[As to be visited by an earthly monarch would be a higher honour than to be admitted into his palace, so to have God dwelling in our hearts on earth is even a higher honour than to be admitted into his temple above. Shall we not then be solicitous to obtain it ? when God has designed that we should even know ourselves possessed of it, and enjoy all the happi- ness arising from it, shall we treat it with contempt, as a mere phantom of a heated imagination? Let us open wide the doors of our hearts, that the King of glory may enter in^ With the Spirit of God dwelling in us, we shall have " all good things %" peace, joy, strength, purity, yea, an earnest and foretaste of our heavenly inheritance ^ Let us never cease from our importunity till we have obtained from our God this " unspeakable gift''."]
2. Let us be careful lest we abuse this privilege —
[Doctrines arising from human systems, even though they be true in themselves, must never be pressed into the service of sin, or be brought to enervate the force of declarations, which, though apparently opposite, are equally clear and true.
1 Amos iii. 2. ^ Ezek, ix. 3. and x. 4. s Ezek. x. 18.
t Ezek. X. 19. w Ezek. xi. 23.
s Gen. vi. 3. 1 Thess. v. 19.
y 2 Chron. xv. 2. Ezek. xviii. 24. 2 Pet. ii. 22.
^ Ps. xxiv. 7. a Luke xi. 13. with Matt. vii. 11.
b Eph. i. 13, 14. <^ 2 Cor. ix. 15.