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of God in these words, "Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate, than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord." Where we have a magnificent promise of the fertility and the felicity of the Gentile church; and this is enlarged to the fifth verse, 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 easily fulfil all these promises, how unlikely soever they seem 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 husband to thee.

I shall defer my further introduction and explication, and also whatever might be said concerning the external relation betwixt Christ and the visible church, my chief design being at this time, only to speak a little to that internal spiritual marriage-relation betwixt Christ and the invisible church, or Christ and the believer, as it is represented under the formality of a marriage: and what I would offer upon this subject I lay before you in this doctrinal proposition,

That there is a marriage-relation betwixt Christ and believers, wherein he supplies the place of a husband unto them, and they the place of a bride and spouse to him.

In prosecuting whereof, I would essay these three things.

I. Prove, that there is such a marriage-relation betwixt Christ and believers.

II. Speak to the nature of this marriage.

III. Give the reasons, why Christ comes under such a relation to his people.

IV. Make some application of the subject.

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

1. From the compellations given to Christ with relation to believers. How frequently doth the spouse call him her husband in the book of the Song?" As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. My beloved is mine, and I am his," Song ii. 3. 16. And, says the apostle, 2 Cor. xi. 2. "I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin unto Christ."

2. The marriage relation betwixt Christ and believers appears from the compellations given to believers in scripture with respect to Christ. How frequently calls he her his love, his spouse, in the book of the Song? "Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my SPOUSE. How fair is thy love, my sister, my SPOUSE!" Song iv. 9, 10. In Rev. xix. 7. there the church, (or 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 herself ready." We need not stand to prove that which is so evident, we need say no more to confirm it, than to repeat the text, "thy maker is thy husband." Therefore I come,

II. To speak of the nature of this marriage: and here we would briefly consider, 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 say, let us consider the parties married; who is the Bridegroom, and who is the Bride.

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1. Then, the bridegroom is the wisdom 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 supply them.-On the other hand, the bride, before her matching with him, is the most arrant fool out of hell: her folly is discovered by continuing to refuse to match with him; to refuse to give her consent 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 descent; "Thy father was an Amorite, and

thy mother an Hittite," Ezek. xvi. 3. There is a vast difference here.

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

4. The bridegroom is comely and glorious. All the seraphims and cherubims above, all the sons 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 only a leopard, spotted here and there, but an Ethiopian, wholly black and ugly. When she is cast forth in the open field to the loathing of her person, she is a spectacle of horror and misery; yet then it is a marriage-day 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 Christ, yet, to speak of terms in an improper sense, he requires of her what he worketh in her; namely,

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

2. Upon her part it was required, that she be satisfied with this husband alone, as the great portion of the soul, that he may have no rival, no competitor in her affections, none to sit on the throne with him: she must keep the chief room for the Son of God. Again, on his part, he contracts,

1. 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 blessings of the everlasting covenant. O this a sweet 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 she needs; this is the sum of the contract; for, to speak properly, Christ is all, and does all in this matter; and our part is done by him in us, Hos. 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." Christ signs the contract for him and her both. "I will betrothe thee unto me in righteousness;" I will fulfil the law, and satisfy God's justice. "I will betrothe thee unto me in loving-kindness" though there be nothing in thee to invite my love, but much to challenge my aversion, yet I will overcome all thy imperfections, and set my love upon thee. "I will betrothe thee unto me in mercies;" in pardoning mercy, sanctifying mercy, supporting mercy, comforting mercy. But lest the bride think, that when ever she sins there may be a divorce, she may break and go away, therefore it follows, "I will betrothe thee unto me in faithfulness." He pledges his veracity for fulfilling the articles on her part and his both. But then,

(3.) What are the properties of this marriage?

1. It is a very mysterious marriage, that the Creator should 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 serpent, that he should take her for his bride; "Thy maker is thy husband." This is a wonderful conjunction. If a glorious angel should be matched with a creeping worm, and a king with a beggar, it would not be such a wonder; but the maker to join himself to the work of his hands; there cannot be a greater distance conceived betwixt any thing, than betwixt a Creator, and that which is brought out from the barren womb of nothing, a

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creature; and yet they are in a marriage-relation; "Thy maker is thy husband."

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

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3. This marriage is an indissolvable marriage; death dissolves other relations, but it increases this intimate union: Nothing shall separate Christ and the believer: I am persuaded, saith Paul, that neither life, nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord," Rom. viii. 38, 39.

(4.) What are the effects of this marriage?

1. The first and immediate effect is a most close union betwixt Christ and the believer. This union, though less than a personal union, although it be in some respect, yet it is more than a political union, more than a moral union; It is a very close union. The bridegroom, Christ, he gives his bride his own spirit; communicates vital influences, from the glorious head, to her and she cleaves, by faith and love, close to him; and God promises that he will make the house of Israel cleave close to him, as a girdle to the loins of a man, Jer. xiii. 11. He makes his spouse in spite of all her folly, in spite of all her enmity, in spite of all her enemies and temptations, to cleave close to him.

2. Another effect of this union, is sweet communion, mutual fellowship: he feasts 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 coincident with the former: he treats them not as strangers, but as friends; and not as friends only, but as his own spouse: he communicates to her, and speaks comfort

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