court where the worshipping Ifraelites affembled the next was the fanctuary, where the priests performed their fervice; the next was the most holy place, acceffible to none but God and his highpriest; and he must go through the court of the Gentiles, then through the court of the Ifraelites, then through the fanctuary and into the holy place. So Noah went from the earth to the lower ftory, then to the fecond, then to the third, and laftly he removed the covering of the ark, and looked out at the top. We must come, according to Peter, out of this world. This caufes many to think it strange that we run not to the fame excess of riot. Then come convictions of fin and fore temptations: "Though now, if need be, ye are in heaviness, through manifold temptations." Then come better days: "Whom, having not seen, ye love; and though now ye fee him not, yet believing ye rejoice with joy unfpeakable and full of glory," But, when these joys are withdrawn, it appears as if some strange thing had happened unto us. This fiery trial is to try our faith, that it may appear more precious than gold that perifheth, though it be tried with fire, and fhall be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of Jefus Chrift, when the Lord will fay, "Well done, good and faithful fervant;" and "Come, ye bleffed of my Father, enter the kingdom prepared for you from before the foundation of the world." When this trial is over thou wilt find find thy feet ftanding in a more even place. So fays Peter," After that ye have fuffered a while, the Lord make you perfect, firengthen, ftablish, fettle you." Keep thefe ftages in view. There is, and must be, a coming out of the world; and, when this is done, there is a watching at Wisdom's gate, which answers to the court of the Gentiles; and, even when kind invitations come fuitable to our cafe, we must not afcend: "When thou art bidden to a wedding," fays Chrift, "fit not down in the highest room, left a more honourable man than thou be bidden." We muft imitate the Saviour. He first appeared in the form of a fervant; and, when the law comes home to us, our bafenefs as bond-fervants appears; bound under fin, Satan, death, and the law, we are. This fets us fenfibly down in the dark regions of the fhadow of death, and in the ftrong holds of fin and Satan. Here Chrift fhines first upon us: in this our low eftate he remembers us, and fays unto us, “Friends, go up higher." The next stage brings us to his feet: they fhall fit down at his feet: "Every one fhall receive of thy words." Now he appears pacified towards us, and we remember our own evil way, which was not good, and lothe ourselves in our own fight for our iniquities. But he dwells with the humble and the contrite, "to revive the spirit of the humble, and the heart of the contrite ones." the joy of the Lord. I Now he puts us forth into dom dom and sweet familiarity, to communion and fellowship. And here our mountain feems to stand ftrong, and we are ready to think that we fhall never be moved. I know of but one ftage higher than this that ever I arrived at. This stage brings Chrift nigh, as evidently fet forth crucified among us; and we look at, admire, and wonder at him. This is the Lord manifefting himself to us, and dwelling in us. But after this he leads our thoughts higher; for, after we have looked at him, mourned over his fufferings, and been ftung with hatred to felf and fin on the account of them, he raifes us up with another appearance of himself, and that is as rifen from the dead, crying out, "All hail!" This raifes us up to his glorification, and we rise to a lively hope of his refurrection from the dead. This comforts our fouls, that his fufferings are over, and that "death hath no more dominion over him." And now our hope is admitted within the veil, we rife to newness of life under the influence of the Spirit of love and joy; and not only are our affections admitted to God's right hand, where he fitteth, but we are "made to fit together in heavenly places in Chrift Jefus." This is the highest fiage in the divine life. The higheft receptacle in the temple from the ground-floor was the galleries. Ezek. xli. 15, and xlii. 3. Into these (if I mistake not) the Jewish women were admitted. This is dwelling on high, and fceing the King in his beauty; whereas, whereas, when he is exhibited to us upon the crofs, he looks in his fufferings like a facrifice, or as one made fin for us, and as numbered with the tranfgreffors, but by no means as a king. It was as glorified, enthroned, and crowned with glory and honour, that he appeared to Ezekiel, Daniel, and John. And in this appearance the holy spouse faw him; "The hair of thy head is like purple: the King is held in the galleries." Song vii. 5. Purple is a royal colour, and in his royalty fhe faw him; and, though fhe had often had a glimpse of him as leaping upon the mountains and skipping upon the hills, ftanding behind the wall, looking in at the window, and fhewing himfelf through the lattice, and oftentimes had felt the finger of his power making her bowels to move, and had felt his name as an ointment poured forth, and at times caught hold of him, yet fhe could not retain him, as fhe owns, "My beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone; my foul failed when he fpake," &c. &c. But at laft he tells her to turn away her eyes from him, for she had overcome him: then fhe fays, "My beloved is mine, and I am his." And he certainly is held or bound in the galleries; for by heavenlyminded fouls, who have enjoyed him, and who. never can reft without him, nor find any fatisfaction in any thing fhort of him, he is held, and to fuch he is bound, in the bond of everlast-. ing love, and that by his own promife, and by his own own act and deed: "I will betroth thee unto me in judgment; I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, in loving-kindness, in faithfulness, and for ever; and thou fhalt know the Lord." And, as he is thus bound to a wife, he will never feck to be loofed. John, in his Revelation, faw him in his priestly garments among the candlesticks, and as king upon his white horse; but as glorified in both. This wonderful appearance fo aftonished John that he fell to the ground; but it was intended to raise John's conceptions higher than before; for, though he had known Chrift after the flesh, yet from that time forward he knew him fo no more. I have been much of late meditating on what Paul calls the new man in us. Jeremiah fays, 66 Thy word was found, and I ate it, and it was the joy and rejoicing of my heart." John and Ezekiel ate the roll and the little book, and declared that they were sweet as honey; but what that mouth is which feeds fo fweetly on the promifes and on the paffover lamb, is hard to defcribe. "A feaft of fat things, of marrow and fatnefs, and of wines on the lees well refined," it certainly is. We have an altar to eat at, and certain it is that the new man has got his mouth which feeds upon fpiritual provifion, digefts it, and receives nourishment and fatisfaction from it; but this mouth remains a mystery to me. The new man has got his nofe, but I cannot tell what it is. All Chrift's garments finell R |