2. Spiritually, for the church of Christ to be gathered to him out of all nations; the house wherein 'juge sacrificium/ a continual spiritual sacrifice is to be offered to him : this is peculiarly intended. So then observe,
I. Christ's church of saints, of believers, is God's house.
II. The church of Christ under the gospel is to be ga- thered out of all nations.
III. There are established ordinances, and appointed worship for the church of Christ under the gospel.
It is the first that I shall speak unto.
I. Christ's church of saints, of believers, is God's house.
That his church is of saints, and believers, will appear in the issue.
By the ch urch of Christ I understand, primarily, the whole multitude of them, who antecedently are chosen of his Fa- ther, and given unto him ; consequently are redeemed, called, and justified in his blood: the church which he loved, and gave himself for it, ' that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might pre- sent it unto himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish;' Ephes. v. 26, 27. And secondarily also, every holy assembly of mount Zion, whereunto the Lord Christ is made beauty and glory : every particular church of his saints, inasmuch as they partake of the nature of the whole, 'being redeemed by his blood;' Acts xx. 28.
That this church belongs unto God, I shall only leave evidenced under the claim whereby he here appropriates it to himself; he calls it his : * My house.'
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That it is his house, I shall farther demonstrate. Three things are required to the making of a house. First, A foundation.
Secondly, Materials for a superstruction. Thirdly, An orderly framing of both intoa useful building. And all these concur to the church of Christ. First, It hath a foundation: * I have laid the foundation,' saith Paul, 1 Cor. iii. 10. and ' other foundation can no man lay, save that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ;' ver. 11. That which Paul laid ministerially, God himself laid prima- rily and efficiently. ' Thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation;' Isa. xxviii. 16. Now this foundation is no other but the rock upon which the church is built. Matt. xvi. 18. which makes it impregnable to the gates of hell, communicating strength and permanency con- tinually to every part of the building.
Secondly, A foundation only will not make a house; there must also be materials for a superstruction. Those you have, 1 Pet. ii. 5. * You are,' saith. he, ' lively stones.' All God's elect are stones, in due time to be hewed and fitted for this building.
Thirdly, Materials themselves will not serve: they must be fitly framed, and wisely disposed, or they will be a heap, not a house. This then is not wanting. ' Ye are built upon the foundation of the prophets and the apostles, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone : in whom the whole building, fitly framed together, groweth into an holy temple in the Lord : in whom also ye are builded together, for an habitation to God by the Spirit ;' Ephes. ii. 20 — 22. There is much spiritual and heavenly architecture in these three verses. I shall only touch on some particulars.
1. The foundation of this house, this temple, is laid, and that is Jesus Christ : 'other foundation can no man lay.' He is here called, ' the chief corner stone,' and, 'the foundation of the prophets and apostles.' It is not, which they were, but which they laid. It is ' genitivus efficientis,' not 'materise,' that expression holds out, the persons working, not the thing wrought.
2. The materials of this building: elect, believers, said in the former verse to be ' fellow-citizens with the saints, and
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of the household of God;' they alone are built on Christ, and thereby have union with him : not one dead rotten stone in all this building, as shall be declared.
3. The architects or builders are of two sorts :
(1.) Principal, the Spirit, we are 'framed to an habitation for God by the Spirit:' he is the principal workman in this fabric, without him is not one stone laid therein.
(2.) Secondary and instrumental; 'the prophets and apo- stles.' And this they were two ways :
[1.] Personally, in their several generations: this was their work, their labour, to lay the foundation, and carry on the building of this house.
[2.] Doctrinally, so they labour in it to this very day: their doctrine in the Scripture holds out the only foundation, and the only way of building thereon.
4. The manner of the building: it is 'fitly framed together,* CTuvajOjuoXoyou/xtvrj.closely jointed and knit in together, sweetly closed together with Christ, 'the head, from which all the body, by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God ;' Col. ii. 19.
5. What kind of a house it is. It receiveth here a two- fold title, ' an holy temple,' and ' an habitation,' or tabernacle ; because of its allusion to both those holy places of the wor- ship of God, fulfilling the types of them both. Hence it is most evident that this church of Christ is a house, and being appropriated unto God, God's house. To make this the more evident, I shall do these two things :