THE Best Match OR THE Souls Espousal to Christ opened and improved By Edward Pearse Joh. 3.29 30. He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom but the Friend of the Bridegroom which standeth and heareth him rejoyceth greatly because of the Bridegrooms voice This my joy therefore is fulfilled He must increase but I must decrease LONDON Printed for Jonathan Robinson at the Golden Lion in St. Pauls Church-Yard and Brabazon Aylmer at the 3 Pigeons in Cornhil 1673. READER NExt to the full and immediate Vision and Fruition of the God of Glory above the greatest happiness of Souls lies in Union and Communion with Christ here Nor indeed can we ever attain unto the one without an acquaintance with the other Now to bring thee into and build thee up in this Union and Communion with Christ and thereby to fit and dispose thee for that glorious Vision and Fruition Above is the principal design of the ensuing Discourse If thou requirest a reason of the publication hereof I desire thee to satisfie thy self with this God in his all-wise and holy Providence hath seen good now for seyeral months to call the unworthy Author out of his Vinyard and lodge him in a sick Chamber and he also seems to be speedily calling him out of this World and to bring that Night upon him wherein no man can work wherein nothing is to be done either for God or a Man's Soul John 9.4 And being never like to do more for Christ on Earth he was willing in hopes of advancing his dear Lords Kingdom in the drawing of Sinners to him and building up of Saints in him communion with him to make these poor Contemplations publick God was pleased some few years since to make a more than ordinary use of the preaching of them many Souls being through his Grace espoused to Christ and more brought nearer to him thereby and had I not some hopes that he would also through that same Grace of his make some use of the reading of them for thy good and the good of others I think they had never seen the light Thy good then and Christ's Glory in the enlargement of his Kingdom is the thing aimed at herein which the good Lord by his Grace accomplish I am lying daily by the brink of the Grave waiting upon the Will and for the Call of my Sovereign Lord the only reason swaying with me to desire life next to the more through working out of my own Salvation is to reveal and make known Christ to Souls and to publish the glad Tydings of Peace and Salvation to a lost and sinful World But if God will make no further use of me that way his Will be done I comfort my self with what an holy Man speaks Sinless glorifying of God saith he is better than sinful glorifying of God His meaning I suppose is that 't is better to glorifie God in a sinless than in a sinful state Truly bere we sin in our best Actions and if we bring a little glory to God yet woe and alas how much dishonour do we also bring him and what iniquities do there cleave to our most holy things But above we shall glorifie him without sinning we shall love him praise him admire him adore him delight in him and ascribe glory to him without the least taint or tincture of sin cleaving thereunto having not only all tears wiped off our eyes but which is infinitly infinitly infinitly better all sin purged from our hearts and actions Farewel I leave thee and this poor Treatise to the Blessing of Heaven E. P. To the Reader THere are two main ends for which the Gospel-Ministry is ordained the one is the winning of Souls and bringing them into Christ the other is the edification and building up of such as are already brought in It hath pleased Christ the Head of the Church who distributeth Gifts in order to the salvation of men unto whom and in what measure he pleaseth to furnish the Author of this Discourse with good abilities as to both these Works As to the first the Lord had given him a peculiar Gift to qualifie him above many to Preach the Gospel for the winning of Souls and the Grace of God in him did inflame his heart with ardent desires and did excite great longings in him after the conversion of Souls and he was pleased to crown his own Gifts and Grace in him with great success many a Soul having been turned unto God by his Labours And it having pleased God to cast the Author into a languishing Distemper for some months whereby he was wholly taken off from his Work in Preaching so great did the desire of doing good to Souls remain in him and such were the yearnings of his Bowels towards them that being not able to speak to them any longer out of the Pulpit he could not satisfie himself but he must needs speak to them in this small Tract wherein his great Scope and principal Design is to allure and draw Souls unto Christ As to the Matter of the Treatise I need say little it will sufficiently speak for it self onely thus much I may say Union with Christ is the foundation of our Happiness The Apostle telleth us Col. 1 27. that Christ in us is the hope of Glory We cannot have any sure or sound title to eternal Life and Glory but by Vnion with Christ whoever are saved are saved by being brought under Christ as their Head Ephes 1.10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Omnia ad unum caput adducers adjungere seu colligere omnia sub uno capite that he might bring them under one Head so Zanchy and others interpret the Greek word there used The Son of God incarnate is the true Vine into which the Elect are implanted There are but two Roots of Mankind the First and the Second Adam the first Adam is the Root of Sin and Death unto all that abide in him the second Adam is the Root of Righteousness and Life unto all who are implanted into him The scope of this Discourse is to perswade men not to be content to abide in the Root upon which they naturally grow viz. the Root of the first Adam but to seek after a new Relation unto Christ the second Adam The Arguments by which the Author presseth Souls to come to Christ are most pathetical and strong and as there is a Vein of Heavenly Affection which runneth through the whole body of the Discourse to allure such who are yet strangers to the Lord Jesus to fall in love with him so there is much solid Matter interwoven whereby those who are already called and have attained to some dequaintance with spiritual things may receive farther advantage It pleaseth the Al-wise God to leave the Author at a great uncertainty as to Life the Lord hath kept him in the Furnace long but he
their tribulations 2 Cor. 1.4 5. The truth is their sharpest Afflictions are but to prepare them for his sweetest Consolations and indeed he therefore oftentimes afflicts them that he may manifest his Love and minister Consolations to them according to that of Hosea 2.14 I will allure her into the Wilderness and there will I speak comfortably to her and indeed as strong Consolations often times prepare for great Afflictions so great Afflictions usually make way for strong Consolations Afflictions sayes a worthy Divine is the Air in which Christs love especially breaths and Christ and the Cross sayes he are sweet company This viz. Christs love and presence with his People in their Afflictions is what turns their night into day their darkness into light their pains into ease their sorrows into joys their losses into gains yea and Death it self into Life Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death yet will I fear no evil because thou art with me Psal 23.4 It turns a Prison into a pleasant Pallace yea it turns a fiery Furnace into a delightful Walk as in the case of the three Children and this experienced Souls find O how sweet are Afflictions when Christ and his love come with them 2. By sanctifying their Afflictions to them and working good to their Souls out of all Sanctifyed Afflictions are sweet Afflictions they meet with Afflictions but Christ gives them the sweet Fruit and a blessed issue of them makes them all work together for good to them according to that great Oracle Rom. 8.23 All things shall work together for good to them that love God By these he proves their Graces and improves their Experiences he makes them all to be as the Gibeonites sometimes were to the Congregation of God as so