L, will mmifofi h~~~;,~: ~:m~~=~::., ""poOp!O< no< bo: !tHat Chri!l: is a Bridegroom to his people now, but rhen he lhall b:: fo alfo in la more eminent manner, and then the perfeCl: ilccomplilhment of all. I Firlt then, there !hall be a perfonalmeering berweenhisSpoufe and himfelf; :as it is in mariage ; before the mariage is confummared, there are the friends of eh~ Bridegroom and Spokefmen, and he fends letters and rokens, but rhen he comes himlelf; fo here Chritl: fends hisSpokefmen, 2 Cor.I 1.2. and his word and fpirirual refreil>i?gs ; but when this rime comes, he appears himfelf in perfen, andboth meet m perfon; 1 Th' /T.4.16, 17· here we meerrheLord fpiricually in his O rdinances, but then vitibly in the clouds; while we live in this world, it is a time of paning, 2 Cor. ~.S . and when we come to dye, in refpeCl: of the whole man, it is fo alfo; but rhen rhe whole man lhaU meet ilim; thefe eyes !hall fee him, and rhofe arms lh~ll imbrace him ; you are left as ·' Orphans here in this world alone; it will not alwa'Y b~ thus, for there is a time of meeting. · , r Secondly, Thet:~ all deformities !hall be taken away from his people, and he lb11 adorn his Bride in perfeCl: beauty ; for this is one pare of Chri!l:s conjugal love ro his Spoufe and "People, Ephe[5.25. different from other Husbands, \\ho finde but do not make them beautiful; for if the Lord lhoulJ meet hi> people, and they him with their deformities, th ~ y woulq do it unwillingly i-nd with !hame: as in this l_ifewhy are Saints unwilling yet to be with theL0rd? vi"'. becaufe rhere be fo many deformities and fpots abiding on the Spoofe ; fometi':les the f~ul would not have ChriH, and fuch a heart too, though he offers h!mfelf to tt ; · Lord depart, I Am" Jinfnl 11MI1, Luk., 5.8. Oh but then all deformities lhaH be removed; Phl/.3. ult. Who frail th~tnueour vile bodies, not de(l:roy them; ~tnd mak, them lik,g hu gloriOUI body, whiili lhines brighter than the Sun: Ul-!atth.t3·43· The~;~ fha!l the righuous jhine !ik,g the Su,.; is there any b~auty like that of Chrill:s? tlen fhall they be iik,g untc him; r Joh. 3·•· it is aditbonorfora mighty Prince on the day of mari~ge eo let his ~een go in rags; they lhall.be C.hri(l:s then; . And look as it was w_irh Jofeph, all his !hame, bafenefs, tmpnfoments, d1d but make way for hts glory; and hen<:~! he wasdelivered out of prifon by the :Kings command ; now his apparel, and cfl\Jmenaf\ce, and name, and eHare, and all is changed; fo here, all your !h~me, imprifonment in the grave-chains of fins, that enter into your foul, doth but ake way for this certain glory; As it was with 'feh~fuah,Satan flood athis 'ri, hand eo accufe h!m, he only flandsrefore the lord, atla(l: the Lord faith, 1'ak,g off thcfe filthy .~arme11ts ; is not this a brand ? So Satan and Confcience accufe often here, but tli~n it !hall be fo that all thy filthy garments {ha11 be taken away. Thirdly , Then there !hall be an open manifeHation, and gforious decla- , ration of the deare!l: love of the Lord toward them ;_before the great day of mariage comes , there is love expreffed, concluded b~tween the parties, and it may be fome few knolv of it, as Friends, and fome of the Famify ; bur the oj'en declaration is at the day of mariage ; fo Chri(l: loves his pwple now,c&:c. and will not only love them then, but openly declare his love before all the world; Come J' blef?ed; he !hall declare then hisown fove, c..JW:atth.ro.~z. Luke n,8. He that bath made it his glory to cohHs ChriH in a holy lite, ChriH will confe~ him before God and before Angels ; and fo before allthe · world: Men in great place will no~ know their poor friends, efpeciaUy in _open places ; but the LorctJefus will', and he will divulge the Fathers Jove eo the\!l alfo, ~Ef,J.I9. You bleffed "f the Facher, ?oh. 17'. z2,2,,24. I b.ave given them that glory, nnited them and made them Jlefh of tn} flrfh, that the wodd may ~owthou haft loved them AS thou h~tft loved me. Here the Lord' cloth love his people dearly, but ic is not fo known ; the Sun ibines oh good ' and ni
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