TRUTH UNVAILD BY Scripture-Light In Three Parts Written for the sake of those that desire to behold it in its native Beauty To which is added An APPENDIX which the Author desires to leave as a Legacy to his Children By a despised Follower of the blessed Jesus ROBERT PRVDOM And that from a Child thou hast known the holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 3.15 LONDON Printed and sold by John Marshal at the Bible in Grace-Church-street 1699. In Commendation OF THE Ensuing Treatise THE worthy Author of the ensuing Treatise I bless God that ever I became acquainted with being fully satisfied of the inward Uprightness and Sincerity of his Soul besides his undaunted Resolution and Courage according to his Light in following the Lord Jesus in his despised way and cleaving to his Truth and People who are exposed to the Scorn and Reproach of the World and to many Professors also add to his high Commendation Moreover all that shall vouchsafe to read this Treatise shall find that the blessed God hath graciously bestowed no small Light Gifts and Knowledg upon him in the great Fundamentals of true Christianity the Lord certainly hath raised him up to defend his Truth and Interest in those Northern Parts of this Kingdom where he dwells in a more clear Light than many have attained Besides he is not only furnished with Knowledg but with a sutable Zeal he being willing to work and labour in Christ's Vineyard The Subject he hath wrote upon is such as calls it is true for the Pen of the most discerning Eye many have wrote upon the two Covenants but how cloudily and darkly is palpable to many tho others have most excellently opened them amongst which the Reverend Mr. Nehemiah Cox in my Judgment hath exceeded yet his Stile seems a little too high for ordinary Capacities Our pious Friend tho very concise yet is very clear As far as I can discern 't is evident that God made a twofold Covenant with Abraham and set him up as a twofold Covenant-Head First The one with his natural Seed as such in which Covenant he promised to be his God and the God of all his natural Offspring that sprang from Isaac upon the Condition of their answering the Terms thereof which shews it was a meer Legal Covenant or of the same nature with the Sinai Covenant and in this Covenant he separated all his fleshly Seed from all other People in the World to be his People and visible Church under that Dispensation which consisted partly of the true spiritual Seed or Believers and partly of Unbelievers and in this Covenant he promised them the Land of Canaan and as a Sign or Token of all those Legal Covenant-Blessings he gave them the Rite of Circumcision Now this Church-state was figurative or typical and the Precepts and Ordinances were therefore typical and so continued till Christ came and the Gospel-Church the Antitype of it was established Many not seeing this run into a great Error thinking the Covenant made with Abraham was but one entire Covenant i. e. the Covenant of Grace whereas nothing is more clear than that Circumcision belonged to all the Male Children that sprang from Isaac tho their Parents were ungodly or Unbelievers as well as the Male Children of Believers that were of the same Seed Besides if all the Children of Abraham according to the Flesh were in the Covenant of Grace then one of these two things would follow that they must all be saved or else the Covenant of Grace is not a sure an everlasting or an unchangeable Covenant nor of meer Grace but a conditional Covenant and so Men may fall from Grace and perish eternally Therefore in the Second place The Covenant of Grace which was made with Abraham 't is evident was a distinct Covenant from the Covenant made with his fleshly Seed as such and consisted only in an absolute Promise of God's free Grace through Christ which took in none but God's elect ones and extended not only to the Elect amongst Abraham's Seed but those of the Gentiles also see Rom. 9.4 5 6. Gal. 3.16 29. Moreover it may seem strange that some Pedo-baptists should affirm that every believing Parent is a like common Covenant-Head to all their Seed as Abraham was for that was a Prerogative and Privilege only given to him and if it is as they dream then every believing Parent is the Father of all Nations or of all Believers whether Jews or Gentiles for so was Abraham made by the holy God See my late Replies to Mr. Burket Rector at Mildon and to Mr. James Owen I shall add no more only let you know our Author seems directly to agree with us herein As to our Author's Appendix in which you have an account of his Experiences and most pious Counsels to his Children I am greatly affected therewith the good Lord help not only his but all the Children of Godly Persons to whose hands it shall come to lay those things to Heart I wish from my Soul that every Godly Family throughout this Nation had one of these Books and that a Blessing may attend it shall be the Prayer of him who is yet by Grace preserved through many Trials to serve the Lord Jesus in his Generation according to his small Ability Benjamin Keach Horsly-down this 5th of the 4th Month called June 1699. The EPISTLE to the Christian READER REader in the perusing of the Truths contained in this Book I desire thou mayst with the noble Bereans have recourse to the holy Scriptures which contain in them the Path that the Flock have walk'd in who are gone before to the Mansions of eternal Rest The things laid down call for a more clear Discovery by some of God's Children who are