there can be no remiffion of fin.' Well (fays the Bridegroom), I will die for the bride, and in her room and ftead; the fword of justice fhall be foaked in my blood instead of her's; my life fhall be a ranfom for her's; I will be wounded for her iniquities, and bruifed for her tranfgreffions; I will be made fin for her.'

(4) There is another impediment yet that must be removed: The bride hates the Bridegroom; the is wholly averfe from the match; and what will be done in this cafe? Well (fays the Bridegroom), I will undertake to gain her affection. Pfal. cx. 3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. I will draw with the cords of a man, and with the bands of love; and then her affections fhall be gained, and she shall call me Ifbi.'

(5.) Another great impediment in the way of the marriage is, that the bride is a lawful captive to fin and Satan: "Now (fays Satan) fhall the lawful captive be delivered; both law and juftice have put her in my power; and therefore I will not part with my prifoner.' Well but (fays the bleffed Bridegroom), it is true, Satan, thou haft law and juftice on thy fide: but I will fulfil the law, and fatisfy juftice; and, in fo doing, thy head fhall be bruised, and the lawful captive shall be delivered, and the prey fhall be taken from the terrible. I will redeem her by purchafe and by power.' And accordingly he spoiled principalities and powers, and took the bride by main force out of the devil's prison, saying to the prifoners, Go ye forth, &c.

From what is faid, it appears, that the heart of the Bridegroom is exceedingly fet upon the match, with defire he defired to be baptifed with his own blood, that he might fi nith her redemption; and, Laving completed her redemption, he longs for the day of efpoufals, when he gains the love and affection of the bride. So much was the heart of the Bridegroom fet upon the match, that, when he faw the bride in danger of perifhing, he flew, as it were, from his Father's bofom, left all the glories of heaven behind him, and travelled through the armies of hell and earth, yea encountered the legions of his Father's wrath, in order to accomplish her deliverance. Hence is that of the church, If. lxiii. 1. "Who is this that cometh from Edom? with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his ftrength? I that fpeak in righteoufnefs." And ver. 3. "I have trodden the wine-prefs alone, and of the people there was none with me."

4thly, A fourth premife is, That the covenant of grace is the contract of marriage, the plan of which was agreed upon

in the council of peace, betwixt the Father and the Son, from all eter.ity: Pfal. lxxxix. 3. " I have made a covenant with my chofen, I have fworn unto David my fervant." It was originally made with the Bridegroom, as the Head, Husband, and Reprefentative of the bride, wherein he undertakes, that the grace of God fhall reign and be glorified through his own righteoufnefs, to her eternal life and falvation. As Surety of the covenant, he undertakes to fulfil the condition of it, by his own obedience unto death, to buy his bride from the hands of justice, by paying a ranfom of his own blood for her, and to buy, at the fare time, all the bleflings and goods of the covenant for her ufe; and that, by the power of his word and Spirit, he will make her to take hold of his covenant, bring her within the bond of it, and make an effectual application thereof in due time, according to the order of the covenant; and that he will betrothe her unto himself for ever, in righteousness, and in judgement, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies; yea, that he will betrothe her unto himself in faithfulness, and that the fhall know the Lord, Hof. ii. 19. 20.

5thly, In the day of his efpoufals all this is fulfilled. The Bridegroom prefents himself to the bride in his divine and human glories, fulness, and excellencies; he makes the "light of the knowledge of the glory of God," in his own perfon, to fhine in her heart; wherewith the is made to fee him, and fall fo much in love with him, that the cannot but cry out, "O! he is infinitely fairer than the fons of men, he is as the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, the chiefeft among ten thoufand, white and ruddy, his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars; his mouth is molt fweet, yea, he is altogether lovely. O! this is my Beloved, this is my Friend: if I had ten thousand hests and hands to give, he fhould have them all. I am well pleafed with his perfon; well pleafed with the contract he has made, and figned with his blood; well pleafed with all the promises, which I fee to be yea and amen in him; well pleafed with his law: I will follow him whitherfoever he goes." And in this way the marriage is concluded and agreed upon, " I will make an everlifting covenant with them, even the fure mercies of Dvid," If. lv. 3. Jer. xxxii. 40. "I will make (or establish) an everlasting covenant with them. That I will not turn away from them to do them good, but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they fhall not depart from me. I will never leave thee, nor forfake thee." So much for the first thing.

II. The fecond thing in the method is, to fpeak a little of the

ble fed

Elfed Bridegroom, who is here faid to be a-coming. Behold the Bridegroom cometh.

But Oh! Who can fpeak of him to any purpofe? we but darken counsel by words without knowledge, when we speak of him; and no wonder, for he is the unfpeakable gift of God. All the faints that ever were on earth, and all faithful minifters, martyrs, and witneffes, that ever appeared in the church militant, have been ay fpeaking to his commendation, but they always acknowledged he was above all their praifes; the molt that they could fay of him was, that he is altogether lovely, and that there is none in heaven or in earth that is to be in the leaft compared unto him. Afk the innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of juft men made perfect, who fee him as he is, and know him as they are known of him, what is their eftimate of him? All they can fay of him is, Rev. v. 9. "Worthy is he to take the book, and to open the (leven) feals thereof. Worthy is the Lamb that was flain." But how worthy is he they cannot tell; his praife is in all the churches, both militant and triumphant. But their praises are nothing but a profound filence, in comparison of what he is and deferves, Pfal. lxxxv. 1. "Praife waiteth (or is filent) for thee, O God, in Zion-Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold him;" for behold he cometh, go out and meet him.

