that, if this name be fet in the front of our prayers and petitions, they will prevail, and obtain a hearing, and a gracious anfwer and return, John xiv. 13. "And whatfoever ye shall afk in my name, that will I do," &c. This name perfumes our prayers like incenfe.

9thly, It is a worthy name, James (ii. 7.) fpeaking of the rich man with the gold ring and gay clothing, tells us, they blafpheme that worthy name by the which ye are called;" the triumphant company in heaven know it to be fo, for they warble forth the praises of his name, faying, "Worthy is the Lamb that was flain," Rev. v.

1othly, It is a durable and everlasting name, Pfal. Ixxii. at the clofe. "His name fhall endure for ever, his name shall be continued as long as the fun; for men fhall be blessed in him, and all nations hall call him bleffed; and therefore bleffed be his glorions name for ever, and let the whole earth be filled with his glory." This name will make fweet melody in heaven, through all eternity.

Now, Sirs, what think you of the Bridegroom, when you hear of his name? will you match with him? will you marry him? if thy heart can fay, "O, if I had ten thousand hearts and hands, I would give them all to him." Well, if this be the language of thy heart, it is a done bargain; he is thy Bridegroom, and thou art his bride, the Lamb's wife.

Queft. 2. Oh I would hear more about him! Will you tell me what is the Bridegroom's pedigree and parentage? of whom is he defcended? Anfw. I can tell you fome things anent his genealogy: "He is of the feed of David according to the feth," he is the offspring of ancient kings, as you may fee from his genealogy, Matth. i. and Luke iii. If you ask anent his divine pedigree, he " is the only begotten of the Father, and the brightnefs of his glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon." But as to the manner of his generation, who can declare it! this is a fecret, and fecret things belong unto the Lord. Only from this hint you may fee, the Bridegroom is fo honourably defcended, that it is a wonder he should match with any of the fallen tribe of Adam.

Queft. 3. What is the Bridegroom's perfonal worth and excellency? Anfw. There is fuch a divine glory in his perfon, that the luftre of it darkens the fun in the firmament, that it appears to be as fackloth and darkness. Such glory is in his perfon, as dazzles the eyes of angels to behold him, If. vi. They cover their faces with their wings, crying, one to another, "Holy, holy, holy Lord of hofts," &c. All the perfec ses of the Deity fhine with a meridian luftre and glory in he werton of our gloricus Bridegroom. The fulness of the Godhead

Godhead dwells in him bodily. He is "in the form of God, and thinks it not robbery to be equal with God." So glorious is the person of the Bridegroom, that he captivates every eye and heart that beholds him, and imparts his glory, in fome measure, to every foul that looks on him by the eye of faith, 2 Cor. iii. 18. " But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glafs, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the fame image, from glory to glory," &c. The bride, by looking on the glory of the Bridegroom, is made like the "king's daughter, all glorious within, and to look forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the fun, and terrible as an army with banners: O go forth, ye daughters of Zion," and behold his glory.

Queft. 4. What are the endowments and qualifications of the Bridegroom? Anfw. His qualifications are fo rare and fingular, that tongue cannot tell them, nor heart conceive them. Only, to commend him to your esteem, love, and affections, there are thefe few qualifications that may recommend him to any rational foul.

1. For beauty, he is white and ruddy, the chiefeft among ten thousand, his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars, fairer than the children of men, and altogether lovely."

2. For wisdom, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in him :" he is wife in heart, and mighty in counsel. So wife, that he has outwitted all the power and policy of hell and earth: although his enemies dig counfel as deep as hell, yet hell and deftruction being naked before him, he just takes the wife in their own craftinefs, and the counsel of the froward he carrieth headlong; and he imparts wisdom unto the fimple bride, making her wife unto falvation, acquainted with the mysteries of the kingdom, which are hid from the wife and prudent of the world.

3. For riches, the Bridegroom that offers to match with you is immenfely rich; he is a man of fubftance indeed, and he causes those that love him to inherit fubftance; his riches are unfearchable, Eph. iii. 8. his riches are durable, Prov." viii. 18.

4. For honour, he is renowned in heaven and earth, having a name above every name that can be named; Prov. viii. 18. "Honour and riches are with me." Honour and majefty are before his face; and he makes all that believe on him honourable, If. xliii. 2. "Ever fince thou waft precious in my fight, thou haft been honourable," &c. 1

5. For ftrength, he is the man of God's right-hand, whom he has made strong for himself. The ftrength of omnipotence is in him, for he is the mighty God, If. ix. 6. and the Al

mighty,

mighty, Rev. i. 8. He came from Edom, and from Bozra, "travelling in the greatness of his ftrength, fhewing himself mighty to fave."

6. For authority, he has power over all flesh, "that he may give eternal life to as many as the Father hath given him. All power is his in heaven and in earth; things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, yea, every knee must bow unto him, and every tongue muft confefs, that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

7. For meekness and lowlinefs, he is incomparable, and propofes himfelf as the great pattern of it for our imitation, Matth. xi. 29. "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly."

