Salvation, the Image of God must be replaced in his Soul, he muft again be made Partaker of that divine Nature from which he had fallen. But Man was no more capable of effecting this of himself, than of plucking the Stars from the Firmament; and therefore it must needs be that Jefus Chrift communicate himself, in our Nature, to all that will receive him, that they may have Power to become the Sons of God, otherwife there could be no Redemption for them. This the holy Angels knew full well, and therefore in Testimony of their friendly Joy, for Peace reftored on Earth, and fuch an amazing Manifeftation of Good-will towards Men, fang Praifes to the eternal King at the Birth of the incarnate God.

This Conjunction of the divine and human Natures in the Perfon of our Lord, for the Salvation of Mankind, is reprefented to us in the Gofpel under the Parable of a Marriage, which a certain King made for his Son, and all to whom the Gospel is preached do receive a particular Invitation to the Marriage Feaft. You, my Brethren, have often been called to share in the Blessedness of this facred Solemnity, and I do at this time repeat the Invitation, in my Master's

Name,

SERM. II.

-II

ERMON Name, and declare unto you, that all Things are prepared, and the Wedding is ready: Why then are not you ready alfo? Wherefore do you make Excufes, and refuse to accept this Meffage of Peace, to come to this Feaft of Love, which the King of Heaven has prepared for you? Behold! we are Ambaffadors for Chrift, as though God did befeech you by us; We pray you

in

Christ's stead, that ye be willing to be recon-
ciled to God, who thus fhews himself both
willing and defirous to be reconciled to you:
Nay, you are called, every Soul of you, to
the Honour of being the King's Daughter,
by a Marriage with the King's Son, for
fuch Honour have all his Saints: It is not
enough that he has married our Nature, un
lefs he be joined in fpiritual Wedlock to
our Souls in particular, for Chrift in us is
the only Hope and Earneft of our Glory,
who speaking to his heavenly Father of the
Souls which he had given him, faith; I in
them, and thou in me, that they may
that they may be made
perfect in one. I have declared unto them
thy Name, and will declare it, that the Love
wherewith thou hast loved me, may be in
them, and I in them.

Behold,

Behold, my Brethren, what Manner of SERM. II. Love the Father hath beftowed upon us, that we should be called the Children of ⚫ the moft High, even Sons and Daughters of God! Behold, how Jefus loved us, in that he took the Miseries of our Nature upon Him, that He might bestow the Dignity and Bleffednefs of his Nature upon us! We read that Sampfon went down to Timnath, and took unto himself a Wife of the Daughters of the Philiftines, who were Idolaters and Enemies to Ifrael: That Boaz efpoufed Ruth, a poor Moabites; and that Hofea, at the Command of God, married a Wife of Whoredoms. Wherefore are these Things mentioned, but for Inftruction? and to teach us, how much more the Son of God hath condefcended for our Sakes in marrying us to Himself, when we were poor indeed, and had Nothing to bring him, but the filthy Rags of our Wretchedness and Sinfulness; when we were alienated from him both by original and actual Defilement, nay, even Enemies to his Government by open and repeated Rebellions, and most unworthy of his Embraces by our spiritual Whoredoms with the Creatures on which we had set our Loves.

SERM.II.

It is no lefso worthy of being remarked, for to that end it is written, that in the Line of Christ according to the Flesh we meet with fome Sins of a Crimson ftain recorded, as Incest, Whoredom, Adultery, and Mur ther, the first in the Inftance of Judab and Thamar, the fecond in that of Rahab, and the two laft in the Hiftory of David and Bathfheba: now fome perhaps may wish that these Marks of Infamy had not been recordeds in the Genealogy of Chrift, as tending to difgrace his Family, and to bring a Reproach upon his Birth: But how blind and fottish is the Wisdom of Man in things pertaining to that God whofe Thoughts are not as our Thoughts! For to the end that our Hope may be confirmed and our Faith established are these things written. If Jefus Chrift, according to fuch like Notions of Honour, were not to have come but of a fpotless Family, how fhould He be of the Seed of Abraham? nay, how could He have been a Defcendent from Adam! Who then must have born our Sins and made Atonement for Tranfgreffors? and if He was to bear our Sins tho' fpotless in Himfelf, was He to bear our leffer and not our greater Sins alfo? Yea, for this Cause came He into the World, that He

might be allied to the Chief of Sinners, that SERM. II. fo He might fhew Mercy to the Chief of Sinners. See, how the Goodness of God triumphs over the feeble Objections of cavilling Reafon, in that a Saviour was manifefted where the greatest Need of Him ftands confeffed, and that where Sin abounded, there Grace hath much more abounded! "O the depth of the Riches of the Wisdom, " and Knowledge and Mercies of God !" I

d: But I pafs on to the Second Propofition, which was to fhew in what Senfe the King's Daughter, as meant of the Church of Chrift, is all glorious within. ti í

And this fhe is by her Efpoufals to Chrift, and not before I have efpoufed you, fays the Apostle to the Corinthians,“ to one "Hufband, that I may prefent you as a "chafte Virgin to Chrift."

Before the Heart is turned to God in Faith, however highly we may think of ourfelves, we are all as an unclean thing; Our best Works (as is affirmed in the Thirteenth Article of our Church) have in them the Nature of Sin, and Iniquity is written upon the Face of all our holy things: And therefore we doubt not to pronounce concerning every

D 2