more worth in his merits to pardon and justifie thee then there is evil in thy sins to damn destroy thee True I have a Fountain of sin and guilt and death in me But here 's a deeper Fountain of Grace and life righteousness in him see O my Soul see how vast and large his treasures of Grace and Glory are and bear up thy self upon them O did Sinners dwell more in the view of the Glorious fulness of Christ they would be more in love with him and hereby would counter-work and undermine unbelief in one of its greatest artifices whereby it keeps souls from him I shall here for thy encouragement onely subjoyn the saying of a worthy Divine Christ sayes he can and it becometh him well to give more then my narrow soul can receive If there were ten thousand thousand millions of worlds and as many heavens full of men and Angels Christ would not be pinched to supply all their wants and to fill them all Christ is a Well of Life but who knoweth how deep it is to the bottom 2. The second Gospel-principle or encouragement of Faith which thou should'st bear up thy soul upon and be frequent in the contemplation of is this That as there is such a Glorious and in-exhaustible fulness in Christ so this fulness is in him not for himself but to be dispensed and communicated to poor Souls coming to him True may the Soul say here 's fulness enough riches and treasures enough of all good in Christ but what 's this to me or wherein does it concern me Wherein does it concern thee Why 't is wholly thy concern and the concern of such as thou art For what ever fulness he has in him 't is treasur'd up in him for Souls for Sinners yea for the worst of Sinners How sweet is that word Psa 68.18 where speaking of Christ the holy Ghost tells us that he hath received gifts for men He hath received gifts i. e. He has a fulness of all good in his hand and at his dispose and this for men I but I am a devil sayes the soul a rebel what 's this to me observe what follows and thou wilt find it concerns thee yea thee especially He hath received gifts for men yea for the rebellious also Hence also 't is that he is said to be made Head over all things to the Church Eph. 1.22 He has all fulness dwelling in him but 't is as an head and so 't is all for the use and service of the body for every poor soul that comes to him And therefore 't is added Head over all things to the Church i e. For the Churches use and service of which he is Head Take a view of all that fulness that is in Christ and 't is all as much and as really for the use and service of such as come to him and are made members of his body as the treasures and endowments of the natural head are for the use and service of the natural body and the members thereof And O what an encouragement is this to Faith 'T is the observation of a learned man upon the place last quoted Lest sayes he we should think this great glory of Christ to be a thing that does not concern us Ne summam illam Christi gloriam putemus aliquid a nobis alienum esse testatur illum esse a Deo patre totius Ecclesiae Beza he is here declar'd to be constituted and appointed by the Father to be Head of the whole Church Well then soul bear up thy self upon this encouragement Say look O my soul look unto sweet Jesus who hath received Gifts for men View him as one that has received a fulness of all Grace from the Father on purpose to be dispens'd and communicated to thee and to such as thou art He has life in him and he has it for thee he has peace and pardon in him and he has it for thee He has wisdom and righteousness Grace and Glory in him and he has it for thee and for such as thou art and therefore go to him expect all from him cast all upon him 3. The third Gospel-principle or encouragement of Faith which thou shouldst bear up thy soul upon and dwell much in the contemplation of is this that there is a perfect freedom and willingness in Christ yea 't is even genuine and naturall to him to bestow himself with all his Glorious riches and fulness upon poor souls coming to him Christ as you heard has all this fulness in him as an head so you have it expresly Col. 1.18 19. Now as 't is genuine and naturall to the head to minister influence to the members So 't is even genuine and naturall to Christ to communicate his Grace to poor souls Besides all that fulness that is in Christ 't is in him not as God onely but as man 'T is deposited and treasured up in his human nature It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell Col. 1.19 In him i. e. as a learned man expounds it in the man Christ or in that human nature in which he dyed and transacted the business of our Salvation In co i. e. In homine Christo vel in humana illa natura in qua obivit administravit negotium salutis nostrae Daven 'T is true the God-head or Divine nature is the first spring or Fountain of all Graee