Now, my dear sisters, I shall speak a few words to those of you who have not yet espoused yourselves to the LORD JESUS. It is a great sin, and surely you highly affront the LORD that bought you. It is likewise your folly to refuse and neglect the gracious proffers of being the spouse of CHRIST; hereby you forfeit all that love which he would bestow upon you; hereby you chuse rags before robes, dross before gold, pebbles before jewels, guilt before a pardon, wounds before healing, defilement before cleansing, deformity before comeliness, trouble before peace, slavery before liberty, the service of the devil before the service of CHRIST. Hereby you chuse dishonour before a crown, death before life, hell before heaven, eternal misery and torment before everlasting joy and glory. And need there a farther evidence of your folly and madness, in refusing and neglecting CHRIST to be your spouse.
My dear sisters, I should exceed the limits of your time, should I particularize all the advantages which you would obtain by being espoused to the LORD JESUS. This is your wisdom; they are foolish virgins who refuse; but you are the wise virgins who have accepted of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and have disposed of yourselves to him; you have made the wisest choice; and however the blind world may deem you fools, and despise you as being methodically mad, yet you are wise in the esteem of GOD, and will, one day, appear so in the esteem of them that now despise you. It is your glory that you are espoused unto the LORD JESUS; and therefore glory in your espousal; glory not in yourselves, but in the LORD who hath thus freely and graciously bestowed these favours upon you. It is your safety to be espoused unto the LORD JESUS CHRIST, he will protect and defend you even from sin and satan, and eternal ruin; and therefore thus far you are safe; he hath a regard for you in times of danger from men, and these times of danger seem to be hastening; it is now arising as a black cloud no bigger than a man’s hand, and by and by it will overspread the heavens, and when it is full it will burst; but if you are espoused to CHRIST, you are safe.
Now, my dear sisters, I shall conclude with an earnest exhortation to high and low, rich and poor, one with another, to be espoused unto CHRIST.
Let me speak unto you, young women, who are not yet espoused unto CHRIST, in an especial manner. It may be to satisfy your curiosity, has brought many of you here; though, perhaps, this may be the time when you shall be brought home to embrace the LORD JESUS, and be espoused to him. And O, that I may persuade you, by his Spirit, to espouse yourselves unto the LORD of life.
And if you are but brought to close with the LORD JESUS CHRIST, I shall attain my end, and then both you and I shall rejoice that I preached this sermon to you.
Come virgins, will you give me leave to be a suitor unto you, not in my own name, but in the name of the LORD? O! that I may prevail with you for your affections, and persuade you to give them unto CHRIST! May I be instrumental of bringing your souls to CHRIST! May I be instrumental to join you and CHRIST together this day!
Be not coy, as some of you possibly are in other loves: modesty and the virgin blush may very well become you, when proposals of another kind are made unto you; but here coyness is folly, and backwardness to accept of this motion, is shame: you have ten thousand times more reason to blush at the refusal of CHRIST for your beloved, than at the acceptance; when otherwise the devil and sin would ravish your virgin affections. Never had you a better motion made to you; never was such a match proffered to you as this, of being matched and espoused unto the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Consider who the LORD JESUS is, whom you are invited to espouse yourselves unto; he is the best husband; there is none comparable to JESUS CHRIST.
Do you desire one that is great? He is of the highest dignity, he is the glory of heaven, the darling of eternity, admired by angels, dreaded by devils, and adored by saints. For you to be espoused to so great a king, what honour will you have by this espousal?
Do you desire one that is rich? None is comparable to CHRIST, the fulness of the earth belongs to him. If you be espoused to CHRIST, you shall share in his unsearchable riches; you shall receive of his fulness, even grace for grace here, and you shall hereafter be admitted to glory, and shall live with this JESUS to all eternity.
Do you desire one that is wise? There is none comparable to CHRIST for wisdom. His knowledge is infinite, and his wisdom is correspondent thereto. And if you are espoused to CHRIST, he will guide and counsel you, and make you wise unto salvation.
Do you desire one that is potent, who may defend you against your enemies, and all the insults and reproaches of the Pharisees of this generation? There is none that can equal CHRIST in power; for the LORD JESUS CHRIST hath all power.