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doth Stand the queen in gold of Ophir ;' Psal. xlv. 8, 9. ' His goings are seen, the goings of our God and King in the sanctuary ;' Psal. Ixviii. 24, 25, &c. The apostle ex- alteth the glory of gospel administrations exceedingly above the old tabernacle and temple worship, which yet was ex- ceeding pompous and glorious. ' If/ saith he, ' the minis- tration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away ; how shall not the ministra- tion of the spirit be rather glorious ? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious;' 2 Cor. iii. 7 — 11. Let men think as meanly as they please of the spiritual service of God amongst his people, all glory that ever yet appeared in the world was but a bubble to it, all that God ever instituted before came exceeding short of it : he delights in it, who beholds the proud afar off.
3dly. It is glorious in respect of the exaltation it hath above, and triumph over, all its opposers. To see a house, a palace, hanged round about with ensigns, spoils, and banners taken from the enemy that have come against it, is a glorious thing : thus is this house of God decked. ' Kings of armies did flee apace, and she that tarried at home di- vided the spoil ;' Psal. Ixviii. 12. ' She that tarries at home,' the mother of the family, the church of God, she ' hath all the spoils.' The Lord hath affirmed, that not only every one that opposeth, but all that do not serve this house, shall be utterly destroyed; Isa. Ix. 12. There you have the spoil of Pharaoh, and all his host, gathered on the shore of the Red sea, and dedicated in this house; Exod. xv. There you have the robes of Nebuchadnezzar reserved, when himself was turned into a beast; Dan. iv. There you have the imperial ornaments of Diocletian, and his companion, casting aside their dominion for very madness, that they could not prevail against this house. There is the blood of Julian kept for a monument of vengeance against apos-
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tates. There you have the rochets of the prelates of this land, hung up of late with other garments of their adherents rolled in blood : there is a place reserved for the remaining spoils of the great whore, when she shall be burned, and made naked, and desolate ; Rev. xi. Never any rose, or shall arise against this house, and go forth unto final pros- perity. Let the men of the world take heed, how they burden themselves with the foundation stone of this house ; it will assuredly break them all in pieces.
Thus have I given you a glimpse of this house, with the chief properties of it, which as God assumes as his own, so also peculiarly it belongs unto the Lord Christ; yea, what relation it stands in unto him, or rather he unto it, is the main thing I intend.
(2.) Jesus Christ stands in a twofold relation unto this house.
[1.] In respect of its fabric and building.
[2.] In respect of its state and condition.
[1.] In the first regard, Christ relates to this house in a four-fold respect. As, 1st. Its foundation ; 2dly. Its ark; 3dly. Its altar ; 4thly. Its candlestick.
I shall pass through these, God assisting, in order, and begin with what was first laid down, his relation to this house. As,
1st. The foundation of it. This was in part declared be- fore. He is ' the stone which the builders rejected, but made of the Lord the head of the corner ;' Psal. cxviii. 22. He is the lowest in the bottom to bear up the weight of the building, and the highest in the corner to couple the whole together. ' Other foundation can no man lay, but that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ;' 1 Cor. iii. 10. He is the rock, on which he builds his church ; Matt. xvi. 18.
Now there are three things required to a foundation, all which are eminently seen in the Lord Christ, in reference to this house.
(1st.) That it be first laid in the building. It were a course exceeding preposterous, first to build a house, and then to lay the foundation. Jesus Christ is the first that is laid in this holy fabric, and that in a fourfold respect :
[1st.] He is the first in respect of God's eternal purpose. The Lord purposed that* he should have the pre-eminence*
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in this as well as in all other things ; Col. i. 15. He is in that respect 'the first-born among many brethren/ Rom. viii. 29. the residue of this house being predestinated to be made conformable unto him. 'He is before all things: by him all things' (that is, all spiritual things, all the things of this house) ' consist : he is the head of the body, the church.* This I mean, God purposed that Christ should be the bottom and foundation of this whole building, that it should be all laid on him. I do not mean, that God first intended Christ for a foundation, and then his elect for building (the order of intention and execution is, as to first and last, inverted by all agents), but this I say, God purposing to build his elect into a holy temple, purposed that Jesus Christ should be the foundation.