fome faints, while they eat with their brother Jofeph in the houfe of the living God.

There are three go to the fame ordinance, and are all of them believers; who, when they come and compare notes, do find their receiving are not of the fame quantity.

One fays, I got but little; the other fays, It was a pretty good ordinance to me; the third fays, I was exceeding well there. Why, to be fare, he that had but little there, had there but little faith, but great faith in him would have received more. He had it then according to the largenefs of his bowl, even "according to his faith, even as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith,” Rom. xii. 3.

Mark, faith is a certain meafure, and that not only as to its degree, but for that it can receive, retain, or hold what is put into it.

So then, here it is no matter how much milk or holy broth there is, but how big is thy bowl, thy faith. Little bowls hold but little, nor canst thou receive but as thy faith will bear: (I fpeak now of God's ordinary dealing with his people.) For fo he faith in his word, "According to thy faith be it unto thee," Matth. ix. 29.

If a man goeth to the ocean for water, let him carry but an egg fhell with him, and with that he fhall not bring a gallon home. I know indeed that our little pots have a promise of being made like the bowls of the altar; but ftill our mess must. be according to our meafure, be that fall, or be it great. The fame prophet faith again, the faints fhall be filled like bowls, as the corners of the altar; which, tho' it fuppofes an enlargement, yet it muft be confined to that measure of faith which is provided for its reception, Zech. ix. 15. xiv. 2. And fuppofe thefe bowls fhould fignify the promifes, tho' the faints, not the promiles, are compared to them; because they, not promifes, are the fubjects of faith, yet it is the promise by our mea.

fure of faith in that, that is nourishing to our fouls. When Ahasuerus made a feaft to his fubjects, they drank their wine in bowls. They did not drink it by the largeness of the vellel whence they drew it, but according to their health, and as their ftomachs would fo receive it, Esther i.

Thy faith then is one of the bowls or bafons of the Temple, by, or according to which, thou receiveft thy mefs, when fitting feasting at the table of God.

And obferve, all the bowls were not made of gold, as all faith is not of a faving fort. It is the golden faith that is right, the filver bowls were of an inferior fort, Rev. ii. 18.

Some, I fay, have golden faith; all faith is not fo. Wherefore lock to it, foul, that thy bowl, thy faith be golden faith, or of the best kin. Look, I fay, after a good faith, and great, for a great faith receives a great me fs.

Of old, beggars did ufe to carry their bowls in their laps, when then went to a door for an alms. Confequently, if their bowls were but little, they oft-times came off by the lofs, the the charity of the giver was large. Yea, the greater the charity, the larger the lofs, becaufe the beggar's bowl was too little. Mark it well, it is oft-times thus in the matters of our God,

Art thou a beggar, a beggar at God's door, be fure thou gettest a great bowl; for as thy bowl is fo will be thy mess. "According to thy faith," faith he, be it unto thee," Math. ix, 29.

CHA P. LI.

Of the Flaggons and Cups of the Temple.

TH

HE next thing to be confidered is the flaggons and cups of the temple; of these we read 1 Chron, xxviii. 17. Jer. iii. 19.

These were of great ufe among the Jews, efpe. cially on their feafting days, as of their fabbaths

new moons, and the like, Lev. xxiii. 13. Numb. xxviii. 7. Chron. xvi, 3. Ifa. xxv. 6. Ixii. 8, 9.

For inftance, the day that David danced before the ark, he dealt among all the people, even to the whole multitude of Ifrael, as well to the women

as to men, to every one a cake of bread, a good piece of flesh, and a flaggon of wine,” 2 Sam. vi. 19. 1 Chron. xvi. 3.

"In this mountain," that is in the Temple typically, faith the prophet, fhall the Lord of Hofts make unto all people a feaft of fat things, a feaft of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined," Ifa. xxv. 6.

Thefe are feafting times; the times in which, our Lord used to have his fpoufe into his wine. cellar, and in which he used to difplay, with delight, his banner over her head in love, Song ii. 5.

The church of Chrift, alas! is of herself a very fickly puely thing, a woman, a weaker veffel; but how much more muft he needs be fo weak, when the custom of women is upon her, or, when the is fick of love? Then the indeed has need of a draught, for the now finks, and will not elfe be fupported:

Stay me with flaggons, faith fhe, and comfort me with apples, for I am fick of love," Song ii. 4,5.

