The Best Match, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Being a contemplation of the infinite Love and Condeſcention of Chriſt to Souls, and the unſpeakable Comfort and Happineſs of Believers in this ſweet Eſpouſal.
IN the view of all that has been hitherto declared, we may well take up an admiring contemplation of Chriſt's Love and Condeſcention, and Believers Comfort and Happineſs; the one and the other being exceeding great and glorious: O! for Chriſt to marry poor Souls to himſelf, and for poor Souls to be married to Chriſt, how great is the Love of the one, and the happineſs of the other herein!
1. How great is the Love and Condeſcention of Chriſt in marrying Souls to himſelf! Next to his becoming Man, and dying for them, Wherein can he teſtifie greater Love and Condeſcention to them than in this? There are, among many others that might be mentioned, that will argue his Love and Condeſcention herein to be wonderful and glorious, two things. One is the infinite diſparity and diſproportion between the Parties, Him and Them; the other is the unſpeakable nearneſs and gloriouſneſs of that Union and Relation which he takes them into with himſelf: Both which I deſire you to contemplate.
1. Contemplate the infinite diſparity and diſproportion between him and them: What proportion is there between a King and a Beggar? What proportion is there between an Ant and an Angel; yea, between the ſmalleſt Worm, and all the Angels in Heaven? Infinitely leſs proportion is there between Chriſt and ſinners; and yet he eſpouſes them to himſelf: What ſhall I ſay? He is both High and Great, we are baſe and vile; He is Bleſſed and Glorious, we are wretched and deſpicable: He is a Great King, we are poor ſlaves and vaſſals; yea, the worſt of ſlaves and vaſſals, being the ſlaves and vaſſals of Sin and Satan: And to ſum up all in a few words; He is God, and we are Creatures; yea, he is an infinitely pure and holy God, and we are unſpeakably impure and unholy Creatures: O how great is the diſproportion! and yet he marries us to himſelf: What proportion is there between God and the Creature? The Creature at beſt is but a ſmall drop of Beeing; but God is Mare eſſendi, a Sea, a Fountain, an Ocean of Beeing: The Creature is and has but a little good; but, Deus eſt Bonum inſinitiſſime infinitum, as Bradwardin ſpeaks of him, God is a moſt infinitely infinite Good; The Creature is a depending thing, the Beeing of the Creature is a depending Beeing, the very nature of the Creature lies much in dependance; but God is an abſolute and independent Beeing,Eſſe creaturae eſt eſſe depend…ns. he being of himſelf, and from himſelf; indeed all other things are of him, and from him, and to him, as the Scripture ſpeaks. Now for God to marry the Creature, and eſpouſe the Creature to himſelf; O what love, what condeſcention is this! and yet greater love than this does Chriſt ſhew: For what proportion is there between an infinitely Holy God, and univerſally ſinful, defiled, and polluted Creatures? The diſtance between God and us, as we are Creatures, is great; but the diſtance between the infinitely Holy God and us, as ſinners, is in ſome ſort unſpeakably greater: 'Tis our duty, and ſhould be our joy to know and keep our Creature-diſtance with God, we ſhould rejoyce to think that God is ſo infinitely above us; but 'tis our miſery, and we ſhould tremble to think of, our ſinful diſtance from God, that diſtance I mean that ſin is, and has cauſed between God and us: Now for an Holy God to eſpouſe ſinful Creatures to himſelf; yea for a God ſo infinitely Holy to eſpouſe Souls, who are ſo utterly ſinful, to himſelf, as the beſt of us all by nature are; this is greater love and condeſcention ſtill. O wonderful commerce! O verè admirable commercium! tradit ſe Rex pro Servo, Deus pro Homine, Creator pro Creatura, innocens pro nocente. Bern. de paſſ. Dom.(ſayes one of the Ancients, ſpeaking of Chriſt's dying for his People) the King dies for the Servant, God for Man, the Creator for the Creature, the innocent for the nocent. The like may I ſay here; O wonderful condeſcention! The King marries a Slave, God the Creature, the pure and holy One polluted and defiled ſinners: True indeed, he makes them Saints by and upon his marrying of them, but he finds them ſinners when he firſt makes it a time of love to them: O adore this Love, this Condeſcention!
