at once the Law and Christ but he must be dead to or divorced from the one e're ho can be married to the other Observe ye are dead to the Law What is it to be dead to the Law or divorced from the Law To be dead to the Law is to have no hope no expectation of Life and Righteousness by the Law 't is to be sensible that the Law cannot save us yea there is more in it than so To be dead to the Law is to see our selves dead by the Law 't is to see our selves lost and condemned by the Law for sin as the transgression thereof and thus we must all be dead to the Law or divorced from the Law or we cannot be married to Christ Now this the Spirit of God effects by a work of the Law upon the Conscience He divorces the Soul from the Law by the Law i. e. by bringing home the Law to the Conscience This the Apostle felt in his own Soul I through the Law sayes he that is the Spirit of God bringing home the Law to my Conscience am dead to the Law Gal. 2.19 So again Rom. 7.9 I was alive without the Law once but when the Commandment came sin revived and I dyed I was alive without the Law once that is I thought my self to be alive I apprehended my state to be good and happy but this was without the Law i. e. before the Spirit of God by the ministry of the Law convinced me of my sin and misery therefore it follows when the Commandment came sin revived and I dyed i. e. when the Law came in its convincing power through the Spirit upon my Soul then I saw my sinful dead and miserable state thus was he himself divorced from the Law that he might be married to Christ the sum is this the Spirit of God comes and shews the Soul the strictness and holiness the purity and spirituality of the Law and makes him sensible how large the Duty is that it requires how impossible it is for him to keep it and how many wayes he has broken it he withal lets him see the dreadfulness of that curse and condemnation it has justly laid him under for the breach thereof and thus he is divorced from it and this is all one with the Spirits convincing us of sin and our lost and miserable condition by reason thereof which is you know his first work in order to Faith and so to our espousing to Christ John 16.8 Thus by the Spirit of God the Soul is divorced from the Law he is taken off from all expectations of life and happiness by that and is made to see his own sinfulness and so his infinite need of Christ whereby he is fitted for this other and better Husband II. The Soul being thus divorced from the Law and so fitted and prepared for Christ then the Spirit of God reveals and offers the Lord Jesus Christ in the promise of the Gospel as a better Husband to him Now the blessed Spirit comes and does as Abrahants Servant did who was sent to take a Wife for Isaac he told Rebecca of his Masters Greatness of his Flocks and his Herds his Silver and his Gold his men servants and his maid-servants and withal that he had given all to Isaac Gen. 24.35 36. So the Spirit of God now sets before the Soul the riches and the greatness the beauty and the excellency of the Lord Jesus Christ he tells him what a full what a sweet what a rich what an amiable one he is and withal tenders him to his embraces he reveals and offers him to him as one full of Grace and Truth as one that has all fulness dwelling in him all fulness of Life and Peace or Righteousness and Salvation as one every way able to save him to the very utmost which is that which Christ calls his convincing the World of Righteousness John 16.9 he reveals and offers him to him in the transcendent Beauty Excellency and Amiableness of his Person on the one hand as also in the glorious fulness largeness sufficiency of his Grace and Righteousness on the other hand Thus I say he reveals and offers Christ unto the Soul and withal opens his Glory and causes it to shine forth before him so that now the Soul sees that in Christ that fulness that beauty that love that amiableness that sweetness which he never saw before Christ is now another thing in the Souls eye than ever before he was Now the Soul as those John 1.14 Beholds his glory as the glory of the onely begotten Son full of grace and truth Yea not only does he thus reveal Christ unto the Soul but withal fixes the Souls eye upon him He makes him to pore and gaze upon Christ as the most excellent and amiable Object and as one infinitely needful for him and this is called a seeing of the Son and that in order to believing whosoever seeth the Son and believeth on him shall have everlasting life Joh. 6.40 The blessed Spirit deals by the Soul herein as God by the Angels did with Hagar Gen. 21.19 where 't is said He opened her eyes and she saw a Well of Water for her relief She was in a very distressed condition as you may see vers 15 16. full of bitterness she and her Child both in a perishing condition being in the Wilderness and her Water in the Bottle being spent Now God shews her a Well of Wate whence she fetches a full supply So here the poor Soul having been under the convincing power of the Law sees himself in a woful miserable distessed condition whereupon he is full