards him above all others View him till you fall in love with him yea till you fall sick of love for him and be sure not to rest till you get your Wills sweetly and powerfully determined upon him so determined upon him as to make a free solemn deliberate choice of him passing by all other Lovers and taking him alone into the bosom and embraces of your Faith and Love Now that you may be sure to make a right choice of Christ such a choice of Christ as may make him yours and tie the Marriage Knot between him and you observe herein these five or six great Rules 1. Be sure that you chuse and embrace Christ himself and not somewhat else instead of him 'T is a great and awakening saying which a worthy Divine has Many now sayes he take Christ by guess but be sure that it be he and onely he whom ye embrace his sweet Smell his lovely Voice his fair Face his gracious working in the Soul will soon tell if it be he or no. So say I be sure that it be he many mistake the Object they close with somewhat else instead of Christ at best they chuse Christ's Portion his Benefits his Priviledges his Purchases but not his Person But my advice to you is pitch on nothing short of the Person of Christ then is our Raith beyond all doubt rightly pitch't upon Christ when Christ himself not his Benefits and Priviledges onely are chosen and embraced by us A Marriage if right is between Person and Person not between Person and Portion Person and Estate that being a resulting thing So here in this Spiritual-Marriage Faith does not marry the Soul to the Portion Benefits and Priviledges of Christ but to Christ himself True I don't say first but that true Faith gives the Soul an interest in all the Benefits Priviledges and Purchases of Christ Nor secondly do I say that the Soul may not have an eye to these and a respect to these in his choice of and close with Christ yea usually these are the first thing that Faith has in its eye The first thing the Soul looks at and is taken with when he is drawn to Christ usually is that Peace that Pardon that Righteousness that deliverance from Sin Death and Hell which he sees is found and treasured up in Christ for Souls But though these things be so yet the Soul does and must go higher he must look at and pitch upon the Person of Christ or his Faith is not so right and compleat as it ought to be Alas 't is the Person of Christ that is the great Fountain of all Grace and all Manifestations from God to us and Faith accordingly does close in with his Person The Spouses Faith seems so to do Cant. 5.10 She had her eye upon the personal Beauty and Glory of Christ and accordingly embraced him with her Faith and Love Hence also you have so often those expressions I sought him whom my Soul loved and saw you him whom my Soul loveth Her love and so her Faith was fixt upon Christ himself and thus do you fix your Faith and Love upon him so shall you be sure not to miss of a Conjugal-Union and Communion with him 2. Be sure that you chuse a whole Christ and not a part of him only My meaning is see that you chuse and embrace Christ in all his Offices as a King as well as a Priest as a Lord as well as a Saviour and as in all his Offices so for all those ends and uses for which God has designed him and the Gospel revealed him to us for Holiness as well as Righteousness for Sanctification as well as Justification I need not tell you that Christ is a Lord and King as well as a Saviour and that as such he is revealed and offered in the Gospel to our Faith Him hath God exalted a Prince and Saviour to give repentance unto Israel and remission of sins Acts 5.31 and they that will have him as a Saviour to give them pardon must have him as a Prince to give them repentance And you know Christ's Rest and his Yoke go together in the Gospel-Offer Mat. 11.28 29. Nor need I tell you that God has appointed him and the Gospel reveals him to be our Sanctification as well as our Justification So you have it expresly 1 Cor. 1.30 Accordingly then do we chuse Christ and embrace him aright when we chuse and embrace him under each notion when we chuse and embrace him not as a Saviour only but as a Lord too not onely as a Priest to procure pardon and reconciliation for us but also as a Prince to rule govern and command us not only as our Righteousness to justifie us but as a Fountain of Grace to make us holy and thus true Faith does chuse and embrace him Isa 45.24 Surely shall one say in the Lord have I righteousness and strength Mark Faith chuses Christ not only for Righteousness but for Strength too Righteousness for Justification Strength for Holiness and Sanctification Christ's language to the Soul in the tender of himself is such as this Poor Soul thou art in a dead lost undone condition God is wroth with thee Hell gapes for thee Justice calls aloud for vengeance against thee and there is no hope no help no salvation for thee but in and by me and union with me And loe I am willing to bestow my self with all my fulness upon thee But remember this that I 'le rule and command thee If I be thy Saviour I 'le be thy Lord and King too If thou wilt share in my Redemption thou must be content to bear my Yoke to bow to my Scepter to submit to my Laws and Kingdom Accordingly Faith's answer if right is this Content Lord 't is but fit that he that Saves should rule and reign that he that Redeems should be bowed and submitted to and I do willingly give up my self to thy holy and spiritual Government thy Yoke is easie thy Scepter is Righteouss thy Kingdom is full of Peace and Joy and I desire to come under them I would have thee to make me holy as well as righteous to subdue this rebellious heart of mine and to rule in me by thy pure Spirit as well as to save me by thy perfect obedience O see that thus you chuse and embrace whole Christ else your Faith is not right nor are you like to attain unto a Conjugal-Union and Communion with him 3. Be sure that you chuse Christ singly and alone and not joyn somewhat else with him Some are for compounding with Christ they would joyn somewhat else in Partnership with him but as Christ must not be divided so neither will he be compounded he will be all or nothing at all to Souls and so true Faith closes with him Hence with the new Creature Christ is said to be all and in all Col. 3.11
Union III. Sweet and lasting Communion IV. Strong and ardent Affection V. Mutual rest and complacency for ever I. This Espousal or Marriage-relation between Christ and Believers carries in it free and cordial Donation a giving of themselves each to other In Marriages or Espousals the Parties give themselves each to other the Husband gives himself unto the Wife and the Wife by way of return gives her self unto the Husband they consent to take each other in that relation and accordingly do give up themselves each to other So in this Spiritual Espousal or Marriage-relation between Christ and his People there is a giving of themselves each to other they consent to take each other and accordingly do give up themselves each to other Christ on the one hand gives himself unto the Soul I will be thine sayes he to the Soul thine to love thee thine to save thee thine to make thee happy in me and with me I with all my Riches and Treasures will be fully and for ever thine I will be for thee that is the language of his Espousing Love unto the Soul Hos 3.3 And oh how sweet is this Language What can Christ give to poor Souls like himself In giving himself he gives the best Gift that either Heaven or Earth affords In giving himself he gives Life he gives Peace he gives Grace he gives Righteousness he gives the favour of God he gives Heaven he gives all Oh sweet Gift On the other hand the Soul by way of return gives himself to Christ I will be thine sayes the Soul to Christ I will be for thee and not for another Hence 't is said They gave themselves to the Lord 2 Cor. 8.5 they freely and willingly yeelded up themselves to Christ to be his and his for ever Sweet Jesus such as I am and have I give to thee I am a poor a sorry Gift sayes the Soul infinitely unworthy of thine acceptance my best is too bad my All is too little for thee but seeing 't is thy pleasure to call for and accept of such a Gift at my hands I do with my whole Soul give up my Self my Strength my Time my Talents my All for ever to thee And though the truth is this be a sorry Gift yet you little think how pleasing how grateful it is to Christ and what a value he puts upon it You have the whole of this owned and asserted by the Spouse Cant. 2.16 My Beloved is mine and I am his II. This Espousal or Marriage-relation between Christ and Believers carries in it near and intimate union In Marriage there is a very near union and conjunction between the Parties As they give up themselves each to other so they become one each with other They are no more twain but one flesh Mat. 19.6 So in this Espousal or Marriage-relation between Christ and Believers there is a very near union and conjunction between them they two are made one and thus the Apostle sets forth the Marriage between Christ and them Ephes 5.31 32. For this cause shall a man leave Father and Mother and shall be joyned unto his Wife and they two shall be one flesh This is a great Mystery but I spake concerning Christ and the Church that is I speak of the Marriage-relation which is between Christ and the Church which consists in union Hence also Believers are said to be joyned to the Lord and to be one Spirit with him 1 Cor. 6.17 So that espousing to Christ and being joyned to Christ are all one The truth is herein lies the very soul and substance of this Spiritual Marriage viz. in a spiritual union between Christ and the Believer though Christ and the Soul were two before two that were strangers each to other yet in this Marriage or Espousal they become one and so one as that all the World can never make them two again never dissolve this union * Sponsi sponsae usitatâ at omnium jucun dissâ—â—â Metaphâ—râ unio spiritualis inter Christum â—â— Ecclesiam piamque an mam exprimitur Gles Rhe. sac By this usual but of all others most pleasant Metaphor of a Bridegroom and Bride as a learned Man hath observed is expressed and set forth the Spiritual Vnion that is between Christ and the Church Christ and every Holy Soul And this Union is a full Union an Union between the whole Person of Christ and the whole Person of the Believer the whole Person of Christ is united unto the Believer and the whole Person of the Believer is united unto Christ Neque anima nestra sola cum solâ Christi animâ neque care nostra sola cum solâ Christi carne sed tota cujusque fidelis persona cum totâ Christi personâ conjungitur Zanch. Neither is our Soul alone saith a Learned Man joyned with the Soul of Christ alone nor is our flesh alone joyned with the flesh of Christ alone but the whole Person of every Believer is truly joyned with the whole Person of Christ 1. On the one hand the whole Person of Christ is united to the Believer the Believers union with Christ is neither with the Divine nor Humane Nature considered apart but it is with the whole Person consisting of both Natures and indeed else they could not be said to be united to Christ for neither of the Natures considered apart is Christ We cannot say that the Divine Nature is Christ or that the Humane Nature is Christ but Christ is both the Divine and Humane Nature God-man in one Person Buchan Institut Theol. loc 2. Christ saith a Learned Man is not a Name of either Nature but of the Person consisting of both Natures together with his Office Besides were we united only to one Nature and not to the whole Person of Christ what would our Union avail us Surely it would be vain and ineffectual Were we united to the Humane Nature only and not to the Divine then to be sure our Union must be ineffectual For Christ himself tells us That it is the Spirit which quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing John 6.63 That is as judicious Interpreters expound it the flesh or Humane Nature of Christ considered alone and without the influence of the Divine availeth nothing to Souls as to their spiritual or eternal good Nor indeed can the Humane Nature of Christ without the Divine give Grace or any spiritual good thing On the other hand were we united to the Divine Nature alone and not to the Humane then our Union would be as ineffectual for how full soever the Divine Nature is of Grace and Life in it self yet nothing can thence be derived and communicated to us but by and through the Humanity And indeed as the Humanity profiteth nothing without the Divinity so I may say the Divinity will profit us nothing without the Humanity Hence it is that Christ so often speaks of eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood and withal asserts the necessity thereof in
1st in that he gave him for us he gave him to be incarnate to suffer to bleed to dye to be made sin and a curse for us he gave him as an Offering and a Sacrifice for us and secondly in that he gives him also to us he gives him to be an Head and Husband to us Hence 't is said That he gave him to be Head to the Church and such an Head as has the command and dispose of all things He gave him to be Head over all things to the Church Ephes 1.22 both in the Counsel of his Will from Eternity and also in the Act or Worlt of his Grace here in Time he thus gives Christ to us And O how richly and gloriously doth his Grace shine forth herein In giving Christ to us he gives his best and his dearest for he has nothing better nothing dearer to him than his Christ as afterwards may be shewn Secondly He gives the Soul for a Bride or Spouse to Christ Believers you know are often said to be given by the Father to Jesus Christ My Father which gave them me sayes Christ concerning Believers is greater than all Joh. 10.29 And thine they were and thou gavest them me Joh. 17.6 with many other places which might be mentioned God gives all the Elect to Christ to be his Spouse he gives them to him first in the eternal purpose and counsel of his Grace in the day of everlasting love when God first set his heart upon his chosen onâ—s then gave he them to his Son and will'd their union to him in a Marriage-Covenant and he gives them to him also secondly in the work of Vocation which makes way for the working of Faith in Christ in the Soul Fater hanc 〈…〉 The Father sayes one hath given this Spouse to his Son speaking of his Church and joyns her to him by his Spirit And my Beloved without this Act of Grace put forth by God towards us the Match would never be made between Christ and any poor Soul for this indeed is that which brings the Soul to Christ So much Christ himself tells us John 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me Mark 't is the Fathers giving us to Christ that brings us to him and were we not by the Father given to him we should never come to him by believing and if we never came to him by believing there could never be a Marriage-union and relation between him and us III. Christ readily approves and accepts of the Fathers Gift being willing yea longingly desirous to espouse them unto himself whom his Father gives him in order thereunto In the making up of a Marriage 't is not enough that the Father gives such or such an one to his Son and his Son to her but there must also be the consent of the Son he must approve and accept of the Fathers Gift and so does Christ here he approves and accepts of the Fathers Gift the Father wills his taking such and such poor sinners to Wife and accordingly gives him to them and them to him and the Will of Christ falls in with and is conformed to the Will of the Father herein and so the Match goes on this you have clearly held forth John 6.37 All that the Father hath given me cometh unto me and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out Mark Here are among others two things 1. Here is the Fathers giving of poor sinners to Christ and therein his will and consent that they should be espoused to him that in these words All that the Father hath given me 2. Here is Christs approbation and acceptation of this Gist of the Father with his will and consent to espouse them to himself that in these words And him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out that is I will assuredly receive him and accept of him I will take him into a conjugal union and relation to my self Christ here plainly declares his acceptance of the Father's Gift giving poor sinners to him to be his Spouses 'T is a great Saying and sutable to this I am speaking which I have read in a great Divine Praecedit aeterna Dei voluntas Christus vero sponus non potest non velle quod vult Pater ideo nos â—ccipit ut sponsam suam The eternal will and good pleasure of God precedes sayes he but Christ the Bridegroom cannot but will the same thing which the Father wills his Will is conformed to the Fathers and therefore does he accept us as his Spouse In a word in this Act of Grace Christ's Language is such as this Father dost thou give such and such poor sinners to me and is it thy Will that they should be espoused to me Content I do freely accept of them and am willing to espouse them to my self for ever 't is true they are poor worthless Creatures altogether unsutable to my dignity and greatness but Father they are thy Gift and I accept of them as such true there is no beauty in them that I should desire them but they are thy Gift and I will marry them and make them beautiful and Oh what Grace is this IV. The Lord Jesus Christ not onely approves and accepts of the Fathers Gift but moreover he redeems them thus given to him with the price of his own Blood he ransoms them from Sin and Death and Hell whereunto in themselves they were all in bondage which also necessarily concurs to the accomplishment of the espousal between him and them 'T is observed by some that in the Eastern Countries it was the manner for men to buy their Wives and indeed so much seems to be intimated in that Message of Saul to David 1 Sam. 18.25 where when he would perswade David to marry his Daughter in pretence at least he sends him word that he desired not any Dowry but so and so It seems then that it was usual to expect a Dowry The same also appears by the practice of Shechem Gen. 34.11 12. where being in love with Dinah Jacobs Daughter he profered to give a Dowry for her Give me sayes he but thy Damosel to Wife and ask me never so much Dowry and Gift and I will give it thee To be sure so 't is here Christ buyes all his Spouses and gives a vast Gift for them Christ indeed is in love with poor sinners given him by the Father and desires to marry them to himself but he must buy them if he means to have them and buy them he does and at a dear rate he gives a great Dowry for them even his Life his Blood his Glory and all for a time Hence he is said to give himself for us Ephes 5.25 and to purchase us by his Blood Acts 20.28 Hâ—nâ—e we are said to be bought by him with a price with a great price a price of inestimable value even his own most precious Blood 1 Cor. 6.20 The case lies thus the