2. Contemplate the unſpeakable nearneſs and gloriouſneſs of that Union and Relation which he takes them into with himſelf; as the diſtance and diſproportion between the Parties is infinitely great, ſo the Union and Relation he takes them into, is very near and glorious: The Union between the Vine and Branches is near; the Union and Relation between the Head and Members is near; the Union and Relation between the Husband and Wife is near; but all theſe are but ſhadows and repreſentations of that Union and Relation which Chriſt takes Behevers into with himſelf, which muſt therefore be nearer and greater than all: 'Tis indeed (as upon occaſion has been before declared) next for intimacy and glory, to the eſſential and perſonal Union; yea, it comes ſo near the higheſt Union of all, the Union that is between the Father and the Son, as that it is ſet forth in Scripture by the ſame expreſſions that that Union is, viz. By being and dwelling in each other: Yea, Chriſt himſelf ſeems to bring it ſo near that great Union, as that he makes that the pattern of it, and accordingly prayes for it for his People, Joh. 17.21. Neither pray I for theſe alone, but them alſo which ſhall believe on me through their word, that they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they alſo may be one in us. Pray mark, he prayes for the accompliſhment of this Union for them, as the top and perfection of all their happineſs; and not only ſo, but as that which comes as near the great Union between his Father and Himſelf, as can well be conceived. 'Tis a ſweet ſaying which one of the Ancients has upon theſe words of Chriſt; What more glorious, Ʋnum in nobis; ſicut tu & ego unum ſumus: Quid hac Ʋnitate glorioſius? Quid ultra vel optare poteris, vel habere? unum cum ſponſo tuo eris, O foelix, foelicior, imò omnium foeliciſſima unitas! Bern.ſayes he, than this Ʋnion? What further or higher, poor Soul, canſt thou either have, or deſire to have than this, thou ſhalt be one with thy Bridegroom? O happy, exceeding happy, yea, of all others moſt happy Ʋnion! In a word, nearer than this Creatures can't well be taken unto Chriſt, nor can they have a greater glory put upon them, then there is put upon them in their being taken into this Union & Relation to him: how great therefore muſt the love and condeſcention of Chriſt herein to Believers be? O for him to take ſuch ſo near himſelf, as to make them one with him, to lay them in his boſom, to communicate himſelf to them! This is love indeed, and this we ſhould contemplate and admire.
2. How great is the comfort and happineſs of Believers, in being thus married and eſpouſed to Chriſt? We ſay of ſuch or ſuch a Woman that is well married, that ſhe is well diſpoſed of, and is very happy in an Husband: But, O Soul, how well art thou diſpoſed of, who art diſpoſed of to Chriſt? And how happy art thou in an Husband who art married to him? What, Soul, married to Jeſus, to ſweet Jeſus, to lovely Jeſus, to Jeſus the Son of God! O what ſweet, what ſtrong conſolation may this be to thee! and how ſhould it fill thy heart with holy triumph and exultation for ever? This alone may comfort thee in all the difficulties and troubles of Life, and in all the conflicts and agonies of Death. Caſt thine eye back on the nature of this Eſpouſal, and what an Husband Chriſt is, and what great things he does for his Spouſes, as the one and the other of them has been declared; and then judge of thine own happineſs, in being taken into this Relation to him: In Cant. 6.9. 'tis ſaid concerning the Spouſe of Chriſt, That the Daughters ſaw Her, and bleſſed Her; yea, the Queens and the Concubines, and they praiſed Her: They look't upon Her to be the moſt happy on Earth: And truly, Soul, when I look upon thee, as the Spouſe of Chriſt, I can't but in like manner bleſs and praiſe thee; and thou thy ſelf mayſt well bleſs thy ſelf, and ſay, Bleſſed be the day that ever I was born, bleſſed be the Womb that bare me, and bleſſed be the Paps that gave me ſuck! But yet to raiſe this comfort and happineſs of thine a little higher, that thou mayeſt rejoyce in thy Lot, the lines being fallen to thee in pleaſant places, conſider three things;