many hewers of Wood and drawers of Water to their Faith to their Comforts to their Holiness on Earth and Happiness in Heaven The Faith of this sweetned all Jobs great and heavy Afflictions to him When I am tryed sayes he I shall come forth as Gold Job 23.10 Hereby he tryes their Faith which is better than Gold 1 Pet. 1.7 Hereby he refines them and purges away their dross from them Behold I have refined thee but not with Silver I have chosen thee in the Furnace of Affliction Or as you may read it I have made a choice one of thee in the Furnace of Affliction Isa 48.10 Hereby he makes them partakers of his holiness Heb. 12.10 By this he purgeth away their iniquity and taketh away their sin Isa 27.9 In short hereby he humbles them and seals instruction to them hereby he weans them from the World draws them nearer to himself quickens their hearts in his good wayes and raises them up to higher strains of Grace and pitches in Holiness then they were got up to before Yea hereby he increases their Revenue of Glory and adds to their Crown in Eternity Our light Afflictions which are but for a moment sayes the Apostle work out for us a far more exceeding and an eternal weight of Glory 2 Cor. 4.17 Thus he sanctisies all and O how doth this sweeten all Here is a Cross 't is true may the Soul say but by this Cross Christ does crucifie me to Sin and the World he weans me from the Creature sets me a longing after Heaven and so long welcome Cross how heavy soever Here is an Affliction 't is true and 't is an heavy one but by it Christ proves and brightens my Graces and that sweetens all O what owe I sayes Rutherford to the File and Hammer of my sweet Lord Jesus He hath taught me more sayes he by my six months imprisonment then ever I learnt in my nine years past Ministry Luther was wont to say three things made a good Minister Temptation Affliction Supplication The same also conduce much to the making of a good Christian And indeed 't is seldom that ever a Soul comes to any eminency in Grace until he has been exercised with sanctified Afflictions and Temptations And doubtless there is many a Soul who may and must say That next to Christ his Afflictions have through his Grace and Blessing been his best Mercies O how should this draw Souls to Christ and allure them into a Marriage-Covenant with him Poor Soul it may be that which keeps thee from Christ is the fear of what Afflictions thou mayest meet with in his wayes But know 1. thou mayest meet with Affliction yea first or last thou wilt assuredly meet with Affliction though thou never closest with Christ Alas wicked men and unbelievers meet with Troubles and Afflictions and that even in this World oft-times However to be sure at last they will have a full Cup yea the very dregs of God's Wrath ponred out unto them They will meet with and fall under soret and more dreadful Afflictions then any thou canst meet withal in the way and for the sake of Christ for pray consider is there any Trouble any Affliction thou canst meet withal for Christ like to this for a man to die in his sins to be separated from God for ever to have infiniteness and eternity combined against thee Is there any Trouble or Affliction like to the torments of the Infernal Pit and being the object of infinite Wrath for ever and yet this will be the lot at last of all that close not with Christ in a Marriage-relation 2. What ever Afflictions thou mayest meet withal in the way of Christ closing with him he sweetens all for thee and that so as that thou wouldest not have been without them for a World Oh scare not at the Cross but close in with Christ VI. He subdues all their enemies for them True the poor Saints and Spouses of Christ are beset with Enemies on all hands they have many Enemies and mighty Enemies Enemies within and Enemies without and all in a confederacy against them to destroy them to destroy their Lives to destroy their Graces to destroy their Peace and Comforts to destroy their Souls and Happiness for ever all like so many roaring Lyons seeking to devour them Well but Christ who is their Captain as well as their Husband subdues and conquers all for them and first or last makes them to set their feet upon their necks and triumph over them He makes them Conquerors yea more than Conquerors over all Rom. 8.37 He makes them so to conquer them as sooner or later to gain by all their conflicts and oppositions Indeed Christ has already conquered all his Peoples Enemies for them The Saints have five great Enemies Sin Self the World the Devil and Death and Christ has long since conquered them all for them and by degrees brings them into the joyful triumph of that conquest 1. He has conquered Sin for them He by being made Sin hath obtained an eternal victory over Sin for all his People Sin is the Saints great Enemy 't is that which wars against their Souls Rom. 7.23 1 Pet. 2.11 And
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
ever This added to the rest is desirable and for this none like Christ Yea none but Christ he and he alone is a never-dying Husband the best Husband here below is mortal and may leave you in a moment but Christ is immortal he is the King immortal eternal 1 Tim. 1.17 and he only hath immortality 1 Tim. 6.16 He and he onely lives for evermore Behold I live for evermore sayes he Rev. 1.18 He will never leave you in the desolate state of Widdow-hood yea not onely does he live for ever himself but moreover he makes all his Spouses to live for ever too So you find John 11.25 26. I am the Resurrection and the Life sayes he he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die Oh what an Husband is this an Husband that lives for ever himself and that makes his Spouses live for ever too he gives all his Spouses such a life as never dies an immortal life In a word close with him and as he will live for ever as thy Husband so thou shalt live for ever as his Spouse Oh who would not accept of such a Person Soul if thou receivest him know he lives for ever to love thee to comfort thee to delight thee to make thee happy in and with himself but if thou rejectest him know that he lives for ever to punish thee to inflict wrath and vengance upon thee and to make thee compleatly miserable but oh reject him not Thus I have shewn you a little what an Husbund Christ is to his Spouses and upon the whole I would say to you as the Spouse did to the Daughters of Jerusalem Cant. 5.16 This is my Beloved and this is my Friend this is he that offers himself to your embraces surely he is no mean no despicable Person but one infinitely desireable Now what do you say will you have him or will you not possibly this is the last tender he will ever make of himself to you possibly the Match must be made now or never therefore now close with him accept him upon his own terms who surely is worthy of all acceptation CHAP. VIII Which shews what great things Christ does for all his Spouses TRue may some say Christ's Person is desirable but what will he do for his Spouses What may our Souls expect from him in case we should close up with him in a Marriage-Covenant What will he do What will he not do for you Surely he acts like himself and does great things for all his Spouses And oh happy happy they that are indeed espoused unto him I shall for the more effectual drawing of poor Souls to him shew you what he does for his Spouses in these following Particulars I. He payes all their Debts II. He supplies all their Wants III. He heals all their Maladies IV. He bears all their Burthens V. He sweetens all their Afflictions VI. He subdues all their Enemies VII He minds and manages all their Concerns VIII He enjoynters them in eternal Life and Glory I. He payes all their Debts fully discharging their Souls from all Sin and Guilt No sooner is a Woman married to an Husband but presently all her Debts become his he payes all at least is lyable so to do In like manner no sooner is a Soul espoused to Christ but all his Debts to Law and Justice become Christs and he pays all And O how great a thing is this Friends we are all in debt deeply in debt to the Law and Justice of God We owe each one of us more than our ten thousand Talents Matth. 