at once the Law and Christ but he must be dead to or divorced from the one e're ho can be married to the other Observe ye are dead to the Law What is it to be dead to the Law or divorced from the Law To be dead to the Law is to have no hope no expectation of Life and Righteousness by the Law 't is to be sensible that the Law cannot save us yea there is more in it than so To be dead to the Law is to see our selves dead by the Law 't is to see our selves lost and condemned by the Law for sin as the transgression thereof and thus we must all be dead to the Law or divorced from the Law or we cannot be married to Christ Now this the Spirit of God effects by a work of the Law upon the Conscience He divorces the Soul from the Law by the Law i. e. by bringing home the Law to the Conscience This the Apostle felt in his own Soul I through the Law sayes he that is the Spirit of God bringing home the Law to my Conscience am dead to the Law Gal. 2.19 So again Rom. 7.9 I was alive without the Law once but when the Commandment came sin revived and I dyed I was alive without the Law once that is I thought my self to be alive I apprehended my state to be good and happy but this was without the Law i. e. before the Spirit of God by the ministry of the Law convinced me of my sin and misery therefore it follows when the Commandment came sin revived and I dyed i. e. when the Law came in its convincing power through the Spirit upon my Soul then I saw my sinful dead and miserable state thus was he himself divorced from the Law that he might be married to Christ the sum is this the Spirit of God comes and shews the Soul the strictness and holiness the purity and spirituality of the Law and makes him sensible how large the Duty is that it requires how impossible it is for him to keep it and how many wayes he has broken it he withal lets him see the dreadfulness of that curse and condemnation it has justly laid him under for the breach thereof and thus he is divorced from it and this is all one with the Spirits convincing us of sin and our lost and miserable condition by reason thereof which is you know his first work in order to Faith and so to our espousing to Christ John 16.8 Thus by the Spirit of God the Soul is divorced from the Law he is taken off from all expectations of life and happiness by that and is made to see his own sinfulness and so his infinite need of Christ whereby he is fitted for this other and better Husband II. The Soul being thus divorced from the Law and so fitted and prepared for Christ then the Spirit of God reveals and offers the Lord Jesus Christ in the promise of the Gospel as a better Husband to him Now the blessed Spirit comes and does as Abrahants Servant did who was sent to take a Wife for Isaac he told Rebecca of his Masters Greatness of his Flocks and his Herds his Silver and his Gold his men servants and his maid-servants and withal that he had given all to Isaac Gen. 24.35 36. So the Spirit of God now sets before the Soul the riches and the greatness the beauty and the excellency of the Lord Jesus Christ he tells him what a full what a sweet what a rich what an amiable one he is and withal tenders him to his embraces he reveals and offers him to him as one full of Grace and Truth as one that has all fulness dwelling in him all fulness of Life and Peace or Righteousness and Salvation as one every way able to save him to the very utmost which is that which Christ calls his convincing the World of Righteousness John 16.9 he reveals and offers him to him in the transcendent Beauty Excellency and Amiableness of his Person on the one hand as also in the glorious fulness largeness sufficiency of his Grace and Righteousness on the other hand Thus I say he reveals and offers Christ unto the Soul and withal opens his Glory and causes it to shine forth before him so that now the Soul sees that in Christ that fulness that beauty that love that amiableness that sweetness which he never saw before Christ is now another thing in the Souls eye than ever before he was Now the Soul as those John 1.14 Beholds his glory as the glory of the onely begotten Son full of grace and truth Yea not only does he thus reveal Christ unto the Soul but withal fixes the Souls eye upon him He makes him to pore and gaze upon Christ as the most excellent and amiable Object and as one infinitely needful for him and this is called a seeing of the Son and that in order to believing whosoever seeth the Son and believeth on him shall have everlasting life Joh. 6.40 The blessed Spirit deals by the Soul herein as God by the Angels did with Hagar Gen. 21.19 where 't is said He opened her eyes and she saw a Well of Water for her relief She was in a very distressed condition as you may see vers 15 16. full of bitterness she and her Child both in a perishing condition being in the Wilderness and her Water in the Bottle being spent Now God shews her a Well of Wate whence she fetches a full supply So here the poor Soul having been under the convincing power of the Law sees himself in a woful miserable distessed condition whereupon he is full of bitterness crying out with Hagar How shall I see the Child die How can I bear it to perish eternally But now the Spirit of God comes and opens his eyes and shews him Christ and Christ as infinitely sutable to him Look sayes the Spirit to the Soul being now desolate and undone look here is a Saviour for thee a Husband for thee another and a better Husband than the Law could ever have been even the Lord Jesus Christ who is infinitely able to pay all thy Debts to supply all thy Wants to heal all thy Wounds to relive all thy Distresses to pardon all thy Sins to satisfie all thy Desires to answer all thy Love and to give thee perfect happiness and satisfaction in and with himself for ever Look here he is here he is in the Promise here he is in the Covenant here he is in the Tender Invitation of the Gospel here he is at the very door of thy heart knocking and calling for admission thereunto Rev. 3.20 Here he is with his Arms wide open to receive and embrace thee and that notwithstanding all thy vileness finfulness and unworthiness Look therefore to him and be saved III. With this Tender and Revelation of Christ unto the Soul the Spirit of God comes and works a secret love and longing in the Soul after Christ he
does not make a naked ender and revelation of Christ onely to the Soul for that were not enough but he withal gives him a secret touch whereby he is made to breath and long after Christ to move a little Christward He drops a little Myrrhe upon the handle of the Lock as it were whereby he is drawn out in holy Longings and Breathings after sweet Jesus as you know the case sometimes was with the Spouse Cant. 5. beg and this the Scripture calls an hungring and thirsting after Christ and has a blessedness annext to it Mat. 5.6 and frequently else-where Yea such is that secret touch which in and with those tenders and revelations of Christ the Spirit of God gives the Soul as that like that of the Loadstone to the Needle which sets it a trembling and will not suffer it to rest till it stands fully pointed Christward yea till it finds it self in the very bosom and imbraces of that Beloved 't is indeed such as by degrees makes the Soul sick of love and longings after Christ Cant. 5.8 and he cries out for Christ as Rachel sometimes did for Children Give me Children said she or else I die So give me Christ sayes the Soul or else I die I perish and that for ever In a word nothing but Christ will satisfie him send him to the Creatures send him to his own duties and services send him to his highest accomplishments and attainments and without Christ they will not do yea all these he accounts but as dung as dogs-meat that he may win Christ Phil. 3.8 Indeed Heaven and Earth with all the fulness of both are nothing to him without Christ and an union with Christ his language now is O Christ Christ above ten thousand Worlds O that Christ were mine O that I had union with him Oh that I were in his imbraces Oh how happy are they that are married to him and how happy should I be could I call him mine This I say is his language and when once it comes to this then things work well indeed then the Match is in a good forwardness there being but an hairs breadth as it were between Christ and the Soul Therefore IV. The Soul being thus inclined Christ-ward and drawn forth in holy Longings after Union and Communion with him Sicut Christus per Spiritus sui communieationem sesâ— nobis unit sic nos per fidem illi adglutinamur c. the Spirit of God comes and enables him to believe he carries the Soul to Christ in a way of believing whereby he actually closes with him and is espoused unto him For my Beloved 't is Faith which ties the Marriage-Knot and makes up the Marriage-Union between Christ and us Hence Christ is said to dwell in our hearts by Faith Ephes 3.17 Christ's dwelling in our hearts notes the nearest Union and Communion between him and us And how comes he thus to dwell in our hearts why by Faith by our believing on him Edis Christum non dente sed fide Aug. Hence also Christ tells us That he that eateth his flesh and drinketh his blood dwelleth in him and he in him Joh. 6.56 By eating Christs Flesh and drinking his Blood is meant our believing on him and so he himself expounds it for he makes eating and drinking of him and believing on him all one throughout that Chapter Now sayes he He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him that is he has the nearest Union and Communion with me 't is Faith then you see that unites and so espouses us to Christ Faith gives Christ an inlet into the Soul and it gives the Soul an inlet into Christ and so they are made one and married together By believing we consent to take Christ and actually do take him for our onely Head and Husband for ever and so the Match is made up between him and us Nos per fidem in nobis a Spiritu sancto excitatam in hoc cum Christo conjugium consentimus Zanch. in Thes de conjugio Spirituali We by Faith says a learned Man wrought in us by the holy Spirit do consent unto this marriage with Christ Christ as you heard before consents thereunto as God he consented hereunto from all eternity and as Man he consents hereunto in time For Filii voluntas duplex est una divinae altern humanae naturae â— utraque auâ— tem voluit viilt hoc conjugium cum electis una voluit ab aeterno altera in tempore quae nunqâ—am mutatur Id. Ib. as Divines observe Christ hath a double Will his Divine and Humane with the first he consented to this Espousal from eternity with the second he consents hereunto in Time and never changes therein Now as Christ gives his consent so we also must give ours which we do by believing in him by which therefore the Match is made up between him and us Now there is a three-fold Act of Faith which the Spirit of God works in the Soul whereby he more especially closes with Christ and is espoused unto him made one with him in a Marriage-Covenant I. An Act of Choice or Election II. An Act of Trust or Dependance III. An Act of Resignation or Subjection I. An Act of Choice or Election In the Act or Work of Believing the Soul is by the Spirit of God made solemnly and deliberately to chuse Christ as his only Head and Husband his Lord and Saviour being thus offered to him in the Gospel Choice or Election as the School-men tell us is an Act of the Will whereby it pitches upon some one thing and prefers that before all others in order to such or such an end Accordingly we may conceive of this Act of Faith we are speaking of It lies thus the Will is by the Spirit of God sweetly and powerfully determined upon Christ preferring him for an Head and Husband a Lord and Saviour before all others It singles him out as it were from all others whether persons or things in Heaven and Earth and imbraces him as the best Husband the best Saviour the best Lord There are others which make love to him and tender themselves to his embraces as Sin Self the Law the World with its inticements but he passes by all yea rejects all with loathing and indignation and pitches upon Christ as infinitely best saying to him I will have none in Heaven but thee and there is none upon Earth that I desire in comparison of thee This the Scripture calls sometimes a laying hold upon Christ Prov. 3.18 Sometimes a receiving or imbracing of Christ Joh. 1.12 'T is true in the Work of Faith Christ is and must be received into the understanding but he is most properly said to be received into our Will and Affections Christ in the Gospel is revealed and offered to the Soul with all his Riches Fulness and Perfections he is tendered to him as a full a mighty and uttermost Saviour
as one who has not onely an infinite fulness and sufficiency in him to redeem and save but also an infinite sutableness and amiableness in him to indear and delight the Soul and accordingly the Soul accepts and imbraces him he cleaves to him and fastens upon him resolving to have none but him alone his language of him now is There is none like Christ no head like this Head no husband like this Husband no saviour like this Saviour for my Soul This is the Head the Husband the Saviour that I need and that indeed my Soul defires No love like his Love no beauty like his Beauty no blood like his Blood no righteousness like his Righteousness no fulness like his Fulness He therefore and he alone shall be my Head my Husband my Saviour and my All for ever Sweet Jesus sayes he dost thou tender thy self for an Head and Husband to me and art thou willing to be imbraced by me Lo then I do with my whole Soul accept of thee and that for all times and in all conditions with all thine Holiness as well as thy Love with all thine Inconveniences as well as thy Priviledges to suffer for thee as well as to reign with thee and this the Soul does upon the deepest counsel and most mature deliberation and accordingly he abides by his choice for ever II. An Act of Trust or Dependance As in the Work of Faith the Soul is by the Spirit of God made to chuse Christ so also to trust and depend upon him for all Grace Righteousness and Salvation Now it bottoms upon Christ anchors upon Christ rests and relies upon Christ for all Life and Peace for all Grace on Earth and Glory in Heaven He layes the whole weight and stress of his Salvation upon him He commits all to him ventures all upon him expects all from him This the Scripture calls sometimes a trusting in Christ Ephes 1.13 sometimes a leaning upon Christ Cant. 8.5 sometimes a hoping in Christ 1 Cor. 15.19 And in this respect Christ is called our Hope 1 Tim. 1.1 our Hope that is the Object of our Hope and Trust as to Life and Salvation The Soul has no hope in himself no hope in the Creature no hope in the Law or first Covenant no hope in any thing in Heaven or Earth on this side Christ He looks here and there to this and that but he can find no solid ground of hope no bottom to build or rest upon for Life and Salvation but then he turns his eye upon Christ and there he sees abundant ground of hope he beholds him upon the Cross and there 's hope he beholds him upon the Throne and there 's hope he looks upon him dying and there 's hope he looks upon him rising ascending sitting at the Father's right Hand making intercession for us and there 's hope He looks upon the infinite vertue of his Blood the infinite efficacy of his Spirit the infinite fulness of his Grace the infinite dimensions of his Love the infinite freeness and faithfulness of his Promise and in these he sees infinite ground of hope and trust and accordingly he rolls and ventures all upon him Here I 'le build sayes he here I 'le bottom here I 'le rest here I 'le hang and depend here I 'le live yea and if die I must here I 'le die His language to Christ now is like that of the Psalmist to God in another case Psalm 39.7 Now Lord what wait I for my hope is in thee This is to cast anchor within the Vail Heb. 9.6 And indeed 't is with poor Souls many times as with persons at Sea the Storm arises the Waves lift up themselves which beating upon them they are ready to sink every moment and their very Soul is melted because of heaviness but anon they sound bottom cast anchor and are at rest So poor Souls are under storms of sin guilt and wrath perishing in their own apprehension every moment but anon they drop an anchor of hope upon Christ and do rest upon him or 't is with them in this case as 't was with the Dove when she was first sent out of the Ark she found no resting place abroad for the sole of her foot but at length returned to the Ark and there found rest Gen. 8.8 9. So the poor guilty Soul finds no rest any where else but in Christ His language in this Act of Faith is such as this I am a poor lost sinful distressed Creature and there is but one door I can expect relief from and that is Christ and at this door I 'le lie and wait I know he is able to help me for he can save to the uttermost and surely he hath bowels great bowels towards poor sinners he is a merciful High-Priest He sayes concerning him as they sometimes did concerning the King of Israel Behold we have heard that the King of Israel is a merciful King peradventure he will save us yea he has bid me look to him and be saved and he invites all that are weary and heavy-laden to come to him and promises them rest Why then should I not rest and rely upon him 'T is true I am a mighty sinner but he is a more mighty Saviour Have I sinned to the utmost He has satisfied to the utmost What shall I say True I am Death but Christ is Life I am Darkness but Christ is Light I am Sin but Christ is Holiness I am Guilt but Christ is Righteousness I am Emptiness and Nothingness but Christ is Fulness and Sufficiency I have broken the Law but Christ has fulfilled the Law and his Life is infinitely able to swallow up my Death his Light my Darkness his Holiness my Sin his Righteousness my Guilt his Fulness my Emptiness on him therefore I 'le lean and live and hope 'T is true I am utterly unworthy of any Life any Grace any Favour but Christ does all for sinners freely he loves freely he pardons freely he saves freely how vile therefore and unworthy soever I am yet I will rest and depend upon him Who knows but he may cast an eye of love upon me This is that Act of Faith which is held forth Isa 45.24 Surely shall one say in the Lord have I righteousness and strength I have neither strength nor righteousness of my own but I have all righteousness and strength in Christ all righteousness for Pardon and Justification and all strength for Holiness and Sanctification this is that the Apostle calls a rejoycing in Christ Jesus having no confidence in the flesh Phil. 3.3 To draw towards a conclusion of this Head Which way soever the Soul looks on this side Christ he meets with nothing but discouragement If he looks to himself there he sees nothing but sin and guilt blackness and deformity in his heart he sees a Fountain of sin an Abysse of sin a very Hell of sin and wickedness in his life he finds innumerable evils sins of a crimson-die
onely does he remain in the Soul as the Pledge and Bond of this Union but also to deck and adorn the Soul with Grace and to make him ready for the consummation of the Marriage above you know when Abraham's Servant saw that Rebekah consented to be Isaac's Wife he then gave her Jewels of Silver and Jewels of Gold and rich Rayment Gen. 24.53 So the blessed Spirit of God having gained the Souls consent to be espoused to Christ and the Marriage-Knot being tyed between them now he dwells in the Soul to deck and adorn him now he gives him Jewels of Gold and Silver furnishes and beautifies him with all Divine and Heavenly Graces He dwells in him as an indeficient Spring and Fountain of all Grace and gracious dispositions till he has lodged him safe in the Arms and Bosom of his sweet Husband above Thus at length the Espousal or Marriage-Relation is made up between Christ and the Soul And oh how blessed is the Soul that is thus espoused to him I must say to such a Soul Blessed be the day that ever thou wert born blessed the Womb that bear thee and blessed the Paps which gave thee suck blessed Gospel which revealed this sweet Christ to thee and blessed Spirit that has tyed this happy Knot between him and thee CHAP. VI. Being a Call to and Treaty with Souls in order to an Espousal between Christ and them WEll and what is the meaning of all this Surely it should have a mighty influence upon the Spirits of men to draw and allure them to Christ to induce them at least to look after an acquaintance with this blessed espousal to him and indeed I would take occasion hence to treat with eternal Souls in order to a Match between Christ and them And oh that I could do it effectually Look my Beloved as David sent his Servants to Abigail to commune with her in order to his taking of her to Wife 1 Sam. 25.39 40. so has the Lord Jesus sent me his poor unworthy Servant to you this day to commune with you in order to the espousing of you to himself and oh that you would do in this case as she did in that for she hasted 't is said and arose and went to David and became his Wife vers 42. Oh that you would all arise arise out of your sins arise out of your unbelief arise out of your carnal security and go to Christ and become his Spouse And not only so but as she did make haste in the business close speedily with him in a Marriage-Covenant even to day O blessed day might I succeed as they did How happy would it be for you how comfortable for me and how joyful for us all in the day of the Bridegrooms coming Sirs let me say Oh that I might say of you at least some of you as Paul of his Corinthians here I have espoused you to one Husband even to Christ And why should it not be thus Why should you not arise and go with me to sweet Jesus and be espoused unto him Can you make light of all that Love that Comfort that Sweetness that Happiness that blessed Union and Communion that Delight Solace and Complacency of Soul which this Espousal carries in it Or is there any thing can make up the loss of these Can Sin and the Creature afford any thing comparable hereunto Surely there is more sweetness more happiness in one kiss of the mouth of this blessed Lord in one imbrace in his Bosom one moments communion with him than in all the delights of Sin and the Creature If you doubt it come and see experienced Souls will tell you that one descent of love from Christ one beam of the light of his Countenance one turn with him in his Galleries is infinitely beyond all earthly delights whatsoever Again can you be content to die and perish eternally rather than live and be made happy in such a sweet and desirable way as this of being espoused to Christ is A more sweet and desirable way of being made happy than this of an espousal to Christ surely neither Men nor Angels could ever have thought on And can you O eternal Souls be content to die to perish to be damned and miserable for ever rather than be saved and made happy this way If you get not Union with and a Marriage-Relation to this sweet Lord you must die and perish for ever Know you not sayes the Apostle that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates 2 Cor. 13.5 If Christ be not in us we are certainly reprobates we are rejected of God and out of his favour and then surely we must perish Naturally we are all dead all lost all condemned Judgment is come upon all men to condemnation Rom. 5.18 and we are all the children of wrath by nature Ephes 2.3 And if ever we be justified and saved it must be by a Marriage-Union and Relation to Christ There is no condemnation sayes the Apostle or as the words are nothing of condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8.1 But as is there implyed there is nothing but condemnation to them that are out of Christ Jesus Once more can you be content to be shut out from the Marriage at last for ever Think of that Scripture and bear the dread of it if you can Matth. 25.10 And they that were ready went into the Marriage and the door was shut shut against others who then would fain enter To be shut out from the Marriage-Supper at last is to be shut out from God from Christ from the Comforter from all the Saints and Angels from all happiness yea and from all hopes of happiness for ever and thus you must expect to be shut out from the Marriage at last if you come not into an espousal to him here And can you bear it think you Can you be content to hear Christ say unto you at last Depart from me depart You would have none of me on earth though I wooed and besought you with tears and therefore now you shall have none of me in Heaven you might have been happy in a union and communion with me and the arms of my love were open to have received you but you would not therefore now depart from me I know you not And can you bear this Besides what is it that keeps your Soul from a close with Christ in this Marriage-Relation A vain World a filthy Lust a painted perishing Pleasure a sensual Appetite And are these better than Christ Are these indeed things to be laid in the Ballance by you against Christ yea and to down-weigh him in your values O monstrous stupidity In short Sirs the Matter I am treating with you about is no trifle 't is of no less moment and importance to you than eternal Life or Death eternal Salvation or Damnation comes to your eternal All depends upon it for you must live or die be saved or damned eternally according as you do
