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only a leopard, fpotted here and there, but an Ethiopi an, wholly black and ugly. When fhe is caft forth in the open field to the loathing of her perfon, fhe is a fpectacle of horror and mifery; yet then it is a marriageday, and a time of love.

(2.) What are the terms of the marriage; the articles of it on his part and her part? The terms on her part, though the whole belong to Chrift, yet, to speak of terms in an improper, fenfe, he requires of her what he worketh in her; namely,

1. That he be divorced from all other husbands, and give up with all other lovers and idols; particularly, that the be divorced from the law, that fhe may be married unto Chrift: fhe must not obey the law from a principle of her own ftrength; nor as a covenant of works, that, by obedience, fhe may purchase a title to heaven; nor to gratify a natural confcience; nor merely to escape hell, and make a righteoufnefs of her obedience: fhe must be divorced from that husband.

2. Upon her part it was required, that the be fatisfied with this hufband alone, as the great portion of the foul, that he may have no rival, no competitor in her affections, none to fit on the throne with him: fhe muft keep the chief room for the Son of God. Again, on his part, he contracts,

I. That he will make over himself to her; all he is, all he hath, all he hath purchased, all he hath promised: he will make over to her all the bleffings of the everlasting covenant. O this is a fweet article! and a large charter indeed!

2. He contracts to perform all the glorious offices of a husband to her; to provide for her, protect her, direct her, pity her, clothe her, to encourage and comfort her; and to do all for her fhe needs; this is the fum of the contract; for, to fpeak properly, Chrift is all, and does all in this matter; and our part is done by him in us, Hof. ii. 19, 20. “I will betrothe thee unto me for ever: yea, I will betrothe thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies; I will even betrothe thee unto me in faithfulness, and thou shalt know, the Lord." Chrift figns the contract 1:30

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for him and her both. "I will betrothe thee unto me in righteoufnefs;" I will fulfil the law, and fatisfy God's juftice. "I will betrothe thee unto me in loving-kindnefs" though there be nothing in thee to invite my love, but much to challenge my averfion, yet I will overcome all thy imperfections, and fet my love upon thee. "I will betrothe thee unto me in mercies;" in pardoning mercy, fanctifying mercy, fupporting mercy, comforting mercy. But left the bride think, that when ever the fins there may be a divorce, the may break and go away, therefore it follows, "I will betrothe thee unto me in faithfulnefs." He pledges his veracity for fulfilling the articles on her part and his both. But then, (3.) What are the Properties of this marriage?

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1. It is a very Myfterious marriage, that the Creator fhould take the work of his hands for a bride; not only when in its primitive and virgin integrity, as it dropt out of his creating hands, but when polluted with the poison of the devil, the venom of the ferpent, that he fhould take her for a bride; "Thy Maker is thy Hufband." This is a wonderful conjunction. If a glorious angel fhould be matched with a creeping worm, and a king with a beggar, it would not be fuch a wonder; but the Maker to join himself to the work of his hands; there cannot be a greater diftance conceived betwixt any thing, than betwixt a Creator, and that which is brought out from the barren womb of nothing, a creature; and yet they are in a marriage-relation; Thy Maker is thy Hufband."

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2. This marriage is very difficult and hard. It is true, there is nothing too hard for Omnipotency; yet the human nature of Chrift had much to do with it: though he was fupported by the divine nature, yet he behoved to fwim through the river of his own blood, before he could get his bride. He fatisfied the juftice of God, established a new covenant. All this must be done in order to this marriage.

3. This marriage is an indiffolvable marriage; death diffolves other relations, but it increases this intimate union: Nothing fhall feparate Chrift and the believer; "I am perfuaded, faith Paul, that neither life, nor death,

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nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things prefent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, fhall be able to feparate us from the love of God which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord," Rom, viii. 38, 39.

(*) What are the Effects of this marriage?

1. The firft and immediate effect is a moft clofe union betwixt Chrift and the believer. This union, though lefs than a perfonal union, although it be in fome refpect, yet it is more than a political union, more than a moral union; It is a very clofe union. The Bridegroom, Chrift, he gives his bride his own Spirit; communicates vital influences, from the glorious Head, to her; and the cleaves, by faith and love, clofe to him: and God promifes that he will make the house of Ifrael cleave close to him, as a girdle to the loins of a man, Jer. xiii. 11. He makes his fpoufe, in fpite of all her folly, in fpite of all her enmity, in fpite of all her ene mies and temptations, to cleave clofe to him.

