husband, will see no faults in his bride; but overlooks them, and courts hér, with a Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away."

(2.) Though you cannot be called his love, and his fair one, while, and as you are in a state of black nature and unregeneracy; yet God has two glasses through which he looks to sinners; the one is his law-glass; and in that, he sees them to be what they are in themselves, "Transgressors from the womb;" and calls them, "Children of disobedience, and children of wrath." The other is a gospel-glass: that is, the glass of his own grace and goodness through Jesus Christ, in which he sees you to be what you are, in his present desire and design by this call; and calls you by what he wills you to be, even his love, and his fair one. They are titles of serious courtship, showing both what you should be, namely, his lovers and his beauties: and what you shall be, if you be brought to take with these titles, and so, believe his love and kindness therein, and be drawn with these cords of love. What was his purpose from eternity is none of your immediate concern, till once you fall in with his revealed will, and present design in courting you in these kindly terms. He is not flattering you with fair words, nor needs he, but is in good earnest calling you to him, as death and judgment will be in good earnest shortly with you; and if you cannot take with such kindly calls and invitations, nor believe his good-will towards men on earth, and towards you in particular; but remain an enemy to him, because you look upon him as an enemy to you: your ruin will be of yourself, and of your own enmity and unbelief. But if you can hear him saying, even to you in particular, "Rise, my love, my fair one, and come away;" and wonder at such kindly words of God to such a polluted creature as you: for this is not the manner of men, but the manner of God, to catch the hearts of rebels with kindness; and if your heart be touched, and taken, and drawn towards him, whose name is Wonderful, and that by the means of such love-cords, then you may come to see there was need of such strong expressions of love and esteem of you, to gain your love and

esteem of him: and may come to see also, by falling in with his promise, desire, and design by this call, what was his eternal purpose before the world began; for now, being drawn by this cord of love, the decree is declared, Jer. xxxi. 3. "I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving-kindness will I draw thee."

66

He allows, therefore, no soul here to object against his call, from their present circumstances, as if they were excluded by these titles, " My love, my fair one, rise, and come away;" for even in these terms he calls all and every one, and you in particular, that cannot think them applicable to you, that are so vile and black like hell; "To you, O man, do I call; and my voice is to the sons of men." If I should design you by the hame you deserve, and by no other name, I would frighten you away from me, but I invite you by names that show my love to you, and my desire towards you, and your eternal happiness and welfare; however these names do not become you to have, yet they become me to give, in sovereign favour to you: therefore, let me allure you," Rise, then, my love, my fair one, and come away." Make no objections, therefore, from your present state and circumstances; nor yet,

[2.] From the present time. If any sinner here says, This is not the fit time: let them remember, the call here is in the present time," Rise, my love:" this is the call of Christ from heaven to you to-day; remember, therefore, that every moment's delay to come to Christ, is an affront done to him, as if his will was not to be regarded, nor his company worth your while. Remember also, that every moment's delay of coming to him makes you the more unfit to come; therefore, it is that the call is here repeated, "Rise, rise; come away:" which imports haste. Delays here are the most dangerous delays: for none knows what a day may bring forth; life is posting away, time is running, death and judgment are hasting on, eternity is at the door, the present season is the gospel spring-time, the winter is past, the legal dispensation over, Christ is come and away again; but he has sent his Spirit to call you to

come after him: the voice of the turtle is heard; now is the time: all impediments are removed; the way is paved; the law, and justice, and holiness of God are satisfied, by the doing and dying of him that now calls you to rise. O sinners, come to a Saviour; rise and come, for he calls you: though you were the vilest sinner on earth, if he calls you, even you, his love, and his fair one, he calls you nothing but what he will instantly make you to be, whenever your heart listens to his call, and comes away to him; you shall no sooner have a heart to rise and come to him, but that moment you are his love, and his fair one, though you was as black as hell before; he is the "God that quickens the dead, and calls things that are not, as though they were," Rom. iv. 17. And he has no more ado, to make you his love, and his fair one, but to call you so; “I will call them my people, that were not my people; and her beloved, that was not beloved," Rom. xi. 25. Therefore, give way to the word of God, and it shall be a word of power; let him call you his love, and his fair one, and welcome his change of names; his powerful call can soon rifle hell, and herry the devil's nest, and make it a holy temple for himself. And now, if your heart and soul gives way to these alluring names and designations, with an "Even so be it, Lord; let "me be thy love and fair one, according to thy word;" then I am sure your heart will give way also to his exhortations, that accompany these sweet names, "Arise, and come away." You will not be able to resist his love but be ready to resign yourself to it, saying, "Lord, seeing such love and grace towards the most unlovely, come wholly of thyself; the power also is wholly thine; therefore, Lord, Draw me, and I will run; raise me, and I will rise; help me, and I will come away." Well, if even in this way he makes you willing, he makes you welcome too; for, "Him that cometh to me, says Christ, I will in no wise cast out.”