ten thousand times ten thousand of his Holy Ones even thousands of Angels Dan. 7.10 Glorious in his way of Rule full of Grace and sweetness towards his People full of terror and majesty towards his Enemies his Arrows being sharp in their hearts Psal 45.5 And as he governs all now so he will judge all at last and all must stand or fall live or die be saved or damned for ever according to what Sentence he shall pass upon them Acts 17.31 Rom. 14.10 O how great is this Lord and how worthy to be imbraced by us O Sirs will you deny so great so glorious a Person when he makes love to you Should you see some great Prince wooing a Beggar in Rags upon the Dunghil you would wonder to see her slight him and make him wait time after time upon her Why there is an infinitely greater Person than the greatest of Kings that wooes you and sollicites you for your love And will you yet be shie of him and make him wait Will you refuse him Then wonder at your own sordid ingratitude II. Are you for Riches and Treasures This swayes with most for this none like Christ he has Riches as well as Greatness to recommend him to you Riches and Honour are with me Prov. 8.18 Yea and his Riches are the best sort his are Spiritual Riches Treasures in Heaven Matth. 6.20 Riches of Life and Love Peace and Pardon Grace and Glory Righteousness and Salvation Riches of Glory and Riches in Glory And O what poor things are the Riches of this World to these His are true Riches Luke 16.11 The riches of this World are but painted riches his are substantial Riches I will cause them that love me to inherit Substance Prov. 8.21 The riches of this World are vain they are not Prov. 23.5 But the Riches of Christ have a reality in them His are lasting and durable Riches Riches and Honour are with me yea durable Riches and Righteousness Prov. 8.18 Worldly riches are perishing and uncertain things 1 Tim. 6.17 Now we enjoy them but all of a suddain they are gone and disappear but Christs are eternal Riches for an eternal Soul And as his Riches are thus of the best sort so he has great abundance of them his Riches are boundless and unsearchable To me sayes Paul it is given to preach the unsearchable Riches of Christ Ephes 3.8 He is Heir of all things Heb. 1.2 All the Treasures of Heaven and Earth are his He has all fulness dwelling in him Col. 1.19 even all the fulness of the God-head whole God dwells in him He has enough to supply all our wants and to answer all our desires Do we want Grace He is full of Grace John 1.14 Do we want Life With him is the Fountain of Life Psal 36.9 Do we want Redemption redemption from Sin from Death from Hell from Wrath With him is plenteous Redemption Psal 130.7 Do we want Peace He gives peace My Peace I give unto you Joh. 14.27 Do we want Righteousness He has fulfilled all Righteousness he is become the Lord our Righteousness Jer. 23.6 Now will you reject this rich Lord You are poor and miserable and naked and will you not embrace this Christ tendering himself with all these Riches to you O how justly then will you perish for ever O that there were some covetous Soul here this day that would be taken with the Riches of Christ III. Are you for Bounty for a noble and generous Spirit That 's desirable in such a Relation and takes much with many for this also none like Christ He is a bountiful Lord of a noble and generous Spirit as well as Rich Many a Man has riches enough but has a base narrow covetous Spirit and so his Wife has little of them but Christ has a noble generous bountiful heart He is not only rich but he is also willing to lay out all his Riches Treasures upon his Spouses All the Treasures of his Love and Grace all the Treasures of his Righteousness and Consolation He would have them abundantly filled abundantly comforted abundantly enriched for ever What a generous Spirit towards them does he express Cant. 5.1 Eat O Friends Drink yea drink abundantly O Beloved As if he should say I have enough infinitely enough for you and I would have you to have enough I would have you to have your Souls full of all Good He would have them to have full Graces full Joyes full Comforts and full Happiness for ever These things speak I unto you sayes he that your joy may be full John 15.11 And again Ask that you may receive that your joy may be full John 16.24 He wills them like happiness with himself Like love and embraces in the Fathers Bosom Joh. 17.24 26. Like Grace and Holiness John 17.22 O what a noble generous bountiful heart has this sweet Lord towards his Spouse Soul shall it not draw and allure thee to him Nothing will satisfie him less than their participating with him in his own blessedness Soul if thou rejectest this bountiful Lord know that he has Treasures of Wrath and Vengeance also which he will plentifully pour out upon thee for ever IV. Are you for Wisdom and Knowledge Wisdom and Knowledge render a person lovely and desirable 't is indeed one of a persons highest excellencies and perfections for this also none like Christ He is the Wisdom of God and the Power of God 1 Cor. 1.24 The infinite Wisdom of the Eternal God does shine forth in him and through him Yea in him are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge Col. 2.3 Which may be understood Actively as well as Passively he knowing all as well as having all that is worth knowing in him He is the only wise God Jude 25. There is no true wisdom but in him and there is no true wisdom to be had but by him and from him he is often in Scripture called Wisdom to note that infinite wisdom that is in him He knows all Persons and all Things he knows the Father and that as he is known of him Joh. 10.15 He knows the Mind and Will of the Father hence said to be in his Bosom which is the place of Secrets as well as Love Joh. 1.18 He knows all his Fathers Counsels and Decrees which have been of old touching the Salvation and Damnation of Man Hence we read of the Lambs Book of Life and Names written therein Rev. 13.8 He knows all the Works of God the Father The Father loveth the Son and sheweth him whatsoever he doth John 5.20 He knows the Attributes and Perfections of God and he only Matth. 11.27 John 4.56 He knows the whole Word of God being himself the Word Joh. 1.1 'T is observed by one that the Angels themselves do not know all the Word of God but Christ does And as he thus knows God and the Things of God so he also knows Man and the Things of Man He knows all men and what
their tribulations 2 Cor. 1.4 5. The truth is their sharpest Afflictions are but to prepare them for his sweetest Consolations and indeed he therefore oftentimes afflicts them that he may manifest his Love and minister Consolations to them according to that of Hosea 2.14 I will allure her into the Wilderness and there will I speak comfortably to her and indeed as strong Consolations often times prepare for great Afflictions so great Afflictions usually make way for strong Consolations Afflictions sayes a worthy Divine is the Air in which Christs love especially breaths and Christ and the Cross sayes he are sweet company This viz. Christs love and presence with his People in their Afflictions is what turns their night into day their darkness into light their pains into ease their sorrows into joys their losses into gains yea and Death it self into Life Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death yet will I fear no evil because thou art with me Psal 23.4 It turns a Prison into a pleasant Pallace yea it turns a fiery Furnace into a delightful Walk as in the case of the three Children and this experienced Souls find O how sweet are Afflictions when Christ and his love come with them 2. By sanctifying their Afflictions to them and working good to their Souls out of all Sanctifyed Afflictions are sweet Afflictions they meet with Afflictions but Christ gives them the sweet Fruit and a blessed issue of them makes them all work together for good to them according to that great Oracle Rom. 8.23 All things shall work together for good to them that love God By these he proves their Graces and improves their Experiences he makes them all to be as the Gibeonites sometimes were to the Congregation of God as so many hewers of Wood and drawers of Water to their Faith to their Comforts to their Holiness on Earth and Happiness in Heaven The Faith of this sweetned all Jobs great and heavy Afflictions to him When I am tryed sayes he I shall come forth as Gold Job 23.10 Hereby he tryes their Faith which is better than Gold 1 Pet. 1.7 Hereby he refines them and purges away their dross from them Behold I have refined thee but not with Silver I have chosen thee in the Furnace of Affliction Or as you may read it I have made a choice one of thee in the Furnace of Affliction Isa 48.10 Hereby he makes them partakers of his holiness Heb. 12.10 By this he purgeth away their iniquity and taketh away their sin Isa 27.9 In short hereby he humbles them and seals instruction to them hereby he weans them from the World draws them nearer to himself quickens their hearts in his good wayes and raises them up to higher strains of Grace and pitches in Holiness then they were got up to before Yea hereby he increases their Revenue of Glory and adds to their Crown in Eternity Our light Afflictions which are but for a moment sayes the Apostle work out for us a far more exceeding and an eternal weight of Glory 2 Cor. 4.17 Thus he sanctisies all and O how doth this sweeten all Here is a Cross 't is true may the Soul say but by this Cross Christ does crucifie me to Sin and the World he weans me from the Creature sets me a longing after Heaven and so long welcome Cross how heavy soever Here is an Affliction 't is true and 't is an heavy one but by it Christ proves and brightens my Graces and that sweetens all O what owe I sayes Rutherford to the File and Hammer of my sweet Lord Jesus He hath taught me more sayes he by my six months imprisonment then ever I learnt in my nine years past Ministry Luther was wont to say three things made a good Minister Temptation Affliction Supplication The same also conduce much to the making of a good Christian And indeed 't is seldom that ever a Soul comes to any eminency in Grace until he has been exercised with sanctified Afflictions and Temptations And doubtless there is many a Soul who may and must say That next to Christ his Afflictions have through his Grace and Blessing been his best Mercies O how should this draw Souls to Christ and allure them into a Marriage-Covenant with him Poor Soul it may be that which keeps thee from Christ is the fear of what Afflictions thou mayest meet with in his wayes But know 1. thou mayest meet with Affliction yea first or last thou wilt assuredly meet with Affliction though thou never closest with Christ Alas wicked men and unbelievers meet with Troubles and Afflictions and that even in this World oft-times However to be sure at last they will have a full Cup yea the very dregs of God's Wrath ponred out unto them They will meet with and fall under soret and more dreadful Afflictions then any thou canst meet withal in the way and for the sake of Christ for pray consider is there any Trouble any Affliction thou canst meet withal for Christ like to this for a man to die in his sins to be separated from God for ever to have infiniteness and eternity combined against thee Is there any Trouble or Affliction like to the torments of the Infernal Pit and being the object of infinite Wrath for ever and yet this will be the lot at last of all that close not with Christ in a Marriage-relation 2. What ever Afflictions thou mayest meet withal in the way of Christ closing with him he sweetens all for thee and that so as that thou wouldest not have been without them for a World Oh scare not at the Cross but close in with Christ VI. He subdues all their enemies for them True the poor Saints and Spouses of Christ are beset with Enemies on all hands they have many Enemies and mighty Enemies Enemies within and Enemies without and all in a confederacy against them to destroy them to destroy their Lives to destroy their Graces to destroy their Peace and Comforts to destroy their Souls and Happiness for ever all like so many roaring Lyons seeking to devour them Well but Christ who is their Captain as well as their Husband subdues and conquers all for them and first or last makes them to set their feet upon their necks and triumph over them He makes them Conquerors yea more than Conquerors over all Rom. 8.37 He makes them so to conquer them as sooner or later to gain by all their conflicts and oppositions Indeed Christ has already conquered all his Peoples Enemies for them The Saints have five great Enemies Sin Self the World the Devil and Death and Christ has long since conquered them all for them and by degrees brings them into the joyful triumph of that conquest 1. He has conquered Sin for them He by being made Sin hath obtained an eternal victory over Sin for all his People Sin is the Saints great Enemy 't is that which wars against their Souls Rom. 7.23 1 Pet. 2.11 And
Matth. 25.34 A Crown of Life Rev. 2.10 A Crown of Righteousness 2 Tim. 4.8 A Crown of Glory which never fades never withers 1 Pet. 5.4 The truth is he endows them with all his Riches with all his Treasures with all his Dignities with all the Priviledges of â—â—s House with all the Purchases of his Blood with all the Blessings of his Love with all the Treasures of Heaven with all the Glories of Eternity Look whatever is in the Promise whatever is in the Covenant whatever is in the glorious Counsel of Election Look whatever the Presence of God the Face of God the Bosom of God can afford Look whatever the heart of God could give the Wisdom of God contrive the Power of God produce or the Blood of God purchase that all that does Christ injoynter his People in O Sirs how should this draw and allure us to Christ Is Heaven and eternal Life worth nothing Are all the Glories of Eternity of no value O who are you that Christ should be willing to instate you into all this In your selves you are lying in the lap and bosom of Hell Heirs of Wrath and Condemnation in danger every moment of sinking into the infernal Pit But loe Christ comes and makes love to you and if you will accept of him he will entitle you unto Life and Blessedness to such things as eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive of 1 Cor. 2.9 Take him therefore I beseech you into your most intimate embraces Thus you see in part what great things Christ does for his Spouses Now will you accept of him or will you not May I not say to you as Saul sometimes did to his Servants Hear now will the Son of Jesse give to every one of you Fields and Vineyards and make you Captains of thousands 1 Sam. 22.7 So will Sin or the World or the Law to which you are naturally wedded do such great things for you as Christ will Will these pay your Debts for you supply your Wants for you heal your Wounds for you and the like Will these secure your eternal Interest for you and make you happy in the other World as Christ would Alas they can do none of all this O close close there for â— with Christ who can and will do all CHAP. IX Which opens a little the heart of Christ and shews how much he is Jet upon an Espousal with Sinners SUrely Christ is the best Husband and none can do such great things as he for his Spouses which renders an Espousal to him very desirable but will he take such as we are into so near a Relation with him has he any mind any heart to the business any mind any heart his heart is set upon nothing more then an Espousal with Sinners he is not only content to admit Sinners coming to him but his Soul longs after them never did the most passionate Lover more long for an Espousal between him and his Beloved than Christ does for an Espousal between himself and Sinners and because Love is the Loadstone of Love and the most powerful attractive in order to the more effectual drawing and alluring of your Souls to Christ I shall a little in a few particulars open my sweet Lords heart to you in this business And O that the reports of his Love to you and his willingness to Espouse you to himself might draw your hearts out a little in Love to him and work you into a willingness to be Espoused 1. Such is the heart of Christ and so set upon an Espousal with Sinners that he willingly became incarnate bled and dyed in order hereunto and oh how should this draw us to him Should you see a Man do some great Act of self-denyal and abasement and withal freely venture his Life in order to his obtaining such or such an one to his Wife you would easily conclude that his heart was much set upon an Espousal with her Lo then Christ has greatly denyed and abated himself he became incarnate and not only freely ventured but laid down his Life in order to an Espousal between himself and Sinners and how much then must his heart be in the business 1. He became incarnate in order hereunto had not Christ been incarnate we could never possibly have been Espoused unto him nor have enjoyed conjugal Communion with him but that we might be capable of and arrive unto such an happiness he who in himself was the Eternal Son freely became incarnate assumed humane Nature into Union with his Divine Person hence 't is said that the Word was made flesh Verhum caro factum non Divinae Naturae conversione sed humanae assumptione Beza Joh. 1.14 not that there was a transmutation of God into Flesh but the Word that is God the Son the Second Person in Trinity Voce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non conversio divinitatis quae est invariabilis non commixtio naturarum divinae humanae sed unio designatur Cartw in loc assumed Flesh humane Nature into Union with himself and so near is that Union into which the humane Nature is assumed with the Person of the Son of God usus est verba 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut significet arceissimam indissolubilem unionem verbi cum carne ut non alia scilicet sed una eadem jam sit persona Verbi carnis assumptae Chemni as that that Nature hath no subsistence but what it has in his Divine Person and for that end umong others as a Learned Divine hath observed it s so exprest the Word was made Flesh namely to note the infinite nearness of that Union which our Nature is taken into with the Divine Person it being so near as that it hath no subsistence of its own but is as it were wholly melted into the Personality of the Son of God hence also he is said to partake of Flesh and Blood to be manifested in the Flesh and the like and oh what an Act of self-denyal and abasement was this and how great was Christ's condescention herein in Phil. 2.6 7. the Apostle speaks of it as the greatest abasement he could-stoop unto who sayes he speaking of Christ being in the form of God thought it no Robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no Reputation and took upon him the form of a Servant and was made in the likeness of Men pray mark he was in the form of God that is he was truly and really God as the Father was and he thought it no Robbery to be equal with God i. e. he had all those Divine Excellencies and perfections in him which the Father had in him and yet sayes he he took upon him the form of a Servant and was made in the likeness of Men that is he became incarnate he became Man Well and what does this argue Even infiniâ—e condescention therefore he tells us that herein he
