us.

darkness, and how great is that darkness! The Lord does not say, where the head is there is your treasure, but where your treasure is there will your heart be also. The view that faith has of Chrift is affimilating, or transforming; it changes us into the fame image from glory to glory, as by the fpirit of the Lord; and this changing us into the fame image is nothing else but fhedding abroad God's love in our hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto For John tells us that God is love; then his image and likeness must be the fame. And, if all faith and all knowledge, all gifts and understanding, all prophecy, and all the tongues of men and angels, are nothing without charity; then it is plain that the image of God ftands not in those things, for these are nothing without charity, but charity is all without thefe, for charity believeth and hopeth too: moreover, the apoftle faith that we are renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created us; and, according to John, love is the highest branch of divine knowledge, and all other knowledge is nothing without it; "He that loveth is born of God and knoweth God; but he that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love." We are faid to be changed into this image from glory to glory. Every deliverance that God works out for us, every love-vifit that God pays us, every renewal or revival, every refreshing or enlargement of heart, with which we are favoured, is a changing us into this image; which, inflaming the

heart, and brightening the understanding, is what the apostle means by changing us from glory to glory by the spirit of the Lord.

We know that the rifing fun communicates both light and heat, and fo does the Son of righteousnefs: it was this that made John a burning and a fhining light; he could not burn without love, nor fhine without illumination; but all the Lord's minifters are as a torch in a fheaf, he makes them a flaming fire. O what a bleffing to be inflamed, melted, enlarged, and enlightened of God! " Arife, fhine, for thy light is come, and the glory of God is risen upon thee, and the Lord shall be thine everlafting light, and thy God thy glory," Ifai. lx. 19. And this glory will difcover itself in the children of light, for it is at this that the grand enemy inflames with rage his own offspring, at this the generation of ferpents hifs; fo that the coming finner may foon find out where the glory of God is by the defperate malice of the ungodly. "If ye are reproached for the fake of Chrift, happy are ye," fays Peter, "for the spirit of glory and of God refteth upon you." Wherever the spirit of God and of glory refts, there the reproach of God's enemies is fure to fall: finners will always refift the Holy Ghoft; as their forefathers did, to do they. It is true the glory of the church is internal, as the fcriptures affirm, "The King's daughter is all glorious within," yet there are many beams and sparks that blaze out and fly abroad; fome arrows

go forth as lightning, which are sharp in the hearts. of the king's enemies. The flaming fword ftill keeps the way of the tree of life, and turns its edge in every direction against him that is out of Christ. Ifrael could not endure the rays of Mofes' face, nor the false witneffes the face of Stephen. Saul faw God with David, and Ahab saw the divine fortitude of Elijah and Micaiah. When God answers fecret prayer he gives an open reward; and, if the reward be open, it is not hid; and fo it is written, "The Lord fhall arife upon thee, and his glory fhall be seen upon thee," Ifai. Ix. 2.

But the glory in my text will extend its glorious beanis far beyond this latter houfe that I am fpeaking of. The end of all these things, according to Paul, is this, "God hath not appointed us unto wrath, but to obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jefus with eternal glory." All the glory that is gone before is to bring about and accomplish this end, which is God's aim; and in this we have the mind of Chrift, for this is the aim and end of all his faints.

The difciples of Chrift feemed to be much ftruck with the fight of the holy temple at Jerufalem; "Mafter, fee what manner of stones and buildings are here!" Mark xiii. 1. Yet there was not one ftone to be left upon another of that building that was not to be thrown down. But what was the rock of mount Moria, and the temple built thereon, when compared to the Rock of our ftrength, the

tried Stone, the precious Corner-Stone of Zion, the Living Stone? or to the lively ftones that are built thereon, which Peter calls a fpiritual house, built for an habitation of God through the Spirit, that we should offer up fpiritual facrifices acceptable to God, under the direction and operation of the spirit of grace and fupplications?

And indeed the bafis and ground-work of that wonderful city, called the holy and heavenly Jerufalem, is included in the glory of this latter house: here was God manifest in the flesh, the only foundation that ever was laid in Zion. In Christ all the twenty-four attributes of God meet, harmonize, and confpire together to the glory of God in the falvation of men: these are the twelve foundations of that celeftial city; in this latter house (with their divine mafter) appeared the twelve apoftles of the Lamb, who firft trufted in Christ, and who were the first evangelical builders of gospel Zion, and therefore, to their honour, they have their names engraven on the twelve foundations of that myftical city, called the Lamb's wife.

We have seen something of the glory of the second house, and a glimpse of the glory of the third house, the church of God; and more glorious things are spoken of this than of all the reft; for at Shiloh God forfook the tabernacle; in the reign of Zedekiah he forfook the fift temple; and at the crucifixion of Christ the glory of the second house decreased and foon became defolate; and at Jerufalem's deftruc

tion, it was destroyed by fire, and a Turkish mosque now stands on the fame spot where the holy of holies once ftood. But this will never be the cafe with God's holy habitation called the church, for this is his reft for ever; here he will dwell, having defired it.

Once more: As the foundation and the first materials of the gospel church appeared in this fecond houfe, which was the furpaffing glory, fo we may fee the top-ftone brought forth, and the building complete in John's vifion. "And I John faw the holy city, new Jerufalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And the city had no need of the fun, neither of the moon, to fhine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof," Rev. 21. The glory of the gospel church, and the firft materials of it which appeared in the fecond houfe, are fhining in endless glory in John's vifion; and, as Chrift was the excelling glory of the fecond houfe, fo he is of the holy city; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof; that is, Chrift is the glory of God, that illuminates every part of this heavenly city: which leads me to the laft particular in my text.

"And in this place will I give peace, faith the Lord of hofts." Peace is one of the good and perfect gifts which comes down from the Father of lights, and Christ crucified is the only medium through whom it comes. Upon Adam's fall all

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