but the human nature of Christ is as it were a second spring and Fountain of Grace That is as a treasury or Store-house wherein all Grace is laid up for us Hence 't is said that as the Father hath life in himself so he hath given to the Son to have life in himself because he is the Son of man Joh 5.26 27. Christ as God hath life i.e. all Grace originally and independently in him as the Father hath Indeed as God he is the same infinite and independent Fountain of Life and Grace with the Father but 't is as man that he is said to have Life and Grace given to him The sum then is That that Glorious fulness of Grace that is in Christ for Sinners is Fountain'd up in his human nature and being Fountain'd up in his human nature it will and can't but slow yea overflow to and upon poor souls that cast themselves upon him The truth is 'T is to charge Christ with unkindness and unsaithfulness both at once to suppose him unwilling to communicate himself and his fulness to Sinners coming to him and soul canst thou find in thy heart to lay so blacka charge upon so sweet and good a Christ 'T is the way and work of the devil and unbelief to perswade Souls that Christ will not receive them nor communicate his Grace and fulness to them though they should come to him which they endeavour to do from the consideration of his greatness and holiness together with their vileness and sinfulness Christ say they is choice
accepting of me Moreover his design is to Crown his Grace and render that Glorious and the more vile I am the more that design of his will take in mine acceptation and Salvation How vile therefore soever I am I will cast my self upon him and put in for an Espousal with him 6. The sixth Gospel-principle or encouragement of Faith which thou shouldest bear up thy self upon and dwell much in the contemplation of is this That 't is the Glory and perfection of Christ as Mediator to receive Sinners and to give out himself and his fulness to them when they come to him This if rightly weighed will mightily help on Faith and list the poor soul over his discouragements into the Bosome and embraces of Jesus Christ To understand it aright you must know that Chist has a two-fold Glory and perfection The Glory and perfection of his Person as he is the Son of God and the Glory and perfection of his office as he is Mediator and head of the second Covenant the Glory and perfection of his person as the Son of God that is infinitly compleat and full that admits neither of diminution nor augmentation being unchangeably the same for ever But the Glory and pefection of his Office as Mediator that in a great measure arises from his receiving Sinners and bestowing himself and his Grace upon them when they come to him and the more Sinners he receives and the more Grace he gives out to them the greater his Glory and perfection in this respect is and it may be truly said that Christ in receiving and giving our Grace to Sinners when they come to him does increase the revenue of his own Glory and more and more compleat and perfect himself as head and Mediator Hence the Church is called his fulnes Eph. 1.13 God gave him to be head over all things to the Church which is his Body the fulness of him that filleth all in all Now if the Church is Christs fulness then the more that is filled and compleated by his receiving Sinners to himself and giving out Grace to them the more full and compleat he himself as to his Mediatorie honour and perfection growes Hence also Saints are said to be the Glory of Christ 2 Cor. 8.23 As Christ alone is their glory so they also are his glory And how his glory Not onely because they do or should actually glorifie him but also because he has received them and laid out his grace upon them and 't is his grace onely that shines forth in them Hence that observation of Galvin upon the place They sayes he that excell most in grace and holiness Quicunque pietate sanctimonia exceluut sunt Christi gloria quid nihil habent nisi dono Christi Calv. they peculiarly are the glory of Christ because they have nothing but by free gift from Christ Hence also Christ tells us that he is Glorified in them Jo. 17.10 And he sayes Expresly that the Spirit shall Glorifie him because he shall receive of his and give it unto us Jo. 16.14 By all which it appears that 't is the glory and perfection of Christ as Mediator to receive Sinners coming to him and to bestow himself and his grace upon them In short my beloved all that ever Christ has done for and is made of God to poor Sinners all his acts and all his offices as Mediator do receive their ultimate perfection in their sull influences on us and our Salvation And as Christ receives his name and Denomination of a Saviour from his Relation to and acting for poor Sinners to redeem and save them so the perfection of this office and those