get victory over thy sins nor healing of thy diseases without him yea he therefore called thee and in his call gives himself for thee that on thy coming to him and yeelding up thy self to him and so becoming his he might then wash thee with the washing of water by the word Eph. 5. 25 26. with Ezek. 16. 3-9 Yea he will then thorowly wash away thy bloud forgiving all thy sins and healing all thy diseases and make thee meet for the perfecting the marriage and perfect it in due time take heed of complementing thy self out of this marriage nor let farms nor oxen no nor any earthly marriage or the love of father mother wife or children be preferred before this or be an hindrance to thy coming to the wedding-feast to which thou art called that thou mayst be joyned to the Lord if thou now when called lovest any thing more then him thou art not worthy of him not meet for him and it will be shameful iniquity for anything whatsoever now to neglect or defer seeing thy need of him is such that thou canst not be well nor happie here or hereafter without him Seek the Lord therefore while he may be found and call upon him while he is neer And for further encouragement see what follows 2. As a man that behaves himself comely or honourably in things pertaining to the earthly marriage doth not when he hath wooed and perswaded the woman to consent and that her affections are drawn to him and set upon him he doth not then nor will by any means cast her off not for any infirmities then perceived or meanness poverty and wants then appearing to him but proceeds to betrothing and marrying in righteousness and then seeks to cover and heal her infirmities and supply her wants as his own in the body so and much more the Lord Jesus Christ will not cast away any that come to him in his gracious drawings and wooings Whosoever cometh saith he I will in no wise cast out Joh. 6. 37. yea though some men in such cases may he will not for his work is always and in all things honourable and glorious his righteousness remaineth for ever nor will he upbraid them with former unkindnesses and repulses given him no though uncleannesses have been found with them in the time of love as in that type Hos 3. 1. nor with present unprofitableness and infirmities but receive them to the glory of God in union and fellowship with himself he will betroth them to him in righteousness and in faithfulness and will engage all his interest in heaven and earth for them that they may be washed and healed See Hos 2. 18 19 20. with Chap. 3. Rom. 15. 1 7. Jam. 1. 5. Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it even perform his begun good work unto the day of Christ 1 Thess 5. 24. with Phil. 1. 6. So that no unfaithfulness or want on his part can hinder the proceeding and carrying on of the work unto the finishing of it in the perfect day All which powerfully engageth us to abide and be for him though he make us wait many days as in that type Hos 3. 3. 3. In the comely and honourable demeanour of married persons one to another to which marriage obligeth which is in the husbands love and faithfulness to his wife and the wives subjection chastity and faithfulness to her husband we are minded as by way of resemblance of the love and faithfulness of Jesus Christ to his Church which is infinite and without any fayler or imperfection and of the obligation upon the Church to subjection and chastity to him 1. His 〈◊〉 and faithfulness to the Church and to every member in particular and his peculiar care for them is such as that for their sakes he sanctifies himself devotes or gives up himself to minde their good and their things with peculiar design as the first and chief thing directly aimed at in all his works in and government of the world and that unto which all other things must stoopâ— that they also may be sanctified made clean holy and chaste to him through his truth they are set as a seal upon his heart and ingraven upon the palms of his hand that he cannot open his hand to do any thing in the world but they are in his view their safety preservation and defence from evil and making meet for the inheritance is continually before him and in order to that and so as may conduce to that end he will give men for them and people for their lives Joh. 17. 17 19. Isai 49. 15 16. 43. 1 4. Cant. 8. 6. This also in included in his giving himself for his Church Eph. 5. 25 26. Namely his sanctifying or separating himself in and above all things to minde their good with peculiar design as is said That he may wash and cleanse them with the washing of water by the word and this also for the good of others even that by them the world may know that the Father sent the Son the Saviour of the world and that he hath loved these with the same manner of love with which he loveth his Son for he hath chosen and ordained them that they should bring forth much fruit and that their fruit should remain More particularly according to the resemblance 1. Such his holiness and devotedness to them that he will not add another wife to her to vex her in her life-time and that is for ever for because he lives they shall live also the seed of his Servants shall continue for ever So then he will never own nor accept any other woman or Church nor any that are not by that one Spirit baptized into that one body and made to drink into that one Spirit into that nigh relation with him to be heirs together with them of this grace nor put any such burden upon them to own or acknowledge any other 〈◊〉 have their birth to the hope of inheritance from 〈◊〉 â—rinciples as competitors or co-partners with them 〈◊〉 â—his inheritance of the Saints For what saith the Scripture Cast out the bond-woman and her son for the son of the bond-woman shall not inherit with the son of the free-woman Gal. 4. 