The best match, or, The souls espousal to Christ opened and improved by Edward Pearse.

READER,

NExt to the full and immedi∣ate Vision and Fruition of the God of Glory above, the greatest happiness of Souls lies in Union and Communion with Christ here: Nor indeed can we ever attain unto the one without an ac∣quaintance with the other. Now to bring thee into, and build thee up in this Union and Communion with Christ, and thereby to fit and dispose thee for that glorious Vision and Frui∣tion Above, is the principal design of the ensuing Discourse. If thou re∣quirest a reason of the publication hereof, I desire thee to satisfie thy self with this; God in his all-wise and ho∣ly Providence, hath seen good now for seyeral months to call the unworthy Author out of his Vinyard, and lodge him in a sick Chamber; and he also seems to be speedily calling him out of this World, and to bring that Night upon him wherein no man can work, wherein nothing is to be done either

for God or a Man's Soul, John 9.4. And being never like to do more for Christ on Earth, he was willing, in hopes of advancing his dear Lords Kingdom, in the drawing of Sinners to him, and building up of Saints in him, & communion with him, to make these poor Contemplations publick. God was pleased some few years since to make a more than ordinary use of the preaching of them, many Souls being through his Grace espoused to Christ and more brought nearer to him thereby: and had I not some hopes that he would also, through that same Grace of his, make some use of the reading of them for thy good, and the good of o∣thers, I think they had never seen the light: Thy good then, and Christ's Glory in the enlargement of his King∣dom, is the thing aimed at herein, which the good Lord by his Grace ac∣complish. I am lying daily by the brink of the Grave, waiting upon the Will, and for the Call of my Sove∣reign Lord; the only reason swaying with me to desire life, next to the more through working out of my own Sal∣vation, is to reveal, and make known

Christ to Souls, and to publish the glad Tydings of Peace and Salvation to a lost and sinful World: But if God will make no further use of me that way, his Will be done. I comfort my self with what an holy Man speaks, Sinless glorifying of God, saith he, is bet∣ter than sinful glorifying of God. His meaning I suppose is, that 'tis better to glorifie God in a sinless than in a sinful state: Truly bere we sin in our best Actions; and if we bring a little glo∣ry to God, yet woe and alas! how much dishonour do we also bring him? and what iniquities do there cleave to our most holy things? But above we shall glorifie him without sinning; we shall love him, praise him, admire him, adore him, delight in him, and ascribe glory to him without the least taint or tincture of sin cleaving thereunto; having not only all tears wiped off our eyes; but which is infinitly, infinitly, infinitly better, all sin purged from our hearts and actions. Farewel, I leave thee and this poor Treatise to the Blessing of Heaven.

E. P.