radife of pleafure, and made him lord of all the works of his hand, fo that he wanted for nothing to make him happy. But it was fome abatement and diminution of his happiness, when he wanted one like himself, as a confort to enjoy the fame happiness with him. For it is the obfervation, even of a heathen philofopher, there is no pleasant or comfortable enj ɔyment of any happiness alone: and therefore God himself faid concerning Adam, "It is not good that the man should be alone" thereby intimating, that it would add to his happiness if he had a creature of his own ftamp and mould to converfe with, and fhare of his happiness. Now, in this, the first Adam was a figure of him that was to come; the bleffed Bridegroom of fouls, Chrift Jefus, was happy from eternity, and poleffed all divine perfection and glory. But he refolves to have a bride, a confort for himfelf, that might fhare with him of the fame happiness and glory, that he himfelf was poffeffed of. And for this end, he cafts his eyes upon the fallen tribe of Adam, lying in their blood, and choofes a bride and spouse for himfelf there. Hence, Prov. viii. 30. He is faid, before the creation of the world, to rejoice in the habitable parts of the earth, his delights were with the fons of men; the defire of his eyes and heart was among them, in prospect of a marriage union with them.

2dly, The first woman, you know, was taken out of Adam's fide, when he was caft into a deep fleep: hence, fays the apostle, "the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man." Juft fo, in the fpiritual marriage, the bride and fpoufe of Chrift, is (as it were) taken out of his fide, when he flept the fleep of death upon the crofs, and in the fepulchre. The church is juft founded in the blood of Christ. His death was her life; the price of our redemption is not by "filver or gold, or fuch corruptible things, but the precious blood of Chrift the Lord."

3dly, The man and the woman are of one common nature. Juft fo is it in this fpiritual marriage, Heb. ii. 11. "Both he that fanctifieth, and they that are fanctified, are all of one, wherefore he is not afhamed to call them brethren." The Bridegroom, indeed, as to his divine nature, is the Son of God, the second Perfon of the glorious Trinity, and fo of a nature quite different from ours, and fo intinitely above us, that there could be no marriage between him and us; but in the fulness of time he was made of a woman, made under the law, that fo, being upon a level with us, he might be made like unto us in all things, and betrothe us unto himself as his beloved fpoufe and bride.

4thly, We are told, Gen. ii. 22. That when God had formed the woman of a rib taken out of the man's fide, he brought

her

her to the man; fhe did not know that there was fuch a crea ture as Adam in the world; and therefore could never have come to him unless fhe had been brought: Just fo the bride and fpoufe of Chrift, the fecond Adam, is by nature ignorant of God, and his Son Chrift Jefus, and would never come to him, unless the were brought to him by the power of God, John vi. 44. "No man (fays Chrift) can come unto me, except the Father which hath fent me, draw him." To the fame purpofe is that ver. 4. 5. "Every man, therefore, that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” Queft. What way is that? Anfw. He enlightens the mind in the knowledge of Chrift, renews the will; and fo perfuades and enables us to receive the Bridegroom, as he is freely prefented in the gospel,' Pfal. cx. 3.

5thly, Whenever Eve was prefented to Adam, he gladly and joyfully received her, and exprefled his fatisfaction with her, faying, "This is bone of my bones, and flesh of my Hefh." Juft fo, whenever a poor finner is determined by the Father to come unto Chrift, O how doth he rejoice, and how gladly doth he entertain him. This is " the day of his efpoufals, and the day of the gladnefs of his heart." "All that the Father giveth me fhall come unto me, and him that cometh to me, I will in no ways caft out." This is fignified by the reception of the prodigal, Luke xv.

6thly, In marriage between man and woman, both parties quit their former relatives in fome refpect, that they may cleave to one another; "For this caufe fhall a man leave father and mother, and fhall cleave to his wife;" and the wife, on the other hand, doth the fame. Just fo is it between Chrift and his bride. Chrift, the bleffed Bridegroom, when he had his bride to redeem and purchase, he left the bofom of his Father, and the glory of the higher houfe, that he might accomplish our redemption, at the expence of his death; and when he had a mind for a bride among the Gentiles, he forfook his mother's houfe, namely, the Jewith church, that he might betrothe her unto himself for ever. It is with a particular view unto the Gentiles, that he fays, If. liv. 6. "Thy Maker is thine Hufband." And, on the other hand, the foul truly fpoufed unto Chrift, the Bridegroom, is faid to forger her own people and her Father's house, Pfal. xlv. 10. "Hearken, O daughter, and confider, incline thine ear; forget fo thine own people, and thy Father's houfe." The meaning is, that he gives up with the devil, the world, and the lufts of the flesh, or the law as a covenant, unto which he had been cleaving, and fays, "O Lord, other lords befides thee

*See Shorter Catechifm, Q. What is effectual calling?

have had dominion over me;" but now I will be under the law to Chrift, as my only Lord and Lawgiver.

Other particulars of this nature might be added, but fome of them may occur afterwards; thefe that I have named are fufficient to fhew, that there is a wonderful fibness between Christ in heaven, and the church of believers on earth, and that Infinite Wifdom has feen fit to paint out and decypher the marriage union between Chrift and his church, by the re-. lation between the husband and the wife; which made the apostle fay, when difcourfing of the relation between husband and wife, Eph. v. ult. "This is a great mystery; but I fpeak concerning Chrift and the church."

