Forty-Six Sermons in Vol II of the Works - Edwards - IV - Church's marriage to her sons and to her God

Required reading
Forty-Six Sermons in Volume II of the Works by Jonathan Edwards (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read the Sermon entitled 'The Church's marriage to her sons and to her God'.

My summary
This week Edwards gives us a sermon on the church's marriage to the ministers and to God.  It is based on Isaiah 62:4-5: 'thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee'.

Firstly Edwards teaches about the uniting of faithful ministers with Christ's people in the ministerial office.  When done in a due manner, this uniting is like a young man's marrying a virgin.

Secondly Edwards discusses the object of this union of ministers with the people of Christ.  It is in order that the people are brought to the blessedness of a more glorious union in which Christ shall rejoice over them as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride.

The discourse then closes with some exhortations that would tend to excite Christians to this fidelity - including exhortations for both ministers and congregations.

What grabbed me
Very interesting sermon.

I particularly found helpful the exhortations at the end, such as: 'We trust, dear Sir, that you will esteem it a most blessed employment, to spend your time and skill in adorning Christ’s bride for her marriage with the Lamb, and that it is a work which you will do with delight; and that you will take heed that the ornaments you put upon her are of the right sort, what shall be indeed beautiful and precious in the eyes of the bridegroom, that she may be all glorious within, and her clothing of wrought gold; that on the wedding-day she may stand on the king’s right hand in gold of Ophir. '

I have a responsibility to make sure Christ's bride is beautiful on her wedding day.  What a job!

Next week's reading
Read the Sermon entitled 'The saints, when absent from the body, are present with the Lord'.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.