better fitted for so great a Work and I do hope this may be as a Provocation to one of greater Ability to undertake it All that I can say for my self is that what I have done was from an inward Constraint of Soul through Grace I have been conscious to my self of my personal Weakness and therefore I have endeavoured to have my Heart laid at the Feet of the blessed ascended Jesus to whom I have devoted Soul and Body and all that is dear unto me My Soul hath endeavoured to keep sight of my Lord by Faith held before me in the Gospel-Glass and to follow that borrowed Light which shines in the Saints from Christ the Son of Righteousness Having in my youthful Years drunk in the Principles of Free-will General Redemption and falling away from Grace which do fall in naturally with the Judgment of Man while he stands under the first Covenant I was so settled in those Opinions that nothing less than an Almighty Power was able to draw my Mind to call the truth of them into question I was at times check'd by those absolute Promises laid down in the holy Scripture which seem'd to
it when it hath answered the end for which it was brought upon you the Providence will be changed or you taken from under it home to your Father's House 5thly Endeavour to get imprinted upon your Minds the necessity of having your Zeal in the Worship of God regulated by the Word of God It is good for to be zealously affected always in a good thing mind that it be from the Inlightenings of the Spirit within you that you are led to behold the Truth in the Letter of the holy Scriptures and that by comparing Scripture with Scripture you receive full satisfaction concerning the Truth you lay hold upon Let this go before and then your Zeal in worshipping of God by it and in bearing a Testimony for it follow after How many Persons are exceeding zealous for things which they practise in their Religious Worship that they have no ground for from the holy Scriptures and do place all their hope in this their superstitious Zeal not being brought in the least to witness the dealings of God with their Hearts What mischievous work hath blind Zeal made in the Christian World All the Sufferings and Troubles that have befallen the Children of God in all Ages have come in by it true Zeal desires to destroy Error and to save the Person that is carried away with it false Zeal falls upon the Person and endeavours to ruin the outward Man for the pretended Errors of the inward Man Where Persons are one with you in the Foundation and do walk with God by Faith answerable to their discoveries of Truth tho you should differ from them in many other things let your Moderation be shewn towards them And for those that may differ from you in the Publick Worship of God upon further discoveries of Light received have you a care of condemning any such of being guilty of Error before you are able from the Letter of the Scripture to lay open their Error It is the Scripture laid down in the Letter that is the Rule and not Mens Consequences from it Consequences may be allowed to strengthen the Rule but must not be allowed to be added to it 6thly Endeavour to get imprinted upon your Minds the necessity of a holy Conversation before Men this is that which keeps up the Credit of Religion in the World in despite of all its Adversaries The World knows how to deal with Religion when they meet it in a loose Professor but they know not what to say to it nor how to deal with it when they meet it in a sincere self-denying Christian whose Conversation pleads for the Reality that is in Truth and gives a check to the Opposers of it By a holy Conversation we vindicate the Interest of the Son of God in the World and do invite poor Sinners that are convinced of the Evil that is in Sin to come and taste of that pleasant Fruit that the ways of Holiness do afford to those that walk in them There is a great difference betwixt the ways of Sin and Holiness Sin tho it affords a seeming Pleasure in the committing of it yet draws after it Guilt and Misery Holiness tho in the Acts of it we receive Reproach from the profane World a train of inward Peace and Comfort doth follow it A Profession of Words cannot be taking to any Person where the Conversation doth speak a quite contrary Language To be loose in Conversation under a pure Profession is for a Man to contrive how he may make himself the miserablest of Persons when he comes in Eternity The Prophet Isaiah speaking of the Gospel in Chap. 35. v. 8. saith And an High-way shall be there and a way and it shall be called the way of Holiness the unclean shall not pass over it but it shall be for those the way-faring Men tho Fools shall not err therein It shall be called the way of Holiness the unclean shall not pass over it Where pardoning Grace is inwardly received for all Sins the Soul under the sense of Divine Love hath an inward hatred against the very nature of Sin begotten in it and an inward yearning after Holiness as that which adds Strength and Vigor to the new Creature in the Souls of the Saints Where there is inward Strength and Vigor in the Soul against that Corruption which hinders Communion there will be a watchfulness against those things that tend to the dishonouring of God by our Conversation Holiness inwardly and sincere Obedience outwarldy are so inseparable that whoever hath the one it is impossible but he must have the other As by a growth in Sin Sinners do ripen for Hell and eternal Misery so by Holiness Saints do ripen for Heaven and eternal Glory