I. Conſider, that this Relation of thine to Chriſt, gives thee a full intereſt in him, and all that is his: This the Spouſe much gloried and rejoyced in, as her Crown and Happineſs; therefore ſhe is frequently up with it in a way of holy boaſting, My beloved is mine, and I am his, Cant. 2.16. And again, I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine, Chap. 6.3. Being eſpouſed to Chriſt, Chriſt is thine; and Chriſt being thine, his Blood is thine, his Righteouſneſs is thine, his Love is thine, his Fulneſs is thine, the Fruit of all his Sufferings, the Vertue of all his Offices, the Sweetneſs of all his Relations is thine: Chriſt being thine, all is thine, all the promiſes are thine, all the Ordinances are thine, Life is thine, Death is thine, Time is thine, Eternity is thine, Things preſent are thine, Things to come are thine, 1 Cor. 3.22. O what a goodly Heritage haſt thou! and how ſhould thy Soul bleſs the Lord, that ever he drew thee into this Union and Relation to him? What a ſpring of comfort may this be to thee in all conditions? Fear not, for thou ſhalt not be aſhamed: Why? For thy Maker is thy Huſband, Iſa. 54.4, 5. The truth is, though poſſibly thou mayeſt have little of this World, yet in having Chriſt thou haſt all thou needſt and art capable of to make thee happy for ever.
II. Conſider, that this Union and Relation of thine to Chriſt remains firm and ſtedfaſt for ever: And O what ſweetneſs does this add unto it! True, may the Soul ſay, this Relation is a bleſſed Relation, and full of ſweetneſs and comfort; But will it hold? Yea, it will hold, and that for ever: the beſt comforts thou enjoyeſt here below, will ſhortly have a period, and the ſweeteſt Relations thou ſtandſt in here, will after a while be diſſolved and broken; but thy Union and Relation to Chriſt will laſt for ever, that can never be diſſolv'd: I will betroth thee unto me, ſayes God, yea, I will betroth thee unto me: but Lord for how long? (may the Soul ſay) why, for ever, ſayes God, Hoſ. 2.19. O that word for ever! this puts an infinite ſweetneſs into this Relation of thine: This one word for ever (as one obſerves upon this place) makes a miſery, though but ſmall in it ſelf, an infinite miſery; and a mercy, though but ſmall in it ſelf, even an infinite mercy: How much more does it make that which in it ſelf is ſo great as thy Union and Eſponſal to Chriſt is, ſweet and deſirable?
O but, ſayes the Soul, never was there ſuch a wretch as I am; never did any carry it towards Chriſt as I do: True, he has made love to me, and I have ſome hopes that I have cloſed up with him in a Marriage-Covenant; but alas, never was there ſuch a rebellious, revolting, backſliding heart as mine is: I am ever playing the Harlot, and going a whoring from him; by means of which, I fear, he will break Union and Communion with me, and at laſt caſt me off. I anſwer, Truly Soul, this is very ſad, and thou ſhouldſt lie low in the duſt in the ſenſe of it; yet, to encourage thee againſt thy fears, conſider three things.
1. Conſider, that Chriſt is not forward to take advantage againſt Souls for their failings and breakings with him: He is not ſtrict to mark what is done amiſs, Pſal. 130.3. He is not prone to caſt off, and to put away, no 'tis what he hates, Mal. 2.16. True, he may, and many times does withdraw from us, and frown upon us; but putting away he loves not, yea, he pitties and ſpares us under our infirmities, and his Bowels are mov'd for us.
2. Conſider, that before ever Chriſt made love to thee, and took thee into this Relation with himſelf, he knew perfectly, what manner of one thou wouldſt be, and how thou wouldſt carry it towards him; and yet all could not hinder him from ſhewing this favour to thee: Why then ſhouldſt thou think it will cauſe him to break with thee now? The Soul may be apt to ſay, Did Chriſt think I would be ſuch a Wretch, that I would ſo grieve him, ſo offend him, that I would carry it ſo unworthily towards him under all his love as I do? Yea, Soul, Chriſt thought it, yea, he knew it perfectly before-hand, in Deut. 31.21. 'tis ſaid, That God knew what Iſrael would do before-hand: So Chriſt knew before-hand how thou wouldſt fleight his Love, grieve his Spirit, violate his Laws; he knew, how thou wouldſt offend and affront him, by a proud, vain, wanton behaviour before him; He knew, how thou wouldſt backflide, and go a whoring from him; and had he not ſeen and known that he had love enough, and bowels enough to cover and paſs by all, he would never have made love to thee: Hence, when he betroths, he is ſaid to do it in judgment, Hoſ. 2.19. Chriſt knew what he did, and what an one he married, when he married thee to himſelf: And as all could not hinder his love at firſt, ſo neither ſhall it take off his love from thee now.
