A55748:279
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.
One thing must be added, and that is this, that in any particular case, thou must be ready to resign 1thy self up to the Lord, to take his counsel. He will not loose his labour, thou must have a heart that is pliable to him, and yield thy self up wholly to his disposing, and not set thy self to any way so, but that the Lord may take thee off it. Those among men that are governors ⟨p. 131⟩of others, are willing to bestow their labour on them that are pliable, but those that are of stubborn dispositions are a discouragement to them; they that walk frowardly with the Lord, the Lord will walk frowardly with them; therefore see thou resist him not in the passages of his providence, and take not the bit in thy mouth, and hold it in thy teeth, as one unwilling to be guided. So it is, men are often set on a thing upon an humour, and they will go this way, or that way, as they like, what ever come of it: but sometime the Lord in mercy barreth up the way, as we do pits that are by the way side to keep travellers from falling in, as they pass in the night. We find sometimes the door shut upon us in a course which we would enter into; sometimes he sets our conscience upon us to expostulate with us, even as the Angel did with Hagar, when she fled from her mistress. Gen. 16. 18, Hagar Sarahs maid, says he, whence comest thou, and whither wilt 2thou goe• return to thy dame, and humble thy self under her hands. As if he should have said, Hagar, think with thy self who thou art, Sarahs maid, it was her pride caused her to run away, she thought to have been mistress, and because she could not bear the rough usage of her mistress she had forgotten her place, therefore the Angel calls her Sarahs maid; and bids her, Go and humble thy self under her hands, and likewise says he, consider whence thou comest, from the godliest family in all the world, and consider whither thou goest, to them that know not God, that are strangers ⟨p. 132⟩and aliens from the common wealth of Israel, and therefore return unto thy Dame. So the Lord sometimes sets our consciences to expostulate with us, why do you refuse such a course, and why do you take such a course?