18.24 We lie under whole Mountains of Sin and Guilt The truth is our first Father left us and all his Posterity in debt we brought Sin and Guilt into the World with us and the first day we were born Divine Justice might have arrested us and have cast us into the dismal Prison of utter darkness De Parentjbus illis venio qui me ante fecerunt damnatum quam natum peccatores peccatorem in peccato suo genâ—erunt Bern. de amore Dei I came of those Parents sayes one of the Ancients who made me damned before I was born they sinners begot me a sinner in their sin And to the same purpose another of them speaks Nemo mundus a peccato coram te Domine nec Infans cujus est unus dici vita super terram Aug. in Conf. No man is free from sin sayes he in the sight of God no not an Infant of a day old And to give you a greater authority than these the Holy Apostle asserts the same thing Rom. 5.12 By one man sin entered into the World and death by sin and death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Adam sinned and we all sinned in him we all being in him as in a common Head and the guilt of the act of his sin is as truly ours as if we had each one of us acted it in our own persons and we all stand justly condemned for it Hence also vers 18. he tells us That by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation Besides we have all contracted a vast Debt upon our selves and do lie under much actual guilt and that of a scarlet-dye and crimson-tincture Alas we have done little but sin'd ever since we came into the World and indeed as long as we are out of Christ either all we do is sin or at least we sin in all we do We are every day running upon new Scores adding sin to sin and guilt to guilt And O how great then must our Debts to Law and Justice needs be You look upon that man to be deeply in debt indeed whose Debts are so many and great as that he can neither know nor count them And thus it is with us so many and so great are our Sins and consequently our Debts to Law and Justice that we can neither know nor count them David though an holy Man cries out Who can understand his errors Psal 19.12 Alas who of us can count the sins of one day they pass our knowledge And which is worse still we are under a necessity whilst in our natural state of encreasing our sin and guilt every day and hour Now how shall all this Debt be paid this Sin and Guilt be expiated and done away Why only by Christ close with him in a Marriage-Covenant and your Souls are discharged from all Justice that stands upon Satisfaction it calls for full payment its language is Pay or perish pay or be damned and nothing have we of our own to pay the least of all our Debts nor can we possibly right God for the wrong we have done him by the least fin and which adds to our misery we are every day in danger of Arrests nor know we how soon Justice will by the hand of that grim Sergeant Death clap an Arrest upon us and cast us
indeed this is that which gives all the rest an advantage against them but even this greatest Enemy Christ has conquered for them Hence he is said to have condemned sin in the flesh he for sin condemned sin in the flesh Rom. 8.3 i. e. He by being made a Sacrifice for Sin hath killed and subdued Sin past a sentence of Death and Condemnation upon Sin for ever Hence also our old Man is said to be crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed Rom. 6.6 Hence also he is said to destroy sin to take away sin and the like And how Why as to the Reign and Power as well as the Guilt and Curse of it And this Paul acted by the Spirit of Faith could triumph in even whilst he was in the sharpest conflicts with sin Rom. 7.23 24 25. I thank God through Christ sayes he For what why for victory over and deliverance from that Law of Sin he was now conflicting with 2. He has conquered Self for them Self as well as Sin is our deadly Enemy This indeed is a near close Enemy and most difficult to be slain This is an Enemy that we are too too loth many times to have destroyed and yet an Enemy which makes woful spoyl upon us and our happiness I often think of the Speech of an Holy and Learned Divine Oh sayes he if I could be Master of that House-Idol my Self my own my own Will Wit Credit and case how blessed were I O but we have need sayes he to be redeemed from our selves rather than from the Devil and the World And presently again he cries out O wretched Idol my Self When shall I see the wholly decourted and Christ wholly put in thy room And who that have any acquaintance with themselves do not find cause to cry out in like manner Oh this Self this wretched Self how great an Enemy is it Well but this Christ hath conquered and closing with him thou shalt by degrees find it to die and fall under thee Paul did so I am crucified with Christ sayes he nevertheless I live yet not I Gal. 2.20 He had an I a Self which ruled in him but by Christ 't was crucified and slain for him and he was a conquerer over it 3. He has conquered the World for them Take the World in what notion you will and 't is in one respect or other an Enemy to the Saints the Men of the World the Things of the World the Frowns of the World the Flatteries of the World they all one way or other fight against them and are Enemies to them The World as well as Sin and Self is a mortal Enemy to them But this Enemy also Christ has subdued and conquered for them and he has told them so much for their comfort under the oppositions they meet with from it Job 16.23 Be of good chear I have overcome the World sayes he q. d. the World is your Enemy but 't is a conquered Enemy 't will moless and oppose you but it shall not be able to hurt you for have conquered it for you And as he has conquered it for us so he will enable us closing with him by Faith to conquer it so 1 John 5.4 This is the victory which overcometh the World even our Faith The World shall not alwayes annoy and infest the Saints 4. He has conquered the Devil yea all the Devils in Hell for them The Devil is the Enemy of the Saints and indeed he is a formidable one an Adversary that goes about like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5.8 He is a subtil a potent a malicious a cruel and an indefatigable Enemy But so formidable an Enemy as he is Christ hath conquered him for them hence he is said to have destroyed the Devil he partook of flesh and blood that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devil Heb. 2.14 and to have spoiled Principalities and Powers and to have made a shew of them openly on his Cross tryumphing over them Col. 2.15 dragging them at his Charriot-Wheels as was the manner sometimes for Conquerers to deal by their vanquished Enemies The sum is that he hath made a compleat and glorious conquest over all the Devils in Hell for Believers He has conquered them even to triumph Christ has conquered the Devil for his Spouses as to his ruling reigning and commanding power and he will and does conquer him at last yea speedily as to his tempting vexing and seducing power The God of Peace shall tread Satan under your feet shortly Rom. 16.20 Shortly Soul the Devil shall vex thee no more molest thee no more infest and annoy thee by his temptations no more 5. He has conquered Death for them Death is an Enemy and 't is the last Enemy that is to be destroyed so the Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 15.26 and in it self considered a terrible Enemy 't is 't is the King of terrors Job 18.14 But this Enemy hath Christ conquered for all his He has taken away all its killing power its sting and curse in so much that they may holily triumph over it and rejoyce in its approach the Apostle did so 1 Cor. 15.55 56 57. Death sayes he is swallowed up in victory O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory The sting of Death is Sin the strength of Sin is the Law but thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ O what a triumph does he here act over Death through the conquest Christ has gotten over it for him Truly this Enemy is so far conquered by him for them that 't is become indeed a friend to them and they can when in a right spirit embrace it as such and long for it as such Christ by Death has unstung Death and in a sort undeatht it Thus Christ has conquered all his Peoples Enemies and they being made one with him in a Marriage-Covenant all his Victories are theirs and his Conquests theirs and they are conquerers over all in him and oh how sweet how incouraging is this and how should it win Souls to a close with him poor Soul thou seest thy self environed with Enemies thou art hard beset on all hands legions of Lusts and Devils attended with Self Death and the World oppose themselves against thee and thou art often crying out as David in another case 2 Sam. 3.19 I am weak and these men the Sons of Zerviah are too strong for me yea thou art ready to say of them as he sometimes in his unbelief did of Saul 1 Sam. 27.1 I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul Alas I am a weak nothing-Creature and am unable to grapple with the least of all mine Enemies and how then shall I stand up against them all surely I shall perish by them at last Well Soul but know for thy encouragement that all thine Enemies are conquered by Christ and though