8. For conftancy in his love, in his promifes, and in all his amiable excellencies, he is Chrift Jefus, "the fame to-day, yesterday, and for ever." His name is, "I AM; he rests in his love, and changes not, therefore the fons of Jacob are not confumed." His promifes are not like the promises of men, yea to-day, and nay to-morrow; no, but "all the promises of God are in him yea and amen; one jot or tittle of what he fays fhall never pafs away; the mountains fhall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindnefs thall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, faith the Lord, that hath mercy upon thee." Thefe are fome, and but a fmall part, of the qualifications of the bleffed Bridegroom: "Goforth, then, ye daughters of Zion, and behold him."

MATTH. XXV. 6-And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him.

THE SECNOD SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

THE

HE third thing propofed in the general method was, to fpeak a little of the Bride, for where there is a bridegroom, there muft of neceflity be a bride. And here the bride of Chrift may be viewed in a three-fold fituation; either 1. As in a ftate of nature; 2. As in a ftate of grace; or, 3. As in a state of glory.

(1.) Let us view her as in her natural ftate, and fo we shall and her in a doleful and deplorable condition (I fpeak of the elect, whether perfonally or collectively confidered). If we view her in her natural defcent and pedigree, the is a corrupt branch, fprung of the rotten root of the firft Adam conceived in fin, brought forth in iniquity, altogether as an unclean thing, black like the Ethiopian, by lying among the pots of hell, Ezek. xvi. Chrift there puts his church and people in mind of their natural condition, ver. 3-6. where, by a lively metaphor of a new born infant, the Lord reprefents the condition of all man

kind.

1. "Thy navel was not cut," i. e. juft feeding and living upon things below, for "that which is born of the flesh is flesh." Man's nature fucks in the poifon of carnal things, and to be carnally minded is death.

2. "Thou waft not falted at all." Salt preferves from putrefaction. The fpirit and grace of God is fometimes likened unto falt, "have falt in yourfelves." Now, man by nature is quite deftitute of this falt, and fo must be wholly putrefied and corrupted, therefore likened unto a putrefied carcafe, Rom. iii. or an open fepulchre.

3. "No eye pitied thee, to do any of thefe things unto thee," &c. Man of all creatures is the moft helpless when he is new born, efpecially if caft out in the open field. What can a finner do for himself? or what can angels or men do for him? The whole creation ftand aloof, and cry, We cannot help you out from under the curfe of the law, or the wrath of an angry God.' And therefore he muft inevitably perish, like the new born infant, caft out to the open field, unless some one take it up.

Now this is the condition of Chrift's bride when he fet his love upon her, as you fee in the 6th and 8th verses of the fame xvi. of Ezek. and "when I paffed by thee, and faw thee polluted in thine own blood, I faid unto thee, when thou waft in thy blood, Live," &c. We have another very clear defcription of man in his natural ftate, Eph. ii. 5-12. "And you hath he quickened who were dead in trefpaffes and fins,' &c.; and Titus iii. 3. "For we ourselves alfo were fometimes foolish, difobedient, deceived, ferving divers lufts and pleafures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one ano. ther." Thus you fee how the Spirit of God defcribes the natural condition of all mankind. Oh how may it fill us with admiration, to think that fuch a creature fhould become a bride to the Son of God! and yet his love furmounts all; "O the heighth, the depth, the breadth, and length of the love of God."

(2.) Let

(2.) Let us view the bride as in a state of grace, and fee what a ftrange alteration free grace makes upon her. This is alfo fet forth in Ezek. xvi. by an elegant metaphor, from ver. 6.-14.

1. He quickens her and gives her life, ver. 6. “I said unto thee, Live."

2. He cafts the fkirt of his everlasting righteousness over her, ver. 8.

3. He takes her unto a marriage-relation with himself, within the bond of the covenant, ver. 8.

4. He washes and cleanfes her with the washing of regeneration, ver. 9.

5. He anoints her with the oil of his Spirit.

6. He decks and adorns her with the ornaments of holinefs, the graces of his Spirit, ver. 11. 12.

7. He confers royal dignity upon her, ver. 12. at the close ; puts a crown upon her head.

8. He makes her perfect and complete in himself, through the comeliness he puts upon her, ver. 14. Thus you fee what the love of Chrift doth for his bride, while yet only in time of efpoufals.

(3. We might also view her in a ftate of glory, when the marriage fhall be confummate at Chrift's fecond coming, but this is what "eye hath not feen, nor ear heard," nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive. Only I refer you to two or three texts, that give us a glimpse of the glory that Chrift will then confer upon his bride, Matth. xiii. 43. "They shall shine forth as the fun in the kingdom of their Father." Dan. xii. 3. "They that be wife fhall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness, as the ftars for ever and ever." Col. iii. 4. "When Chrift alfo who is our life fhall appear, then shall ye appear with him in glory." 1 John iii. 2. " Beloved, now are we the fons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we fhall be; but we know, that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we fhall fee him as he is," &c. Thus I have given you a fhort account of the bride in her natural ftate, and in a ftate of grace and glory.

IV. The fourth thing was to speak a little of the coming of the Bridegroom. Behold the Bridegroom cometh.

Now, to clear this matter, I would have you to know, that I do not at prefent fpeak either of Chrift's first coming in the flef, or of his fecond coming unto judgement. His firft coming in the flesh was to purchase a bride for himfelf by his

obedience