there I will meet with thee, and I will COMMUNE with thee from above the mercy-feat. Exod. xxv. I knew the mercy feat to be a throne of grace-A glorious bigh throne from the beginning is the place of our fanctuary. Jer. xvii. 12. The great condefcenfion of God the Father, which appeared in the above paffage, forcibly ftruck me; the mercy-feat I confidered to be a type of Chrift, who is our throne of grace-He is a father to the inhabitants of Jerufalem, and a glorious throne to his Father's boufe. Ifa. xxii. 23. The two tables of the teftimony were to be put into the ark, so that they were not to terrify nor arreft them who fled for mercy: this led me to the words of Chrift, which fays, Yea, thy law is within my heart, I delight to do thy will, O my God. I then confidered the words of the Pfalmift, which fays that, though the Lord be high, yet bath he refpect to the lowly; be bumbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth. Pfal. cxiii. 6. But how much more to meet and commune with men!

To Chrift Jefus, who received the fure mercies of David for us, and in whom all the fulness of grace dwells, and who is full of grace and truth, must we poor finners go, that we may find grace and strength to help in every time of need. And here God promises to meet with us; for Chrift is the way to the Father-Thou meeteft him that rejoiceth, and worketh righteoufness, thofe that remember thee in thy ways. Ifa. Ixiv. 5.

I then confidered what were to be the bleffed effects of this communion, or what was to be communicated to the children of Ifrael when God met them in their reprefentative above the mercy-feat, and what they were to communicate to him. They were to communicate their troubles, cares, burdens, wants, fears, requefts, &c. to the Lord by prayer; and likewise their recitals of his favours with thanks, praises, bleffings, and grateful acknowledgments of them; these were fome of the things that they were to communicate to God. And God promifes to communicate the following bleffings to them by the priests-The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make his face fhine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name upon the children of Ifrael; and I will bless them. Numb, vi. 24-27. This whole clufter of bleffings is now to be found in Chrift; the bleffing of eternal life is in him; we are in his hand, and kept by his power through faith; the knowledge of the glory of God is in the face of Jefus Chrift; from his fulness all grace is received; he is the Sun of Righteousness that rifes and fhines upon us; and he is our peace, who hath made both one, and broken down the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile. Thefe, my beloved brother, were my thoughts of God our heavenly Father communing with us upon the mercy-feat.

My mind then roved to the free and friendly

I

communion

communion which our Lord Jefus Chrift held with Abraham, when he communicated to him his mind and will with refpect to the cities of the plain, and how freely Abraham communicated the defires of his foul to the Saviour; all which was granted as long as Abraham could find an heart to afk, and when Abraham ftopped in afking the Lord ftopped granting. And the Lord went his way as foon as be bad left communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned unto his place. Gen. xviii. 33.

Then my mind roved to the two disciples going to Emmaus-And while they communed together Jesus bimfelf drew near, and went with them, and asked them, What manner of communications are thefe that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are fad? They anfwering him faid, Art thou only a firanger in Jerufalem, and haft not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he faid unto them, What things? And they faid unto him, Concerning Jefus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: and how the chiefpriefts and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been be which fhould have redeemed Ifrael. And, befides all this, to-day is the third day fince these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us aftonished, which were early at the fepulchre: and, when they found not his body, they came, faying, That they bad alfo feen a vifion of angels, which faid that he was alive. Luke xxiv. 21-23. Here they communicated

to the Lord Jefus their bitter grief and trouble, and that the crucifixion of their dear Lord was the fole caufe of all their calamities, and that the women's account from the angels that he was yet alive was good news. But they could receive no comfort from these things, for him they faw not. And now he began and opened up the fcriptures concerning his fufferings; and, as they had been eye-witneffes of them, they could compare fpiritual things with fpiritual, while he opened the prophecies of the things concerning himself. And, after making himself known to them, he vanifhed out of their fight. However, all that they defired in this world was now granted them: they faw and knew that he was alive-And they faid one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the way, tobile he opened to us the fcriptures? Luke xxiv. 32.

and

I then thought of what the apoftle fays of our having the fame communion with the Holy Spirit allo+-The grace of our Lord Jefus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghoft, be with you all. Amen. 2 Cor. xiii. 14.

And upon the fubject of communion with the Holy Ghoft is my mind now led.

Real communion is the bleffed effect of vital union. God communicates no fpiritual bleffings to them who are in fellowship with devils, with the unfruitful works of darknefs, with unrighteousness, or with infidels or heretics-But be that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit with him. And from this

No creature

union fprings communion; and communion is nothing elfe but giving and receiving, and is both activé and paffive: active, in giving or bestowing good things upon others; paffive, in receiving good things from others. Now all real believers are united to, and ingrafted into Chrift, as the branch is to the vine; and without continual fupplies of life, from the vine to the branch, the branch cannot live, much lefs be fruitful; it muft wither and die away. If a man abide not in me, he is caft forth as a branch and is withered, and [wicked] men gather them [into their company] and they are burned. can ftand alone; angels could not; Adam could not; Judas could not; no, nor could even Peter. -Wo to him that is alone when he falleth, for there is not another to help him up. But he that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. No ftock in hand will do, however large a portion of the Spirit, as Elijah had; however ftrong the mountain of profperity, as David's was; however emboldened and fortified, as Peter thought he was when he promised to face either prifon or death: all will foon wither without continual fupplies. Elijah fled for his life from the face of Jezebel; God hid his face, and 'David was troubled, and Peter fell before the face of a fervant girl. Chrift is the root both of David and of all believers-They are wild olive branches grafted into the good olive tree, and partake of the root and fanefs of the olive tree; and we bear