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
begin to bleed and relent over it 2. Labour to be deeply sensible of your exceeding great misery by reason of this estrangment As we are all naturally with out Christ so our misery herein is exceeding great So much the Apostle holds forth in the place before quoted Ephe. 2.12 Where he speakes of our being without Christ as our misery yea as the spring and Foundation of all our misery and therefore that is first mentioned the Ephesians were and we are as he there tells us without the Covenant without hope and without God in the World misery enough for any Soul to lye under and the inlet and Foundation of all is their and our being without Christ As to have Christ says a learned Interpreter upon this place is the Foundation of all good so to be without Christ is the beginning and foundation of all evil an inlet into all woe and misery and what leaves us in a most deplored state for ever Take a taste and but a taste of this your misery and then work the sense of it upon your own Souls 1. Being without Christ you are destitute of all good you are without Life without Grace without Peace without Pardon without Comfort without Righteousness without Heaven without Salvation without Hope and without God as you have it in the same place Eph. 2.2 without the Favour of God without the Presence of God without the Life of God without the Image of God without the Spirit of God and being thus without God you are without all true good and true happiness According to the old and true Maxim â—ine Summo bono nihil honum Without the chief good there is nothing good 2. Being without Christ you are in Bondage to sin and Satan which is the worst Bondage in the World Naturally all are the Slaves and Vassalls of these cruell Lords Hence we are said to fulfill the Devils lusts Je. 8 44. and as the lusts of the Devil so the wills and lusts of the slesh Epe 2.2 to be the servants of sin to serve divers lusts and pleasures and the like And as naturally all are thus in Bondage to sin and the Devil so there is no redemption from this Bondage but by Christ and that in a way of Union with him If the Son therefore shall make you free ye shall be free indeed saith he himself to the Jews Je. 8.36 They were Glorying in their privilidge that they were Obrahams seed and never were in Bondage to any man True sayes Christ but ye are in a worse Bondage then a Bondage to man in Bondage to sin in Bondage to your lusts For he that committeth sin is the servant of sin and this Bondage none but the Son can free you from and therefore untill freed by him you remain under it O how sore a Bondage is this To be under the command of sin to be at the beck of every base unclean lust and to be carried Captive by the Devil at his will This is such a Bondage as that the Bondage of Israel under their task-makers in Egypt and the bondage of Turkish slaves who are kept at the Oar and Galley is freedom to it as to serve Christ is the greatest liberty so to serve sin is the cruellest Bondage 3. Being without Christ and Union with Christ you are rejected of God Know ye not sayes the Apostle that except Christ be in you ye are Reprohates 2 Cor. 13.5 Know ye not As if he should say 't is a most clear manifest and evident truth that unless you have Union with Christ you are Reprobates i. e. you are unapproved of God you are out of his Favour both your persons and services are rejected by him To the same purpose is that Gal. 4.22 Where we read of 2 Mothers and 2 Sons The two Mothers were types of the 2 Covenants the Covenant of works and the Covenant of Grace as appears by v. 24. The 2 Sons are types of 2 sorts of persons living in the Church one born after the flesh the other by promise one belonging to the first the other to the second Covenant Well what 's the condition of these Why the one is in a state of rejection and the other of acceptation They that belong to the second Covenant are owned and embraced in the arms of Love the other are cast out as you may see in the sequel of the Chap Besides all our acceptation with God is in Christ and through Christ Eph. 1.6 Out of him therefore we are in a state of rejection O how sad does this speak your condition to be for men yea for good men to reject and disown us is what may be born especially when God ownes and smiles But for God to disown and reject us this is terrible indeed though all the World should own us and smile upon us How terrible is that word Reprobate silver shall men call them for the Lord hath rejected them Jer. 6.30 If God ownes and smiles 't is no matter who frowns but if he frowns and rejects who can own or smile to the relief of the Soul 4. Being without Christ you are under the Law and so under the curse and how sad is this as there are but 2 Covenants the old and the new and but 2 heads of those Covenants the first or the second Adam so all men do belong to and are found in the one or the other of these Whilst therefore you are strangers to Christ you are under the Law and being under the Law you are under the curse For sayes the Apostle As many as are under the Law are under the curse For it is Written cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are Written in the Book of the Law to do them Gal. 3 10. The Law has no pitty no sparing for offenders But for every breach thereof lays the Soul under the curse Now we have all broken the Law we all broke it in Adam being in him as in an head and we have all broken it 10. Thousand times over in our own persons and by both are fallen under the curse thereof And Soul dost thou know what the curse of the Law means It carries in it Death and condemnation for ever Being under the Law we are cursed in our persons and cursed in our comforts The wrath of God lies upon our souls and the curse of God is in all our enjoyments our very Blessings are accur'st to us Mal. 2.2 We read in Scripture of the people of God's curse and thou art one of them Soul who ever thou art that art out of Christ O how woeful how deplorable a condition is this 5. Being without Christ and estranged from Christ you lie under the guilt of innumerable sins which you alone must bear for ever 't is in and by Christ alone that Souls are Discharg'd from the guilt of sin And who are they whom he discharges from guilt but such as are found in him are under a Marriage-Covenant
