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
Church which no power in hell nor earth is able to sunder and infringe neyther is there any way in nature by which two things can bee made one but from it the Spirit of GOD borroweth similitudes to expresse our conjunction with CHRIST wee are one with him as EVAH was with ADAM flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone wee are one with him as the house and the foundation whereupon it is built But this vnion is most liuely set forth in these three similitudes First as is the strait conjunction betweene the graft and the stock so is the vnion between CHRIST and his Church Secondly as is the neerenesse of the garment to the body so is ours with CHRIST Thirdly as the straitnesse of the bond is betweene the wife and the husband such is the straitnesse of our vnion with CHRIST But before I explaine the similitudes it is necessary to vnderstand what is signified by this word * Church in my text The Church hath diuers significations to the end that you may know to which Church this promise is made seeing it is diuersly taken and hath sundry significations in the old and new Testament for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Church is a Greeke word and properly signifieth an Assembly which belongeth as well to the Heathen and to Infidels as to Christians and the children of GOD verified by DAVID Psal 26.6 Psal 26.6 Odini Ecclesiam malignantium I haue hated the assembly or the Church of the wicked and by the Apostle Act. 19. Act. 19. That calleth that multitude which cryed Great is the DIANA of the Ephesians Ecclesiam the assembly or the Church But hereafter vse obtayned that Christians called their assembly Ecclesiam the Church to Why Christians called there Assemblies the Church distinguish it from the Synagogue of the Iewes albeit that both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth one thing an Assembly or a Congregation a meeting or a gathering together This word then Ecclesia the Church being vsurped by Christians is taken by them in the new Testament The Church hath fiue significations among Christians fiue manner of wayes First for the Pastors of the Church the people being excluded and so it is taken St Math. 18.17 where our Sauiour commands That if a debate betweene neighbours cannot bee quietly pacified to tell the Church that is the Byshops Prelates and other Pastors of inferiour titles that haue superioritie and jurisdiction in the Church Now it sometime belongs to this Church arguere increpare 2. Tim. 4. to improue and rebuke sometimes amputare to cut off sometimes lapsos relevare to raise vp againe such as haue slipped or fallen sometimes to confirme and corroberate those that stand In a word In this Church as in the Arke there must bee both manna and virga bread for refection and a rod for correction osculum and fraenum a kisse for friends and a bridle for refractarie and stubborne persons And as in a Vineyard there must be both planting and pruning so in this Church must there be both Doctrine Discipline Doctrine to inctruct in the points of Faith to conserue nourish and augment charitie flowing from the sinceritie of the minde integritie of the conscience and from a faith voyde of dissimulation and hypocrisie Discipline to correct and reforme vices and abuses Secondly this word Church is taken for the People the Pastors being excluded and so it is taken Act. 20.28 Where Pastors are exhorted to feed the Church which CHRIST hath purchased with his owne blood Thirdly it is taken for a particular Church in which both people and pastors are comprehended such of old was the Church at Ephesus at Corinth at Rome and such were those seauen Churches whereof wee reade in the 2. and 3. Chapters of the Revelation But now many of these Churches haue much fallen from that puritie wherein the Apostles and their Disciples did institute them and some of them altogether made so great a defection and apostasie from the faith as therein a man explicitly resting on their whole Doctrine cannot bee saued such to day is the Church at Rome and such a one hath she beene these many ages past for in her Idolatry is maintayned and the whole Doctrine of the benefit of CHRIST altogether corrupted if then a man would bee saued hee must vse our Sauiours counsell Revel 18.4 Reuel 18.4 Goe out of Babylon my people that yee bee not partakers of her sinnes and that yee receiue not of her plagues Fourthly this word Church is taken for the whole assembly of those that here below vpon the earth are called Christians and this is the vniuersall visible Church composed of diuers particular Churches called by the Apostle in the 1. of Tim. 3.15 1. Tim. 3.15 The pillar and ground of truth because it is the dutie thereof to vnderprop and defend the truth against all those that seeke by schismes heresies and erronious Doctrines to suppresse and ouerthrow the same Now this vniuersall Church subsisteth by a perpetuall generation one succeeding to another and consisteth of all the conuerted Iewes Gentiles that are vpon the face of this earth It is truth that this Church was once and before CHRIST came in the flesh onely among the Iewes glorious and the Gentiles then were but dogs or whelpes In the 15. of Math. 26. Math. 15.26 It is not good to take the childrens bread and to cast it to whelpes But now God perswaded IAPHETH to dwell in SHEMS tent Now God is the God of the Gentiles also Rom. 3.29 Yea which is more obstinacie is come to Israel vntill the fulnesse of the Gentiles bee come in Rom. 11.25 And amongst vs God hath a more The Church is more glorious among the Christians then it was among the Iewes glorious Church then euer hee had amongst the Iewes for this cause ABRAHAM desired to see our dayes for this cause St PAVL called Gods old ordinances beggerly rudiments Gal. 4.9 and reputed of Genealogies as of fables for this cause the Patriarkes without vs are not said to be perfect Heb. 11.2 Heb. 11.40 And this made SIMEON for a time to desire that he might not see death The Iewish Church had but shadowes and circumstances but we haue the body and the substance Ioh. 1.2 The word was made flesh he walked among his brethren they saw him handled him heard him beheld his wounders and miracles Math. 27.24.35 Math. 26.6 saw him condemned crucified raised and carried into heauen in a cloud It was this that made EZECHIELL the Prophet say our Temple should bee bigger then in the dayes of MOSES Math. 11.11 that made IOHN the Baptist bee called the greatest of all the Prophets and yet the least in our Church greater then he that made St. PAVL 2. Cor. 3. 2. Cor. 3. Call the Law the ministerie of condemnation but the Gospell the ministration of righteousnes