became of no Beputation or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Se câ—acuavit omm glâ—rria i.e. Christas gloriam illam majestatem in qua câ—at apud patram ita ab diderit in forma servi ut eaâ—s se penitus evaâ—â—ssâ— visissit Zanch. in Loc. Fallus quod non crat matens quodeâ—at Her as the Greek is he emptied himself to wit of his glory his glory was veiled and clouded hereby the glory of his God-head was Eclipsed 't is true indeed his Godhead was not hereby lost or laid aside no he was as much and as truly God after his Incarnation as he was before he did not cease to be God by becoming Man but as one of the Ancients expresses it he was made that which he was not and yet remained that which he was he was made Man yet so as that he still remained to be God but though his God-head was not lost or laid aside hereby Carnis humilitas sait instar veli quo Divina majestas tegebatur Calo. yet hereby was the glory of it veiled and lost for a time and he was not content to have it so oh how great a condescention was this oh for him that was God God equal with the Father to become Man to cover himself with the course Veil of our Flesh and be content for so long a time to lose the glory of his Deity which was infinitely dear to him and all this to make way for an Espousal between himself and poor Sinners what self-abasement was this and how should it encourage Souls to look after an Espousal to him 2. He not only became Incarnate but also freely bled and dyed in order hereunto which is a further discovery of his heart herein being sayes the Apostle found in fashion as a Man he humbled himself and became obedient unto the death even the death of the Cross i. e. to the most formidable Death a Death of pain a Death of shame an accursed Death Pâ—il 2.8 Hence also 't is said that he gave himself an Offering and a Sacrifice to God for us Eph. 5. 2. Yea not only did he bleed and suffer and dye but he did all freely and with much readiness and enlargedness of Soul hence he is said to have powred out his Soul unto Death Isa 53.12 Voluntariè scipsum in mortem tradidit Musc in Loc. He seemed in an holy manner prodigal of his Life in the case he thought neither Blood nor Life nor any thing too much for them Oh! how much does this argue his heart to be upon the business It spake Jacob's heart to be much set upon Rachel to have her to Wife that he could be content to undergo so much hard Service for her as he did even seven years Service Jacob 't is said served seven years for Rachel yea and they seemed unto him but a few days for the Love he had to her Gen. 29.20 So surely it argues Christs heart to be much set upon an Espousal with Sinners that he was content not only to serve but even bleed and dye for them in order hereunto Oh Sirs behold and wonder Christ comes from Heaven quits his Throne leaves the bosome of his Father in which he had with insinite delight lain from Eternity behold and wonder the Lord of Life dyes the God of Blessing was made a Curse The infinitely beloved Son treads the Wine-press of the Father's wrath Heaven descends into Hell glory veils and Eclipses it self under shame and ignominy the infinitely holy one is made sin and all this to redeem and redeeming Espouse poor Sinners to himself and is not his heart upon the business think you And has he not Love for them Oh be not saithless but believing 2. Such is the heart of Christ and so set upon an Espousal with Sinners that he condescends sweetly to woo them and solicit them for their Love and acceptance of him Should you see a Man with all carnestness and importunity wooing a Virgin and making Love to her following her from day to day with renewed offers and sollicitations you would conclude his heart was much set upon an Espousal with her And is it not thus with the Lord Jesus towards poor Sinners Does he not woo them and make Love to them and that with all earnestness and pressing importunity following them with renewed offers and sollicitations from day to day Now he meets them in this Ordinance and there he woos them and makes Love to them anon he meets them in that Ordinance and there woos them and makes Love to them now he sends his Ministers and by them woos them and makes Love to them anon he sends his Spirit and by him woos them and makes Love to them thus he is every way and upon all occasions wooing them and in his wooing of them How earnestly does he call and invite them to himself 't is not a cold offer or a slight motion onely that he makes to them but he moves and offers calls and invites with all earnestness and importunity Hoe every one that thirsteth come ye to the Waters come ye yea come Isa 55 1. and again the Spirit and the Bride say come and let him that is a thirst come Rev. 22.17 How vigorously does he plead and expostulate the business with them Christ does not onely call and invite but he also pleades and expostulates with sinners in the case and that in the most winning way and with the most weighty arguments that possibly may be Hâ—eâ— every one that thirsteth come unto the waters wherefore do you spend your Money for that which is not bread And your labour for that which satissieth not incline your ear and come unto me hear and your souls shall live and I will make with you an everlasting Covenant even the sure mercies of David Isa 55.2 3. And again turn ye turn ye whâ— will ye dâ—â— O house of â—srael Ezek. 33.11 I have no pleasure in your damnation but had rather that you would come unto me and live why will you dye is not lise better then death is not Heaven better then Hell is not my love better then a Lust are not the Pleasures of any Presence and at my right hand which are for evermore better then the pleasures of sin which are but for a seasor a short season why will you dye is there â—oâ—b 〈◊〉 in Gilâ—ed is there no Physsitian there am not I able to save you to the uttermost and are not my Arms wide open to receive you have not I dyed for that very end that you might live look here 's my Blood here are my Wounds behold me in the Garden and see me bleeding there for you behold me upon the Cross and see me bleeding yea bleeding to death there for you and then see if you can find in your hearts to refuse me any longer In short would you not lose all your cost and all your labour would you enjoy good the best good the most sat is
Christ hath given us his Bond his promise and that feal'd with his Blood and to all added his Oath for the further incouragement of our Faith and what can we desire more If you have a mans promise to you for the performance of this or that you think you are well you judging him to be both able and Faithful but if you have his Seal added to his promise then you look upon your selves secure of the business indeed but if to both these you have his Oath added then you look on the business past all doubt and you dare not question it why lo Christ has given poor Sinners all this to assure them that he will imbrace and accept them coming to him and Oh how firm may their Faith stand upon all this and what horred wickedness must it be so much as once to question it true neither his seal nor his Oath addes any thing to the truth and certainty of the promise in it self 1a dco tam dicere quam jurace immntabile est sed en quam indulgenter ut oâ—timum paâ—â—em decet se deus accommodet nostrae tarditati qtoia nos videt simplici suo sermoni non acquiescore ut cum plenius sanciat in cordibus nostris addit jusjuraudum Cal. in Locum but to our sense and apprehension it does and meerly out of indulgence to us our weakness is the one and the other added so the Apostle tells us Heb. 6.17 18. God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his Councell confirmed it by an Oath that by two immutable things wherein it was impossible for God to lye we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us Mark 't was not to confirm or add any thing to the truth and certainty of God's councell or Covenant that his Oath was added but 't was to confirm and incourage our Faith Thus you see Christ is under Bonds to receive and accept of sinners if they come to him and are willing of an Espousal with him and how much does this argue his heart to be in the business O let none ever say will Christ accept and receive me coming to him for indeed Bonds bind him so to do The truth is were he under no bonds we need not question it for his bowels would constrain him and had he no Bowels we need not to doubt it for Bonds would bind him to it Christ must deny his Word Promise Seal Oath and all if he refuse any soul that indeed comes to him and desires to close in a Marriage-Covenant with him Oh what encouragement is this 5. Such is the heart of Christ and so set upon an Espousal with sinners as that he has given them a full and unquestionable assurance that nothing what ever shall stand between him and them nor prejudice their acceptance with him in care they be willing to be Espoused unto him should a man not onely make love to a person wait long upon her in the tenders thereof and the like but also given full assurance that nothing shall stand between him and her to hinder the Match in case she be willing to accept of him this would argue his heart to be much upon het indeed Now his also Christ hath done He hath given sinners a full and firm a urance that nothing shall prejudice their acceptance with him nor hinder the Match between him their souls in case they be willing of it and is not his heart then much upon the business this is no other then what he himself declares Jâ—l 6.37 And certainly he doth not delude souls with vain words Him that cometh an 〈◊〉 Saâ—â— he i.e. He that believeâ—h on me he that is willing to be mine him I will iâ— no wise cost out in no wise or by no means upon no accounts whatever Nothing shall obstruct his acceptance with me but I will receive him with a notwithstanding notwithstanding all his Vileness all his unworthiness all his unâ—indness all his unsuitableness Notwithstanding all that either Men or Devils Law or Conscience can charge upon him yea or that unbelief its self can preâ—end or alledge be it what it will notwithstanding all I 'le receive him into the Bosome of my love Christ language to poor sinners in this promise of his and many more of like import is such as this come poor souls be not afraid of me what ever your condition be and how ever things stand and are stated with you yet if you have a mind to me and an Espousal with me assure your selves that nothing shall obstruct your acceptance with me nothing shall shut up my Bosome against you but I will betroth you â—o my self for ever Oh what encouragement is here Come to Christ and close with Christ in a Marriage-Covenant who would not do that may some say but alas there are a thousand things that will hinder the Match and stand between him and me should I go to him poor soul this is apparently the plea and Language of unbelief and let it be silenced for ever Christ having as thou seest fully assured us of the contrary But besides what is it that thou fearest or that any soul can fear will stand between Christ and thee to hinder an Espousal with him Bring forth thy strong pleas and see if they will bear any weight in the Sanctuary-ballance 1. Is it outward meanness and baseness possibly thou art low and mean and base in the World thou art a poor forlorn despicable Creature and this thou thinkest will stand between Christ and thee surely sayest thou Christ will never take such a Contemptible Worm as I am into such a Relation with himself But sinner this shall not hinder in the least for Christ is no respecter of Persons High and Low Rich and Poor Bond and free are all one in Christ and to Christ Gal. 3.28 Yea does not the word tell us that he chooses the poor of this World Heires of the Kingdom and rich in Faith Jam. 2.5 And again ye see your calling Brethren Says the Apostle how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many Noble are called but God chooses Foolish and weak and baseoneâ— 1 Cor. 1.26 27 28. As greatness is no furtherance so meanness and baseness is no hinderance in this case Men indeed mind Honour and greatness they will have such as are sutable to themselves But 't is otherwise with Christ Poor sinner though thou beest never so low and mean and base in the World though thou shouldst be cloathed with Rags yet if thou hast a mind to Christ he will accept thee and Marry thee to himself yea and thy soul will be as dear to him and as precious in his sight as the soul of the greatest Prince or Monarch in the World 2. Is it inward Blackness and desormity perhaps sinner if thou art not outwardly mean and base yet
thou seest thy self inwardly Black and deformed thou lyest in thy Blood and gore wallowing in thy sin and Filth neither is there any worth any Beauty in thee for which Christ should desire thee and therefore sayest thou surely Christ will have nothing to do with me nor so much as cast an eye or look of love upon me but soul this shall not stand between Christ and thee neither but if thou hast a mind to him he will Marry thee to himself notwithstanding For indeed Christ Marries not any for their Beauty but those whom he Marries he Marries to make them Beautiful He Marries them not for any worth of theirs but to put a worth upon them indeed there are none that he Espouses to himself but he finds them Black and deformed in their Blood and Gore as well as thee and so they are till he puts his Beauty upon them how sweet is that word Ezek 16.6 7 8. When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thy Blood i. e. in thy sin and filth I said unto thee live I said unto thee when thou wast in thy Blood live yea when thou wast in thy Blood live Mark three times he mentions it in thy Blood in thy Blood in thy Blood To note the depth of that defilement we are all under well and what then will Christ have any thing to do with such yes he makes love to them Behold thy time was the time of love he Marries them to himself in an Everlasting Covenant I spread my Skirt over thee sayes he and covered thy makedness yea I swear unto thee and entred into Covenant with thee and thou becamest mine Yea not only so but he puts a Beauty yea his own Beauty and comliness upon them hou art come to Excellent Ornaments and art comely through my comliness which I have put upon thee as Verse 14. O soul be not discouraged Christ will turn thy blackness into Beauty and not cast thee off because of it 3. Is it the greatness and Hainousness of thy sin and guilt O my sins my sins sayes the poor foul they are exceeding many and exceeding great they are many and great in themselves and they are cloathed with many and great aggravations Few in the World ever sinned at that rate that I have done therefore I fear that Christ will never own me so as to take me into such a Relation with himself Well be it so yet know that this shall not stand between Christ and thee if thou art willing to be Espoused to him He has promised to pardon great sins and to accept notwithstanding great sins in case the soul be but willing 〈◊〉 non says he And let us Reason together though your sins are as Scarâ—e◠〈◊〉 shall he white as Snow though they are red like Crimson they shall he as Hool Isa 1.18 Pecata vâ—stra sicut nix albescont c. Uoc est vos a peccatis 〈◊〉 iâ—â—mibas mundati 〈◊〉 niâ—is puâ—i eritis â—lais Gâ—ar Sâ—c Though your Sins are as Scarlet and as Crimsâ—â— i. e. Though they are great foul enormous Sins Sins of a hainous and crying nature and cloathed with the greatest aggravations yet they shall be White as Snow and Wool i. e. They shall be fully done away and pardon'd so fully done away and pardon'd as if they had never been So again Isa 43.24 25. in the 24 v. He speaks to some who had made him to serve with their Sins and wearied him with their iniquities These surely were great Sinners and their sins of a hainous crying nature and yet at the 25 v. what a full promise of pardon does he make to them I even 1 am he that blotteth out thy Transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy Sins Poor Soul what shall I say Hast thou abundantly sinned Hast thou multiplied sins He has promised abandantly to pardon and to nothing pâ—â—dons Isa 55.7 Art thou guilty of all manner of sins and to thy other sins hast thou added Blasphemy He has promised that all manner of sin and Blâ—â—phemy shall be for given except that against the holy Ghost which thy complaining of the greatness of thy sins argues thou art not guilty of Mat. 12.31 O Soul be not discouraged because of the greatness of thy sins Christ marries souls not because they are not sinners great sinners but he Marries them to take away their sins and to discharge them from them for even And the greater thy sins are the greater will be the Glory of Christ's grace which is what he Aims at in receiving of thee into so near and Glorious a Relation with himself as this is Besides what wilt thou do with thy great sins unless thou goest with them to Christ Great sins argue a great need of Christ and call for great hastening unto Christ 4. Is it any former neglects or refusals of thine Possibly not onely are thy sins many and great but there is this added to all the rest long and frequent refusals of Christ and his love He has often called but thou hast given gim no answer he has long woo'd thee but thou hast not complied with him O the many sweet calls Gracious offers loving tenders which he has made to thee and thou hast Despised And this makes thee fear that he will now have nothing to do with thee And truly soul this is sad very sad hereby Christ has lost much Glory which thou mightest have brought him hereby thou hast lost much sweet communion which thou might est have enjoyed hereby Christ's heart has been much grieved which might have been prevented and hereby the work is made much more difficult then at first it was thy heart being grown more hard and Corruptions more strong Thus 't is every way very sad that thou hast thus neglected and refused Christ but yet neither shall this stand between him and thee in case thou art willing to be Espoused to him For this see Prov. 1.20 21 22 23. Wisdom Cryeth without she uttereth her voice in the Streets she cryeth in the chief place of concourse in the openings of the gates in the City she uttereth her words saying How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity And the Sconners delight in their Scorning and Fools hate Knowledge Turn you at my reproof Behold I will pour out my Spirit unto you I will make known my words unto you Pray observe Christ had offered himself and his love to them but they had refused him and it yea they had refused long and refused with much contempt How long ye Simple ones will ye love Simplicity c. They scorn'd the offers of Christ and his Love and yet here he renewes those offers to them wherein he tells them that none of all their refusals should prejudice their acceptance with him in case they are willing to be his Turn ye at my reproof behold I will pour out my Spirit c. And soul do not the most
with him those his Blood cleanses from all sin 1 Jo. 1.7 and in him have they redemption through his Blood even the for giveness of sin Eph. 1.7 As for others he tells them plainly they shall die in their sins Jo. 8.24 O how sad a condition is this Soul thou art guilty of multitudes of sins the least of which has evil enough in it to damn thee eternally Thou hast thousands 10 thousands of Scarlet Crimson sins sins cloathed with black and crying aggravations lying upon thee and to have all these in the full weight of the guilt and punishment of them charged upon thee by the great God for ever how miserable does this speak thy condition to be 6. Being estranged from Christ you are under a necessity of sinning and so of great'ning your own damnation daily A man out of Christ does do can do nothing but sin for he is not subject to the Law of God nor can he be Rom. 8.8 And as he is ever sinning so he is ever treasuring up wrath unto himself Ro. 2.5 O how sad a condition is this This is Dura necessitas as Austin calls it and speaks a mans condition to be very doleful To be always sinning against God and alwayes treasuring up wrath to a man 's own Soul this is next to Hell in some sort worse To give you thee Sum of all Being estranged from Christ you have nothing to satisfie Divine justice which is ready to seize upon you nothing to pacifie Divine wrath which is ready to break forth against you nothing to stand between Divin revenges and your sinful souls What shall I say you have many accusers and by them many heavy charges brought in against you and being without Christ you have no Advocate to plead your cause none to speak a good word in Heaven for you and is not that sad you are deeply in debt you owe your 10 thousand tallents to Divine justice and being without Christ you have nothing to pay but are in danger of being cast into the Prison of eternal darkness whence there is no redemption And is not that sad you are under an obligation to much Duty and being without Christ you are under an utter impossibility of performing any of it acceptably You are under a judgment of condemnation and being without Christ you have nothing that can secure you one day one hour one moment more on this side everlasting Burnings and O how sad and miserable is this Thus you see both your estrangment from Christ and also your misery in part by reason of that estrangment Now as ever you would get Union and Communion with him labour to be deeply sensible of both these 2. Would'st thou indeed be Espoused to Christ Then labour to be soundly convinced and deeply sensible of the greatness and Hainousness of the sin of refusing Christ and the offers of his Love poor Soul thou standest it out against Christ he wooes and calls and invites thee to himself but thou slightest and refusest all and this thou thinkest a small matter but let me tell thee this is a most hainous and crying sin To Swear to Murder to Steal to be Drunk to be Unclean and the like these thou look'st upon as black and horred things Indeed well thou mai'st for they are sins of a more then ordinary hainous and abominable nature But yet know that thy sin in rejecting Christ and the offers of his Love is greater and more provoking then all these This indeed is the great sin and the sin thou must in a especial manner be sensible of if ever thou art United to Christ so much Christ himself tells us in that known place Joh. 16.8 9. he sayes he speaking of the Spirit whom he promised to send shall convince the World of sin because they believe not in me unbelief then is the great sin that the Spirit convinces souls of And what 's unbelief but the neglect and refusal of Christ and the offers of his Love made to us in the Cospel He shall convince the World of sin because they believe not in me i.e. de illo magno grandi incredulitatis peccato He shall convince them of that grand sin of unbelief as a learned man expounds it as if Christ should say he shall make men see the black and hainous nature of the sin of rejecting me and my Love He shall humble them for it and set them a bleeding over it This sin of rejecting Christ some of the Shcool-men have called Maximum peccatum the greatest sin of all And indeed next to the unpardonable sin what greater This is a sin most directly and immediately against Christ and the Gospel O for a vile wretched sinner to shut the door of his soul against Christ the King of Glory and deny him entertainment to refuse and reject the free and frequent offers of him and his Love how great a sin must this be And soul to convince thee the better of it and make thee the more afraid of it I shall suggest a few considerations to thee holding forth a little of its black and horred evil 1 Consider that the neglect and refusal of Christ his Love is a sin against a special eminent command and therefore a great crying sin The greater and more eminent the command is which we transgress and sin against the greater our sin and guilt is in transgressing that command Now God does not onely command us to receive and embrace Christ and his Love but this command of his is a great signal and eminent command So St John tells us 1 Joh. 3.23 This is his commandment that we believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ whom he hath sent What is it to believe on the name of Jesus Christ but to receive and embrace Christ offering himself in the Gospel to us and to live upon him having so received and embraced him Now sayes he this is his commandment his great his special commandment his commandment in a most signal eminent manner and Christ himself asserts the same thing Joh. 6.28 29. In the 28 v. They ask him what shall we do that we may works the Work of God His answer in the 29. v. is This is the Work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent i. e. That ye receive and embrace me and live upon me by believing This is the Work of God the great work which he commands you and expects from you Believing as Calvin observes upon this place is not called the Work of God Non quia efficit deus in nobissed quid requirit Christus docet Calv. in Loc. because 't is of Gods operation as you have it else where or that which God works in us but because 't is the great thing which he commands and requires of us To reject and refuse Christ then is a sin against a signal and emenient command indeed against the great command of the Gospel and therefore
