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And therefore it is again that Chrift, under the fimilitude of a nail, is accounted by faints indeed their great pledge or hope, as he is in heaven, of their certain coming thither: Hence they faid of old, "God has given us a nil in his holy place a nail, fays the line; pin, a conftant and fure abode," fays the margin, Ezra ix. 8. Now this nail in his holy place, as was fhewed before, is Chrift; Christ, as poffeft of heaven, and as abiding and ever living therein for us.

Hence he is called, as there, our head, our life, and our falvation; and also we are faid thereto to be fet down together in him, Eph. i. ult. Col.' iii. 3. Eph. ii. 5, 6.

r. Some of thefe nails were types of the holy words of God, which for ever are fettled in heaven. Types, fay, of their Yea, and Amen. Hence Solomon in another place compares the words of the wife God, "To goads and nails fastened by the mafters of the affemblies, which are given from one fhepherd, Ecclef. xii. 11.

They are called goads, becaufe fuch prick the oxen on their drawing; fo God's words prick ChriAlians on in their holy duties. They are called nails, to thew, that as nails, when faftened well in a fure place, are not eafily removed, fo God's words by his will ftand firm for ever. The mafters of the affemblies are, ficft, the apostles, the one fhepherd is. Jefus Chrift. Hence the gospel of Christ is faid to be everlasting, to abide for ever, and to be more stedfaft than heaven and earth, Ifa. xl. 6, 7, 8. 1 Pet. ii. 6, 25. Heb. viii. 20. Rev. xiv. 6. Matth: xxiv. 35.

The Lord Jefus then, and his holy words, are the golden mails of the temple, and the fixing of thefe nails in the temple was to fhew, that Chrift is the fame to-day, yesterday, and for ever: And that his words abide, and remain the fame for ever and ever. He then that hath Christ, has a nail in

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the holieft; he that hath a promife of falvation, hath also a nail in heaven, a golden nail in heaven..

CHA P. LX.

Of the Floor and Walls of the Inner Temple.

ΤΗ

HE floor of the oracle was overlaid with cedar, and fo alfo were the walls of this house." He built twenty cubits on the fides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar. He even built for it within, for the ora cle, for the most holy place," 1 Kings xvi. 2,

2. In that he doth tell us with what it was ciel ed, and doth alfo thus repeat, faying, for the oracle, for it within, even for the moft holy place; it: is because he would have it noted, that this only is the place that thus was done.

3. Twenty cubits, that was the length, and breadth, and heighth of the houfe; fo that by his thus faying, he teacheth, that thus it was built round about.

5. The cedar is, if I mistake not, the highest of the trees, Ezek. xxxi. 3,-8.

Now in that it is faid the houfe, the oracle, was ceiled round about therewith. It may be to fhew, that in heaven, and no where elfe, is the height of all perfections,

Perfection in the church on earth, but not fuch as is in heaven.

1. There is a natural perfection, and fo a penny is as natural filver as is a fhilling.

2. There is a comparative perfection, and fo one thing may be perfect and imperfect at the fame time; as a half crown is more than a fhilling, yet lefs than a crown.

3. There is alfo that which we call the utmost perfection, and that is it which cannot be added: to, or taken from him: And fo God only is per fect.

Now heavenly glory is that which goes beyona all perfection on the earth, as the cedar goes beyond all trees for height. Hence God, when he speaks of his own excellency, fets it forth by its height. The high God, the moft high, and the high and lofty one. And the highest, Pfal. xcvii. 9. Pfal. cxxxviii. 6. Gen xiv. 19, 20, 21, Dan. iii. 21. V. 18. Pfal. xviii. 13. Pfal. lxxxv. 7. Luke i. 32. chap. vi. 35. Pfal. ix. 2. Pfal, lvi. 2 Pfal. xcii. 1. Ifa. xiv. 14.

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Thefe terms alfo are afcribed to this houfe, for that it was the place where utmolt perfection dwelt.