of bitterness crying out with Hagar How shall I see the Child die How can I bear it to perish eternally But now the Spirit of God comes and opens his eyes and shews him Christ and Christ as infinitely sutable to him Look sayes the Spirit to the Soul being now desolate and undone look here is a Saviour for thee a Husband for thee another and a better Husband than the Law could ever have been even the Lord Jesus Christ who is infinitely able to pay all thy Debts to supply all thy Wants to heal all thy Wounds to relive all thy Distresses to pardon all thy Sins to satisfie all thy Desires to answer all thy Love and to give thee perfect happiness and satisfaction in and with himself for ever Look here he is here he is in the Promise here he is in the Covenant here he is in the Tender Invitation of the Gospel here he is at the very door of thy heart knocking and calling for admission thereunto Rev. 3.20 Here he is with his Arms wide open to receive and embrace thee and that notwithstanding all thy vileness finfulness and unworthiness Look therefore to him and be saved III. With this Tender and Revelation of Christ unto the Soul the Spirit of God comes and works a secret love and longing in the Soul after Christ he
order to life and happiness by him John 6.53 54 55. What doth eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood signifie but an Union with his Humanity And therefore in vers 56. he addeth He that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood dwelleth in me and I in him which is an expression of Union and without this we have we can have no Life no Grace from him In a word as the humanity hath nothing to give or communicate to us no Life no Grace no Spiritual Blessing without the Divinity so the Divinity is incommunicable to us without the Humanity and therefore were our Union with the one only without the other it must needs he ineffectual I will close this with the saying of an eminent Divine Etsi tota salus vita a Deitatis plenitudine pendet quae est in Christo interim tamen nobis non communicatur nisi in carne per carnem Christi Deitas enim est ceu fons unde fluunt omnia bona vita salus sed caro atque humanitas est ceu canalis per quem ad nos derivantur omnia haec bona omnesque gratiae nisi quis igitur canalem hunc apprehendat eique uniatur aquarum certè quae è fonte profluunt particeps fieri non potest Zanch. in Thes de connubio Spirituali Although all Life all Salvation floweth from the fulness of the Deity that is in Christ yet notwithstanding it is not communicated to us but in the flesh and by the flesh of Christ For the Deity is as the Fountain whence all good things flow Life and Salvation but the flesh or humanity is as the Channel by which all these good things and all Gifts and Graees are derived unto us therefore unless a man apprehendeth this Channel and be united to it he cannot possibly be made a partaker of these Waters which do flow from this Fountain 2. On the other hand the whole Person of the Believer is united to Christ not his Soul onely without his Body nor yet his Body onely without his Soul but his whole Person consisting of both Soul and Body in conjunction As Christ is the Saviour so he is the Head of the whole Person of every Believer for he saves none but those whom he is a Head unto And as Christ is the Head of so he must have union with the whole Person of every Believer for his being an Head implies union and that union must extend as far as his Headship doth even to the whole Person In short the Believers Soul is united to Christ therefore saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 6.17 He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit and the Believers Body is united to Christ and therefore the Bodies of Believers are said to be Members of Christ 1 Cor. 6.15 thus this union is a full union And as it is a full so it is a very near union Next to those two great Unions the essential Union the Union of the three Persons in One and the same Divine Essence and the Personal Union the Union of the two Natures Divine and Humane in the Person of Christ this is the nearest Union Hence it is expressed sometimes by their being in each other John 14.20 Ye shall know that I am in the Father and ye in me and I in you sometimes by their dwelling in each other John 6.56 He that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood dwelleth in me and I in him And what can be nearer than to be and dwell in each other It is a nearer Union than that between the Husband and the Wife for that Union may be broken and is at last but this never is never can be broken as in its place will be shewn III. This Espousal or Marriage-relation between Christ and Believers carries in it full and lasting communion In Marriage-relations there is a full and free communion between the Parties both in what they are and what they have The Husband admits the sife into a participation in all he is and hath on the other hand he communicates with her in all she is and hath and indeed union is in order to communion So here in the Espousal or Marriage-relation between