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The words read, ver. 6. are a furprising fummons or ad vertisement unto the church in general, and every individual member thereof, to make ready for his entertainment, because he is at the door. And at midnight there was a cry made, &c. where we may notice the particulars following.

(1.) To whom the advertisement is given. It is unto all in general, both unto the wife and foolish virgins. The gofpel is preached unto a promifcuous multitude of good and bad, gracious and gracelefs, according to Chrift's command, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gofpel unto every crea

ture."

(2.) We have the manner in which the advertisement is given. It is by a cry, fo as all might hear and take warning, If. lvii. 1. "Cry aloud, fpare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet." Minifters are God's criers or heralds. It is faid of John the Baptift, that he was "the voice of one crying in the wilderness," &c. Whatever be the meffage God puts in our mouth, whether it be of mercy or of judgement, we are not to whisper it in a corner, but to publish it as upon the house top, Prov. i. 20.-24. " Wisdom crieth without the city, the uttereth her voice in the streets, the crieth in the chief place of concourfe."

(3.) We have the time when the fummons or advertisement is given. At midnight, when they all flumbered and flept, and had given over hope and expectation of his coming both the wife and foolish virgins were faying, "The Lord delayeth his coming" and therefore, "Yet a little fleep, a little flumber, a little folding of the hands to fleep." In this case, even at midnight, in a surprise, the cry is made, Behold the Bridegroom cometh.

(4.) We have the fummons or advertisement itself, Behold the Bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him. These are the words I intend particularly to infift upon, and in them we may notice thefe following particulars.

1. The folemnity of the warning in the word Behold, which may be taken there as a note of attention or admiration. It is like the warnword when the King's proclamation is ifsued forth by the herald; he cries, Oyez, to arreft the attention of the audience, like that, If. iv. 1. " Ho every one that thirsteth," &c. Or we may take it as a note of admiration, Behold and wonder at the glory of the Bridegroom, who is a-coming. We find commonly, when the Meffiah is fpoken of by the prophets under the Old Teftament, they ufher in their prophecies anent his coming, with a note of admiration, Be bold! If. vii. 14. "Behold a virgin fhall conceive, and bear a fon, and fhall call his name IMMANUEL;" If, xlii. 1. "Behold

my fervant whom I uphold," &c.; If. lv. 4. "Behold I have given him for a witnefs to the people, a leader and commander to the people;" Zech. ix. 9. "Rejoice, O daughter of Zion, behold thy King cometh unto thee," &c.; fignifying that Chrift is a wonderful perfon, and his coming to us in mercy is wonderful.

2. We have the character of the person concerning whom this intimation is made. He is called the Bridegroom, and the Bridegroom in a way of eminence, because there is none that ever bore this character that can be compared to him. Whenever we hear the name of a bridegroom, we prefently conclude there is a marriage in hand; fo here when Chrift takes this amiable character and title to himfelf, we fhould prefently conclude there is a match or marriage in hand, that Chrift is a lover, and that he hath a bride, and a purpose of marfiage with her, according to that you have, Hof. ii. 19. 20. "I will betrothe you unto me for ever," &c. But more of this afterwards, if the Lord will.

3. In the words we have the approach of the Bridegroom, Behold the Bridegroom cometh. There are various comings of Chrift we read of in fcripture. There is his first coming in the flesh, and his fecond coming unto judgement, either general or particular. There are his typical and prophetical comings to the church, in the Old Testament, and his actual coming in perfon to fulfil and accomplish the great work of redemption, by his obedience, death, and refurrection. There is his coming, in the difpenfation of the gospel, to a church or nation. There is his coming in the power of his word and Spirit in a day of converfion to a church, or to a particular foul, as when he said to Zaccheus, "This day is falvation come to this house." And, lastly, there is his coming in word or facrament with the renewed manifeftations of his love, or the renewed influences and communications of his Spirit of grace; as when it is faid, Pfal. lxxii. 6. "He fhall come down like rain upon the mown grafs; as fhowers that water the earth" or Hof. vi. 3. "His going forth is prepared as the morning; and he thall come unto us as the rain; as the lat ter and former rain unto the earth." Now, I do not, in my intended difcourfe upon thefe words, exclude any of these comings of Chrift that I have mentioned. But at prefent I understand them of his approach in a way of grace and love, in the difpenfation of word or facrament, or any other ordinance of his appointment, wherein he ufes to manifeft himfelf, and impart the fruits of his dying love unto the fouls of his people.

And one reafon why I choofe to difcourfe the words in VOL. III.

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this view, is, because he here prefents himself in the quality of a bridegroom, coming with a defign of marriage or espoufals; and fo we have a word much parallel unto this, Cant. iii. 11. "Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crc-n wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his efpoufals, and in the day of the gladnefs of his heart."

4. We have the duty incumbent upon all the virgins, on the approach of the Bridegroom. Go ye out to meet him. This alludes, as was hinted before, unto the practice or custom in marriages among the Jews, in the time of our Saviour's being upon earth. The bride and her maids, under night, went forth to meet him with lighted lamps, in order to attend him to the place of marriage, with fome fort of nuptial folemnity. In allufion to this cuftom, the church in general, and all particular profeffors, under the notion of virgins, are command. ed and called to go out and meet Chrift, when he is coming in the difpenfation of his word and ordinances, or when he comes at death or the laft judgement. But the import of this expreflion may occur afterwards, in the profecution of the following doctrine.

