Whatever he be compared to, he excels it; if he be a lily, he is the lily of the valley; if he be a rose, he is the rose of Sharon; if he be a plant, he is the plant of renown; if he be a physician, he is the physician of value; if an advocate, he is an advocate with the Father; he is represented without any parallel.

3. His relative glory is manifested: he is discovered as a glorious priest, a glorious prophet, a glorious king, a glorious husband, a glorious redeemer and saviour! and there will be a sight of his glorious fulness in all these relations, and the glorious fitness of that sufficiency and fulness, all suited for the soul: and thus revealing himself, he removes all jealousies and mistakes from the bride, supplies all her wants, heals all her diseases, and out-bids all her rivals, who can offer nothing to allure the soul, while he can, and doth say, I am all sufficient to help thee.

III. I come now to the third thing proposed, namely: To offer some reasons of the doctrine, why Christ comes under a married-relation to believers. I answer,

1. His own sovereign will is the best reason why he comes under a marriage-relation in this case; " Even so Father, for so it seems good in thy sight,” Matth. xi. 28. His actions are not, to be examined at the bar of our reason: He hath mercy because he will have mercy."

2. His love to them makes him come under such a relation to them; " I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with everlasting kindness have I drawn thee." Love is the motive that engages him; love brought him out of heaven for them; love nailed him to the cross for them; love laid him in a grave for them; and love engages him to a marriage-relation with them.

3. He does it for the glory of his own free grace, mercy, and love. As love and mercy was his motive, so it was his end, that he might display and discover it to the utmost. This attribute is at its utmost line. Infi

nite wisdom could have contrived a thousand worlds, and infinite power could have made them, but the love of God hath gone to its utmost height; it is not possible for Christ to give a greater demonstration of his love than he hath done, in giving his life for the bride, and entering into a marriage-relation with her.

4. He does it, that he may furnish work for the blessed company in the higher house; for on the earth the contract is only drawn up: this is only the day of espousals; heaven will be the day of the consummation of the marriage: this is only a courting and wooing time; but the day will come when the nuptial solemnity shall be celebrated, and that shall continue while the day of eternity lasts.-This shall suffice for the reasons of the doctrine.

IV. The fourth thing was, To make some application; and it may be. 1. For Information. 2. Lamentation. 3. Examination. 4. Exhortation. Now of these in their order.

(1.) For Information. Is it so, that there is a marriage-relation betwixt Christ and believers?

1. This informs us of the infinite love of God towards lost sinners, in giving his own Son to be a husband and redeemer unto them; "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him might not perish, but have everlasting life." John iii. 16. God so loved the world, as neither angels. nor men can tell.

2. This informs us of the infinite love of Christ, in condescending to be a husband to such a bride. It could never have entered into the heart of the wisest angel in heaven, that Christ the eternal Son of God, should become man; and far less that he should take such a filthy and deformed creature and bride by the hand, as sinners are: if he had given us our deserving, he would have made his justice to ride in triumph over us, and hell to resound with eternal hollows of praise to incensed justice; but, to the quite contrary, he hath so ordered, that heaven shall resound with eternal hallelujahs of praise to his gracious mercy and free grace, in chusing those that were enemies, and admitting them to his blessed bosom.

3. This doctrine informs us of the believer's safety. Having Christ for her husband, who can hurt her? It is the duty of a husband, you know, to protect and defend his spouse; and to be sure Christ will not be wanting in this to his bride: "He will hide them in the secret of his

presence from the pride of men: he will keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues, Ps. xxxi. 20. About all the glory he makes a defence." Isaiah iv. 5. He covers them with the mantle of his providence, the mantle of his righteousness, the mantle of his intercession, the mantle of his Spirit; sure then the bride of Christ is in absolute safety: he hath retiring chambers for her, to hide her in till the day of indignation be overpast.

4. This doctrine lets us see, that believers are no such mean and despicable persons as the world generally takes them to be; they are Christ's bride, and he is their husband: and, O what an honour is it to be married to the Son of God! Having him for an husband, they come to be related to all Christ's relations; God is their Father, because he is his Father; angels are their servants, because they are his servants; saints are their fellowbrethren, because they are his members; heaven is their inheritance, because it is the kingdom of their husband. In a word, whatever is his, is theirs; "And all things are yours, for ye are Christ's and Christ is God's," 2 Cor. iii. 22, 23.

