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
and scarlet-tincture staring him in the face yea his very Duties are not without sin even in these there is abundance of pride formality unbelief and the like his very righteousnesses are as filthy rags Isa 64.4 If he looks unto the Law there he reads his doom and condemnation in every line thereof there he finds himself under the Curse there he sees nothing but fear and blackness and darkness and tempests Heb. 12.18 If he looks to justice that he finds as a flaming Sword keeping him from the Tree of Life from all happiness That appears with an angry frowning countenance demanding satisfaction as being infinitely wronged But now in the midst of all these discouragements the poor Soul at length gets a sight of Christ in whom he sees encouragement after all He discovers land in a storm as it were and finds in him a bottom to rest his weary Spirit upon in him he sees that which can atone God satisfie Justice answer all the demands of the Law fully deliver him from sin and guilt and make him both holy and happy for ever and accordingly he rests and rolls himself upon him resolving that if he dies he will die thus leaning upon this Beloved III. An Act of Resignation or Subjection As in the Work of Faith the Soul thus chuses Christ and depends upon him so also he is by the Spirit of God made cordially and unreservedly to resign up himself unto him to be ruled governed and disposed of by him in his own way The Soul now puts himself out of his own power and possession he passes himself away from himself and he gives up himself into the power and possession of Jesus Christ to be ruled governed and saved by him as he sees good which is properly that Act of Faith which we call Resignation and this the Scripture often mentions One shall say I am the Lords Isa 44.5 that is he shall give or resign up himself to the Lord to be for ever his and at his dispose so 2 Cor. 8.5 They gave themselves unto the Lord and Ephes 5.24 the Church is said to be subject to Christ The Case seems to be this there having many Treaties past in order to a Match between Christ and the Soul the Soul at length through the help of the Divine Spirit is made freely to consent to take Christ for his onely Head and Husband and to be subject to him in all things to be perfectly and eternally at his dispose His language now to Christ is like that of Ahab to Benhadad 1 Kings 20.4 Behold I am thine and all that I have is thine Sweet Lord Jesus sayes the Soul I have been my own and have lived too much in mine own will and to mine own ends and interests but now I desire to be thine and to live in thy Will and to thine Ends take possession of me save me rule me lead me dispose of me as thou pleasest do all thy pleasure in me pull down and set up what thou wilt I 'le be and do and suffer what thou wilt have me to be and do and suffer And this is properly that Act of Faith whereby we close with Christ as a Lord and King and is indeed the evidence of the Truth of the two former for you must know that though Faith's first Aspect be to Christ as a Saviour yet it comes to eye him as a Lord and King also As Faith fully bottoms upon the satisfaction of Christ so it freely bows to the Scepter of Christ yea when Faith can't challenge Christ as a Saviour yet it will own Christ as a Lord You know how Laban spake to Abraham's Servant upon the sight of the Ear-rings and Bracelets which he had given his Sister Rebekah and upon his hearing a Relation from her of his Discourse with her Come in thou blessed of the Lord why standest thou without I have room for thee Gen. 24.31 In like manner does the Soul speak to Christ upon the sight of that worth that is in him and that need which he has of him Come in thou blessed of the Lord come in thou blessed Lord why standest thou without I have room for thee I have room for thee in my Understanding and I have room for thee in my Will and Affections and I would have thee possess all and command all In a word the Soul freely gives up himself to Christ's Holy and Spiritual Government Thou art an Holy Christ says he he who is to reign and I resign up my self to thee I 'le have no Lord but thee take the whole Throne to thy self within me I know thy Yoke is an easie Yoke and I desire to bear it thy Scepter is a Righteous Scepter and I desire to bow to it thy Kingdom is a Kingdom of Rightcousness Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost and I heartily desire to come under the power of it I would be Sanctified as well as Justified I desire thy Spirit to subdue my corruptions for me and to make me Holy as well as thy Blood to wash away my guilt for me and ingratiate me with thy self and this is what the Scripture calls an opening of the Gates and a lifting up of the everlasting Doors to let Christ the King of Glory in Psal 