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The Best MatchFire and Ice: Puritan and Reformed Writings
[Table of Contents] [Fast Index] [Site Map] []
The Best Match; Or, the Incomparable Marriage Between the Creator and the
Creature
by Ralph Erskine
Word format (23K) PDF format (52K) Palm Doc format
[This was delivered, in two discourses, at Culross: but the precise time and
occasion cannot be ascertained; only we see the first edition was printed Anno
1722.]
"Thy Maker is thy Husband."
— Isaiah 54:5
The prophet Isaiah having largely discoursed of the sufferings of Christ, and
the blessed fruits and effects of them; among which one is, that he should have
a numerous seed to believe on him; and that, when the Jews reject him, the
Gentiles should gladly receive him: and thus foreseeing, by the spirit of
prophecy, the glorious state of the Gentile church, he breaks forth into a song
of triumph in the beginning of this chapter; where the prophet directs his
speech to the church and spouse of God in these words, "Sing, O barren, thou
that didst not bear; break forth into singing; and cry aloud, thou that didst
not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate, than the
children of the married wife, saith the Lord."
Where we have a magnificent
promise of the fertility and the felicity of the Gentile church; and this is
enlarged to the fifth verse, which contains the words of our text; where we have
the reason of her happiness and fruitfulness who was formerly a barren widow,
for "Thy Maker is thy Husband:" he who made thee out of nothing, and therefore
can easily fulfil all these promises, how unlikely soever they seem to be; he
who made thee a people, yea, which is more, who made thee his people, he will
take possession of thee as his spouse, and act the part of an husband to thee.
I shall defer my further introduction and exposition, and also whatever might be
said concerning the external relation betwixt Christ and the visible church, my
chief design being at this time, only to speak a little to that internal
spiritual marriage-relation betwixt Christ and the invisible church, or Christ
and the believer, as it is represented under the picture of a marriage: and what
I would offer upon this subject I lay before you in this doctrinal proposition.
That there is a marriage-relation betwixt Christ and believers, wherein he
supplies the place of a husband unto them, and they the place of a bride and
spouse to him.
In prosecuting whereof, I would essay these three things.
I. Prove, that there is such a marriage-relation betwixt Christ and believers.
II.
Speak to the nature of this marriage.
III.
Give the reasons, why Christ comes under such a relation to his people.
IV. Make some application of the subject.
I. To confirm the doctrine, that there is a marriage-relation betwixt Christ and
believers.
This will appear from these two considerations.
1.
From the compellations given to Christ with relation to believers.
How
frequently doth the spouse call him her husband in the book of the Song?
"As the
apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons.
My
beloved is mine, and I am his," Song 2:3,16.
And, says the apostle, 2 Cor.
11:2
— "I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin
unto Christ."
2. The marriage relation betwixt Christ and believers appears from the
designation given to believers in scripture with respect to Christ.
How
frequently calls he her his love, his spouse, in the book of the Song of Songs?
"Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my SPOUSE.
How fair is thy love, my
sister, my SPOUSE!" Song 4:9,10.
In Rev. 19:7, there the church, (or believers
in the collective capacity) is called the bride, the Lamb's wife: "The marriage
of the Lamb is come, and the bride hath made herself ready."
We need not stand
to prove that which is so evident, we need say no more to confirm it, than to
repeat the text, "thy maker is thy husband."
Therefore I come,
II.
To speak of the nature of this marriage: and here we would briefly consider,
1.
The parties married.
2. The terms of the marriage.
3. The properties of the
marriage.
4. The effects of it.
5. How the match is carried on.
6.
How it is
concluded.
(1.)
I say, let us consider the parties married; who is the Bridegroom, and who
is the Bride.
1.
Then, the bridegroom is the wisdom of God; and all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge are found in him: he knows all the needs of the bride, and is
ready to supply them.—On the other hand, the bride, before her matching with
him, is the most notorious fool out of hell: her folly is shown by continuing to
refuse to match with him; to refuse to give her consent to this heavenly
bridegroom.
2. The bridegroom is the eternal Son of God; the King's only Son: "The King made
a marriage for his Son:" He is the blood-royal of heaven.—On the other hand,
What is the bride's pedigree?
She needs not boast of her descent; "Thy father
was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite," Ezek.
16:3.
There is a vast
difference here.
3. The bridegroom is the heir of all things: he hath all riches,"the
unsearchable riches of Christ."—But
what is the bride worth before he match with
her?
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