Deum sacere mendacem horribilis est execranda impietas quia tanc quod illi maxime proprium eripitur Calv. in Lec thereby we take that from him which is most dear and proper to him O tremble Soul tremble at the Blackness and hellishness of this sin 2. This sin of refusing Christ is what is directly opposite to the highest design of God for his own Glory and Robs him of that Glory which is most dear to him what my Beloved was the highest design that ever God laid and carried on for his own Glory Verily 't was Christ and the Salvation of sinners by Christ He design'd himself a revenue of Glory in making the World and he does design himself a revenue of Glory in all he does in governing the World But that wherein he has design'd the highest revenue of Glory to himself is the mistery of Christ and Salvation by Christ So much is evident from Epe 1.11 12 14. In whom sayes he speaking of Christ We have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will that we should be to the praise of his Glory And again v. 14. unto the praise of his Glory The sum is this that God's Glory was his great end in the dispensation of Christ and our Salvation by him and also that in and by that dispensation he did design the highest revenue of Glory to himself For pray observe first he calls it the praise of his Glory the splendor and highest emanation of his Glory Secondly he repeats this design of God to the praise of his Glory and again to the praise of his Glory which notes this to be his grand design for his Glory Again what is that Glory that is most dear to God Verily 't is the Glory of his Grace Grace is his darling attribute and the Glory of his Grace is most dear to him Hence this has been peculiarly his design in the whole of the mistery of Christ So the same Apostle tells us Eph. 1.6 Who having before spoken of the great misteries of predestination and redemption by Christ here in the 6. v. tells you what was God's great design in all viz The praise of the Glory of his Grace 'T is the crowning of Grace and the enthroning of Grace which God in a peculiar manner delights in Now if the highest design of God for his own Glory be by the mistery of Christ and our Salvation by Christ and the Glory of his Grace be most dear to him then 't is clear that our refusing of Christ is most opposite to the highest design that God ever carried on for his own Glory and Robs him of that Glory which is most dear to him For alas This is in effect to say that God has laid out no Grace upon sinners in the dispensation of Christ and that he deserves no Glory upon the account of that dispensation This is in effect to tell him that neither his Christ nor his Grace in him is worth minding worth receiving and that we are no wayes beholding to him for the one or the other And O what Dishonour must this reflect upon God and how darkening to his Glory And accordingly Soul let thee and I tremble at it and at the Blackness and horridness of that sin that has such a dreadful effect 4. Consider that the neglect and refusal of Christ is a sin which directly and immediatly murders the soul and damns it eternally and therefore must needs be a great sin That sin that does most directly and immediatly murder the Soul and destroy it eternally that must needs be a great sin and should be greatly dreaded by us And what sin is it that does this but our neglect and refusal of Christ And Soul that thou may'st be the more deeply convinced of this seriously weigh these following propositions First that the neglect and refusal of Christ is a sin which rejects the onely remedy of sinful souls Poor Sinners are in themselves dead lost undone and perishing for ever They are sick and sick to death they are sinful and sinful to damnation and there is one and but one remedy for them and that 's Christ Christ and his Blood Christ and his Grace Christ and his fulness Besides this there is no Balm in Gilead no Physitian there for them neither is there Salvation in any other Acts. 4.14 Therefore by refusing and rejecting him they refuse and reject the onely remedy He indeed is a Compleat as well as an onely remedy He is able and as willing as he is able to save to the very uttermost as the Scripture tells us But they by rejecting of him exclude themselves from his saving efficacy and so thereby do directly murder their own souls 2. That the neglect and refusal of Christ is a sin which bindes all a mans other sins fast to him 'T is a great and weighty saying which a worthy Divine has Unbelief sayes he which is properly the neglect and refusal of Christ bindes all a mans sins fast to his Soul and Damnation fast to his sins 'T is indeed the Bond of all our guilt and all our misery that which makes the curse cleave close to us for ever And while a man remains in this sin 't is impossible that he should be acquitted and discharged from the guilt of any one of all his sins 'T is I remember Austin's observation upon that place Joh. 16.8 9. Ponit hoc peccatum infidelitatis specialiter quia hos manente caetera manent hoc decedente caetera remittuntur Aug. Where Christ tells us That his Spirit shall convince the World of Sin because they believe not in him Christ sayes he instances in the sin of infidelity in a special manner because that sin remaining all our other sins remain But that being taken away all others are forgiven Faith as one of the Ancients expresses it delet omnia peccata blots out all sins but unbelief that bindes all fast upon us Hence that word of Christ If ye betieve not ye shall dye in your sins i. e. your sins shall cleave close to you to the very death Jo. 8.24 This will be further evident in the next proposition Therefore 3. That though all sin be killing and damning yet no sin shall ever damn or destroy us unless we add thereunto the sin of the neglect and refusal of Christ 'T is true every sin is damning sin within sin without The wages of sin is death Rom. 6. last And the Apostle tells us there is a just recompence of reward due to every transgression and disobedience Heb. 1.2 But though every sin be damning yet what ever a mans sins are though never so many never so great they shall they can never damn him in case he receives and embraces Christ Nor indeed can any of all a mans sins be said to be the immediate cause of his damnation but his refusing of Christ Indeed
under the Law the immediate cause of mens perishing was sin in general But under the Gospel the onely immediate cause of mens perishing is the rejection of Christ and his Grace through unbelief So much Christ himself tells us in that known place Joh. 3.18 He that believeth on the Son is not condemned Meritum damnationis juxta Evangelium non est peccatum sed preseverantia finalis in peccato infidelitatis Twis vind gra but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed on the name of the onely begotten Son of God He that believeth on Christ is not condemned And why so Is it because he has no sins to condemn him No but because believing on Christ all his sins are done away But he that believeth not on him is condemn'd already And why Is it because he is a sinner in general or because his sins are many and great sins No but because he hath not believed on the name of the onely begotten Son of God The sum of all is this The immediate cause of mens condemnation is not this sin or that sin but their refusing of Christ by unbelief Hence you have it so frequently up and down the Gospel He that believeth shall be saved He that believeth not shall be damned and the like Well then if our vefusing of Christ be the rejecting of the onely remedy of sinful Souls if it be what bindes all a mans sins fast upon him and if none of all a mans other sins though many and great should or could ever damn him were not this sin of refusing Christ added to them then certainly this is that sin which does most directly and immediatly murder the Soul O how great a sin then does this speak it to be Murder is a great sin an iniquity to be punished by the judge nor do we look upon a murderee fit to live But no murder like to Soul-murder nor should we suffer this Soul-murderer to live one moment 4. Consider that the neglect and refusal of Christ is a sin which argues you to be really in Love with your sins which truly and indeed chooses Death rather then Life loves Darkness more then Light and which leaves you without the least colour of excuse or room of appeal for ever And O what a black and horrid sin must this then be A little of each 1. This sin of neglecting and refusing Christ is what really argues you to be in Love with your sins and to have slight thoughts of them For men to act sin is bad but to have slight thoughts of sin and to be in Love with it is much worse sin being against an infinite good even infinitly contrary to the blessed God has in a sort an infinite evil in it and to be in love with that which