Of the Richness of the Stones which were laid for the Foundations of the Temple.

THESE foundation-ftones, as they were great, fo they were coftly ftones; tho', as I faid, of themselves of no more worth than they are of their nature that were left behind. Their coftlinefs therefore, lay in thofe additions which they received. from the King's charge.

Firft, In that labour which was bestowed upon them in fawing, fquaring, and carving: for the fervants, as they were cunning at this work, fo they bestowed much of their art and labour upon them, by which they put them into excellent form, and added to their bignefs, glory and beauty, fit for ftones upon which fo goodly a fabrick was to be built.

Secondly, Thefe ftones, as they were thus wrought within and without, fo, as it feems to me, they were inlaid with other ftones more precious than themselves inlaid, I fay, with ftones of divers colours. According as it is written, "I will lay the foundations with fapphires," Ifa. liv. 11.

Not

that the foundations were fapphires, but they were laid, inlaid with them: or, as he faith in another place, "They were adorned with goodly ftones and gifts," Luke xxi 5.

This is ftill more amplified, where it is written of the New Jerufalem (which is ftill the Teftament church on earth, and fo the fame in fubftance with what is now); "The foundations of the wall of the city, faith he, were garnished with all manner of precious ftones," Rev. xxi. 19. True, the fe there are called the foundations of the wall of the city;; but it has respect to the matter in hand; for that which is before called a temple, for its comparitive fmallness, is here called a city, for, or because of its great increafe and both the foundations of the

wall of the city, as well as of the temple, "are the twelve apostles of the Lamb, Rev. xxi. 14.

For these carvings and inlayings, with all other beautifications, were types of the extraordinary gifts and graces of the apoftles. Hence the apoftle calls fuch gifts, figns of apoftlefhip, Rom. xv. 19. 2 Cor. xii. 21. Heb. ii. 4. For as the founda. tion ftones of the temple were thus garnished, fo were the apostles, beautified with a call, gifts, and graces peculiar to themfelves. Hence he fays, firft apoftles, for that they were firft and chief in the church of Chrift, 1 Cor. xii. 28.

Nor were these ftones only laid for a foundation for the temple; for the great court, the inner court, as alfo the porch of the temple, had round about them "three rows of thefe ftones for their foundation," Kings vii. 12.

Signifying, as feems to me, that the more outward and external part, as well as that more internal worship to be performed to God, fhould be grounded upon apoftolical doctrine and appointments, 1 Cor. iii. 10, 11, 12. 2 Theff. ii. 15. chap. iii. 6. Heb. vi.I.-5.

CHA P. IX.

Which Way the Face or Front of the Temple stood. TH HE temple was built with its face or front towards the eaft, and that perhaps, becaufe the glory of "the God of Ifrael was to come from the way of the east unto it." Ezek. xliii. 1.' -5. xlvii. 1. Wherefore in that its front stood towards the east, it may be to fhew, that the true gofpel-church would have its eye to, and expec tation from the Lord. We look, faid Paul, But whither?" We have our converfation, faid he, in heaven, from whence our expectation is," 2 Cor. iv. 18. Phil. iii. 20, 21. Pfal. lxii. 5.

2. It was also let with its face towards the caft,

P

to keep the people of God from committing idolatry, to wit, from worshipping the hoft of heaven, and the fun, whofe rifing is from the eaft. For, fince the face of the temple ftood towards the east, and fince the worshippers were to worship at, or with their faces towards the temple, it follows, that both in their going to, and worshipping God to wards that place, their faces muft be from, and their backs towards the fun. The thus building of the temple therefore was a fnare to idolaters, and a proof of the zeal of thofe that were the true worhippers as alfo to this day; the true gospel-infti. tuted worship of Jefus Chrift is; hence he is faid, to idolaters, to be a fare and a trap, but to the godly, a glory, Ifa. viii 14. Chap. lx. 19.

3. Do but fee how God catched the idolatrous Jews by this means in their naughtiness: And he brought me, faid the prophet, into the inner court of the Lord's house, and behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, even between the porch and the altar, were about five-and-twenty men, with their backs towards the temple of the Lord, and their faces towards the east," Ezek. viii. 16.