3. Conſider, that thou mayeſt have many failings and miſcarriages, be guilty of many breakings with Chriſt, and departures from him; and yet the Marriage-Covenant between him and thee not be broken; A Woman may be guilty of many failings and miſcarriages, many defects and miſdemeanors, and yet all not break the Marriage-Covenant between her Husband and her: And ſo here; O how ſweet is that Scripture! Pſal. 89.30, 31, 32, 33, 34. If his Children forſake my Law, and walk not in my Judgments; if they break my Statutes, and keep not my Commandments, then will I viſit their iniquiquities with a rod, and their tranſgreſſions with ſtripes: And what ſollows? Nevertheleſs, ſayes he, my loving kindneſs will I not utterly take from them, nor ſuffer my faithfulneſs to fail; my Covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Pray mark, Chriſt's People may ſin, and ſin greatly, and he may ſharply chaſtiſe them for their ſins; yea, he may ſeem to take away his loving kindneſs from them, and may really for a time ſuſpend the influences and manifeſtations thereof; but his Covenant-love and faithfulneſs to them, that remains firm and ſtedfaſt to them for ever notwithſtanding all. So again, Jer. 3.1, 14. Though thou haſt played the Harlot with many lovers, yet return again to me, ſaith the Lord. Turn, O back-ſliding Children, for I am married unto you. Mark, though they had backſliden, though they had played the Harlot, though they had played the Harlot with many lovers, yet Chriſt owns his Covenant-Relation to them and with them; yea, and he ſends, as it were, his Covenant after them, and by that fetches them home to himſelf. O! whatever thy miſcarriages are, whatever thy breakings with Chriſt, and departures from him have been; yet, being once married to him, the Marriage-Union and Relation between him and thee remains firm and ſtedfaſt for ever notwithſtanding all.
O but, ſayes the Soul, my heart is ſtill bent to backſliding from Chriſt, and I am afraid, I ſhall at laſt totally and finally depart from him, and then farewel all. I anſwer, That Chriſt ſtands engaged to keep thee from; true, notwithſtanding any thing in and of thy ſelf, if left by Chriſt, thou wouldſt be apt totally and finally to depart from him; but Chriſt himſelf ſtands engaged to keep thee to him: 'Tis the very tenure of his Covenant with thee, Jer. 32.40. I will make an everlaſting Covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good, and I will put my fear into their hearts, that they ſhall never depart from me. O Sirs, not only is Chriſt's heart towards his People, but he is engaged by Covenant to keep their hearts cloſe to him, and faithful with him; at leaſt ſo far, as that they ſhall not totally depart from him; and ſo their faithfulneſs to him, does depend upon his faithfulneſs to them. I'le cloſe this conſideration with that known and great Scripture, Rom. 8. latter end, Who ſhall ſeparate us from the love of Chriſt? Shall tribulation, or diſtreſs, or perſecution, or famine, or nakedneſs, or peril, or ſword? Nay, in all theſe things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us: for I am perſwaded, that neither Death, nor Life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor things preſent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, (and leſt all theſe things ſhould not reach the caſe of every Soul, he adds) nor any other Creature ſhall be able to ſeparate us from the love of God which is in Chriſt Jeſus our Lord.