Doct. That it is the indifpenfable duty of all and every one, when Chrift, the glorious Bridegroom of fouls, is a coming, to go out and meet him, by giving him a fuitable reception and entertainment." Behold the Bridegroom cometh, goye out to meet him.

I fhall only adduce two places of fcripture for proof and confirmation of this doctrine. The one you have, Pfal. xxiv. at the clofe, where Chrift, under the notion of some great perfon, is reprefented as drawing near unto the gates or doors of fome great houfe or city; and thereupon a fummons is if fued out, Caft open the gates, and make room for his entertainment.' "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory fhall come in." And when the question is put, "Who is this King of glory?" the answer is made, ver. 8. "The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle." The fummons is again renewed: "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, even lift them up, ye everlafting, doors, and the King of glory fhall come in." Another text you have to this purpofe, Cant. iii. 9. and downwards, where Chrift, under the notion of King Solomon, who made to himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon, the pillars thereof of filver, the bottom of gold, the covering of purple, being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerufalem.

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rufalem. This chariot of ftate is none elfe than the chariot of the everlasting gofpel, wherein Chrift, like a bridegroom, goes forth, manifefting the glory of his perfon, and the glorious device of Infinite Wisdom for the falvation of finners. And in the last verse a cry is made, like this in my text, to all profeffors of religion, who are defigned the daughters of Zion. "Behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladnefs of his heart."

But now, in difcourfing this doctrine, I fhall, through divine affiftance, obferve the following method.

I. I would premife a few things with relation to the fpiritual marriage fpoken of in this parable.

II. Give fome account of the Bridegroom, and his excellent engaging qualities.

III. Give fome account of the bride, and the vast disparity of the match.

IV. Speak a little of the comings of the Bridegroom, and his gracious approaches to his people.

V. Speak of the import of the duty required upon his approach, in these words, Go ye out to meet him.

VI. Give the reafons of the doctrine, why we are to go out and meet him, and give him fuitable reception.

VII. Make fome practical improvement of the whole.

I. The first thing in the method is, to premife a few things anent the fpiritual marriage; for, as I faid in the explication, a bridegroom fuppofes a marriage in hand.

ft, God the Father, from all eternity, had a purpose of marriage betwixt his own beloved Son, and a felect company of the fallen race and pofterity of Adam: hence Chrift tells us, Matth. xxii. 2. "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain King who made a marriage for his fon." The mar riage was made in the purpofe of God from eternity, and the bride was given unto the Bridegroom before ever he had a being, "Thine they were, and thou gavest them me," John xvii. 8. Pfal. ii. "I fhall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermoft parts of the earth for thy poffeffion." And that they were given him in a defign of marriage, is plain from what the Lord fays to, and concerning the church of the Gentiles, by the fpirit of prophecy, long before their being called by the gospel, If. liv. 1. 5. "Sing, O barren, thou that didft not bear; for more are the children of the defolate, than the children of the married wife."

ver. 5. "Thy Maker is thine Hufband, the Lord of hofts is his name."

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2dly, This propofal of marriage with a bride of Adam's family was graciously received and entertained by the Son of God before the world was made," Prov. viii. 3. He rejoiced in the habitable parts of the earth, and his delights were with the fons of men.-I delight to do thy will, O my God," fays he, Pfal. xl. 8. q. d. I confent to, and am heartily will ing and content; a bargain be it; let it be registrated in the volume of thy book;' i. e. Let it be entered into the records of heaven, and an extract thereof be given out in the fcriptures of truth unto finners of mankind, that they may have their thoughts about it.

3dly, So much was the heart of the Bridegroom fet upon the match, that he undertook to remove all impediments that lay in the way and indeed the impediments were so great and infuperable, that nothing but almighty power, infpired with infinite and amazing love, could remove them; and yet they are all rolled away by the wifdom and power of the Bridegroom.

The first impediment was the inequality of the parties as to their nature. We may eafily fuppofe that the question would be put upon the first propofal of the marriage, How fhall God and man, the Creator and the creature, be ever brought unto a conjugal relation? The diftance of natures is infinite, and therefore there can be no marriage. Well, (fays the Son of God, the brightnefs of the Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon,) [he takes care to remove that], I will affume the human nature unto a perfonal union; I will become the feed of the woman, the feed of Abraham; I will be God manifefted in the flesh; I will become IMMANUEL, God with them, and fo that natural impediment shall be removed; I will come upon a level with the bride, and fo I will be a help meet for her.'

(2.) There is another impediment arifes from the law: O, fays the Law, I have an action against the fuppofed bride. She was once married unto me, and I promifed her the inheritance of life, upon the condition of her fulfilling perfect obedience to my commands; but the difobeyed, and played the harlot, and the is under the curfe; and therefore there can be no marriage.' Well but (fays the Bridegroom), I will remove this impediment alfo; I will be made a curfe for her, and fo redeem her from the curfe; I will cancel the hand-writing that is against her, and contrary to her.'

(3.) Well but (fays juftice), 1 ftand upon a complete fatisfaction; for without death, and the hedding of blood,

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