Of EleCiion. ~delight, as a Mans Wife is for himfel f, fo is the Churcl1 and her perfea holi– BopK_I V, nefs, which is Chri(\s, for his own fdf. And the Apollle alludes to that llmi– ~ litude, for he fpeaks before.of his Church being char ro him, which a Wile is to a Husband, before and alfo after. Then char other word, to prefenr r6 himfelf a Church without jpot, or wrinkle, this Argues it to be his greatell: interefl; alfo thy perfe6t holinefs will be the Riche!\ Prefenr to him rhat can be prefenred, yea, and to fhew ir fo much, himfelf will be the prefenterof h1m– lelf to thee, fo much doth he delight therein. ~· Knowing and forefeeing this, and delighting in rhe view of this, ofwhat thou iliait be to htm, he mufi needs certainly relieve himfelfin rhe meaa time ~gain(\ thy prefent Corruption, and yourfelves would do it, ityou d 1 d believe Has he dotb. You commonly ufe to doH tn matters wh1ch for a while go con– trary, whereof you know not what Will be the cerram tlluc, .~11 w 1 1e men bear up themfelves againfi any prefent evil, as a falfe report or fcandal, wherJ they !mow a few days will clear them, we do i~as to our Servants, when they are to go away, we fay it is but for a while, and are therefore conrent ro bear many things in them. Thus alfo Chrifi in cafe of his Enemies, and his expe– ding them to be made his Foot-flool, fupports himfelf in char expedat1on, that he fees their day a comi11g, as the Third P{a!m hath it. And in the mean lime lattghs them to (corn upon that account, as the Second Pj,,fm hath it, and if he dorh rhus relieve himfelf towards his Enemies, then how much more a– gainfl the prefent Corruptions of his Spoufe,wbilfl he firs exped1ng her coming to him blamelefs, tO'fir down as his Q,ueen by him felf, having prepared a Place for her? And then the fmallnefs of time much conduces to lighten and alleviate the trouble of rhat forbearance in his heart ; nay, the fore-thought and fore-deligbt ofwhat will fi1orrly be, fwal!ows up his trouble for thy infirmities in •he mean time, He thinks many years as nothing, If a Thoufiwdyu~rs bt ~~~t tU o11e daJ•, what are a few years of thy life yet tocom~ before this happy prefent– ment of thee to himfelf? How long did God bear with rhofe Godly Patriarchs afrer the Flood, who were for certain fubj~a to the fame Pa!Iions, and prevail– ed often upon with the fame Lufis chat thou arc prevailed upon with? How' did he bear with Met httje!ah, aimof\ a Thoufand years, yer he held in witl1 them, for he faw rhe day a coming·in which they fhould be taken up to himfelf, and be perfe6tly holy. Why fhouldfl not thou think that he can and will bear with thee for rwenty, thirty, or forty years,of rhy life(ifi t be fo long) and and wirb this mixt condition of fin, and grace, conflicting I Jacob accounted his Sevm years Service but afew days, btcaufe he lovtd Rachel, Gw. 29 Jrjiu Cbrif1 can Pardon thee all along in rhe mean time, and ever and anon reduce thee, and now ·and then comc,and nor only flrengthen rhee again!\ tem– ptations, bur vifir thee, and comfort thee, as one that art a Candidate of Glory, and haft a right to it, and fir tell: with him in Heavenly Pla<es in that rcfpea, and art robe a Companion with him in that Glory for e'vermore. 4· This place therewith infinuares, that he harh an Idea ofwhat thou art to be, continually before his eyes, which wonderfully takes up his heart, and pleafes him. Thy Watlr are tver 6tfore him, (as the Prophet (peaks ) as one day they jba!t be bttilt according to the Pattrrn bt bath m hubrart. Great mens Wives ufe to wear their Husbands Picture on rheir Brealls, in that form or frelhnefs they were in, when they were Married to them, from which in time, they alter ro the worfe, and grow out of that lhape, to what at firfl rhey were, and were Pi6tured in. But it's otherways in this of Chrifl:, he Married thee ar rhy worfi, when thou wert altogether deformed, yet he ha<l taken a Pi6ture of thee, as thou were at firfl: prefented to him by the Father from Ever– lafling ; but what thou !houldfl be, and the beauty thereof, had fuch an im– preflion on his heart, and flickr fo with him, as he carries that in mind as the perfe6t Idea of that Holinefs, and Glory, rhou art to be rofiored unto, and that by means ofhimfelf, which is his Glory, as rhe Author, and Recoveree ofrhee unro rhat beauty, which he bearing aecordingly in his eye, as it is yer to come, or as it is yet robe his own work upon thee, fo at lafl therein, to prefent rhee to h i~nfelf; and he having rhcfe two Pictures of thee, both·of what l1is Father . fu(\
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