Thefe flaggons, therefore, were types of those feafts and of thofe large draughts of divine love, the Lord Jefus draweth forth, and giveth to his fpoufe in thole days that he feafteth with them. For then he faith, Drink, yea abundantly, O be. loved." This he does to chear her up under her hours of fadnefs and dejection; for now new corn makes the young men chearful, and new wine the maids, Prov. xxxi. 6, 7. Pfal. cxvi. 13. Jer. xvi. 7. Song. v. Zech. ix. 17.

As there were flaggons, fo there were cups; and they are called cups of confolation, and cups of falvation, because, as I faid, they were they by which Ged at his feaftings with his people, or when he fuppeth with them, giveth out the more large

draughts of his love unto his faints, to revive the fpirits of the huaible, and to revive the hearts of the

contrite onies.

cup run over.

At these times God made David's

For we are now admitted, if our faith will bear it, to drink freely into this grace, and to be merry with him, "Pfal. xxiii. 5. Luke xv, 22.- 24. Song v. 1. vii. 11, 12. John xiv. 23. Rev. iii. 20.

This is that to which the apoftle alludeth, when he faith, "Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excefs, but be ye filled with the Spirit; fpeaking to yourselves in pfalms, and hymns, and fpiritual fongs; finging, and making melody in your hearts unto the Lord.”

for the cups, as to their fe in the general, understand them, as of the bowls made mention of before. For affurances are the blooms and flowers of faith; not always on it, though usually on feasting days, it is fo. So the degree of the one is ftill according to the measure of the other, Ephef, x¿ 18. Jam. v. Rom. xv. 13.

IN

CHAP. LII.

Of the Chargers of the Temple.

N the tabernacle they had but twelve of them, and they were made of filver; but in the Temple they had in all a thousand and thirty. The thirty were made of gold, the reft were made of filver, Numb. vii, 84.

Thefe chargers were not for ufes common or profane, but, as I take it, they were thofe in which the paffover, and other meat-offerings, were dreft up when the people came to eat before God in his holy Temple.

The meat, you know, I told you, was opposite to milk; and fo are thefe chargers to the bowls, and cups, and flaggons of the Temple.

The meat was of two forts, roaft, or boiled. Of that which was roasted was the passover, and of that

which was boiled were the trefpafs offerings. Wherefore, concerning the paffover, he faith,

Eat not of it raw, nor fodden at all in water, but roaft with fire his head, with his legs, and with the purte. nance thereof, Exod. xii. 9."

This roaft meat was a type of the body of Chrift, as fuffering for our fins, the which, when it was roaft, was, and is, dreffed up in chargers, and fet before the congregations of the faints.

But what were the chargers a type of?

I alfo afk, in what charger our gofpel-paffover is now dreffed up, and fet before the people? Is it not in the evangelifts, the prophets, and epiftles of the apoftles? They therefore are the chargers and the ordinance of the fupper; in thefe also are the trefpafs-efferings, with what is fried in pans, my ftically prepared for the children of the Higheft. And why might they not be a type of gofpel fer

mons?

I answer, I think not fo fitly; for, alas! the best of fermons in the world are but as thin flices cut out of thofe large difhes. Our minifters are the carvers, good doctrine is the meat, and the chargers in which this meat is found are the holy canonical fcriptures, &c. 5. Though, as I said, most properly, the New Teftament of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift.

In thefe is Chrift most truly, lively, and amply fet before us as crucified, or roafted at the fire of Ged's law for our fins, that we might live by him. through faith feeding upon him, 2 Cor. iii. 12. Gal. ii. 12. Acts iii. 18. 22. chap. xiii. 4. chap. xxvi. 22. 1 Pet. i, 10. Acts vii. 42. chap, xv. 15. chap. xxviii. 23. Rom. xvi. 26. Rev. x. 7.

There is in these chargers, not only meat, but fauce (if you like it) to eat the meat withal; for the paffover there are bitter herbs, or found repentance; and for others, as the thank-offerings, there is holy cheerfulness and prayers to God for grace. All these are fet forth before us in the holy fcrip