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unto Chrift the bleffed Bridegroom of fouls? I offer the followin marks to clear you is to this.

Ift, The true bride of Chrift has the Bridegroom in great admiration; her esteem of him is fuch, that the just admires every thing in him and about him. She admires his perfonal glory, as IMMANUEL; the wonders that ever the second Perfon of the glorious Godhead should ever have past by the angelic nature, and joined hi felf in a perfonal union to the human nature, out of love to her, that he might be a help meet for her. Hence that word of the apostle is much in her mouth and heart, 1 Tim. i. 3. "Without controverẩy, great is the mystery of godlinefs," God was manifeft in the flef. Oh he is juft a Nonfuch!" as the apple tree among the trees of the wood. The chiefeft among ten thousand." And when the bride thinks of the love he bore to her before the world was made; and how, in the fulness of time, he came and spent his blood for her redemption; how in time. he drew her with the cords of love, conquered her enmity by fhedding abroad his love upon her heart; fhe is juft fwallowed up with admiration, and is ready to cry out, "O, what am I, or my house, that thou haft brought me hitherto! Is this the manner of men, O Lord God? O, what hath God wrought! O the heighth, the depth, the breadth, and the length of his love! It paffeth all knowledge."

2dly, The true bride of Chrift knows the voice of the Bridegroom, and is much delighted with the words of his mouth, "My sheep hear my voice," John x. You fee, Cant. ii. 8. how her heart flighters at the first opening of his lips, “It is the voice of my beloved :" It is fweeter to me than the melody of angels or archangels. Every word of the Bridegroom creates admiration in her heart, and the remembers them with delight and pleasure, Cant. ii. 10. "My Beloved spake, and said unto me, Rife up, my dove, my love, my fair one, and come away." Such words make her heart to glow and burn within her. O, fays Job, "I have efteemed the words of his mouth more than my neceffary food;" and O, fays David," the law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and filver, more to be defired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold, yea, fweeter alfo than honey, and the honey comb." O, fays Jeremiah, "thy words were found, and I did eat them, and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart."

3dly, Not only every word, but every thought of the Bridegroom, is a banquet unto the foul of the bride, "How precious alfo are thy thoughts unto me, O God. My medi

tation of him fhall be fweet: I will be glad in the Lord." So David, Pfal. civ. 34. and Pfal. Ixxiii. 6. "When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches;" ver. 5. 66 My foul fhall be fatisfied as with marrow and fatnefs." Many a fweet interview has the bride, with Chrift, upon the mount of meditation, which strangers. do not intermeddle with.

4thly, The true bride of Christ hates all his rivals. She is dead to the law her firft husband, and is ready to fay, through the law, am dead to the law." She is dead to fin, and crucifies the flesh, with the affections and lufts, though as dear as a right hand, or a right eye. She is dead to the world, and counts all its profits, pleafures, and honours, nothing but a mafs of vanity. "I am crucified to the world, and the world to me." Thus, I fay, the true bride of Christ hates all Chrift's rivals; "I count all things but lofs for the excellency of the knowledge of Chrift, and do count them but dung," &c. Yea, the is ready to part with all relations whatever for him, father, mother, wife, children, let them all go for him; yea, if her life comes in competition with Christ, the will be ready to fay, "I am ready not to be bound only, but to die," for the glory of the Bridegroom: "They loved not their lives unto the death," for the love that they bore unto the Lord Jefus.

5thly, The bride of Chrift has much truft and confidence to put in the Bridegroom, and by trufting in him is kept in perfect peace, and is filled with joy and peace in believing. She dares venture upon the greatest dangers, when called, upon the credit of his word, "Fear not, for I am with thee; be not difmayed, for I am thy God," &c. The very name of the Bridegroom is the ground of her truft, and is to her like a ftrong tower, where the flies and is fafe. The language of the bride's confidence towards the Bridegroom is that, Pfal. xxxvi. 7. "How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their truft under the fhadow of thy wings," and Pfal. xxvii. 5. For "in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion; in the fecret of his tabernacle fhall he hide me," &c.

6thly, The bride of Chrift has a great regard for his commands, and is ready to follow him whitherfoever he goes. The Bridegroom fays to the bride, "If ye love me, ye will keep all my commandments," John xiv.15.; and ver. 21. "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." The wife virgins will keep themfelves chafte for the fervice of the Bridegroom, and will not defile themVOL. III. felves

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felves with "the corruption that is in the world through luft." Hence is that, Rev. xiv. 4. fpeaking of the hundred forty and four thousand, that ftood with the Lamb upon Mount Zion: "These are they who were not defiled with women (ie. with the errors, idolatry, and abominations of Antichrift), for they are virgins: Thefe are they who follow the Lamb whitherfoever he goeth."

