thee, so thou, the Creator of heaven and earth, hast thy dwelling in us. The heaven of heavens is not able to contain thee, and yet thou disdainest not to dwell in the strait lodgings of our renewed souls. So then, because God's children are many, and those many divided in respect of themselves, though united in their head, therefore this temple, which is but one in collection, as God is one, is manifold in the distribution, as the saints are many; each man bearing about him a little shrine of this Infinite Majesty and for that the most general division of the saints is in their place and estate, some struggling and toiling in this earthly warfare, others triumphing in heavenly glory; therefore hath God two other, more universal temples; one the church of his saints on earth; the other, the highest heaven of his saints glorified. In all these, O God, thou dwellest for ever: and this material house of thine is a clear, representation of these three spiritual; else what were a temple made with hands unto the God of spirits?. And though one of these was a true type of all, yet how are they all exceeded each by other? This of stone, though most rich and costly; yet what is it to the living temple of the Holy Ghost, which is our body? What is the temple of this body of ours, to the temple of Christ's body, which is his church? And what is the temple of God's church on earth, to that which triumpheth gloriously in heaven?

How easily do we see all these in this one visible temple; which, as it had three distinctions of rooms, the porch, the holy place, the holy of holies, so is each of them answered spiritually: In the porch we find the regenerate soul entering into the blessed society of the church; in the holy place the communion of the true visible church on earth, selected from the world; in the holy of holies, wherinto the high priest entered once a-year, the glorious heaven, into which our true High Priest, Christ Jesus, entered once for all, to make an atonement betwixt God and man. In all these, what a meet correspondence there is in proportion, matter, situation!

In proportion; the same rule that skilful carvers observe in the cutting out of the perfect statue of a man, that the height be thrice the breadth, and the breadth one third of the height, was likewise duly observed in the fabric of the temple, whose length was double to the height, and treble to the breadth, as being sixty cubits long, thirty high, and twenty broad. How exquisite a symmetry hast thou ordained, O God, betwixt the

faithful heart, and thy church on earth, with that in heaven! how accurate in each of these, in all their powers and parts, compared with other! So hath God ordered the believing soul, that it hath neither too much shortness of grace, nor too much height of conceit, nor too much breadth of passion : so hath he ordered his visible church, that there is a necessary inequality, without any disproportion; an height of government, a length of extent, a breadth of jurisdiction duly answerable to each other: so hath he ordered his triumphant church above, that it hath a length of eternity, answered with an height of perfection, and a breadth of incomprehensible glory.

In matter, all was here of the best: the wood was precious, sweet, lasting; the stones, beautiful, costly, insensible of age; the gold pure and glittering: so are the graces of God's children, excellent in their nature, dear in their acceptation, eternal in their use; so are the ordinances of God in his church, holy, comfortable, irrefragable; so is the perfection of his glorified saints, incomparable, unconceivable.

In situation; the outer parts were here more common, the inner more holy and peculiarly reserved. I find one court of the temple open to the unclean, to the uncircumcised; within that, another open only to the Israelites, and of them, to the clean; within that, yet another, proper only to the priests and Levites, where was the brazen altar for sacrifice, and the brazen sea for washing; the eyes of the laity might follow their oblations in hither, their feet might not.

Yet more, in the covered rooms of the temple, there is, whither the priests only may enter, not the Levites; there is, whither the high priest only may enter, not his brethren.

It is thus in every renewed man, the individual temple of God; the outward parts are allowed common to God and the world; the inwardest and secretest, which is the heart, is reserved only for the God that made it. It is thus in the church visible; the false and foul-hearted hypocrite hath access to the holy ordinances of God, and treads in his courts; only the true Christian hath entire and private conversation with the Holy One of Israel; he only is admitted into the holy of holies, and enters within the glorious vail of heaven.

If from the walls we look into the furniture; what is the altar, whereon our sacrifices of prayer and praises are offered to the Almighty, but a contrite heart? What the golden

candlesticks, but the illumined understanding, wherein the light of the knowledge of God, and his divine will, shineth for ever? What the tables of shew-bread, but the sanctified memory, which keepeth the bread of life continually? Yea, if we shall presume so far as to enter into the very closet of God's oracle; even there, O God, do we find our unworthy hearts so honoured by thee, that they are made thy very ark, wherein thy royal law, and the pot of thy heavenly manna, is kept for ever; and from whose Propitiatory, shaded with the wings of thy glorious angels, thou givest thy gracious testimonies of thy good Spirit, witnessing with ours, that we are the children of the living God.

