of

work. He trod the wine-press of divine wrath alone, and of the people there was none with him. The temple was likewise typical of the elect of God, the church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven. And as all the stones were hewed and squared, and made, fit for the building, before they were laid in the building: so the Lord's people are dug out of the dark- quarry nature, and hewed by the word, and polished by the Holy Ghost, and brought to know their union with Christ the living stone, and from him they receive life. In him they live; and by him they grow up into an holy temple in the Lord. And as all the temple received its support and strength from the foundation and cornerstone: so the whole temple of grace, the whole church of Christ receive all their strength, and are wholly sustained and supported, knit, and cemented together, by the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, it was Christ's work to build the temple of the Lord; his, and his only. He, by his incarnation, laid the foundation of it; and by his everlasting righteousness, and

by his most precious and perfect sacrifice, he fulfilled the holy law of his Father, and made it everlastingly honourable. And by the same sacrifice he put away the sins of his elect out of the sight of God. For he is the Lamb of God, which hath taken away the sin of the world whose blood cleanseth from all sin, whose righteousness is an everlasting garment of salvation, and "which is unto and upon all them that believe." He loved his church, and gave himself for it, to cleanse and sanctify it, with the washing of water, (that is, his own blood, which is the fountain to wash in, and which cleanseth from all sin.) By the word, (that is the gospel, which declares the wonderful property and virtue of the blood of the Lamb) "that he might present it unto himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, but that it should be holy and without blemish." He loved the church, and washed her from her sins in his own blood. He laid down his life for his people. He shed his blood as the redemption-price, whereby they were bought out of the

hands of law and justice. And he being lifted up upon the cross, and being now lifted up upon his mediàtorial throne of glory, does by his almighty grace, through the effectual working of the Holy Spirit upon the hearts of the elect, draw them unto himself for life and salvation. He brings them all unto that knowledge of himself, which is life eternal. And he will one day bring

them all home to the Zion above, with joy and everlasting songs of praise, shouting salvation to God and the Lamb. Fourthly, here is a confirmation of the promise, and what should follow as the consequence of it: "He shall build the temple of the Lord, and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his ́throne, and he shall be a priest upon his throne." If we consider the wonderful work which the God-man was to perform for his people, by his incarnation, life, and death, we need not wonder that God the Father, in our text, should be pleased to add this confirmation of it, for the strengthening of our faith. That God should so love the elect, as to send his

Son to die, is such, and so great a love, that it requires the mighty power of the Holy Ghost to enable us to believe it. And though the subject-matter of the whole book of God is concerning the everlasting love he bears towards his people in Christ his Son; yet the Holy Ghost must give us an understanding, a new understanding, before we can know Jesus Christ. We cannot perceive the glory of his person, the amazing greatness of his love, the excellencies of his righteousness, nor the virtue and power of his blood, to cleanse, purge, pardon, and sanctify our souls, but by the Holy Ghost. He is the glorifier of Jesus, and he only can take of the things of Christ, and shew them unto us. No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, that is, that Jesus is Jehovah; nor that he is my Lord, and my God, but by the Holy Ghost. And the amazing sorrows and sufferings which Jesus Christ sustained and underwent for poor sinners, are only to be known, and experimentally understood, in the light, and by the teachings of the Holy Ghost. For God to become

man, was a surprising instance of divine grace and love. For the infinitely blessed Jesus to leave his Father's bosom; and for him who was rich with all the treasures of Deity, to become poor, that we, through his poverty, might be rich, was infinite and astonishing grace! For Jesus Christ in our nature, for us men and for our salvation, to be in an agony, and for his righteous soul, having a view of the wrath and indignation of God, to be sore amazed, and to sweat great drops of blood for us! How did his love appear in all this! Behold him suffering at the hands of men, all the shame and indignity the malice of hell itself could devise! The malicious enemies of the Lamb of God, crowned his sacred temples with thorns; his sacred body they lash with knotted stripes, and his blessed face they spat upon ! ! All his sacred offices they mock and deride. The devil had his hand in all this; and no doubt but the infernal hosts of hell surrounded the cross, crying, "Aha, aha, so would we have it!" God the Father likewise smites this Shepherd of the flock. "The