_ theCloud is ta(,en ofthe Tabernacle. 75 tain days and.times while the Cloud is upon the glory of this Tabernacle; and till the Lord remove it, man can do no- thing but wait ; he muff fitfrill in his Tent : And that is, when all things are in darkneife in man,bothwithin him and without hirn,and he fees himfelflofi as to all his own wifdom, power, endeavours; in this cafe tis in vain for man to arife and think tocreate a lghi, and a wifdome, and a power to him feife; for then he goes on in his ownpower and light,andnot in the light andpower ofGod. Ye know, the fire in the Ta- bernacle never went out ; there was alwayes light there; but Lev. 6.i 3 ifthere be a Cloud upon it, and thoueanft riot fee it, and yet wilt bejournying, and doing, and ailing, this will be thy fall.and humbling, and a curie will be upon thee, and not a bleging,and thou (halt not prof; er.When that firekindled the word in themouthofJeremiah the Prophet, then that word was a light to them& a command to depart out of theirCap- tivity,and to return to their own land;till then the cloud was upon their way,and they were as in a wayleffe wildernefs,wh.ere no man paled, a landof defarts andofpits, a land of drought and fhadows of deathwhere no man dwelt, as in that fecond Jcr..s. v. chapter ofJeremiah. While man is in this condition and in this night ofblindneffeand darkneffe, and land of death anddrought, he knowesnot his way, until the Lord Thew him a light ; till He remove the cloud, there is no finding theplace of refl., nor any feeding on the Hidden Manna, nor drinking at the Wells ofSalvation. When man is in this dark Efa. 12.3. night, how can he arife ? but ifhe fit11111 as to all his own powers, really feting his own weakneffe, and utter ina- bility, then this light in due time will íhine forth ; and if he everfirbefore this day, he arifes, and works, and walks untohis own ruin anddeftruC&ion. It may be this Doarin may feem harfh and very unwelcome tomolt Wren, That they hull not be doing, and going on, and journying, and working pfli1.2. 12 out their own Salvation : many are hereat much offended, at which I do not wonder-; for they not being able to fee the Myfery ofthe Scriptures,, onely refl in the Letter, and know not the teachings of the fpirit ; and think they muff do some- thing by way ofcondition, or elfeall is nothing. And here- L 2 in
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=