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
fulnesse of grace which is in him thorow the secret conduits of the spirit How and when this ingrafting is manifest by which hee causeth vs to grow and preserueth our soules in life Now albeit this ingrafting bee manifest and done in time yet it is not manifest to every one but onely to the graft and branch himselfe for to him the spirit of God beareth witnesse with his spirit that hee is the child of GOD Rom. 8.16 Rom. 8.16 But to none other howsoeuer that his faith fructifying in charitie in loue and in euery manner of good worke may make others presume that he is ingraft in this root by the holy Spirit after which he is and therefore savoureth the things of the Spirit Rom. 8.5 Rom. 8.5 And I say it is done in time not that all Christians are ingraft that is that there ingrafting is made manifest vnto them at one certaine time or in one speciall yeare of there time No such matter but at such time when it pleaseth that great husbandman the Eternall GOD and in what age or yeare of their life vnto him it seemeth most fit but sure in what time soever it bee it is ever in due season and in good time albeit it were not till the very last article of aspiration as it fell out to one of the evill doers that was crucified with our Saviour in the 23. of St Luke verse 42. Luk. 23.42 But sometimes hee will ingraft and sanctifie his Children from their mothers belly as hee did SAMVELL IOHN the Baptist and others and sometimes hee will let them alone till their middle age come and after this manner hee dealt with St. PAVL in the 9. of the Act. Act 9. Obscuring from him his ingrafting and Election till his Almond tree began to flourish and at such a time as when hee was even breathing out Persecutions against some of those whose ingrafting was already made knowne vnto them even the Christian Church in her infancie O the riches of the wonderfull and incomprehensible mercy of GOD declared vnto Mankinde who hath for our salvation that before were cast-awayes and the Children of wrath Ephes 2. ingrafted vs in his owne Sonne by which hee hath put vs in a better estate then wee were created in for albeit that hee made vs before in a most glorious manner altogether according to his owne Image illuminated our will with Knowledge and adorned our soules with Holinesse and Iustice yet hee gaue vs Naturam flexibilem a mutable and changeable Nature creating vs In potestate standi seu posse cadendi in power standing or possibility of falling and therefore as wee had a possibilitie of falling so wee fell indeed and by an apostate Angell was drawne to apostacie But it is farre otherwaies with vs now by this our ingrafting in this stocke and vnion with CHRIST for as the grafts beare not the stocke and roote but are borne by the same and by consequence our saluation dependeth not vpon our selues as ADAMS did but vpon CHRIST which is the stocke in which wee are ingraft who one day shall make vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 propter gratiam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 qua nobis ab illo tribuetur vnchangeable farre aboue that estate in which the Angels themselues were created by reason of that immutable grace which shall bee giuen vnto vs by him and in this life it selfe he will never suffer vs finally and totally to bee cut off from him by sinne nothing else can doe it albeit we fall in sinne yet God will lift vs vp againe and raise vp our soules to a liuely confidence in our all-sufficient Redeemer In the 37. Psal 24. Psal 37.24 verse Though the Iust man falleth hee shall not be vtterly cast downe for the Lord vpholdeth him with his hand And whereas other branches may bee cut off and pulled away from their stocke eyther by the violence of boysterous and tempestuous windes or by the force of men or at least consumed by time yet it shall not bee so with vs that are ingraft in CHRIST because wee doe not keepe him but are kept by him and so long as hee is vnchanged saith Malac. 3.6 Malac. 3.6 Wee cannot be consumed but the older wee be in him the more wee flourish for those that are planted in the courts of the Lord flourish in their old age and bring forth fruit saith DAVID Psal 92.13.14 Psal 92.13.14 But as to those that are not ingraft in Christ how great how tall soever they bee yea albeit they were like the sonnes of ANAK in stature or in height like the Oakes of Basan or like NABVCHADNEZZAR that grew vp like a great tree so high that the fowles of the heaven made their nests vnder him yet they shall bee pulled away from their stocke they shall not remaine in honour they shall be brought to the graue like abominable branches In the 40. Chapter of Esay the 24. verse Esay 40.24 The Princes of the earth their breath shall decay they shall returne to their earth and their thoughts shall perish the Iudges thereof shall bee made a vanitie as though they were not planted or sowne or as if