54 A SERMON on and the Apoftle tells us, that therein he was alfo but a Shadow : For this caufe (faith he) Jba/1 a Man leave hi< Father and Mother; andjhall bef'oined to his Wifr a11d they two Jba/1 be one Flefb: Thi1 i1 a great Myflery, b11t jpeal(_ concerni>J~ Chrifl, a11d the Clwrch. Where are thefe words ? Look in Gen. 2. 2 3· and there you !hall find them: .ddam foid, Thi< is now Bone of my Bone, and Flejb of '"J Ftejb: Therefo1C foal/ a Man leave hi1 Father a>Jd hi1 Mother, and foa/1 tl~ave·unto hi1 Wifo, and they foall be one Flejb. The Apoftle, you fee, takes the fame eX" preffions, and tells us this is a great Myflery ; there was in thefe words of Adam ( f.1ith he) a Myfiery held forth, which I interpret of Chri!l: and the Church. Now _then for the making this good, will you confider what the Apofl!e ex· horts to m the words before ? He exhorts Husbands to love their Wives and Wives to be fubjefr to their Husbands, as ChriU hath loved his Church a~d as the Church isfubjefr unto ChriU ; and to enforce this Argument, he b;ings this Pattern: For fa1th he, Will you know what was the Myl1ery of Marriage at the firll, in the State of Innocency? The Marnage of Adam and his Wife Eve was intended as a Type and Shadow of ChriU and his Church; and from the exa:Ople of Chrifi's Love to the Church, he enforceth the Duty of the Love of the Hul=– band to the Wife; and from the example of the SubjeCtion ofthe Church to Chrift, enforceth the Duty of SubjeCtion of Wives to their Hulhands. He boldly quoteth what is faid in Gen. 2. of the Marriage ofAdam and Eve: There ... faith Adam, She is Bone ofmy Bone, and Flefo of my Flejh; faith Paul here, We are of his Flejh, and of his Bone : For this cmife (faith Adam) jball a Mm leave Father and Mother : For thi1 cmife (faith the Apoftle alfo } foal/ a Man leave Father and Mother :. And this is agreat Myjlery, faith he, hHt I Jjeak,_ concerning Chrijl and the Churrh. There are fome that fay, that this is only fpoken by way of Allufion, as when it is faid in I Cor. 4· 6. that God created Light 011t of Darftneft, theApoftle there in the new Creation alludeth to the old. But my Brethren, it is not only by way of Allufion, but by way ofType, and a Prophecy intended by God therein. And the Reafons are clearly thefe: I. Becaufe the Apoft!e cloth found his Argument of the Duties of Husbands and Wives upon it; now Allufions, they may illuUrate, but they do not afford Argumentsto Duty. Mark how the Apoftle [peaks : Wives, ( faith he, v. 2 2. ) fobmit yourJelves toyour own Husbands,,u 1mto the Lord. And v. 2 5· Husbands love your Wives, evm as Chrijl alfo loved the Church; and why? Becaufe, faith he, that in Marriage, and Marriage at the firft, the Marriage of Chrift and the Church was intended as the great Example. It was not therefore a bare Similitude, but a Pattern ; and unlefs the Marriage of ChriU had been intended as a Pattern in the Marriage of Adam, this had been a weak Argument. 2. Therefore in the clofe ofall,he gives us an account why he had produced the Example ofChrift and his Church; and his account is this: Becaufe,faith he,this was the Myfiery that was intended by it, even in the Marriage ofAdam. To that end confider, how. fir!l of all, he calls this Interpretation of his of the Story of Adam's Marriage, applying it to Chri!l: and his Church, a Myjlery: Now what is a Myjlery? AMyft"J is that which bath one thing fignifying, and another thing Ggnified ; as in Rev. I : 20. The Myjlery of the feven Stars, and the feven Golden Candlejlicb.J : The feven Stars are the Angels of the ftven Churches, a11d the' Jeven Candlejlh~! are the ftven . Churches. Mark how he explaineth what :r Myjlery is; it is a thing fignifying, and a thing fignified. So when the Apoftle here had quoted the words of Adam's Marriage in Gen. 2. as you have heard, and faid of it, This H a great Myjlery; he adds, I jpeaft concerning Chrijl and /;is Churcl•: Which is all one with that joh11 (,ith in the Revelation, as if the Apofile lhould have faid, The Myjlcry of Adam's Martiage, is the Marriage of Chrifl tmd the Church; that is, this is that which is intended by it, and which God had in his eye. A Parable is called a Myjlety in the Scnpture, as m Luk§ 6. Io. Why? Becoufe !t holds forth a Similitude, and a thing fignified thereby. So in .pa,. 2 . 28. Neb11chadnezza>-'s Dream is called a Myjlery: Thm is a God in Heaven, (faith D.miel there) which revealeth ;.Myjlerirs; fo it is in the Original ; · , bccaufe
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