SPIRITVAL MARRIAGE OR THE VNION betweene CHRIST and his CHVRCH As it was delivered in a Sermon at WESTMINSTER the first of Ianuarie ANNO DOM. 1626. By IAMES BAILLIE Master of Arts. LONDON Printed by B.A. and T. FAVVCET for ROBERT ALLOT and are to be sold at his Shop at the blacke Beare in Pauls Church-yard 1627. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE IAMES Marquis of HAMMILTON WILLIAM Earle of MORTON WILLIAM Earle of LAVTHIAN THOMAS Earle of KELLIE IAMES Earle of CARLILL RICHARD Earle of DESMONT IOHN Earle of ANNANDAILL WILLIAM Vice count of AIRE GEORGE Lord BRVCE And to the Right Worshipfull Sr. IAMES FVLLERTON Groome of his Maiest Stoole Sr. ROBERT CAR Gentleman of his Maiest Bed-chamber and Keeper of the Privie-purse Mr. IAMES MAXVVELL Mr. KIRKE Mr. WILLIAM MVRRAY Mr. IAMES LEVINGSTON and Mr. PIT CARNE Groomes of his Maiesties Bed-chamber And to all other Hon and Wor Scotsmen remaining at the Court of England that professe the true Ancient Catholike and Apostolike faith all blessed Happinesse in this life and Eternall blisse in the life to come Right HONOVRABLE and WORSHIPFVLL SOme perhaps may thinke that I haue done an absurd thing in prefixing so many illustrious Peeres prudent Nobles and Gentlemen of his Maiesties Bed-chamber of high and great desert to so little and so slender a worke But from the learned I hope for a lesse critick censure and from the wise for a more judicious sentence first because I know that this weake treatise hath need not only of one strong pillar but of many to vphold it against the ruine which both by Papists and false Brethren will maliciously bee threatened against it and against their subterranian plots by which at every corner they will intend to vndermine it Neverthelesse I will never deny but any one of your Hon or Wor is a prop more then sufficient enough to sustaine a more decaying edifice if any such can be apprehended and a booke of greater worth should haue but too much honour to haue any one of your names in its frontispiece Secondly because I would encourage you and rouze vp your spirits to a liuelie confidence that by adoption you are the sonnes of Gods right hand members of his body flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone a part of that chosen generation The Church of the elect and spouse of Christ by marriage vnited vnto him and freed from that Antichristian slaverie and Babilonian bondage with the wine of whose fornication a great part of the world these many ages past haue beene made drunke and therefore God hath made you strong strong for himselfe in this time of triall when the sonnes of Anti-christ breathes nothing but blood against the Church of Christ and against her in many places of Germany haue preuailed casten out Christ and in his place set vp that abominable Idoll their Masse and now threaneth our Church the Church within this Island with the like to extinguish the lampe of the glorious Gospell which God hath lighted amongst vs to remoue our candlestick and in lieu thereof to light false lights to set vp rusty darke candlesticks Their seruice in an vnknowne tongue their Idols in stead of instructions and their Apostles bones and clothes in place of the writings of Christs Apostles But God hath made you strong for himselfe to fight in his warre to hold the wild Boares out of his vineyard and in his cause neither to spare your bodies nor goods even in his cause which your Fathers as his instruments did re-establish in the Monarchie of Scotland expelling the children of Dagon 2. Thes 2. which had come in by the effectuall working of Sathan with all power and signes and lying wonders and in all deceiueablenesse of vnrighteousnesse and you honoring the Lord after this manner he will multiply honours vpon you keepe you as a signet vpon his hand Ezech 34. and vpon you and euery one of you there shall be raine of blessings the eye of the Lord shall watch ouer you for good his mighty hand and out stretched arme shall bee ready to protect you in euery danger and to appoint most glorious victories for you for Babylon is now toward the falling her sins are come vp to heaven and God hath remembred her iniquities shee must drinke in that cup that she hath filled to others and as she hath shed our blood so now must she be repayed and drinke a double draught Thirdly I haue presumed to dedicate this Treatise vnto your Hon and Wor not onely for the excellencie of the subiect The vnion betweene Christ and his Church of which you are a part But likewise because I am a Scotsman that haue the honour to belong to euery one of you either by blood or affinitie and to many of you by both whereof I hope you shall neuer be ashamed and therefore I thought it not amisse to let this Sermon go vnder the shadow of your Honorable protections that now remaine at the Court of England as an argument of my loue toward my Country and as a pledge of my seruice toward you all in generall euery one of you in particular In the meane season continuing my prayers that such a vertuous emulation may alwaies remaine among you as is to day that is first of all to aduance Gods glory secondly to be loyall to your King that by innumerable predecessors hath swayed your Scepter and lastly some of you with Pompie to study to preserue your Dignitie others with Crassus to augment it and the third sort with Caesar to acquire Dignitie not by vsurpation as he did But in your Soueraignes seruice vnder the banner of CHRIST Farewell Your Honours and Worships most humble Seruant IAMES BAILLIE To the Christian Reader CHristian Reader J haue