He is the Bridegroom of his Church P; and every true Chris- tian, as well as the whole body of his Church, is presented to him under the character of his spouse q. True, we have de- parted grievously from him, and may justly be put away by him for ever. But he authorizes his ministers to bring us back to him, and engages not to cast off so much as one who shall return to him in penitence and faith r. His language to us is " Turn ye, turn ye ; why will you die s ? " And so has he prepared the way for our return, that the perfections of God shall not only not be dishonoured, but shall be greatly glorified, in that event. St. Paul takes great pains to shew, that the righteousness of God will be displayed in it no less than his mercy*: so that in it "shall mercy and truth meet together, and righteousness and peace kiss each other11."
By entering into this relation to Christ, our happi- ness will be immeasurably and eternally enhanced —
[Other unions are but for a time : but this shall be for ever. " He will not cast off his people, when once he has been pleased to make us his people x." And he wishes us to know this for our joy. The covenant he makes with us is different from that which he made with the Jews. His covenant with them was to depend on their stability ; and therefore it was dissolved : but that which he makes with us, provides for our stability itself, and therefore shall never be dissolved to all eternity y.
And who can conceive what discoveries of his glory shall be vouchsafed to us through eternal ages? We cannot really know God now, unless we are united to him in Christ Jesus : but, when that union takes place, we, like Moses in the cleft of the rock, have all his perfections proclaimed to us, and all his goodness made to pass, as it were, before our eyes z. Increasing experience of his love will give us increasing discoveries of his love. Yet to the last we shall only behold, as it were, his back parts, and see him as in a glass darkly : but when once the soul is liberated from the body, " we shall see him as we are seen, and know him as we are known3."]
Address —
1. Be like-minded with God in reference to the
Jews —
[You see with what delight he views their restoration to him: and will you be indifferent about that great event? Far be it from you. The whole creation will take a deep interest
P Matt. ix. 15. <i 2 Cor. xi. 2. r John vi. 37.
s Ezek. xxxiii. 11. * Rom. iii. 25, 26. u Ps. lxxxv. 10.
* 1 Sam. xii. 22. y Heb. vi. 17, 18.
z Exod. xxxiii. 19, 23. a 1 Cor. xiii. 12.