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Show There i1a CqnjNg~tlRniqn, and in the Nell', ]cr. 3· 14. Turn , 0 back._(/1ding childr~n, faith the Lord, f~r I am married unto )01<, - In the New-Te!lament, John tbe Baptiff, proving that Chrill was more.excellent than he, and Jok. ;. •8,•9· that himfelf was not the Mef!iu, proves· lt thus:. I am not .the Chrift, bHt I am [ent before btm; H, tbat hatb the Brtde 11 tbe Br~de· groom : He could have faid, Chrill is tl;: Lord •f tbe Chllrch, the Clmrcb is bis, but he chufeth to exprefs the fame thmg und er t ~c notion of a M1rriage, calling Chrill a Bridrgroom, his Spollf:, hts_ Cburch, and the truly bdiC\·Ing Soul the Bride . Chrtfl. h1mfe!t fpeaketh io the fame dialect while he tells the Phanfees h1s DifciMm. •S· v. r. pies could not mourn while the Bridegroom is with them .. A!'d in · the pltable of the ten Vtrgins, he again compneth htmfelf to a Brid<graom. In fiead of many I w11l ?nly .. ~ d one Text more, where the Apollle largely dtfcomfeth thts ; It n that Eph.5. from ver. 23. to ver. 33. Ver, 2 3· '1 he huJbaitd 11 tbe_ head of the wtfe, aJ Chrijf iJ tb< brad oft be ChHrch. Ver. 3?.. 'Ih11 11 a great my~erlf, b1<1 I fi"'~ concmtinz. Cbrtfl and his Cburch. . 3. The Scripture fpeaking of the Pruv~de nm of God by the mt-nitlry of the Word, gaining and prepaung ot Souls for a clo!ing with and receiving of Chrifl, fpeaks in tillS langu age alfo ; I have efpou{<d yo11 to one husb4Hd, tbJt I may prefe~t y "'as a chaft Virg.in to Chrift. It remaineth only as to the Doctnnal part of my Dtfcourfe That I Chew you the propriety of this Notion, and the aptnef; of it to exprcfs that B.ldT'd union which is b.etwixt our bleffed Lord and every believmg Soul: that I !hall do In Come few partict:lars under this one Head. . • 1. The Vnim bctnmn the h11sband and the ll'ife, IS a moral aHd lei' a/ Hnim: Moral, in oppo!ition to NattJral. T.here is a natural union between tbe head and members, but there IS no more than a moral and legal union between the husband and wi~e ; . A moral Union not founded in an identity of Nature, but m love, and in Come mrttu1l {iipulation, and a lrgalrmion it is ; fo as the Law looketh upon them, ( though in themfelv6s two perfons for· m>lly and \Tiaterially difiinct,) yet legally they are one: the Law looks upon them as one. The Wives debt is the Husban?s de?t, and the Husbands payment of it is the fame as if the W1fc pat~. Such now is the union between Chri!t and th; be!ievmg So.ul: .tt is not a natrtrt.Z ttlfion flo wing from H.Jtural origi1ul, nor lytn? to any identity or famencfs of bci ng, or nature ; ( thou~h !omet~t'?es to cry refs the firairnefs c fit, it be expre!fed by thmgs betw.~xt · · wb1ch which is a natural union. indeed look upon Chri!t (as to his humane nature) there is a natural union between him and us : Forafmuch at the children Wtre partak.frs off!efh and blood, he alfo too/t part with them, but as to the divine nature of Chrill this is impoffible. The Apo!llc indeet.! fpcaking of the Saint s, faith, They are made partakers a( th< divine nature ; but that mull be undcr! lood of the vertzus of the divine nature, p11rity and bolintfs ; not as to the e!fencc or fub!hnce of it for that is not communicable to any creature : we arc and muil be tinite, he is infinite. It is a moral Vnion, 1. fo~tnded i11 lavr, 2 . Depending upon a Covenant or ~ipulation : I fay, r: Fotmded in love, free, in fi nite love. Such is the union between Chriil and the believing Soul , fuch is the union between • · the husband and tbe wife ; it is love that makes the Husband and :~\ Wife one. The foul of my Son Slmhem lon{_e l~ for your dJugbter, faith Hamor, Gen. 34· 8. The heart of Chritl cleaveth to a Belie-ver: We may fay of Chri!l and the Believer, as it is faid of David and 7onatban, the [out ofJonatban was ~nihPith tbr {o11l of David : The Soul of Chrill is knit with the believing Son!, and he lo ves him as his own Soul, but yet with-this difference. There is fame ground ordinarily fat that love which bottometh the conjugal uni · on betwixt creatures. 'fh~ Philofopher faith fimilitudo amorem gignit. Love among It creatures generally is founded in feme !imilitude but it is not lo here ; we have no likenefs to him but what his Jo~e makes; but however this union is founded in love,lt is his love, his fre~ infinite love that humbles him to an union with any Soul. · 2 . But fecondly, As in the Conjugal R<lation though love bottoms the union, yet it is the marriage.Cevenant that mak.fth it, and till that be made they are not one f/rjh, and fo it is here. That which makes the union betwixt Chrill and the Soul, is the Souls acceptance of the Covenant of Grace: The Covenant was made between God and Chrift from before the foundation oftheWorld ,it is offered to ev·ery Soul in the preaching of the Gofpel;thc Soul by a true faith accepteth of this, receiveth the Lord Jefus Chri!l,lai th, Lord, I will have the~ to be nzy Lord, .my Saviour to fave me, my P10phet to infiruCt me, my King to rule and govern me;and doth this with a true, and not with a whori!h heart; this tnan now, this woman is become the Spoufe ofChri!l conjugally united unto him; Thus yoll fee it is a m.ral t111io1t, not a n~ll!ral, but ~kk am• |