Inf. 4. See from this doctrine, what happy and honourable perfons believers are, and why they are called the excellent ones of the earth, with whom is all Chrift's delight. Why, they are the bride of an honourable Bridegroom. Oh! who is fo well matched? Every believer is married to his Maker, to the Prince of life, the Lord of glory, the Heir of God; and he makes his bride alfo an heir of God, and a joint heir of all things with himfelf. There are two or three myfteries, or feeming contradictions, about the bride of Christ, (1.) She is bafely, and yet honourably defcended. If we view the believer as to his natural birth and pedigree, he is a child of the devil, and an heir of hell; and O! what a wonder is it, that ever the Son of God should match with fuch a creature? But, by her new birth and adoption, fhe has the blood royal of heaven in her veins, John i. 13. "Born not of blood, nor of the will of the flef, nor of the will of man, but of God." (2.) Chrift's bride is black, and yet beautiful, "I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerufalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon." View her in her natural Rate, or as he is haraffed with Satan, the world, and indwelling corruption, the is black and ill hued; but yet the is comely, through the comelinefs of the Lord her God; he fays of her, "Thou art all fair, my love, there is no fpot in thee." (3.) Chrift's bride is naked, and yet well arrayed; naked in herielf, quite deftiture of all righteoufnefs: "There is none righteous; no, not one." But the Bridegroom decks her with the garments of falvation, and with a robe of righteoufnets, If. ixt. 10. (4) She is poor, and y t poffeffled of great riches: In herself confidered; th is poor, and has nothing but poverty, wretchednefs, and mifery, yea, drowned in debt to law and justice; but yet, by virtu of her marriage relation to the bridegroom, the is poff ffed of unfcarchable riches, and gold better than the gold or Ophir. In a word, the is condemned in the court of law, of juftice, of confcience; and

yet,

yet, by virtue of her relation to Chrift the Bridegroom, fhe is abfolved and difcharged, and can lift up her head and fay, "Who can lay any thing to my charge? It is God that juftifieth, who is he that condemneth?" Thus you see what happy and honourable perfons believers are, by virtue of their marriage relation to Chrift.

Inf. 5. From this doctrine we may fee the folly, madness, and mifery, of a carnal, Chriftlefs, and unbelieving world, (who fall in among the rank of the foolish virgins). Why, although they be called, as well as the wife virgins, to go out and meet the Bridegroom, they yet lie ftill flumbering and fleeping in their beds of floth, faying, "yet a little fleep, a little flumber, a little folding of the hands to fleep," neglect to buy oil for their veffels, and fo do not go out to meet the Bridegroom, but lie fill in the embraces of fome luft and idol or other, which they prefer unto Christ, the glorious Bridegroom: O! "be aftonifhed, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very defolate," at the folly of finners, who forfake their own mercy for lying vanities that cannot profit them. You prefer a foul-murdering luft to the glorious Bridegroom, like the Jews, who preferred Barabbas unto Jefus. "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and ye choose darknefs rather than light." And you have reafon to fear, left the Lord fay unto you, as he did unto Ephraim, "He is joined to his idols, let him alone."

Inf. 6. See the good office of the Spirit of God: why? he it is that teftifies of the glory of the Bridegroom, and enlightens the eyes of the poor finner to take up the glory of his perfon and mediation, and fo gains the confent of the bride; yea, he is the leading band of union between the parties, for he that is joined to the Lord is one fpirit."

Inf. 7. See the usefulness of a golpel miniftry: why, they are the friends of the Bridegroom, and come, by commifion from him, to court a bride for him among the fons of men. A faithful minifter travels as in birth till the match be made up; and, Oh! when the match is made, this is the joy and rejoicing of their hearts, for they are their crown and rejoicing in the day of the Lord. They that are won to confent to the Bridegroom, and to go cut and meet him, will be ready to fay, "How beautiful, upon the mountains, are the feet of them that preach the gofpel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things."

Inf. 8. See the excellency of the grace of faith. It is the. band of union, whereby we are married to Chrift, as our Hufband; for it includes the affent and confent of the foul unto this better Husband, whereby we come to be betrothed

unto

1

unto him for ever. Not to infift upon particulars, it is by faith that we put on Chrift as the Lord our righteoufnefs. By faith the bride receives out of Chrift's fulness grace for grace, whereby the heart is purified, the old man crucified, and the body of fin deftroyed, that we may not ferve fin. By faith we overcome the world, 1 John v. 4. "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." By faith we refift the devil, and quench his fiery darts, Eph. vi. 12. And if you afk, how it is that faith does this? I anfwer, (1.) Faith brandishes the fword of the Spirit in the face of the enemy, as Chrift did, Matth. iv. faying, Thus and thus it is written. (2.) Faith takes up the blood of the Lamb, and prefents it to the enemy; at the fight of which he flies, remembering that by this blood his head was bruifed upon Mount Calvary, and therefore cannot endure the fight of it. Hence is that word, Rev. xii. 11. "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their teftimony. By faith we receive the great and precious promifes, whereby we are made partakers of the divine nature. All manner of grace is laid up in the promises, for the babes of grace, like milk in the breaft; and faith is the mouth of the foul, which, when applied to the breast, fucks in the fincere milk of the word, and of the grace of God by the word, whereby the foul is made to grow in grace, like a babe thriving upon the breast. But I pafs this ufe.

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

THE FIFTH SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

I go on to a fecond ufe of this doctrine, viz. by way of Triat

and Examination. And here there are two questions that naturally arife, 1. Have you matched with the Bridegroom? are you efpouled to that one Hufband. 2. Have you gone out and met the Bridegroom? has he and you had any pleafant and comfortable interviews ?

Quest. 1. Whether are you the bride? are you married

unte