keeping out of the church, doth minifterially be long to these watchmen, Matth. xvi. 19. Heb. xii, 15.

4. The conclufion is, then, let the churches love their pastors, hear their pastors, be ruled by their paftors, and fuffer themselves to be watched over, and to be exhorted, counfelled, and, if need be, reproved and rebuked by their paftors. And let the minifters not fleep, but be watchful, and look to the ordinances, to the fouls of the faints, and the gates of the churches. Watchman, watchman !

watch.

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CHAP. XXVII.

Of the Doors of the Temple,

OW we come to the gate of the temple; namely, to that which let out of the porch into the holy place.

1. Thefe doors or gates were folding, and they opened by degrees. First a quarter, and then a half, after that three quarters, and laft of all the whole. Thefe doors alfo hanged upon hinges of gold, and upon posts made of the goodly olive-tree; 1 Kings vi. 33, 34. Ezek. xli. 23, 24.

2. Thefe doors did reprefent Chrift, as he is the way to the Father, as alfo did the door of the tabernacle, at which the people were wont to ftand when they went to inquire of God, "Wherefore, Chrift faith, I am the door, (alluding to this) by me if any man enter he fhall be faved, and fhall go in and out, and find pafture." Exod xxxii. 9, 10. xxxviii. 8. xl. 22. Lev. i. 3, 4. viii. 3, 4, 13. xv. 14. Numb. vi. 13, 18. x. 3. xxv. 6, xxvii. 2. 1 Sam. ii. 22. John x. 9.

1. "I am the door." The door into the court, the door into the porch, the door into the temple, the door unto the hol.eft, the door unto the Father. But now we are at the door of the temple.

2. And obferve it, this door by Solomon was not measured, as the door of the porch was: for tho the door into the court, and the door into the

porch were measured, to fhew that the right to or dinances, and the inlet into the church, is to be according to a prefcript rule, yet this door was not measured; to fhew that Christ, as he is the inlet to faving grace, is beyond all meafure, and unfearch. able. Hence his grace is called unfearchable riches, and that above all we can ask or think, for that it paffeth knowledge, Eph. iii. 8, 19 20.

3. It is therefore convenient, that we put a note upon this, that we may diftinguish rule and duty from grace and pardoning mercy; for, as I faid, tho' Chrift, as the door to outward privileges, is fet forth by rule and meafure; yet as he is the door to grace and favour, never a creature, as yet, did fee the length and breadth of him, Eph. iii. 17, 18, 19.

4. Therefore, I fay, this gate was not measured; for what thould a rule do here, where things are beyond all measure?

5. This gate being alfo to open by degrees, is of fignification to us, for it will be opening firft by one fold, then by another, and yet will never be fet wide open, until the day of judgment, For then, and not till then, will the whole of the matter be open. "For now we fee through a glafs darkly, but then face to face; now we know in part, but then firall we know even as we are known," I Cor, xiii. 2.

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Of the Leaves of this Gate of the Temple.

HE leaves of this gate or door, as I told you before, were folding, and fo, as was hinted, has fomething of fignification in them. For. by this means, a man, efpecially a young difciple, may eafily be mistaken; thinking that the whole paffage, when yet but a part, was open, whereas three parts might be kept undifcovered to him, For thefe doors, as I faid before, were never yet set wide open, I mean in the antitype; never man yet faw all the riches and fulnefs which is in Chrift.

So that I fay, a new comer, if he judgeth by prefent fight, especially if he faw but little, might eafily be miftaken; wherefore fuch, for the most part, are moft horribly afraid that they fhall never get in thereat.

How fayft thou, young comer, is not this the cafe with thy foul? fo it feems to thee, that thou art too big, being fo great, fo tun-bellied a finner. But, thou finner, fear not, the doors are foldingdoors, and may be opened wider, and wider again after that; wherefore, when thou comeft to this gate and imagineft there is not space enough for thee to enter, "knock, and it fhall be wider opened unto thee," and thou shalt be received, Luke xi 9. John ix. 37. So then, whoever thou art," that art come to the door, of which the temple-door was a type, truft not to thy first conceptions of things, but believe there is grace abundant: thou knoweft not yet what Chrift can do, the doors are folding doors. He can do exceeding abundantly above all that we can afk or think," Ephef. iii, 20.

