gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God." Mark xvi. 19. 1 Pet. iii. 22.

3. The vail of the Temple was made of blue, the very colour of the heavens. Of purple, and crimson, and fcarlet alfo, which are the colours of many of the clouds; because of the reflexions of the fun. But again,

4. The vail was alfo a type of the body of Chrift; for as the vail of the temple, when whole, kept the view of the things of the holiest from us, but when rent, gave place to man to look in unto them; even fo, the body of Chrift, while whole, kept that of the things of the holiest from that view we, fince he was pierced, have of them: hence we are faid "to enter into the holiest, by faith, thro' the vail," that is to fay, his fleth, Heb, X. 19. 20, 21, 22.

But yet, I fay, all 'is by faith; and indeed the renting of the vail that day that Chrift was crucified, did loudly preach this to us. For no fooner was the body of Chrift pierced, "but the vail of the temple rent in twain from the top to the bot tom :" and fo a way was made for a clearer fight of what was there beyond it, both in the type and antitype, Matth. xxvii. 50, 51, 52, 53. Heb. x. 19,

20.

Thus you fee, that the vail of the temple was type of thefe vifible heavens, and alfo of the body of Chrift; of the first, because he paffed thro' it unto the Father; of the fecond, because we by it have boldness to come to the Father.

I read alfo of the two other vails, as of that fpread over the face of Mofes, to the end the children of Ifrael fhould not stedfaftly behold; and of the firft vail of the tabernacle; but of thefe I fhall not in this place fpeak.

Upon the vail of the temple there was alfo the figures of cherubins wrought, that is, of angels, to fhew, that as the angels are with us here, and

wait upon us all the days of our pilgrimage in this world; fo, when we die, they stand ready, even at the vail, at the door of these heavens, to come, when bid, to fetch us, and carry us away into Abraham's bofom, Luke xvi. 22.

The vail the, thus understood, teaches us, first, where Jefus is, namely, not here, but gone into heaven, from whence we fhould wait for him. It alfo teaches us, that we fhould even now difcern the glories that are in the holiest of all, we muft look through Jefus to them, even through the vail, that is to fay, his flesh. Yea, it teaches us, that we may by faith, through him, attain to a kind of prefence, at least, of the beauty and fweetnefs of them.

I.

Of the Doors of the Inner Temple.

Efides the vail, there was a door to the inner

tree; "And for the entering in of the oracle he made doors of the olive tree: the two doors alfo of olive tree; and he carved upon them cherubims, and palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cheru. bims, and upon the palm trees," I kings vi. 31.

2. These doors were a type of the gate of hea ven, even of that which lets into the eternal manfion-houfe that is beyond that vail. I told you before, that the vail was a type of the vifible heavers, which God has fpread out as a curtain, and thro' which Christ went when he astended to the right hand of the Father.

Now beyond this vail, as I faid, I find a door, a gate opening with two leaves; as afore we found at the door of the outward temple. The fe are they which the Pfalmift calls to, when he faith, "Lift up your heads, Oye gates, even lift them

up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory fhallcome in," Pfal. xxiv. 7, 9.

4. The doors of the temple were made of fir, but thefe, as you fee, were made of olives; to fhew us by that fat tree, that rich type, with what glory we shall meet who fhall be counted worthy to enter at thefe gates.

The olive tree has its name from the oil and fatnefs of its nature, and the doors that led into the holieft were made of this olive tree.

5. Cherubims were alfo carved upon thefe deors, to fhew, that as the angels meet us at the templedoor, and as they wait upon us in the temple, and ftand alfo ready at the vail, fo even, at the gate of the mansion-houfe, they will be alfo ready to give us a welcome thither, and to attend us into the prefence chamber.