III. Conſider, that 'tis not long e're the Lord Jeſus, thy dear Husband, will come and conſummate the Marriage between him and thy Soul: And O how ſweet will this be? The Match here is but as it were begun between Chriſt and thee, but Chriſt will ſhortly come and conſummate it: Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, Mat. 25.6. And again, they that were ready went into the Marriage, ver. 10. and the Marriage of the Lamb is come, Rev. 19.7. There is a time then, when Chriſt will come to conſummate the Marriage between him and Souls: When he comes, as to the World, he comes as a Judge to condemn them, to avenge the quarrel of his Goſpel, the quarrel of his Covenant, the quarrel of his Blood, all which they have rejected, he comes to paſs Sentence upon them for reſiſting his Spirit, for contemning his Grace, for breaking his Laws, for neglecting his Salvation: And O how dark will the day of his coming be to them? But now to his own Spouſes, when he comes, he comes as a Bridegroom: And O how ſweet will this coming of his be to them?
1. Then he will turn all your Water into Wine. Joh. 2. beg. we read, That Chriſt being at a Marriage, he there turned Water into Wine. And truly, Soul, when he ſhall come to conſummate the Marriage between him and thee, he will turn all thy Waters of Affliction into the Wine of ſweet Conſolation to thee: He will turn thy Night into Day, thy Darkneſs into Light, thy Sorrows into Joys, thy Mourning into Dancing, thy Troubles into Reſt, thy Conflicts into Triumphs, thy Labours into Reward, thy mournful Lamentations into joyful Halelujahs: Then will he fulfil that Scripture to thee, Rev. 21.4. God ſhall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there ſhall be no more Death, neither ſorrow, nor crying, neither ſhall there be any more pain. Poor Soul, now thine eyes are full of tears; with holy David, Thou goeſt weeping and mourning (it may be) all the day long; but then all tears ſhall be wiped off thine eyes: Now thou art in deaths often, as the holy Apoſtle was; but then there ſhall be no more death: Now thou art full of ſorrows, thy dayes are ſpent in grief, and thy years in ſighing, but then there ſhall be no more ſorrow; ſorrow and ſighing both ſhall flie away for ever: Now thou art full of pains, yea, as the holy Prophet of old complained, Thou art pained at thy very heart; in the ſenſe of thy own Afflictions, and in the ſenſe of the Churches Afflictions; in the ſenſe of thine own ſins, and in the ſenſe of the Worlds ſins, thou art pained at the very heart; but then there ſhall be no more pain: Now thou ſoweſt in tears, but then thou ſhalt reap in joy: Now thou goeſt forth weeping, yet bearing precious Seed; then thou ſhalt return rejoycing, bringing thy ſheaves with thee: Now thou art in a ſtorm, a ſtorm of Affliction, a ſtorm of Temptation, a ſtorm of Perſecution, thou art afflicted, toſſed with tempeſts, and not comforted; it may be, as the Church ſometimes was, Iſa. 54.11. But then he will make thy ſtorm a calm, and ſo bring thee into the deſired Haven, to allude to that Pſal. 107.30. Now the Devil and his meſſengers are buffetting of thee, and will give thee no reſt; then they ſhall be all troden under foot, and thy Soul ſhall act one eternal triumph over them; ſaying, as ſhe of old in her Song did, O my Soul, thou haſt trodden down ſtrength.