not vsed as many doe in this Sermon the neat Tenour of ISOCRATES the ample Sublimitie of DEMOSTHENES the Majestie of THVCYCIDES the Dignitie of PLATO nor that most full and copious stile of declamation which TVLLIE vsed before the Senate yea I haue shunned them as by a good Master SCILLA and CARYBDIS will bee eschewed because I know that such garulitie such fallible inticements of words and such vaine ostentation in Preaching sauoureth the flesh and hath no power no vertue nor efficacie to wound a proud minde and to cast it downe nor to be a balme for the curing and raising vp of the same againe to a liuely confidence in CHRIST Jt onely tendeth to tickle the auditors eares for the present to enter at the one and goe forth at the other but neuer to descend into the heart for its circumcision and molification in time to come A simple stile without superfluitie in words fertile in sentences which doth not so much smell of humaine prudencie as sauour the vertue of the holy Spirit is the onely eloquence that penetrates the soules of Christian men and searcheth to the inward marrow of the same It is truth that an Orator once perswaded CAESAR to retreit
and wife are so firmly conjoyned by God that none ought to presume to sunder them so wonderfully coupled together that of two which they were before now they become but one It was already a great loue of the Lord to haue created all things for man to haue made him Lord of them and established him over the workes of his hands DAVID in the 8. Psal rauished with this contemplation breaketh out in admiration Alas what is man that thou are mindefull of him and the sonne of man that thou visitest him DAVID admired Gods liberality toward man in the creation but how much more ought we to admire his liberalitie his incomprehensible bountifulnesse and loue toward vs in our redemption wherein he not onely giueth vs his good things But bestowes his onely begotten sonne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that welbeloued sonne in marriage on vs and in him giueth vnto vs himselfe too DAVID admireth the contemplation of the heauens But how much more ought we to admire the possession of the heauens DAVID glorifies God for the domination which he giues vs over the creatures in the earth But how much more ought wee to glorifie God for our marriage and vnion with CHRIST by which we shall reigne continually with the Angels in heauen A marriage I say the bond whereof is the spirit of God whose trothpligth is performed heere in the militant Church But the nuptiall feast shal be hence in the tryumphant Church where our meat shall be the Tree of life our drinke the Water of life our musicke the song of the Saints Halleluiah halleluiah honour praise and dominion bee to him that sitteth vpon the Throne It is an ancient saying Omnis comparatio clâ—â—dicat vno pede euery comparison is lame of some one or other foot But this comparison of Marriage doth so fully set forth so richly expresse our Spirituall marriage our conjunction with CHRIST that if any it goeth vpright and straight in all the feete which you shall quickly perceiue by taking notice of these sixe things which are required in euery lawfull Marriage First that there must be male and female Six Circumstances necessary in euery Marriage Man and Woman and this may bee called conformitie of natures 2. The Marriage must be propounded 3. The future Spouse must be courted and wooed 4. There must be mutuall gifts between the two louers 5. There must bee a Matrinoniall written and sealed 6. There must be Procreation of children all which wee shall finde in this Spirituall marriage but in a more excellent manner As to this word must so often repeated which importeth a necessitie remember that there is a twofold necessitie A twofold necessity an absolute necessitie and an hypothetike the absolute is when a thing is so necessarie that it cannot be otherwayes Which Circumstances are absolutely necessary and which hypothetikely the hyphothetike when a thing is so necessarie that it may bee otherwayes but is onely profitable decent and comely that it should be so So some of these circumstances are of an absolute necessitie without which a marriage cannot be as conformitie of natures others againe only of an hypothetike necessitie and of a decent expedencie but not absolutely necessarie as giuing of mutuall gifts writing and sealing of a matrimoniall contract or the like The Church represented by a Woman two manner of waies But I returne to the purpose thus being premitted and findes that in this spirituall Marriage there are male and female man and woman for the Church is very often in Scripture represented by a woman in the 4. to the Gal. 22. The Apostle though obscurely represents the true Church vnder the type of a woman SARAH ABRAHAM had two sonnes one by a free woman and was borne by Promise But St. IOHN Reu. 12.1 More clearely and in a more glorious manner too And there appeared a great wonder in heauen a woman clothed with the Sunne and the Moone was vnder her feete and vpon her head had a Crowne of twelue starres Now to make vp this perfect conformitie of natures our bridgroome CHRIST IESVS euen as the Sun went out of the chamber of the highest heavens from the bosom of the Father the invisibilitie of the Divinitie The word is made flesh Gal. 4.4 desended downe to the earth and in the fulnesse of time taketh our nature vpon him becommeth man and was like vnto man in all things sinne onely excepted The benefit wee haue by his conformitie of nature and so you haue Conformitie of natures