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What condefenfion is this, that Chrift, the King of kings, fhould fay to all believers, Ye are my brethren and fifters! Who would not defire to stand in this honourable relation to an earthly king, and far more to the King of Glory! Would we have him then for our brother to own us, fuccour and fympathife with us in all our troubles, let us forthwith embrace and close with him by faith, as he is tendered to us in the rich, large, and free offers of the gofpel, and then the relation is pretently made up. O how inviting and alluring is that word, I am Jefus your brother! It fhould conquer the mot stubborn will, and make every unbelieving heart to receive him like Thomas, and fay, My Lord, and my • God.'

Let every

believer in diftrefs come like the bee, and fuck honey from this flower, I am Jefus, your brother; Be not afraid, it is I.' Do not mistake me for an enemy in any of my dealings with you; it is I your brother, that means you no harm. It is I that loves you, and laid down my life for you; it is I, who by my blood purchafed fanctified afflictions to you, to work for your good. It is I that doth all things well, and have infinite wifdom and love to order and direct every difpenfation for your intereft and benefit. Itwas I that fwate blood for you in the garden, was fpit on and buffeted in the High Prieft's hall, and nailed for you to the crofs, and all to purchase eternal happinefs and glory for my afflicted brethren. I am Jefus your brother, Behold my hands and my feet.' It is I that died and rofe again for you, and have afcended to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God; and have gone up to prepare a place for you. It is I that fit at the helm, and have all power given to me. It is I that am faithful and true, I have the fame tender heart and yearning bowels for you I had on earth. It is I that never failed any that trusted in me. It is Jefus your brother who am ftill the fame yesterday, today, and for ever. Be not afraid in trouble, it is I your dear friend and brother; come near to me in the daily exercise of faith. Come near and clofe to me at my

table, and take a narrow look to my five big wounds, and draw confolation from them. Behold the two wounds in my hands, and the two wounds in my feet, which were made to bring you back from hell to heaven. Behold a fifth wound in my fide, and look into my heart, and fee it panting with love, and do not question your brother's love to you any more.

TH

ADVICE VI.

From Matth. xxii. 2.

A certain king made a marraige for his fon.

HE gofpel-covenant, or covenant of grace, is a marriage covenant betwixt Chrift and believers; a furprising marriage this is, and yet a marriage of God's making. Wonderful! The great God is content to give his dear Son in marriage to fallen Adam's daughter, that was become a flave to the devil! Yea, he hath drawn up the contract, and all the articles of it. Chrift the bridegroom hath cheerfully subscribed the contract, he dipt the pen in his own blood on the cross, and put his hand to it in the view of God, angels, men, and all the world. Now the bridegroom wants your confent to the marriage contract, and he hath long been courting you to fubfcribe it: Some of you have often been purposed to do it, yea, taken the pen in your hand, but, upon fome fmall temptation, have ftopt and thrown by the pen. This day Chrift hath fet a tryst with you to conclude the bargain, and his ambaffadors are come, in his name, to fpread the contract before you with all its articles. Well then, Will you go with this man?' Will you put your hand to the contract?

O finners, you have no reason to be fhy in this matter, you have nothing to be vain of, you are mean born, of low extract; you are lothfome lepers, you are deformed, black, and have no beauty; you are cripples, cannot walk, unless Christ lift you; you are drowned in debt, many old fcores hath Chrift to clear for you, if he match with you. O who would make love to fuch a wretched creature! Yet, behold, here is one that is fairer than the fons of men, of the blood-royal of heaven, the heir of

all things, courting you! Beaftonifhed, O ye heavens, at this match! One infinitely rich with a beggar, the heir of heaven with the heir of hell, the beauty of heaven and earth with a deformed negro ! but if the bridegroom be content, why fhould you ftick? Can you give any reafon for your refusal or delay! Now the God of heaven is fetting tryst with you to conclude this blessed bargain with you at his table, and calling you there to fign and feal a marriage contract with his Son, and that before all the perfons of the glorious Trinity, before the elect angels, before Chrift's ambaffadors, and before all the congregation, witneffes thereto. There have been many meetings heretofore, about this grand affair, to no effect: The world, Satan, and the fiefh have formerly broke off the treaty; forbid it, Lord, that they do it this day. O that the long spoke of match betwixt a crucified Jefus and loft fouls may hold at laft. This may be the last tryft, the lalt offer Chrift will make, it may be now or never with you. Lay your hand to your heart then, and confider well before you refufe.