30. And this that the promise may be sure and upon certain and undoubted terms to all of this body to all the children of promise and that they may have strong consolation and be incouraged and ingaged to abide with him in the faith and hope of the Gospel For if they that are of the law be heirs faith is made void and the promise of none effect Rom. 4. 14-16 Let them know therefore for their incouragement and let all know for their admonition and warning in time That the Lord hath set apart separated from all others to and for himself the man that is godly Psal 4. 3. that is the true worshipper of God that worships the Father in spirit and truth giving honour to the
of the world their bread shall be plentious and their waters sure Cloath and adorn them with the robe of his own righteousness in which he will make them acceptable before God and fill them with the fruits of it to manward which shall appear to praise at the day of Christ when he will beautifie the meek with salvation Guide them with his counsels and lead them into all truth and shew them things to come and direct their way and work in truth yea he will dwell in them and walk in them and have such spiritual fellowship with them as shall make them fruitful to the increase of the body and to the edifying it self in love and will own their children as his and be the God of them and their Seed and they shall be his sons and daughters And as a faithful Apostle and High Priest of their profession will manage them in it and be with them where-ever he lead them to uphold and strengthen them deliver them from all evil make all things work together for good to them plead their cause fight their battels perfect what concerns them and make their spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God before whom he will also confess their names and in due time receive them to glory 2. The subjection faithfulness and chastity of the Church to Christ unto which she is infinitely obliged by all this grace holiness and faithfulness of her Lord and husband is such as is resembled by that of the wife to her husband And surely it is such as in which she be holy as he is holy chastly devoted and set apart to him and for him as he for her sake hath sanctified himself that she might be sanctified through his truth and so partaker of his holiness that she be onely for him and for no other thing or person in his place that forgetting her own kindred and Fathers house she reverence and worship him as her onely Lord and husband and be subject to him in all things 1. Owning and acknowledging with thankfulness his name as put upon her and counting it her glory and honour to be known and called by it and bear the reproach of it and therefore confessing and not being ashamed of it before men yea commending it as the onely worthy name and not mentioning her own name or suffering her self to be known or called by that or by the name of any other person ordinance work or thing 2. Sitting down under his shaddow to rest satisfied with his fruit to rejoyce in him rest and stay upon him and that grace in him as a sufficient signe and witness of Gods love ground and foundation of faith and hope in God fountain of wisdom righteousness strength and of all things pertaining to life and goldliness for us and so as a sufficient and good rest and refreshing for us considering and feeding upon his flesh which he gave for the life of the world and drinking down his blood that was shed for the remission of our sins and for obtaining all fulness of Spirit and of grace and truth into him for us that so of his fulness we may receive and in such believing view and mindfulness of him and as his words are found discovering him in these things of him eating them and keeping them in our hearts so staying upon him and seeking rest and refreshing to our souls relinquishing for it all other signes witnesses or ways of seeking rest and so all confidence and rejoycing in the flesh and not following any desire of meat for our lust And so putting on and wearing his garments in seeking so to know him that through the knowledge of him we may be found in him our hearts and mindes stayed there and we cloathed with his righteousness before God to give us boldness and render us acceptable in his presence relinquishing for it that of our own and filled with the fruits of it to manward that may be to his praise and the adorning his Name and Doctrine and putting off for it the fruits and works of our own wisdom and desires the deeds of the old man 3. With purpose of heart cleaving and adhering to him as the onely Father of our spirits Lord and Master of our faith fear and worship towards God chief Bishop and Shepherd of our souls our Judge our Law-giver and our King to save us who onely is able to save and to destroy and having our eyes and hearts to him in his Testimony for all wisdom understanding counsel and strength and for all commandments and directions for walking