The third queftion, For what end and purpose are we called to go out and meet the Bridegroom?

ift, We are to go out and behold him, and contemplate his glory, Cant. iii. laft, "Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon," &c. If. xlii. 1. "Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my foul delighteth," &c. The Lord, by the prophet, had been reproving the nations for their idolatry, in the clofe of the preceding chapter, ver. 29. "Behold they are all vanity, their works are nothing, their molten images are wind and confufion." Well, to take their hearts off their idols, he prefents them with an object worthy of their looks: It is as if the Lord had faid, Turn away your eyes from beholding vanity, and behold "mine elect in whom my foul delighteth," &c. As if he had faid, He is worthy to be beheld, and, if you knew him, you would think little of all other objects that take up your mind.

2dly, We are to go out, and admire and wonder at the glory of his perfon and mediation; for one of the names of the Bridegroom is Wonderful, If. ix. 6. Admire the union of the two natures in him, "for without controverfy great is the myftery of godlinefs, God was manifefted in the fleth; admire the heighth, the depth, the breadth, and the length, of the love of God," in matching with our nature, that he might be a fit Bridegroom for us, and match with our perfons: "Verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the feed of Abraham." Admire the exploits he has wrought in the great workof our redemption; he has brought over an angry and offended God, to be a God with us Admire how he has bruifed the head of the ferpent, finithed tranfgreffion, made an end of Gin, a ade reconciliation for iniquity, brought in an everlasting righteousness, and confirmed the covenant with many, and made the facrifice and oblation to ceafe. Oh! how fhould thefe things make us cry out with admiration, as the church doth, If. lxiii. 1. "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with died garments from Bozrah," &c.

dly, We fhould go out and meet him fo as to match with him, for he is the Bridegroom, and wants a bride among the fons of men, Prov. viii. 30. The day of his efpoufals with any poor foul is the day of the gladness of his heart; he just rejoi ces over that poor foul that gives its conf nt to take him for a Hufband, as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, and the report of it reaching heaven, makes all the angels and fpirns of just men mad perfect to rejoice with ham O then go out and meet him, and prefent yourfelves as chatte virgins to this one Hufband.

4thly, Go out and meet him, and leaft with him, and feed VOL. III.

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upon him, for the Bridegroom and his royal Father has provided a banquet for every one that will come to the marriage, and he has fent forth his fervants, faying, "Tell them who are bidden, Behold I have prepared my dinner, my oxen, and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage," Matth. xxii. 4. lf. xxv. 6. "And in this mountain fhall the Lord of hofts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feaft of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined," Prov. ix. 1.-3. &c.

5thly, Go out and meet him, and lift with him, for the Bridegroom is a "man of war, and the armies which are in heaven follow him," Rev. xix. 14. Virgin fouls are faid to "follow the Lamb, whitherfoever he goeth," Rev. xiv. 4. and they that follow him, he makes them all conquerors, yea, more than conquerors, and admits them as fuch to fit with him upon his throne, as he alfo overcame, and is fet down with the Father upon his throne, Rev. iii. at the close. Sirs, we are the recruiting officers of the Bridegroom, the Captain of salvation, who leads many fons unto glory. We want you to take on in the fervice of the King of kings, and Lord of lords, that under his victorious banner, you may wage war against fin, Satan, and the world, which he came to destroy.

Queft. 4. You call us to go out and meet the Bridegroom, Where may we meet him? Oh! may fome poor foul fay, That I knew where I might find him. Oh! tell me where he feedeth, and where he maketh his flocks to reft at noon.' Anfw. Although the Bridegroom, as to his human nature, be in heaven, and in this refpect the heavens are to "receive him until the times of reftitution of all things;" yet he is to be found any where upon earth as to his divine, fpiritual, gracious prefence, by these that are really seeking after fellowship and communion with him by faith, in the ways and means of his own appointment: and this is what he has promifed to his church, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. In all places where I record my name, I will come unto thee, and I will blefs thee. Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." So that I fay, there is as real communion and fellowship to be had with Chrift now, though afcended, as ever his difciples had when he was going out and in among them, in a state of humiliation here upon earth; hence fays the apostle John concerning Chrift, after he was gone away to heaven, 1 John i. 3. " Truly our fellowship is with the Fa ther, and with his Son Jefus Chrift."

But Oh, fay you, Will you tell me more particularly where

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I may meet him and find him? Anfa. He is fo fond of a meeting with finners, that he is fometimes, yea, many times, found of them that feek him not, as in the cafe of Paul going a black errand to Damafcus, and poor Zaccheus upon the fycamore tree, feeking only to fatisfy his curiofity: and if fo, much more will he be found of them that feek him in the ways of his appointment; for he has faid, he meeteth him that rejoiceth and worketh righteoufnefs, thofe that remember him. in his ways.

Queft. What are thefe ways and means of his appointment where I may meet the Bridegroom, and have fellowship with him?