profanare Calv. in Loc. was the work and undertaking of Christ as our Mediator and great were the things which he both did and suffer'd in the discharge of that work and undertaking great also was his Grace and Love towards us in all and accordingly great must our sin and guilt be in pouring contempt thereon which we do by our refusing of him Hereby we pour contempt upon all his acts and all his offices as Mediator upon all his Merits and all his Purchases upon all his Grace and Love in bleeding and Dying for us We do hereby in effect say that neither Christ nor any thing which he has purchas'd is worth accepting and embracing That we had rather that he had never 〈◊〉 never become a days-man between God and us that he might have keept his Blood to himself and we will not thank him for shedding of it that we need neither him nor any thing that is his Hereby we do in effect say that the whole Gospel is a Cheat a lie a meer Delusion That Christ is an hard Master and rules with Rigour that Salvation is little worth and the like O what horred contempt of Christ is this 3. This sin plainly preferrs a poor Base Vile lust before Christ and all the Glorious Riches and Treasures of Christ and O what contempt of him is this Why do men refuse Christ and the offers of his Love Surely 't is for the sake and from the Love of some lust or other either the lust of the Flesh the lust of the Eye or the pride of Life and if so then by refusing of him they do really prefer this Lust before him and all the Treasures of his Grace and Love And thus indeed you find it to be Mat. 22. Reginning as also Luke 14.18 19 20. Where Christ offers himself withall his Treasures to poor Sinners who yet slight and refuse both him and them And why so The one hath a farm the other a Merchandize and all have some carnal concern to mind the Sum is they have a lust to be satisfied and therefore Christ and all the Treasures of his Love must be rejected By refusing of Christ we do in effect say that there is more good more sweetness more happiness in a lust in a little carnall worldly pleasure and advantage then there is in Christ and all that is his Hereby we do in effect say that men are deceiv'd in Christ that the Word of God makes a false report of him that he is not such a Saviour nor is his Salvation so great as the one and the other is represented to be O what contempt is this to be cast upon Christ Esau yow know is said to despise his Birth right and how By preferring a mess of pottage or a morsel of Meat before it Gen. 25.34 But O how much more do we contemn Christ and his Love by preferring a base vile lust before him and it Surely greater contempt of Christ than this can't well be found And how great then must the sin of the refusal of Christ be and how much should we tremble at it 3. Consider that the neglect and refusal of Christ is a sin which in an eminent manner darkens and opposes the Glory of God and reflects the highest Dishonour upon him of all others and therefore a great sin The more any sin darkens and opposes the Glory of God the greater the guilt of that sin is For first the more any sin opposes the Glory of God and reflects Dishonour upon him the more contrary it is to the highest good and the more contrary any sin is to the highest good the greater the guilt of it must needs be And Secondly the more any sin opposes the Glory of God and reflects Dishonour upon him the more it thwarts and contradicts the highest end of Man and the more any sin thwarts and contradicts the highest end of Man the greater the guilt of that sin is Now the neglect and refusal of Christ is what eminently opposes the Glory of God and reflects Dishonour upon him The reception and entertainment of Christ puts an honour upon the Father Indeed every act of Faith honours God Rom. 4.20 And especially this great and Fundamental act of Faith in embracing Christ So on the other hand the neglect and refusal of Christ is what reflects Dishonour upon God it throws his Glory in the dust and hence 't is that this sin is so exceeding provoking to him as in the Scripture it is represented to be Particularly take here two things 1. This sin of refusing Christ is what slights and contemns all the Glorious excellencies and perfections of God at once and so can't but cast very great Dishonour upon him and be very opposite to his Glory In Christ my Beloved all the Glorious excellencies and perfections of God are eminently manifested and displayed In him do all the Glorious counsels of his Grace and Love meet and in refusing him we despise and poure contempt upon all In him does his love eminently shine forth and the fulness of it rest 1 Jol. 4.9 10. Tota aeterni pâ—â— is complacontia in solo silio incamato acquitscit resideâ— qâ—asi deposiâ—a est Chemn In him is his Justice Righteousness and Holiness eminently manifested and displayed Rom. 3.25 26. In him does his wisdom yea his manifold wisdom appear and reveal its self In a word whole God is manifested and revealed in him and withall tender'd to the embraces of our Faith and Love In every offer of Christ made to us in the Gospel God does in effect say to us what ever I am or can do as God that I l'e be to and do for you to make you happy for ever accordingly to refuse Christ must needs poure contempt upon all It slights and poures contempt upon the Grace of God the wisdom of God the power of God the justice of God the Holiness of God the Fulness and All-sufficiency of God and all the Ancient Glorious counsels of his Love concerning Souls to refuse Christ is in effect to say that the Grace of God is no Grace at least not worthy of our acceptance That his justice and holiness are not to be regarded and that we value them not That his wisdom is folly and his power weakness that his fulness has little in it and is no way able to satisfie us and make us happy that a broken Cistern is as good as that Fountain of living waters And hereby we down-right deny his Faithfulness and put the lie upon him 1 Joh. 5.10 We do in effect say that the God of truth is a liar that his witness and testimony is not to be credited that his word of promise is a meer delusion and for no other use then to beguile Souls O what contempt what Dishonour must all this cast upon the blessed God and what horrible wickedness must it be to make God a liar sayes a Learned Man is an horrible and execrable impiety
more worth in his merits to pardon and justifie thee then there is evil in thy sins to damn destroy thee True I have a Fountain of sin and guilt and death in me But here 's a deeper Fountain of Grace and life righteousness in him see O my Soul see how vast and large his treasures of Grace and Glory are and bear up thy self upon them O did Sinners dwell more in the view of the Glorious fulness of Christ they would be more in love with him and hereby would counter-work and undermine unbelief in one of its greatest artifices whereby it keeps souls from him I shall here for thy encouragement onely subjoyn the saying of a worthy Divine Christ sayes he can and it becometh him well to give more then my narrow soul can receive If there were ten thousand thousand millions of worlds and as many heavens full of men and Angels Christ would not be pinched to supply all their wants and to fill them all Christ is a Well of Life but who knoweth how deep it is to the bottom 2. The second Gospel-principle or encouragement of Faith which thou should'st bear up thy soul upon and be frequent in the contemplation of is this That as there is such a Glorious and in-exhaustible fulness in Christ so this fulness is in him not for himself but to be dispensed and communicated to poor Souls coming to him True may the Soul say here 's fulness enough riches and treasures enough of all good in Christ but what 's this to me or wherein does it concern me Wherein does it concern thee Why 't is wholly thy concern and the concern of such as thou art For what ever fulness he has in him 't is treasur'd up in him for Souls for Sinners yea for the worst of Sinners How sweet is that word Psa 68.18 where speaking of Christ the holy Ghost tells us that he hath received gifts for men He hath received gifts i. e. He has a fulness of all good in his hand and at his dispose and this for men I but I am a devil sayes the soul a rebel what 's this to me observe what follows and thou wilt find it concerns thee yea thee especially He hath received gifts for men yea for the rebellious also Hence also 't is that he is said to be made Head over all things to the Church Eph. 1.22 He has all fulness dwelling in him but 't is as an head and so 't is all for the use and service of the body for every poor soul that comes to him And therefore 't is added Head over all things to the Church i e. For the Churches use and service of which he is Head Take a view of all that fulness that is in Christ and 't is all as much and as really for the use and service of such as come to him and are made members of his body as the treasures and endowments of the natural head are for the use and service of the natural body and the members thereof And O what an encouragement is this to Faith 'T is the observation of a learned man upon the place last quoted Lest sayes he we should think this great glory of Christ to be a thing that does not concern us Ne summam illam Christi gloriam putemus aliquid a nobis alienum esse testatur illum esse a Deo patre totius Ecclesiae Beza he is here declar'd to be constituted and appointed by the Father to be Head of the whole Church Well then soul bear up thy self upon this encouragement Say look O my soul look unto sweet Jesus who hath received Gifts for men View him as one that has received a fulness of all Grace from the Father on purpose to be dispens'd and communicated to thee and to such as thou art He has life in him and he has it for thee he has peace and pardon in him and he has it for thee He has wisdom and righteousness Grace and Glory in him and he has it for thee and for such as thou art and therefore go to him expect all from him cast all upon him 3. The third Gospel-principle or encouragement of Faith which thou shouldst bear up thy soul upon and dwell much in the contemplation of is this that there is a perfect freedom and willingness in Christ yea 't is even genuine and naturall to him to bestow himself with all his Glorious riches and fulness upon poor souls coming to him Christ as you heard has all this fulness in him as an head so you have it expresly Col. 1.18 19. Now as 't is genuine and naturall to the head to minister influence to the members So 't is even genuine and naturall to Christ to communicate his Grace to poor souls Besides all that fulness that is in Christ 't is in him not as God onely but as man 'T is deposited and treasured up in his human nature It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell Col. 1.19 In him i. e. as a learned man expounds it in the man Christ or in that human nature in which he dyed and transacted the business of our Salvation In co i. e. In homine Christo vel in humana illa natura in qua obivit administravit negotium salutis nostrae Daven 'T is true the God-head or Divine nature is the first spring or Fountain of all Graee but the human nature of Christ is as it were a second spring and Fountain of Grace That is as a treasury or Store-house wherein all Grace is laid up for us Hence 't is said that as the Father hath life in himself so he hath given to the Son to have life in himself because he is the Son of man Joh 5.26 27. Christ as God hath life i.e. all Grace originally and independently in him as the Father hath Indeed as God he is the same infinite and independent Fountain of Life and Grace with the Father but 't is as man that he is said to have Life and Grace given to him The sum then is That that Glorious fulness of Grace that is in Christ for Sinners is Fountain'd up in his human nature and being Fountain'd up in his human nature it will and can't but slow yea overflow to and upon poor souls that cast themselves upon him The truth is 'T is to charge Christ with unkindness and unsaithfulness both at once to suppose him unwilling to communicate himself and his fulness to Sinners coming to him and soul canst thou find in thy heart to lay so blacka charge upon so sweet and good a Christ 'T is the way and work of the devil and unbelief to perswade Souls that Christ will not receive them nor communicate his Grace and fulness to them though they should come to him which they endeavour to do from the consideration of his greatness and holiness together with their vileness and sinfulness Christ say they is choice
and peculiar in his Love and respects as great Persons use to be He will know his distance and he will make Sinners know theirs But Soul deal with this as from the devil and unbelief reject it as a reproach thrown upon Christ and dwell much in the contemplation of his infinite willingness to receive and save the worst of Sinners that come to him Reason it a little with thy self Why did he become incarnate Why did he bleed and die Why does he woo and wait and offer and call and strive with poor Sinners to win them to himself Does it not all argue a willingness and readiness in him to give forth both himself and his fulness to them 4. The Fourth Gospel-principle or encouragement of Faith which thou shouldest bear up thy soul upon and dwell much in the contemplation of is this That the onely spring and principle of all that ever Christ does for poor Sinners from first to last is his own Soverain Grace and Love 'T was his Love that brought him down from Heaven and that led him out to Bleed and die for them Hence Eph. 5.25 he is said to Love his Church and give himself for it 'T is his Love his free Love that first draws them to himself and allures them into Covenant with him I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee Jer. 31.3 'T is his Love that receives them that pardons them that bestows life and Salvation upon them Hence all is said to be of Grace even the whole of our Salvation Eph. 2.8 Hence he is represented to us as sitting upon a Throne of Grace and there 't is that he invites us to come to him and from thence give out all to us Heb. 4.16 and therefore to that Throne we though Sinners may come boldly He is upon a Throne and therefore we may assure our selves that he will do great things for Sinners coming to him he will act like a King pardon like a King save like a King do all with Kingly greatness and magnificence And 't is a Throne of Grace a Throne that reigns Grace a Throne whereon Grace sits in imperial Majesty and decrees all for poor Sinners coming to it and so does all freely all in a way of Soverain Grace and Love Hence that Language I will have mercy because I will have mercy I will pardon because I will pardon and I will save because I will save Now what an encouragement is this to Faith and how if rightly weighed and consider'd would it dash all the pleas of unbelief to pieces and sweetly draw the Soul on to a close with Christ in a Marriage-Covenant For pray consider what is the nature of Soverain Grace and Love The nature of it is to act from it self to itself without any consideration of any thing in us without respecting either the worthiness or the unworthiness of the creature at all The nature of it is such that 't is neither constrain'd to nor restrain'd from doing good to souls by any thing either of good or evil in them but all runs freely And therefore no matter what I am though never so vile and wretched in my self while I have to do with such love and such love is the spring of all Christ's dealings with me and Carriages towards me 5. The Fifth Gospel-principle or encouragement of Faith which thou shouldest bear up thy self upon and dwell much in the contemptation of is this That the great design of Christ in all his undertakings for and dispensation towards Sinners is the illustrating and enthroning of his own Grace and the more vile sinful and forlorn a wretch thou art the more will his Grace be enthroned and illustrated in thine acceptance with him Christ in his dealings with and for Sinners does not onely act from a principle of Soverain Grace but in all he carrie on a design to enthrone that Grace of his and to make it Glorious for ever yea and he acts and will act sutably to such a design 'T is not what such and such Sinners do or do not deserve says Christ that I am to mind but what my Grace can do for them and what will make most for the Glory of that Grace what will set the brightest Crown upon its Head This is evident Eph. 1.6.12.14 Which was open'd before upon another occasion Hence those whom he saves he saves in such a way as may most lift up his own Grace his design therein being that Grace might reigh as you have it Rom. 5.21 Hence you read of his justifying the ungodly Rom. 4.5 He will have his Grace triumph over every Soul whom he saves Now what an encouragement is this to Faith Christ not onely sits upon a Throne of Grace but also his design in dealing with Sinners is to set his Grace upon the Throne Sinner the more vile and sinful thou art the more sutable it is to Christ's design to save thee for the more vile and sinful thou art the greater name and Glory will his Grace get in thine acceptation and Salvation by him The more vile and sinful thou art the greater will be the declaration of Grace on Christ's part in thine acceptance and Salvation O when Christ shall pardon a soul so guilty receive a soul so sinful reconcile a soul that is such an enemy as thou art how will this declare the Glorious riches of his Grace in the view both of men Angels This will shew forth the exceeding riches of his Grace as the the Expression is Eph. 2.7 And the morevile and sinful thou art the greater will be the admiration of Grace for ever on thy patt Where much is forgiven there will be the return of much Love much praise Luk. 7.47 O who am I sayes the soul when once received to mercy though more then ordinary vile and sinful who am I that I should find Grace in Christ's sight What such a rebell and yet pardon'd Such an enemy and yet reconcil'd Such a Black devil and yet washt and made white in the Blood of the Lamb Such a Fiend of Hell and yet made a Favourite of Heaven Such a filthy deformed wretch and yet taken into the pure and Lovely Bosome of sweet Jesus O Grace Grace How rich and free is Grace And O what praise and Hallelujahs will there be tuned upon the Tongues and spirits of such to God and the Lamb for ever When therefore thou wouldst go to Christ and discouragements arise to keep thee back from him thou shouldst dwell in the thoughts of and bear up thy soul upon this consideration reasoning thus with thy self True I am a vile wretch the chief of Sinners one on all accounts worthy to be abhor'd and cast off by Christ But what then Christ acts towards Sinners purely from a principle of Grace and Love he regards neither worthiness nor unworthiness whether a great sinner or a little sinner 't is all one to him as to his