their stocke tooke no roote in the earth the Lord shall blow vpon them and they shall wither the whirle-wind shall take them away as stubble O pitifull glory of worldlings which often dyeth vnto them before they die themselues at least continually with themselues their beautie consumeth in going from the house to the graue neyther doth their pompe descend after them Onely happie is the estate of those that are ingrafted in CHRIST Rom. 8. Neither life nor death principalities nor powers things present nor thinges to come shall bee able to separate them from the loue of God in CHRIST IESVS their stocke and roote And thus much for the first similitude of the roote and the grafts by which the vnion betweene CHRIST and his Church is expressed As to the second it is the similitude of Garments The second similitude of Garments and looke what straitnesse what neerenesse and how great a conjunction is betweene our bodies and our garments which is exceeding neere yet such is the vnion betweene Christ and vs and more strait too which when the Apostle in the 13. to the Rom. 24. verse desired most richly to expresse and most liuely to shew forth he exhorteth vs to put on the Lord Iesus to put him on as a vesture and garment to be so vnited to him as we possesse him and haue him in vs and wee in him Now those that put on IESVS CHRIST are clothed with a fourefold garment Those that put in Christ are cloathed with a fourefold garment first with a garment of CHRISTS imputed Righteousnesse Secondly with a garment of Sanctification Thirdly with a garment of Protection and fourthly Three names giuen vnto euery one of the foure garments with a garment of Glory The first
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
blessed spirit In the fourth chap. of the Cantic the first verse Behold thee art faire my loue behold thou art faire thy lips are like a thread of scarlet and thy talke is comelie and in the seauenth verse thou art all faire my loue and there is no spot in thee Againe in the ninth verse my Sister my spouse thou hast wounded mine heart thou hast wounded mine heart with one of thine eyes and with a chaine of thine neck and once againe in the tenth verse my sister my spouse how faire is thy loue how much better is thine loue then wine and the sauour of thine oyntments then all spices and so forth thorough the whole booke of the Cantic Christ for the loue of his spouse fighteth a combate with his riuall In a most familiar manner alluring vs and perswading vs to accept of him for the loue that he beares towards vs which was so great that before his riuall Satan should haue snatched vs out of his hand he will fight against him and all his confederates and therefore he was made flesh Iohn 16.28 he went from the father and came vnto the world he valiantly pitched a field in the wildernesse against that roaring lyon that old Serpent Math. 4.3 he ouercame his chiefest power he broke his wilie head ouerthrew him in the desart by a scriptum est But was this all No he fulfilled the Law in euery point and title satisfied Gods Iustice for vs and before he will want vs he will giue his life for vs and gaue it indeed offring himselfe in sacrifice to the Lord of hosts vpon the Crosse for our sinnes by which he vanquished hell and conquered death and thereafter gloriously rose againe left this world and went againe to his Father Ioh. 16.28 and sent vnto vs the holy Ghost but before he went to his fathers house he told vs that there was many dwelling places in it and that he was going to prepare a place for vs Ioh. 14.3 and therefore exhorteth and admonisheth vs not to be troubled Let not your heart be troubled Ioh. 14.1 O what a loue is here the hight the breadth the length whereof is incomprehensible But O what hardnesse of heart on the contrary is vpon our part more hardnes then if the stones which DEVCALION and PYRHA cast ouer their shoulders after the deluge had been our progenitors and the first authors of our race yea then the stones themselues Ouid. Metap for we reade that stones haue been broken in peeces at the voice of the Lord at the first and so were the stones of the altar in Bethell at the voice of the Prophet and the vale of the Temple rent it selfe in two when the Lord suffred at Golgotha for our redemption and to make our marriage firme and if at any time stones haue been disobedient vnto GODS voice it is because of mans disobedience and infidility in whose mouth it was and in this respect we reade that the rocke refused to render water to MOSES at the first and second stroke yet rendred obedience at the third and rendred water abundantly But how often is this loue propounded this marriage offred and the Gospell preached vnto vs and which is hee amongst vs that mollifieth his heart at the first at the second yea or at the the third stroake I meane at so many sermons or at a thousand more loueth the Lord againe and repenteth him of his sinnes and