24.7 Thus by these three which indeed are the great uniting Acts of Faith the Spirit of God enables the Soul to close with Christ in a Marriage-Covenant and Relation 5. The Soul being thus enabled to believe and so close with Christ in a Marriage-Covenant then as the Crown and perfection of all the blessed Spirit of God takes up his abode and dwells for ever in that Soul as the Pledge and everlasting Bond of this Marriage-union and Relation between them The sweet Spirit does not onely come as a Friend to treat about the Match and also to tie the Marriage-Knot between Christ and us but moreover this being done he remains himself in the Soul as a Love-Token from Christ to him as the Pawn and Pledge of this Espousal and as the everlasting Bond and Confirmation of this Marriage-Union and Relation Hence that of the Apostle He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit 1 Cor. 6.17 one Spirit with the Lord he is joyned to that Spirit which did joyn him to Christ does remain in him and in Christ both Christ leaves his own Spirit in his Spouses as the Pledge and Bond of that Marriage-Union that is between him and them so that he and they have the same Spirit dwelling in them yet with this difference he dwells in Christ without measure in us by measure in Christ immediately by vertue of the personal Union in us by his Gifts and Graces in Christ as an Head in us as members and he with these are the Love-Tokens the Pawns and Pledges of this Marriage-Troth plighted between Christ and us and this indeed is that which makes this Union so strong and inviolable as that it can never be broken Yea not
accepting of me Moreover his design is to Crown his Grace and render that Glorious and the more vile I am the more that design of his will take in mine acceptation and Salvation How vile therefore soever I am I will cast my self upon him and put in for an Espousal with him 6. The sixth Gospel-principle or encouragement of Faith which thou shouldest bear up thy self upon and dwell much in the contemplation of is this That 't is the Glory and perfection of Christ as Mediator to receive Sinners and to give out himself and his fulness to them when they come to him This if rightly weighed will mightily help on Faith and list the poor soul over his discouragements into the Bosome and embraces of Jesus Christ To understand it aright you must know that Chist has a two-fold Glory and perfection The Glory and perfection of his Person as he is the Son of God and the Glory and perfection of his office as he is Mediator and head of the second Covenant the Glory and perfection of his person as the Son of God that is infinitly compleat and full that admits neither of diminution nor augmentation being unchangeably the same for ever But the Glory and pefection of his Office as Mediator that in a great measure arises from his receiving Sinners and bestowing himself and his Grace upon them when they come to him and the more Sinners he receives and the more Grace he gives out to them the greater his Glory and perfection in this respect is and it may be truly said that Christ in receiving and giving our Grace to Sinners when they come to him does increase the revenue of his own Glory and more and more compleat and perfect himself as head and Mediator Hence the Church is called his fulnes Eph. 1.13 God gave him to be head over all things to the Church which is his Body the fulness of him that filleth all in all Now if the Church is Christs fulness then the more that is filled and compleated by his receiving Sinners to himself and giving out Grace to them the more full and compleat he himself as to his Mediatorie honour and perfection growes Hence also Saints are said to be the Glory of Christ 2 Cor. 8.23 As Christ alone is their glory so they also are his glory And how his glory Not onely because they do or should actually glorifie him but also because he has received them and laid out his grace upon them and 't is his grace onely that shines forth in them Hence that observation of Galvin upon the place They sayes he that excell most in grace and holiness Quicunque pietate sanctimonia exceluut sunt Christi gloria quid nihil habent nisi dono Christi Calv. they peculiarly are the glory of Christ because they have nothing but by free gift from Christ Hence also Christ tells us that he is Glorified in them Jo. 17.10 And he sayes Expresly that the Spirit shall Glorifie him because he shall receive of his and give it unto us Jo. 16.14 By all which it appears that 't is the glory and perfection of Christ as Mediator to receive Sinners coming to him and to bestow himself and his grace upon them In short my beloved all that ever Christ has done for and is made of God to poor Sinners all his acts and all his offices as Mediator do receive their ultimate perfection in their sull influences on