endearing 't is the worth and excellency of his Person that gives Authority to all the commands of Faith and does aw the heart to obedience and 't is the worth and excellency of his Person that is one of the most powerful attractives to draw and allure the hearts of the sons of men to him if therefore his Person be undervalued if the dignity and glory of that be not seen we are never like to enter into a Marriage-Covenant with him Therefore soul if ever thou would'st be Espous'd to this Christ always maintain honorable thoughts of his Person Behold his glory as the glory of the onely begotten of the Father and beg him more and more to reveal his Personal worth and excellencies to thee 2. Be sure always to maintain good thoughts of his ways Kingdom and Government Admit not of one jealousie of Christ as if he were an hard severe Husband as if he carried it with rigour and severity towards his spouses If the Devil and unbelief fail in their other attempts then they endeavour to prejudice souls against Christ perswading them that he is an hard Master an austere Husband that rules with intolerable rigour and severity I know sayes he in the Gospel that thou wast an austere man Mat. 25.24 And hereby the soul is seared off from Christ But soul as ever thou would'st be Espous'd to him take heed of any such jealousie of him or prejudice against him keeping up good thoughts of him and his ways him and his government and be much in contemplating the sweetness both of him and his wayes Is he severe Pray where lies his severity Does he call you to bear his Yoak He does but 't is an easie yoak Does he enjoin you to bear his Burthen He does but 't is a light Burthen My yoak is easie and my Burthen is light Mat. 11.29.30 Does he expect you should take up the Crosse He does but 't is a sweet Cross a gainful Crosse an honorable Crosse a Crosse that is inlaid with love and overlaid with Divine sweetness a Cross that has a Crown annext to it even a â—rown of Life Rev. 2.10 A Cross that is a Crown here for 't is an honour to suffer for Christ Asts 5.41 And a Cross that will greaten and brighten your Crown hereafter Mat. 5.11 12. blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you for great is your reward in Heaven Does he call you to perform such and such services He does but withall he gives you strength to perform them hetping your infirmities by his good Spirit Rom. 8.26 and in case you sail and come short in and of what he calls for what then Why then he pities and spares you and Father doth his Son that serveth him he over-looks your failings and defects 〈◊〉 3.17 Can you do nothing onely you have a mind to serve him Why then he accepts of that willing mind according to what you have and not according to what you have not 2 Cor. 8.12 when you can't pour out a prayer a sigh a groan is accepted by him Will he have the throne in you and rule in your souls He will but his way of rule is most sweet for he rules with love and he rewards with life and he gives a throne for a throne a throne in glory for a throne in your souls What shall I say his wayes are all wayes of pleasantness and his pathes are all peace Prov. 3.17 and O what pleasure what delight what solace and satisfaction of soul is there to be found in walking in them In a word his whole service is perfect freedom and there is no true sreedom but in his wayes and service Quis regnare nolit Vis regnare faliciter Servi benigno Jesu regnabis quia ills servire regnare est Bern. 'T is a great saying which I have read in one of the Antionts who sayes he would not reign But wot last thou reign happily Serve kind Jesus and thou shalt reign because to serve him is true reigning Thus you see there is no just reason for hard thoughts of Christ in this respect but rather the contrary Accordingly answer and throw off all those black reproaches which the devil and unbelief cast upon this good Lord and be sure to maintain good thoughts of him and his wayes which will not a little conduce to the promoting of an Espousal between him and thee 5. Would'st thou indeed be Espoused to Christ Then study and contemplate much how infinitly grateful and acceptable Christ is Sinners know not or if they know they consider not who or what Christ is they mind not how acceptable a good he is to souls and therefore they slight him Had'st thou known sayes Christ to the woman the gift of God and who it is that speaketh â—o thee thou would have askt of him and he would have given thee living waters Jo. 4.10 Truly did men know Christ and his infinite aceptableness they would run to him and close with him in a Marriage-Covenant Study therefore and contemplate this much thereby possessing thy soul with a deep sense of it The Apostle speaking but of one truth concerning Christ tells us 't is worthy of all acceptation 1 Tim. 1.16 And if so what acceptation must Christ himself yea Christ withall his truths and all his treasures both be worthy of And how should our souls cleave to him take him into our embraces There are among others five things which speak a good to be eminently grateful and acceptable worth and excellency usefulness and serviceableness sutableness and conveniency Sweetness and delight Durableness and unchangableness in all all which are sound in Christ who tenders himself and his Love to us 1. There is worth and excellency in Christ yea incomparable worth and excellency The Apostle speaks of an excelling excellency that there is in the knowledge of Christ Phil. 3.8 Now the knowledge of Christ is so excellent because Christ is excellent Christ indeed is all worth all excellency He is an infinite Ocean of Beauty and glory he is the chiefest among ten Thousand and all together lovely Cant. 5.10 16. All excellencies dwell in him as in their proper Fountain and they all meet and are united in him as lines in their proper center Some beauty some excellencies you find scatter'd up and down among the creatures the Saints and Angels the Sun Moon and Starrs and the like But alas T is scatter'd and 't is scatter'd but here and there a drop but in Christ you have all Beauty all worth all excellency in a blessed Union and conjunction You have all in one and that unchangeably O what a portion is Christ sayes one O that the Saints would dig deeper into the treasures of his wisdom and excellencies Truly 't is sweet digging there and there in some sort there will be room for digging to all eternity for even through eternity new wonders of glory will arise new Beauties and excellencies will appear
and shine forth in Christ What shall I say He has in him all the excellencies of both worlds and is indeed deservedly the wonder of both In him there is a confluence of all the lovely properties the drawing attributes the ravishing Beauties the Bright-shining and glorious perfections of the infinitely blessed Deity Hence sayes he all that the Father hath is mine which may be understood of his Divine perfections Joh. 16.15 Hence also he is said to be equal with God Quicquid perfectionis in patre erat est totum illud est in filio in to tota patris pesona tota 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tota 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tota etiam facies expressa est Zanch. in Loc. Phil. 2.6 i e. Look what ever Divine perfections there are in God the Father they all are found in Christ in him is exprest the whole Person of the Father the whole Essence Being and Feauty of the Father And as a Learned man has observed Christ the Son is in all things like the Father this only excepted that he is not the person of the Father Filius per omnia similis est patri hoc excepto quod non est ipsa patris Persona Davenant Hence also he is said to be the brightness of his Father's Glory and the express image of his Person Heb. 1.3 All the Fathers glories and excellencies do shine forth in him and he perfectly represents the Father to us Thus Christ is a person of excellency and so most acceptable And O who would not accept and embrace such a Christ And how great a wickedness is it to reject him I can't but here take up the complaint of an holy man O pity pity for evermore sayes he that there should be such an one as Christ Jesus so boundless so bottomless so incomparable so infinite in excellency and sweetness and so few that will take him they miserably lose their love sayes he who will not bestow it upon this lovely one 2. There is usefulness and serviceableness in Christ As Christ is a person of the highest excellency so of the greatest and most absolute need use and service to poor souls Indeed he is the one needful good Lu. 10.42 Christ is so much needed by and of so much use and service to poor souls that they can't possibly do well and be happy without him Pray consider we provoke God and he is angry with us and by Christ alone 't is that we receive the attonement Rom. 5.11 We sin and load our selves with guilt and by Christ alone 't is that we are or can be discharged from it In him have we redemption through his Blood even the for giveness of sins Eph. 1.7 We have an hard and impenitent heart an heart that cannot repent and by Christ and Christ alone 't is that we can obtain repentance he being exalted to give repentance unto Isratl as well as remission of sins Act. 5.31 We are at a dreadsul distance from God afar off as the Scripture speaks and by Christ and him alone 't is that we are made nigh What shall I say The best of Saints as well as the worst of Sinners have an absolute need of Christ and he is of daily use and service to them neither can they live one day or one hour without him Indeed he is their life and without him therefore they are dead and undone as well as others without him they can do nothing Jo. 15.5 Without him every duty will be too hard every burthen will be too heavy every temptation will be too strong every lust will be too mighty for them without him they would yet sall short of the eternal rest and would make ship-wrack of Faith souls and all for ever Without him neither Saints nor Sinners can have any access to God any intercourse or communion with him in which notwithstanding the whole of our happiness both in time and eternity lies I am the way says he and no man cometh to the Father but by m Jo. 14.6 And through him says the Apostle we have access unto the Father by one Spirit Eph 2.18 Without him we could have no peace with God for he alone is our peace Eph. 2.14 And having peace with God without him we could not maintain our peace one hour it being he alone that is our advocate and propitiation with the Father 1 Jo. 2.1 2. Thus he is every way most needful and most useful to eternal souls O how grateful how acceptable then is he or ought he to be to us 3 There is sutableness and conveniency also in Christ to the souls of men The sutableness and conveniency of any good renders it acceptable to us How acceptable is bread to an hungry man because a good sutable to him How acceptable is drink to a thirsty man because a good suitable to him Now there is an admirable sutableness and conveniency in Christ to the souls of men and that in all the cases of them Why then should he not be acceptable to them One I remember represents the sutableness of Christ to the souls and wants of Sinners thus the whole person nature and offices of Christ sayes he are so suited and proportioned to all the varity of needs in us that they are as a key for a lock there is ward for ward every thing done in the key sutable to the lock and indeed so 't is here Christ and his fulness being exactly suited to us and our wants We are sick and sick to death and Christ is a Physitian Mat. 9.12 And what more sutable to the sick then a Physitian We are sinful and sinful to damnation we are lost Sinners and Christ is a Saviour and who or what more sutable to lost Sinners then a Saviour We are poor captives the captives of sin and Sathan in bondage to death and the curse and Christ is a Redeemer and who or what more sutable to Captives then a Redeemer Weare under the Tyranny and Usurpation of many mighty powerful Lusts Lusts that are imposing upon us every hour and we are no way able to deal with them But Christ is a great and puissant King who can subdue all and whose Arrows shall be sharp in the hearts of all his and our Enemies and what more sutable to Persons in such a circumstance then such a King We are dead and Christ is Life and what more sutable for the Dead then Life We are poor and miserable and Christ is gold to enrich us Are we naked Chirst is Cloathing for us Are we blind He is Eye-salve for us Are we in Prison He is Liberty Are we Hungry He is Bread Are we Thirsty He is the Water of Life which those that drink of shall never thirst Are we troubled He is Rest Are we drooping and desponding He is the consolation of Israel Are we bewilder'd He is a Guide Are we born down in our spiritual conflicts He is the Captain of our Salvation who will
fight for us O how sutable every way is Christ to souls and being so sutable why should he not be acceptable to us Poor sinner is there any in Heaven or Earth that will so suit and answer the various wants and cases of thy soul as Christ does and will Why then shouldst thou not account him worthy of all acceptation 4. There is sweetness and delight in Christ Trahit sua quemque voluptas says the Poet every one is drawn and allur'd by pleasure and delight What is it that makes sin that cursed thing sin pleasing and grateful to so many Surely one great thing is that pleasure and delight which they find at least promise themselves to find in it and indeed generally the more sweet and delightful things are the more readily and greedily they are embraced by the Sons of Men Why then should not Christ be grateful and acceptable to us Is there any so sweet so pleasant so delightful as he He is a Fountain of sweetness as well as Excellency I find him so sweet sayes an holy Man speaking of Christ that my Love suppose I would charge it to remove from him it would not obey me How sweet is his Love Thy Love is better thon Wine sayes the Spouse Cant. 1.2 This is that best Wine which goeth down sweetly causing the Lips of those that are asleep to speak Cant. 7.9 Yea this is that will cause a dead Man to speak and Live as an holy Man speaks concerning it Experienced Souls will tell you that there is more sweetness in one descent of Love from Christ then in all the delights of sin and the Creature This is that which sweetens the sharpest affliction yea this is that and that alone which sweetens Death it self and enables the soul truly to triumph over it Rom. 8. latter end O the sweet bathing that there is in the Fountain of Christ's Love How sweet are his Fruits I sat down under his shadow sayes the Spouse with great delight and his Fruits were sweet to my taste Cant. 2.3 By Fruits I understand the purchases of his Blood and the effects of his Love Peace Pardon Righteousness Justification Sanctification and Holiness Acceptation with God and the like And O how sweet are these How pleasant are these With what solace and satisfaction may a believing soul feed and feast himself upon these How sweet is his presence entercourse and communion with him This made the Spouse to be plad and rejoyce in him Cant. 1.4 This indeed sets the soul down at the very Gate of Heaven where he sayes 't is good to be here 'T is a blessed exclamation which I find one of the Ancients breaks out into O how good and how sweet O how good O quam bonum quam jucundum O quam bonum jucundum est tecum dulcissime Jesu habitare in unum tecum colloqui tibi revelare causam animae nostrae tuaeque eonsolationis responso perfruri Bern. de pass domi and how pleasant is it to dwell with thee most sweet Jesus te converse with thee to reveal the concerns of our souls to thee and to enjoy thy consolations And again elsewhere O thou most sweet and most loving Jesus how sweet is it to think of thee for while we are speaking and thinking of thee thou art sweetly present with us and our souls are fill'd with delight in the odours of thine Oyntments O dulcissime amantissime Jesu quam jucundum cogitare quam salubre loqui de te tu enim de te loquentibus presens mentem dulciter accendis c. Id. Ib. And yet once more O Lord when at any time I partake in this joy speaking of the joy of Communion with him I cry out Lord 't is good to be here O Domine si quando me in aliqua hujus gaudit parte invenio clame Domine bonum est nos hic esse faciamus hic tria tabernacula sidei unum spei unum amori unum Bern. de amore dei les us build three Tabernacles here me for Faith one for Hope one for Love And indeed who is there that knows what Communion with Christ means that does not find an incomparable sweetness solace and satisfaction in it This is that which fills some with joy unspeakable and full of glory even here and this is that which will be the joy and delight of Heaven for ever Every way Christ is a very Field of pleasure a very Paradice of Joys and a very Fountain of delights O why why then should he not be more grateful and acceptable to us 5. There is durableness and unchangeableness in Christ which being added to all the former renders him even infinitely the more grateful and acceptable Possibly some worth some usefulness some sutableness some sweetness and delight there may be found in the Creature and Creature Enjoyments but alas this allayes the acceptableness of all that 't is all fading dying and changing and indeed whatever is short and but for a season can't challenge any great acceptation But now Christ he is lasting durable and unchangable Hoc est semper sui similis invariabilis immutabilis abaeterno in aeternum Glass Rhet. Sac. He is the same yesterday to day and for ever Heb. 13.8 What he was he is and what he is he alwayes will be He was most excellent most useful most sutable most sweet and delightful to Souls and so he is and alwayes will be He as one of the Ancients speaks of him is immutable Deus est immutabilis mutans omnia nunquam novus nunquam vetus Aug. he changes all things but is himself unchangable never new never old Hence also Christ himself tells us That he is the Alpha and Omega he that was and is and is to come Rev. 1.8 He is ever the same in love in beauty in fulness in faithfulness and in all his desirablenesses And O how grateful and acceptable does this render him All our enjoynments here below fade and change yea we ourselves change Changes and War are upon us as Job speaks yea some of us are daily waiting for our last and great change But O! blessed be God Christ fades not Christ changes not What he was to and what he has done for Souls formerly that he is to and that he can do for souls now yea and that he will be to and will be able to do for Souls hereafter For he is still to come as he was and is so he is to come which is a sweet word Poor Soul hitherto it may be thou hast gone along through thy work and warfare with some comfort and courage but that which damps and terrifies thee is the apprehension of what may be to come O sayest thou the Tryals that are to come the Difficulties that are to come the Temptations that are to come the Storms and Tempests that are to come Well Soul for thy encouragement under all know that whatever is to come
