A64978:43
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.
Use 4. For Exhortation both of those that as yet are not espoused unto Christ, and of those that are espoused.
1. You that are not as yet espoused unto Christ, I shall direct my speech unto you, and that to all both men and women, but particularly to you that are young women, whom especially I am now called to preach unto. It may be novelty and curiosity hath hrought many hither this day, which otherwise would not have been here; and possibly the Lord may make use of this opportunity, not ⟨p. 18⟩only to invite by his Word, but also to persuade by his Spirit, some of you to espouse your selves unto him; and if any souls may now be brought to a closure with Jesus Christ, I shall attain my great end, and both you and I shall rejoice that I hearkened unto that motion and desire which was made to me of preaching a particular Sermon unto young women, as I have done many particularly unto young men. Come, Virgins, will you give me leave to be a Suitor unto you, not in my own name, but in the name of my Lord? May I prevail with you for your affections, and persuade you to give them unto Christ? May I be instrumental to join you and Christ together this day? Be not coy, as some of you possibly are in other Loves: Modesty and the Virgin blush may very well become you when motions of another kind are made unto you; but here coyness is folly, and backwardness to accept of this motion is a shame; and you have ten thousand times more reason to blush at the refusal of Christ for your beloved, than at the acceptance; when otherwise the Devil and Sin would ravish your Virgin affections. Never had you a better motion made to you, never was such a match proffered to you as this, of being matched and espoused unto Jesus Christ.
1. You that are not as yet espoused unto Christ, I shall direct my speech unto you, and that to all both men and women, but particularly to you that are young women, whom especially I am now called to preach unto. It may be novelty and curiosity hath hrought many hither this day, which otherwise would not have been here; and possibly the Lord may make use of this opportunity, not