It was therefore, as I faid, fet with its face towards the east, to prevent falfe worships, and detect idolaters.

4. From the eaft alfo, came the most blafting winds, winds that are deftructive to man and beast, to fruit and trees and fhips at fea, Exod, x. 13. Job xxvii. 21. Ezek. xvii. 10. chap. xix. 12. Pfal. xlviii. 7. Ezek. xxvii. 26.

I fay, the eaft wind, or that which comes from thence, is the most hurtful; yet you fee, the temple hath fet her face againft it, to fhew, that the true church cannot be blafted or made to turn back by any affliction. 'Tis not eaft-winds, nor none of their blaftings, that can make the temple turn about. Hence he faith, "That Jacob's face fhall not wax. pale." And again, I have made thy face ftrong against their faces, and that the gates of hell fall

not prevail against it, Ifa. xxix. 22. Ezek. iii. 8. Matth. xvi. 18.

5. It might be alfo built with its face towards the east, to thew, that the true church looketh, as before I hinted, for her Lord and King from heaven, knowing, that at his coming he will bring healing in his wings: for from the caft he will appear when he comes the fecond time without fin unto falvation, of which the fun gives us a memento in his rifing there every morning. "For as the lightning cometh out of the eaft, and fhineth unto the welt; fo fhall alfo the coming of the Son of man be." Mal. iv. 2. Heb. ix. 28. Col. iii. 3. 2 Pet. iii. 11. 14. Matth. xxiv. 27.

6. Chrift, as the north pole, draws those touched with the load-ftone of his word, with the face of their fouls towards him, to look for, and hasten to his coming. And this alfo is fignified by the temple standing with his face towards the eait.

I

CHA P. X.

Of the Courts of the Temple,

Perceive that there were two courts belonging to the temple. The firft was called the outward court, Ezek. xl. 17. chap. xlvi. 21.

1. This was that into which the people of neceffity first entered, when they went to worship in the the temple, confequently that was it in and by which the people did firft fhew their defires to be worshippers of God. And this answers to thofe badges and figns of love to religion, that people have in face or outward appearance, Matth. xxv. 27. 2 Cor. x. 7.

2. In this, though here may fometimes be truth, yet oftener lies and diffimulation; wherefore commonly an outward appearance is fet in oppofition to faith and truth, as the outward is in oppo fition to the inner-court, and outward to the inner man; and that is, when it is by itself, for

then it profits nothing, Rom, ii. 28. 1 Cor. xiii, 1 -3. 2 Cor. v. 12.

3. Hence, tho' the outward court was fomething to the Jews, becaufe by outward bodies they were distinguished from the Gentiles; yet to us it is little; for now he is not a Jew who is one only outwardly;" therefore all the time of the beaft's reign this court is given to be trodden under fost; for, as I faid, outward fhew will avail nothing when the beast comes to turn and tofs up profeffors with his horns, Rev. xi. 12.

4. But as there was an outward, fo there was an inner court; a court that stood nearer to the temple, and fo to the true practical part of worship, than that outward court did, Ezek. x. 13. chap. xlvi. 1. 1 Kings vi, 36.

5. This inner court is that which is called the court of the priests, because it was that in which they boiled the trefpafs offerings, and in which they prepared the fin offering for the people, 2 Cor. iv. 9. Ezek. xlvi. 20,

6. This court, therefore, was the place of praçtice and of preparation to appear before God, which is the first true token of a fincere and honeft mind. Wherefore here, and not in the outward court, ftood the great brazen altar, which was a type of Christ, by whom alone true worshippers make their approach with acceptance unto God. Alfo here ftood the great brazen fcaffold, on which the king kneeled when he prayed for the people; a type of Christ's prayers for his when he was in the world, 1 Kings ii. 2 Chron. vi, John xiii. 17.

7. Wherefore this court was a type of practical worship, and fo of our praying, hearing, and eating, before God. There belonged to this court feveral gates, an east, a fouth, and a north gate; and when the people of the land went into this court to worship, they were not to go out at the gate by which they came in, but out of the gate over-againstit,to fhew that true Chriftians fhould persevere right