Thirdly. By inhabitation. The Spirit of God dwells in believers. I must say of this also, as I did of what went before, — I have shown so at large how the Spirit of God dwells in and inhabits in believers, and how they are his temple and tabernacle, that I shall not speak more to it now ; but only apply to the case of believers what was said before, — that wherever God inhabits, he first takes possession in a cloud, and dwells in a visible pledge of his presence.
1. When God converts a soul, he comes into it with a cloud. I know nothing in this world that I would be more jealous of in my ministry, than of speaking any thing, on conversion or regeneration, that I had not experience of myself. I would not bind others by any experience of my own, unless it be confirmed by a general rule ; for one man may have an experience that another hath not : and we ought to be wonderful tender in giving out any thing that should be found in persons, as to conversion and regeneration, if we have not a general rule for it as well as our own experience. But yet I think this I
A CHRISTIAN, GOD'S TEMPLE. 293
can say, that God generally takes possession of souls in a cloud; that is, there is some darkness upon them : they cannot tell what their state is; — sometimes they have hopes, and sometimes fears; sometimes they think things are well, and sometimes they are cast down again. This is the way whereby God generally enters into all souls. These things may be in part where God doth not come ; but seldom have I heard of any that have come unto God, but that God first took possession of them in a cloud.
2. God doth it by some visible pledge of his presence, when the cloud is over ; for the cloud is but for a season, though it may continue upon some longer than upon others. I have shown before, that the pledge of God's visible presence in the temple and tabernacle was the ark and the mercy-seat, formed into the fashion of a throne with cherubims ; which was a type of Jesus Christ. The ark had the law, and the mercy-seat was propitiatory, covering the law from the eye of justice ; and so atonement was made. And this was a type of Christ.
How, then, doth God dwell in the hearts of believers by constant residence? When Christ is enthroned in the heart: and we can have no farther pledge of it. There may be a great deal of duty, careful and wary walking, and a great deal of profession ; but if Christ be not upon the throne in the heart, there is no pledge of God's dwelling there. So God dedicates his people by inhabitation.
Fourthly. The last way whereby any thing was dedicated unto God was, by vow and covenant. Now, we are all of us under a two- fold dedication to God, — by vow and covenant: the one in general, whereof the token is baptism ; and we are likewise under a particular vow and dedication as we are a church. What, I pray, is our engagement to walk with God in professed subjection to all the ordinances of Christ, but to give up ourselves to God by vow and covenant to be his, by a dedication of ourselves according to God's appointment and mind ? God help us to look unto it, every one of us in our several places and stations; — there is more in these things than we are aware of.
Now, as there was never any other way whereby any thing could be dedicated to God, and believers being all these ways dedicated unto him, they become his peculiar portion. " They shall be mine," saith God. They are God's kings, priests, tabernacle, temple, sacri- fice : " Yield your bodies a living sacrifice." And they are God's first- fruits, called so expressly.
There are two uses follow necessarily from hence : —
Use 1. If believers, especially as they are in church relation, which adds the last hand of dedication, by particular church vow and cove- nant to be God's ; if believers, I say, are thus God's peculiar portion,
294 A CHRISTIAN, GOD'S TEMPLE.
dedicated unto him, it is not in my power to give warning unto the woiid to take heed how they meddle with this portion of God. They do not, they will not hear me ; and if I could speak unto them, it would rather provoke them than cure them. But give me leave to say this, and to give glory and honour unto God therein, that among all the sins that so reign in the nation at this day, and have done so for a long season, that which hath peculiarly stirred up the displeasure of God against the nation, — so as to threaten us with spiritual judg- ments (the giving us up to Popery, which men are afraid of), and with temporal judgments of all sorts whatever, — hath been the violence that hath been done to God's portion all this nation over. Other sins are great and provoking, but God hath given the earth to the children of men. " He endures with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath, fitted for destruction." He will bear with men in all their abomina- tions, leave them for many ages, in many places of the world, to sport themselves in the earth, like the leviathan in the waters; but when a nation comes (as it hath been the sin of this whole nation, from one end to the other) to put forth its hand against God's portion, tearing, rending, destroying, imprisoning, banishing, starving the remainder of God's heritage, — it is the cause (let it be spoke to the glory of God, and that which God will own at the last day) why wrath is gone out against us. This hath not been done in a corner, by some few, at some certain time. We have known the day when the whole nation, as one man, was on fire to consume the residue of God's heritage; it was the sin of the nation, from one end of it unto the other. Saith God, " All that devour her shall offend; evil shall come upon them." There hath been a great devouring of God's first-fruits ; and truly in such a manner, that we have no greater cause to mourn this day, than that we have not been sensible of it as we ought to be, how these first-fruits of God have been devoured. But they shall offend, and evil shall come upon them. It is the very word that God speaks to the nation this day, if I understand any thing of the will of God in these matters. He speaks so again, J«r. xii. 14, "Thus saith the Lord against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit ; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them." What is the inheritance God hath caused us to inherit ? It is his ordinances, his ways and worship; it is not the great things of this world. Let all take their portion and lot, as God in his providence directs. The inheritance which God causeth Israel to inherit, is his ways and worship, the purity of his ordinances, and their serving Christ in them. This is our inheritance. Saith God, " I will pluck up my evil neighbours, that will not leave my inheritance." — " Let them take what is their own; but they will not leave my inheritance."