us and our Salvation And as Christ receives his name and Denomination of a Saviour from his Relation to and acting for poor Sinners to redeem and save them so the perfection of this office and those acts of his do lye in the full accomplishment of our Salvation And indeed they would all be but vain and weak acts should he not fully save us coming to him O what encouragement is here to Faith and how must unbelief sink and die before this consideration if rightly improv'd True may the soul say I am vile sinful and unworthy but 't is the honour of Christ to receive me 't is his glory to bestow himself and his grace upon me 't is his prefection as Mediator to accept and save me and such as I am and therefore why should I be discouraged I will go to him and cast my self upon him Thus bear up your souls upon and encourage your Faith with these Gospel-principles which is greatly necessary and will not a little conduce to an Espousal between Christ and you 4. Would'st thou indeed be Espous'd to Christ Then take heed of all jealousies of him and prejudices against him and be sure ever to maintain right thoughts of him One of the great designs of Satan and one of the most cursed workings of unbelief is to prejudice souls against Christ and to fill them with hard jealous thoughts of him which if they can prevail in they infallibly keep the soul from closing with him in a Marriage-Covenant If a woman has jealousies and hard thoughts of a man and be filled with prejudices against him she is never like to enter into a Marriage-Covenant with him And no more will a soul close with Christ in a Marriage-Covenant as long as he is filled with hard thoughts of him and prejudices against him Watch therefore against this The Devil together with the unbelief of our own hearts will frame up a thousand strange Notions and representations of Christ in the soul thereby to prejudice us against Christ but take heed of all these and be sure to maintain right thoughts and apprehensions of him particularly here take onely two things 1. Be sure to maintain honorable thoughts of his Person Look upon him as a Person of glory and as having all excellencies in him 'T is the work and nature of unbelief to darken and obscure the Person of Christ to make that appear vile and contemptible in the eye of the soul whereby it does effectually strengthen it self with in him and indeed there is nothing more prevalent to keep the soul from Christ then an ignorance of or prejudice against his Personal worth and excellencies This was that which made the Jewes so generally reject him They saw no Beauty in him for which they should desire him nor did they discern form or comliness in him and therefore rejected him Isa 53.1 2. They Look't no surther then the outward form the veil of his flesh they saw not his Divine Beauty and glory and so despised him And my beloved unless we look within this veil and come to view and contemplate him as a Person of glory we also shall reject him to our eternal perdition Pray observe 't is the Person of Christ that puts worth and veâ—tâ—e into all his doings and all his sufferings all his offices and all his promises 'T is the worth and excellency of his Person that makes his Blood so precious his Promises so sweet his Righteousness so glorious his Grace so efficacious his Love so
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
put forth thy Power in drawing of me and then and not till then shall I come nearer to thee Yea my Beloved the espousing of Souls to Christ is not only the Act or Work of Divine Grace and the power of it But 't is the Act or Work of the mighty Power of that Grace 't is not an ordinary power that is and must be put forth therein but even the greatness of the power of that Grace a power no less than that which was put forth in raising Christ form the dead So the Apostle tells us Ephes 1.18 19 20. That you may know sayes he what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead So then here is power mighty power the mighty power of God the greatness of the mighty power of God the exceeding greatness of the mighty power of God the same exceeding greatness of the mighty power of God which raised Christ from the dead and all put forth to enable us to believe and so to close with Christ in a Marriage-Covenant Thus this Work is every way from Divine Grace But here more particularly the enquiry will be What those Acts or Works of Divine Grace are by which poor sinners come to be espoused to Christ I shall reduce them all to two Heads they are either first more remote being Acts of Divine Grace put forth for us and towards us or secondly more near being Acts of Divine Grace put forth in us and upon us In the first the Father and Jesus Christ work more immediately by and from themselves In the second they work by the influence and ministry of the