"Possess the centre of his Father's throne?
"How justly do his awful throne before
"Seraphic armies prostrate, him adore,
"That's both by nature and donation crown'd,
"With all the grandeur of the Godhead round?
"But wilt thou, Lord, in 'very deed come dwell
“With me, that was a burning brand of hell?
"With me, so justly reckon'd worse and less
"Than insect, mite, or atom can express?
"Wilt thou debase thy high imperial form,
"To match with such a mortal, crawling worm?
"Yea, sure thine errand to our earthly coast,
"Was in deep love to seek and save the lost.
"And since thou design'st the like of me to wed,
"O come and make my heart thy marriage-bed.
"Fair Jesus, wilt thou marry filthy me!
Amen, Amen, Amen; so let it be."

66

The fruits of the believer's marriage with CHRIST, particularly gospel-holiness and obedience to the law as a rule.

The sweet solemnity of the marriage now over, and the sad effects of the remains of a legal spirit.

HE match is made, with little din 'tis done,

THE

But with great pow'r, unequal prizes won.
The Lamb has fairly won his worthless bride;
She her great Lord, and all his store beside.
He made the poorest bargain, though most wise;
And she, the fool, has won the worthy prize.

Deep floods of everlasting love and grace,
That under ground ran an eternal space,
Now rise aloft 'bove banks of sin and hell,
And o'er the tops of massy mountains swell.
In streams of blood are tow'rs of guilt o'erflown,
Down with the rapid purple current thrown,

The bride now as her all can Jesus own,
And prostrate at his footstool cast her crown,
Disclaiming all her former groundless hope,
While in the dark her soul did weary grope.
Down tumble all the hills of self-conceit,
In him alone she sees herself complete;
Does his fair person with fond arms, embrace,
And all her hopes on his full merit place;
Discard her former mate, and henceforth draw
No hope, no expectation from the law.

Tho' thus her new-created nature soars,
And lives aloft on Jesus' heavenly stores;
Yet, apt to stray, her old adult'rous heart
Oft takes her old renounced husband's part:
A legal cov'nant is so deep engrain'd
Upon the human nature laps'd and stain'd,
That, till her spirit mounts the purest clime,
She's never totally divorc'd in time.

Hid in her corrupt part's proud bosom lurks
Some hope of life still by the law of works.

Hence flow the following evils more or less;
Preferring oft her partial holy dress,
Before her husband's perfect righteousness.
Hence joying more in grace already giv'n,
Than in her head and stock that's all in heav'n
Hence grieving more the want of frames and grace,
Than of himself the spring of all solace.

Hence guilt her soul imprisons, lusts prevail,

While to the law her rents insolvent fail,

And yet her faithless heart rejects her Husband's bail.

Hence soul-disorders rise, and racking fears, While doubtful of his clearing past arrears; Vain dreaming since her own obedience fails, His likewise little for her help avails.

Hence duties are a task, while all in view
Is heavy yokes of laws, or old or new:
Whereas, were once her legal bias broke,
She'd find her Lord's commands an easy yoke.
No galling precepts on her neck he lays,
Nor any debt demands, save what he pays
By promis'd aid: But lo, the grievous law
Demanding brick, won't aid her with a straw.
Hence also fretful grudging, discontent,
Carv'd by the law, finding her treasure spent,
And doubting if her Lord will pay the rent.
Hence pride of duties too does often swell,
Presuming she perform'd so very well.

Hence pride of graces and inherent worth
Springs from her corrupt legal bias forth;
And boasting more a present with'ring frame,
Than her exalted Lord's unfading name.

Hence many falls and plunges in the mire, As many new conversions do require : Because her faithless heart's sad follies breed Much lewd departure from her living Head, Who, to reprove her aggrivated crimes, Leaves her abandon'd to herself at times; That, falling into frightful deeps, she may From sad experience learn more stress to lay, Not on her native efforts, but at length

On Christ alone, her righteousness and strength ; Conscious, while in her works she seeks repose, Her legal spirit breeds her many woes.

Faith's victories over sin and Satan, through new and farther discoveries of Christ, making believers more fruitful in holiness than all other pretenders to works. THE gospel-path leads heav'nward; hence the fray,

Hell-pow'rs still push the bride the legal way.

So hot the war, her life's a troubled flood,

A field of battle, and a scene of blood.

But he that once commenc'd the work in her,
Whose working fingers drop the sweetest myrrh,
Will still advance it by alluring force,

And, from her ancient mate, more clean divorce:
Since 'tis her antiquated spouse the law,
The strength of sin and hell did on her draw.
Piece-meal she finds hell's mighty force abate,
By new recruits from her almighty Mate.
Fresh armour, sent from grace's magazine,
Makes her proclaim eternal war with sin.
The shield of faith, dipt in the Surety's blood,
Drowns fiery darts, as in a crimson flood.
The Captain's ruddy banner, lifted high,
Makes hell retire, and all the furies fly,
Yea, of his glory ev'ry recent glance
Makes sin decay, and holiness advance.
In kindness therefore does her heav'nly Lord
Renew'd discov'ries of his love afford,
That her enamour'd soul may with the view
Be cast into his holy mould anew :
For when he manifests his glorious grace,
The charming favour of his smiling face,
Into his image fair transforms her soul,*
2 Cor. iii. 18.

And wafts her upward to the heav'nly pole,
From glory unto glory by degrees,
Till vision and fruition shall suffice.
And thus in holy beauty Jesus' bride
Shines far beyond the painted sons of pride,
Vain merit-vouchers, and their subtile apes,
In all their most refin'd, delusive shapes.
No lawful child is ere the marriage born;
Tho' therefore virtues feign'd their life adorn,
The fruit they bear is but a spurious brood,
Before this happy marriage be made good,
And 'tis not strange, for from a corrupt tree
No fruit divinely good produc'd can be.
But lo, the bride, graft in the living root,
Brings forth most precious aromatic fruit.
When her new heart and her new husband meet
Her fruitful womb is like a heap of wheat,
Beset with fragrant lillies round about,
All divine graces, in a comely rout,

Burning within, and shining bright without.
And thus the bride, as sacred scripture saith,
When dead unto the law through Jesus' death,†
And match'd with him, bears to her God and Lord
Accepted fruit, with incense pure decor'd.
Freed from law-debt, and bless'd with gospel-ease,
Her work is now her dearest Lord to please,
By living on him as her ample flock,
And leaning to him as her potent rock.
The fruit, that each law-wedded mortal brings,
To self accresces, as from self it springs.
So base a rise must have a base recourse,
The stream can mount no higher than its source.
But Jesus can his bride's sweet fruit commend,
As brought from him the root, to him the end.
She does by such an offspring him avow

C

Song vii 2. + Romans viii. 4.