Christ is to come too Are there Tryals to come Christ is to come too Are there Difficulties and Temptations to come Christ is to come too Are there Storms and Tempests to come Christ is to come too And while Christ is to come fear not only close with him in a Marriage-Covenant and make him thine then come what will come come what can come all will be well Thus Christ is every way acceptable and infinitely acceptable and as ever Soul thou wouldst be indeed espoused to him dwell much in the study and contemplation of his acceptableness Labour to be possest with a deep and daily renewed sense of it which will sweetly draw and allure thy Soul to him VI. Wouldst thou indeed be espoused to Christ then be sure that thou pitchest thy Faith aright upon him and closest in effectually with him in a way of believing 'T is Faith that is both the great uniting and the great interesting Grace it unites us to Christ and interests us in Christ 'T is that as has been formerly declared and evinced that puts Christ and the Soul into the bosom and embraces of each others love and by which the Marriage-Knot is tyed between them If ever therefore thou wouldst be indeed espoused unto him look well to thy Faith see that thou dost pitch that aright upon him closing with him and embracing of him not by halves but throughly not feignedly but intimately and cordially But here some may say How may we do to pitch our Faith aright upon Christ so as to get conjugal Union and Communion with him Three things must be done in order hereunto which I desire you to look well to I. See that you wholly quit and renounce your selves II. Labour to get a right notion and apprehension of Christ III. Be sure to make a right choice of him being so apprehended I. Would you pitch your Faith aright upon Christ and be indeed espoused to him Then see that you wholly quit and renounce your selves Self and believing are at the utmost distance from and enmity with each other that is imaginable they are irreconcilably opposit each to other and where Faith takes place there Self vanishes and dies away and that in all its notions and with all its accomplishments Hence sayes Christ If any man will come after me believe on me be espoused to me let him deny himself Mat. 16.24 Let him deny himself renounce himself go out of himself let Self become nothing with him And indeed the Soul that believes in Christ does go quite out of himself he sees and feels himself to be a poor empty Nothing in all respects he sees and finds his Strength to be Weakness his Wisdom Folly his Beauty Blackness his Righteousness Sin his All Nothing And thus must we if ever we indeed believe and get Union with Christ O my Beloved one of the great things which stands between Faith and us Christ and us is Self This indeed is the Souls Darling the first Born as one calls it of his Love and Delights and he is loth to part with it but part with it he must and renounce it he must or he can never believe aright nor is he ever like to have any part or lot in Christ Every step out of Self is a step towards Christ and Faith in Christ and we must be divorced from the one if ever we be married to the other particularly you must quit and renounce Self especially in this three-fold Notion Self-Will Self-Worth Self-Interest 1. You must quit and renounce Self-Will He that indeed believes must in a sort have no Will of his own but his Will must be wholly melted and resigned up into the Will of Christ Hence the Church is said to be subject unto Christ Ephes 5.24 We are apt to live in our own Wills and are exceeding fond of and set upon having our Wills and that how cross and contrary soever they be to the Will of Christ But if ever we believe so as to get union with Christ our stubborn Wills must bow our proud Wills must down and must in all things as much as is possible be refer'd and resign'd into Christ's Will and good reason for his Will is the rule of goodness as well as the first cause of all things We must not think to say we are Lords but we must bow to Christ as the great and only Lord. 2. You must quit and renounce Self-Worth Self-Rightcousness you must renounce all Worth and Righteousness of your own in point of justification and acceptation with God 'T is a great word which I shall speak Mens duties living under the Gospel keep almost as many from Christ and believing as their sins do My meaning is as the love of sin keeps some so confidence in Duties a confidence in Self-Worth Self-Righteousness keeps multitudes of others from Christ and believing And the truth is my Beloved this piece of Self is the great Idol of the Soul and that which men are marvellously loth to quit and renounce and indeed 't is oftentimes so painted and as it were spiritualliz'd acted with so much state and set out with so many ornaments that it would make any one in love with it but yet this Idol so dear as 't is to the Soul must be denyed and renounced this Darling must be cast off and that with loathing and abomination in respect of Soul-saving if ever you believe and are united to Christ And the Soul that indeed does believe looks upon himself to be the poorest despicablest and undonest Creature in the World notwithstanding all he throws away not only his Rags but his Robes too all his Priviledges all his Performances all his moral Excellencies and Attainments as to a dependance upon them for Life and Salvation as you know Paul did Phil. 3.8 9. of which more hereafter The Soul's language in the Work of believing is such as this I am a poor vile empty nothing in my self I am nothing I can do nothing and I deserve nothing I am nothing but sin I can do nothing but offend and provoke God and I deserve nothing but frowns and death from him If ever I be saved 't is Free Grace must save me if ever I find favour in Gods sight it must be purely from Grace in Christ Alas I have walked contrary to God all my dayes my heart and life both have been full of eumity and provocation against him and my very Duties are damning my best Righteousness being as filthy Rags Isa 64.6 And indeed till it comes to this with us we are like to remain strangers to Christ and Faith in Christ I shall only say this further as to this particular That no men in the World are further off from Christ and union with him through believing then such as trust in their own Worth their own Righteousness Christ himself tells us That Publicans and Harlots do enter the Kingdom of Heaven before such Mat. 21.31 3. You must quit and renounce
Faith passes to the God-head Neque ad Christum Deum unquam perveniet qui heminem negligit And as a great Divine speaks he that comes not to Christ as man shall never come to him as God The truth is Faith cannot deal with God immediately but as God cloath'd with our nature 4. View and apprehend him in his office of Mediatorship The Gospel reveals and propounds Christ to our Faith in his Office it propounds and reveals him as Christ as the true Messiah and Saviour of the World as one seal'd sent and anointed by the Father for the redemption of lost Souls and thus also should Faith eye and apprehend him So also did Peter's Faith apprehend him Thou art Christ sayes he the Son of the living God Mat. 16.16 Hence we read of believing that Jesus is the Christ 1 John 5.1 Hence also Christ tells the Jews If ye believe not that I am he ye shall die in your sins John 8.24 If ye believe not that I am he i. e. that I am the Messiah the Christ the Saviour that was promised O! Faith is short of that notion it should have of Christ unless it thus eyes him in his Office 5. View and apprehend him in his infinite ability and sufficiency for the discharge of his Office The Gospel reveals and propounds him to our Faith as one able to save to the very uttermost and accordingly should our Faith eye and apprehend him Heb. 7.25 It reveals him indeed both as an onely and alsufficient Saviour as an onely Saviour Look unto me and be saved all ye ends of the earth for I am God and there is none besides me Isa 45.22 Neither is there Salvation in any other nor is there any other Name given under Heaven wherby we may be saved but his only Acts 4.12 And as an alsufficient Saviour My Flesh is Meat indeed and my Blood is Drink indeed sayes he and he that eateth me even he shall live by me John 6.55 57. It reveals him in the infinite vertue of his Blood the inexhaustible fulness of his Grace the compleatness of his Obedience the excellency of his Righteousness the perfection of his Satisfaction and the like and thus should our Faith eye and apprehend him O labour for such a notion and apprehension of Christ as this is as ever you would believe aright and be indeed espoused to Christ labour for a found clear distinct knowledge of him as the great object of Faith Pray much for a Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of him that was the Apostles prayer for the Ephesians in this case Ephes 1.7 and let it be yours for your selves III. Would you pitch your Faith aright upon Christ and be indeed espoused to him Then be sure to make a right choice or election of him being thus known and apprehended To have a right notion and apprehension of Christ is good and necessary in order to union with him by believing but 't is not enough no Christ being known and apprehended must also be chosen and embraced by us and that as he is revealed and offered in the Gospel To know and apprehend Christ is an act of the Mind or Understanding but to chuse and embrace Christ is an act of the Will and Affections and though Faith has its rise and inchoation in the mind yet its complement and perfection it has in the Will and Affections these liking chusing and embracing of him and that in a way sutable to what the mind sees and apprehends concerning him and this must be added to the former or there is no right believing and so no conjugal union and communion with Christ Observemus fidei sedem non in cerebro esse sed in corde quoniam cordis nomen pro serio et sincero affectu fere capitur dice firmam esse efficacem fiduciam non nudam tantum notionem Calv. Hence that of the Apostle With the heart Man believeth unto Righteousness Rom. 10.10 True believing then is with the Heart now by the Heart here as also generally elsewhere in Scripture is meant the Will and Assections accordingly to believe with the Heart is for the Will and Affections to chuse and embrace Christ as he is revealed and offered in the Gospel this is called a receiving of Christ John 1.12 We receive Christ into our Wills when we chuse him and adhere to him for Life and Salvation and we receive him into our affections when we love him desire him and delight in him and this is believing To believe sayes Calvin is nothing else but to chuse and embrace Christ with a sincere affection of mind as he is reveal'd and offer'd in the Gospel And this indeed is the great vital act of Faith and that whereby our Conjugal-Union and Communion with Christ is more especially brought about This is that which makes Christ ours and puts us into the possession of him Mary sayes Christ has chosen the better part which shall never be taken from her Luke 10.42 She had chosen Christ and her choice of him had made him her own and so her own as that she could never lose him never be deprived of him Indeed a right choice of Christ makes him ours it unites us to him and interests us in him for ever A little further to help you in this business know that a right choice of Christ is accomplish't by these three steps 1. The Soul apprehending Christ as before likes him and approves of him as the best and most sutable Saviour the most lovely and desirable object in Heaven or Earth The Soul sayes of Christ as they did of the Land of Canaan Numb 14.7 The Land say they is an exceeding good Land So this Christ sayes the Soul is an exceeding good Christ this Saviour is an exceeding good Saviour there 's none like him there 's no beauty like his Beauty no blood like his Blood no fulness like his Fulness no love like his Love 2. The Soul desires him and longs after him and that with a strong ardent and vigorous affection This is call'd hungring and thirsting after Christ Matth. 5.6 The Soul seeing Christ and approving of him longingly cries out O a Christ a Christ O that this good Christ were mine 3. The Soul is by Grace sweetly and powerfully determined upon Christ so as actually to make a solemn and deliberate choice of him singling him out from all other things in Heaven and Earth as the best and most desirable good and most worthy of his dearest and most intimate embraces The Soul now pitches his choice upon Christ to be his Head and Husband his Lord and Saviour his rest his treasure his happiness his all for ever Now by these steps see that you come up to make a right choice of Christ be sure that you like him and approve of him as the best and most desirable object in Heaven or Earth Truly if you view him aright you can't but like him and
more compleat and perfect it is Faith's language to Christ when come to any maturity is such as this Lord as all my Life is in thy Death all my Healing in thy Wounds all my Righteousness in thy Obedience so all my Happiness is in thy Presence all my Heaven in the bosom and embraces of thy Love Nor have I any in Heaven but thee neither is there any upon earth that I desire besides thee Psal 73.25 O thus chuse Christ chuse him as the Rest the Solace the Happiness of your Souls and never think of any thing else to be the least part of your Happiness besides Christ 5. Be sure that you chuse and embrace Christ with his Cross and not onely Christ with his Crown Christ crucified as well as Christ glorified Christ upon terms of suffering for him as well as reigning with him he calling thereunto Thus also Christ tenders himself to us and thus must he be chosen and embraced by us Mat. 16.24 If any man will come after me let him deny himself take up his Cross and follow me And Luk. 14.27 Whosoever doth not bear his Cross and come after me cannot be my Disciple Some are for Christ and his Crown but they stick at his Cross They are for a reigning Christ but not for a persecuted Christ But my Beloved if you would so chuse him as to be married to him you must chuse him as upon the Cross Crucified as well as upon the Throne Glorified The meaning is you must chuse him with a firm resolution to suffer for him if he calls you hereunto you must chuse him as one persecuted and distressed on Earth as well as one dignified and glorified in Heaven In a word you must chuse him for better for worse in all estates and conditions with all his Inconveniences as well as his Priviledges with his Poverty his Imprisonments his Reproaches his Deaths his Dangers his Conflicts and the like that is to say you must chuse him with a willing resolution of mind to undergo all this at his call and for his sake and this indeed is to close with him in his own way and upon his own terms Christ's language to the Soul in the tender of himself to him is such as this Soul I am willing to be espoused to thee I am willing to bestow my self with all my Riches and Fulness upon thee but if thou wilt have me and these thou must be content to suffer for me to be reproach'd to be persecuted to be imprisoned yea to be killed all the day long for me when I please to call thee thereunto And indeed Faith when right closes with him upon these terms Content sayes the Soul being acted by a true Spirit of Faith Christ upon any terms that he thinks fit Christ with the Cross Christ with Reproach with Imprisonment with Death with whatever he pleases rather than go without him And indeed we need not be scared nor terrified at the Cross for there is no Cross so bitter as Christ is sweet there is nothing we can suffer for Christ that is worthy to be compared with the Glory we shall have in Christ and with Christ Besides Christ is worthy to be suffered for and therefore welcome Christ and welcome his Cross too Truly my Beloved Christ's Cross is sweet very sweet as he makes it That sweet-smell'd and perfum'd Cross of Christ sayes one is accompanied with sweet refreshments with the Kisses of a King with the Joy of the Holy Ghost therefore scare not at it but chuse him with his Cross as well as his Crown 6. Be sure that you chuse Christ often and think it not one single Act or Work onely to chuse and embrace him If you would indeed make sure of Christ and an espousal to him you should chuse him and embrace him anew every day We are apt to look upon the Work of chusing and embracing Christ as one single Act or Work onely but my Beloved 't is a Work that should be often repeated by often repeating of it we should grow more sound more strong more distinct in it As a second Edition corrects the Errors of the first so after Acts of believing in this kind do supply the defects of the first Act Indeed my advice to you is that you would make as much conscience of chusing and embracing Christ afresh every day as of praying every day especially if you be either young beginners in believing or older believers under clouds and darkness St. Paul made fresh choices of Christ to the very last Phil. 3.8 9. And 't is the duty of them that do believe to believe These things write I unto you sayes St. John that believe on the Name of the Son of God that ye may believe on the Name of the Son of God 1 John 5.13 They did believe and he would have them to believe afresh every day and so would I have you do every day renew the first great Act of Faith in your closing with Christ so shall every day be a day of espousals between Christ and you and so by degrees shall you come to the sense and comfort of this espousal I have read of some who never came to a sight and sense of their Union with Christ till they took this course Thus I have now shewn you the way how you may come to be espoused to Christ as well as what an Husband he is what great things he does for his Spouses and how much his Heart is set upon an espousal with sinners Now will you take this course Or shall all be lost with you Possibly the whole will have a different effect upon those that read or hear these things Some I hope will be won and gained to Christ by them others I fear will reject and despise all and that either out of a spirit of profaneness or insensibility of their need of and concernedness in these things If any Soul shall reject them out of a spirit of profaneness I would say to such a Soul as Solomon to the Scorner Prov. 9.12 If thou scornest thou alone shalt bear it thou alone shalt bear all thy sins and all the wrath and vengeance of God due to them If any shall reject these things out of a Spirit of insensibility of their need of and concern in them their case is the more to be pittied for the more insensible they are of their misery without Christ the greater is that misery of theirs What more miserable sayes Austin Quid miserius miserâ— non miserante sepisum Aug. then for a miserable man not to commiserate himself Others it may be stand doubting and trembling daring neither to reject nor yet to embrace not reject because their need of Christ is so great the worth of Christ so eminent and the guilt of the rejection of Christ so black nor yet embrace because their sins are so many and their unworthiness so great To such I would say cease thy trembling and delay thy
close with Christ no longer it has been thy sin let it be thy shame and sorrow that thou hast neglected and refused Christ so long Serò te amavâ— pulchritudo tam antiqua tam nova serò te amavi Aug. saying with Austin I have loved thee too late O thou so ancient and yet so new a beauty I have loved thee too late And for thy encouragement I would say to thee as the Servant did to his Lord upon such an occasion as this Luke 14.22 Lord it is done as thou hast commanded and yet there is room Though many sinners and great sinners have been received to mercy yet still there is room for thee and for all that have a mind to Christ There is room in Christ's Heart there is room in Christ's Arms there is room in his Covenant there is room in his Kingdom there is room upon his Throne with his Father for thee But if yet any shall reject this offer of Love and persist so to do such will at last find that there is room in Hell room in the infernal Pit room in the place of torment for them Therefore as Life and Death are once more set before you so I beseech you to chuse Life and not Death that you may live for ever CHAP. XI Being a contemplation of the infinite Love and Condescention of Christ to Souls and the unspeakable Comfort and Happiness of Believers in this sweet Espousal IN the view of all that has been hitherto declared we may well take up an admiring contemplation of Christ's Love and Condescention and Believers Comfort and Happiness the one and the other being exceeding great and glorious O! for Christ to marry poor Souls to himself and for poor Souls to be married to Christ how great is the Love of the one and the happiness of the other herein 1. How great is the Love and Condescention of Christ in marrying Souls to himself Next to his becoming Man and dying for them Wherein can he testifie greater Love and Condescention to them than in this There are among many others that might be mentioned that will argue his Love and Condescention herein to be wonderful and glorious two things One is the infinite disparity and disproportion between the Parties Him and Them the other is the unspeakable nearness and gloriousness of that Union and Relation which he takes them into with himself Both which I desire you to contemplate 1. Contemplate the infinite disparity and disproportion between him and them What proportion is there between a King and a Beggar What proportion is there between an Ant and an Angel yea between the smallest Worm and all the Angels in Heaven Infinitely less proportion is there between Christ and sinners and yet he espouses them to himself What shall I say He is both High and Great we are base and vile He is Blessed and Glorious we are wretched and despicable He is a Great King we are poor slaves and vassals yea the worst of slaves and vassals being the slaves and vassals of Sin and Satan And to sum up all in a few words He is God and we are Creatures yea he is an infinitely pure and holy God and we are unspeakably impure and unholy Creatures O how great is the disproportion and yet he marries us to himself What proportion is there between God and the Creature The Creature at best is but a small drop of Beeing but God is Mare essendi a Sea a Fountain an Ocean of Beeing The Creature is and has but a little good but Deus est Bonum insinitissime infinitum as Bradwardin speaks of him God is a most infinitely infinite Good The Creature is a depending thing the Beeing of the Creature is a depending Beeing the very nature of the Creature lies much in dependance but God is an absolute and independent Beeing Esse creaturae est esse dependâ—ns he being of himself and from himself indeed all other things are of him and from him and to him as the Scripture speaks Now for God to marry the Creature and espouse the Creature to himself O what love what condescention is this and yet greater love than this does Christ shew For what proportion is there between an infinitely Holy God and universally sinful defiled and polluted Creatures The distance between God and us as we are Creatures is great but the distance between the infinitely Holy God and us as sinners is in some sort unspeakably greater 'T is our duty and should be our joy to know and keep our Creature-distance with God we should rejoyce to think that God is so infinitely above us but 't is our misery and we should tremble to think of our sinful distance from God that distance I mean that sin is and has caused between God and us Now for an Holy God to espouse sinful Creatures to himself yea for a God so infinitely Holy to espouse Souls who are so utterly sinful to himself as the best of us all by nature are this is greater love and condescention still O wonderful commerce O verè admirable commercium tradit se Rex pro Servo Deus pro Homine Creator pro Creatura innocens pro nocente Bern. de pass Dom. sayes one of the Ancients speaking of Christ's dying for his People the King dies for the Servant God for Man the Creator for the Creature the innocent for the nocent The like may I say here O wonderful condescention The King marries a Slave God the Creature the pure and holy One polluted and defiled sinners True indeed he makes them Saints by and upon his marrying of them but he finds them sinners when he first makes it a time of love to them O adore this Love this Condescention 2. Contemplate the unspeakable nearness and gloriousness of that Union and Relation which he takes them into with himself as the distance and disproportion between the Parties is infinitely great so the Union and Relation he takes them into is very near and glorious The Union between the Vine and Branches is near the Union and Relation between the Head and Members is near the Union and Relation between the Husband and Wife is near but all these are but shadows and representations of that Union and Relation which Christ takes Behevers into with himself which must therefore be nearer and greater than all 'T is indeed as upon occasion has been before declared next for intimacy and glory to the essential and personal Union yea it comes so near the highest Union of all the Union that is between the Father and the Son as that it is set forth in Scripture by the same expressions that that Union is viz. By being and dwelling in each other Yea Christ himself seems to bring it so near that great Union as that he makes that the pattern of it and accordingly prayes for it for his People Joh. 17.21 Neither pray I for these alone but them also which shall believe on me