Blessed Spirit I 'le speak a little of each CHAP. IV. Wherein are contained the more remote Acts of Divine Grace put forth more immediately by the Father and Jesus Christ for us and towards us in order to the accomplishment of the Espousal between Christ and us THere are some more remote Acts of Grace Acts of Grace put forth more immediately by the Father and Jesus Christ for us and towards us in order to the making up of this Espousal or Marriage-relation between Christ and us and of these I shall mention five all which do necessarily concur and have their influence into this business and indeed there is much of the Mystery of God in them They are those I. God the Father marries and espouses our Nature to the Person of his Son and thereby sits and prepares him to be an Husband for us this God has done once for all and the influence thereof concurs unto the accomplishment of the Espousal between Christ and every Believer I shall illustrate this unto you from that Parable Matth. 22. beg where we read of a King who made a marriage for his Son by which King we are to understand God the Father and by his Son Jesus Christ the Eternal Son of that Eternal Father He who proceeded from him by eternal generation God the Father then is here said to make a marriage for his Son But pray who is the Spouse 't is observed by Divines that the Spouse is not here mentioned Who or what then is she 't is answered Christ has a two-fold Spouse our Nature and the persons of Believers Both which may be intended here though the first chiefly and principally and so by the Marriage here we are to understand the Personal Marriage the Marriage between the Person of the Son of God and our Nature Per nuptias intelligitur verbum in carnatum Calvin and so Calvin and others expound it This primarily but secondarily by consequence the Spiritual Marriage the Marriage between Christ and Believers and we are to look on the one as laying a foundation and making way for the other So that the whole resolves into this that God the Father hath married and espoused our Nature to the Person of his Son in the hypostatical union and thereby has fitted and prepared him to be an Husband for us and made way for the marriage of our persons to his Person in the Spiritual Union And indeed unless our Nature had been first married to him in the one our persons could never possibly have been married to him in the other for pray observe the glory of Christ considered as the Eternal Son and so as God is too bright and the distance between him and us too great for us to come to him and he made one with him in a Marriage-relation Christ considered in his own naked glory as God is too bright an Object for us to look upon much more to have so near an union to and communion with one sight of him thus considered is enough to swallow us up and even to overwhelm our Spirits We cannot thus see him and live But now our Nature being married and espoused to his Divine Person that is to say he having assumed our Nature into union with himself as the eternal Son which the Evangelist calls his being made flesh John 1.14 And the Apostle his partaking of flesh and blood Heb. 2.14 Hereby the overwhelming brightness of his Glory is vailed and the dreadful terror of his greatness together with the affrighting distance between him and us is taken away Yea hereby his glory is brought down as one hath it to our eye to our beholding Hereby he has marvellously sweetned and endeared himself to us and made way for us for a free access to him and the nearest union and communion with him Hence Divines give this as one reason of Christs incarnation that he might thereby become a fit Husband for his People and they might be capable of union and communion with him * Hac de causâ Filius Dei factus est homo ut posset verus esse sponsus Ecclesiae Therefore as a Learned Man has observed was the Son of God made Man that he might be a true a fit Bridegroom for the Church and 't is rightly observed by Divines that in strict propriety of speech neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit but the Son the second Person in Trinity is the Churches Bridegroom and they give this reason for it because he only was made Man he only was incarnate O had not the Son of God been incarnate had he not as Austin's expression is married our Nature to himself in the Womb of the Virgin none of us had ever been capable of such a priviledge such an happiness as a conjugal-union and communion with him That therefore is the first Act of Grace in this business II. God the Father gives Christ unto the Soul and the Soul to Christ he gives Christ for an Head and Husband to the Soul and he gives the Soul for a Bride or Spouse to Christ First He gives Christ for an Head and Husband to the Soul in John 4.10 Christ is called the Gift of God And how the Gift of God two wayes