has an infinite evil in it O how dreadful a thing is this Yet this your refusal of Christ carries in it For pray mark had you not slight thoughts of sin you would not refuse the pardon of sin when offer'd you but would account it worthy of all acceptation and were you not in Love with your sins yea greatly in Love with them you would not choose and desire to continue in your sins much less would you refuse and reject so great a good as Christ is for the sake of your sins Should a condemn'd Malefactor refuse the Kings free pardon would not this argue him to have slight thoughts of Death yea to be in Love with it and to prefer it before life As clearly does your refusing of Christ argue you to have slight thoughts of sin and to be in Love with it O were you not in Love with your sins you would be glad of a discharge and deliverance from them and would withall readiness and joyfulness embrace it when freely offer'd to you as in Christ it is 2. This sin of refusing Christ is what truly and indeed speaks you to love darkness more then light and to chose death rather then life 'T is what prefers sin and death before Christ and life and Grace O what a black sin then must it be This Christ himself asserts concerning it and that as an high aggravation of it and what makes it doubly damning Joh. 3.19 This is the condemnation that light is come into the World and men love darkness rather then light Christ and the good things of Christ are here call'd light on the other hand sin and death sin and the miseries that attend it are call'd darkness Now sayes Christ men by unbelief and refusing of me do declare that they love this darkness before this Light Men by refusing of me do in effect love choose prefer sin and death and darkness before me and my Grace me and that eternal life which I would give them O what a sin is this Christ may truly say to Sinners as Moses to them of old Deut. 30.19 I call Heaven and Earth to record this day that I have set before you Life and Death blessing and cursing therefore choose life that ye may live Now for them to choose death and reject life to choose the curse and reject the blessing This is a dreadful sin indeed and the more dreadful On the one hand because the light is so lovely and amiable and on the other hand the darkness is so odious terrible as also because the obligations which lie upon us to love choose and prefer the light before darkness are so weighty and forcible For Christ earnestly desires it he graciously counsells it he strictly commands it and no less then a whole eternity of Glorious and unspeakable happiness depends upon it O think of these things 3. This sin of refusing Christ is a sin which leaves you without the least colour of excuse or room of appeal for ever which must argue it to be a great sin indeed First it leaves you without the least colour of excuse without the least coulour of excuse for sin and without the least colour of excuse why you should not die for sin This Christ himself is express in Joh. 15.22 If I had not come and spoken to them they had not had sin but now they have no Cloak for their sin If I had not come and spoken to them viz. in the Gospel revealing my Father's will and offering my self and my Grace to them They had not had sin i. e. Not so great sin But now they have no Cloak no excuse for their sin Now they have no pretence to make nothing wherewith to colour or extenuate their sin The neglect and refusal of Christ leaves men altogether inexcusable and it will do so to be sure in the last day O when God in the day of his righteous judgment shall demand of men that have liv'd under the Gospel why they sin'd and having sin'd why they are found in their sins and being found in their sins why they should not die for ever what will they have to say by way
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
thou art full of sorrows thy dayes are spent in grief and thy years in sighing but then there shall be no more sorrow sorrow and sighing both shall flie away for ever Now thou art full of pains yea as the holy Prophet of old complained Thou art pained at thy very heart in the sense of thy own Afflictions and in the sense of the Churches Afflictions in the sense of thine own sins and in the sense of the Worlds sins thou art pained at the very heart but then there shall be no more pain Now thou sowest in tears but then thou shalt reap in joy Now thou goest forth weeping yet bearing precious Seed then thou shalt return rejoycing bringing thy sheaves with thee Now thou art in a storm a storm of Affliction a storm of Temptation a storm of Persecution thou art afflicted tossed with tempests and not comforted it may be as the Church sometimes was Isa 54.11 But then he will make thy storm a calm and so bring thee into the desired Haven to allude to that Psal 107.30 Now the Devil and his messengers are buffetting of thee and will give thee no rest then they shall be all troden under foot and thy Soul shall act one eternal triumph over them saying as she of old in her Song did O my Soul thou hast trodden down strength 2. Then Christ will turn all thy blackness into beauty all thy sinful deformity into perfect purity and holiness for ever and this is much more sweet than the former Alas sayes the Soul turn my Water into Wine true that is sweet but there is that which lies heavier upon me than all the troubles and afflictions in the World and that is my sinful blackness and deformity O this stained polluted defiled nature of mine this fountain of sin and enmity against God that is within this is that which is the burthen too heavy for me to bear Well for thy comfort know that thy Husband sweet Jesus will come and when he comes he will turn thy blackness into beauty thy sin into holiness then he will sanctifie thee and cleanse thee that he may present thee to himself a glorious Spouse Ecclesiam esse gloriosam non habentem maculam nequâ— rugam est ultimus finis ad quem perducimur per passionem Christi â—unde hoc erit in statu patriae non autem in statu via Aqui. not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing Ephes 5.26 27. Poor Soul thou hast now many stains many spots and those such as thou art apt sometimes to think are not the spots of Gods Children but then all these spots shall be wiped out and thou shalt be without spot yea thou shalt not onely be without spot but without wrinkle too There may be wrinkles where there may be no spots and these are blemishes Significat nullum planè peccatum velminimum futurum in corpore Ecclesiae nullumque veteris Adaemi vestigium sed futuram eam totam gloriosam Zanch. in loc O but then thou shalt have neither spot nor wrinkle thou shalt be perfectly freed from lesser as well as greater sins yea thou shalt have neither spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing nothing that looks like sin nothing that thou canst suppose to be in the least a blemish or defect there shall not be the least print or foot-step of the old Adam as one speaks upon the place left in thee or upon thee but thou shalt be altogether holy and without blemish Christ will then perfectly fill thee with his own Spirit beautifie thee with his own Image deck thee with his own Ornaments enamel and irradiate thee with his own Glory for then he will make thee like himself both in holiness and happiness 1 Joh. 3.2 Poor Soul now thou art groaning under a body of Sin and Death under the unclean motions of sin the impure lustings of the flesh the cursed imposings of a base vile unbelieving heart that is imposing upon thee in every Duty in every Condition in every Relation Now thou art pestered with the springings buddings blossomings and ebullitions of lust and corruption within thee but when sweet Jesus comes there shall be an end of all this Christ he overlooks all this now but then he will do it all away and thou shalt shine with the perfection of beauty 3. Then Christ will solemnly present thee to his Father as his Spouse in the presence of all his holy Angels And O how glorious and joyful will this be In Gen. 24. lat we read that Isaac took Rebekah and brought her into his Mothers Tent So when dear Jesus comes to consummate