"is his reward." Likewife the Hebrews further fay, "Not "the tribe of Levi only, but every particular man, of all that cc comes into the world, whose spirit maketh him willing, and "giveth him understanding, with knowledge to feparate him"felf, to ftand before the LORD to minifter to him, to serve "him, to know the LORD, and to walk aright, as GOD did "make him; and that he break off from his neck the yoke of "man's invention, which the fons of Adam have fought out. "Behold this man fanctifies himself, Holy of Holies, and the "LORD will be his part and his inheritance for ever, and ever, " and will vouchfafe to him in this world, the things that shall "be fufficient for him, even as he did vouchsafe to the Priests "and Levites. Behold faith David, (in Pfal. xvi. 5.) The "LORD is the portion of my part, and of my cup; thou "fuftaineft my lot." All this was typical of, and points out that the LORD will not only be the spiritual and eternal portion of his miniftering fervants, but that they fhall have a support and comfortable maintenance from their people, as the Apoftle argues, 1 Cor. ix. 13, 14. Do ye not know, that they which minifter about holy things, live of the things of the temple; and they which wait of the altar, are partakers with the altar; even fo hath the Lord ordained, that they that preach the gospel, should live of the gospel, v. 11. if we have fown to you in fpiritual things, is it a great thing if we should reap your carnal things?

Friendly. You will (I know) permit me to be free with you; fome may be ready to fay, What neceffity is there that Minifters fhould be maintained by others; cannot they follow fome honeft calling?

Truth. Is not their miniftry their calling? A work appointed them of GoD? A work that requires all their time and talents, for their honourable difcharge of it before GoD and man? Is not their work hard, laborious, and indefatigable, in labours faith the Apoftle, more abundant; preaching the word in feafon, and out of feafon; spending, and being spent? If this is not a work fufficient for the heart and hands, for the strength and talents of a man, I know not what is; mistake not, it is not a business to be done flightly; no, no, it requires the heart in it, love unto it, and a conftant delight therein, 1 Tim. iv. 15. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. For the Gofpel-Field is not ploughe, nor the Chariots of Salvation drawn by the Horfemen in Irael; therefore it follows, that their work is fufficient, and more than fufficient for them; that they ought to make it their whole concern to feed the church of God, of which

the Holy Ghoft hath made them overseers; and that their people fhould communicate to them an honourable maintenance. I know fome people plead poverty; but, generally speaking, they have more money in their pockets, than good will in their hearts to give, and I acknowledge that fome godly Minifters, out of love to their little flock, might fay with the Apoftle, Acts xx. 33, 34. I have coveted no man's filver or gold, or apparel; you your felves know, that these hands of mine have miniftered to my neceffities, and to them that were with me; and labour, working with our own hands, 1 Theff. i. 9. For ye remember, brethren, our labour, and travelling night and day, becaufe we would not be chargeable to any of you; we preached unta you the gospel of God. This was an act of pure love, for, according to the gofpel, the Apoftle might have forbore labouring with his hands, 1 Cor. ix. 6. have not we power to forbear working, &c. &c.

Friendly. But as the ceremonial law hath ceased, confequently an obligation to pay tithes must cease?

Truth. Though the ceremonial law hath ceased, yet CHRIST, who is the fum and fubftance of it is come, for it was only a fbadow of good things to come; and confequently, what the tithes (which were the fupport of the Levites) fhadowed forth, muft take place; therefore, while the bleffings of CHRIST do not ceafe, nor the want of the knowledge of falvation, it is in vain to plead for the ceffation of the fupport of the Minifters of the gofpel. The tithes of the land were part of the people's fubftance, which they freely gave for the fupport of the Levites, on which account, part of the peoples fubftance, ought to be given for the honourable maintenance of their Minifters. Confider their characters, as fervants of the Moft High God; Emballadors of Chrift; Stewards of the Mysteries of the kingdom; Shepherds of the flock; Apoftles of the Lamb; and Paftors of churches. Confider their qualifications, I don't mean their natural qualifications (though they are good in their place) fuch as having their minds adorned with human literature in the knowledge of the sciences and languages; but I mean their fpiritual qualifications, as being endowed with power from above, preaching the gospel, with the Holy Ghoft fent down from Heaven, the anointing that teacheth them all things; this is the qualification that makes them able Minifters of the new teftament; rich in knowledge, having a spiritual and internal underftanding of the word of GOD, which enables them to bring out of their treasure, things new and old: It makes them

favory in their experience; their prayers and miniftrations come, as it were, warm from their hearts, which burns within them while they are speaking of the things touching the Kingdom. It makes them fruitful in the word of life; being full of faith, and of the HOLY GHOST, they preach that which they know, and testify that which they have feen. Then confider your own wants; do you not stand in need of fresh comfort, of renew'd ftreams of love, of fresh knowledge of CHRIST, and the joys of his falvation? And fhall GoD qualify these his miniftering fervants, and fend them to you with the olive branch of peace, with all the fweets of falvation, with a word in feafon to your fouls, and you not love them, and be ready to provide for their comfortable fupport here? CHRIST faith, Inafmuch as ye did it unto the leaft of these my brethren ye did it unto me. Your intereft and joy is connected with the happiness of your Minister, which made the Apoftle fay to the church at Theffalonica, we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to efteem them very highly in love for their works fake, I Theff. v. 12, 13.