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
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
of excuse or apology for themselves Verily nothing but will be Speechless as he is said to be Mat. 22.12 They can't say they were not warned of the evil of sin They can't say that pardon and Salvation were not offer'd them They can't say that the offer was not full and free and clear They can't say they had to do with an hard Master nor can they say that sin is not worthy of death They will have nothing to say Secondly it leaves you without the least room or place of appeal for ever I may say here as 't is said in anorher case 1 Sam. 2.25 If one man sin against another the judge shall judge him but if a man sin against the Lord who shall intreat for him So if a man sin against the Law by transgressing of it he may appeal to the Gospel and the grace of Christ there But if a man sin against Christ and his Grace offer'd in the Gospel where then shall he appeal Verily there is no appeal to be made no relief to be found for him If a man be condemn'd at the seat of justice as having sinn'd against the Law he may appeal unto the mercy-seat the throne of Grace and sind sweet relief but if he sin against the mercy-seat and the throne of Grace then he has nothing to appaal to that may administer relief to him Now by refusing of Christ we sin against the Throne of Grace we pull down what in us lies the mercy-seat and where then shall we appeal O consider these things and learn by them to dread this sin of refusing Christ I might say much more to convince you of the hainous evil of it but let this suffice Sure I am 't is enough to and had we the due sense of it upon our Spirits it would make us tremble at it for ever 3. Wouldest thou indeed be Espoused to Christ Then give not way to the discouragements of sense but bear up thy Soul upon the encouragements of Faith upon such Gospel-principles considerations as do tend to draw sinners to Faith in Christ Possibly upon reading and considering the woeful misery of thy condition without Christ and the dreadful hainousness of thy sin and guilt in thy long and frequent refusing of him discouragements not a few may arise within and indeed no sooner usually does a poor Soul look towards Christ or think of closing with him in a Marriage-Covenant but presently multitudes of discouragements arise to deter him there from O says he what a monstrous sinner am I How have I despised Christ and his grace How long have I stood it out against him I have serv'd my lusts all my dayes and rejected his calls To what purpose do I now talk of closing with him These and multitudes such like discouragements do arise in the Soul which being given way to do effectually keep him from Christ But if ever Soul thou wouldest attain to Union and communion with him thou must shut thine eyes and heart too against all discouragements of this nature and though they press in upon thee again and again yet thrust them out fixing thine eye and heart upon the encouragements of Faith dwell much in the thoughts of them and bear up thy soul upon such Gospel principles and considerations as do tend to weaken unbelief beget Faith in the soul and for thy help herein I shal mention some of these encouragements of Faith or Gospel-principles which I would have thee to be serious and frequent in the contemplation of 1. The first Gospel-principle or encouragement of Faith which thou shouldst bear up thy Soul upon and be frequent in the contemplation of is this that there is a rich a glorious and an overflowing fulness of all good treasured up in Christ for poor Sinners and that his Grace does abundantly exceed both our wants and sins 'T is the work and nature of unbelief to little and limit the fulness of Christ in the eye of the soul It shews the soul the multitude of his sins and wants but it conceals and Locks up Christs treasures and fulness And whatever we pretend the ground of our not closing with Christ at least one principal one is this that we doubt of his fulness we do not see enough in Christ to supply our wants and relieve our distresses Unbelief perswading us that Christ is not the Christ the Scripture represents him to be But Soul away with all such apprehensions and dwell thou in the contemplation of Christ's infinite fulness Look to him as one infinitly able to supply thy wants to pardon thy sins to healthy maladies to subdue thy lusts to sanctifie thy heart and to save thy Soul eternally Look upon him as the Scripture represents him The Scripture tells thee That it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell Col. 1.19 All fulness of Grace and life all fulness of peace and pardon all fulness of Righteousness and Salvation There is in Christ not onely a fulness of abundance but of redundance an over-flowing fulness a fulness infinitly