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to take up its reft. And in that this ark was a type of Chrift in this, it is to fhew, or further manifeft, that what Chrift doth now in heaven he doth it before his Father's face. Yea, it intimates, that Christ even there makes his appeals to Ged concerning the worth of what he did on earth, to God the judge of all I fay, whether he ought not for his fufferings fake, to have granted to him his whole defire as priest and advocate for his people,

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"Wilt thou, faid Feftus to Paul, go up to Jerufalem, and there be judged of these things before me?" Acts xxv. 9. Why, this our bleffed Jefus was willing, when here, to go up to Jerufalem to be judged; and being misjudged there, he made his appeal to God, and is now gone thither, even into the holy place, even to him that is judge of all, for his verdict upon his doing; and whether the fouls for whom he became undertaker, to bring them to glory, have not by him a right to the kingdom of heaven.

This

7. Under the wings of the cherubims. doth further confirm our words, for having appealed from earth to heaven; as the ark was fet under the wings of the cherubims, fo he, in his interced. ing with God, and pleading his merits for us, doth it in the prefence and hearing of all the angels of heaven.

And thus much of the ark of the covenant, and of its antitype; we come next to speak of the mercy.feat.

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Of the Mercy-Seat, and how it was placed in the holy Temple.

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HE mercy-feat was made in the wilderness, but brought up by Solomon, after the temple was built, with the rest of the holy things, 2 Chron. v. 2,

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The mercy feat, as I have fhewed, of the ark, was but low: Two cubits and an half was the length, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof; but the height thereof was without measure.

1. The length and breadth of the mercy-feat is the fame with that of the ark; perhaps to fhew us, that the length and breadth of the mercy of God to his elect, is the fame with the length and breadth of the merits of Chrift, Exod. xxv.

17.

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Therefore we are faid to be juftified in him, blessed in him, even according to the purpose which God purposed in him.

2. But in that the mercy-feat is without meafure as to the height, it is to fhew, that would God extend it, it is able to reach even them that fall from heaven, and to fave all that ever lived on earth, even all that are now in hell. For there is not only bread enough for them that fhall be faved," but bread enough and to spare," Luke

XV. 17.

And thou fhalt, fays God, put the mercy-feat above upon the ark. Thus he faid to Mofes, and this was the place which David affigned for it, Exod. XXV. 21. 1 Chron. xxvii. 11.

Now its being by God's ordinances placed thu", doth teach us many things.

1. That mercy's foundation to us is Chrift. The mercy-feat was fet upon the ark of the teftimony, and there it refted to us-ward. Juftice would not, could not have fuffered us to have had any benefit by mercy, had it not found an ark, a Chrift to rest upon. "Deliver hin, faith God, from going down into the pit; I have found a ranfom," Job xxxiii. 24.

2. In that it was placed above, it doth fhew alfo, that Chrift was of Mercy's ordaining, a fruit of mercy. Mercy is above, is the ordainer; God is love, and fent of love his Son to be the Saviour and

propitiation for our fins, John iii. 16, 1 John iv.

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3. In that the mercy feat and ark were thus join. ed together, it alfo fhews, that without Chrift mercy doth not act. Hence, when the priest came of old to God for mercy, he did ufe to come into the holy place with blood; yea, and did use to fprinkle it upon the mercy feat, and before it, feven times. Take away the ark, and the mercy-feat will fall, or come greatly down at least, So take away Chrift, and the flood-gate of mercy is let down, and the current of mercy.ftopt. This is true, for fo foon as Chrift fhall leave off to mediate, will come the eternal judgment.

4. Again, In that the mercy feat was fet above upon the ark, it teacheth us to know, that mercy can look down from heaven, though the law ftands by and looks on; but then it must be in Christ, as kept there and fulfilled by him for us. The law out of Chrift is terrible as a lion, the law in him is meek as a lamb. The reafon is, for that it finds in him enough to anfwer for all their faults, that come to God for mercy by him. Chrift is the end of the law for righteoufiefs, and if that be true, the law for that can look no further, whoever comes to God by him. The law did ufe to fentince terribly, until it was put into the ark to be kept; but after it was faid, It is there to be kept, we read not of it as afore, 1 Kings viii, 9. 2 Chron. v. 10. Rom. x. 4.

5. Let them then that come to God for mercy, be fure to come to him by the ark, Christ. For grace, as it defcends to us from above the mercy-feat, fo that mercy feat doth rest upon the ark, Wherefore, finner, come thou for mercy that way; for there, if thou meetest with the law, it can do thee no harm; nor can mercy, fhouldeft thou elsewhere meet it, do thee good.

Come, therefore, and come boldly to the throne

of grace, this mercy-feat thus born up by the ark, and obtain mercy, and grace to help in time of need," Heb. iv. ult.

Wherefore the thus placing of things in the ho lieft, is admirable to behold in the word of God: For that indeed is the glafs, by and through which Here we we must behold the glory of the Lord. fee the reafon of things; here we fee how a just God can have to do, and that in a way of mercy, with one that has finned against him; it is becaufe the law has been kept by the Lord Jefus Chrift. For as you fee the mercy-feat ftands upon the ark of the covenant, and there God acts in a way of grace towards us, Exod. xxv. 17.23.

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CHAP. LXIV.

Of the Living Waters of the Inner Temple. Although in the holy relation of the building

of the temple, no mention is made of thefe waters, but only of the mount on which, and the materials with which the king did build it; yet it feems to me, that in that mount, and there too where the temple was built, there was a fpring of living water. This feems more than probable, by Ezek. xlvii. ..where he faith, "He brought me to the door of the houfe, and behold, waters iffed out from under the threshold of the house eastward,. for the fore front of the houfe ftood toward the eaft, and the waters came down from under, from the right fide of the house, at the fouth side of the altar."

So again, Joel iii. 18. "And a fountain shall come forth of the houfe of the Lord, and thall water the valley of Shittim." Nor was the fpring wherever was the first appearance of thefe holy waters, but in the fanctuary, which is the holiest of all (Ezek. xlvii, 12.) where the mercy-feat stood.:

which in Revelations is called "the throne of God, and of the Lamb," chap. xxii. 1, 2.

This alfo is that which the prophet Zechariah means, when he fays, "Living waters fhall go forth from Jerufalem, half of them toward the former fea, and half of them toward the hinder. fea," &c. Zech. xiv. 8. They are faid to go forth from Jerufalem, because they come down to the city from out of the fanctuary which ftoed in Jerufalem.

This is that which in another place is called a river of water of life, because it comes forth from the throne, and because it was at the head of it, as I fu; pofed, used in and about Temple worship. It was with this, I think, that the molten fea and the ten lavers were filled, and in which the prifts washed their hands and feet when they went into the Temple to do fervice; and that alfo in which they washed the facrifices before they offered them to God: Yea, I prefume, all the washings and rinfings about their worship was with this water.

This water is faid, in Ezekiel and Revelations, to have the tree of life grow on the banks of it, Ezek. xlvii. Rev. xxii. and was a type of the word and Spirit of God, by which both Chrift himself fanctified himself, in order to his werfip, as high priest; and also this water is that which heals all thofe that fhall be faved; and by which they, being fanctified thereby alfo, do all their works of worfhip and fervice acceptably through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This water therefore is faid to go forth into the fea, the world, and to heal its fifh, the finners therein; yea, this is that water of which Chrift Jefus our Lord faith, "Whofover fhall drink thereof thall live for ever," Ezek, xlvii. 8, 9, 10. Zech.. xiv. 8

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