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XII.

SER M. pofitions of Science falfly fo called, which fome profeffing have erred concerning the Faith, 1 Tim. vi. 20, 21. Obey the command of God himself by the Prophet Jeremy, Stand ye in the Ways and fee, and ask for the old Paths, where is the good Way, and walk therein, and ye fhall find Reft for your Souls, Jerem. vi. 16. Or as St. Jude fubjoins to what I just now read to you from him, Ye, Beloved, building up yourselves on their most holy Faith, praying in the Holy Ghoft: Keep yourselves in the. Love of God, looking for the Mercy of the Lord Jefus Chrift unto eternal Life. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the Presence of his Glory with exceeding Joy; To the only wife God, our Saviour, be Glory and Majesty, Dominion and Power, both now and ever, Amen. Jude 20, 21, 24, 25.

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SERMON XIII.

The Mystery of the Marriage in Cana explained.

JOHN ii. 11.

This Beginning of Miracles did Jefus in Cana of Galilee.

THE

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HE firft and principal End defigned by S ER M. our Bleffed Saviour in the Miracles that he wrought, the Words immediately following my Text declare to have been the Manifeftation of his Glory, in order to perfuade and induce his Difciples to believe on him. But befides the Defign of Miracles in general, we must also suppose that there was a further End proposed by our Saviour in the Choice of the Miracles he was pleased to make use of, to fhew his Power. They were all of them intended, we need not doubt, both mystically to imply fome hidden Truth which our Lord had a mind to reveal to thofe that had the Gift of difcerning the Spirit of

SER M. the Gospel ; and alfo morally to propose fome

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Rules and Inftructions for the Conduct of our Lives, and fome good Example of Benefi cence and Charity to our Practice and Imitation. It is with a View to the first of these two last mentioned Ends that I propose to con fider this Paffage of Scripture; i. e. not to exhort you to a Belief in Jefus from a Confi deration of the Evidence that is given of his Truth by the Miracle it relates, (for this perhaps will be excused by those whose Faith is already fufficiently confirmed) but my Meaning is, to explain what the Miracle in the inward or myftical Sense of it seems intended to imply.

For, doubtless, there was fome Reason, why our Lord would begin his Miracles at a Marriage Feast, and why at fuch a Feast by the efpecial Act of turning Water into Wine. And by this I prefume our Saviour intended to intimate the Improvements, the Benefits and Advantages arifing to his Church, by Virtue of his Marriage or Union with it. And that his Union with the Church is what he himself represents as a Marriage, is fo evident to any one that knows the Holy Scriptures, that it would be wafting of Time to produce any Proof. It is It is upon this Account

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that Chrift is so often in Scripture called the SER M. Bridegroom, and the Church as often his Spouse or Bride. When our Bleffed Lord therefore works his firft Miracle, at the Celebration of a Marriage, which we know he himself had appointed as a Type of his own Marriage or Efpoufals with the Church; may we not suppose that the particular Miracle he was pleased to work was defigned to fignify or represent that the State of the Church, from the Time of his Marriage or Efpoufals with her, should be much better and more improved than it was before? So far is certain; that if we make Use of this as a Key to open and discover the inward and hidden Sense of the Miracle: we fhall find the feveral Circumstances of which the Miracle confifts harmoniously agree.

It is particularly remarked in the Beginning of the Whole, that this Marriage was celebrated the third Day. But from what Day, the Day of the Marriage was the third, our Commentators find it very difficult to fettle. And yet we fee it is mentioned by the Evangelift as an Article of Importance, that it was upon a third Day from fome other Event. The particular Mention therefore of the third Day may not improperly be understood to in

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SER M.timate that the Marriage of Chrift and the Church was celebrated in the third Age or Period of the World. For the first Age was before the Law, the second under it, and the third was the Christian. The Circumftance of the Time therefore exactly correfponds. Let us next confider the Miracle itself, and see whether that will agree as well.

Now the Miracle itself was the turning of Water into Wine; which, if we confider it, will appear not only to be an Improvement of the Element, but to be alfo a fit and proper Emblem of the Improvement of the Church under the Gospel State. The legal Difpenfation we conceive to be here intended by the Water, the Ceffion of the Law to the Difpenfation of the Gospel, by the Change of the Water into Wine. And what can better represent the State of the Church under the Law of Mofes, than the Element of Water? Water is what we always ufe to wash and cleanse ourfelves from all our external Pollutions and Filth. And what further Virtue, I beseech you, had the Law, than what the Epistle to the Hebrews intimates, viz. that of sanctifying only to the purifying of the Flesh? Heb. ix. 13. By the Water then, which is the Subject of our Saviour's Power and Might, the

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