All I fhall fay anent him, fhall be comprised in the answer of a few questions, that fome poor foul may be ready to put concerning the bleffed Bridegroom. They that love Christ, and have a mind to match with him, have commonly a great deal of questions to put concerning him.

Queft. 1. Will you tell us, what is the Bridegroom's name, if you can tell? Anfw. That is not eafily anfwered, for it is a part of Agur's confeflion of faith, Prov. xxx. 4. "Who hath afcended up into heaven, or defcended. What is his name, and what is his Son's name, if thou canst tell?" And when Manoah afked the angel what was his name? (that he might do him honour), He (viz. Chrift the angel of the covenant) anfwers, "Why afkeft thou thus after my name, feeing it is fecret?" or, as in the margin, feeing it is Wonderful. Such a fecret is his name, that no man can call him Lord, but by the Holy Ghost; you may read his name in your Bibles, and ftill his name will be a fecret, till the Spirit of the Lord open. it unto you by glorifying his perfon in your eyes, and then, and never till then, will you cry out, O! his name is like ointment poured forth; O! he has a name above every name that can be named, whether in this world or that which is to come: Every knee must bow unto this name, and every tongue muft acknowledge,

acknowledge, that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the praife and glory of God the Father.

I will just tell you of a few of the fcriptural names of the Bridegroom. And O! look up to him for a glimpfe of his glory in them.

His name is Jefus, Matth. i. 21. Now, what think ye of that name? for the found of falvation is in it: "Thou fhalt call his name Jefus, for he fhall fave his people from their fins." O loft finner, roll the name of the Bridegroom, as a fweet morfel under thy tongue. His name is Chrift, or the renowned Meffiah, the Anointed One of God. Grace was poured into his lips, for God, even his Father, anointed him with the oil of gladness above all his fellows., His name is the Lord, for he is Lord of all; Lord of lords. He is God's first-born, whom he hath made higher than the kings of the earth; yea, all the kings of the earth must do homage unto him, fome time or other; and no wonder, for by him "kings reign, and princes decree justice." What is his name? His name is Immanuel, God-man, or God with us, to ftand in our quarrel; to take our part against the old ferpent; and accordingly he has bruifed his head, and through death has destroyed him that had the power of death.

See a whole cluster of the names of the Bridegroom toge ther, If. ix. 6. Where the bride, the Lamb's wife, glorying in her beloved confort, cries out, in a holy triumph, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a fon is given, and the government fhall be upon his fhoulder, and his name fhall be called Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace."

f, His name is a great, glorious, and renowned name, a name above every name, Philip. ii. 9.-11. "God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jefus every knee fhould bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. And that every tongue fhould confefs, that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." So Eph. i. 20. 21. 22. God hath fet him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, and exalted him far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but alfo in that which is to

co.ne."

2dly, His name is a favoury name: Cant. i. 3. "Because of the favour of thy good ointment, thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee." Oh Sirs! there is fuch an odoriferous perfume in the name of Christ, that when once a poor foul gets a scent of it, it can never for

get it, and the very remembrance of it, is a feaft and banquet to the foul, If. xxvi. 8. 9. "Yea, in the way of thy judgements, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the defire of our foul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my foul have I defired thee in the night: yea, with my Spirit within me, will I feek thee early."

3dly, His name is a medicinal name. If faith be but acted upon his name, it makes the bones that were broken to rejoice; makes the blind to fee; the deaf to hear; the lame man to leap like an hart, and the tongue of the dumb to fing, Acts iii. 6. 7. 16. So Acts iv. 12. &c.

4thly, His name is a fheltering and hiding name: when storms are blowing, whether from heaven, earth, or hell, Prov. xviii. 11. "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous fly unto it, and are fafe." It is not only a tower, but a ftrong and impregnable tower, and the gates of hell fhall never prevail against that foul that has fled for refuge unto it. 5thly, His name is an attractive name, it draws the heart and foul to him: it is by the found of this name that the gathering of the people is unto him as the bleffed Shiloh. What is it that makes the gofpel the power of God unto falvation? Why, it is just the difplays of the glory of his renowned name, "If I be lifted up from the earth (fays Chrift), I will draw all

men unto me."

6thly, His name is an enlightening name to the poor foul that is walking in darkness; hence If. 1. at the clofe, "He that walketh in darkness, and hath no light, let him trust in the name of the Lord," &c. plainly intimating, that a glance of the name of Chrift, by the eye of faith, will make light to fpring out of darkness, to the foul, under the darkest clouds of defertion and no wonder, for he is the light of the world, the true light, the Sun of righteoufnefs."

7thly, His name is a quickening and enlivening name: By the name of Jefus the dead are raised unto life; and no wonder, for this is one of his names. The Life, John xiv. 6. and John xi. 25. The Refurrection and the Life. Let but a languishing faint, when he is crying, with the eunuch, If. lvi. "I am a dry tree," let him. but hear the name of the Lord Jefus, let him but get a glimpie of the glory of his perfon, he will be ready to cry with the apoftle, Col. iii. I am 3. 66 dead, but my life is hid with Chrift in God." Or with Paul, Gal. ii. 20. "I am crucified with Chrift; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Chrift that liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flefh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for

me."

8thly, His name is a prevalent name in heaven, infomuch, VOL. III.

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that,