First, He is a lovely Redeemer, Isa. lxi. 1. He came to open the irison-doors to them that are bound. Needs must this Redeemer e a lovely one, if we consider the depth of misery from which he redeemed us, even " from the wrath to come," 1 Thess. i. 10. How lovely was Titus, in the eyes of the poor enthralled Greeks, whom he delivered from their bondage ! this endeared him to them to that degree, that when their liberty was proclaimed, they even trod one another to death to see the herald that proclaimed it ; and all the night following, with instruments of music, danced about his tent, crying with united voices, " a Saviour, a Saviour.1' Or, whether we consider the numbers redeemed, and the means of their redemption. Rev. v. 9. And they sang a new song, saying, " Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals there- " of: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy * blood, out of every kindred and tongue, and people, and na- " tion.1' He redeemed us not with silver and gold, but with his own precious blood, by way of price, 1 Pet. i. 18, 19- with his out-stretched and glorious arm, by way of power, Col. i. 13. he redeemed us freely, Eph. i. 7. fully, Rom. viii. 1. seasonably, Gal. iv. 4. and out of special and peculiar love, John xvii. 9. In a word, he hath redeemed us for ever, never more to come into bondage, 1 Pet. i. 5. John x. 28. O how lovely is Jesus Christ in the re- lation of a Redeemer to God's elect !
Secondly, He is a lovely bridegroom to all that he espouses to himself. How doth the church glory in him, in the words fol- lowing my text ; " this is my Beloved, and this is my Friend,
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" O ye daughters of Jerusalem !" q. d. Heaven and earth cannot shew such another : which needs no fuller proof than the follow- ing particulars.
First, That he espouses to himself, in mercy and in loving-kind- ness, such deformed, defiled, and altogether unworthy souls as we are ; who have no beauty, no excellency to make us desirable in his eyes ; all the springs of his love to us are in his own breast, Deut. vii. 7. he chuseth us, not because we were, but that he might make us lovely, Eph. v. 27. he passed by us when we lay in our blood, and said unto us, Live ; and that was the time of love, Ezek. xvi. 5.
Secondly, He expects nothing with us, and yet bestows himself, and all that he hath, upon us. Our poverty cannot enrich him, but he made himself poor to enrich us, 2 Cor. viii. 9. 1 Cor. iii. 22.
Thirdly, No husband loves the wife of his bosom, as Christ loved his people, Eph. v. 25. He loved the church and gave him- self for it.
Fourthly, None bears with weaknesses and provocations as Christ doth ; the church is stiled " the Lamb's wife," Rev. xix. 9.
Fifthly, No husband is so immortal and everlasting a husband as Christ is ; death separates all other relations, but the soul's union with Christ is not dissolved in the grave ; yea, the day of a believer's death, is his marriage day, the day of his fullest enjoyment of Christ. No husband can say to his wife, what Christ saith to the believer, " I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee," Heb. xiii. 5.
Sixthly, No bridegroom advanceth his bride to such honours by marriage, as Christ doth ; he relates them to God as their father, and from that day the mighty and glorious angels think it no dis- honour to be their servants, Heb. i. 14. they are brought in ad- miring the beauty and glory of the spouse of Christ, Rev. xxi. 9.
Seventhly, and lastly, No marriage was ever consummated with such triumphal solemnity, as the marriage of Christ and belie- vers shall be in heaven, Psal. xlv. 14, 15. " She shall be brought to " the king in raiment of needle-work, the virgins, her compani- " ons that follow her, shall be brought unto thee ; with gladness " and rejoicing shall they be brought ; they shall enter into the " king's palace." Among the Jews the marriage-house was called Bethillula, the house of praise ; there was joy upon all hands, but none like the joy that will be in heaven, when believers, the spouse of Christ, shall be brought thither : God the Father will rejoice, to behold the blessed accomplishment and confirmation of those glo- rious designs of his love. Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, will rejoice
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to see the travail of his soul, the blessed birth and issue of all his bitter pangs and agonies, Isa. liii. 11. The Holy Spirit will rejoice to see the completion and perfection of that sanctifying design which was committed to his hand, 2 Cor. v. 5. to see those souls whom he once found as rough stones, now to shine as the bright, polished stones of the spiritual temple. Angels will rejoice : great Avas the joy when the foundation of this design was laid, in the in- carnation of Christ, Luke ii. 13. great therefore must their joy be, when the top-stone is set up with shouting, crying, Grace, grace, The saints themselves shall rejoice unspeakably, when they shall enter into the King's palace, and be for ever with the Lord, 1 Thes. iv. 17. Indeed there will be joy on all hands, except among the devils and damned, who shall gnash their teeth with envy at the everlasting advancement aud glory of believers.
Thus Christ is altogether lovely, in the relation of a Bride- groom.
Thirdly, Christ is altogether lovely, in the relation of an Advo- cate. 1 John ii. 1. "If any man sin, we have an advocate with " the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the Propitia- " tion ;" it is he that pleads the cause of believers in heaven ; ap- pears for them in the presence of God, to prevent all new breaches, and continues the state of friendship and peace betwixt God and us. In this relation Christ is altogether lovely. For,
First, He makes our cause his own, and acts for us in heaven, as for himself, Heb. iv. 15. He is touched with the tender sense of our troubles and dangers, and is not only one with us, by way of re- presentation, but also one with us in respect of sympathy and af- fection.
Secondly, Christ our Advocate, follows our suit and business in heaven, as his great and main design and business ; therefore, in Heb. vii. 25. he is said to " live for ever to make intercession for " us i" as if our concernments were so minded by him there, as to give up himself wholly to that work, as if all the glory and honour which is paid him in heaven would not satisfy him5 or divert him one moment from our business.