before him and in his house and resting on his Name and the authority of his Testimonies for all O Lord other lords have had dominion over us but by thee onely will we make mention of thy Name and so being subject to him in all things 4. To acquaint ourselves with him seeking and entertaining fellowship with him by an exercise of faith in his Testimony of what he hath done is doing and will do that thence we may prove the effectual working of it in our own spirits reconciling and conforming to him according to the greatness of his power which worketh in them that believe that therein also it may be fitted to our lips and we constrained and directed by him to such an holding it forth in word and conversation as in which we may have his presence and fellowship of his Spirit making us fruitful even in the bringing forth children by him and for him 5. To give him our loves not onely in the yeelding up souls and bodies by his mercies as a living sacrifice to be employed by him and at his dispose whose we are and not our own being double bought or bought in a double or twofold sense yea twice bought with one price his precious bloud and so the sacrifice of his own body made perfect through it with that in presenting and offering it to God the Father in heaven he redeemed and bought us of him from under the curse of the Law to be at his dispose and so he hath bought even them that deny him having given himself a ransom for all And with the same price in his presenting it spiritually by the Gospel to our hearts he hath redeemed or bought us off ourselves and out of or from this present world and our vain conversation therein unto himself that we should be a peculiar people to him c. Therefore we are not our own but by these mercies infinitely obliged to yeeld up to his use and dispose both souls and bodies which are his And not onely so to give him our loves but in the return of all again to him that we have received from him both in the praise and glory of it Not unto us not unto us but to thy Name and to thy grace in Christ for of thy goodness and bounty and of the sufficiencie of that grace have we all our sufficiencie and also in the improvement of it using it to him employing it
such as are resembled 1. By the nature of the Marriage covenant 2. By its being honourable in all 3. By the comely and honourable behaviour in it or in the things pertaining to it as to say 1. In seeking or wooing a wife and in the womans listning to or accepting an husband 2. In betrothing and marrying in righteousness 3. In the demeanour of the married persons towards each other 1. Those I shall mention as resembled by the nature of the Marriage-covenant are 1. That as in the earthly marriage there is a mutual consent and agreement and solemn covenant made by both parties without which they are not joyned together according to Gods ordinance so in the spiritual marriage there is a mutual consent and agreement between Christ and the Church and so on the part of every member in particular without which they are not so joyned to the Lord as to be made of his Spouse his Body his true Sanctuary So much is signified in our types the whole house of Israel when he sware unto them and entred into covenant with them and they became his in the day that he brought them out of the land of Egypt their time was the time of love And he remembred the kindness of their youth the love of their espousals in which they went after him in the wilderness c. They had avouched him that day to be their God and he had avouched them to be his people See Ezek. 16. 8. with Jer. 2. 2. and Deut. 26. 17 18. So likewise those that are of the true Sanctuary of the Spouse and Church of Christ the peculiarly beloved of the Lord they are those that have made a covenant with him by sacrifice Psal 50. 5. even by the sacrifice which he hath first prepared for them and given to them for a witness of his love and for a covenant to the people and so they are said to be reconciled to God by Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 5. 18. with Isai 55. 3 4 5 6. Not onely his Word hath come unto them in power c. for so it doth to them that reject it and will none of him in the plain and faithful ministration of it he therefore that despiseth despiseth not man but God who hath given of his spirit to accompany such faithful ministration of his Word but they also were willing and obedient in the day of his power as he was working in them to will and to do they received his Word as the Word of God which effectually worketh in them that so receive it to the uniting an joyning them to the Lord so that they turned from idols to God to serve him and to wait for his Son from heaven See 1 Thess 1. 4 5 6 10. and 2. 