2. Then Chriſt will turn all thy blackneſs into beauty, all thy ſinful deformity into perfect purity and holineſs for ever; and this is much more ſweet than the former: Alas! ſayes the Soul, turn my Water into Wine, true that is ſweet; but there is that which lies heavier upon me than all the troubles and afflictions in the World, and that is my ſinful blackneſs and deformity: O this ſtained, polluted, defiled nature of mine! this fountain of ſin and enmity againſt God that is within! this is that which is the burthen too heavy for me to bear: Well, for thy comfort know, that thy Husband, ſweet Jeſus, will come; and when he comes, he will turn thy blackneſs into beauty, thy ſin into holineſs; then he will ſanctifie thee, and cleanſe thee, that he may preſent thee to himſelf a glorious Spouſe, Eccleſiam eſſe glorioſam, non habentem maculam, nequ… rugam, eſt ultimus finis, ad quem perducimur per paſſionem Chriſti …unde hoc erit in ſtatu patriae, non autem in ſtatu via. Aqui.not having ſpot or wrinkle, or any ſuch thing, Epheſ. 5.26, 27. Poor Soul, thou haſt now many ſtains, many ſpots, and thoſe ſuch as thou art apt ſometimes to think, are not the ſpots of Gods Children: but then all theſe ſpots ſhall be wiped out, and thou ſhalt be without ſpot; yea, thou ſhalt not onelyonly be without ſpot, but without wrinkle too: There may be wrinkles where there may be no ſpots, and theſe are blemiſhes:Significat nullum planè peccatum velminimum futurum in corpore Eccleſiae, nullumque veteris Adaemi veſtigium, ſed futuram eam totam glorioſam. Zanch. in loc. O but then thou ſhalt have neither ſpot nor wrinkle; thou ſhalt be perfectly freed from leſſer, as well as greater ſins; yea, thou ſhalt have neither ſpot nor wrinkle, nor any ſuch thing; nothing that looks like ſin, nothing that thou canſt ſuppoſe to be in the leaſt a blemiſh or defect; there ſhall not be the leaſt print or foot-ſtep of the old Adam (as one ſpeaks upon the place) left in thee, or upon thee, but thou ſhalt be altogether holy and without blemiſh: Chriſt will then perfectly fill thee with his own Spirit, beautifie thee with his own Image, deck thee with his own Ornaments, enamel and irradiate thee with his own Glory, for then he will make thee like himſelf, both in holineſs and happineſs, 1 Joh. 3.2. Poor Soul, now thou art groaning under a body of Sin and Death, under the unclean motions of ſin, the impure luſtings of the fleſh, the curſed impoſings of a baſe, vile, unbelieving heart, that is impoſing upon thee in every Duty, in every Condition, in every Relation: Now thou art peſtered with the ſpringings, buddings, bloſſomings, and ebullitions of luſt and corruption within thee; but when ſweet Jeſus comes, there ſhall be an end of all this: Chriſt he overlooks all this now, but then he will do it all away, and thou ſhalt ſhine with the perfection of beauty.
3. Then Chriſt will ſolemnly preſent thee to his Father as his Spouſe, in the preſence of all his holy Angels: And O how glorious and joyful will this be! In Gen. 24. lat. we read that Iſaac took Rebekah, and brought her into his Mothers Tent: So when dear Jeſus comes to conſummate the Marriage between him and thee, he will, being attended with all his holy Angels, bring thee into his Fathers Houſe, and will there preſent thee to him as his Spouſe; ſaying, Father, here is my Spouſe, here is one whom in the day of everlaſting love thou gaveſt unto me, one whom I have redeem'd to my ſelf by my Blood, and married to my ſelf by my Spirit in the Goſpel; this is he that I was made ſin and a curſe for; and though he was in his blood and gore, when I firſt made love to him; yet loe! now here he is ſpotleſs and faultleſs before thee: Father, own him as thy Sons Spouſe, and delight in him for ever: O how ſweet, how glorious will this be! Suppoſe ſome great Prince were married, and upon his Marriage ſhould take his Spouſe in his hand, and lead her into the Preſence-Chamber of the King his Father, and there preſent her to him, to the end he might take notice of her as his Sons Spouſe, and ſhew ſutable reſpect and favour to her; what a ſweet thing would this be? But alas! what is this to the preſentation Chriſt will make of thee to his Father at his coming; Who will then preſent thee faultleſs into the preſence of his glory with exceeding joy? Jude v. 24. When David, and the Elders of Iſrael, brought up the Ark from the Houſe of Obed-Edom, 'twas with great joy and ſhouting, 1 Chron. 15.25, 28. But O when Chriſt, attended with all his holy Angels, ſhall bring, and preſent thee into the preſence of his Father, what joy and ſhoutings will there then be? ſurely there will be great rejoycing on all hands; God the Father will greatly rejoyce, Chriſt the Son will greatly rejoyce, God the Holy Ghoſt will greatly rejoyce, the Angels will greatly rejoyce, thy Soul alſo will greatly rejoyce: God the Father will greatly rejoyce to ſee his Sons Spouſe come home to him ſo richly deck't and adorn'd; Chriſt the Son will greatly rejoyce, that he has gotten his Spouſe into his Arms and Boſom, never to part with hen more; the Holy Ghoſt will greatly rejoyce to ſee his work in tying the Marriage-Knot between Chriſt and the Soul compleated; the Angels will greatly rejoyce, as being Friends both of the Bridegroom and Bride; and as partaking with them in the Marriage-Supper; and thou thy ſelf wilt greatly rejoyce, in that now thy happineſs is conſummated, and that thou ſhalt for ever lie in the boſom and embraces of thy Husbands love: O how ſweet, how glorious will this be!
