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AS in the beginning of the preceding chapter, we have the Lord reproving this people for their floth. fulness in building the temple, which provoked God ta contend with them; and exhorting them to reform and profecute that good work; fo, in the close of it, we find the people applying themselves to that work, and the Lord himself animating them therein. Now, in this chapter, the prophet is, in the Lord's name, giving them further encouragement to this work. And,

1. He encourages them, by afsuring the builders that the glory of this house they were now building, should exceed that of Solomon's temple; though not in outward glory, yet in spiritual splendor, particularly by the coming of Christ, the Defire of all nations, who would fill it with glory, by his coming to it, from ver. 1,-9.

2. He encourages them, by assuring them, that though their fin, in delaying to build the temple, had

* This fubject was discoursed in two fermons, viz. on the Sabbath, evening and Monday, immediately after the celebration of the Lord's fupper at Kinclaven, June 1738.

hinder

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hindered their profperity, yet now that this work was happily begun, he would bless and profper them. God had smitten them with blasting and mildew, ver. 17.; and they had been a long time incorrigible, and might eafily observe, that, as long as they continued in neglect of temple-work, all their other affairs went backward; but when they began to lay the foundation, or to raise the structure upon the foundations that had been laid fometime before, they might observe, from that time, yea, from that very day, a remarkable turn for the better, to all their affairs : " Is the feed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig-tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive-tree hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you," ver. 19. Nothing appears, might he fay, to promife a good harvest and vintage next year; nature doth not promise it: but now, that the foundation of the temple is laid, and you apply yourselves in earneft, to this temple-work, the God of nature promises it, and that with a blefling. From this day will I bless you.

In which words you may observe these five things. 1. A great privilege under the name of bleffing. 2. The author of this bleffing, in the pronoun I. 3. The objects thereof, in the pronoun you. 4. The certainty of it, I WILL bless you. 5. The term of its commencement, From THIS DAY will I bless you.

1. The great privilege here mentioned under the name of bleffing. What blessing is here spoken of? It is not indeed, temporal profperity, and outward plenty only; but, when these come with a bleffing, and are promifed as fuch, they come in among the number of fpiritu. al bleffings, and include also spiritual profperity, as well as temporal. A man may have outward profperity, and yet be cursed in his basket and store; but when he hath it with God's favour, so as to be blessed in his basket and in his store, then it comes in among the rank of saving bleffings. The privilege then here is such as includes all faving blessings.

2. The author of this blessing is God: I will bless you. The bleffing here spoken of, is God's blefsing; than which nothing can be defired more to make a creature happy: happy; for, "The bleffing of the Lord maketh rich;" and those whom he bleffes, are blessed indeed. God's bleffing is much worth. Men may bless, and yet at the fame time God's curse may make them miferable: but when God blesses, men's curses can do them no harm; for, God's bleffing takes away the curse both from croffes and comforts.

3. The certainty of it, I will bless you. It is fixed by God's unchangeable will; and his will is determined in his unchangeable word of promife: when God fays, 1 WILL bless you, it is impoffible but the blessing must take place; and when God's I will is heard by faith, it brings in full assurance, and strong confolation. As when God fays, I will take away the heart of stone, and give the heart of flesh; I will put my Spirit within you; I will sprinkle you with clean water; I will be your God;" faith's echo is, ' Amen, Lord, thy will be done.' And when God's I will and our Amen meet together, then our will goes in to God's will, and the thing willed is certain and sure; yea, firmer than mountains of brass: for God's will is unalterable, his promise unchangeable; he has faithfulness for the girdle of his loins.

4. You have the objects of this blessing, in the pronoun you. It is true, this you is not in the original; but is fitly enough fupplied by our tranflators; for it is plainly understood, though the words run, From this day will I bless: As if he had faid, Hitherto curses and miferies have taken place among you; but henceforth bleffings and happiness shall take place; In blessing I will bless. But whom will he thus bless? Why, the perfons understood here, are these, who, through grace, are determined to apply themselves to temple-work, and temple-reformation. And so,

4. You have the term or time, from which the bleffing commences, From THIS DAY will I bless you: that is, from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid. And herelies the principal emphasis of the text; and therefore, we have this from four times repeated; "Confider now from this day and upward; from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month; even from the

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the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid; confider it, from this day will I bless you." It is the best day's work that ever was done; and it is the beft day that ever you had in your life; for, from hence you may date your happiness, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid.

Now, you are to remember that the temple was typi. cal of Chrift; not only of Christ perfonal, in whom dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; as God dwelt in the temple of old symbollically, towards which facred temple, Christ Jesus, we are always to look for acceptance with God; and, like Jonah, to look again towards his holy temple; but alfo Chrift mystical was typified by the temple; that is, the church, which is the house of God, whereof Christ is the living stone, the fure foundation; and all believers, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house in him; as you have it explained, 1 Pet. ii. 4, 5. Heb. iii. 6. Eph. ii. 20. 1 Cor. iii. 17. 2 Cor. vi. 16. Thus their building of the temple did fignify the reformation of the church, having laid the foundation, which represents the fecuring of the ground-work of re. ligion.

Now, let us gather some spiritual lesson from this, that they were blessed from the very day in which the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid in a literal sense. The spiritual mystery here reprefented is the following doctrine, which I take from the words, confidered with their connection.

OBSERV. That all saving blessings do actually commence from the day the foundation of the fpiritual temple is actually laid. From this day will I blefs you, that is, from the day that the foundations of the Lord's temple were laid.

I use the word actually in both branches of the doctrine, because I speak not of what was done decretively, in the purpose of God, from eternity; nor of what was done virtually, in the council of peace, and covenant of redemption; nor of what was done fundamentally and meritoriously, when Christ died at Jerufalem; but rather of the actual fruits and produce of these, when they actually tually take place in a day of power: and therefore, I fay, my doctrine is, That all saving bleflings do actually commence, from the day that the foundation of the spiritual temple is actually laid. See Eph. i. 3. and ii. 21. compared; where you fee all spiritual faving blessings do actually take place, from the time that the foul is united to Christ, the fure foundation; which is the day wherein the foundation of the spiritual temple is laid.

But for the further clearing and confirming of this doctrine, I propose the following method, namely,

I. I would shew what this spiritual temple is.
II. What is the foundation thereof.
III. How this foundation is laid.

IV. I would speak a little of the day in which the foundation is laid, and from which bleffings take their date.

V. Shew what blessings do commence from this day. VI. Prove, by fome particular arguments and reafons, that faving blessings do actually commence from that day.

VII. Make application of the whole fubject.

I. The first thing we are to do then, is, To shew what this fpiritual temple is. We told you, that the temple was a type of Chrift mystical, and Chrift perfonal; and I design to exclude none of them in the progress of my difcourse.

Now, the temple was a type of Christ mystical; that is, of the church of God, and of particular believers, in many respects; who, therefore, are frequently called, the temple of God, and the temple of the Holy Ghost; and the type and antitype agree in these, and the like following particulars.

1. The temple was a very stately building; without, very sumptuous; and within, very glorious: built of many stones, many materials; yet all making up but one temple, upon one foundation; and having three principal partitions, namely, the outward court, for the people; the fanctuary, for the priests; and the holy of holies, into which the High-priest only entered once a-year, with the blood of the facrifice. - Well, so it is

here

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