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Show The ~lJrhle applied. Ancl what hinclreth my beloved Bretfu,en ? Is there any thing wanting hut y.ous own confent? This great Lord hath been thefe many years m~king love to your Souls: G0d hath been by us faymg to you, will you have my Son? Soul, will you have my Son for thy beloved bUibandl what wants here! but that thou ihouldfr fay, Lord I rpiUr But if you do fay [o,a• once the lfraelites ]of,24: 2 3. you mull expect that he ihould fay unto you, as Jofhua there drd, ver. ~ 4· New tbtrrfore ptlt arpay the ftrange god1 'R'hich are a· rnDIIgjl Y •>tt,t~nd 111cline yoHr heart! unto the Lard God of I[ra.t; here is all which the Lord requiretl1 of you. . Is there any arguments needful> Oh, how eafie were it here to run through all 'IopicJv! Arguing with you.from thefweetnefl offu~h a !late,from the profit an? ad vantage of u ; from the honour. of 11, from the equity and rea{onablnufl of it, from the nrt,ffity,&c. but I ihall forbear. I know there is none of you but can ealily furniih himfelf with arguments. I ihewed you the necellity of it before, and from that terrour of the Lord endeavoured to perf wade you. I ihall conclude this branch of Application with Ham., and Sechem1 words with their p~ople, to p~rfwade their confent to • match.between Secbem and Dinah !acob1 daughter, Gen. 34·23• (Say they,) SbaU nat their cattel, and every bra{! oftheirz be our~, olt/y let 111 cou(ent unto thent and they wiU dweU'R'ith 111. Chrifiians, ihallnot the birth the life' the death, the merits and righteoufnefs, the grace, the flrength' the comforts, the glory of Chrill be yours? .yea., and all that h~ hath ihall it not be yours ? only con[ent to him, and he will ·be yours. _ In the la!l place (that I may ihut up this difcour[e: ) Let me apply my felf unto thofe Souls betwixt whom, and my Lord and Maller, this my~iaal HHion i1 made, Their belo~ed i1 tbeir1. What manner of per[on1 ( Brethren ) cught you to be in aU holy coxverfotion ? You that were poor creatures liule worth, born children of wrath, heirs of Hell: you that had not a rag to cover your naked~ efs, nor a friend in heaven or earth to take pity on you, that were without God, without Chrill, without hope , tlrangers to the covenant of Promife , to be taken into this glorious · lhte of union with the Son of God. But let me defcend to mention fome -particular- Engagements which this my!lical Union layeth you under. •· In the firtl place, it undoubtedly calleth to you for H11mility. It it nollltH~III but a c~nj•gaiVJ#on;iC the Prince may have fome rea- - -- fon The DolJrilte applied. 449 fon for high thoughts who is of the Royal blood,Reih ofhis farhm fleih : yet furely that !f0mt hath none who was a j!Jve, a poor -woman exalted to the dignity of a Q!een by meer favour, be-caufe the Prince had a delight in her : Chrifrians , though grace hath made a great difference betwixt you and others; yet being Grace hath made it, where is boafting? furcly it is excluded : it is the Apo!lles argument for Humility; for who m•k!th tim to differ fr•m another 1' and fl'hat haft: thon 'R'hich thou didft 11ot receive? I/ 1 Cor, 4· 7· thou didft receiveit,why doefl thou glory tlf if thou hadjt not rea.ived itl If thou wilt but look to the Roc( from 'R'hich thot~'R'trl bewen, and to the hole of the pitfrom'R'hmce thou 'R'ert digged,thou wilt find thy heart was hewed out of the fame quarrey where otherj!ony heartJ lie: dig'd out of the fame clay-pit wherein other dirty Souls not yet made ve!fels of honour lie. Ahitail had no reafon to be proud, though David had taken her for his~teen; nor E(lhcr,though Aha-fhuefofh had made her an Emprefs; Nor thou,O Chrif/ian I though grac~,free and infinite grace, hath made theeconjugally one with him who is the Son ofGod,the KingofKiltgl,and the Lord ofLordf. 2. In the fecond place, it undoubredly calleth to you for aReverential Love. It is the Apo!lles P.recept, Epbrf5·33· Let th{ wife fle tbJt fhe reverencttb her htuban'd. Reverence is nothing but • .,.,. fullow; Love tempered with fear. The married Woman (let her quality be what it will ) is bound to love her Husband; they are one fle{h, and none yet ever hated hi1 own flefh, (faith the Apo! lle: ) But certainly the exalted Wife, ihe who by the peculiar love of her Husband to her, is raifed to a !late and dignity {he could never have hoped for, hath yet an higher Obligation:. As ' the conjugal Relation calleth for love on both hands, fo the fuperiority which the Law of that Relation hath given the husband over the wife, calls for a Reverence on the wives part. 0 love ye -the Lord aU ye hit Saint/! Love is a great General, and comprehends all ads of obedience. I ihall here only rellrain it to its firfl-workings in the heart; Let him be the object of yoxr defiru, of your delight/ and complacency; he is in himfeJfaltogether defireable, let him be all your defire.l defi",faith Paul,to ~tnoit? nothing but Cbri}landhimm<cified; defire nothing in comparifon with him, . nothing ab0ve him. Delight thy felf alfo in the Lord, Pfalm 37· Pfalm.104·34· 4-· in the meditation and contemplation of him; My meditatiO>t of him (faith David) ,lhaU be {wm. Delight to know his Will,P(itlm I 19,47, 70. and drligbt to do hi1 wiU, Pfalm 40. 8. M Dlllil 3• Thirdly, |