2. Another effect of this union, is fweet communion, mutual fellowship: he feafts with them and they with him; he blows upon her garden, quickens and animates her graces; and then he comes and eats his pleasant fruits.

3. Another effect is, Familiarity, which is coincidenţ with the former: he treats them not as ftrangers, but as friends; and not as friends only, but as his own Spouse he communicates to her, and fpeaks comfort. ably and kindly to her, It is a wonder what condefcenfion God will make fometimes: and the believer again can be more familiar with God, than with the whole world; and can tell to God what he can tell to none elfe. Thus you fee fome of the effects of this marriage.

(5.) How was the match carried on?

I answer, In a word. On his part it was carried on thus:

1. He gave the Father his hand, and engaged to. him in the covenant of redemption, from eternity, that he would do all things neceffary for accomplishing the marriage.

2. Because there, must be an union of natures betwixt the Bridegroom and the bride; (it was not poffible that we could be matched with the divine nature;) there fore he becomes a man, and takes on our nature, that there might be an union of natures.

3. Because the bride is a flave, he pays her ranfom, fubftitutes himfelf in her room, takes on her debt, and pays all that he owed to juftice, and then takes on with her. But, on our part, juft nothing at all we had no hand in the covenant of redemption; no hand in the contrivance of falvation; we knew nothing about the bufinefs; we had no thoughts of a Redeemer; deferv ed nothing but pure wrath: we were lying, with full contentment, in the devil's territories when Chrift was carrying on the match.

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(6.) How is the marriage concluded upon his part? 1. He fends forth his ambaffadors to court for him, as Abraham did his fervant for Ifaac: and there is a great work, indeed, to make her give her confent. Let angels in heaven unite their topicks of perfuafion, they could not prevail with one foul, if a converting day were not come: but they muft always fpeak fair to her. How rhetorical was Abraham's fervant for his mafter? he hath but one child, and that child hath great riches; he feeks no portion with Rebecca, only her confent. Thus he rhetorizes and flourishes exceed. ingly, and perfuades with the greatest motives. But yet the ambaffadors of Chrift have a larger commiffion, if our eyes were opened to fee it: they are fent forth to make love to the bride, and in his name to commend Chrift.

2. He concludes the marriage thus. The bride be. ing wretchedly ignorant of her true happiness, there. fore his Father diftreffes her with the debt that fhe owes to him; and the wretched perfon is forced, for some time, to mount Sinai; and there God defcends in all the circumstances of terrible majefty; he thunders againft her, curfes her; "Curfed is every one that continue eth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them," Gal. iii. 1o. God exacts all the debt, confcience roars and the devils are let loofe; the fears hell

hell and wrath; and God declares, in the gofpel, that the wretched bankrupt fhall go to prifon, and ly eternally in hell, if the do not take on with his Son, marry him, and believe on him. Thus the bride is forced to an extremity: fome have more, fome have lefs of this law-work; but all are humbled and broken in fome measure, who are married to Chrift: he fends forth his Spirit and convinces the world of fin. But this would not do either; and therefore,

3. The Bridegroom fees that nothing but Condefcenfion will do it; and fo he appears in all his glory: when the bride is full of fears, perplexities, and anxieties; when the terrors of God are furrounding her, and the arrows of the Almighty drinking up her fpirits, and when he is crying out, What fhall I do? Whether fhall I go? Then the Bridegroom appears in all his excellency and glory, and fays, "Behold me, behold 'me;" and fhe gets a view of him that ravishes her heart, and enlarges her foul: then it is that the Spirit is fent to determine her to confent. The manifeftation of his glory does enlighten her mind and spirit; and immediately grace, upon the will, draws out the whole heart after him; fo that if the bride could be grieved and pained upon the marriage day, it would be for her folly in refufing him fo long.—But what is done upon the bride's part, for concluding the match? Nothing at all; but the whole foul is enabled to acquiefce in a Redeemer; and the believer is ready, at fuch a time, to say, He is my Lord, my God, my ftrength, my all, and fhall be for ever. Thus you have a brief scheme of the nature and way of this marriage.

Having fpoken but very briefly to the former heads, I fhall here, before I proceed to the reafons of the doctrine, offer a few remarks upon the time of this marriageunion betwixt Christ and believers. We told you how this match was concluded and compleated by Chrift, and now we fay, there is a flated day and time for the concluding thereof: and upon this head we may remark,

ift, That there is a two-fold day we are to confider in this marriage, namely, the day of efpoufals on earth,

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