Holiness makes us meet for the Heavenly Canaan without Holiness no Communion with God in this Life without Holiness no Enjoyment of God in Glory and as it makes us meet for the new Jerusalem so without Holiness no entering into that holy City Rev. 21.27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth neither whatsoever worketh Abomination or maketh a Lie but they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life I shall conclude this Book and my Directions to you with the words of the Apostle Paul to the Philippians Chap. 4. v. 8 9. Finally my Children whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any Vertue think on these things Those things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen of me do and the God of Peace shall be with you FINIS The Contents PART I. Chap. I. OF the first Adam the Excellency of the State in which he was created page 1. Chap. II. Of the Nature of the first Covenant-light in the state of Innocency page 4. Chap. III. Of Adam's Fall the miserable change of his Condition thereby how all his Offspring were included in it page 13. Chap. IV. Of God's Image on the Heart of Adam how it discovers it self in the Hearts of his fallen Children The nature of the leadings of that first Covenant-light and the Condition of those that stand under the highest attainment of it page 25. PART II. Clearing that the Covenant of Grace and Redemption is but one and the same Chap. I. Of Election bottom'd on the Soveraignty of God How the Eternal Word united to Man's Nature is chose by electing Love as the Head of the Elect c. page 38. Chap. II. Of the Redemption of the Lord Jesus in two parts 1. Perfect Obedience to the Law 2. Satisfaction to the Penalty of it for the Elect c. page 47. Chap. III. Of Christ's Mediatorship in two parts 1. In sending the Spirit to fit for the publishing of the way of Salvation 2. For the Spirit 's accompanying the outward Declaration by opening the Heart c. page 61. PART III. Chap. I. Of the Publication of Gospel-Grace from the Fall to Abraham the Church-state during that Dispensation page 87. Chap. II. Of the Covenant made with Abraham and of the Old Testament Church-state what was required to be a Member of it page 92. Chap. III. Of the Ordinances of the Old Testament Church what they pointed at to the carnal Seed of Abraham and what to his spiritual page 97. Chap. IV. Of the New Testament Church and what 's requir'd to be a Member of it page 116. Chap. V. Of the Ordinances of the New Testament Church what is requir'd to fit for the partaking of them and what they hold out when administred according to the Rude of the Word page 132. PART IV. Being an Appendix which the Author leaves for a Legacy to his Children page 149. 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sitting And there appeared unto them cloven Tongues as of Fire and it sat upon each of them And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other Tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance As their Commission was to preach the Gospel to all Nations so the Qualification for the Work was agreeable to the Commission Where Persons do pretend to the same Commission with the Apostles and that they have as large an extent of Power and Jurisdiction as they had and want the Qualification wherewith they were endued they carry saith the learned Dr. Owen the mark of Antichrist in their Foreheads That this Qualification for the first publishing of the Gospel did proceed from the Intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ as Mediator for the gathering of the Elect out of the World will appear if we compare these two following Scriptures one with another Acts 2.32 33. This Jesus hath God raised up whereof we all are Witnesses Therefore being by the right-hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear Compared with Acts 10.34 35 36 43 44. Then Peter opened his Mouth and said Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of Persons But in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh Righteousness is accepted of him The Word which God sent unto the Children of Israel preaching Peace by Jesus Christ he is Lord of all To him give all the Prophets witness that through his Name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of Sins While Peter spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the Word In Acts 2.32 33. the Qualification is laid down without which Peter had been unable to preach the Gospel to those of Cesarea here is the Holy Ghost as a fruit of the Lord Jesus's Intercession attending the outward preaching of the Gospel and setting it home upon the Heart with Power the outward preaching of the Gospel being the instrumental means appointed to gather the Elect out of the World unto God Rom. 10.17 So then Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God By the Word of God here is meant the Declaration of the Gospel The outward Declaration of the Gospel doth contain in it these Truths appointed by God for the Salvation of the Elect the Holy Ghost removes the Vail of Darkness from the Heart subjects the Heart unto the Truth and inclines the Heart to join with it I come in the second place to treat of the ordinary Qualification to preach the Gospel without which a Person can have no real Satisfaction to his own Soul that he is called of God to that great Work and Service The extraordinary Qualisication and the ordinary Qualification do not differ in a different Declaration of Truths delivered but in a different work of the