Consider, if you be once espoused unto CHRIST, if once joined in this relation, you shall never be separated from him; neither men nor devils shall be able to separate you: none, none, shall disjoin you; and when death doth break all other bonds, it shall not break the conjugal bond between you and CHRIST, but bring you unto the most full and everlasting possession of your beloved.
And what do you now say, young women? shall I have a grant for my master, or be sent away with a repulse and refusal; no, I cannot carry such a message to my master; I hope better things of you, my sisters, and things which accompany salvation: methinks by this time ye should begin to have a mind unto JESUS CHRIST; you look as if you did desire; you hearken as if you would consent. What do you say? Shall the match be made up this evening between CHRIST and your souls? O that I may be instrumental in joining your hands, or rather your hearts together: O that I may be instrumental to tie that knot, which never can be unloosed.
Some marry in haste, and repent at leisure; but if you were once espoused unto JESUS CHRIST, you would never repent; nothing would grieve you, but that you were not joined to him sooner; and you would not be disjoined again for all the world.
Shall this be the day of your espousals? Some of you have stayed a long time; and will you defer any longer? If you will not now, perhaps you may never have another opportunity; this may be the last time of asking; and therefore it is dangerous to refuse: some of you are very young, too young for other espousals; but none of you, my dear sisters, are too young to be espoused unto the LORD JESUS CHRIST: in other espousals, you must have the consent of your parents; but in this you are at your own disposal; you may give, and ought to match yourselves to CHRIST, whether parents do consent or not.
But if any of you should ask, what you must do that you may be espoused unto CHRIST? You must be sensible of your need of being espoused to him; and untill you are sensible of your need of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, you cannot be espoused to him: You must have desires after this JESUS, and seek unto him for an interest in him; you must cry nightly unto him to espouse you to himself: put off the filthiness of sin and all its defilements; and then, my sisters, put on the white raiment, and clean garments, which CHRIST hath provided for you, the robes of his righteousness; in these garments you shall be beautiful; and in these garments you shall be accepted: you must have the wedding garment on; you must put off all your own good works, for they will be but a means to keep you from CHRIST; no, you must come as not having your own righteousness, which is of the law, but you must have the righteousness of CHRIST. Therefore, come unto the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and he will give it to you; he will not send you away without it. Receive him upon his own terms, and he is your’s for ever: O devote yourselves to him, soul and body, and all, to be his for ever; and CHRIST will be your’s, and then happy, happy you, that ever you were born! But if any of you die before this espousal unto the LORD JESUS CHRIST, then woe, woe, unto you, that ever you had a being in life; but if you go to CHRIST you shall be espoused unto the LORD JESUS: though your sins have been never so great, yea, the blood of CHRIST will cleanse you from them; the marriage covenant between CHRIST and your souls will dissolve all your sins; you will then be weary of your old ways, for all things will become new in your souls.
Now, my dear Sisters, I shall conclude by just speaking a word or two to those of you, who are already espoused unto the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
O admire, admire the rich and free grace, which hath brought you to this relation: Is not this an instance of the greatest of love, that you should be the spouse of the LORD JESUS CHRIST? You that had no beauty, you that had no comeliness, that was full of sin, that He should embrace such as you and I are; that we should be taken into the embrace of this LORD JESUS. O infinite condescending kindness! O amazing love! Reverence, reverence, I beseech you, this LORD JESUS CHRIST.
He is your LORD, and you must reverence him, love and be faithful unto him, be subject to him, and careful to please him in every thing; endeavour to keep up a daily communion with him; look, long and prepare for CHRIST’s second appearance, when the nuptials between you shall be solemnized, and you live with him in mansions of everlasting joys, where you shall love and live with this king of glory for ever and ever.
I know not how to conclude; methinks I could speak to you till midnight, if it would bring you unto the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and make you be espoused to him, for indeed, that will be the espousal which will turn to the greatest advantage, as you will find by experience, if you will but make the trial; and that you may do so, my prayers and my constant endeavours shall be used.