(2.) For Lamentation. Is it so, that there is a marriage-relation betwixt Christ and believers? This calls for deep lamentation in these two particulars.

1. It calls us to lament that Christ should have so few brides among us, though he be wooing and courting us by the gospel, crying, "Behold me, behold me," Isa. lxv. 1. Yet where is the man or woman that is prevailed with to enter a match with this glorious bridegroom? Though he be fairer than the sons of men, and condescends to offer marriage with sinners, who are as black and ugly as hell itself, yet they set him at nought, and give him just ground for that melancholy complaint, "My people would not hearken to my voice, Israel would have none of me," Psalm. lxxxi. 11. And may he not appeal to the very immaterial creation, to judge of our folly as he did of old to Israel? Jer. ii. 12, 13. "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; yea, be astonished and horribly afraid, for my people have committed two great evils: they have forsaken me the

fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water."

2. This doctrine may afford us matter of lamentation also, That believers, who are espoused to him, should walk so unworthily of such a husband. You know a wife should demean herself conform to the character of her husband; and where her carriage is base and mean, it reflects a dishonour on him. O how unsuitable is it to see Christ's bride blackened with the filth of hell! to see those who have stricken hands with Christ, in a marriage-covenant, joining hands with lusts and idols, and defiling themselves with them!

(3.) For Examination. Let us try if we be thus married and related to Christ; whether he be our husband, and we his bride and spouse.

I shall offer a few marks whereby we may know whether or not we be married unto this glorious husband; and they may be drawn from the consideration of the antecedents, the constituents, and the consequents of this marriage.

1st, Try by the antecedents to the marriage-contract. Before ever Christ did contract with thee, didst thou observe him courting thy soul before this contract? Here is a courting. Now, how did Christ court you?

1. Did he court you by the austerity of the law, as with fire and sword? Did he court you by such a word as that, Thou art a cursed wretch: For, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them?" Gal. ii. 16. Did he court you by such a word as that, "Cursed is every one that doth the work of the Lord negligently?" Did he court you thus, by the spirit of bondage, with the terrors of God, as clothed with vengeance, telling thee, Thou art an heir of hell and wrath, a child of the devil? Did he court thee so as thou wast surrounded with fear and trouble?

2. Did he court thee as by the austerity of the law; so by the sweetness of the gospel, when he saw thee cast down, when he saw thee a poor heavy laden sinner, like to be crushed under thy weights? Did he then court you with such a word as that, Come unto me,

all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," Matth. xi. 28.; or with such a word as that, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come to the waters; he that hath no money, come; buy wine and milk, without money and without price, Isa. lv. 1. Flee to your strong holds, ye prisoners of hope." Did he thus court you with the gospel-offer?

3. Did he court you by his love-letters? This is another antecedent of the contract. Got you ever a loveletter sent from Christ out of heaven? But you will say, What is the love-letter? Even the Bible: "Search the scriptures, these are they that testify of me," John v. 39. Here there are the declarations of the love of Christ to thy soul: here there are love-promises in these letters, that shall be yours. There is a love-covenant in these letters. Have you read and pondered them? And can you say that Christ spake them into your heart? If it be a text that was preached upon, or if it be a single word, O Christ dropt that into my heart! and I think it will go with me to my death-bed, it came with such life and power. In a word, Got you any gifts before the marriage-contract, such as the gift of true conviction, such as the gift of heart-contrition, the gift of real humiliation, the gift of self-denial, the gift of faith? These are given, some before, some at the contract.

2dly, Try by the constituents of the marriage.

1. If this marriage be made up betwixt Christ and thee, then thou hast put away all lovers besides Christ; the right hand will be cut off, the right eye put out; you will be divorced from all other husbands, particularly from the law; ye must be dead to the law, that ye may be married to another husband, even to Christ. But you will say, What is it to be dead to the law? I answer, it is not to lay it aside as the rule of obedience; for the law shall still be the rule and standard of the believer's obedience, life, and conversation; but to be dead to the law, is to be sensible that the law cannot save us as a covenant of works. It is to disclaim all hopes of being justified by the law, or by our works or obedience to it. I see Christ, the glorious husband, hath brought in an everlasting righteousness, answering