Spirit upon the Heart in discovering one and the same Truth the one having it by the immediate impulse of the Spirit of God overpowering all the Faculties of the Soul and making it stoop to the leadings of the Spirit in the other the holy Spirit works not so powerfully but by giving in of Light to behold the Truth already delivered in the Word and sealed by Miracle gives a Gift of utterance to declare it unto others For the clearing up this Qualification I shall compare two Scriptures Ephes 4.7 8. But unto every one of us is given Grace according to the measure of the Gift of Christ Wherefore he saith When he ascended up on high he led Captivity captive and gave Gifts unto Men. Which Gifts to Men he tells us in ver 12. are for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ the Body of Christ taking in the Saints until Christ's second appearance The Gifts here intended must be meant the ordinary Qualifications of the Spirit for the work of the Ministry as the means appointed by God to gather the Saints into one Body and to edify them when they are gather'd in until they be brought safe to the Mansions of Glory because the extraordinary Qualification did cease in a little time To clear up this a little further lock into 1 Pet. 4.10 11. As every Man hath received the Gift even so minister the same one to another as good Stewards of the manifold Grace of God If any Man speak let him speak as the Oracles of God if any Man minister let him do it as of the ability which God giveth that God in all things may be glorified through Jesut Christ to whom be Praise and Dominion for ever and ever Amen Here is contained in these words the Gift given from God the Father here is the Lord Jesus Christ through whose Intercession this Gift is given here is the nature of the Gift which is the Spirit 's inlightnings into the Oracles or holy Scriptures here is the twofold end God's Glory and the Saints Edification Where this Qualification is wanting the Soul can have no real Satisfaction that it is called of God to that Work and Service which I shall make appear by these following Rensons First Altho Learning be very serviceable in order to have recourse to the Original Text for the understanding the Letter of the Scripture in the Original for to stop the mouth of Gainsayers yet the Darkness which is upon the Soul by Nature is not thereby removed Neither can Learning of it self comprehend that inward Life and Virtue which breaths in the holy Scriptures The natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned Secondly Without this ordinary Qualification of which I have been speaking the Soul can have no real Satisfaction that it is called of God to the work of the Ministry of the Gospel because that altho by Learning many weighty Truths may be collected from the Writings of experienced Christians who have lived in the Power of Christianity yet the inward work of the Spirit being wanting in him that delivers them to others they give an uncertain sound there being a want of an inward sense of these Truths upon the Heart and often a great deal of Man's Corruptions mixt with them which they receive from the Vessel through which they pass Thirdly Without this ordinary Qualification of which I have been speaking the Soul can have no real Satisfaction that it is called of God to the work of the Ministry of the Gospel because without it the Heart is not engaged in the Work that such Persons take upon them neither are their Aims and Ends right in their entering upon this great Work nor in the carrying of it on the getting an outward Support in the World for themselves being the thing they are most concerned for Fourthly Without this ordinary Qualification of which I have been speaking the
take it up They look upon their Lord to be at present absent from them and therefore they are greatly concerned for his Truths white he is absent from the World they are willing to sacrifice their Interests in the World to the Interest of Christianity That Person hath great cause to question his Interest in Christ whose Will is not so far brought over to the Lord Jesus Christ as to become a Martyr for him upon the account of his Truths The Power to enable to go through so great a Work must come from God when call'd to it but they do not find a drawing back of the Will from it if he shall see it good to call them to it Being united to him what Privileges have they in present Possession and what Privileges have they in Reversion At present they are brought into the state of Children John 1.12 But as many at received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God even to them that believe on his Name Through him they witness what it is to have recourse to God as a Father and to be owned by him as his Children In Reversion they behold by Faith an eternal Inheritance and a redeemed Body 1 Joh. 3.2 Beloved now are we the Sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Compared with Rom. 8.16 17. The Spirit it self heareth witness with our Spirits that we are the Children of God And if Children then Heirs Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together The third thing is to shew how the Lord Christ is brought into Relation with God the Father and what those Privileges are that he enjoys by virtue of this Relation If I should speak of the Relation of the eternal Word with the Father which was from everlasting it cannot be declared by the Creature therefore to meddle with this were high Presumption I shall only speak of his Relation with