acts of his do lye in the full accomplishment of our Salvation And indeed they would all be but vain and weak acts should he not fully save us coming to him O what encouragement is here to Faith and how must unbelief sink and die before this consideration if rightly improv'd True may the soul say I am vile sinful and unworthy but 't is the honour of Christ to receive me 't is his glory to bestow himself and his grace upon me 't is his prefection as Mediator to accept and save me and such as I am and therefore why should I be discouraged I will go to him and cast my self upon him Thus bear up your souls upon and encourage your Faith with these Gospel-principles which is greatly necessary and will not a little conduce to an Espousal between Christ and you 4. Would'st thou indeed be Espous'd to Christ Then take heed of all jealousies of him and prejudices against him and be sure ever to maintain right thoughts of him One of the great designs of Satan and one of the most cursed workings of unbelief is to prejudice souls against Christ and to fill them with hard jealous thoughts of him which if they can prevail in they infallibly keep the soul from closing with him in a Marriage-Covenant If a woman has jealousies and hard thoughts of a man and be filled with prejudices against him she is never like to enter into a Marriage-Covenant with him And no more will a soul close with Christ in a Marriage-Covenant as long as he is filled with hard thoughts of him and prejudices against him Watch therefore against this The Devil together with the unbelief of our own hearts will frame up a thousand strange Notions and representations of Christ in the soul thereby to prejudice us against Christ but take heed of all these and be sure to maintain right thoughts and apprehensions of him particularly here take onely two things 1. Be sure to maintain honorable thoughts of his Person Look upon him as a Person of glory and as having all excellencies in him 'T is the work and nature of unbelief to darken and obscure the Person of Christ to make that appear vile and contemptible in the eye of the soul whereby it does effectually strengthen it self with in him and indeed there is nothing more prevalent to keep the soul from Christ then an ignorance of or prejudice against his Personal worth and excellencies This was that which made the Jewes so generally reject him They saw no Beauty in him for which they should desire him nor did they discern form or comliness in him and therefore rejected him Isa 53.1 2. They Look't no surther then the outward form the veil of his flesh they saw not his Divine Beauty and glory and so despised him And my beloved unless we look within this veil and come to view and contemplate him as a Person of glory we also shall reject him to our eternal perdition Pray observe 't is the Person of Christ that puts worth and veâ—tâ—e into all his doings and all his sufferings all his offices and all his promises 'T is the worth and excellency of his Person that makes his Blood so precious his Promises so sweet his Righteousness so glorious his Grace so efficacious his Love so
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
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
and shall reign with him for ever Rev. 1.6 In Christe beatam immortalitatem gloriam possidemus Calv. in loc Is he in Heaven in possession of happiness and glory so are they Hence they are said to sit together with him in heavenly places Ephes 2.6 What shall I say his glory is theirs The glory which thou gavest me saith he to his Father I have given them John 17.22 Yea all his divine fulness is theirs and how empty and imperfect soever they are in themselves yet they are perfect and compleat in him and in his fulness Col. 2.9 10. In him dwelleth all the fulness of the God-head bodily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 h. e. Verè perfectissimè immutabiliter non typicè tantum ut in Templo Hierolosolymitane Glas Rh. Sac. bodily that is truly perfectly unchangeably and not typically only as in the Temple of old All the fulness and perfection of the God-head dwelleth truly and perfectly in him Et estis in ipso completi q. d. quod retus Deus in Christo resldet ideo ut ipsum adepti solidam in ipso perfectionem pollideamus Calv. in Col. 2.10 And what then why it follows and ye are compleat in him q.d. You are poor and empty things in your selves but your Head and Husband hath all the fulness of the God-head in him and it is alwayes in him for it dwelleth in him and it is all yours and you do communicate with him in all so far as you are capable of it to compleat you both in Grace and Glory Thus Christ communicates himself unto the Believer and admits him into a participation with him in all he is and hath On the other hand Christ partakes and holds communion with Believers