The hinges on which thefe doors do hang, were, as I told you, gold; to fignify, that they both turned upon motives, and motions of love, and alfo that the openings thereof were rich. Golden hin. the gate to God doth turn upon.

ges

The pofts on which thefe doors did hang were of the olive-tree, that fat and oily tree, to fhew that they do never open with lothness or fluggish. nefs, and as doors do, whofe hinges want cil. They are always oily, and fo open eafily and quickly to those who knock at them. Hence you read, that he that dwells in this houfe, gives freely; loves freely, and doth us good with all his heart. Yea, faith he, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land affuredly, with my whole heart, and with my whole foul, Jer. iii. 12, 14, 2. Jer xxxii 41. Rev. xxi. 6. xxii. 7. Wherefore the oil of grace, fignified by this

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oily tree, or thefe ollve pofts, on which thefe doors do hang, caufes that they open glibly or frankly to the foul.

CHA P. XXIX.

What the Doors of the Temple were made of. i. HE doors of the temple were made of fir, that is fo fweet-fcented, and pleasant to the fmell, 1 Kings vi. 34

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2. Mankind is alfo often compared to the fir tree, as Ifa. xli. 19. lv. 13. lx. 17. and xiv. 8.

3. Now, fince the doors of the temple were made of the fame, doth it not fhew, that the way into God's houfe, and into his favour, is by the fame nature which they are of that thither enter, even through the vail, his flesh? Heb. x. For this door, I mean the antitype, doth even say of himfelf, "I am as a green fir tree, from me is the fruit found, Hof. xiv 8. .

4. This fir-tree is Chrift; Chrift as man, and fo as the way to the Father. The doors of the temple are alfo, as you fee here, made of the fir tree: even of that tree which was a type of the humanity of Jefus Chrift. Confider, Heb. ii. 14.

5. The fir-tree is alfo the houfe of the ftork, that unclean bird, even as Chrift is a harbour and fhelter for finners. As for the ftork, faith the text, the fir tree is her house: and Chrift faith to fin. ners, that fee their want of fhelter, "Come unto me, and I will give you reft. He is a refuge for the oppreffed, a refuge in time of trouble," Deut. xiv. 18. Lev. xi. 19. Pfal. civ. 17. Pfal. lxxxiv. 2, 3Matth. xi. 27. 28. Heb. vi. 17,-21,

He is, as the doors of fir of the temple, the in. let to God's houfe, to God's prefence, and to a par. taking of his glory. Thus God did of old by fimilitudes teach his people his way,

CHA P. XXX.

How the Doors of the Temple were adorned.

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ND Solomon carved upon the doors "cheru-, bins, palm-trees, and open flowers, and o. verlaid them all with gold," 1 Kings vi. 35. Ezek. xli. 15.

"He carved cherubims thereon."

These cherubims were figures, or types of angels, and for as much as they were carved here upon the door, it was to fhew,

First, What delight the angels take in waiting upon the Lord, and in going at his bidding, at his beck. They are always waiting fervants at the door of their Lord's house.

Secondly, It may be alfo to fhew how much pleafed they are to be where they may fee finners come to God. "For there is joy in the prefence of the angels of God, over one finner that repenteth, and comes to God by Christ for mercy," Luke xv. 10.

Thirdly, They may be alfo placed here, to behold with what reverence or irreverence, those that come hither to worship do behave themselves. Hence Solomon cautions thofe that come to God's. houfe to worship, "that they take heed to their feet because of the angels " Paul alfo fays, women must take heed that they behave themfelves in the church as they should," and that because of the angels," Ecclef. v. 1, 2, 6. 1 Cor. xi. 14.

Fourthly, They may be alfo carved upon the Temple doors, to fhew us how ready they are, fo foon as any poor creature comes to Chrift for life, to take the care and charge of its conduct through this miferable world: "Are they not all miniftrong fpirits, fent forth to minifter for those which fhall be heirs of falvation," Heb. i. 14.

Fifthly, They may alfo be carved here, to fhew that they are ready at Chrift's command, to take vengeance for him upon those that despise his peo