I take therefore the cedar in this place to be a note of perfection, even the cedar with which this houfe was ceiled.

For fince it is the wifdom of God to fpeak to us, oft-times by trees, gold, filver, ftones, beafts, fowls, filhes, fpiders, ants, frogs, flies, lice, duft, &c. and here by wood; how should we by them underftand his voice, if we count there is na. meaning in them?

And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops, and flowers; all was cedar: There was no ftones feen, 1 Kings ix. 18...

Knops and flowers were they with which the gol den candleftick was adorned, as you read Exod. xxv. 33, 35. chap. xxxvii. 10, 21.

The candlestick was a type of the church, and the knops and flowers a type of her ornaments: Buc what! Muft heaven be hanged round about with the ornaments of faints? with the fruits of their graces? Well, it is certain, that fomething more than ordinary muft be done with them, fince they are admitted to follow them into the holy place, Rev. xiv. 13; and fince it is faid they fhaÏÎ have a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory bestowed on them in the heavens, 2 Cor. iv.. ·16, 17.

All was cedar, there was no ftone feen. Take ftone in the type for that which was really fo, and in the antitype for that which is fo myftically, and then it may import to us, that in heaven, the antitype of this holieft, there fhall never be any thing of hardness of heart in them that poffefs it for ever all imperfection arifeth from the badnefs of the heart, but there will be no bad hearts in glory. No fhortnefs in knowledge, no croffiefs of difpofition, no workings of lufts, or corruptions, will be there, no, nor throughout the whole heavens. Here, alas! they are feen, and that in the best of faints, because here our light is mixed with darknefs, but there will be no night there, nor any ftone seen.

And the floor of the house was overlaid with gold, 1 Kings vi. 30. This is like that of which we read of the New Jerufalem, that is to come from God out of heaven, fays the text; the street. of the city was pure gold; and like that of whichyou read in Exodus, "They faw under the feet of the God of Ifrael as it were a paved work of fap. phire ftone, and as it were the body of heaven in its clearness," Rev. xxi. 21. Exod. xxiv. 10.

All the vifions were rich, but this the richeft, that the floor of the house fhould be covered, or overlaid with gold. The floor and street are walking places, and how rich will our steps be then? Alas! here we fometimes ftep into the mire, and then again ftumble upon blocks and ftones.. Here we fometimes fall into holes, and have our heel often catched in a fhare; but there will be none of these; gold! gold! all will be gold, and golden perfections, when we come into the holy place. Job at beft took but his fteps in butter, but we then shall take all our steps in the gold of the fanctuary.

С Н А Р. LXI.

Of the Ark of the Covenant, which was placed in the Inner Temple.

IN

N the word I read of three arks, to wit, Noah's ark; that in which Mofes was hid; and the ark of the covenant of God, Gen. vi. 24. Exod. ii. 3, 5. But it is the ark of the covenant of which I fhall now fpeak.

"The ark was made of hittim wood, two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and an half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and an half the heighth thereof. It was overlaid with pure gold within and without, and a crown of. gold was made for it round about," Exod. xxv. 10, 11.

1. This ark was called the ark of the covenant ; as the first that you read of was called Noah's, becaufe, as he in THAT was kept from being drowned; fo the tables of the covenant was kept in this, from breaking.

2. This ark, in this, was a type of Chrift. For that in him only, and not in the hand of Mofes, thefe tables were kept whole: Mofes brake them, the ark keeps them.

3. Not only that wrote on two tables of stone,, but that allo called the ceremonial, was put into the ark to be kept. The two tables were put into the midft of the ark, to anfwer to this, "Thy law is within my heart to do it," but the ceremonial was put into the SIDE of the ark, to fhew, that out of the fide of Chrift muft come that which must answer that; for out thence came blood and water; blood, to answer the blood of the ceremonies; and water, to answer the purifyings and rinf ings of that law.

The ceremonies therefore were lodged in the Gide of the ark, to fhew, that they should be an

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