But the prophet Ifaiah carries it a little further than is cited by Stephen. For after having declared what is not God's houfe, the place where his honour dwells, immediately follow thefe words: But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. Behold, O carnal and fuperftitious man, the true worshipper, and the place of God's reft! This is the house and temple of him whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain: an houfe felf cannot build, nor the art nor power of man prepare or confecrate.

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f. VI. Paul, that great apoftle of the Gentiles, twice exprefsly refers the word temple to man: once in his epiftle to the church of Corinth; Know ye not, fays he, that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God? &c. and not the building of man's hand and art. Again, he tells the fame people, in his fecond epittle, For ye are the temple of the living God, as God hath faid; and then cites God's words by the prophet, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they fhall be my people. This is the evangelical temple, the Christian church, whose ornaments are not the embroideries and furnitures of worldly art and wealth, but the graces of the Spirit; meekness, love, faith, patience, selfdenial, and charity. Here it is, That the eternal wisdom, that was with God from everlafting, before the hills were brought forth, or Ifaiah lxvi. 2. # 1 Cor. vi. 19.

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2 Cor. vi. 1 6.

the mountains laid,' chufes to dwell; rejoicing, fays Wisdom, in the habitable part of the earth, and my delights were with the fons of men not in houfes built of wood and stone. This living house is more glorious than Solomon's dead houfe; and of which his was but ■ figure, as he, the Builder, was of Christ, who builds us up an holy temple to God. It was promifed of old, That the glory of the latter house fhould tranfcend the glory of the former; which may be applied to this: not one outward temple or house to excel another in outward luftre; for where is the benefit of that; but the divine glory, the beauty of holinefs in the gofpel houfe or church, made up of renewed believers, fhould exceed the outward glory of Solomon's temple, which in comparison of the latter days, was but flefh to fpirit, fading refemblance, to the eternal fubftance.

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But for all this, Chriftians have meetingplaces, yet not in Jewish or Heathen state, but plain, void of pomp and ceremony, fuiting the fimplicity of their bleffed life, and doctrine. For God's prefence is not with the house, but with them that are in it, who are the gospelchurch, and not the houfe. O! that fuch as call themfelves Chriftians, knew but a real fanctity in themselves, by the washing of God's regenerating grace, inftead of that imaginary fanctity afcribed to places; they would then know what the church is; and where, in these evangelical days, is the place of God's appearHag. ii. 9.

Prov. viii. 22, 23. 25. 33%

ance. This made the prophet David fay, The king's daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is of wrought gold. What is the glory that is within the true church, and that gold that makes up that inward glory? Tell me, O fuperftitious man! Is it thy ftately temples, altars, tables, carpets, tapestries; thy vestments, organs, voices, candles, lamps, cenfers, plate, and jewels, with the like furniture of thy worldly temples? No fuch matter; they bear no proportion with the divine adornment of the King of heaven's daughter, the bleffed and redeemed church of Chrift. Miferable apoftacy that it is! and a wretched fupplement in the lofs and abfence of the apoftolic life, the spiritual glory of the primitive church.

S. VII. Bu yet fome of thefe admirers of external pomp and glory in worship would be thought lovers of the crofs, and to that end have made to themselves many. But alas ! what hopes can there be of reconciling that to Christianity, that the nearer it comes to its refemblance, the further off it is in reality? For their very cross and self-denial are most unlawful felf and whilft they fancy to worship God thereby, they moft dangerously err from the true cross of Christ, and that holy abnegation that was of his bleffed appointment. It is true, they have got a cross, but it seems to be in the room of the true one; and fo mannerly, that it will do as they will have it that wear it for instead of mortifying their wills by it, they made it, and ufe it according to them. So that the crofs is become their

enfign, that do nothing but what they lift. Yet by that they would be thought his dif ciples, who never did his own will, but the will of his heavenly Father.

. VIII. This is fuch a crofs as flefh and blood can carry, for flefh and blood invented it; therefore not the cross of Christ, that is to crucify flesh and blood. Thoufands of them have no more virtue than a chip: poor empty fhadows, not fo much as images of the true one. Some carry them for charms about them, but never repel one evil with them. They fin with them upon their backs; and though they put them in their bofoms, their beloved lufts lie there too, without the leaft difquiet. They are as dumb as Elijah's mock gods; no life nor power in them: and how fhould they, whofe matter is earthly, and whofe figure and workmanship are but the invention and labour of worldly artists? Is it poffible that such croffes fhould mend their makers? Surely not.

§. IX. Thefe are yokes without restraint, and croffes that never contradict: a whole cartload of them would leave a man as unmortified as they find him. Men may fooner knock their brains out with them, than their fins; and that, I fear, too many of them know in their very confciences that ufe them, indeed adore them; and, which can only happen to the falfe crofs, are proud of them too, fince the true one leaves no pride, where it is truly borne.

S. X. For as their religion, fo their cross is very gaudy and triumphant: but in what? In

} 1 Kings 18. 27.

precious metals and gems, the spoil of superstition upon the peoples' pockets. Thefe croffes are made of earthly treasure, instead of learning their hearts that wear them to deny it: and like men, they are respected by their finery. A rich crofs fhall have many gazers and admirers: the mean, in this, as other things, are more neglected. I could appeal to themselves of this great vanity and fuperftition. O! how very fhort is this of the bleffed crofs of Jefus, that takes away the fins of the world.

. XI. Nor is a reclufe life, the boafted righteousness of fome, much more commendable, or one whit nearer to the nature of the true cross for if it be not unlawful as other things are, it is unnatural, which true religion teaches not. The Chriftian convent and monaftery are within, where the foul is incloistered from fin And this religious houfe the true followers of Christ carry about with them, who exempt not themselves from the converfation of the world, though they keep themfelves from the evil of the world in their converfation. That is a lazy, rufty, unprofitable felf-denial, burdenfome to others to feed their idleness; religious bedlams, where people are kept up left they should do mischief abroad; patience per force; felf-denial against their will, rather ignorant than virtuous; and out of the way of temptation, than conftant in it. No thanks if they commit not what they are not tempted to commit. What the eye views not, the heart craves not, as well as

rues not.

§. XII. The cross of Chrift is of anothe