the Marriage between him and thee he will being attended with all his holy Angels bring thee into his Fathers House and will there present thee to him as his Spouse saying Father here is my Spouse here is one whom in the day of everlasting love thou gavest unto me one whom I have redeem'd to my self by my Blood and married to my self by my Spirit in the Gospel this is he that I was made sin and a curse for and though he was in his blood and gore when I first made love to him yet loe now here he is spotless and faultless before thee Father own him as thy Sons Spouse and delight in him for ever O how sweet how glorious will this be Suppose some great Prince were married and upon his Marriage should take his Spouse in his hand and lead her into the Presence-Chamber of the King his Father and there present her to him to the end he might take notice of her as his Sons Spouse and shew sutable respect and favour to her what a sweet thing would this be But alas what is this to the presentation Christ will make of thee to his Father at his coming Who will then present thee faultless into the presence of his glory with exceeding joy Jude v. 24. When David and the Elders of Israel brought up the Ark from the House of Obed-Edom 't was with great joy and shouting 1 Chron. 15.25 28. But O when Christ attended with all his holy Angels shall bring and present thee into the presence of his Father what joy and shoutings will there then be surely there will be great rejoycing on all hands God the Father will greatly rejoyce Christ the Son will greatly rejoyce God the Holy Ghost will greatly rejoyce the Angels will greatly rejoyce thy Soul also will greatly rejoyce God the Father will greatly rejoyce to see his Sons Spouse come home to him so richly deck't and adorn'd Christ the Son will greatly rejoyce that he has gotten his Spouse into his Arms and Bosom never to part with hen more the Holy Ghost will greatly rejoyce to see his work in tying the Marriage-Knot between Christ and the Soul compleated the Angels will greatly rejoyce as being Friends both of the Bridegroom and Bride and as partaking with them in the Marriage-Supper and thou thy self wilt greatly rejoyce in that
now thy happiness is consummated and that thou shalt for ever lie in the bosom and embraces of thy Husbands love O how sweet how glorious will this be 4. Then Christ will lead thee into the Bride-Chamber the Mansion he has prepared for thee in the Fathers House where thou shalt dwell for ever in his presence and sit down eternally with him and his Father at the Marriage-Feast And O how sweet and glorious will this be Being thus beautified and presented to the Father what now remains for thee but to enter upon thy lot with all the Saints and to possess the joynter Christ made thee in the day of thine espousal to him even eternal Life and Glory with himself for ever What now remains for thee but to sit down in the full views of his Glory the full visions of his Face the full enjoyment of his Presence the full embraces of his Bosom the full incomes of his Love and all for ever Here in the day of espousal thou hast had some views of him thou hast seen his back-parts but then thou shalt behold his glory for ever Joh. 17.24 Here thou hast seen him through a glass darkly but then thou shalt see him face to face thy visions of him shall be both full and immediate 1 Cor. 13.12 Here there have been some intercourses of love and delight kept up between him and thee thou hast had some of the kisses of his mouth some embraces in his bosom but then thou shalt have thy fill of his love being sweetly immerst and swallowed up in the Ocean of it for ever O how sweet will this be When Christ and thy Soul have met in an Ordinance how often hast thou said with Peter 't is good to be here And when he has given thee now and then a little taste of his love how hast thou been ravish't with it crying out with the Spouse thy love is better than Wine But O what will it be to enjoy all this in its fulness and that without the least moments interruption for ever When Christ and thy Soul shall meet not in a Duty or Ordinance only but in Heaven in the Fathers House All thou hast here of him is but now and then a kiss of his Mouth now and then a tast a visit a descent of his Grace and Love and yet this is sweet and makes a little Heaven in thy Soul but when he comes to consummate the Marriage then thou shalt have everlasting embraces and uninterrupted pourings out of love from him then no more veilings of his Face no more withdrawings of his Presence no more suspensions of his Love from thee but thou shalt sit down in the full enjoyment of all for ever Then no more need of Love-Letters to pass between Christ and thy Soul for then there will be full and immediate embraces for ever Therefore rejoyce in thy Lot and say with the Church in a way of triumph Isa 61.10 I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord my Soul shall be joyful in my God for be hath clothed me with Garments of Salvation he hath covered me with a Robe of Righteousness as a Bridegroom decketh himself with Ornaments and as a Bride adorneth her self with Jewels But may some doubting Soul say True here 's comfort enough and happiness enough for all Christ's Spouses and were I assured of my espousal to him I should think it enough to carry me through both Life and Death with comfort but I am afraid I have neither part nor lot in this matter I answer If thou art one that lov'st thy sins and liv'st in them if thou art one that allowest of and indulgest thy self in thy lusts yea in any known lust or sin be it small or great then thou hast too great ground for such fears for I must tell thee that the Spouses of Christ are of another disposition they hate Sin and love Holiness and do what in them lies to flie the one and pursue after the other But I will at present look upon thee to be a poor doubting Spouse of Christ that makest this complaint and so shall leave a double word of encouragement with thee as to this and thereby put a conclusion to this Matter 1. I would speak to thee as Samuel sometimes did to Saul in another case viz. when Saul told him that he had performed the Commandment of the Lord If so sayes Samuel what then means this bleating of the Sheep in mine ears and the lowing of the Oxen which I hear 1 Sam. 15.13 14. So if thou hast indeed no part or lot in Christ and wert never espoused to him then first what means the bleedings mournings and lamentings of thy Soul under the sense of thy distance and estrangement from Christ and thy utter unsutableness to him both in Spirit and Life Blessed are they that thus mourn for they shall be comforted Mat. 5.4 2ly What means thy high valuations of him the vehement hungerings and thirstings of thy Soul after him Blessed are they that hunger thirst after righteousness for they shal be satisfied Mat. 5.6 3ly What means the holy tremblings of thy Soul in the thoughts of sinning against him thy care and sollicitude to please him thy fear to offend him 'T is the Character of a loyal Wife that her care is to please her Husband and not to offend him 1 Cor. 7.24 4thly What means thy sensibleness of and mourning under the dishonours of Christ with the longings of thy Soul after his exaltation The reproaches of them that reproach him do fall upon thee Psal 69.9 'T is the true Spirit of a loyal Spouse to be concerned for her Husbands Concernments These and many more such gracious dispositions as are found in thee do speak comfortably to thy Soul in this case though still I would have thee press after the clearest evidences and the fullest assurance of thine espousal to him 2. Suppose the worst yet for thy encouragement I would speak to thee as the Disciples to the blind man Mark 10.49 Be of good comfort arise Christ calleth thee he calls thee into these blessed espousals with himself And O that thou wouldest do as that blind man there did who arose and came to Jesus and assure thy self of this his Arms are wide open to receive thee truly whoever or whatever thou art that makest this complaint whether Spouse or no Spouse thy proper and immediate work is now to close with Christ in