betweene CHRIST and his Church and by it wee haue this benefit that CHRIST of one which he was before becomes now vnto vs three first our Father in regard of our regeneration which is a new creation a creation of new hearts within our breasts and of cleane spirits within our bowels Secondly our Brother in respect of our adoption Ephes 2. without which we were but filij Irae the children of wrath prodigals banished out of our fathers house but now by our adoption wee may eate of the childrens bread and with boldnes cry Abba father vnto God the father of our Lord IESVS CHRIST and acknowledge IESVS CHRIST his sonne to be our elder brother Thirdly our husband in respect that he hath married vs in righteousnesse in iudgement in wisedome in mercy and in compassion Hos 2. Secondly The 2. Circumstance it is a custome that Marriage is propounded and is it laudable men ordinarily conforme to their qualitie and order send their most trusty freinds to deale in this busines Kings their Ambassadors of their greatest wisest and fittest of their Nobilitie to doe honour to the action This spirituall Marriage propounded in the most honourable forme for foure respects but neuer was there any marriage either by King or Emperour propounded so honourably as this Spirituall marriage and that in foure respects First in respect of the propounder God himselfe Secondly in regard of the parties or persons betweene whom it was propounded which is CHRIST and his Church Thirdly in regard of the persons to whom it was propounded to ADAM and EVAH the onely rulers and swayers of the Scepter of the whole worlds Empire and whose posteritie is now propagated in innumerable honorable Families and Princely diadems vpon the face of the earth Fourthly in regard of the place where it was propounded Paradise The seed of the woman shall breake downe the head of the Serpent Gen. 3.15 reiterated to ABRAHAM ISAAC and IACOB to all the Patriarchs and in all ages by the Prophets and here in my text by our HOSEA as plainly and more plainly then by any of them I will marrie thee vnto mee for ever The 3. Circumstance Christ courteth his loue Thirdly the King of Kings and Lord of Lords courteth wooeth and in a most louing manner declareth his spirituall affection to his future spouse in his letters and longs more then sweet penned by the direction of his
this Gospell is not preached it is a sure argumēt that there is none of Gods chosen childrē in that place for where there is a haruest God will send reapers and labourers where he will plant a vineyard and when there is but little preaching in a Parish or a Citie it is a token that God hath no great haruest in that place and where the lampe of the Gospell hath been burning once in a glorious manner and now is extinguished the candlestick remoued and false lights set vp in the place thereof as in the Church of Rome it is euident that the Lords haruest is done in that Citie place or Parish because the Lord will neuer call home the labourers otherwise in the noone time of the day nor remoue his Ministrie from his owne peoples conuersion consolation and farther corroboration in which regard the Ministers of Gods word in some respect are the parents of all Christians that is both their father and their mother Iustified by St. 1. Cor. 4.15 Paul In Christ Iesus faith he I haue begotten you through the Gospell And here it is cleere that they are the fathers of Christians and Gal. 4.19 he makes it plaine that they are the mothers of all Christians too My little children of whom I trauell againe in birth till Christ bee formed in you Gods Ministers the Parents of Christians And this should teach all Christians reuerently to speake of their Ministers to honor them maintaine their reputatiō as their begetters to be the heirs of the kingdom of heauen to supply them in their necessities as their spirituall parents But the omission of this dutie toward the ministerie argues that Christ is not yet formed in them which is the forming of them to Christs Image and similitude by casting off the old man which cannot be done without sorrow and paine like a woman in her labour whereof as yet they haue neuer so much as once felt the least smarting But before Christ be formed in them they will be sensible of it for if a woman cannot be deliuered of her child which she hath carried but nine moneths in her wombe without dolour and griefe shall we thinke to be deliuered of sinne which is a man an old man and a man which we haue carried about within our breasts ever since the day of our natiuitie without spirituall dolour and paine No it is not possible for in a sinners conuersion and forming of him according to the Image of the sonne of God there must bee the broken heart the contrite Spirit the mourning weed the pale countenance the melting eye and the voice of lamentation and therefore Repentance receiues these three names in Scripture Regeneration Three names giuen to Repentance Circumcision and Mortification and as there can be no cutting of the flesh no death no birth without paine so in this spirituall birth Wherein consisteth the paine in the spirituall birth in this forming of sinners to the Image and similitude of Christ there is paine paine for their owne sins past paine for the iniquities of the wicked because they will not keepe Gods law paine for all the abominations in the Land and place wherein they liue paine for to see the Church of God so oppressed in many places of the world and finally paine for their absence from their country the kingdome of heauen Those that are after this manner in