13. True it is he is the first seeker and wooer of men to be reconciled to God and without his gracious and spiritual calling and drawing no man can come to him and therefore he prevents every man in due time with that yet though he do so and declare his readiness to accept yea and desire that they should come in his drawings and be reconciled and married to him in his Son except they come to him as to a living stone in the powerful drawing influences of him to them they are not as lively stones built up a spiritual house c. Ho every one therefore that thirsteth come to the waters come in the power of the call even to day while he is calling and stretching out his hand if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts Encline your ear and come unto me hear and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you c. He will not force thee against thy will nor own accept or chuse thee into peculiar favour and fellowship without thy will it is thy heart he desires My son give me thy heart for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness And because he knows thou hast neither heart nor power to will or chuse him nor light in thy understanding to perceive his preciousness that might draw thy soul after him therefore in and for that love of pitie and compassion he had to thee and desire after thee even when thou wast altogether dead in sins and trespasses in which love he gave himself a ransome for thee he becomes himself also a testimony in due time to thee and makes the testimony of himself powerful to open thine eyes so to turn thee from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God that in turning at the light and power of his gracious drawings and reproofs thou mayst receive the forgiveness of sins and inheritance through the word of his grace with his Saints Onely then rebel not thou against the Lord for consider how great things he hath done for thee but cease from thy own works to believe on him that justifies the ungodly as he is by his preventing grace working in thee the whole good pleasure of his goodness and the work of Faith with power and this shall be imputed to thee for righteousness accepted as thy act and making a Covenant with him by his own Sacrifice which he hath prepared and given for a covenant on both parts there is all his great and pretious promises confirmed and made sure for thee in and by that sacrifice of himself and with him given to thee and therein is thy faith and troth plighted to him in laying hold of his Covenant and drawing neer in the sweet allurements and incouragements thereof he will gratiously accept thee and make thee partaker of himself by his own Covenant and by vertue of his own Sacrifice by which he hath obliged and incouraged thee to give thy self to him 2. As in the earthly marriage he that is joyned to a woman is one body for two saith he shall be one flesh So he that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit he is therein baptized and made to drink into that one Spirit of Jesus the Lord by which he was raised from the dead and which immeasurably dwells in him for the fulness of the God-head dwells in him bodily and which comes forth from him in the name of the Father and testifies of him manifesting the glory of God in his face who is the image of God and being made to drink into this Spirit they are of the same minde with Christ and so reconciled in the spirit of their minde unto God for they have the minde of Christ having received his Word they have known surely and believed that he came forth from God and is a true and faithful witness of God and have so received him and are made partakers of him spiritually for through this knowledge of him that is true they are united and made one in and with him that is true even with his Son Jesus Christ and so with the Father in him 1 Cor. 6. 16 17. with chap. 2. 16. 12. 13. 1 John 5. 20. with
many Churches or Societies that call themselves of the holy City and make mention of his name but not in truth nor in righteousness yet they would be called by his name but eat their own bread and wear their own apparel whose names he will not mention or confess before his Father nor offer their offerings And there are Virgins or persons not espoused to any religious interest Church or Society without number but his beloved is but one as aforesaid 11. The head and husband of this body or Church is but one And he is the head of it and of every member in particular as the man is the head of the woman He by whose name she is to be called Jer. 33. 16. chap. 14. 9. with Isai 63. 19. He at whose finding and appointment she is to be in all things and whose bread to eat garments to wear and whose laws rules and ordinances in all things between them and in all affairs of the house she is to observe He with whom she is to have fellowship for all fruitfulness in whom to seek wisdom righteousness strength holiness by an exercise of faith in him The Lord Jesus Christ and he onely is the head and husband of this Church the Minister of the true sanctuary the Great and onely High priest over the house of God and to them there is no other Lord Head and Husband chief Bishop and Shepherd of their souls Father of spirits Judge and law-giver though in the world there be many that pretend to such place and power in and over the Church and many that so call and acknowledge them But that it is treacherous dealing and spiritual fornication in any to challenge such place and power in and over his Church even as for a man to have his fathers wife and like it for any especially of those espoused to one husband to own and acknowledge any in his place in any of these things may further be shewed in the following part of this discourse 2. The instructions I shall mention as resembled and signified as concerning the spiritual Marriage in this affirmation of the natural and earthly that it is honourable in all are such as are implyed and contained in the affirmation as applyed to the spiritual As 1. That it is lawful