superabounding our sins and wants The Scripture tells us That he is able to save unto the very uttermost all that come unto God by him Heb. 7.25 Save able to save able to save to the uttermost and that not one or two but all that come unto God by him The Scripture speaks of Christs unsearchable riches Eph. 3.8 The Ocean of his Grace is not to be sounded by the longest line of the largest created understanding Paul experienced the superabounding fulness of his Grace and has left it upon record for our encouragement 1 Tim. 1.14 The Grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant it was more then enough I found more Grace in Christ as one expresses it then I knew what to do withall and yet what was this Paul Himself tells you in the very v. before and after he was a Blasphemer a Persecutor and the chief of Sinners a man every way of as many sins and wants as thou art Accordingly view him and bear up thy Soul in the face of all discouragements Reason thus with thy self True my condition is sad my wants are exceeding many and my sins exceeding great But what then Is there no Balm in Gilead Is there no Physitian there Is not Christ able to save me and that to the utmost notwithstanding all Look O my soul yonder is sweet Jesus upon the Throne at the Fathers Right Hand full of Grace and truth look upon him and consider What are all thy wants to his Riches and fulness What are all thy miseries and distresses to his Bowels of Mercy What are all thy sins to the merit of his Blood thy provocations to his fatisfaction Were thy wants more and greater then they are his fulness could supply them all were thy sins greater and more hainous then they are his Blood could cleanse thee from all The Blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin 1 Jo. 1.7 There is infinitly
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
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
The Patriarchs as one observes had many of them a Wife and a Concubine but it is not so here no as Faith chuses a whole Christ so it chuses a naked Christ Christ singly and alone without joyning any thing else in Partnership with him It matches the Soul to Christ with an absolute exclusion of all other Matches Indeed Faith sees enough in a single Christ a naked Christ without the help of any thing else and accordingly chuses and embraces him And so must your Faith chuse and embrace him or you are like to miss of Conjugal-Union and Communion with him You must chuse him singly and alone joyning nothing with him and that especially in the great business of Righteousness and Acceptation with God Some would fain compound with Christ in this business they would have Christ but they would have their own Duties too they would have his Righteousness but they would have their own Righteousness too they would have theirs bear a share with his in the point of Righteousness and Justification before God Thus 't was with the Jews of old Rom. 9.31 32. with Ch. 10. beg 'T is said They followed after the Law of Righteousness but attained not to the Law of Righteousness And why Because sayes the Apostle they sought it not by Faith but as it were by the Works of the Law and Chap. 10.3 They went about 't is said to establish their own Righteousness and submitted not themselves to the Righteousness of God Pray observe first they were addicted to and look't for Salvation by their own Righteousness Secondly Though they were addicted to their own Righteousness and would fain live by it yet they seemed not to cleave wholly to that but would have Christ's and theirs joyned together therefore 't is said They sought it not by Faith but as it were by the Works of the Law i. e. They were neither wholly for Christ nor wholly for Self but partly for the one and partly for the other joyning Self with Christ And thirdly this left them short of Righteousness Life Salvation and all For 't is said that upon this account they attained not unto the Law of Righteousness To joyn Self with Christ in this Point is as dangerous and destructive as to set up Self against Christ Thus I say 't was with the Jews of old and thus 't is with the Papists now But my Beloved if ever you would pitch your Faith aright upon Christ you must not once think of thus compounding the business between Him and Self but Christ must be all in all We must shut our eyes against all other things in Point of Justification and must go forth singly and nakedly to Christ venturing our eternal All upon the alone bottom of his everlasting Righteousness Justitiae Dei obtinendae principium est abdicare se propriâ justitiâ Calv. 