perfectly what manner of one thou wouldst be and how thou wouldst carry it towards him and yet all could not hinder him from shewing this favour to thee Why then shouldst thou think it will cause him to break with thee now The Soul may be apt to say Did Christ think I would be such a Wretch that I would so grieve him so offend him that I would carry it so unworthily towards him under all his love as I do Yea Soul Christ thought it yea he knew it perfectly before-hand in Deut. 31.21 't is said That God knew what Israel would do before-hand So Christ knew before-hand how thou wouldst fleight his Love grieve his Spirit violate his Laws he knew how thou wouldst offend and affront him by a proud vain wanton behaviour before him He knew how thou wouldst backflide and go a whoring from him and had he not seen and known that he had love enough and bowels enough to cover and pass by all he would never have made love to thee Hence when he betroths he is said to do it in judgment Hos 2.19 Christ knew what he did and what an one he married when he married thee to himself And as all could not hinder his love at first so neither shall it take off his love from thee now 3. Consider that thou mayest have many failings and miscarriages be guilty of many breakings with Christ and departures from him and yet the Marriage-Covenant between him and thee not be broken A Woman may be guilty of many failings and miscarriages many defects and misdemeanors and yet all not break the Marriage-Covenant between her Husband and her And so here O how sweet is that Scripture Psal 89.30 31 32 33 34. If his Children forsake my Law and walk not in my Judgments if they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandments then will I visit their iniqui-quities with a rod and their transgressions with stripes And what sollows Nevertheless sayes he my loving kindness will I not utterly take from them nor suffer my faithfulness to fail my Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips Pray mark Christ's People may sin and sin greatly and he may sharply chastise them for their sins yea he may seem to take away his loving kindness from them and may really for a time suspend the influences and manifestations thereof but his Covenant-love and faithfulness to them that remains firm and stedfast to them for ever notwithstanding all So again Jer. 3.1 14. Though thou hast played the Harlot with many lovers yet return again to me saith the Lord. Turn O back-sliding Children for I am married unto you Mark though they had backsliden though they had played the Harlot though they had played the Harlot with many lovers yet Christ owns his Covenant-Relation to them and with them yea and he sends as it were his Covenant after them and by that fetches them home to himself O! whatever thy miscarriages are whatever thy breakings with Christ and departures from him have been yet being once married to him the Marriage-Union and Relation between him and thee remains firm and stedfast for ever notwithstanding all O but sayes the Soul my heart is still bent to backsliding from Christ and I am afraid I shall at last totally and finally depart from him and then farewel all I answer That Christ stands engaged to keep thee from true notwithstanding any thing in and of thy self if left by Christ thou wouldst be apt totally and finally to depart from him but Christ himself stands engaged to keep thee to him 'T is the very tenure of his Covenant with thee Jer. 32.40 I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good and I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall never depart from me O Sirs not only is Christ's heart towards his People but he is engaged by Covenant to keep their hearts close to him and faithful with him at least so far as that they shall not totally depart from him and so their faithfulness to him does depend upon his faithfulness to them I 'le close this consideration with that known and great Scripture Rom. 8. latter end Who shall separate us from the love of Christ Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us for I am perswaded that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth and lest all these things should not reach the case of every Soul he adds nor any other Creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. III. Consider that 't is not long e're the Lord Jesus thy dear Husband will come and consummate the Marriage between him and thy Soul And O how sweet will this be The Match here is but as it were begun between Christ and thee but Christ will shortly come and consummate it Behold the Bridegroom cometh Mat. 25.6 And again they that were ready went into the Marriage ver 10. and the Marriage of the Lamb is come Rev. 19.7 There is a time then when Christ will come to consummate the Marriage between him and Souls When he comes as to the World he comes as a Judge to condemn them to avenge the quarrel of his Gospel the quarrel of his Covenant the quarrel of his Blood all which they have rejected he comes to pass Sentence upon them for resisting his Spirit for contemning his Grace for breaking his Laws for neglecting his Salvation And O how dark will the day of his coming be to them But now to his own Spouses when he comes he comes as a Bridegroom And O how sweet will this coming of his be to them 1. Then he will turn all your Water into Wine Joh. 2. beg we read That Christ being at a Marriage he there turned Water into Wine And truly Soul when he shall come to consummate the Marriage between him and thee he will turn all thy Waters of Affliction into the Wine of sweet Consolation to thee He will turn thy Night into Day thy Darkness into Light thy Sorrows into Joys thy Mourning into Dancing thy Troubles into Rest thy Conflicts into Triumphs thy Labours into Reward thy mournful Lamentations into joyful Halelujahs Then will he fulfil that Scripture to thee Rev. 21.4 God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more Death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain Poor Soul now thine eyes are full of tears with holy David Thou goest weeping and mourning it may be all the day long but then all tears shall be wiped off thine eyes Now thou art in deaths often as the holy Apostle was but then there shall be no more death Now
thou art full of sorrows thy dayes are spent in grief and thy years in sighing but then there shall be no more sorrow sorrow and sighing both shall flie away for ever Now thou art full of pains yea as the holy Prophet of old complained Thou art pained at thy very heart in the sense of thy own Afflictions and in the sense of the Churches Afflictions in the sense of thine own sins and in the sense of the Worlds sins thou art pained at the very heart but then there shall be no more pain Now thou sowest in tears but then thou shalt reap in joy Now thou goest forth weeping yet bearing precious Seed then thou shalt return rejoycing bringing thy sheaves with thee Now thou art in a storm a storm of Affliction a storm of Temptation a storm of Persecution thou art afflicted tossed with tempests and not comforted it may be as the Church sometimes was Isa 54.11 But then he will make thy storm a calm and so bring thee into the desired Haven to allude to that Psal 107.30 Now the Devil and his messengers are buffetting of thee and will give thee no rest then they shall be all troden under foot and thy Soul shall act one eternal triumph over them saying as she of old in her Song did O my Soul thou hast trodden down strength 2. Then Christ will turn all thy blackness into beauty all thy sinful deformity into perfect purity and holiness for ever and this is much more sweet than the former Alas sayes the Soul turn my Water into Wine true that is sweet but there is that which lies heavier upon me than all the troubles and afflictions in the World and that is my sinful blackness and deformity O this stained polluted defiled nature of mine this fountain of sin and enmity against God that is within this is that which is the burthen too heavy for me to bear Well for thy comfort know that thy Husband sweet Jesus will come and when he comes he will turn thy blackness into beauty thy sin into holiness then he will sanctifie thee and cleanse thee that he may present thee to himself a glorious Spouse Ecclesiam esse gloriosam non habentem maculam nequâ— rugam est ultimus finis ad quem perducimur per passionem Christi â—unde hoc erit in statu patriae non autem in statu via Aqui. not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing Ephes 5.26 27. Poor Soul thou hast now many stains many spots and those such as thou art apt sometimes to think are not the spots of Gods Children but then all these spots shall be wiped out and thou shalt be without spot yea thou shalt not onely be without spot but without wrinkle too There may be wrinkles where there may be no spots and these are blemishes Significat nullum planè peccatum velminimum futurum in corpore Ecclesiae nullumque veteris Adaemi vestigium sed futuram eam totam gloriosam Zanch. in loc O but then thou shalt have neither spot nor wrinkle thou shalt be perfectly freed from lesser as well as greater sins yea thou shalt have neither spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing nothing that looks like sin nothing that thou canst suppose to be in the least a blemish or defect there shall not be the least print or foot-step of the old Adam as one speaks upon the place left in thee or upon thee but thou shalt be altogether holy and without blemish Christ will then perfectly fill thee with his own Spirit beautifie thee with his own Image deck thee with his own Ornaments enamel and irradiate thee with his own Glory for then he will make thee like himself both in holiness and happiness 1 Joh. 3.2 Poor Soul now thou art groaning under a body of Sin and Death under the unclean motions of sin the impure lustings of the flesh the cursed imposings of a base vile unbelieving heart that is imposing upon thee in every Duty in every Condition in every Relation Now thou art pestered with the springings buddings blossomings and ebullitions of lust and corruption within thee but when sweet Jesus comes there shall be an end of all this Christ he overlooks all this now but then he will do it all away and thou shalt shine with the perfection of beauty 3. Then Christ will solemnly present thee to his Father as his Spouse in the presence of all his holy Angels And O how glorious and joyful will this be In Gen. 24. lat we read that Isaac took Rebekah and brought her into his Mothers Tent So when dear Jesus comes to consummate the Marriage between him and thee he will being attended with all his holy Angels bring thee into his Fathers House and will there present thee to him as his Spouse saying Father here is my Spouse here is one whom in the day of everlasting love thou gavest unto me one whom I have redeem'd to my self by my Blood and married to my self by my Spirit in the Gospel this is he that I was made sin and a curse for and though he was in his blood and gore when I first made love to him yet loe now here he is spotless and faultless before thee Father own him as thy Sons Spouse and delight in him for ever O how sweet how glorious will this be Suppose some great Prince were married and upon his Marriage should take his Spouse in his hand and lead her into the Presence-Chamber of the King his Father and there present her to him to the end he might take notice of her as his Sons Spouse and shew sutable respect and favour to her what a sweet thing would this be But alas what is this to the presentation Christ will make of thee to his Father at his coming Who will then present thee faultless into the presence of his glory with exceeding joy Jude v. 24. When David and the Elders of Israel brought up the Ark from the House of Obed-Edom 't was with great joy and shouting 1 Chron. 15.25 28. But O when Christ attended with all his holy Angels shall bring and present thee into the presence of his Father what joy and shoutings will there then be surely there will be great rejoycing on all hands God the Father will greatly rejoyce Christ the Son will greatly rejoyce God the Holy Ghost will greatly rejoyce the Angels will greatly rejoyce thy Soul also will greatly rejoyce God the Father will greatly rejoyce to see his Sons Spouse come home to him so richly deck't and adorn'd Christ the Son will greatly rejoyce that he has gotten his Spouse into his Arms and Bosom never to part with hen more the Holy Ghost will greatly rejoyce to see his work in tying the Marriage-Knot between Christ and the Soul compleated the Angels will greatly rejoyce as being Friends both of the Bridegroom and Bride and as partaking with them in the Marriage-Supper and thou thy self wilt greatly rejoyce in that
now thy happiness is consummated and that thou shalt for ever lie in the bosom and embraces of thy Husbands love O how sweet how glorious will this be 4. Then Christ will lead thee into the Bride-Chamber the Mansion he has prepared for thee in the Fathers House where thou shalt dwell for ever in his presence and sit down eternally with him and his Father at the Marriage-Feast And O how sweet and glorious will this be Being thus beautified and presented to the Father what now remains for thee but to enter upon thy lot with all the Saints and to possess the joynter Christ made thee in the day of thine espousal to him even eternal Life and Glory with himself for ever What now remains for thee but to sit down in the full views of his Glory the full visions of his Face the full enjoyment of his Presence the full embraces of his Bosom the full incomes of his Love and all for ever Here in the day of espousal thou hast had some views of him thou hast seen his back-parts but then thou shalt behold his glory for ever Joh. 17.24 Here thou hast seen him through a glass darkly but then thou shalt see him face to face thy visions of him shall be both full and immediate 1 Cor. 13.12 Here there have been some intercourses of love and delight kept up between him and thee thou hast had some of the kisses of his mouth some embraces in his bosom but then thou shalt have thy fill of his love being sweetly immerst and swallowed up in the Ocean of it for ever O how sweet will this be When Christ and thy Soul have met in an Ordinance how often hast thou said with Peter 't is good to be here And when he has given thee now and then a little taste of his love how hast thou been ravish't with it crying out with the Spouse thy love is better than Wine But O what will it be to enjoy all this in its fulness and that without the least moments interruption for ever When Christ and thy Soul shall meet not in a Duty or Ordinance only but in Heaven in the Fathers House All thou hast here of him is but now and then a kiss of his Mouth now and then a tast a visit a descent of his Grace and Love and yet this is sweet and makes a little Heaven in thy Soul but when he comes to consummate the Marriage then thou shalt have everlasting embraces and uninterrupted pourings out of love from him then no more veilings of his Face no more withdrawings of his Presence no more suspensions of his Love from thee but thou shalt sit down in the full enjoyment of all for ever Then no more need of Love-Letters to pass between Christ and thy Soul for then there will be full and immediate embraces for ever Therefore rejoyce in thy Lot and say with the Church in a way of triumph Isa 61.10 I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord my Soul shall be joyful in my God for be hath clothed me with Garments of Salvation he hath covered me with a Robe of Righteousness as a Bridegroom decketh himself with Ornaments and as a Bride adorneth her self with Jewels But may some doubting Soul say True here 's comfort enough and happiness enough for all Christ's Spouses and were I assured of my espousal to him I should think it enough to carry me through both Life and Death with comfort but I am afraid I have neither part nor lot in this matter I answer If thou art one that lov'st thy sins and liv'st in them if thou art one that allowest of and indulgest thy self in thy lusts yea in any known lust or sin be it small or great then thou hast too great ground for such fears for I must tell thee that the Spouses of Christ are of another disposition they hate Sin and love Holiness and do what in them lies to flie the one and pursue after the other But I will at present look upon thee to be a poor doubting Spouse of Christ that makest this complaint and so shall leave a double word of encouragement with thee as to this and thereby put a conclusion to this Matter 1. I would speak to thee as Samuel sometimes did to Saul in another case viz. when Saul told him that he had performed the Commandment of the Lord If so sayes Samuel what then means this bleating of the Sheep in mine ears and the lowing of the Oxen which I hear 1 Sam. 15.13 14. So if thou hast indeed no part or lot in Christ and wert never espoused to him then first what means the bleedings mournings and lamentings of thy Soul under the sense of thy distance and estrangement from Christ and thy utter unsutableness to him both in Spirit and Life Blessed are they that thus mourn for they shall be comforted Mat. 5.4 2ly What means thy high valuations of him the vehement hungerings and thirstings of thy Soul after him Blessed are they that hunger thirst after righteousness for they shal be satisfied Mat. 5.6 3ly What means the holy tremblings of thy Soul in the thoughts of sinning against him thy care and sollicitude to please him thy fear to offend him 'T is the Character of a loyal Wife that her care is to please her Husband and not to offend him 1 Cor. 7.24 4thly What means thy sensibleness of and mourning under the dishonours of Christ with the longings of thy Soul after his exaltation The reproaches of them that reproach him do fall upon thee Psal 69.9 'T is the true Spirit of a loyal Spouse to be concerned for her Husbands Concernments These and many more such gracious dispositions as are found in thee do speak comfortably to thy Soul in this case though still I would have thee press after the clearest evidences and the fullest assurance of thine espousal to him 2. Suppose the worst yet for thy encouragement I would speak to thee as the Disciples to the blind man Mark 10.49 Be of good comfort arise Christ calleth thee he calls thee into these blessed espousals with himself And O that thou wouldest do as that blind man there did who arose and came to Jesus and assure thy self of this his Arms are wide open to receive thee truly whoever or whatever thou art that makest this complaint whether Spouse or no Spouse thy proper and immediate work is now to close with Christ in a Marriage-Covenant For pray mark the work of a convinced sinner and of a doubting beclouded Saint is the same here the one as well as the other is to believe and close with Christ as if he had never done it before Suppose then the worst even that thou wert never as yet espoused to Christ yet do not despond but let this be a day of espousal between him and thee casting thy Soul upon him not questioning his readiness to receive thee For thy encouragement I would say to thee as one of the Ancients speaks in the same case Quid in testas non stas Projice te in illum nols mesuere non se subtrahet ut cadas projice te securus excipiet te sanabit te Aug. Why stickest and staggerest thou in thy self Cast thy self upon him and fear not he will not withdraw himself so as to let thee fall cast thy self upon him resting secure and consident that he will receive and save thee Thus I have now done Saint Spouse of Christ what remains but that thou love reverence and obey thy Lord and Head living a life of dependance upon him as also of longing expectation of his coming to consummate the Marriage between him and thee What remains but that thou shouldest take up the words of the Apostle making the same inference from thine espousal to Christ that he does from the dissolution of all things saying in thy own name and others 2 Pet. 3.11 12. What manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness looking for and hastning to the coming of the day of God Sinner what remains for thee to do but to give up thy Name and Soul to Christ in a Marriage-Covenant and be happy for ever I will conclude all with those words Rev. 19.9 Blessed are they which are called to the Marriage-Supper of the Lamb. Soli Deo Gloria