iniquities shall not the Altar in Bethell and the vale of the Temple condemne vs in the day of the Lord that at the first gaue obedience and be faithfull witnesse of our Induration against vs without example that refuse most obstinately the loue of our husband offred vnto vs euery day at our owne doores but will not leaue our father forsake his house and our owne people will not be diuorced from our adulteries our old sins that our husband the King may take pleasure in our beautie The Lionesse may teach vs wisedome for she will not company with the Lyon after her commixtion with the Leopard till she first wash her selfe in water vnwilling that her adultery should be manifested by her scent It is recorded likewise that the Viper is so wise that before its copulation with the fish Muraena Basil in his Hexamerâ—n Hom. it first vomits and casts out all the pernicious and venemous poyson that is within it or in its teeth O pittifull blindnesse of man that by nature is more adulterous then the Lionesse and goeth a whoring after euery sort of vanitie more venemous then the Viper and is full of hatred malice enuie and debate and will neither see it nor doe it away but suffers strange Lords to tyrannise ouer him without repugnancie opposition and specially such Lords as are but cowards which if he but resist will flee from him and yet giues way vnto him not fearing that his disloyalty shall be perceiued by his righteous master head and Lord and that his patience will in the end be turned into a scepter of Iron to crush him and to breake him in peeces like a potters vessell O horrible and thrice cursed nature why hast thou so armed our carnall corps with the weapons of vnrighteousnesse to fight against the long suffring of our most gracious God and so long to abuse the loue of our redeemer But let vs fight against nature with the weapons of righteousnesse even with repentance and humiliation that the Lord may exalt vs giue vs the oyle of joy for mourning and wash vs in that fountaine opened to the house of Iudah and finally let vs say with DAVID Psal 73.25 Psal 73.25 Whom haue we in heaven but thee and we haue desired none in earth with thee And thus let vs say in our heart for it is the heart which the Lord craueth My sonne giue me thine heart and let vs say it speedily and in this life speedily because time swiftly passeth Et dies nostri sunt velâ—ciores cursore our dayes are swifter then a post saith Iob. 7.6 and we cannot tell how quickly the race thereof shall be run out and then it will be out of time It must be then in this life which is tempus acceptum the accepted time the day of saluation 2. Cor. 6.2 because this life is the time in which our election must be made sure and sealed vp to our spirits by the infallible testimonie of the good spirit of God this life is the time wherein euery man must worke out his saluation with a filiall feare and trembling this life is the time wherein we must be admitted into the kingdome of grace if euer we looke to be admitted into the kingdome of glory In this life we must be matriculated into the mysticall body of the Church by obeying the injunctions and will of God and requiring our suiters loue with true affection if euer we wil look to sit at the bridegroomes table and enter with
oile in our lampes into his chamber into the kingdome of heauen and in a word we must haue heauen in inchoation in this life if we will haue it in perfection after this life The 4. Circumstance Fourthly as there are mutuall gifts betweene two persons to be joyned in the honourable and vndefiled bed of marriage so is there betweene Christ and his Church Christs guifts to the Church twofold CHRIST giueth his first which are twofold for his Church and to his Church for his Church he sendeth to his father the gifts of his righteousnesse and meretorious satisfaction for her justification To his Church he sendeth the gifts of his mercy compassion of Election Predestination justification Vocation Sanctification and hope of Glorification The Church is not ingratefull The Churches guifts twofold but hath her two-fold gifts too Contrition and Thankesgiuing the first is a composition the second a simple without ingredients The ingredients whereof Contrition is composed The ingredients thereof Contrition is composed 〈◊〉 two are our sinnes and a godly sorrow for the same for the child of God a member of this Church and everie member of the same takes all their sinnes at least so many of them as they know and in a sorrowfull heart as in a morter beateth them so as they are borne downe in some measure yea in a great measure never riseth vp so high therafter and therof is Contrition composed made which is sent vp by deuout prayer and innumerable sighes which cannot be vttered whereof the Lord most willingly accepteth for the Sacrifices of the Lord are a contrite spirit saith DAVID Psal 51.17 A contrite and a broken heart O God thou wilt not despise The