4. Then Chriſt will lead thee into the Bride-Chamber, the Manſion he has prepared for thee in the Fathers Houſe, where thou ſhalt dwell for ever in his preſence, and ſit down eternally with him and his Father at the Marriage-Feaſt: And O how ſweet and glorious will this be? Being thus beautified and preſented to the Father, what now remains for thee, but to enter upon thy lot with all the Saints, and to poſſeſs the joynter Chriſt made thee in the day of thine eſpouſal to him, even eternal Life and Glory with himſelf for ever? What now remains for thee, but to ſit down in the full views of his Glory, the full viſions of his Face, the full enjoyment of his Preſence, the full embraces of his Boſom, the full incomes of his Love, and all for ever? Here in the day of eſpouſal thou haſt had ſome views of him, thou haſt ſeen his back-parts; but then thou ſhalt behold his glory for ever: Joh. 17.24. Here thou haſt ſeen him through a glaſs darkly, but then thou ſhalt ſee him face to face, thy viſions of him ſhall be both full and immediate, 1 Cor. 13.12. Here there have been ſome intercourſes of love and delight kept up between him and thee, thou haſt had ſome of the kiſſes of his mouth, ſome embraces in his boſom; but then thou ſhalt have thy fill of his love, being ſweetly immerſt and ſwallowed up in the Ocean of it for ever: O how ſweet will this be! When Chriſt and thy Soul have met in an Ordinance, how often haſt thou ſaid with Peter, 'tis good to be here? And when he has given thee now and then a little taſte of his love, how haſt thou been raviſh't with it, crying out with the Spouſe, thy love is better than Wine? But O what will it be to enjoy all this in its fulneſs, and that without the leaſt moments interruption for ever? When Chriſt and thy Soul ſhall meet, not in a Duty or Ordinance only, but in Heaven in the Fathers Houſe: All thou haſt here of him, is but now and then a kiſs of his Mouth, now and then a taſt, a viſit, a deſcent of his Grace and Love; and yet this is ſweet, and makes a little Heaven in thy Soul: but when he comes to conſummate the Marriage, then thou ſhalt have everlaſting embraces, and uninterrupted pourings out of love from him; then no more veilings of his Face, no more withdrawings of his Preſence, no more ſuſpenſions of his Love from thee, but thou ſhalt ſit down in the full enjoyment of all for ever: Then no more need of Love-Letters to paſs between Chriſt and thy Soul, for then there will be full and immediate embraces for ever: Therefore rejoyce in thy Lot, and ſay with the Church in a way of triumph, Iſa. 61.10. I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord, my Soul ſhall be joyful in my God; for be hath clothed me with Garments of Salvation, he hath covered me with a Robe of Righteouſneſs, as a Bridegroom decketh himſelf with Ornaments, and as a Bride adorneth her ſelf with Jewels.
But may ſome doubting Soul ſay; True, here's comfort enough, and happineſs enough for all Chriſt's Spouſes; and were I aſſured of my eſpouſal to him, I ſhould think it enough to carry me through both Life and Death with comfort; but I am afraid I have neither part nor lot in this matter. I anſwer, If thou art one that lov'ſt thy ſins and liv'ſt in them; if thou art one that alloweſt of, and indulgeſt thy ſelf in thy luſts, yea, in any known luſt or ſin, be it ſmall or great, then thou haſt too great ground for ſuch fears; for I muſt tell thee, that the Spouſes of Chriſt are of another diſpoſition, they hate Sin, and love Holineſs; and do what in them lies to flie the one, and purſue after the other: But I will at preſent look upon thee to be a poor doubting Spouſe of Chriſt that makeſt this complaint, and ſo ſhall leave a double word of encouragement with thee as to this, and thereby put a concluſion to this Matter.
