A55748:65
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.
And besides the hope of the promises, consider 1what you have for the present, what dowry he brings with him, in 1 Cor. 3. Wherefore let no 2man rejoice in men; for all things are yours, whether it be Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, &c. all is yours, and you are Christs. Mark, here is the expression of that dowry, that Christ brings with him an Inventory of the wealth of a Christian, saith he, when once you are matched to Christ, all that is his belongs to you; Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, all his servants, all are bestowed on you, to wait upon the Spouse, as it were; he hath given all to you, all those gifts are bestowed on them for your sakes: besides, the world is yours, that is, as far as it is good for you, the world and all things in the world are so a Christians; though he have but little of it, yet indeed the world is his; other men are the worlds: if we speak properly, the world is not said to be any mans, but only a Christians; for his use, he is the master of it. Indeed, whilst a man is in his minority, (you know the heir doth not possess his goods, because it is the time of his education, so) it may be thou hast not full possession: It is dispensed to thee as the Lord sees meet, because it is the time of thy nurture and education, thou art in thy minority, but yet the world is thine. Then he goes on, life or ⟨p. 30⟩death, that is, all this life is bestowed on a Christian for his advantage: to another man it is not so; the longer he lives, it is the worse for him, he hath the further reckoning; it doth but make his sin ripe, and but lay up a treasure of wrath for him; so that all a mans life long, he doth but gather sticks to make a fire to consume him at the last day. But now in the portion of a Christian, this is one thing, that Jesus Christ bestows upon him, that all his life is for his advantage; all the good works he doth, all those shall be remembered, all those shall go along with him and bring a sure reward; and then not only life is his, but death is also. My beloved, it is a strange thing, that this should be reckoned among the dowries, and commodities, and privileges that Christ bestows on his Spouse, to bring death with him; yet this is a great privilege, that he bestows death on us; for what were the condition of a Christian if death were not? were it not the most miserable of all other?