A64978:59
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.
3. Consider if you be once espoused unto Christ, you shall never be divorced, if once joined in this relation unto him, you shall never be separated from him; neither Men nor Devils shall be able to disjoin you, and when Death doth break all other conjugal bonds, it shall not break the conjugal bonds between you and Christ, but bring you unto the most full and everlasting possession of your beloved.
3. Consider if you be once espoused unto Christ, you shall never be divorced, if once joyned in this relation unto him, you shall never be separated from him; neither Men nor Devils shall be able to disjoyn you, and when Death doth break all other conjugal bonds, it shall not break the conjugal bonds between you and Christ, but bring you unto the most full and everlasting possession of your beloved.
And what do yon now say, young women? shall I have a grant for my Master, or be sent away with a repulse and refusal? Methinks by this time ye should begin to have a mind unto Jesus Christ; You look as if you did desire; you hearken, as if you would consent; what do you say? shall the match be made up this day between Christ and your souls? may I be instrumental to join your hands, or rather your hearts together? may I be instrumental to tie that knot which can never be untied? Some marry in haste, and repent at leisure; but if you were once espoused unto Jesus Christ, you would never repent; nothing would grieve you but that you were joined unto him no sooner; ⟨p. 27⟩and you would not be disjoined again for all the world. Shall this be the day of your espousals? Some of you have stayed a long time, and will you defer any longer? If you will not now, it may be Christ will not another time; if you refuse now Christ calleth and inviteth, Christ may refuse when you call and entreat: this may be the last time of asking, and therefore it is dangerous to refuse: Some of you are very young, too young for other espousals, but none of you are too young for this espousal unto Jesus Christ; in other espousals you must have the consent of Parents, but in this you are at your own dispose; you may give, and ought to match your selves to Christ, whether Parents do consent or no.