A55748:227
The mystical match between Christ and his churchThe mysticall match between Christ and his church
The mystical match between Christ and his church by the late learned and reverend divine, John Preston ... The leading sermon to that treatise of his called The churches marriage.The mysticall match between Christ and his church by the late learned and reverend divine, John Preston ... The leading sermon to that treatise of his called The churches marriage.
London: printed for Francis Eaglesfield, 1648
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Is he a Head in regard of excellency; not only 1because God hath put him into the highest place, but because he hath a fitness in him, all fullness? choose him then, take him before any thing else; for he is the best, and will preponderate whatsoever comes in competition with him. There are no excellencies, that are in the creatures, which are out of him, but all in him. And therefore thou must choose him altogether, and make him the adequate object of thy soul, in whom thou art fully satisfied▪ bring thy heart to this frame, to be content to be stripped of every thing, thinking it enough to have the Lord; 2 Col. 10. And ye are complete in him, who is the 2head of all Principality and power: his scope is this; in the 6. verse before, he had exhorted them: that as they had taken Christ, (it being the same word that is in John, 1. 12.) so they would walk in him, 3being fully contented with him; and let no man deceive you in Philosophy, that is, whereas men teach you excellent rules of moral Philosophy; yet reckon not these as excellencies added to Christ, but abound you in faith in him, for we are complete in him; if any thing were wanting in him, then indeed we might seek out to other things. Learn to apply this to your particular occasions; say, I care for no mans friendship, nor wealth; it is enough, I have the Lord alone; I am complete in him, look for all from him; and then you will do all for him. He that looks for any thing; from the creature, will do so much for it. ⟨p. 94⟩Every benefit hath an office joined, and so much men serve sin, as they look for pleasure from it, and so much service as is done to the creature, so much is taken off from God; and therefore say, I will not apply my self to you, but to Christ. And so if a man be to preach the Gospel, he that thinketh himself complete in Christ, will not care for mans day: so if a man come to some action of trial, wherein he shall loose some special friends, and get great enemies, if he think himself complete in Christ, he cares not. So in walking in the exercise of a mans calling, if a man thinks himself complete in Christ, he will think it enough to do his duty; so as men may receive profit by it, and as for wealth, he leaves that to the Lord, in whom he is complete.