in all they are and have And what is their All truly a poor All in and of themselves they have nothing but sins and sorrows guilt and afflictions Indeed in marrying of them he gives them Gifts Graces Comforts and the like and having given them these he holds communion with them in all their Gifts and Graces their Joys and Comforts are his but I say in and of themselves they have nothing but sorrows and sins and he in a sort holdeth communion with them in both he holds communion with them in their sorrows hence it is said that in all their afflictions he is afflicted Isa 63.9 He looks upon their sorrows as his and their sufferings as his I was an hungry and ye gave me no meat I was thirsty naked imprisoned c. Mat. 25.35 36. And often you know in Scripture their Sufferings and Afflictions are called the Sufferings and Afflictions of Christ And why the Sufferings and Afflictions of Christ not onely because for the most part they suffer for his sake but also because he suffereth and is afflicted in them * Christus nominat suas iniquitates quia sensit in se translata esse peccata omnium nostrsim seque propter haec plecti non aliter ac si ipse se mois tuis omnium hominum scaeleribus polluisset Mol. and with them He communicates with them in their afflictions And as in their sorrows so also in some sort in their sius too Hence he calls their sins as well as their afflictions his Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me Psal 40.12 Which Luther and others understand of Christ speaking of our sins and calling them his Not my Beloved that he doth admit of any the least stain or tincture of sinful defilement upon himself but he so looks upon our sins as his as to take them off from us and looks upon himself responsible to the Fathers justice for them so he was said to be made sin for us * Ipse peccatum non suum sed nostrum nec in se sed in nobis factus est Aug. 2 Cor. 5.21 O what Grace is here I close this head with a great and sweet saying which I have read in one of the Ancients sutable to this purpose †Non sunt inventa aeque dulcia nomina quibus Verbi animaeque dulces adinvicem exprimerentur asfectus quemadmodum sponsus sponsa quippe quibus omnia communia sunt nil proprium nil a se divisum habentibus una utriusque haereditas una domus una mensa unus thorus una etiam caro Bern. Serm. 7. in Cant. The like sweet Names are not to be found by which the sweet Affections of Christ and the Soul are expressed each to other as those of the Bridegroom and the Bride for why all things are common with thent nothing proper having nothing separate and apart each from other they have both one Inheritance one House one Table one Marriage-bed also one flesh The sum is they communicate with each other in all they are and have IV. This Espousal or Marriage-relation between Christ and Believers carries in it strong and ardent Affection In a Marriage-relation there is the dearest strongest and most intimate Affection that is to be found among the Children of Men 'T is a Relation made up of love Love is not only a concomitant of Marriage but it is even a part of it and is essential to it In Marriages Hearts must be joyned as well as Hands or they are not right So here in this Spiritual-espousal or Marriage-relation between Christ and Believers there is a very dear and intimate Affection each to other their hearts are indeed knit and do intimately cleave to one another The Saints sayes one are called the Spouse of Christ Propter amoris magnitudinem because of that great and unparallel'd love that is between them And it is a sweet saying which I have read in one of the Antients to this purpose Christus se sponsum nostrum appellat ut magni tudinem insinuet sui amcru qui tempore non decrescit amicam suam sponsam non uxcrem eo quodillius amer semper novus st Bern. de pass Dom. Christ sayes he calls himself our Bridegroom that he might insinuate the greatness of his love to us which decayes not with time and he calls us his Spouse not his Wife noting that our love to him should be alwayes new alwayes lively and vigorous The truth is no love like that between Christ and his Spouse Christ loves and espouses and the Soul loves and is espoused and both being espoused do love for ever and so this relation is both founded in love and perfected in love 't is both made up and managed with love on all hands Christ sets his love upon the Soul and in that love espouses him to himself and having in this love of his espoused him to himself then he loves him as his Spouse often in the Book of Canticles his Spouse is called his Love as also he on the other hand is called her Beloved and what doth this note but that the whole relation consists mainly in love and that they are most dearly and intimately beloved by each other Christ
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