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der, but also boldly enter into the holieft; not flanding in the outer court, as it were, or behind the vail gazing, or only putting in your hand by the rent vail, but come in wholly and enter boldly. The vail is rent in twain; O then, come and enter by the rent. You may all come boldly to the holieft, by this new and living way that is confecrated through the vail. O may fuch a dog, fuch a filthy dog as I come? Yes, we ufe to fay, when doors are open, dogs come in; the door is open, the vail is rent; let dogs come in and get a crumb. The Gentiles are called dogs in fcripture; and it is faid, "Without are dogs, murderers, forcerers, whoremongers" but to all the dogs that are without the vail, we, in God's name, proclaim liberty to come in, and get what will fave you and fanctify you. You fay you have nothing to bring with you, no grace, no good. I tell you, there is none here, but they have fomething to bring to Chrift with them. What is that? Have you not much fin and mifery to bring with you? have you not much want, weaknefs, and wickedness, to bring with you? Come with all your ills, in order to get all good; came with your fins, and get grace; come with your guilt, and get a pardon; come with your filthinefs, and get cleanfing come with your wants, and get falnefs. Let dogs come in and get a crumb; yea, a feaft. There is nothing to hinder you, fince the vail is rent. The law is not in your way, for that is fulfilled; the flaming cherubim is not in your way, for Chrift hath rent the vail of God's wrath, and divided the Red Sea of divine vengeance, that you might pafs through. Have you a mind for heaven, man, woman? here is the way, it lies through the rent vail; and if you take not this way, you fhall never enter there: For there are two porters that will keep all unbe, lievers out, namely, juftice and holiness. Juftice will fay, I must be fatisfied; holinefs will fay, I must be vindicated, or elfe you fhall never enter here; but if you come by this rent vail, you fhall have open entrance into the heavenly kingdom. Chrift will fay to juflice, Let fuch a man in, for I paid you all his debt; holiness let fuch a man in, for I gave you a perfect obedience for him; look upon him in me. This will fatisfy both

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thefe porters to let believers pafs. O then, come and enter through the vail that is rent. Chriftlefs foul, who will fatisfy juftice and holinefs for you? These porters will never be bribed by you. Therefore, O come, and enter by the rent vail, for there is no other way to heaven.

5. Come and fing. If you have made entrance, O fing, Glory to God in the higheft, that ever rent this vail. You might go home finging, if you took up the true meaning of the text, and turned it to a fong; and fing it with understanding, "Behold, the vail of the temple was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom." Behold, the vail is rent, and fhall never be whole again. Behold, the work is completed by the Son of God; the work is done, and fhall never be undone.-To the Author and Finisher of this great work be glory for ever. Amen.

SERMON

SERM O N III. *

The BEST MATCH; or, the In comparable Marriage between the CREATOR and the CREATURE.

TH

ISAIAH liv. 5.

Thy Maker is thy Hufband.

HE prophet. Ifaiah having largely difcourfed of the fufferings of Chrift, and the bleffled fruits and effects of them; among which, one is, that he should have a numerous feed to believe on him; and that, when the Jews reject him, the Gentiles fhould gladly receive him: And thus forfeeing, by the fpirit of prophecy, the glorious ftate of the Gentile church, he breaks forth into a fong of triumph in the beginning of this chapter; where the prophet directs his fpeech to the church and fpoufe of God in thefe words, "Sing, Q barren, thou that didft not bear; break forth into finging, and cry aloud, thou that didit not travail with child: for more are the children of the defolate, than the children of the married wife, faith the Lord." Where we have a magnificent promife of the fertility and the felicity of the Gentile church; and this is enlarged to the fifth verfe, which contains the words. of our text; where we have the reason of her happiness and fruitfulness who was formerly a barren widow, for, "Thy Maker is thy Husband:" he who made thee out of nothing, and therefore can eafily fulfil all thefe promifes, how unlikely foever they feem to be; he who made thee a people, yea, which is more, who made thee his people, he will own thee as his spouse, and act the part of an hufband to thee.

* This was delivered in two discourfes at Culrofs; but the precife time and occafion cannot be ascertained; only we fee the first edition was printed Anno 1722.

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I fhall defer my further introduction and explication, and alfo whatever might be faid concerning the external relation betwixt Chrift and the visible church, my chief defign being, at this time, only to speak a little to that internal fpiritual marriage-relation betwixt Chrift and the invifible church, or Chrift and the believer, as it is reprefented under the formality of a marriage; and what I would offer upon this fubject, I lay before you in this doctrinal propofition,

That there is a marriage-relation betwixt Chrift and believers, wherein he fupplies the place of a hus, band unto them, and they the place of a bride and fpoufe to him,

In profecuting whereof, I would effay these three things, I. Prove, That there is fuch a marriage-relation be twixt Chrift and believers.

II. Speak to the nature of this marriage.

III. Give the reafons, why Chrift comes under fuck a relation to his people.

IV. Make fome application of the subject.

I. To confirm the doctrine, that there is a marriagerelation betwixt Chrift and believers. This will appear from these two confiderations.

1. From the compellations given to Chrift with relation to believers. How frequently doth the poufe call him her Hufband in the book of the Song?" As the ap"As ple-tree among the trees of the wood, fo is my Beloved among the fons. My Beloved is mine, and I am his," Song ii. 3. 16. And, fays the apoftle, 2 Cor. xi. 2. I have efpoufed you to one hufband, that I may prefent you as a chafte virgin unto Chrift.”

2. The marriage-relation betwixt Chrift and believ ers appears from the compellations given to believers in fcripture, with refpect to Chrift. How frequently calls. he her his love, his fpoufe, in the book of the Song? "Thou haft ravifhed my heart, my fifter, my SPOUSE. How fair is thy love, my fifter, my SPOUSE!" Song iv. 9, 10. In Rev. xix. 7. there the church, for believers in the collective capacity) is called the bride, the Lamb's

wife: "The marriage of the Lamb is come, and the BRIDE hath made herfelf ready." We need not stand to prove that which is fo evident, we need fay no more to confirm it, than to repeat the text, "Thy Maker is thy Hufband." Therefore I come,

II. To fpeak of the nature of this marriage: and here we would briefly confider, 1. The Parties married, 2. The Terms of the marriage. 3. The Properties of the marriage. 4. The effects of it. 5. How the match is carried on. 6. How it is concluded.

(1.) I fay, let us confider the Parties married; whe is the Bridegroom, and who is the bride.

1. Then, the Bridegroom is the Wifdom of God and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in him: he knows all the wants of the bride, and is ready to fupply them.On the other hand, the bride, before her matching with him, is the most arrant fool out of hell her fally is difcovered by continuing to refufe to match with him; to refufe to give her confent to this heavenly Bridegroom,

2. The Bridegroom is the eternal Son of God; the King's only Son; The King made a marriage for his Son:" He is the blood-royal of heaven.-On the other hand, What is the bride's pedigree? She needs not boast of her defcent; " Thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite," Ezek. xvi. 3. There is a vaft dif

ference here.

3. The Bridegroom is the heir of all things: he hath all riches, "The unfearchable riches of Chrift."-But what is the bride worth before he match with her? She is worse than nothing, poverty itfelf; and not only a beggar, but in debt, and Chrift is willing to pay her debt.

4. The Bridegroom is comely and glorious. All the feraphims and cherubims above, all the fons of men in the world, all the crowned heads on earth, in all the circumstances of glory, are. but like black pieces of earth compared with this glorious Bridegroom.-On the other hand, What is the bride before He match with her? Even as black as the devil can make her: Not

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