'T is Calvin's observation upon the place last quoted That the foundation of or first step towards our obtaining an interest in the Righteousness of God is for a man to renounce and go out of his own Righteousness Thus I am sure Paul's Faith chose and embraced Christ Phil. 3.7 8 9. Those things which were gain to me sayes he those I counted loss for Christ yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him not having mine own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God by Faith Pray mark his Faith here chuses and embraces Christ for his Righteousness and Justification and herein he joyns nothing with him he pitches singly and nakedly upon Christ alone renouncing all other things whatever he had as much of his own to have lean't depended upon in this point as any meer man that ever lived since sin entered the World for in Priviledges in Graces in Services and in Sufferings for Christ I am apt to think he excelled all meer men but yet he rests on none of these no nor so much as joyns any thing of it with Christ Loquitur de iis quae anteà adhuc inconversus magnifecerat in iis justitiam salutiferam posuerat nune autem conversus ad Christum ea despicit ut sordes res vilissimas abjicit tanquam ad salutem inutilia imò perniciosa si siducia justitiae in iis ponatur Glass Rhet. Sac. but rejects and renounces all and that with the greatest loathing and detestation in the point of Justification cleaving singly and nakedly to Christ alone sayes he I account all but loss yea dung that is as the most vile and loathsome thing and I would not be found in it for a thousand Worlds The truth is to joyn any thing of our own with Christ in this business is what excludes us from any share in Christ or any benefit by Christ so much the Apostle is express in Gal. 5.2 3 4. Behold I Paul say unto you that if ye be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing for I testifie again to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor to do the whole Law Christ is become of no effect unto you whoever of you are justified by the Law ye are fallen from Grace The sum of the Apostles design is to shew that to joyn any thing of our own with Christ in the business of Righteousness and Justification and not rest purely and entirely upon him is what shuts us out from any part and lot in Christ or any benefit and advantage by him for pray observe there were among the Galatians some who did miscere Christum cum Lege as Calvin's expression is they did joyn the Law with Christ pressing and taking up Circumcision as a part of that Righteousness whereby they expected to be justified and saved They were not so gross in their minds as that great Divine there observes as to expect Salvation meerly by the observation of the Law and their own Obedience but they were for sharing the business between this and Christ Now what sayes Paul to them and by what does he labour to antidote the Believers among them against this great error Why first he tells them plainly that if they will joyn either Circumcision or any thing else of their own with Christ in this matter then Christ shall profit them nothing vers 2. And he asserts the same thing vers 4. Christ sayes he is become of no effect to you i. e. You shall have no part in Christ no benefit by Christ Christ is of no use no benefit no advantage to you no more than if he had never been Christum dimidium quisquis haberevult totum perdit Calv. And indeed as one observes upon the place Whoever is but for an half Christ in this business loses all of Christ Secondly He tells
them that if they will have any thing of their own to bear share with Christ in the matter of their Salvation they are Debtors to do the whole Law If they will have their obedience to the Law to have any share in their acceptation with God then they must keep the whole Law for else all were nothing 'T is a great Speech of a Learned Interpreter upon these words Qui debitor est totius legis faciendae mortem nunquam effugiet quia semper manebit sub reatu Nemo enim unquam reperietur qui legi satisfaciat talis igitur obligatio certa est damnatio hominis Id. Whoever sayes he is a Debtor to do the whole Law can never escape death because he will alwayes remain under guilt for no one will ever be found who will be able to fulfil or satisfie the Law such an Obligation therefore is the certain damnation of the man that lies under it Thus you see there must be nothing else of our own joyned with Christ in the matter of our Righteousness and Justification with God but our Faith must cleave singly and nakedly to Christ alone The truth is Christ's Righteousness alone is sufficient to save and justifie the worst of sinners 't is the Righteousness of God 2 Cor. 5.21 and the Righteousness of the Law Rom. 8.3 A Righteousness every way adequate and commensurate to the strictest demands of Law and Justice a Righteousness as long as broad as deep as high as the sin and guilt of the most Scarlet Crimson Sinners can be and why should any think of joyning any thing therewith Truly so to do is to reflect great