7thly, The true bride of Jefus holds faft the teftimony of Jefus, in oppofition to the devil, and the world, and all errors and corruptions that are caft out of hell in order to obfcure his declarative glory, Rev. xii. 17. There we are told, that the dragon "was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her feed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the teftimony of Jefus Christ." And if it be asked, What is the testimony of Jefus? it is answered, Rev. xix. 10. For "the teftimony of Jefus is the fpirit of prophecy," i. e. the "word of God, which holy men of God fpake as they were moved by the Holy Ghoft." Now, the true bride of Chrift "contends earneftly for this teftimony or faith which was once delivered unto the faints," and will receive no doctrine, no practice, no decifion, though it were of the general affembly of angels, but what quadrates or agrees with, and is founded upon this teftimony and word of Jefus; and this is what Chrift hath given in charge to his bride, the church, and every believer in particular, If. viii. 20. "To the law and to the teftimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

8thly, The bride of Chrift is very fond to bring forth a feed to ferve him; and for this end fhe ftudies to bring him to her mother's houfe, and the ordinances of his appointment. It is only his prefence in the church that makes the word effectual for the converfion of finners and the edification of faints; and therefore they that are married to the Bridegroom are fond to fee his power and glory in the fanctuary, that so it may be "faid of Zion, This and that man was born in her," Pial. lxxxvii. 5. and "who hath begotten me thefe," If.

xlix. 21.

9thly, The bride of Chrift longs fometimes for the confumuation of the marriage at death, especially at the laft judgen ent, when the collective body of Chrift fhall be made. fully up, and when the Bridegroom fhall prefent his bride to his Father, "not having fpot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing," and whe the "fhall fhine forth as the fun in the kingdon of her Father." Paul had this in his eye, when he faid, "There is laid up for me a crown of righteoufhefs, which the Lord,

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the righteous Judge, fhall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them alfo who love his appearing;" and the church, when the faid, Cant. viii. laft verfe, "Make hafte, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe, or to a young hart upon the mountains of fpices."

Second question for trial is, Have you had any meeting with the Bridegroom? Has he and you had any pleafant and comfortable interview? Did he draw near and manifeft himself to you, as he does not unto the world. I do not infift on this. Only in a few words:

ift, A meeting with Chrift, the Bridegroom, puts life, new life, into the languishing foul and fpirit of the bride; and no wonder, for he is "the refurrection and the life. He that hath the Son hath life."

adly, A meeting with Chrift, the Bridegroom, gives light to the bride when fitting in dark efs; and no wonder, for he is the bright and morning Star that brings day with him. He is the true light, and darkness evanishes before him.

3dly, A meeting with the Bridegroom fires the heart with love, that many waters cannot quench, and all floods are not able to drown. His banner is love, and the bride will follow the banner through life and death, Rom. viii. at the clofe.

4thly, A meeting with the Bridegroom brings liberty and enlargement of foul with it. The foul that was in bonds is made free by the Son; and then the foul fings, as in Pfal. cxvi. "O Lord, truly I am thy fervant, and the fon of thy handmaid: thou haft loofed my bonds:" and then it runs the way of his commandments, he having enlarged it.

5thly, A meeting with the Bridegroom quickens the longings of the foul for another meeting: For the bride never tires of his company; and when he is making as though he would withdraw, the hangs about him to detain him, faying, Oh! "Why fhouldst thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth afide to tarry for a night?" And when he is withdrawing, O, will the fay, "that I knew where I might find him! I charge you, O daughters of Jerufalem, if you find my Beloved, that ye tell him, that I am fick of love."

6thly, If you have met the Bridegroom, you will study to keep his room for him, until he return again. Chrift's bride will not play the harlot, or take up with other lovers in his abfence; and when enticed by the devil or the world, to join with them in fin, the true bride of Chrift will be ready to fay, with David, "Depart from me evil doers, for 1 will keep the commandments of my God;" or as Jofeph, wher

tempted

tempted by his adulterous mistress," How can I do this gre wickedness, and fin against my Lord," my bleffed Bridegroom, unto whom I have given heart and hand: And hence the true bride of Chrift is ready to refift even unto blood, ftriving against fin; she would rather venture upon the anger and difpleasure of all the world, than endure one frown of the Bridegroom's face; and therefore, having prefented herself as a chafte virgin unto Chrift, fhe ftudies to maintain her chaftity and purity.

7thly, Every meeting with the Bridegroom adds a new print or lineament of the beauty of the Bridegroom upon the foul of the bride. For, by beholding of his glory, we are changed into the fame image. Hence the world about them are ready to take knowledge of them, that they have been with Jefus: the light of Chrift's bride borrowed from the Bridegroom's company, fhines before men; fo that others feeing her good works are made to glorify the Bridegroom, in the way and deportment of the bride.

Sthly, Every meeting with the Bridegroom fills the foul of the bride with a holy blush at the thoughts of her own unworthinefs, and the undeferved love and kindnefs of the Bridegroom; infomuch that the is afhamed, yea even confounded, when the fees that he is pacified towards her, notwithstanding of all her ftrayings and debordings, Ezek. xvi. at the clofe; and this makes her to cry out with Job, chap. xiii. when the Lord manifefted himself to him in a way of love, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eyes fee thee: wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in duft and ashes." So much by way of trial.

Ufe third fhall be by way of Confolation to believers, who are the true bride of the bleffed Bridegroom.

And well may we speak comfort to the bride, for he himself jut joys over her with finging, and fays, that "her heart fhall rejoice, and her joy no man taketh from her."

To help on the joy of the foul efpoufed unto this one hufband, I fhall only touch a little upon two fcriptural expreffions, wherein the clofeft union and most intimate communion between Chrift and his fpoufe is held forth in one place, Chrift is faid to have them, and, in another, they are faid, to have him. The first you have, John iii. 29. "He that hath the bride is the Bridegroom;" the fecond you have, John v. 12. where it is faid of believers, the bride of Chrift, "He that hath the Son hath life;" fo that they mutually have one another. And therefore upon fcripture ground we may fafely fay, that the Bridegroom hath the bride, and the bride hath

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