Beginner) fight on through my Grace, 'till thou rive to Glory. "For he that overcometh fhall inherit all Things, and I will be his God, and he fhall be my Son," Rev. xxi. 6, 7. I may add, although thou mayeft loofe thy firft Love, and like the wife Virgins fleep with the Foolish, and be lukewarm in exercifing thy Graces for a Seafon, and Christ seem to fpue thee out of his Mouth; (Yet he faith, "I the Lord change not, therefore the Sons of Jacob are not confounded") I will bring my Wanderers home, none of the Purchase of my Blood fhall perish. "I counfel thee therefore to buy Gold of me tried in the Fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white Raiment, that thou mayeft be clothed; receive my Grace and my Righteousness, that the Shame of thy Nakedness do not appear; (for this is the Wedding-garment required of thee by God in holy Scripture) and anoint thine Eyes with Eye Salve, that thou mayeft fee" the excellent Oeconomy of Salvation appointed to redeem thy Soul; that is to fay, by the Mediation of Chrift, in whom the Father is well pleased with all who truft and believe in it. "Therefore as thou art my Bride (by Decree) in my Merits and Righteoufness only thou mayeft make thy Boaft; and in that Dress worship God in the Beauty of Holiness. As many as I love, I rebuke and chaiten; be zealous therefore and repent. Behold! and fee my Condefcenfion, once I ftoop'd to to a painful and bloody Death on the Crofs, to purchase Redemption for you now I ftand at the Door of your Hearts, by my Spirit to knock (though I am in Glory), if any Man hear my Voice, and open the Door, I will come in to him, and will fup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh, will I grant to fit with me in my Throne, even as I alfo overcame, and am fet down with my Father in his Throne. Throne. He that hath an Ear, let him hear what My Shepherd is the living Lord, In Paftures fair, near pleasant Streams, He fhall convert and glad my Soul, And when I find myself near loft, And finally, while Breath doth laft, See Pfal. xxiii. 1, 2, 3, 6. Obferve the Experience of holy David, and mark well the Confidence he had in the Faithfulness of God! And well might the four and twenty Elders in Heaven (the whole Church, figurately expreffed by Twenty four, in Allufion to the Twenty four Orders of Levites under the Law, I Cron. xxiv. 4, &c.) fall down before the Lamb which had been flain, and fing a new Song, faying, "Thou art worthy 1 worthy to take the Book, and to open the feven Seals thereof for thou waft flain, and haft redeemed us to God by thy Blood, out of every Kindred, Tongue, and People, and Nation," Rev. v. 8, 9. Therefore holy brethren, Partakers of the heavenly Calling, let us rejoice, that is, praise the Lord that Chrift was the Lamb flain for us from the Foundation of the World; and our Names written in the Book of Life, in order that we might not worfhip the Beast, Rev. xiii. 8. But worship him who died for our Sins, and was raifed again for our Juftification, Rom. iv. 25. Who faved us, and called us with an holy Calling, not according to our Works, but according to his own Purpofe and Grace, which was given us in Chrift Jefus, before the World began, 2 Tim. i. 9. "For before the Mountains were fettled, while as yet God had not made the Earth, when he prepared the Heavens ; Chrift being defigned in the eternal Decree, was familiar to his Thoughts, as one brought up with him, and was daily his Delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in the habitable Part of his Earth, (for God calleth the Things that are not as though they were) and his Delights were with the Sons of Men," Prov. viii. 25, 26, 27, 30, 31. Here we might obferve the Heart of Chrift was with his People, viz. his Elect, whom he was to redeem with his own precious Blood, even before Adam was created. And when Adam was fallen, we find the Redeemer was ready to do his Father's Will, viz. To bruife' the Serpent's Head, Gen. iii. 15. For in the Volume of the Book it is written of Chrift, Lo! I come, I delight to do thy Will, O God, Pfal. xl. 7, 8. And he faw the Travail of his Soul, and was fatisfied, Ifa. liii. 11. viz. To lay down his Life for his Sheep; "Which Sheep shall hear my Voice, faith Chrift, and I know them, them, and they follow me (i. e. in the Regeneration, being effectually called from the Ways of Sin) and I give unto them eternal Lite, and they fhall never perish, neither fhall any pluck them out of my Hands," John x. 11, 27, 28. Therefore let all true Believers stand faft in the Liberty wherewith Chrift hath made them free, never to be entangled any more in the Sin of Unbelief, which will bring them into Bondage, Gal. v. 1. For it is by Faith we ftand, I Cor. i. 24. God the Father, Son and Spirit, having loved his Chofen from Eternity, will love them to Eternity in the Man Chrift Jefus. "I have loved thee (viz. the Bride) faith God, with an everlasting Love; therefore, with Loving-kindness have I drawn thee," Jer. xxxi. 3. And whereas Christ says that no Man can come unto him, unless the Father draweth him, John vi. 44. Therefore God the Father draweth the Bride to his Son, either at the Third, Sixth, Ninth, or Eleventh Hour; in the Morning, Mid, or Eve of Life, Matt, xx. 1, &c. And prefents her by his Spirit, in her Blood and Filthinefs, unwashed and uncleanfed, as a fit Object of his Mercy and Compaffion; The Son receives her into the Arms of his Love and everlasting Favour; and faith, "All that the Father giveth me, fhall come unto me, and him that cometh unto me, I will in no wife caft out. For I came down from Heaven, not to do mine own Will, but the Will of him that fent me. And this is the Father's Will, which fent me, that of all which he hath given me, I fhould lofe Nothing, but should raise it up again at the laft Day. And that every one that feeth the Son by Faith, and believeth on him may have everlasting Life," John vi. 37, 38, 39, 40. The Holy Ghoft, by divine Influence, in due Time ties the indiffolvable Knot, which is effected by the inward Unction or Anoint ing of the Holy Spirit (the breathing Winds) which separate the Bride from the World, Flefh, and Devil, and alfo from Self and Self-righteoufnefs, and joins her to her everlafting unchangeable Bridegroom, JESUS of Nazareth, who came to allure, feek and fave her by his Blood, who before was loft, Matt. xviii. 11. And as the Holy Ghost overfhadowed the Virgin Mary, and begat in her the holy JESUS, Luke i. 35. So muft the Holy Ghost overfhadow, operate and infpire the Hearts of all others that receive the Royal Seed, and who are begotten again to a lively Hope; or elfe Christ can never be formed in them, the Hope of Glory, Col. i. 27. Neither will they cry out like holy David, My Heart and Flesh rejoice in the living God," Pfal. lxxxiv. 2. And our Lord faith to his Difciples, that the Holy Ghoft fhould not only be with them (to overfhadow them, as a tranfient Gueft) but dwell in them, John xiv. 17. Whose Anointing was to abide in them for ever, 1 John ii. 27. And thus Chrift by affuming their Flesh, and giving them his Spirit, hath and doth establish fure Ground of Relation-ship between him and his People in every Branch of real Kindred: For which Reafon he is not afhamed to call then Brethren, Heb. ii. 11. For he faith, Thy Maker is thy Hufband, Ifa. liv. 5. And now being betrothed unto Christ, they have known the Lord, i. e. experienced his Love, Hof. ii. 20. Hence it is that the Spouse in Confequence of this fpiritual Marriage, cries out in holy Extacies of Joy, faying, "A Bundle of Myrrh is my Well-beloved unto me, he fhall lie all Night betwixt my Breasts," i. e. in my Heart: To cause our Nuptial Bed to be green and fruitful, Cant. i. 13, 16. She is now a Member of his Body, of his Flesh, and of his Bones, in a fpiritual Senfe. And although this great Mystery may seem incredible |