1. Negatively. Let not God be a loser ; he never intended to give you gifts to his own wrong.
Gen. II. 22] a wedding sermon. 171
Now that will be : —
[1.] If he be not the only one, and the lovel}^ one of your souLs. God must not have an imap^e of jealousy set up; he must still be owned as the chiefcst good. A wife is the delight of the eyes, but not the idol of the heart. Still you must be sure that his place be not invaded, that you may say, Ps. Ixxiii. 25, ' Whom have I in heaven but thee? and whom do I desire on earth in comparison of thee?' Carnal complacency must not weaken your delight in God ; it is apt to do so. The excuse of one of those that was invited to the marriage- feast was, ' I have married a wife, and I cannot come,' Mat. xxii. Surely Christ would teach us thereby that this relation may become a snare, and encroach upon the prerogatives of God ; he may be jostled out of the heart by the intrusion of some earthly comfort.
[2.] If you be diverted from the earnest pursuit of heavenly things, either by carnal complacency or distracting cares and worldly encum- brances. There will be a time when we shall ' neither marry nor be given in marriage,' Luke xx. 35. And that is our happiest time ; present contentments must not weaken the lively expectation of it, and steal away the heart into a mindlessness of it. Would God bring you to one another, think you, to turn off your thoughts and hopes for this blessed time when he shall be all in all ? No ; your comforts by the way in your pilgrimage must not hinder your delight in your com- forts at home and in your country ; this would be like a great heir in travel that should guzzle in an alehouse, and never think of returning to his inheritance.
[3.] God would be a loser if 3'ou be less resolute in owning God's truth than you were before. Oh, take heed of daubing in religion ! We must hate all for Christ, Luke xiv. 26. We must be as true still to make good our engagement to him. Wife and children must be undervalued for the gospel ; we may be put to the trial whether we will cleave to them or Christ, who is our choice husband. The bond of religion is above all bonds ; all bonds between husband and wife, father and children, end in death, but the bond of Christ is eternal: your children will not lose by your faithfulness to God.
2. Positively. Let God be a gainer.
[1.] By your daily praises, and blessing God for his providence, that hath brought you into this relation : ' I obtained favour from the Lord.'
[2.] By living to God in this relation, performing the duties thereof so as your converse may be some lively resemblance of the communion between Christ and his church : Eph. v. 25-30, ' Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it ; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water, by the word ; that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that it should be holy, and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies : he that lovetli his wife, lovetli himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.'
[3.] By being mutual helps to one another in the best things, by
172 A WEDDING SERMON. [GeN. II. 22.
the advancement of piety and ^ifodliness. The love of Christ doth not only enforce the liusband's duty as an argument, but points forth tlie right manner of it as a pattern. Christ's love is sanctifying love : so should theirs be, such a love as showeth itself by sincere and real endeavours to bring about one another's spiritual and eternal good. Love one another, ' as heirs together of the grace of life/ 1 Peter iii. 7.
TWENTY SERMONS.
PREFACE,
It may seem a just discouragement fi'om publishing more sermons at this time, when there are such numbers abroad in the hands of all ; for the abundance of things useful is fatal to their value, and the rareness exceedingly enhances their price. If men were truly wise, spiritual treasures should be excepted from this common law, yet l)lenty even of them causeth satiety. But the following sermons have that peculiar excellence that will make them very valuable to all that have discerning minds, and such a tincture of religion as makes them capable of tast.ing the goodness of divine things.
I shall say nothing particularly here of the intellectual endowments of the author, in which he appeared eminent among the first, nor of his graces to adorn his memory ; for a saint that is ascended into heaven, and crowned with eternal glory by the righteous Judge, needs not the weak, fading testimony of praise from men. Besides, that universal esteem he had from those who knew his ability, diligence, and fidelity in the work of Grod, makes it unnecessary for them who were his admirers and friends. And for those who are unacquainted with his worth, if they take a view of his works formerly printed, or the present sermons, that deserve equal approbation, they will have the same opinion with others. I will give some account of the ser- mons themselves.