the Father as the second Person in the Godhead join'd to our Nature and as so united he is stiled in Scripture the only begotten Son of God the Relation of his Divine Nature with the Father being not thereby dissolved but remaining firm and his human Nature taken in to share with the Divine Nature in this Relation And as so related he enjoys very great Privileges from the Father As first To share with him in Divine Honour Joh. 5.22 23. For the Father judgeth no Man but hath committed all Judgment unto the Son That all Men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father As we honour the Father as the giver of every good thing to us we honour the Son as the way through which it is given ver 27. And hath given him authority to execute Judgment because he is the Son of Man That is he shall externally sit on the Tribunal or Judgment-seat at the last day and shall sentence all Persons to their eternal state I come now to treat of that Work which the holy Spirit carries on in the Souls of the Saints The Children of God being brought by the Light of the first Covenant to see themselves under the Penalty of the Law do come to witness by inward Experience the truth of the Apostle's words Rom. 7.10 And the Commandment which was ordained to Life to the first Adam while in Innocency is to them the Messenger of Death Actual Sins which they have committed against God with the Penalty annex'd to them are in the Glass of the Law presented before them they are so far delivered from the Rock of Presumption that they are in danger of splitting upon the Rock of Desperation but that an everlasting Arm is put under to support them To these heavy-laden Sinners are the Tenders of Grace through a dear Redeemer presented outwardly and these doth the Spirit draw inwardly The Sins that they have committed outwardly and the Corruptions that they groan under inwardly are brought with them to the Lord Jesus Christ they have nothing to recommend themselves by to the Redeemer but an inward fight and feeling of the Misery that they groan under they see a real need of a Saviour and to these when laid hold of by Faith he is precious The Evidence of a real Closure with the Lord Jesus Christ and the acceptance of pardoning Grace through him doth manifest it self in a differrent manner All the Children of God have not alike Evidence of a Closure some come only to witness a Faith of dependance on him and upon Grace through him while others are taken into his Arms and imbraced by him and drink deep of the Enjoyment of God through him To each of these Conditions as having received through rich Grace some inward Experience of them upon my own Soul I shall treat And first Of the Faith of dependance which doth discover it self to the Souls of God's Children in this manner The Soul hath strongly born in by the holy Spirit some such absolute Promise as this John 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out They have the Evidences of the Father's giving them to him and of his driving them out of self-dependance to this Saviour they have the assurance in the Promise of his acceptance in these words him that cometh extended to every comer and they have the certainty of their Salvation that he will in no wise cast them out This or such like absolute Promises being not only born in but ingraven upon the Heart by the holy Spirit the Soul is inabled by Faith to feed upon and to rest upon for Comfort being throughly perswaded of the faithfulness of the Promiser and of his Ability to perform what he hath promised and from this doth the Soul draw inward Peace going a begging through the World for a more full discovery of their Souls Beloved to them and of the Fathers Love through him but are denied and many times do breath out their Souls unto God in words not much unlike their Lord's My God my God Why dost thou for sake me A Faith of dependance which knits the Soul to him is present but the Evidence of God's Presence with them is wanting It is upon an absolute Promise that I desire to close with Christ saith Mr. Cotton for if the Promise upon which thou closest be conditional there being a Failure through Frailty of the Condition the Comforts flowing from the Promise will thereby cease therefore saith he it is upon an absolute Promise that I desire to trust for Salvation 2ly I come in the next place to treat of that more full and clear Discovery of a closure with the Lord Jesus Christ and of the Father's Acceptance through him which the Holy Spirit doth bring some of the Children of God to
Soul can have no real Satisfaction that it is called of God to the work of the Ministry of the Gospel because there wants a Union by Faith with the Lord Jesus Christ from whence fresh Supplies should be drawn for the discharging of that great Work besides there wants the knowledg of the worth of poor Souls accompanied with yerning of the Bowels after their eternal good But Learning being put under the Qualification of which I have been speaking and brought to be a Servant to it is to be prised as a very choice Jewel Yet so greatly are Christians degenerated from the Power of Christianity that Learning is made the main thing in this day and their Hearts are taken up more with the curiousness of the Stile of the Minister than with a serious search about the matter delivered and so their Faith stands in the Wisdom of Man and not in the Power of God Having shewed that the extraordinary and the ordinary Qualification to dispense the Gospel with the holy Spirit 's