1. I would ſpeak to thee, as Samuel ſometimes did to Saul in another caſe, viz. when Saul told him that he had performed the Commandment of the Lord: If ſo, ſayes Samuel, what then means this bleating of the Sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the Oxen which I hear? 1 Sam. 15.13, 14. So, if thou haſt indeed no part or lot in Chriſt, and wert never eſpouſed to him; then (firſt) what means the bleedings, mournings, and lamentings of thy Soul, under the ſenſe of thy diſtance and eſtrangement from Chriſt, and thy utter unſutableneſs to him both in Spirit and Life? Bleſſed are they that thus mourn, for they ſhall be comforted, Mat. 5.4. (2ly) What means thy high valuations of him, & the vehement hungerings and thirſtings of thy Soul after him? Bleſſed are they that hunger & thirſt after righteouſneſs for they ſhal be ſatisfied, Mat. 5.6. (3ly) What means the holy tremblings of thy Soul in the thoughts of ſinning againſt him, thy care and ſollicitude to pleaſe him, thy fear to offend him? 'Tis the Character of a loyal Wife, that her care is to pleaſe her Husband, and not to offend him, 1 Cor. 7.24. (4thly) What means thy ſenſibleneſs of, and mourning under the diſhonours of Chriſt, with the longings of thy Soul after his exaltation? The reproaches of them that reproach him do fall upon thee, Pſal. 69.9. 'Tis the true Spirit of a loyal Spouſe to be concerned for her Husbands Concernments. Theſe, and many more ſuch gracious diſpoſitions as are found in thee, do ſpeak comfortably to thy Soul in this caſe; though ſtill I would have thee preſs after the cleareſt evidences, and the fulleſt aſſurance of thine eſpouſal to him.
2. Suppoſe the worſt; yet for thy encouragement, I would ſpeak to thee as the Diſciples to the blind man, Mark 10.49. Be of good comfort, ariſe, Chriſt calleth thee; he calls thee into theſe bleſſed eſpouſals with himſelf: And O that thou wouldeſt do, as that blind man there did, who aroſe, and came to Jeſus; and aſſure thy ſelf of this, his Arms are wide open to receive thee: truly, whoever, or whatever thou art that makeſt this complaint, whether Spouſe or no Spouſe, thy proper and immediate work is, now to cloſe with Chriſt in a Marriage-Covenant: For pray mark, the work of a convinced ſinner, and of a doubting beclouded Saint, is the ſame here; the one, as well as the other, is to believe and cloſe with Chriſt, as if he had never done it before: Suppoſe then the worſt, even that thou wert never as yet eſpouſed to Chriſt; yet do not deſpond, but let this be a day of eſpouſal between him and thee, caſting thy Soul upon him, not queſtioning his readineſs to receive thee: For thy, encouragement, I would ſay to thee as one of the Ancients ſpeaks in the ſame caſe,Quid in teſtas & non ſtas? Projice te in illum, nols mesuere, non ſe ſubtrahet ut cadas, projice te ſecurus, excipiet te, & ſanabit te. Aug. Why ſtickeſt and ſtaggereſt thou in thy ſelf? Caſt thy ſelf upon him, and fear not, he will not withdraw himſelf ſo as to let thee fall; caſt thy ſelf upon him, reſting ſecure and conſident, that he will receive and ſave thee. Thus I have now done; Saint, Spouſe of Chriſt, what remains, but that thou love, reverence, and obey thy Lord and Head, living a life of dependance upon him, as alſo of longing expectation of his coming to conſummate the Marriage between him and thee? What remains, but that thou ſhouldeſt take up the words of the Apoſtle, making the ſame inference from thine eſpouſal to Chriſt, that he does from the diſſolution of all things, ſaying in thy own name, and others, 2 Pet. 3.11, 12. What manner of perſons ought we to be in all holy converſation and godlineſs, looking for and haſtning to the coming of the day of God. Sinner, what remains for thee to do, but to give up thy Name and Soul to Chriſt in a Marriage-Covenant, and be happy for ever? I will conclude all with thoſe words, Rev. 19.9. Bleſſed are they which are called to the Marriage-Supper of the Lamb.
Soli Deo Gloria.
End of the text · Edward Pearse, The Best Match (1673)