Christ and Believers there is a full and free communion between them in all they are and have On the one hand Christ communicates himself unto the Believer he admits him into a fellowship and participation with him in all his riches and fulness hence is that John 1.16 of his fullness have all we received and that Grace for Grace vers 14. He is said to be full of Grace And what Grace is that Why all Grace Personal Grace Purchased Grace Grace of Priviledge and Grace of Influence And here it is said that of his fulness have all we received not some onely but all great and small have received and that not in a low poor scanty measure onely Gratiam super gratiam h. e. accumulat issimam copiosissimam omnem gratiam nempe justitiam remissionem peccatorum sanctitatem renovationem spiritus c. Glas Gram. Sacr. but in great abundance therefore it 's added and Grace for Grace or Grace upon Grace heaps of Grace Grace in a plentiful manner all Grace needful for the Soul Righteousness Remission of Sins Sanctification Renovation of the Spirit and the like Look what-ever Christ is or hath which Believers are capable of it is all theirs and they all hold communion with him therein His beauty is theirs and how black and deformed soever they are in themselves yet they are fair and comely in him Nigra per naturam formosa per gratiam Aug. Hence saith the Spouse I am black but comely Cant. 1.5 that is black in my self but comely in Christ black by Nature but comely by the Redeemers Grace comely through the comeliness which he puts upon me Ezek. 16.14 His Righteousness is theirs and how guilty and unrighteous soever they are in themselves yet in him they are Righteous and do stand perfectly righteous in the sight of God Hence his Name is said to be The Lord our Righteousness Jer. 23.6 and they are said to be made the Righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5.21 His Priviledges and Dignities are theirs and how vile and base soever they are in themselves yet in him they are highly dignified and advanced Is he a Son so are they through him To as many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God to as many as believed in his Name John 1.12 Is he an Heir an Heir of God so are they they are Heirs yea coheirs with him of God Rom. 8.17 Is he beloved by the Father and that with a choice and singular love so are they they are beloved in him Ephes 1.6 yea they are beloved with the same love wherewith he is beloved by the Father John 17.23 Is he a King so are they he hath made them and doth make them all Kings and they do
became of no Beputation or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Se câ—acuavit omm glâ—rria i.e. Christas gloriam illam majestatem in qua câ—at apud patram ita ab diderit in forma servi ut eaâ—s se penitus evaâ—â—ssâ— visissit Zanch. in Loc. Fallus quod non crat matens quodeâ—at Her as the Greek is he emptied himself to wit of his glory his glory was veiled and clouded hereby the glory of his God-head was Eclipsed 't is true indeed his Godhead was not hereby lost or laid aside no he was as much and as truly God after his Incarnation as he was before he did not cease to be God by becoming Man but as one of the Ancients expresses it he was made that which he was not and yet remained that which he was he was made Man yet so as that he still remained to be God but though his God-head was not lost or laid aside hereby Carnis humilitas sait instar veli quo Divina majestas tegebatur Calo. yet hereby was the glory of it veiled and lost for a time and he was not content to have it so oh how great a condescention was this oh for him that was God God equal with the Father to become Man to cover himself with the course Veil of our Flesh and be content for so long a time to lose the glory of his Deity which was infinitely dear to him and all this to make way for an Espousal between himself and poor Sinners what self-abasement was this and how should it encourage Souls to look after an Espousal to him 2. He not only became Incarnate but also freely bled and dyed in order hereunto which is a further discovery of his heart herein being sayes the Apostle found in fashion as a Man he humbled himself and became obedient unto the death even the death of the Cross i. e. to the most formidable Death a Death of pain a Death of shame an accursed Death Pâ—il 2.8 Hence also 't is said that he gave himself an Offering and a Sacrifice to God for us Eph. 5. 