6. Palm trees alfo, as they were carved upon the temple doors, fo we alfo find them here before the oracle, upon the doors that let in thither; to fhew, that as Chrift gave us the victory at our first entering into faith, fo he will finifh that victory, by gi ving to us eternal falvation. Thus is he the author and finisher of our faith. For as fure as at first we received the palm branch by faith, fo furely fhall we wear it in our hands, as a token of his faithfulness in the heaven of heavens, for ever, Rev.

vii. 9

7. Open flowers are alfo carved here, to fhew, that Chrift, who is the door to glory as well as the door to grace, will be precious to us at our entering in thither, as well as at the first step we took thi ther-ward in a finful miserable world. Chrift will never lofe his fweet fcent in the noftrils of his church. He is moft fweet now, will be fo at death, and sweetest of all when by him we fhal enter into that manfion-houfe prepared for us in heaven

8. The palm-trees, and open flowers, may also

K

be a type of the precious ones of God, who shall be counted worthy of his kingdom: The one of the uprightness of their hearts, the other of the

good favour of their lives. "The upright fhall dwell in thy prefence; and to him. that ordereth his converfation aright, I will fhew the falvation of God," Pfil. cxl. 13. Pfal. 1. ult..

9. Thus. fweet in earth,, fweet in heaven; and he that yields the fruits of the gospel here, thall find it for himfelf, and his eternal comfort, at the gates of glory.

10. All thefe were overlaid with gold, as you mav fay, and fo they were at the door of the first houfe. True, but obferve, here we have an addition. Here is gold upon gold, gold laid on them, and then gold ipread upon that. He overlaid then with gold, and then fpread gold upon them. The Lord gives grace and glory, Pfal. lxxxiv. 11. gold and gold. Gold fpread upon gold. Grace is gold in the leaf, and glory is gold in plates. Grace is thin gold, glory is gold that is thick. Here is gold laid on, and gold fpread upon that. And that both upon the palm-trees and the cherubims; gold upon the palmtrees, that is upon the faints: gold upon the cheru. bims, that is upon the angels. For I doubt not, but that the angels themfelves fhall receive addition. al glory for the fervices which they have served Chrift and his church on earth.

11. The angels are God's harvest men, and doubtless he will give them good wages, even glory upo their glory then, Matth. xiii, 38, 39. chap. xxiv. 31. John iv. 36.

11. You know harvest, men ufe to be paid well for gathering in the corn, and I doubt not but fo fball hele, when the reat in-gathering is over. But what an entrance into life is here! Here is gold upon gold at the door, at our firft ftep into the kingdom.

Of the golden Nails of the Inner Temple.

I Shall not concern myself with all the nails of the temple, as of thofe made of iron, &c.. 1 Chron, xxii. 3. but only with the golden ones, of which you read 2 Chron. iii. 4; where he faith, And the weight of the nails was fifty thekels of gold." These nails, as I conceive, were all fastened to the place most holy, and of form moft apt to that of which they were a figure.

1. Some of them reprefented Christ Jefus our Lord, as fixed in his mediatory office in the heavens; wherefore, in one place, when the Holy Ghost speaks of Chrift as he (prang from Judah to be a mediator, faith, "Out of him came the corner, (the corner tone,) out of him the nails, Zech.

Now, fince he is here compared to a nail, a golden nail, it is to fhew, that as a mail by driving is fixed in his place, fo Christ by God's path is made an everlasting priest, Hub. vii, 25. Therefore, as he faith again, the nail, the Aaronisał priesthood, that was faftened in a fure place, thould be removed, be cut down, and fall: fo he who has the key of David, which is Chrift, (Rev. iii. 7.) hall by God, as a pail," be faftened in a fure place, and abide;" therefore he fays again," And he fhall be for a glorious throne, or mercy fear, to his Father's houfe" And moreover, "That they fhall hang on him (as on a nail) all the glory of his Father's houfe, the offspring, and the iffure; all veffels of fmall quantity, from the veffels of cups, even to the veffels of flaggons," according to that which is written, "And they fung a new fong to, the Lamb that was Main, faying, Thou art wor thy," &, Ifa. XX. 22,-25. Rev. v. 9, 12.