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upon your heart, with a beam of his beauty and glory? Have you feen him in the beauty of his perfon and offices? In the beauty of his merit and Spirit? In the beauty of his righteoufnefs and fulness? Why, fome may think, the man is talking of a fight of Christ's glory, that must be but wild fancies and enthusiasti"cal notions; is not Chrift in heaven? For our part, "we never saw any glory beyond that of fun, moon, "and stars." O poor foul! you are an utter stranger to this day that I am fpeaking of, if you never faw any brighter glory than that. There is an infinitely brighter beauty to be seen than can be seen by your bodily eyes, in thefe vifible heavens. Is not that word in your Bible, "The God who commanded light to fhine out of darknefs, hath fhined into our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of his glory in the face of Jefus Chrift?" Is not that word in your Bible, "All we, beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the fame image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord?" It is by faith we fee a God in Chrift, reconciling the world unto himself: we fee his grace, his glory, his beauty, and we cannot exprefs what we fee: we cannot explain to the world what we fee; words cannot represent the beauty and glory that is seen in him, or the fweetnefs and comfort that is felt in him, when difcovered. They that fee him can fay no more, but that they fee him, all grace, all glory, all beauty, altogether lovely; infinitely lovely: and it is no fancy or imagination, but according to the word of God, the fcriptures of truthi, wherein he is faid to give us the Spirit of wifdom and revelation in the knowledge of Chrift.So you fee fome figns how this duty may be known.

V. The Fifth thing propofed, was, To fhew what faving bleffings do commence from this day; From this day will I blefs you.

1ft, What bleflings do commence from this day wherein the foundation of the temple is laid? Why, from this day they are bleffed with all temporal, fpiritual, and eternal bleffings.

1. From this day they are bleffed with all temporal

bleffings;

bleffings; having a title to all things. By our fall, in the first Adam, we forfeited our title to all things; and fo whatever good things in the world wicked men may enjoy, they have no right thereto, but ftand aufwerable to God for invading his property; and, therefore, the wicked are called robbers, Job xii. 6. "The tabernacles of robbers profper." But whenever the foundation of the fpiritual temple is laid, the forfeited right to all things is recovered, because the man is united to Chrift, who is the heir of all things: "All things are yours, for ye are Chrift's.-He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all; how fhall he not with him alfo freely give us all things?" All things elfe are but like paper and packthread caft in to the bargain. From this day they are bleffed, not only with a title to, but with a poffeffion of as much of thefe temporal things as God fees for their advantage: They are bleffed in their bafket and in their ftore; and, if it were for their good, they fhould be all kings and queens in the earth; for, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: and the cattle on a thoufand hills are his.-The young lions may lack and fuffer hunger, but they that fear the Lord fhall lack no good thing." And tho' they mufl, thro' much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God; yet, from this day, they are bleffed in all circumftances of life. From this day, they are blessed in adverfity, and in profperity both; for, as their profperity is void of the fatal curfe that comes upon the wicked, who are curfed in their bafket and in their ftore; while the believer's profperity is conveyed thro' the channel of covenant-love and kindness; being, not the effect of common providence, but of covenant-love and promife; "Bleffed are the meek for they fhall inherit the earth," Mat. v. 5. As their adverfity is ftill under the conduct and management of a reconciled God and Father, who, tho' he vifit their iniquities with rods, yet his loving-kindness will he not take away from them. And, therefore, "Tho' the fig-tree fhould not bloffom, neither fhould fruit be found in the vine, though the labour of the olive fhould fail, and the herd be cut off from the stall, and the fields fhould yield no meat, yet may they rejoice in the Lord, and be joyful in the God of their falvation." And, VOL. VII. Though

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Though their houfe be not fo with God, as they would defire; yea, though their hearts be not fo with God, as they would wish, yet here is matter of everlasting com fort to them in every adverfity, that he hath made with them an everlasting covenant, well-ordered in all things, and fure. In a word, they are so bleffed in profperity or adverfity, that all things fhall work together for their good.