for any man in due time and while it is to day to come to God by Jesus Christ and so to be reconciled and married to the Lord even by the same means by which the earthly marriage is become honourable in all there is an effectual door opened and way made for all men that they might be married to Christ the bars and hindrances that made it unlawful and impossible are broken and removed Jesus Christ by the blood of his Cross hath made peace and atonement for our sins that made the breach and separation between God and us at first and in his being raised and exalted hath obtained justification and redemption in himself as our surety and a release of mankind by the Father from under the sentence of banishment the curse of the law unto himself as their Redeemer and Lord and also power to make reconciliation for the sins of the people that are still imputed to them He that hath made peace is our peace the propitiation for the sins of the whole world as we have before shewed in discovery of the way and means by which marriage is become honourable to us sinners where also is shewed that the great end of that provision made was higher even that men might in their particular persons be reconciled to God and the same is abundantly asserted in the Scriptures of truth hence the Apostle from this ground That God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their trespasses to them beseeches men now to be reconciled to God For saith he he hath made him that knew no sin to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5. 19-21 He once suffered for sins the just for the unjust being put to death in the flesh but quickned by the Spirit that he might bring us back to God 1 Pet. 3. 18. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men For he hath broken the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron asunder Slain the great enmity between God and mankind by his cross that he might reconcile both Jew and Gentile unto God thereby Psal 107. 15 16. Eph. 2. 16. with Col. 1. 20 21. 2. That such grace is extended through Christ to men in due time as by which they may be reconciled and come to him and have this blessed Marriage made with them true they cannot come of themselves nor will nor do any thing that may contribute to this marriage no man can come to Christ unless the Father draw them therefore also he hath sent his Son not onely to make the way to it and provision for it in himself but also to draw men in due time in their several ages and that with the cords of love and with the bands of a man with the testimonies of himself as the Son of man and the spiritual commendation of the love of God therein he hath anoynted him with the holy Ghost and power to proclaim liberty to the Captives and therein to give opening of eyes to the blind and power to them that have no strength moving to repentance Him hath God exalted a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance and forgiveness of sins even to rebellious ones that the Lord might dwell among them Joh. 6. 44. with chap. 8. 12. 12. 35 36 44 46. with Hos 11. 4. Isai 61. 1 2. with chap. 42. 1-7 49. 1-9 Act. 5. 31. with Psal 68. 18 19 20. And he in giving himself a ransome for all gave himself also to be a testimony in due time and having made peace came and preached peace to Jew and Gentile yea he was in all ages preaching by his Spirit to their spirits that were disobedient to his preaching and for their disobedience are now in prison and for this cause and in such manner was the Gospel preached to them by such means as he pleased that they might be judged reproved discovered as men in the flesh and that they might live according to God in the Spirit 1 Tim. 2. 6. Eph. 2. 17. 1 Pet. 3. 19 20. 4. 6. with 2 Cor. 5. 15. Nor left he himself without witness to any but was always crying without even to the sons of men that are yet without calling to them by his servants and other means to behold him Look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth and all the day long while he is so calling stretching out his hand putting forth the light and power of his Spirit making that which may be known of God manifest in them and thereby moving them to repentance and therefore
Son in hearing his word and according to it believing on him that sent him and so seeking to have all their rejoycing in Christ Jesus according to the testimony God hath given of him relinquishing for it all confidence and rejoycing in the flesh And truely he that honours not the Son neither doth he honour the Father that sent him and therefore the Father seeks and wooes such worshippers and therefore also the Son will graciously own and accept them yea distinguish and set them apart from all other for himself all his fresh springs shall be there for all his nuptial or conjugal delight is in the Saints even in them that excel in vertue whose righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees they being such as have made a covenant with him by that perfect Sacrifice of the body of Christ offered once for all and so are made the righteousness of God in him as for such as turn aside to their crooked ways that hasten after another or endow another the Translators render it another God but the Context shews it to be another Mediator and High priest and so it may include aâ—other righteousness and sacrifice to come to God by … r also another chief Bishop and Shepherd of their soulâ— and Father of their spirits another head and husband with him though they also make mention of and would be called by his name yet he will not offer their bloody offerings nor take up their names into his lips he will not make their sacrifices acceptable nor confess their names before his Father and therefore their sorrows shall be multiplyed when the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity for they are not his wife nor is he their husband in such their crooked paths See Psal 16. 