Anfw. He is fometimes found in the mount of fecret meditation, "while I was muling, the fire burned," fays David. Many a fweet interview have the fouls of believers with Chrift in meditation, Pfal. Ixiii. 6. "When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate upon thee in the night watches -ver. 5. My foul fhall be fatisfied as with marrow and fatnefs." He is to be met with in fecret prayer, "Then fhall ye find me, when ye feek me, and fearch after me with all your hearts." In this daty Jacob found the Lord, and wreftled for the bleffing till break of day, and like a prince prevailed, Hof. xii. 3.4. "He took his brother by the heel, in the womb, and by his ftrength he had power with God: Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made fupplication unto him: He found him at Bethel," &c. compared with Gen. xxxii. 24-26. "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him, until the breaking of the day. And when he faw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Les me go, for the day breaketh; and he faid, I will not let thee go, except thou blefs me." He is to be met with in the duty of perfonal, family, or public fafting and humiliation, "But to this man will I look, who is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." He is to be met with in the duty of Chriftian conference and fellowship, when they that feared the Lord ipake often one to another, the Lord hearkened and heard." He is to be met with in reading and fearching the feriptures, John v. 39. "Search the fcriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which teftify of me." While the Ethiopian eunuch was reading his Bible, the Lord met him in the miniftry of Philip, infomuch that he "went on his way rejoicing." Many a fweet glimpfe of the glory of the Bridegroom has the bride, while the is looking after him, through the glafs of the revelation, 2 Cor. iii. lait, "We all

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with open face, beholding as in a glafs the glory of the Lord, are changed into the fame image, from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord" He is especially to be found in the gates of Zion, the public ordinances of his worship, where his people attend upon him in their affemblies, for prayer, for praife, for preaching and hearing the gofpel, and for the celebration of the facraments of baptifm and the Lord's fupper in a folemn manner; "the Lord loves these gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob." These are the streets and broad ways where the fpoufe fought him, Cant. iii. It is true the miffed him for a while, but, at length, fhe met the Bridegroom, and was in cafe to fay, "I found him whom my foul loveth, I held him and would not let him go." David faw his power and glory in his fanctuary; hence Pfal. lxxxiv. he declares how amiable his tabernacles were unto him; "A day (fays he) in thy courts is better than a thousand; I had rather be a door-keeper in the houfe of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness."

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He is especially to be met with in the breaking of bread at a communion table for the cup which we blefs, it is the communion of the blood of Chrift; and the bread which we break, it is the communion of the nody of Chrift." Here the bleffed Bridegroom is to be feen in his dyed garments; for, out of love to his bride, he troce "the wine prefs alone, when of the people there were none with him." If that question be put to him, "Why art thou red in thine apparel, as one that treadeth the wine fat? He may well anfwer, It is no wonder my apparel be red, for I was "wounded for thine iniquities, and bruifed for thy tranfgreffions."

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

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THE FOURTH SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

HE fifth queftion was, Who are they that ftand faireft for a meeting with the Bridegroom in love and

mercy?

Anfau. What God may do, in a way of fovereign grace, for Christlefs,

Chriftless, unbelieving, and profane tinners, who are in covenant with death, and at agreement with hell, we know not, for he can pluck a brand out of the fire, and take the prey from the mighty, when and how he pleafes. He catches the wild afs in his mouth, that is fnuffing up the east wind of fin and vanity. Only when you are running in the broad way to hell, you have no reafon to look for any thing but that indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, that is denounced against every foul that worketh evil. You that are among the rank of the foolish virgins, that are contenting yourfelves with the empty lamp. of a profession, and fleeping and flumbering away the day of grace, without buying the oil of grace for your lamps; you fee, in the clofe of this parable, what you are to look for, even to meet with a fhut door, and when you fhall cry out of time, Lord, Open to us, he anfwers, Depart, I know you not.

But I do not speak of you, or the like of you, at prefent: but poor fouls that are really exercised about foul matters, and are taken up with the Bridegroom and fellowship with him. I will tell you of fome that stand fair for a comfortable meeting with the bleffed Bridegroom, in the ordinances and means he has appointed for that end and purpose.

1. You who, like the wife virgins, are not fatisfied with the lamp of a profeffion, but are buying oil for your veffels, while, the market of grace is ftanding. You fee the wife virgins go out and meet the Bridegroom, and enter into the marriage with him.

2. You who love the Bridegroom, and remember his words with pleasure, rolling them like a sweet morfel under your tongue, he has promifed that ye fhall have a meeting with hi, John xiv. 23. "If a man love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and bake our abode with him.

3. You that quit and renounce the covenant of works, made with the firit Adam, and are taking hold of a covenant of grace and promife, made with a fecond Adam, you stand fair for a meeting with the Bridegroom. I give you his promife to lean upon, If. lvi. 4. 5. "For thus faith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my fabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant: even unto them will I give, in mine houfe, and within my walls, a place and a name, better than of fons and of daughters. I will give them an everlasting na ne, that shall not be cut off." And it is again repeated, ver. 7. "Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my houfe of prayer; their

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