a Marriage-Covenant For pray mark the work of a convinced sinner and of a doubting beclouded Saint is the same here the one as well as the other is to believe and close with Christ as if he had never done it before Suppose then the worst even that thou wert never as yet espoused to Christ yet do not despond but let this be a day of espousal between him and thee casting thy Soul upon him not questioning his readiness to receive thee For thy encouragement I would say to thee as one of the Ancients speaks in the same case Quid in testas non stas Projice te in illum nols mesuere non se subtrahet ut cadas projice te securus excipiet te sanabit te Aug. Why stickest and staggerest thou in thy self Cast thy self upon him and fear not he will not withdraw himself so as to let thee fall cast thy self upon him resting secure and consident that he will receive and save thee Thus I have now done Saint Spouse of Christ what remains but that thou love reverence and obey thy Lord and Head living a life of dependance upon him as also of longing expectation of his coming to consummate the Marriage between him and thee What remains but that thou shouldest take up the words of the Apostle making the same inference from thine espousal to Christ that he does from the dissolution of all things saying in thy own name and others 2 Pet. 3.11 12. What manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness looking for and hastning to the coming of the day of God Sinner what remains for thee to do but to give up thy Name and Soul to Christ in a Marriage-Covenant and be happy for ever I will conclude all with those words Rev. 19.9 Blessed are they which are called to the Marriage-Supper of the Lamb. Soli Deo Gloria
into Prison whence there is no redemption until we have paid the utmost farthing which can never be Matth. 5.26 Now sinner wouldst thou have thy Debts paid thy Sins Pardoned and thy Soul freed from the danger of those Arrests then give up thy self to Christ in a Marriage-Covenant O this is the only way to discharge all Christ sayes to Justice concerning all his Spouscs as Paul sometimes did to Philemon concerning Onesimus If he hath wronged thee or oweth thee any thing put that upon my account So sayes Christ to God concerning thee immediately upon thy close with him Father if this Soul hath wronged thee and oweth thee any thing place it on my account I have taken all his Debts upon me I 'le be responsible to thee for all Father this Soul I bled and dyed for this Soul I was made sin and a curse for whereby thy Justice is fully satisfied let him therefore be discharged O Soul how should this draw thee to Christ Canst thou be content to lie under so great a Debt And is it a small thing to thee to be in danger of so terrible an Arrest as that of Justice which we have spoken of is Suppose a man owed ten thousand pounds and had nothing wherewith to pay and he saw himself in danger every moment of being cast into Prison how sad wouldst thou look upon his case to be and how gladly thinkest thou would he embrace an offer from any to discharge him from all Soul thy case is ten thousand times more sad and how gladly shouldst thou embrace the Lord Jesus who would and who alone can discharge all for thee In short we read of Spirits already in Prison 1 Pet. 3.19 Justice has already clapt its Arrest upon thousands and ten thousands and lodg'd them in the Prison of eternal darkness and what canst thou expect from it but to be dealt with in the like manner speedily unless thou closest with Christ as thy Righteousness to make satisfaction for thee His Righteousness is such as makes a full satisfaction and is every way answerable to the strictest demands of Law and Justice and by it he being closed withal by thee all thy Debts are paid at once II. He supplies all their Wants and makes blessed provision for them 'T is the part of an Husband to supply the wants of his Wife and to make provision for her And this Christ does for all his Spouses he supplies all their needs according to his riches in glory They have Wants and he has Fulness they have Needs and he has Riches and he brings his Fuiness to their Wants and freely communicates of the one to the other Truly we are full of Wants of all sorts Wants in the Soul and Wants in the Body We are poor and miserable and blind and naked Rev. 3.17 Yea our Wants are such and so prinching upon us that with the Prodigal we are even perishing with hunger Luke 15.17 Even the Saints themselves are a poor and needy people full of wants Isa 40.17 Now how shall these Wants be supplyed Only by Christ and do but close with him and he will supply all plentifully Liet it be but a day of Espousals between Christ and you and all your Wants are supplyed for ever The truth is Christ is all He is the great All as one calls him Heaven and Earth Time and Eternity Grace and Colory are all in one Christ He supplies the Spiritual Wants of his Spâ—â—ses Do you want Life He that hath the Son bath Life 1 Joh. 5.12 Do you want Grâ—oe Close with Christ and he will give you Grace abundance of Grace John 1.16 Do you want Peace Close with Câ—wisti and he will give you Peace John 14.27 Do you want Strength and Righteousness Rightteousness for Justification and Strength for Sanctification and Obedience Close with Christ and he will supply you with abundance of both Isa 45.24 Do you want Joy and Consolation Close with Christ and he will in due season fill you with joy and consolation he will comfort your hearts 1 Thes 2.16 17. He supplies all the outward Wants also of his Spouses and that so as that they want no good thing Psal 34.10 They want no outward good thing but what the want thereof is better for them than the enjoyment of it would be True they may and often have but a little of outward Comforts but yet then they have much in a little much Love much Blessing much of Christ and the Covenant And therefore a little which they have is said to be better than the riches of many wicked Psalm 37.16 Besides wherein they are cut short in Temporals Christ often makes it up to them in Spirituals They are poor in this World but rich in Faith Jam. 2.5 They have not much of the Streams it may be but they have the more of the Fountain more love and the sweeter communion with Christ In a word what-ever either Heaven or Earth affords so far as they need it they shall have it The Lord will give Grace and Glory and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly Psal 84.9 O who would not close with this Christ Soul why standest thou off from him Is there any can supply thy Wants but he Is there any can give thee Life and Peace and Pardon and Righteousness and Salvation but he Or hadst thou rather die in thy Wants than come to this Fountain to be supplyed Hadst thou rather perish in thine own poverty than come to this Treasury to be enriched III. He heals all their Wounds and cures all their Maladies He is a Physician to his Spouses and such a Physician as that though the Wound be never so deep and the Disease never so desperate yet he never fails to work the Cure for them O how should this allure us to him We my Beloved have our Wounds as well as our Wants we are full of Maladies and Diseases of Soul The truth is from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head there is no soundness in us Isa 1.6 The Saints themselves have their Wounds yea wounds many times that stink and are corrupt as David speaks Psal 38.5 Indeed they are apt to get fresh Wounds every day Wounds in their Grace and Wounds in their Peace Wounds in their Comforts and Wounds in their Consciences Wounds that smart sorely and which many times bleed as if they should bleed to death of them Well but Christ heals all their Wounds and do but close with him in a Marriage-Covenant and he will heal all thine too who ever thou art He is that good Samaritan that has Oyl and Wine his Blood and Spirit to pour into the Wounds of his People for the healing of them By his stripes we are healed Isa 53.5 His Blood and Spirit are a sovereign Balm which can heal the deepest Wounds and deadliest Discases His Spouses find it so He restoreth my Soul sayes David Psal 23.3 His Soul was