2dly, I come now to urge this call upon saints, that have some time a-day been raised and quickened by the voice of Christ, and the grace of the gospel; but now are fallen under security or discouragements, by

reason of some weary winters that have past over them, and some nipping storms of sad dispensations without, and deadness and carnality within, that have brought on a dreadful decay; so as they are not what they have been, either as to the lively exercise of grace, or the lovely diligence of duty, that some time formerly took place; "How is your gold become dim, and your most fine gold changed!" Your case now, it is like, is a weary case, a winter case, a withered case, so as you are quite laid by; that you cannot rise, but are lying among the pots, and loitering in security: well, this call comes particularly to you, poor souls; and it is the call of your loving Lord, saying, "Rise, my love, my fair one, and come away."

..He that has formerly called and quickened you by such a kindly invitation, is now repeating, and renewing his call, that you may renew your old acquaintance with him, and regain that communion and fellowship with him, which you have been deprived of since you fell into such a sad and upsitten case; his repeated call then to you is," Rise, my love, my fair one, and come away." O poor believer, that art in such a drooping and upsitten case, I call you, in his great name, to rise and come away to him, and then to his table. In order to persuade you to this, consider,

1. None else can remedy your case; who can help you? who can ease you? but he that says, " Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,"” Mat. xi. 28.

2. Consider, that the love of Christ is still the same to thee that ever it was. There is still the same love in his heart, whatever frowns have been or are in his dispensations; and whatever changes have been in your case and frame, yet he has never changed your name; notwithstanding all your faults and follies, you are still his love and his fair one; therefore he calls you thus, "Rise, my love, my fair one, and come away."

3. Consider, that you are expressly called by your marriage-name to communion and fellowship with him, as his bride, the Lamb's wife, saying, "Return, for I am married unto you. It is true, there is a relation

between Christ and the visible church, as he is their Head and Husband, as I said above; but this general marriage-covenant and relation infers no saving benefit to any, but such as make particular application thereof to themselves, which is done when God makes a soul to lay claim to God, as his God and Father; or to Christ, as his Head and Husband. I name two instances of this particular application of that general relation, whereby the special relation is constituted; one is, Jer. iii. 19. "How shall I put thee among the children?" &c. God only can answer the question, and he does it in the following words, "Thou shalt call me Father, and shalt not turn away from me." Another instance is, Hos. ii. 16. "And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, thou shalt call me, ISHI;" that is, My Husband; or, as it may be read, My MAN: O wonderful homely appropriation of faith here, that makes of God man, My MAN, MY HUSBAND: "Thou shalt call me ISHI." To the same purpose it is said, in the last verse of that same second chapter of Hosea, 66 I will say unto them that were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God." This is once and again said by the church, in this book of the Song: "My beloved is mine, and I am his.-I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine," Song ii, 16. iii. 6. Now, believer, his calling you to rise and come away to him by that name, "My love, my fair one," is a call to fellowship with him, as one married to you, not only in a general, but in a particular and special manner, by your having given your heart and hand to him, some time a-day, and your having called him by faith your own God, yea, your own Man, your own Husband, your own and only Beloved; and now, though you have been by a whorish heart, playing the harlot with other lovers, and laying yourself by from fellowship with him; yet in infinite kindness and pity towards you, he wants you to return to your first husband, for then it was better with you, than since you left his company.

4. Consider, that our Lord Jesus is instant and earnest in shewing himself to be so; not only by repeat