The Best Match, Chapter 3
CHAP. III. In which the way and means of the accompliſhment of this Eſpouſal or Marriage-relation between Chriſt and Believers is enquired into, and a general account thereof given.
HAving ſeen ſomewhat of the nature of the Eſpouſal or Marriage-relation between Chriſt and Believers, the next thing to be enquired into is, How this Eſpouſal or Relation is made up and accompliſhed: To be ſure, naturally we are all ſtrangers to it, and unacquainted with it, being (as the Apoſtle ſpeaks) without Chriſt, that is, without union with him, or any ſpiritual Relation to him, Epheſ. 2.12. But how then, and in what way is it brought about? In general, it is from Divine Grace, the Grace of God in Jeſus Chriſt acting and laying out it ſelf for us and upon us; and it is from Divine Grace two wayes; or as that Grace carries a double oppoſition with it. Firſt, As it ſtands in oppoſition to any thing of worth or deſervings in us; and ſo it flows from the riches of Divine Grace, as its onelyonly Spring and Fountain: And, ſecondly, as that Grace ſtands in oppoſition to any thing of power or ability in us; and ſo it is effected by the duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page Power of Divine Grace as its Principle and Eſticient: Accordingly take this General in theſe two Propoſitions.
I. This Eſpouſal or Marriage-relation between Chriſt and Believers, flows from the Riches of Divine Grace, as its onelyonly Spring and Fountain: that any of the Sons of Men are Married or Eſpouſed to Chriſt, is not from any thing of worth or deſervings in them, but purely and entirely from free Grace and Love dwelling and working in the heart of God and Chriſt towards them; and this account the Scripture gives us of it, Jer. 31.3. I have loved thee with in everlaſting, love; therefore with loving kindneſſ have I deawn thee: as if he ſhould ſay, I have drawn thee out of thy ſins, out of thy unbelief, out of all thy carnal reſts and refuges, and I have drawn thee to my ſelf, into union and communion with my ſelf, into a Marriage-covenant and Relation with my, ſelf; and all this from mine own free love, that love, that kindneſs, that has been in my heart towards thee from everlaſting: So again, Hoſ. 2.19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteouſneſs, and in judgment, and in loving, kindneſs, and in mercies. Mark, It is mercy and loving kindneſs, which eſpouſes Souls to Chriſt.*Deſpenſat nos Deus Chriſto nallis noſtris meritis addis biss, ſed ex ſua tantum bonitate & miſericordia. Zanch. God (ſayes one upon this place) eſpouſes us to Chriſt, indu ed thereunto by no merits of ours, but by his own goodneſſ and mercy. And indeed, my Beloved, what have we, or what have any of the ſons of men, that ſhould ſpeak the one or the other worthy of a conjugal-relation to Chriſt, or that ſhould invite and induce him to take us into ſuch a relation to himſelf? Have we Birth or Parentage to induce him? No, alas! as to our ſtate, we are all of the brood of Hell, and thence, as ſinners, we all have our deſcent and original, John 8.44. Have we beauty and arniableneſs? No, for we are all black and deformed in our ſelves, we have the ſpirit of the Devil in us, and the image of the Devil upon us: we are blind, and deaf, and dumb, and lame, and crooked: ſo the Scripture ſpeaks of us in our natural ſtate, we are all in our blood and gore, caſt out into the open field to the loathing of our perſons, Ezek. 16.5, 6. And as their caſe is repreſented, Iſa. 1.6. ſuch is ours ſpiritually, Even from the ſole of the foot, to the crown of the head, there is no ſoundneſs in us; nothing but wounds, and bruiſes, and putrifying ſores: In a word, we are all ſin, and have nothing but ſin. Know, O Spouſe of Chriſt, Scito, & ſponſa Chriſti, te a teipſo nthil habere niſi peccata. Bona vero omnia gratiae ſponſitui ſunt, gratulare ergo, i. e. gratias age et. Bern. de paſſ. Dom.(ſayes one of the Ancients) that thou haſt nothing of thy ſelf but ſins; as for all thy good things, they are the Grace of thy Bridegroom to thee, to whom therefore give the glory of it: I ſay, we have nothing but ſins, and is there any beauty, any comelineſs in that to attract an Holy Jeſus? Surely no. Have we Riches and Treaſures? No; for indeed we are poor, and miſerable, and blind, and naked, Rev. 3.17. Treaſures, it is true, we have, but they are black ones; treaſures of ſin and wickedneſs, treaſures of guilt and wrath, which ſurely cannot render us worthy, but moſt unworthy of ſuch a Relation. Have we wiſdom and parts to invite him? No; we are altogether bruitiſh and fooliſh, Jer. 10.8. Wiſe we are, but it is to do evil; to do good we have no knowledge: Jer. 4.22. Have we love and kindneſs in us towards him, goodnature? No; for naturally we love him not; yea, we hate him, and are enemies to him, Luk. 19.14. We hate both him and the Father, as he charged the Jews of old: Yea, we are enmity it ſelf to him, Rom. 8.7. We are enemies to his Perſon, to his Kingdom, to his Grace, to his Righteouſneſs, to his Wayes, and to all acquaintance and communion with him: Thus we have nothing to induce him to take us into ſuch a Relation: at the beſt, we are but poor worms, whoſe Foundation is in the duſt: And what can it be, but free and rich Grace in Chriſt to marry and eſpouſe ſuch unto himſelf?
