Eoo1d:V. THE C I-I U RC H COMPARED TO A WIFE. 675 VIIr. A Wife, b)' Matriage · Relation, is taken up with much fweet Peace, Joy, and Compla– .cency in that Eflate: 1-Jer Hufband is be.tter to her than ten Sons, as Elkanah faid to !Jannah. it is a ]{elation made up of Love and ·Delight. VIII. The. Church, and every true Believer, by being efpouied and married to Chrill:, the Lord Jefus, hath a near, a dear, afirong, and mofl: inti~· mate Affedion towards him. A Saint is filled with moO: fweet Peace, Joy, and 'Delight, 3nd takes moft precious Complacency in Chrifl:; he is more than Father, Mother, Sons, or Daughters. He is fairer than the Sons of Mm, the chiefejf of ten 'Ihoufand. Whom have I ili Heaven but thee? And there is n<lle 011 Earth that I dejil·e bejides thee. 'J:hou h~fl ravi/hed my Heart, .faith Chrifl:, my Sijler, my Spoufe. How fair .m{d plenfant art thou, 0 Low, for Delight!. '.Turn away thiue E)'Cs, for they.have o·vercome me. He foal! refl in his Love. And on the other Hand, what faith the Spoufe, the Wife of Chrill:? I fat down under his Sha~ ilow with great Delight, aud his Fruit was fweet unto my 'Iajle. He is altogether lovely. Stay me with Flagons, comfort me with Apples; for 1 am }ick of .Love, Pfal. xlv. Cant. v. 10. Pfal. lxxiii. 25. uph. iii. .z7· Cant. v. ult. The S.ainrs, fairh one, are called Chrifl:'s Spoufe, becaufe of the unparalleled Love that is between them; and, faith ·another, Chrill: calls himfelf our Bridegroom, that he might infinuate the Greacnefs of his Love, which decays not with Time; and he calls us his Spoufe, not his Wi(e, no– ting, that o.ur Love to him Owuld be..alway.s new, alw.ays lively and vigorous. JX. A tender and dear Wife is IX. So a gracious Soul, if Ghrilt be offended, .greatly .troubled when her Hufand withdrawn frcm him, is greatly caft down and band feems to ·be o'f!cndcd and grieved. '.Thou hide;t thy Face, and I was troubled; angry with her, .and (hives .to .[ opmed to my Beloved, but my Beloved had with– 'pacify him again, and is never at dmwn bimfelf, and was gone. Jl1Y Soul failed whm refr or peace, until 01e find his he fpake; I fought him, but I could not find him~ I Love towards her as formerly, and called bi;n, but be gave me 110 Anf<Ver, .Cant. v. 6. .all Things right between them. Where is the foundi;lg of thy Bowels, and thy Mercy ·to·wards me? Are they rej/raimd? Be not wrath v.ery fore, 0 Lor'd, neither remember our Iniquity for ever ; behold, we bejeech thee, we.are .thy ·.People, Ifa. lxiii. t 5· and lxiv. 9· X. The Wife, by her Marriage with .her hlufband, is delivered from A rrefl:s for.Debts; no fooner .is !be married, but her H .ufband ,is liable t.o thatilanger, iJ: falls upon him, he mult fee to fatisfy .and pay what lhe owed. XI. The Wife that is married ltO a Prince, or mighty Potentate, is thereby greatly exalted, or raif– ,ed to Honor, becomes a ~H:en rhe f.1me Day the Marriage is con– fumnuted, and hath the .Atten– dance of bis Servants. XII. The Wife that' is married .to a rich and godly Hufband, is ·thereby freed from ml)ch Care and Trouble; for he provideth for her, and manageth all her Concerns. It be true, .although every H ufband be bo.und by the Law of that Re– .lation to provide for his Wife, and free her from Care as much as he can; yet fame are poor; .and ·un– able to do it, and hence,the Wife .is .-involved in as.mu~h Care and Tro.uble as he. X. So in like Manner, no fooner ·is .a Soul efpoufcd or married to Chrifl:, but all his Dcbts·to ·Law andjuftice fall upon Chrifl, and he pays all; he flands between"Wrath and us, Juilice ana us; 'he keeps off all Danger of Arrefls, and Fear of lmprifonment; he hath Riches enough. All is .cleared.theDay the Soul clofes in with him, thol•gh whole Mountains of Guilt were l)pon us before. . XI. s·o the Church being married to Chrifl:, the LordJefus, the Prince of'Heaven anJ Earth, is ra.ifed to the , gr~ate£1: Hon~r imaginable; fhe iS made hereby a Pnncef•, and nence called a Q,Jeen: On thy Right-hand did fland the I'<!Jeen, in Gold of Ophir, Pfal. xlv. 9· The Saints alfo 'have th> Attendance of Chrilt's Servants, the holy Angels: '.They arejent fortb to minijler to them that are Heir{ .of eternal Life, ljeb. I. 1 4· Xll. Chrift frees his Peqple from all .inordi,– :nate and unnece!fary Care: Caft allyour 'Care upon ,him, for be careth for )'Oil, 1 Pet. v. 7· He manageth all our Concerns in Heaven, always ap– pearing before God for us: TVe have an Advocate with the Fatber, Jefus Ch,·iflthe Righteous, I John ji. I. and he rnanageth all our Affairs on Earth, in a way of Grace, and divine Providence; works all our Works in us, and for us, Ifa. xxvii. 12. He gives and loves, faves and feeds us, and will never leave us, till he hath brought us to Heaven• He became poor, but we were no Lofers thereby, for by his Po~•erty we are made rich, 2 'Cor. viii. 9· XIII. So
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