A64978:20
Christ the best husband
Christ the best husband: or An invitation of young women unto Christ Delivered in a sermon to young women. By Thomas Vincent, minister sometime of Maudlins Milkstreet, London.
London: printed for George Calvert and Samuel Sprint, 1672
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.
2. Such as would be espoused unto Christ, must not only hearken, but consider Christs invitation; Hearken, O daughter, and consider. It is not a slight or bare hearing of Christs invitation, which will make up the match between Christ and the Soul, but there must be a considering, a pondering of it in the mind, there must be a considering of the proffer it self, what it is, the reality of the thing, the necessity of the thing, the attainableness of it, the greatness of it, the freeness of it, the sweetness of it, the advantage of it, the difference between Christs invitations, and the Devils temptations, ⟨p. 7⟩or any of the worlds proffers, and by such considering and weighing the one with the other, the Soul will come to understand, and fully be persuaded, that Christs invitations are most reasonable and eligible.
2. Such as would be espoused unto Christ, must not only hearken, but consider Christs invitation; Hearken, O daughter, and consider. It is not a slight or bare hearing of Christs invitation, which will make up the match between Christ and the Soul, but there must be a considering, a pondering of it in the mind, there must be a considering of the proffer it self, what it is, the reality of the thing, the necessity of the thing, the attainableness of it, the greatness of it, the freeness of it, the sweetness of it, the advantage of it, the difference between Christs invitations, and the Devils temptations, ⟨p. 7⟩or any of the worlds proffers, and by such considering and weighing the one with the other, the Soul will come to understand, and fully be perswaded, that Christs invitations are most reasonable and eligible.
3. Such as would be espoused unto Christ, must incline unto Christs invitation; Hearken, O daughter, and consider, incline thine ear. I suppose by the inclining of the ear is not meant the hearkening, of which before; but it includeth the inclining of the heart to accept of Christs invitation; there must be a consent of the Will, and a ready compliance with Christ's motion, a closing of the heart with it; this doth show it self, when the Soul is not only sued unto to accept of Christ, but it putteth forth desires after Christ, and sueth to him that it may be accepted into this relation. As David did incline unto the invitation of the Lord to seek his face,