2. From this day they are bleffed with all fpiritual bleflings; "Bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath bleffed us with all fpiritual bleffings in heavenly places, in Christ Jefus," Eph. i. 3. This is fo plain from what I have faid already, upon the fecond head, that I fhall not infift upon it; for, Chrift being the foundation of all bleffings, and they being united to this foundation; from this day and forward they have all fpiritual bleffings in him. From this day they are bleffed with all the fpiritual bleflings that accompany the fpiritual life they live upon free-coft all their days. Their bleffed Jofeph has laid up for them a treafure of provifion, not for seven years, but for time and eternity both. The hypocrite lives upon himfelf, and his duties; but the believer lives, in the way of duty, upon Chrift and his righteoufnefs, for juftification; upon Chrift and his Spirit, for fanctification.-From this day they are bleffed with a guard of angels to encamp round about them;

They are miniftring fpirits, fent forth to minister to the heirs of falvation:" yea, with a guard of divine attributes round about them; for, "As the mountains are about Jerufalem, fo is the Lord round about them that fear him." They need not fear the armed fquadrons of hell, when environed with fuch a heavenly hoft. Who then can harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?-From this day they are bleffed with all spiritual experiences; fuch as, manifeftations of divine love, now and then; fupport and comfort under trouble, hearing au audience of their prayers; pity after their falls; recovery after their backflidings; furprizing relief out of foul depths and distress; ravishing intimations of pardon; aftonishing communications of ftrength; fweet in-pourings of words of grace into their heart; and pleafant out-makings of the word of promife, on which he hath caufed them

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to hope and many more fuch-like experiences, which I cannot infifl upon.-From this day they are bleffed with a title to God, and all his attributes; to Christ, and all his fulness; to the Spirit, and all his faving graces, inAluences and operations: and here, I am fure, there is more to speak of than the tongues of men or angels can tell. When a poor beggar is married to a royal prince, fhe may view his palace, furvey his garden, and please herfelf with a delightful profpect of all his greatness and glory, and may fay, "Thefe are all mine,

because the prince himfelf is mine:" fo may the poor foul, that is united to Chrift, and laid upon this fure foundation, fay of all the bleffings of the covenant, and of all the plenitude of the Deity, "All is mine, because "Chrift himself is mine:"-" Ye are complete in him, in whom dwells all the fulnefs of the Godhead bodily."

3. From this day they are bleffed with all eternal bleffings; "He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life," John iii. 36. He not only fhall have it, ere long, in full poffeffion; but he hath it already: he hath it by faith, which is the fubftance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not feen: he hath it in hope, and fo may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God: he hath it in the promise; he hath it in the beginnings, first-fruits and earneft thereof; and, above all, he hath it in his Head, in that bleffed foundation to which he is joined. He that can fay, Chrift is mine, can well fay, Everlasting life is mine. A happy death belongs to him; for, being in the Lord, he thall be amongst the bleffed that die in the Lord. A happy refurrection belongs to him; for, his glorious head will open the gates of the grave, and gather the fcattered atoms of his rotten duft, and raife it up in glory. A happy eternity belongs to him; for, as fure as God is in heaven, the man that is in Chrift, fhall be there for ever: "Father, I will, that these whom thou haft given me, be with me, where I am, that they may behold the glory which thou hast given me; for thou lovedft me before the foundation of the world." But who can tell what a blessed eternity awaits them, from this day that the foundation of the fpiritual temple is laid? Paul wrapt up to the third heavens to behold the

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glories of the upper paradife, tell us that he heard å pinta pacara, unspeakable words, 2 Cor. xii. 4.They will be bleffed in their place, the throne of God and of the Lamb, whereof we have a magnificent defcription, Rev. xxi. 20.-They will be bleffed in their company; "The innumerable company of angels; the general affembly and church of the first-born, that are written in heaven; the fpirits of juft men made perfect; God the Judge of all; and Jefus the Mediator of the new covenant." They will be bleffed in their ftate; for, it will be a ftate of reft: "There remains a reft for the people of God.-They will reft from their la bours, and their works follow them." They will reft from all fin, troubles, trials, temptations, and afflictions; from all doubts and fears; no unbelieving thought fhall enter into their hearts to all eternity; and they will reft in the enjoyment of their God in Chrift for ever and ever. They will be bleffed in their work, which will be to contemplate his glory; for then they fhall fee him face to face, and make his glorious praife refound thro' his eternal temple: their bleffed work will be to fing the fong of Mofes and of the Lamb, faying, "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; juft and true are thy ways, thou King of faints. Salvation to our God, that fitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever." For then the myflery of God will be finished, and the fpiritual temple-work will be compleated, and the head-flone brought forth with fhoutings, faying, Grace, grace unto it; yea, with Hallelujahs, faying, Glory, glory unto it. Chrift is the foundation, and Chrift is the head-ftone; and all the joyful harps of IMMANUEL's land fhall be turned to his everlafting praife. Thus I have given a fhort glance at what bleflings fhall commence from this day.

VI. The Sixth general head of the method was, To prove, by fome fcriptural arguments and reafons, that faving bleffings do actually commence from that day. Well then, How and by what reafon doth it appear, that bleffings do all commence from this day? From this day will I blefs you. Now, it is plain enough, that all faving bleffings do actually commence from the day wherein

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