dishonour upon it and upon the Wisdom and Grace of God in ordaining it for our Justification and Salvation And as we must joyn nothing with Christ in the matter of Righteousness and Justification so neither must we joyn any thing with him in the matter of our Sanctification and Holiness We should look for no Grace no Holiness but what comes from him and is wrought in us by him Nor indeed will God own any thing for Grace and Holiness in us at last that does not come from him In all respects therefore let the language of your Souls be O none but Christ none but Christ 4. Be sure that you chuse Christ and embrace him as your Rest and Happiness and not only as one that is to bring you unto Rest and Happiness Christ my Beloved is not only the way and means to bring men unto Happiness but he also is himself their Happiness and as such he is tendered to us and should be chosen and embraced by us I am the Way the Truth and the Life sayes he John 14.16 that is as one glosses upon it I am the Beginning the Progress and Perfection of a Christians Happiness Sure I am as Christ considered as the Way is the Means and what leads us unto Happiness so Christ considered as the Life is himself our Happiness our supream Happiness and indeed we come to Christ as the Life by Christ as the Way Sweet is that saying which I have read in one of the Ancients on this place We thy People sayes he Nos populus tuus sequamur te per te ad te quia tu es via veritas vita via in exemplo veritas in promisso vita in praeâ—nio Bern. speaking to Christ do come by thee to thee because thou art the Way the Truth and the Life the Way in thy Example the Truth in the Promise the Life in the Reward I am the Way the Truth and the Life i. e. Ego sum via rectissima veritas suprema vita vera vita beata vita increata Tho à Kemp. lib. 3. de imitat Christi as another expounds it I am the onely right Way the supream Truth the true Life the blessed Life the increated Life And sutable hereunto is Calvin's observation upon these words Summa hujus sententiae est quisquis potitur Christo nihil illi deesse idioque ultra ultimam perfectionem eniti quisquis eo uno contentus non est Et siquis a Christo deflectas nihil poterit quam errare siquis in eo â—on acquiescat nihil quam vento vanitate alibi pascetur Siquis ultra eum rendat mortem vita loco inveniet Calv. in loc The sum sayes he of this Sentence is this He whoever he be that obtains and possesses Christ can want nothing whoever therefore is not content with him alone aspires after something beyond the ultimate and highest perfection And then he concludes thus If any one turns aside from Christ he can do nothing but err if any one does not rest in him he else-where feeds upon nothing but wind and vanity If any one makes out after any thing beyond him he will find Death instead of Life O there are infinite Beauties Delights and Perfections in Christ whereby he is able to fill and satisfie us and make us happy And for my own part as I desire never to be happy if Christ be not able to bring me to happiness so I desire no better or greater happiness than what Christ is or can be to me O there 's all in him all to fill all to comfort all to delight and ravish all to solace and satisfie the largest faculties of eternal Souls May I have but Christ sayes Rutherford I shall think my self as well Heaven'd as any whatever Truly he and he alone is centrum quietativum as the Schools speak the quieting resting center of the Soul And so the Psalmist tells us Psal 116.7 Indeed he in his presence and our enjoyment of him is Heaven and Happiness 'T is the highest happiness which Christ promises his People here Joh. 14.21 and 't is the highest happiness which his People reckon upon or hope for hereafter Phil. 1.23 Answerable whereunto is the Observation of one upon those words of Christ to the Thief upon the Cross Luke 23.43 Mecum eris in Paradiso mecum inquit mira benignitas non dicit simpliciter eris in Paradiso vel cum Angelis erâ—s sed mecumeris satiaberis eo quem desiderias Bern. de Pass Dom. This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise With me sayes he O wonderful goodness he does not say simply thou shalt be in Paradise or thou shalt be with Angels but thou shalt be with Me thou shalt be satisfied with him whom thou desirest Thus Christ is the Rest and supream Happiness of Souls and accordingly our Faith should chuse and embrace him I will not say there is not true Faith where the Soul does not come up to such a choice of Christ as this is But this I 'le say That though Faith at first may not thus chuse Christ yet afterwards as it grows up more towards perfection it does come to chuse Christ under this notion And the more distinct it is in chusing Christ as the supream Rest and Happiness of the Soul the
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