Behold, if Solomon built a temple unto thee, thou hast built a temple unto thyself in us; we are not only, through thy grace, living stones in thy temple, but living temples in thy Sion. O do thou ever dwell in this thine house, and in this thy house let us ever serve thee! Wherefore else hast thou a temple, but for thy presence with us, and for our worshipping of thee? The time was, when, as thy people, so thyself didst lodge in flitting tents, ever shifting, ever moving; thence thou thoughtst best to sojourn both in Shiloh, and the roof of Obed-Edom; after that, thou condescendedst to settle thine abode with men, and wouldst dwell in an house of thine own at thy Jerusalem. So didst thou in the beginning lodge with our first parents in a tent, sojourn with Israel under the law, and now makest a constant residence, under the gospel, in the hearts of thy chosen children, from whence thou wilt remove no more; they shall remove from the world, from themselves; thou shalt not remove from them.

Wheresoever thou art, O God, thou art worthy of adora, tion; since thou ever wilt dwell in us, be thou ever worshipped in us. Let the altars of our clean hearts send up ever to thee the sweetest perfumed smokes of our holy meditations and faithful prayers, and cheerful thanksgivings. Let the pure lights of our faith, and godly conversation, shine ever before thee and men, and never be put out. Let the bread of life stand ever ready upon the pure and precious tables of our hearts. Lock up thy law and thy manna within us, and speak comfortably to us from thy mercy-seat. Suffer nothing to enter in hither that is unclean; sanctify us unto thyself, and be thou sanctified in us.

CONTEMPLATION VI.

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

GOD hath no use of the dark lanterns of secret and reserved perfections; we ourselves do not light up candles to put them under bushels. The great lights, whether of heaven or earth, are not intended to obscurity; but as to give light unto others, so to be seen themselves. Dan and Beersheba were too strait bounds for the fame of Solomon, which now hath flown over all lands and seas, and raised the world to an admiration of his more than human wisdom. Even so, O thou everlasting King of Peace, thy name is great among the Gentiles; there is no speech nor language, where the report of thee is not heard; "The sound of thee is gone forth through all the earth; thy name is an ointment poured out, therefore the virgins love thee."

No doubt many, from all coasts, came to learn and wonder, none with so much note as this noble daughter of Cham, who herself deserves the next wonder to him whom she came to hear and admire; that a woman, a princess, a rich and great queen, should travel from the remotest South, from Sheba, a region famous for the greatest delicacies of nature, to learn wisdom, is a matchless example. We know merchants that venture to either Indies for wealth; others we know daily to cross the seas for wanton curiosity. Some few philosophers we have known to have gone far for learning; and, amongst princes, it is no unusual thing to send their ambassadors to far distant kingdoms, for transaction of businesses either of state or commerce: but that a royal lady should in person undertake and overcome so tedious a journey, only to observe and inquire into the mysteries of nature, art, religion, is a thing past both parallel and imitation. Why do we think any labour great, or any way long, to hear a greater than Solomon? How justly shall the queen of the South rise up in judgment, and condemn us, who may hear wisdom crying in our streets, and neglect her!

Certainly so wealthy a queen, and so great a lover of wisdom, could not want great scholars at home; them she had first opposed with her enigmatical demands; and now, finding herself unsatisfied, she betakes herself to this oracle of

God. It is a good thing to doubt, better to be resolved: the mind that never doubts shall learn nothing; the mind that ever doubts shall never profit by learning. Our doubts only serve to stir us up to seek truth: our resolutions settle us in the truth we have found. There were no pleasure in resolútions, if we had not been formerly troubled with doubts; there were nothing but discomfort and disquietness in doubts, if it were not for the hope of resolution: it is not safe to suffer doubts to dwell too long upon the heart; there may be good use of them as passengers, dangerous as inmates: happy are we, if we can find a Solomon to remove them.

Fame, as it is always a blab, so ofttimes a liar. The wise princess found cause to distrust so uncertain an informer, whose reports are still either doubtful or fabulous; and, like winds or streams, increase in passing. If very great things were not spoken of Solomon, fame should have wronged him; and, if but just rumours were spread of his wisdom, there needed much credulity to believe them. This great queen would not suffer herself to be led by the ears, but comes in person to examine the truth of foreign relations. How much more unsafe is it, in the most important businesses of our souls, to trust the opinions and reports of others! Those ears and eyes are ill bestowed, that do not serve to choose and judge for their owners.

When we come to a rich treasure, we need not be bidden to carry away what we are able. This wise lady, as she came far for knowledge, so, finding the plenty of this vein, she would not depart without her full load; there was nothing wherein she would leave herself unsatisfied. She knew that she could not every day meet with a Solomon; and therefore she makes her best use of so learned a master: now she empties her heart of all her doubts, and fills it with instruction. It is not good neglecting the opportunities of furnishing our souls with profitable, with saving knowledge. There is much wisdom in moving a question well, though there be more in affoiling it: what use do we make of Solomon's teacher, if, sitting at the feet of Christ, we leave our hearts either ignorant or perplexed?

As if the errand of this wealthy queen had been to buy wisdom, she came with her camels laden with gold, and precious stones, and rich odours; though to a mighty king, she will not come to school empty-handed; if she came to fetch an invaluable treasure, she finds reason to give thanks unto him that