An Expofttion of the Epiftle 2.. Meditation. 2. Let him be thy Lord,and worlhip thou him: Thou haft nowrin this a greatet tender made thee,then ever was1nade to Angels; part with allforhim,forfake thy former Fathers Houfe, this World,given to thy Fathet Adam,andall things in it; for he is thy Lord, and thou !halt have by thy relation to !_Jim, another Fathtr 1 whoje Hou(t bath ma'!) Ma11/ions. Account all things 'lJroji and 'lJung that thou mayejl wi1JChrijt, as Phi/. ~· Thou canfr not win him elfe, he never be. comes thy Lord,unlefs thou valuefr himat the fame rate he did,thee and parte!bin thy affections with all for him: Givethy[elf up to the Lordj as ::.Cor. 8: r• eaft thy lot, ~hy int~refr together with h!s· Her~ thou lhaJt.be fure.nev.er to !Ofe thy love, as m cleavmg to all elfe thou wilt. He 1s and mull: how.ever be a Lord to thee, and thou mull: one day eonfefs that Jefus is the Lord, whether thou wiltor no; for all mull: appear afore his Judgment Seat. Oh, bu[[i£ thy fudge be be• come thy Lord, and Husband, thou art out of danger. AndJth:en give thy. felfup alfo to worlhip, and in all things to obey him, elfe he is not lllbJ Lord~ nor thou his lawful Spoufe. Eph. r• 2.4As the Cb11rch is fubjdkto Chrijl:, folet W.wer be jitbjet! to their Husbands; why doth he fpeak with fuch an apparent diffu. rence? For what hefpeaks of Wives is but as difcourfing to them their Out)\; I:et Wivn be fttbjet!, he doth not fay, they cannot be faved elfe ; but that other paf. fage of the Church, is fpoken of as a taken for granted qualification, or elfential property in the Church, iffuo be his lawful true Spoufe. · A~ the fhu>'ch is fubjet1 to Chrij/, fays he, fo that it be the dnty·of both alike, the Church,ought robe fub)ed to Chrifl , as well , as Wi-ves to their Husbands. The reafon and difference is perfpicuous , becaufe unlefs Souls be fubjed to Chrifr, they are not the Church. A mans Wife, is his Wife, tho lhe be never fo perverfe and difobe– dient to him; but no Soul ii one of his Church and Spoufe, nor own'd by Chrifr as fuch, unlefs lhe become fubjed: to him,and fubjed: too in every thing, as the comparifon there made,lheweth. If thou fayfl, thou wantefr beauty, be not dif. courag'd, he will take thee with all thy deformities, and ,PUt beauty on thee; for fa the Apofrle there goes on, he walheth and cleanfeth h1s Church , to prefent her to himfelf in the end glorious, and without fpot or wrinckle. And being once married to him, take this for ever along with thee, thou art married to an Husband rifen from the dead, Rom. 7· 4· And Oh, what holinefs heavenlinefs, lhould thofe have, that would hold communion and entercourf~ withfucha Lord and Husband, the Lord from Heavtn, and who is now in Heaven! SER~
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=