the apostle, convey to us the notion of something at once awful and glorious to behold, dazzling for brightness to the sense, overpowering for goodness to the soul. Yes, it must be the goodness of the Lord, the union of holiness and love in One almighty and all wise, this must be that which chiefly rivets the attention of those who are taken from the things of earth, and admitted to the courts of heaven; this must be that which most absorbs their wondering faculties, and constrains their unceasing adoration, this sight so altogether new, so altogether obviously divine, the sight of Him who alone is good.

The prophet in this vision saw the glory of the Lord coming into the new temple, even as he had seen it in a vision leaving the old temple. See ch. 9. 3. And the words which he heard seem applicable to the case of the Jews on their return from the captivity in Babylon. They are warned not to defile this new house of God, as their fathers had defiled the former one, by the practice of all kinds of idolatry. They are promised, that if they would put away those evil practices, God would dwell in the midst of them for ever. The prophet is charged to set before them the vision of the house which he had seen, in order that comparing their past conduct with this pattern of the service due to God, they might feel "ashamed of their iniquities." And further, if they should give such proof of contrition, such earnest of amendment, he is told to shew them every particular of the construction of a temple, and its ordinances, that they might fulfil and do all that is here written.

Now all this seems consistent with the fact, that much of this plan was never carried into effect, the people not having repented nor obeyed. Whilst at the same time this passage seems inconsistent with any interpretation of these chapters, which would make them only and altogether figurative, supposing that it never was intended, under any circumstances, to build any such temple at Jerusalem. That God's promises should be conditional, that the things which He appoints to be done should be left to depend on man's faithfulness in doing them, this is no more than we are accustomed to meet with in all parts of the Bible. And if the Jews after the captivity might have had, and ought to have had, such a temple as this, and yet did not; must not we also reflect with sorrow, what a holy, glorious, and universal church, all Christians, of all ages and all lands, ought to have formed, and have not? May God, who has revealed in his Gospel the constitution of that Christian temple, vouchsafe to write it on our hearts, that we may, to the best of our ability, and by the help of his gracious power, "keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them !"

The ordinances of the altar. unto me, saith the Lord God, a young bullock for a sin offering. 20 And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and upon the border round about: thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it.

LECTURE 1352.

The holiness which becomes Christians.

These ordinances of the altar afford fresh evidence, that the prophecy refers to a temple to be built with hands, in which burnt offerings and peace offerings were to be rendered unto God, as appointed previously in the Law. And we know that such sacrifices were offered continually, until the time when the second temple was destroyed. So that these visions were realized in part, although in part they failed to take effect. And so also are God's promises in the Gospel fulfilled in the peace, and joy, and glory, of his people in the Church, so far as they fulfil their part, in repenting, believing, and obeying. There are still amongst us many, as there were some when our Lord was dwelling on the earth, in whom He works not his miracles of grace," because of their unbelief." Matth. 13. 58. But there are also many, God be praised! there are many, God grant there may be more! who live on earth a heavenly life, who mind heavenly things, who love as they have been beloved, and rejoice, through all the period of their pilgrimage below, "with joy unspeakable and full of glory." 1 Pet. 1. 8.

These are they who especially give heed to the great principle here set before the Jews, equally applicable to Christians, "This is the law of the house; upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house." Literally this means, that the temple, and all its precincts, even all that was to stand upon mount Zion, should be consecrated to God, kept separate from all other uses, and watchfully guarded from all profanation or defilement. Now that which defiles is sin. Many are the regulations written in the Law on the subject of defilement or uncleanness, all tending to this one point, that sin consists in disobeying God's commandments. Let then those who have been consecrated to God, to form his living temple, constantly bear in mind this "law of the house." Let them follow after holiness; watching that they disobey no commandment of the Lord, striving and delighting to fulfil all his will. Far be from them all wilful sin. Far be from them all thoughts, or words, or deeds, unconformable to the word of the Most High. Let them guard against all approaches of iniquity. Let their life and conversation, their conduct, their language, their minds, their hearts, and "the whole limit thereof round about," all be "most holy."

Help us, Lord, to keep this fundamental law of thy most sacred house, the Christian church! Help us by thy Holy Spirit helping us, that we may become a temple meet for Thee to dwell in; through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Of the east gate, and of the Levites that went astray.
1 Then he brought me back
the way of the gate of the out-
ward sanctuary which looketh
toward the east; and it was shut.
2 Then said the LORD unto
me; This gate shall be shut, it
shall not be opened, and no man
shall enter in by it; because
the LORD, the God of Israel,
hath entered in by it, therefore
it shall be shut.

have broken my covenant be-
cause of all your abominations.
8 And ye have not kept the
charge of mine holy things:
but ye have set keepers of my
charge in my sanctuary for
yourselves.

3 It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.

4 Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD: and I fell upon my face.

5 And the LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.

6 And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,

7 In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they

9 Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel.

10 And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity.

11 Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.

12 Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up mine hand against them, saith the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their iniquity.

13 And they shall not come near unto me, to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.

14 But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.

LECTURE 1353.

Outward ordinances and inward piety.

The gate, by which the glory of the Lord had been seen to enter his sanctuary, was not to be used as one of the entrances of the temple, except on certain particular occasions afterwards mentioned. The prince however was to "enter by the way of the porch of that gate," and to "go out by the way of the same." And "in it" he was to sit, "to eat bread before the Lord." An honourable distinction for those who should hereafter rule over God's people Israel. A significant intimation to Christian princes, that as God upholds their thrones by his authority, so ought they to glorify Him by bringing all their glory into his temple and there laying it down before his footstool. This they might do by humbling themselves in his sight, and in the presence of their fellow creatures, as sinners no less in need than their subjects of the common salvation, and also by rendering all their power and authority subservient to the cause of Christ their Saviour.

On looking into the temple from the north gate, the prophet beheld the glory of the Lord filling the house, and heard a voice charging him to mark with attention all that he saw and heard, and giving him fresh injunctions to be faithfully imparted to the rebellious children of Israel. In this solemn address God begins with charging them to renounce all their past abominations, whereby they had polluted his house. He then repeats the commandments of the Law, forbidding those who were uncircumcised to enter the sanctuary, commandments which the Jews had grossly transgressed. And in this prohibition He joins the "uncircumcised in heart," a remarkable expression, with the "uncircumcised in flesh." And as for the Levites who had estranged themselves from God, in the schism of the ten tribes, and in the sin of Jeroboam, God forbids their descendants to do the office of a priest, though He allows them still to minister in subordinate situations. Here we see outward ordinances held in due honour, and yet not deemed sufficient to dispense with inward piety, alike in the people, and in the priests. The uncircumcised in heart have no more business in the sanctuary of the Lord than the uncircumcised in the flesh. Where then shall we rank those Christians in God's church, whose baptism has no influence on their lives? The offending Levites were still to do temple service, but never to officiate as priests. Who then can dispute the value of an outward calling to the ministry? But what minister, however duly ordained outwardly, must not tremble to exercise his holy office, if conscious that he has gone astray from God, and that he is following after idols in his heart?