Do not miftake me

brother, Be not afraid, it is I. for an enemy in any of my dealings with you; it is I your brother, that mean you no harm. It is I that love you, and laid down my life for you; it is I, who by my blood purchased fanctified afflictions to you, to work for your good. It is I that doth all things well, and have infinite wifdom and love to order and direct every difpenfation for your intereft and benefit. It was I that fweat blood for you in the garden, was fpit on and buffeted in the high prieft's hall, and nailed for you to the cross, and all to purchase eternal happinefs and glory for my af flicted brethren. I am Jefus your brother, Bebold my bands and my feet. It is I that died and rofe again for you, and have afcended to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God; and have gone up to prepare a place for you. It is I that fit at the helm, and all power given to me. It is I that am faithful and true, I have the fame tender heart and yearning bowels for you I had on earth. It is I that never failed any that trusted in me. It is Jefus your brother who am fill the fame yesterday, to day and for ever. Be not afraid in trouble, it is I dear friend and brother; come near to me your in the daily exercife of faith. Come near and clofe to me at my table, and take a narrow look to my five big wounds, and draw confolation from them. Behold the two wounds in my hands, and the two wounds in my feet, which were made to bring you back from hell to heaven. Behold a fifth wound in my fide, and look into my heart, and fee it panting with love, and do not queftion your brother's love to you any more.

ADVICE VI

From MAT. xxii

A certain king made a marr

THE

HE gofpel covenant, or is a marriage covenant be lievers; a furprifing marriage this riage of God's making. Wonderf is content to give his dear Son in Adam's daughter, that was beco Devil! Yea, he hath drawn up the the articles of it. Chrift the bridegro fully fubfcribed the contract, he dipt own blood on the crofs, and put his the view of God, angels, men, and all Now the bridegroom wants your confer marriage contract, and he hath long been you to fubfcribe to it: Some of you have ofte propofing to do it, yea, taken the pen in your but, upon fome small temptation, have ftopt and thrown by the pen. This day Chrift hath fet a tryst with you to conclude the bargain, and his anbaffadors are come, in his name, to fpread the contract before you with all its articles. Well then, will you go with this man? Will you put your hand to the

contract!

O finners, you have no reason to be shy in this matter, you have nothing to be vain of, you are mean born, of low extract; you are loathfome lepers, you are deformed, black, and have no beauty; you are cripples, cannot walk, unless Chrift lift you; you are drowned in debt, many old scores hath Chrift to clear for you, if he match with you. ( who would make love to fuch a wretched creature

one that is fairer than the fons l-royal of heaven, the heir of you! be aftonished, O ye heaone infinitely rich with a begen with the heir of hell, the 1 earth with a deformed negro! m be content, why fhould you e any reafon for your refufal or God of heaven is setting tryft le this bleffed bargain with you calling you there to fign and feal A with his Son, and that before of the glorious Trinity, before the fore Chrift's ambaffadors, and before ation, witneffes thereto. There have neetings heretofore, about this grand ffect: The World, Satan and the Flefb, erly broke off the treaty; forbid it, Lord, do it this day. O that the long spoke-of betwixt a crucified Jefus and loft fouls may at la. This may be the laft tryft, the laft offer hrift will make; it may be now or never with you. Lay your hand to your heart then, and confider well before you refufe.

Come take another view of this beautiful bridegroom that is in your offer. Behoud how delicate his complexion is, He is bite and ruddy; white in regard of his innocence, and ruddy in his bloody paffion. O how peerless is his perfon! How ravishing his beauty! how charming his voice! How ftately his goings! How fragrant are his garments! They smell of aloes, myrrh, and caffia! Search all the world, you cannot find his equal. One glimpfe of him is enough to ravish men and angels; His locks are black and bushy as the raven, bis lips are like lilies dropping fweet jmelling myrrh, bis legs as pillars

of marble set upon sockets of fine gold; bis counte nance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars ; yea, be is altogether lovely! Now can you refuse fuch a lovely perfon, especially when you think how he loved you, fo as to fuffer a cruel and bloody death for you, and to fend his portraiture with the marks of his wounds to be put in your hands at his holy table, and all to win your heart! Come view and remember the many wounds he received for you, by the thorns which pierced his head, by the pincers that pluck'd his hair, by the fcourges that tore his back, by the nails that pierc ed his hands and feet, and by the fpear that opened his fide! Surely thofe wounds do not mar bis beauty to the eye of faith; nay, tho' he be all over wounded, mangled and bleeding, yet to a believer he is stil wbite and ruddy, the chiefeft among ten thousands. fairer than all the sons of men, nay, and all the fons of God too.

Certainly the bridegroom muft be in earnest, when he comes in his marriage-robes to win backward hearts, when he puts on his dyed garments, and is red in his apparel; when he displays his glo. ry, brings the marriage-contract in his hand, spreads it on the communion-table, and calls all who love him to fign it. O that many were made willing in a day of his power, to go into all the articles of this marriage covenant, faying, my heart is now content to go with the man Chrift, that wonderful man; I confent to all his terms, he is my Lord and my God, iny glorious Immanuel; my beloved is mine, and I am bis. Quest. I would know particularly what he requires on my part of the contract, that I may diftinctly clofe with him? Ans. He would have you, 1. Convinced of your finking and perifhing ftate, while you ftand upon the old bottom of a covenant

יי י י י ד •

of works; and willing to leave it, and leap from it, and cleave to a covenant of grace, and a borrowed righteousness for all the ground of your hope 2. He would have you humbled and grieved for your long flighting his kind offers by your unbelief, and for your preferring Satan's drudgery to his fervice.— 3. Give up with all other lovers, and these that would rival it with Chrift, fuch as fin, the world, or the law; felf-righteoufnefs must be renounced and parted with; you must break league with all Chrift's enemies.- -4. Accept of Jefus Chrift as your hus band, receive him in all his offices, reft and depend on him alone for righteoufnefs, firength and falvation.5. Give away yourfelves, foul and body to Chrift, refign your will to his will, and furrender all you have to his disposal, -6. Refolve and vow

in Chrift's ftrength, to crucify fin, and walk with him in all the ways of new obedience. -7. Engage to be true and faithful to your husband, and never to retract.-8. Keep up the remembrance of your husband's coming at the last day to folemnize the marriage, and take you home to himself, and be always in readinefs to go forth to meet him. The bridegroom is ready long fince, and will foon rend these clouds to meet you in the air, and fend his angels to bring you up to him; Therefore be ye alfo ready.

O why doth he delay his coming? What stops the wheels of his chariot? Surely it is not because he is unready, but because you are not ready. All the elect are not yet brought in to him, and he is deter. mined not to want one of them. O then be providing for the marriage day all proper furniture, robes, jewels, rings and ornaments, against the time that Chrift and you take up houfe together in heaven. Bere to go to Christ for every bit of your plenish.