The Mystical Marriage

A Soul Espoused unto a SAVIOUR.

The most Marvellous Proposal that ever was made among the Children of Men, calls now for a most Admiring Attention from us.

Tis that in,

That ye should be MARRIED unto HIM who is Raised from the Dead.

CAN such a Thing be heard without Astonishment! —Sing O Heavens, and be Joyful, O Earth, and break forth into Singing, O Mountains; For, Oh! how astonishing are the Comforts which the Glorious Lord has for his Chosen People.

Married unto a Glorious Christ, Raised from the Dead, and so taken up to, and sitting down on, the Throne of GOD. O Wonderful! O Wonderful! The Soul of a poor, Foolish, Filthy Creature; the Soul of a Miserable Sinner,—Married unto the Only Begotten Son of God, who has all the Angels in the Heavens forever Ordered by Him, and Adoring of Him! To be Commanded by Him, is a Dignity; To be Employed for Him, is an Advancement, beyond what we can desire. But then, to be Married unto Him!—Seemeth it a light matter unto you, O p. 2Children of Men! Verily, tis a matter which cannot (be sufficiently wondred at! But it is a matter, which we now have in prosecution and in expectation.

Behold, an lllustrious Demonstration, That Believers on a Glorious Christ are delivered from the Dominion of Sin. The Evil principle which disposes us to Sin, is mortified and extinguished in Believers, to such a degree, that tho' the Continuance of it is an Intolerable Vexation unto them, yet it has not a Dominion over them. While we remain under the Covenant of Works, or the Covenant made with the First Adam, as the Head of his Natural Offspring, we are under a Law which requires a perfect Obedience from us, but at the same time it affords us no Strength for that Obedience: No; our Corrupt Nature is thereby irritated unto Rebellion rather than annimated unto Obedience, and [the Evil Principle gains the Force of a Law upon us. The Law which in it self is Holy, and just and Good, in the Event is turned into, a Law of Sin and Death unto us. If we read a few Lines more, we cannot but stand amazed at the Blindness of them, who exclude the Moral Law of the Ten Commandments from the meaning of the Apostles, and expound it only for the Law of the Mosaical Ceremonies, when here we read of being Delivered from the Law. But now, our Blessed Jesus is a Second Adam. And by our being united unto HIM, we are brought into a Covenant of Grace. In that Covenant the Redeemer, to whom we are united, makes Attonement for our Trespasses, against the Law, answers the Demands of the Law in our stead, and conveys into us by his Good Spirit a principle of Life, which quickens us to endeavour a perfection of Obedience, and Strengthens us to make a Gradual Progress towards a perfection of Holiness in the Fear of GOD. Thus we become Dead unto the Law! Our Hopes of obtaining the Justification of Life by our own doing of the Works which the Law requires, p. 3are all Dead. We have laid aside all Hopes of coming to Life, on those Terms of the Law, Do and Live. The Law is also Dead unto us, and can make no more claim upon us, to adhere unto those Terms of, Do and Live, than a Dead Man can upon one that he was once by Marriage a Master of. Christians, You have the very Substance and Marrow of the Gospel, and a plain Gloss upon a famous Paragraph of the Sacred Scriptures, in these few Communications. But what is our Condition in this Change of our State before the Lord? And what is it that brings us into this Happy Condition? Tis this Marvellous Felicity; Our Marriage with a Redeemer that is Raised from the Dead. Of this I am now to Entertain you with a DOCTRINE, that brings unto us those Consolatioas of GOD, which, O Hard-Hearted we, if they be Small unto us!

p. 3A Soul Married unto a Jesus Raised from the Dead, is an Happy Soul. And it is by Marrying of us unto Himself that a Glorious CHRIST brings us to all the Happiness, which He has purpos'd and purchas'd for us. Our Apostle, Speaking of a People by his Ministry brought home unto GOD, and made an Happy People, says, 2 Cor. XI.2. I have Espoused you unto one Husband, that I may present you as a chast Virgin unto CHRIST. This, This is the main intent and business of the Evangelical Ministry. The Ministers of the Gospel are those Friends of the Bridegroom, that have a Work to do upon that Noble Design; To Espouse the Souls of their People, unto a Glorious Christ, who is willing to become an Husband unto them. Now to bring about this Blessedness to the Souls, with and for whom we are concerned, we are going to lay before you the most Important Things, that ever you were addressed upon; And we make our Address to you, with such a pathetic Observation, Hearken to p. 4me, that GOD may hearken unto you another Day.

I. The Glorious REDEEMER makes unto your Souls, O our Gospelized People, a Proposal to make you Happy in an ESPOUSAL unto Himself.

Can our Souls be any other than swallowed up with Admiration at the Mystery.

The Infinite Son of GOD, Espoused the Nature of Man, when the Word was made Flesh, and he condescended so far as to take a Man in One Person with Himself. The Almighty King, overlooking all the Tribes of Created, and even of Angelic Beings, Espoused unto Himself a Queen, from the Family of Mankind.—Lord what are we? And what is our Fathers House? This He did, tho' He saw the Depravation which Mankind by a Fall from God comes to Sink into. A Thing which, Oh! how should we celebrate the Grace! Grace! that we see shining in it! What an Honour does it put upon the Humane Race! And how should it Encourage our Approaches unto our GOD.