pleasant fruits :" And he makes answer in the next verse, “I am come mto my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice, I have eaten my honey comb with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk."

And lastly, Christ and his church, as the bridegroom and bride, rejoice in conversing with each other. The words of Christ, by which he converses with his church, are most sweet to her; and therefore she says of him, Cant. v. 16, "His mouth is most sweet." And on the other hand, he says of her, chap. ii. 14, "Let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice," And chap. iv. 11, "Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honey comb: Honey and milk are under thy tongue." Christ rejoices over his saints as the bridegroom over the bride at all times: But there are some seasons wherein he doth so more especially. Such a season is the time of the soul's conversion; when the good shepherd finds his lost sheep, then he brings it home rejoicing, and calls together his friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me. The day of a sinner's conversion is the day of Christ's espousals; and so eminently the day of his rejoicing. Sol. Song iii 11. "Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart." And it is oftentimes remarkably the day of the saints' rejoicing in Christ: For then God turns again the captivity of his elect people, and, as it were, fills their mouth with laughter, and their tongue with singing; as in Psal. cxxvi. at the beginning. We read of the jailer, that when he was converted, "he rejoiced, believing in God, with all his house," Acts xvi. 34.

And there are other seasons of special communion of the saints with Christ, wherein Christ doth in an especial manner rejoice over his saints, and as their bridegroom brings them into his chambers that they also may be glad and rejoice in him, Cant. i. 4.

But the time wherein this mutual rejoicing of Christ and his saints will be in its perfection, is the time of the saints'

glorification with Christ in heaven; for that is the proper time of the saints entering in with the bridegroom into the marriage, Matth. xxv. 10. The saint's conversion is rather like the betrothing of the intended bride to her bridegroom before they come together; but the time of the saint's glorification is the time when that shall be fulfilled in Psal. xlv. 15. "With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought; they shall enter into the king's palace." That is the time when those that Christ loved, and gave himself for, that he might sanctify and cleanse them, as with the washing of water by the word, shall be presented to him in glory, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. The time wherein the church shall be brought to the full enjoyment of her bridegroom, having all tears wiped away from her eyes; and there shall be no more distance or absence. She shall then be brought to the entertainments of an eternal wedding feast, and to dwell eternally with her bridegroom; yea, to dwell eternally in his embraces. Then Christ will give her his loves; and she shall drink her fill, yea, she shall swim in the ocean of his love.

And as there are various seasons wherein Christ and particular saints do more especially rejoice in each other; so there are also certain seasons wherein Christ doth more es pecially rejoice over his church collectively taken. Such a season is a time of remarkable outpouring of the Spirit of God: It is a time of the espousal of many souls to Christ; and so a time of much of the joy of espousals: And also it is a time wherein Christ is wont more especially to visit his saints with his loving kindness, and to bring them near to himself, and especially to refresh their hearts with divine communications: On which account, such a time becomes a time of great joy to the church of Christ. So when the Spirit of God was so wonderfully poured out on the city of Samaria, with the preaching of Philip, we read that there was great joy in that city, Acts viii. 8. And the time of that wonderful effusion of the Spirit at Jerusalem, begun at the feast of Pentecest, was a time of holy feasting and rejoicing, and a kind of

a wedding day to the church of Christ; wherein "they continuing daily, with one accord, in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness, and singleness of heart," as Acts ii. 46.

But more especially is the time of that great outpouring of the Spirit of God in the latter days, so often foretold in the scriptures, represented as the time of the marriage of the Lamb, and of the rejoicing of Christ and his church in each other, as the bridegroom and the bride. This is the time prophesied of in our text and context; and this is the time foretold in Isai. lxv. 19. "I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and the voice of weeping shall no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying.". This is the time spoken of, Rev. xix. 6, 7, 8, 9, where the apostle John tells us, He "heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: For the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." And adds, "To her was granted, that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: For the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb."

But above all, the time of Christ's last coming, is the time of the consummation of the church's marriage with the Lamb, and the time of the complete and most perfect joy of the wedding. In that resurrection morning, when the Sun of righteousness shall appear in our heavens, shining in all his brightness and glory, he will come forth as a bridegroom; he shall come in the glory of his Father, with all his holy angels. And at that glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, shall the whole elect church, complete as to every individual member, and each member with the whole man, both body and soul, and both in perfect glory, ascend up to meet the Lord in the air, to be thenceforth forever with the Lord. That will be a joyful meeting of this glorious

bridegroom and bride indeed. Then the bridegroom will appear in all his glory without any veil: And then the saints shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father, and at the right hand of their Redeemer; and then the church will appear as the bride, the Lamb's wife. It is the state of the church after the resurrection, that is spoken of, Rev. xxi. 2. "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." And verse 9. "Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife." Then will come the time, when Christ will sweetly invite his spouse to enter in with him into the palace of his glory, which he had been prepar ing for her from the foundation of the world, and shall, as it were, take her by the hand, and lead her in with him: And this glorious bridegroom and bride shall, with all their shining ornaments, ascend up together into the heaven of heav ens; the whole multitude of glorious angels waiting upon them: And this son and daughter of God shall, in their united glory and joy, present themselves together before the Father; when Christ shall say, "Here am I, and the children which thou hast given me :" And they both shall in that relation and union, together receive the Father's blessing; and shall thenceforward rejoice together, in consummate, uninterruped, immutable, and everlasting glory, in the love and embraces of each other, and joint enjoyment of the love of the Father.

2. That forementioned union of faithful ministers with the people of Christ, is in order to this blessedness.

1. It is only with reference to Christ, as the true bridegroom of his church, that there is any union between a faithful minister and a Christian people, that is like that of a bridegroom and bride.

As I observed before, a faithful minister espouses à Christian people, not in his own name, but as Christ's ambassador: He espouses them, that in their being espoused to him, they may be espoused to Christ; and not that the church may commit adultery with him: It is for his sake that he loves

her, with a tender conjugal affection, as she is the spouse of Christ, and as he, as the minister of Christ, has his heart under the influence of the Spirit of Christ; as Abraham's faithful servant, that was sent to fetch a wife for his master's son, was captivated with Rebekah's beauty and virtue; but not with reference to an union with himself, but with his master Isaac: It was for his sake he loved her, and it was for him" that he desired her, and set his heart upon ber, that she might be Isaac's wife: And it was for this that he greatly rejoiced over her, and for this he woo'd her, and for this be obtained her, and she was for a season united to him; but it was but as a fellow traveller, that by him she might be brought to Isaac in the land of Canaan; and for this he adorned her with ornaments of gold; it was to prepare her for Isaac's embraces. All that tender care which a faithful minister takes of his people as a kind of spiritual husband, to provide for them, to lead and feed them, and comfort them, is not as looking upon them as his own bride, but his master's.

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And on the other hand, the people receive him, and unite themselves to him in covenant, and honor him and subject themselves to him, and obey him, only for Christ's sake, and as one that represents him, and acts in his name towards them, All this love, and honor, and submission, is ultimately referred to Christ. Thus the apostle says, Gal. iv. 14. "Ye received me as an angel, or messenger of God, even as Christ Jesus." And the children that are brought forth in consequence of the union of the pastor and people, are not properly the minister's children, but the children of Christ; they are not born of man, but of God.

2. The things that appertain to that forementioned union of a faithful minister and Christian people, are the principal appointed means of bringing the church to that blessedness that has been spoken of. As Abraham's servant, and the part he acted as Isaac's agent towards Rebekah, were the principal means of his being brought to enjoy the benefits of her conju gal relation to Isaac: Ministers are sent to woo the souls of men for Christ, 2 Cor. v. 20, « We are then ambassadors for