Come take another view of this beautiful bridegroom that is in your offer. Behold how delicate his complexion is, He is white and ruddy;' white in regard. of his innocence, ruddy in his bloody paffion. Ohow peerlefs is his perfon! how ravishing his beauty; how charming his voice! how ftately his goings! how fragrant his garments! They fmell of aloes, myrrh, and caffia! Search all the world, you cannot find his equal. One glimpfe of him is enough to ravifh men and angels: His locks are black and bushy as the raven, his lips are like lilies dropping fweet fmelling myrrh, his legs as pillars of marble fet upon fcokets of fine gold, his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars; yea, he is altogether lovely! Now, can you refafe fuch a lovely perfon, efpecially when you think how he loved you, fo as to fuffer a cruel and bloody death for you, and to fend his portraiture with the marks of his wounds to be put in your hands at his holy table, and all to win your heart! Come view, and remember the

many wounds he recieved for you by the thorns which pierced his head, by the pincers that plucked his hair, by the fcourges that tore his back, by the nails that pierced his hands and feet, and by the fpear that opened his fide! Surely thefe wounds do not mar his beauty to the eye of faith; nay, though he be all over wounded, mangled, and bleeding, yet to a believer he is ftill white and ruddy, the chiefeft among ten thoufand, fairer than all the fons of men,' nay, and all the fons of God too.

Certainly the bridegroom must be in earnest, when he comes in his marriage robes to win backward hearts, when he puts on his dyed garments, and is red in his apparel; when he difplays his glory, brings the marriage contract in his hand, fpreads it on the communion table, and calls all who love him to fign it. O that many were made willing, in a day of his power, to go into all the articles of this marriage covenant, faying, My heart is now content to go with the man Chrift, that wonderful man; I confent to all his terms, he is, My Lord and my God,' my glorious Emmanuel; my beloved is mine and I am his.' Quest. I would know particulary what he requires on my part of the contract, that I inay diftinctly close with him? Anf. He would have you 1. Convinced of your finking and perishing ftate, while you ftand upon the old bottom of the covenant of works, and willing to leave it, and leap from it, and cleave to a covenant of grace, and a borrowed righteousness for all the ground of your hope.—2. He would have you humbled and grieved for your long flighting his kind offers by your unbelief, and for your preferring Satan's drudgery to his fervice.-3. Give up with all other lovers, and those that would rival it with Chrift, fuch as tin, the world, and the law; fell-righteousness mult be renounced and parted with; you mult break league with all Chrift's enemies.-4. Accept of Jefus Chriit as your husband, receive him in all his offices, reit and depend on him alone for righteoutnefs, strength, and falvation.-5. Give away yourfeives, foul and body to Chrift, refign your will to his will, and

furrender all you have to his difpofal.-6. Refolve and vow in Chrif's ftrength, to crucify fin, and walk with him in all the ways of new obedience.—7. Engage to be true and faithful to your husband, and never to retract.-8. Keep up the remembrance of your husband's coming at the laft day to folemnize the marriage, and take you home to himfelf, and be always in readinefs to go forth to meet him. The bridegroom is ready long fince, and will foon rend these clouds to meet you in the air, and fend his angels to bring you up to him; Therefore be ye alfo ready.'

O why doth he delay his coming? What stops the wheels of his chariot? Surely it is not because he is unready, but because your are not ready. All the elect are not yet brought in to him, and he is determined not to want one of them. O then be providing for the marriage-day all proper furniture, jewels, robes, rings, and oranments, against the time that Chrift and you take up houfe together in heaven. Be ture to go to Christ for every bit of your plenishing, for righteoufnefs, and for all the graces of the Spirit.In the mean time, take home with you the marriage contract, the precious promites which Chrift hath fubfcribed with his blood. often looking into it, and viewing your bridegroom's hand-writ and engagement. His writing is fair and beautiful; Let not Satan nor unbelief caft blots upon it to deface it; keep it fair and legible, and draw all your comforts from it; your hufband is faithful, and will keep his word.

ADVICE V.

From Lam, i. 12.

Be

Behold and fee, the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger,

W thefe words of his Church, and call us to behold his fufferings for us under the fierce anger of God, in the cay when it pleafed the Lord to bruife him, and put him to grief' in our flead, Ifa. liii. 10. Many

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