accompanying of it as the instrumental means to gather the Elect out of the World unto God do depend upon the Intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ as being their Head and Mediator I proceed in the second place to shew that the keeping of them in the way of Salvation until they be brought to the Manisions of eternal Rest is committed to him and dependeth on him And under this Head I shall endeavour to shew the nature of that Work which the holy Spirit carries on in the Hearts of the Saints In shewing that the keeping the Saints in the way of Salvation until they be brought to the Mansions of eternal Rest doth depend upon the Lord Jesus Christ I shall consider the Power with which he is invested as the Church's Head his Prevalency with his Father for them and his unlimited Power over all the Church's Enemies for the Church's good Acts 2.36 Therefore let all the House of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ The Father hath given him to the Elect to be unto them Christ a Saviour that by feeding upon his Person by Faith they should find that comprehended in him which should be sufficient to keep them for ever in the Love and Favour of God and a Lord to them as having an unlimited Power vested in him Mat. 28.18 And Jesus came and spake unto them saying All Power is given unto me in Heaven and in Earth Compared with Ephes 1.22 23. And hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the Head over all things to the Church which is his Body by Church here is meant the whole Body of the Elect. For the good of these he is set over the holy Angels that they might be imploy'd by him for their good Heb. 1.14 Are they not all ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be Heirs of Salvation And gave him to be Head over all things to the Church not Head unto all things Neither Satan nor his Instruments have any benefit by this unlimited Power that the Father hath invested him withal but the Elect only yet his Power is of so large extent as to overturn all the Plots and Designs of Satan so as to make the issue of them end in the Church's good and his own Glory he countermines them and either takes out their Powder by which they designed to blow up the Church or in the springing of it makes the Ruin fall upon themselves In clearing up a little further this Soul-refreshing Truth I shall open the words of the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 11.3 But I would have you know that the Head of every Man is Christ and the Head of the Woman is the Man and the Head of Christ is God In opening the words of the Apostle we are to understand the Head of the Woman is the Man where the Woman is joyn'd in Marriage-Union to the Man and by the Head of every Man is Christ must be meant every elect Person who comes to witness a Union with him and by the Head of Christ is God we must understand him as having his Human Nature join'd to the second Person in the Godhead and so brought into a nigh relation with the Father Now that I may-come to some discovery of this glorious Mystery I shall consider the Relation which the Woman hath to her Husband by this Marriage-Union and the Privileges that she is invested with by this Relation That her Relation is very great doth appear in that of two Persons they are so far made one that ever after this Knot of Marriage is tied he looks upon her as a part of himfelf she loseth her own Name and takes the Name of her Husband thereby shewing that she is become a part of him and so great is her Privilege by this Union that how mean soever her Extraction hath been before Marriage it is from that time forward forgotten and she is made a sharer with her Husband in whatsoever Honour he is invested and whatever is confer'd upon him she becomes a sharer with him in it This saith the Apostle it a great Mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the Church That is he was for typifying out the Relation that was betwixt Christ and the Church by it And this leads me to the second thing in the Apostle's words viz. to shew how every elect Person doth become one with the Lord Jesus Christ and a sharer with him in the Honour the Father hath invested him withal Every elect Person doth become one with the Lord Jesus by the free tendering of himself to them this must be to bring about the Marriage And O what Condescension is here in this excellent Person that he should stoop so low to take such unworthy Creatures into so nigh a relation with himself Persons that before they become related to the Lord Jesus Christ are under the Penalty of the first Covenant that is are under the Sentence of the Law whose Threatnings are no less than eternal Misery an eternal Exclusion of Soul and Body from the Presence of God being that which is comprehended in the Sentence That this should be the state that the Elect are in before the offers of these Tenders and that Embassadors should be employ'd to make Tenders outwardly and the holy Spirit sent from the Bridegroom to draw the Hearts of the Elect to condescend to this Marriage-Union O wonderful amazing Work if we consider the different state that these two Parties are in before Marriage The Hearts of the Elect being drawn to accept him upon the terms he is offered with what Cheerfulness is the Heart given up to him to be one with him and how do they look upon themselves ever after this Union to be concerned in his Interest as it is in the World Doth it call for a daily bearing the Cross With what willingness of Heart do they come to it