II. This Eſpouſal or Marriage-relation between Chriſt and Believers, is wrought and effected by the Power of Divine Grace, as its principle and efficient: When Souls are married and eſpouſed to Chriſt, 'tis not done by any power or ability of their own, nor yet by the power and efficacy of means and inſtruments, but 'tis purely from the power and efficacy of Divine Grace: Indeed, God makes uſe of Means and Inſtruments, he makes uſe of the Goſpel and Goſpel-Miniſters for the eſpouſing of ſinners to his Son, and theſe are the onelyonly ordinary way and means whereby he doth it; therefore ſayes the Apoſtle in my Text, [I] have eſpouſed you to one Husband; that is, I by my Miniſtry, I by preaching the everlaſting Goſpel, have been an Inſtrument in God's hand for your eſpouſing to Chriſt: but though God thus makes uſe of means and inſtruments in this Work, yet ſtill the Work it ſelf is from pure Grace, and to Grace doth Chriſt attribute it, excluding all other power but this as ſufficient hereunto, John 6.44. No man can come to me, or believe on me, cloſe with me in a Marriage-Covenant, except the Father which hath ſent me, draw him: that is, except the power of Divine Grace be put forth upon him in order hereunto: the drawing here Chriſt ſpeaks of, is comprehenſive of the whole buſineſs; it's the enabling of us to come to Chriſt, to believe on him, and cloſe with him as our Head and Husband.Non violenta coactio ſad voluntatis a Deo averſae benevola flexio, tractione ea innuitur. Glaſ. Rhet. Sac. It notes (as one obſerves) not any violent coaction or conſtraint, but a ſweet bowing of the Will, which in it ſelf was averſe from, and oppoſite to God and Chriſt; and withal, a carrying of the Soul to Chriſt, and an enabling of him to cloſe with him in this Relation: and this Chriſt aſcribes wholly to the power of Divine Grace: the truth is, in and of our ſelves we have no power or ability for ſuch a work; we are without ſtrength, Rom. 6.5. Yea, when we are brought into Chriſt by the power of Divine Grace; yet then, in and of our ſelves, we can do nothing; So Chriſt tells us, Joh. 15.5. Without me ye can do nothing. Yea, when we are brought into Chriſt, and have had ſome communion with him; yet we can't follow after him, nor draw one tittle nearer to him, unleſs a freſh influence of Divine Grace be put forth upon us, enabling us thereunto; ſo much the Spouſe was ſenſible of, and therefore prayes thus, Draw me, and we will run after thee, Cant. 1.4. As if ſhe ſhould ſay, Lord in my ſelf I can't ſtir one foot towards thee; but do thou put forth thy Power in drawing of me, and then, and not till then, ſhall I come nearer to thee: Yea, my Beloved, the eſpouſing of Souls to Chriſt, is not only the Act or Work of Divine Grace, and the power of it; But 'tis the Act or Work of the mighty Power of that Grace; 'tis not an ordinary power that is and muſt be put forth therein, but even the greatneſs of the power of that Grace, a power no leſs than that which was put forth in raiſing Chriſt form the dead: So the Apoſtle tells us, Epheſ. 1.18, 19, 20. That you may know (ſayes he) what is the exceeding greatneſs of his power to us-ward, who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Chriſt, when he raiſed him from the dead. So then here is power, mighty power, the mighty power of God, the greatneſs of the mighty power of God, the exceeding greatneſs of the mighty power of God, the ſame exceeding greatneſs of the mighty power of God which raiſed Chriſt from the dead; and all put forth to enable us to believe, and ſo to cloſe with Chriſt in a Marriage-Covenant. Thus this Work is every way from Divine Grace. But here more particularly, the enquiry will be, What thoſe Acts or Works of Divine Grace are, by which poor ſinners come to be eſpouſed to Chriſt? I ſhall reduce them all to two Heads; they are either, (firſt) more remote, being Acts of Divine Grace put forth for us and towards us; or (ſecondly) more near, being Acts of Divine Grace put forth in us and upon us: In the firſt, the Father and Jeſus Chriſt work more immediately by and from themſelves: In the ſecond, they work by the influence and miniſtry of the Bleſſed Spirit: I'le ſpeak a little of each.