3 4. with Psal 125. 5. Hos 2. 2. Though there be many Queens and Concubines that plead their title to him and interest in him as an husband he will own none as in that relation to him but his Dove his undefiled which is but one the onely one of her mother as before is shewed And 2. Such his love faithfulness and truth to her that he will never leave her nor forsake her nor put her away from him For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great names sake 1 Sam. 12. 22. Yea the Lord the God of Israel saith that he hateth putting away Mal. 2. 16. He hath not cast away his people whom be foreknew Rom. 11. 2. Namely those that are of the election of grace that by the discovery of his grace in Christ to manward are chosen out of the world into that grace and having access into it are through it preserved in Christ and abide with him for they are therein made of the beloved and chosen generation that were chosen in Christ from the beginning of the world though they were not so before they are now beloved that were not beloved it hath pleased the Lord to make them his peculiar people and therefore for his great names sake he will not forsake them but will always reserve them to himself They are the rest that are not of this election of grace that abide not in this one body and so not in the unity of the Spirit with them that call on him in truth but turn aside to their crooked paths that hasten after another in his place as before who in any of his judgements are left to blindness or put away and rejected by him either in whole or in part the iniquities for which God will forsake are such as in which the sinner becomes not his wife or of his wife such as in which they depart from him and become anothers endow another husband or another in his place for he hates the putting away the wife as before is shewed he will not therefore forsake or cast away any that have been espoused to him from that relation and nighness for infirmities or diseases found no nor for one or divers particular acts of spiritual fornication though he may correct and hide his face from them yet will not forsake or put them away while as yet they have not sold themselves to another but still cherisheth and seeks their healing and helpfulness as his own body But if ye forsake him he will forsake you if we deny him he will deny us Yet such the infinite excellency and preciousness of the sacrifice of Christ and the riches of his grace in Christ that when he is provoked by mens forsaking him to forsake them and to put them away and leave to blindness and hardness to which he is not easily provoked yet then I say he doth not presently give a bill of divorce nor utterly reject while by any means he is calling and they are not become trees twice dead pluckt up by the roots but still remembers for them his covenant and withal remembers the kindness of their youth the love of their espousals and hath like pitty towards them as a man toward his straying children or towards an adulterous wife whom yet he loves and in his love and pitty seeks after them and uses gracious means for their reclaiming and they or any of them if they abide not in unbelief shall be grafted in again for he can righteously forgive such sins and treacherous dealing as are resembled by those which men cannot righteously forgive yea he can forgive those sins they cannot justly forgive and so also those greater ones in this case resembled by them and can have compassion where they can have none See Jer. 3. 1-12-14-20 with chap. 2. Isa 50. 1 2 3. with Rom. 11. 1-7-11 23. compared with 2 Chron. 15. 2. 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. Psal 125. Yea further such his love and faithfulness that he will not fail them of all the good that he hath promised them or given them incouragement to expect in him and with him nor forsake them or leave them comfortless or as Orphans and Widdows in any tryal service and sufferings for so is that saying of God alluded to in this Heb. 13. 5. Both expressed and applyed in Deut. 31. 6 8. Josh 1. 5. as a faithful head and husband he will Write his name and his Fathers upon them in such wise now as they shall be known and called by it in heaven and by them that have their conversation there and be fitted and strengthned to bear forth a right and successful profession of it to others and be sealed distinguished and marked by it to the day of Redemption and it is and shall be ingaged for their protection and defence and in due time fully and gloriously written and manifested upon them Feed and satisfie them with the fatness of his house and make them to drink abundantly of the Rivers of his pleasures he will give them that which is good and their soul shall delight it self in fatness for the bread that he will give them is his flesh which he gave for the life