labour and paine are the children of Christ begotten in this spirituall marriage not by the will of flesh and blood but by the will of God And thus much for the three similitudes by which our vnion with Christ is expressed And now I come to the two qualities of this Marriage The two qualities of this marriage the certaintie and the perpetuitie but because the time is spent I feare that I haue stayed you too long I will dispatch them in a word The certaintie then of this marriage as I told you is implyed in the gemination and doubling of this Promise I will marrie thee to me yea I will marrie thee And this is no tautologie or vaine repetition but an infallable truth iustified by Ioseph Gen. 41.32 that tels vs that Pharaohs dreame was doubled because the thing is established by God It is truth that Gods promises are as sufficient when they are but once made as when they are reiterated as firme when they are spoken as being sworne confirmed with an oath yet for to supply our weakenes and defects our most gracious God is not only willing to promise but often to double redouble his promises as he did to Abraham in the booke of Genesis Gen. 12.2 Gen. 13.14.17 Gen. 15.18 Gen. 18.8 when hee promised vnto him the land Canaan not once twise or thrice but fiue times And here in my text not once or twise I will marrie I will marrie thee but the third time yea I will euen marrie thee Not only content to speake but to sweare as in Psal 12.11 The Lord hath sworne vnto David and he will not shrinke from it that of the fruit of thy body will I set vpon thy throne The Apostle Heb. 6. giueth the reason and tels vs wherefore this is done that thereby saith he he might declare to the heires of the promise the stabilitie of his counsell And looke how stable and how sure that our Election bee the certaintie of this Marriage is as sure and what arguments and reasons may be or can be brought to proue the certaintie of the one the same will serue to proue the certainty of the other but at this time I will neither weary you nor lose my selfe in such a wildernesse of discourse for none can be members of this Marriage but the Elect. The last qualitie of this Marriage is perpetuitie for euer This speech for euer is taken 3. manner of wayes This speech for euer taken three manner of waies in Scripture first for the time of a mans life only and so it is taken Psal 121.8 The Lord shall preserue thy going out and thy comming in from henceforth and for euer that is all the dayes of thy life that notwithstanding of the speculatiue interpretations of many that hath commented this place that can draw out quidlibet ex quolibet gold out of drosse or rather turne gold with their metaphysicke contemplations into drosse whose opinions I cannot now stay to refute Secondly in the old Testament it is extended somtimes to the Messias his comming in the flesh so is it taken Gen. 17. Where the Sacrament of Circumcision is called a Couenant for euer Circumcision abolished yet you know it was abolished at the institution of Baptisme and S. Paul in dirision cals it Concision and in 2. Gal. 4. a Bondage Likewise in the 12. Chap. of Exodus the Passouer is called an Ordinance of the Lord to be kept holy for ever The Passouer abrogated Neuerthelesse it was abrogated at the institution of the sacrament of the Lords supper Thirdly it is taken not only for the whole time of the worlds induring but likewise for that Eternity which shall bee after the consummation of the world and so it is taken Revel 11.15 where it is said That Christ shall raigne for ever and here in my text I will marrie thee vnto mee for euer No time here no time hence shall repudiate sunder and diuorce vs but as I haue loued my Church before all time so will I continue my affection towards my welbeloued after all time and when there shall be no more time But seeing time is spent let vs winde vp this clew let vs see what wee shall render vnto the Lord for so great fauor bestowed vpon vs for so great loue shewed toward Mankinde aboue the Angels in marrying himselfe vnto vs making vs sure of this marriage alluring vs to constancie by louing speeches and by great promises perswading vs yea drawing vs to imbrace it and suffring the Angels to lie still vnder the heauie burden of his wrath in the most wofull and most miserable estate of Apostacie What say I shall we render vnto the Lord for so incomprehensible a benefit and such an infinite weight of loue ten thousand rivers of oile all the beasts on thousand mountaines yea in all the forrest of Libanon are nothing to the Lord. What then heare the Apostle Loue the Lord because he hath loued vs first let our hearts melt with kindnesse toward him then shall it be vnto vs a faithfull witnes that we are a part of his mysticall body a part of the Church of the elect his spouse and that the Lord loueth vs for this loue is the first effect of our faith the most expresse trace of Gods Image and the most liuely marke of his children it is the soule of other vertues the rule of our actions and the summarie of the Law it is the vpholder of Martyrs the ladder of heaven the peace of conscience yea I dare say that it is a tast a beginning here of that infinit loue which hence we shall carrie toward Christ our husband when we shall be presented vnto him without spot or wrinkle a most chaste spouse vnited and perfectly haue this promise of marriage consummated and fulfilled To this our husband and redeemer with the Father and the holy Spirit three persons and one Deitie be all honour praise and dominion for now and euermore AMEN FINIS