precious blood, as is the custom in some nations to buy the wife of her parents: "He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

In all this we see nothing less than an act of sovereign love, unchanging love, persevering love! He chose us before we had a being, consequently his love must have been uninfluenced; he purchased us that he might have a right in us; and he has taken possession of us that he might cleanse and purify us, and present us at last conformed to his image.

It was said of And of Christ

The marriage contract that is entered into by Christ and his church is as intimate an union as that which is entered into by a man and his wife. them, "they two shall be one flesh." and his church St. Paul says, in writing to the Ephesians, “For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones ;" and this union is often expressed in the Bible under the notion of a marriage.

"The marriage of the Lamb is come." A late learned author tells us that there is a threefold marriage of the Lamb; the first is an union with particular souls, when by faith they are united to Christ; the second is to his church, when it is completed by the conversion of the Jews; the third, when all his elect are made one with him in glory, after the general resurrection. But I am inclined to think that the marriage spoken of, and the marriage supper, are intended to represent two distinct and separate things. We know that the supper is a consequence of the marriage, and that if believers are said to be united to Christ in the bonds of a covenant, as soon as they act a saving faith upon him—that must be the marriage union spoken of; they then by faith enter into the

solemn contract, and will eventually partake of the marriage supper; but not yet, not until his wife hath made herself ready; and there is much preparation necessary, as we shall presently consider.

Be it understood, then, that the exhibition of the covenant of grace is the proposal of marriage; that that covenant embraced, and entered into, is the union completed; and that the perfect state of knowledge, holiness, and happiness, together with admission to all the glories of the heavenly world, constitute the marriage supper; of which all the sincere followers of the Lamb, all the pious and holy in heart and life, will eventually partake.

In some of the epistles St. Paul has run a kind of parallel between husbands and wives, and Christ and the church. He says " "The husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and he is the Saviour of the body." That is, as the husband is the protector and defender, as well as the maintainer and supporter of the wife-and on that account, as well as because God has appointed the husband to be the head, and has given him the authority, therefore the wife ought not to refuse being in subjection-so Christ, being the Saviour of his people, ought not they, likewise, to be in subjection to him, as their head? Ought not they to fulfil his commands, and obey the law of love, that he has enjoined upon them? And as the wife, who feels sensible of her dependence upon the husband of her choice, gladly fulfils his desires, and anticipates his wish, so ought the bride, the church, who is in momentary need of succour and support, joyfully spend, and be spent, in the cause of him who hath given himself for her.

The preparation of the bride.

"His wife hath made

herself ready." We have seen that the Lamb's wife is the church; that it is made up of Jews and Gentiles, elected from eternity, chosen and precious; "and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints;" that is, the righteousness of Christ received by faith; as is expressed in the 3rd Philippians, 9th verse: "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law; but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." An old writer says, "Christ is to his spouse a fountain opened; whereas the spouse is to Christ a fountain sealed." I will mention two things that are required of a wife. At the institution of marriage it was appointed that the society of parents should be forsaken: "therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife." In allusion to this original law of matrimony, the Psalmist, in treating of the marriage of the Lamb with the church of God, addresses the bride in these remarkable words :"Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear: forget also thine own people, and thy father's house." And our Saviour, to the same purpose, says: "He who loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me." And this is said, not to encourage disregard to parents, but to shew that our chief affections are to be placed upon the Saviour; agreeably to the law of matrimony, the bridegroom is entitled to the chief regards of the bride. The wife is also to forsake all that would hinder her fulfilling her duty to her husband: "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." In becoming a disciple of Christ, it is well to sit down and count the cost, and to prepare the mind to

forsake whatever may be required; and doing this is virtually giving up all, though not actually called upon to do it. Who is there among the children of men that is prepared to become the bride of Christ upon these terms? Let us look through our possessions and friends, and see what there is that we would retain, rather than forsake, for Christ? Do we possess anything that can become an eternal good to our souls, if by retaining it we lose Christ? The odds are fearful, beyond the power of arithmetic to calculate.

But there is another thing that is required of a wife-viz., that she prove faithful and chaste. Every one knows what constitutes the crime of adultery. There is a natural adultery, and there is a spiritual adultery. It may be defined, the placing of our affections upon any other object than the one to whom we are married. Thus did Israel of old. "With their idols have they committed adultery. Moreover, this have they done unto me; they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths." The spiritual Israel, too, have committed adultery by idols. And what is an idol? Or what constitutes idolatry, which is spiritual adultery? It consists in an inordinate attachment to any created thing; the loving of husbands, or wives, or fathers and mothers, or friends, or children, to such a degree as to lead us to forget God; or to lead to the neglect of his worship-the constant fealty which we owe him.

The love we bear to creatures is to be kept in subjection. Although it is lawful to love a husband or a wife, a parent or a child-yea, on the contrary, it would be criminal not to do it yet are we not to give the reins to our affections, but we are to keep a curb upon them, lest we should incur the displeasure of the

Holy One of Israel; who is represented as a jealous God-jealous of the affections of his people. "My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and have hewn out to themselves cisterns that can hold no water." But the affections may be placed inordinately upon other objects than persons. We read, that those who were bidden to the marriage supper made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, and "another to his merchandise;" these were idolaters; they were idolizing their possessions, their gains, their employ

ments.

A man may be an idolater without being a spiritual adulterer; but a man cannot be a spiritual adulterer without being an idolater; for the man who is an idolater may never have given up his heart to Christ, may never have entered into the marriage covenant with him; his sin, therefore, might be denominated spiritual whoredom. I knew a poor disciple of the Lord Jesus who obtained a livelihood by selling asses' milk in London. He used to drive three or four of these submissive creatures before him into the city. He had a little daughter, his youngest child, to whom he was greatly attached; she was about five years old; and it was his pleasure for her to accompany him on one of the asses. She was always dressed neatly, yea, handsomely for his circumstances, and rode upon a white saddle-cloth; it was his pride to have it so. I met him early one morning with his asses, but without his little girl; and, upon inquiry, I found she was dead. He looked at me, and then looked upwards, his eyes streaming with tears. "Ah," said he, "my heart should have been there," pointing to the heavens; "but my child robbed God of my affections, and he has taken her away."

Let us remember