Friendly. As my dear Truth has fatisfied me with my duty, in regard to loving and fupporting the Minifters of CHRIST, we will now proceed to the next type, mentioned in Exod. XXX. 17, 18, 19, 20. And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Thou shalt alfo make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal; and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein, for Aaron and his fans fhall wash their hands and their feet thereat: When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they fhall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minifter, to burn offering made by fire unto the Lord. Now, what might I apprehend by the laver, by the Prieft's washing thereat, and by life being preferved thereby?

Truth. The laver, in the Hebrew is cijor, (fometimes used for a cauldron, though most commonly for a washing veffel,) in the Greek is lauter, that is, a laver. When the people and the Priests were multiplied, as in Solomon's time, he made for the temple ten lavers, and a molten fea, so called from the elegancy of the Hebrew tongue, which calleth any large collection of waters, a fea, Gen. i. 10. the gathering together of waters he called fea. But the ten lavers, and the molten sea in the temple, were of the fame use as the laver, or brafen fea in

the tabernacle, which was for the Priests, not only to wash themselves, but the facrifices therein, 2 Chron. iv. 6.

From whence I apprehend, that the laver of water, wherein, or at which the Priests were to wash, was typical of the fountain of CHRIST's blood, in its cleanfing nature, and efficacy upon the mind, Zech. xiii. 1. In that day fhall there be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jeru falem, for fin and for uncleannefs. The precious blood of CHRIST is compared to a fountain, for its abundance and full fupply, not to a stream, or rivulet, which might be foon exhaufted, but a fountain that hath a fpring in itself; therefore a fufficiency for thoufands, for millions, and that for millions of ages. And as the water in the laver was appointed for the Priests to wash in, fo the laver of CHRIST's blood is appointed by GOD for guilty, filthy fouls to bathe in by faith. However guilty and contaminated before GOD, yet there is hope for fuch a foul: Hope did I fay? Nay, there is the strongest assurance of falvation, as the SAVIOUR's death is a fountain opened for fin and uncleanness, to remove and wash it away, 1 John i. 7. the blood of Jefus Chrift his fon cleanfeth us from all fin, past, present, and to come; there is fuch a cleaning quality therein, that let the foul be ever fo vile, (if now fenfible of its vileness, and wanting relief therefrom) there is falvation for it, though as black as Hell by nature, and all the contamination of the Devil by practice, yet there is redemption in bis blood, even the forgiveness of fins, Eph. i. 7. It is the great end and defign of his death, to eafe guilty minds, to remove a sense of deserved wrath from their fouls, Rom. iii. 25. whom God hath fet forth, (or fore ordained) to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. The Saints above own its cleanfing efficacy, Rev. vii. 13, 14. And one of the Elders anfwered, fay ing unto me, what are thefe which are arrayed in white robes? and whence come they? And I faid unto him, fir, thou knowest ; and be faid unto me, these are they that came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Friendly. I afk pardon for my freedom, in breaking in upon your thoughts, but this objection arifeth, that the laver was only appointed for the Priests and the facrifices, how then can it be fuch a rich type of relief to diftreffed minds in general?

Truth. Remember, my dear Friendly, that all the LORD'S children are Priefts, therefore called by the Apoftle Peter, a boly priesthood, 1 Pet. ii. 9. a royal priesthood, as the Ifraelites

were called a kingdom of priests, Exod. xix. 6. Aaron and his fons, under the law, were fet apart for the Prieft's office, and it was their washing in the laver, that qualified them to act therein; fo the LORD's people were from everlasting, fet apart for himself, in the election of grace; but it is their being washed in the blood of the LAMB, that qualifies them to act in his fervice as fpiritual Priefts in his fanctuary, Rev. i. 5. 6. Unto him who bath loved us, and washed us from our fins, in his own blood; and bath made us Kings and Priests unto God. Chrift being a King and a Prieft upon his throne, Zech. vi. 13. and granting to them that overcome to fit down with him upon his throne, makes them Kings and Priests likewife.

Second, The laver was appointed to wafh the facrifices in, which I apprehend was typical of our spiritual facrifices being wafhed in the SAVIOUR's blood, thereby making them holy to GOD, I Pet. ii. 5. an holy priesthood, to offer up fpiritual facrifices, acceptable to God by Jejus Chrift; and the Jews fpeak of fpiritual facrifices, diftinct from the material ones, which they fay are the facrifices of the mind. But as the facrifices under the law, were to be washed in the laver, fo our spiritual facrifices of praise and thanksgiving, must be washed in the gospel laver of CHRIST's death; they must have the odour and fragancy of his blood ftamped upon them, to render them acceptable to GOD; for as they come from us, they are polluted and defiled by a corrupt heart, but, as wafhed in JESUS's blood, they are as acceptable as the praises of Angels.

Third, It would have been death for Aaron to have entered into the tabernacle of the congregation, to come near to the altar without washing in the laver; which points out, that there is no drawing near to GOD without the blood of JESUS, without being washed and cleanfed therein, as faith the Apostle, Heb. x. 19. Having therefore, brethren, boldness, (or liberty) to enter into the holiest (but how?) by the blood of Jefus, &c. All our fpiritual attendance upon him, must have the fanction of his death thereon, or we cannot approach with acceptance before him.

Friendly. But what may I apprehend by the laver being fanctified?

Truth. It points out, that the death of CHRIST, even all his fufferings (as the fpirit refted upon him without measure) were fanctified; on which account it is faid, Heb. ix. 14. who, through the eternal fpirit, offered himself without fpot to God. His death had not only the appointment of his FATHER, his own voluntary offering, but the feal of the HOLY GHOST therein;