other gift Thankesgiuing Thankesgiuing the greatest gift which wee can giue vnto God is a simple and hath none ingredients But is a voluntarie a willing retribution of one good thing for another a sweet and a godly reioycing in the vndeserued mercies of God which is one of the greatest gifts which we can or are able to offer vnto God in which regard the Apostle exhorts vs alwaies in all things to giue thankes 1. Thes 5.18 Prayer and Thankesgiuing paralelled Prayer Thanksgiuing are two notable parts of diuine worship but of the two Thankesgiuing is the most heavenly and Angelike for in Prayer we respect our selues and haue regard vnto such things as wee desire to haue But by Thankesgiuing we retribute vnto God what is competent vnto him only regards his Divine essence Prayer againe properly pertaines to vs whilest we are in baca this valey of teares Et est egentium ac miserorum and belongs to wanting and miserable people But Thankesgiuing shall pertaine to vs when all teares shal be wiped from our eyes Et est angelorum ac glorificatorum and belongs vnto vs when we shall raigne like Angels and be joyned to the fellowship and societie of the glorified Church the spirits of perfect and blessed men that sings continually Praise bee vnto God and Glory to the Lambe that sitteth vpon the throne for evermore Fiftly there is a contract The 5. Circumstance a matrimoniall written and sealed in which it is contracted that God shall be out God and we shall bee his people that whosoeuer is wearie and laden Math. 11. that in comming to our redeemer he shall be eased and refreshed which is he shall be purged from all his sinnes in the blood of his Sauiour for in the 3. of St. Iohn 36. The blood of Christ purgeth vs from all sinne This contract is written by the Apostles the penmen of the holy Ghost that led them in all truth and veritie sealed with the blood of our Saviour and ratified by the blood of many a Martyr since both vnder the first and the second beast vnder the cruell Emperours and raging antichristian Popes The 6. Circumstance Sixtly as the procreation of children is necessarie in Earthly marriage so is it in this spirituall marriage In earthly marriage this was the blessing of God in the beginning Gen. 2.15 Increase and multiply Gen. 2.15 And without this there is often but little content in marriage when the Lord had promised to ABRAHAM twise the land of Canaan to be his buckler and exceeding great reward all was nothing there could be no true contentment because said he I goe childlesse But when IZACK was promised when the Lord told him that SARAH should beare him a sonne then ABRAHAM fell vpon his face and laughed Gen. 17.17 and when he was borne SARA confessed that the Lord had made her to rejoyce Gen. 21.6 * RACHELL was more impatient for in the 30. of Gen. 1. she would either haue children or die but when IOSEPH was borne she was content that God had taken away her rebuke And in the 1. of Samuel HANAH one of the wiues of ELCANAH did weepe because she was barren but when Samuel was borne she rejoyced and brake out in this glorious triumph mine heart reioyceth in the Lord mine horne is exalted in the Lord mine mouth is enlarged over mine Enemies 1. Sam. 2.1 Iust so there could be no peace if in this spirituall marriage the spouse should be barren and howsoeuer that in some earthly marriages for other respects there may be peace with barrennesse and loue too Yet in this spirituall marriage the procreation of children is of an absolute necessitie and must not cease nor leaue off till the consummation of the world neither shall the world subsist any longer then till the Church be barren for then the whole and full number of those whose names are written in the booke of life are brought out and come into the world and then shall the world end and not till then Who are our Father and mother in this spirituall Marriage Now our Parents in this spirituall marriage is Christ and Ierusalem the Church militating here below the procreation is made at the preaching of the Gospell by the operation of the holy Spirit and after this manner at one Sermon made by St. PETER Act. 2. there was 3. Thousand children procreated vnto Christ three thousand soules turned to the faith of IESVS and wheresoever this Gospell is preached or shall be preached the Church will never be barren because the Lord addeth daily vnto his Church such as should bee saved Act. 2. and in whatsoever place of the world there is any of those whose names are written in the booke of life for their cause conversion the Gospell shall be preached in that same place that piece that is called their hearts shall be disforested put to tillage and turned into a fertile field or a fruitfull garden and if there were but one elected Familie in a whole Citie the Gospell will come to that City for that one families vocation Luk. 19.1 as it did * to Ierico for the vocation of Zacheus and his familie and wheresoever