2. Yea not only did he bleed and suffer and dye but he did all freely and with much readiness and enlargedness of Soul hence he is said to have powred out his Soul unto Death Isa 53.12 Voluntariè scipsum in mortem tradidit Musc in Loc. He seemed in an holy manner prodigal of his Life in the case he thought neither Blood nor Life nor any thing too much for them Oh! how much does this argue his heart to be upon the business It spake Jacob's heart to be much set upon Rachel to have her to Wife that he could be content to undergo so much hard Service for her as he did even seven years Service Jacob 't is said served seven years for Rachel yea and they seemed unto him but a few days for the Love he had to her Gen. 29.20 So surely it argues Christs heart to be much set upon an Espousal with Sinners that he was content not only to serve but even bleed and dye for them in order hereunto Oh Sirs behold and wonder Christ comes from Heaven quits his Throne leaves the bosome of his Father in which he had with insinite delight lain from Eternity behold and wonder the Lord of Life dyes the God of Blessing was made a Curse The infinitely beloved Son treads the Wine-press of the Father's wrath Heaven descends into Hell glory veils and Eclipses it self under shame and ignominy the infinitely holy one is made sin and all this to redeem and redeeming Espouse poor Sinners to himself and is not his heart upon the business think you And has he not Love for them Oh be not saithless but believing 2. Such is the heart of Christ and so set upon an Espousal with Sinners that he condescends sweetly to woo them and solicit them for their Love and acceptance of him Should you see a Man with all carnestness and importunity wooing a Virgin and making Love to her following her from day to day with renewed offers and sollicitations you would conclude his heart was much set upon an Espousal with her And is it not thus with the Lord Jesus towards poor Sinners Does he not woo them and make Love to them and that with all earnestness and pressing importunity following them with renewed offers and sollicitations from day to day Now he meets them in this Ordinance and there he woos them and makes Love to them anon he meets them in that Ordinance and there woos them and makes Love to them now he sends his Ministers and by them woos them and makes Love to them anon he sends his Spirit and by him woos them and makes Love to them thus he is every way and upon all occasions wooing them and in his wooing of them How earnestly does he call and invite them to himself 't is not a cold offer or a slight motion onely that he makes to them but he moves and offers calls and invites with all earnestness and importunity Hoe every one that thirsteth come ye to the Waters come ye yea come Isa 55 1. and again the Spirit and the Bride say come and let him that is a thirst come Rev. 22.17 How vigorously does he plead and expostulate the business with them Christ does not onely call and invite but he also pleades and expostulates with sinners in the case and that in the most winning way and with the most weighty arguments that possibly may be Hâ—eâ— every one that thirsteth come unto the waters wherefore do you spend your Money for that which is not bread And your labour for that which satissieth not incline your ear and come unto me hear and your souls shall live and I will make with you an everlasting Covenant even the sure mercies of David Isa 55.2 3. And again turn ye turn ye whâ— will ye dâ—â— O house of â—srael Ezek. 33.11 I have no pleasure in your damnation but had rather that you would come unto me and live why will you dye is not lise better then death is not Heaven better then Hell is not my love better then a Lust are not the Pleasures of any Presence and at my right hand which are for evermore better then the pleasures of sin which are but for a seasor a short season why will you dye is there â—oâ—b 〈◊〉 in Gilâ—ed is there no Physsitian there am not I able to save you to the uttermost and are not my Arms wide open to receive you have not I dyed for that very end that you might live look here 's my Blood here are my Wounds behold me in the Garden and see me bleeding there for you behold me upon the Cross and see me bleeding yea bleeding to death there for you and then see if you can find in your hearts to refuse me any longer In short would you not lose all your cost and all your labour would you enjoy good the best good the most sat is
and shine forth in Christ What shall I say He has in him all the excellencies of both worlds and is indeed deservedly the wonder of both In him there is a confluence of all the lovely properties the drawing attributes the ravishing Beauties the Bright-shining and glorious perfections of the infinitely blessed Deity Hence sayes he all that the Father hath is mine which may be understood of his Divine perfections Joh. 16.15 Hence also he is said to be equal with God Quicquid perfectionis in patre erat est totum illud est in filio in to tota patris pesona tota 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tota 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tota etiam facies expressa est Zanch. in Loc. Phil. 2.6 i e. Look what ever Divine perfections there are in God the Father they all are found in Christ in him is exprest the whole Person of the Father the whole Essence Being and Feauty of the Father And as a Learned man has observed Christ the Son is in all things like the Father this only excepted that he is not the person of the Father Filius per omnia similis est patri hoc excepto quod non est ipsa patris Persona Davenant Hence also he is said to be the brightness of his Father's Glory and the express image of his Person Heb. 1.3 All the Fathers glories