of Adams lost posteritie as he according to his purpose and pleasure of his will hath decreed to make partakers of the kingdome of glory according to the election of grace before the foundation of the world and therefore in the fulnesse of time sent him into the world and as it were planted him in the graue who by and by Math. 28. within the space of three dayes like a liuely root sprang vp and rested not till his top mounted vp to heauen and till his branches were spread to the vtmost ends of the earth till the Gospell was preached to the most remote regions vnder the Sunne euen to the Scythians Sauromatans Aethiophians Persians and Indians and within a short space after CHRISTS ascention which may seeme wonderfull not only the Roman * Empire Tertull. adversus Iudaeos cap. 7. 8. Sed Brittanorum loca Romanis in accessa Euangelio Christi subdita sunt but euen those places of Britain speaking of Scotland which the Imperiall sword was neuer able to vanquish or subdue are now vanquished become subiect vnto the Gospell of CHRIST but this shall yet seeme more wonderfull if we shall but consider those that haue vanquished both the Roman Empire and those whom the Roman Empire could not conquer and what sort of men they were SOPHRONIVS Patriarch of Ierusalem tels vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our fishers saith he our Publicanes and that tent maker speaking of St PAVL hath constrained all nations all people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to imbrace the Lawes of CHRIST crucified and yet the manner how this was done how this conquest was made is most wonderfull of all for it was done non pugnando not by fighting sed patiendo but by suffering suffering of tortures of chaines of imprisonings and of death it selfe and the more their sufferings was the greater their persecution was the larger was their victories for their blood was the seed of the Church and the more abundantly that it was sowne the Lord did reape the greater haruest of true beleeuers to bee ingraft in him that is their euerlasting stock and roote which neuer shall be consumed by time Two feets of grafts The branches or grafts are twofold externall and internall as to the first all the members of the visible Church entred into a profession of Christ externally baptized with water but not with the holy Ghost may be called externall members or grafts But this kinde of graft will suffer an amputation or cutting off and will come within the presinke of that Rom. 11.22 If thou remaine not in his bountifulnesse thou shall also bee cut off for they haue not the sop of grace ministred vnto them from the stocke of life but are as dead-trees hauing leaues without fruit 2. Tim. 3.5 I meane good fruit they haue fruit indeed but it is labrusca non vua some sower or hedge grape not good to eate but no sweet grape Like that which grew in Baal-hamon 8. Cant. 11. Howsoeuer it hath a faire shew like gawdie flowers among the corne yet fitly it may bee compared to Sodoms apples outwardly faire but rotten inwardly to that which glisters like gold but when it is touched is found to bee but copper but most properly to ESAV who did lye in the bellie with IACOB borne and brought vp in IZACKS house which for the time was the Church of God marked with the same Sacrament of circumcision too but because he proudely dispised grace was rejected so shall it stand with all those that shall bee baptized in the true Church and remaine not in Gods bountifulnesse neither shall it auaile them any thing that by an externall forme of ingrafting they haue beene joyned to the societie of the visible Church But by the contrary it shall stand as an evidence in that blacke roule and register of a bad conscience against them and most justly shal it make them to be punished with double stripes because they knew their masters will and did it not The internall grafts are of those that beside their externall ingrafting and entering in the visible Church by the Sacrament of Baptisme are also internally ingrafted by the holy spirit and the baptisme with fire in this roote IESVS in such a firme manner and condition that Christ is in them and they in Christ they are ingrafted by Gods right hand grounded in faith rooted in charitie watered by the word of Gods ministerie digged and manured by the discipline of Magistrates and in euery manner of good worke brings forth a plentifull vintage of good and sweete grapes which are pressed in a contrite heart raised vp to a liuely and confident thankefulnes And as wine is cōmonly knowne by the tast and colour so is this too For its taste is a good conscience within its colour is a holy conuersation without These grafts may say with the Apostle Now we liue yet not we any more Gal. 2.20 but Christ liueth in vs. They haue in them the same minde that was in IESVS and this is a faithfull witnesse an vnfallible argument vnto them of their vnion with Christ and that they are ingrafted in him and by the contrary seeing contraries must bring forth contrary sequels those that are not ruled quickned by the spirit of Christ are not ingraft in this roote neither haue they as yet any vnion or conjunction with him and so the Apostle Rom. 8.9 Rom. 8.9 tels vs If any man haue not the spirit of Christ the same is not his Not assuredly for those that are not ruled by this spirit they cannot chuse but wander and goe astraying walking after the flesh by which they cannot be absolued from judgement from Tophet and adjudged vnto everlasting life and thus much for the stock and grafts And now I come to the manner of ingrafting which is twofold A twofold ingrafting secret and manifest secret in Gods eternall counsell for before the foundation of the world was layed and long before that man was created God knew his owne children and by inserting their names in the booke of life did eternally and before all time ingraft them in this stocke and roote CHRIST IESVS their redeemer Secondly it is manifest and done in time but spiritually wrought by the holy Ghost who creating faith in our hearts makes vs to goe out of our selues transire in Christum transport our selues into Christ and so to relye vpon him that by his spirit wee are quickned by his light wee are illuminated and by the continuall furniture of his grace we perseuere and increase in spirituall strength and courage and so liues in him that wee die in our selues Zach. 4. and to the world In the 4. of Zachar. As euery lampe of the golden Candlesticke hath its owne pipe thorow which these two Oliues which stand with the ruler of the whole world Simile emptie themselues in the gold so euery member of the Church of CHRIST receiueth grace from that
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