LIII. XVII. The Temple. A mindc and fpeake the fame things, that thouwho artthe God ofpeace, mailhakc pleafure to dwdl under the quiet roo:e ofour hearts. Now is the foundationJaid,and the w:tls rifing ofthat glorious fai>rick,which all Nations admired, and all times have cdei>Fated1 Even thofe llones which were laid in the Bafe oftbc building werenot ragged and rude,but hewneand collly: the plrt that !yes covered with earth from the eyes ofall behold~rs, is no lclfc prccious,thcn thofcthat arc more confpicuous: God isnot all for thccye,he flcafeth himfclfe with the hidden valueoftile living ll:ones ofhis fpirituall Temple; How many noble graces ofhisfervants have been buried in obfcurity; not difcerned fo much as by their ownc cyes~which yet as he gavc,fo hecrowncth : Hypocrites regard nothing but lhew, God nothing but truth. B The matter offo goodly a f.--me ll:rivcs with the proportion, whether lhallmorc exccll : Here was nothing but whiteMarblewithout ; nothing but Cedar and Gold within : upon the hill of Sion ll:ands that glittering and fnowy pile, which both invitcth and dazcleth the eyes ofpalfengcrsafarreoff, fo much more precious within, as Cedar is bcmr then ll:one,gold then Ccdar;Nobafc thing goes to the making up ofGods Houfc: If Satan may have a dwelling,he catcs not though he patch it up of the rubbi!h ofll:one, or rotten ll:icks, or droffcofmetals:God will admit ofnothing that is not pure and cxquifite;His Church confillsofnonebut the faithfull, his habitationis in no heart but the gracious. The falhion was no other then thatoftheTabornaclc;oncly this was more coftly, more large, more fixed; God was the lame thatdwelt in both, he varied not; the C fame myfiery was in both;'Ondy it was fit there fhould be a proportion betwixt the workc and the builder: The Tabernacle was erected ioa popular cllate, the Temple ina Monarchy; it was fit this lhould favour ofthe munificCilcc ofa King, as that of the zealeof amultitude ; That was cretled in the flitting condition of lfracl in the dcfet! : this, in their fctled relidcncc in the promifcd Land :it was fit therefore that fhould be framed for motion, this for r<ll. Both of them were dillinguilhed into three remarkable divifions, whereof each was more noble, more relerved tllen other. But whatdoe we bend our eyes upon llone,and wood, ~nd metals l God would nev<r have taken J>lcafure in thcfe dead materi3!S for theirowne fakes, ifthey had nor had a further totcndment: Me thinles !fee foutc Temples in this one. Itis bur D one in mattcr,ns the God that dwels in it is but one: three yet more,in rcfemblancc: according to divilioo ofthem in whom it plcafethGod to inhabite: For where ever God dwels,thcre is his Temple;Oh God thou voucbfafellto dwell in the belecving heart;aswe thy filly creatures have our being in thec,fo thou the Creator ofhcav~n and earth hall thy dwelling in us.The heaven of heavens is nor able to contain thee, and yet thou difdainell not to dwell in tbe llrait lodgings ofour renewod foulc. So then, bccaufc Gods children are many, and rhofe many divided in refpcd ofdrcmfelvcs,though united in their head, therefore thisTemple which is but one in colletlion as God is one, is manifold in the dillribution,as rhe S.ainrs arc rnany;cach man bearing about him a little lhrinc of this infiniteMajelly : And f(!r that the moll gcnerall divifion ofthe Saints is in their place and cllatc; fame llrugling,and toyliftg in I! this earthly warfare, others triumphing in heavenly glory; thcrcforchath God two other,moro univerfal Tcmplcs;One,thc Churchof his Saints on earth;the other,thc higbcll heaven of his Saints glorified. In all thefe, 0 G0d,thou dwdlcll for ever, and this matcrhll houfe ofthine is a cl cm r<prcfcmation of thefe three fpiritoall; Elfcwhat werea Temple made with hands unto the God offpirits~ And though one ofthcfc w.s a Kue typeofall,yet how arc they all exceeded each by othct~ This of !lone, though moll rich and collly, yet what is itto the living Temple ofthe holy Gholl,which is our body~ What is the Temple ofthis body ofours,to theTemple ofChrllls body,which is his Church~ And \Yhat is theTemplc ofGods Church on earth, to that which triunpheth glorioufiy in heaven! Howeafily doe we fee all thcfc in this one vifible Temple: which as it had three dillinllions of roomes; the Porch,the Holy-place, the Holy ofHolies, fo is eachof Eecec 3 - them 1157
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