and excellencies do shine forth in him and he perfectly represents the Father to us Thus Christ is a person of excellency and so most acceptable And O who would not accept and embrace such a Christ And how great a wickedness is it to reject him I can't but here take up the complaint of an holy man O pity pity for evermore sayes he that there should be such an one as Christ Jesus so boundless so bottomless so incomparable so infinite in excellency and sweetness and so few that will take him they miserably lose their love sayes he who will not bestow it upon this lovely one 2. There is usefulness and serviceableness in Christ As Christ is a person of the highest excellency so of the greatest and most absolute need use and service to poor souls Indeed he is the one needful good Lu. 10.42 Christ is so much needed by and of so much use and service to poor souls that they can't possibly do well and be happy without him Pray consider we provoke God and he is angry with us and by Christ alone 't is that we receive the attonement Rom. 5.11 We sin and load our selves with guilt and by Christ alone 't is that we are or can be discharged from it In him have we redemption through his Blood even the for giveness of sins Eph. 1.7 We have an hard and impenitent heart an heart that cannot repent and by Christ and Christ alone 't is that we can obtain repentance he being exalted to give repentance unto Isratl as well as remission of sins Act. 5.31 We are at a dreadsul distance from God afar off as the Scripture speaks and by Christ and him alone 't is that we are made nigh What shall I say The best of Saints as well as the worst of Sinners have an absolute need of Christ and he is of daily use and service to them neither can they live one day or one hour without him Indeed he is their life and without him therefore they are dead and undone as well as others without him they can do nothing Jo. 15.5 Without him every duty will be too hard every burthen will be too heavy every temptation will be too strong every lust will be too mighty for them without him they would yet sall short of the eternal rest and would make ship-wrack of Faith souls and all for ever Without him neither Saints nor Sinners can have any access to God any intercourse or communion with him in which notwithstanding the whole of our happiness both in time and eternity lies I am the way says he and no man cometh to the Father but by m Jo. 14.6 And through him says the Apostle we have access unto the Father by one Spirit Eph 2.18 Without him we could have no peace with God for he alone is our peace Eph. 2.14 And having peace with God without him we could not maintain our peace one hour it being he alone that is our advocate and propitiation with the Father 1 Jo. 2.1 2. Thus he is every way most needful and most useful to eternal souls O how grateful how acceptable then is he or ought he to be to us 3 There is sutableness and conveniency also in Christ to the souls of men The sutableness and conveniency of any good renders it acceptable to us How acceptable is bread to an hungry man because a good sutable to him How acceptable is drink to a thirsty man because a good suitable to him Now there is an admirable sutableness and conveniency in Christ to the souls of men and that in all the cases of them Why then should he not be acceptable to them One I remember represents the sutableness of Christ to the souls and wants of Sinners thus the whole person nature and offices of Christ sayes he are so suited and proportioned to all the varity of needs in us that they are as a key for a lock there is ward for ward every thing done in the key sutable to the lock and indeed so 't is here Christ and his fulness being exactly suited to us and our wants We are sick and sick to death and Christ is a Physitian Mat. 9.12 And what more sutable to the sick then a Physitian We are sinful and sinful to damnation we are lost Sinners and Christ is a Saviour and who or what more sutable to lost Sinners then a Saviour We are poor captives the captives of sin and Sathan in bondage to death and the curse and Christ is a Redeemer and who or what more sutable to Captives then a Redeemer Weare under the Tyranny and Usurpation of many mighty powerful Lusts Lusts that are imposing upon us every hour and we are no way able to deal with them But Christ is a great and puissant King who can subdue all and whose Arrows shall be sharp in the hearts of all his and our Enemies and what more sutable to Persons in such a circumstance then such a King We are dead and Christ is Life and what more sutable for the Dead then Life We are poor and miserable and Christ is gold to enrich us Are we naked Chirst is Cloathing for us Are we blind He is Eye-salve for us Are we in Prison He is Liberty Are we Hungry He is Bread Are we Thirsty He is the Water of Life which those that drink of shall never thirst Are we troubled He is Rest Are we drooping and desponding He is the consolation of Israel Are we bewilder'd He is a Guide Are we born down in our spiritual conflicts He is the Captain of our Salvation who will