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contracted by their own actual transgressions. Consequently, they have never trembled for fear of God's wrath, nor with strong crying and tears sought deliverance from it through the atoning blood of Jesus. Hence the grace of God has never been extended to them; and consequently they have never" tasted that the Lord is gracious." They, as I have before said, may descant learnedly upon the subject of divine grace; but their discussions proceed from the head only, and not from the heart. As a man who has never tasted honey, however conversant he may be with its qualities, has no just conception of its flavour, so none but he who has experienced the grace of God in his soul can know really what it is. He knows it, because he has tasted it: and others know it not, because they have not tasted it.]

The Apostle addressing these declares to them, II. Their duty—

He teaches them,

1. What they are to put away, as injurious to their welfare

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[The unconverted man, though he may appear righteous before men, is in reality full of the most abominable evils. He may not indulge in any gross sins; but he is full of "malice" towards those who have injured him in any tender point; and would feel gratified, rather than pained, at any evil that should befall him. His whole converse with mankind, too, is for the most part little better than one continued system of "guile and hypocrisy," which are the two chief constituents. of what is called politeness. If a rival surpass him in any thing on which his heart is set, and gain the honours which he panted for, he will soon find that the spirit which is in him lusteth to envy." Moreover, whether he be more or less guarded in his general conversation, he will find in himself a propensity to "evil speaking," as if he felt himself more elevated in proportion as others are depressed. Now these dispositions are more or less dominant in the natural man, as St. Paul has strongly and repeatedly declared after a person is converted to the faith of Christ, he needs to watch and pray against them with all imaginable care: for as inveterate disorders in the constitution will impede the growth, and destroy the vigour, of the body, so will these hateful dispositions" war against," and, if not subdued and mortified, prevail to the destruction of, the soul. These things therefore must be "put away."]

↑ Eph. ii. 3. Tit. iii. 3.

and,

2. What they must seek after, as conducive to their growth

[As "the word is the incorruptible seed of which they are born," so is it the food, upon which, as "new-born babes," they must subsist. In the inspired volume, they have truth without any mixture of error. The writings of men take partial views of things, and all more or less savour of human infirmity. Nor can the soul live upon them. If we have read a human composition two or three times, we are weary of it: but this is not the case with the word of God: that is ever new, and ever sweet to the taste of a regenerate soul. A little infant affects nothing so much as its mother's breast. From day to day it prefers that before every thing else that can be offered to it: and it thrives with that, better than with any food that human ingenuity can devise. So in the "sincere" and unadulterated "milk of the word," there is something more sweet and nutritious, than in all other books in the universe. In the inspired volume, God is presented to the soul under such endearing characters; the Lord Jesus Christ is set forth in such glorious views; the precepts, the promises, the threatenings, the examples, are all so harmoniously blended; in short, truths of every kind are conveyed to the mind with such simple majesty and commanding force, that they insinuate themselves into the whole frame of the soul, and nourish it in a way that no human composition can. This therefore we should desire, in order to our spiritual growth. We should read it, meditate upon it, delight ourselves in it: we should embrace every truth contained in it; its precepts, in order to a more entire conformity to them; its promises, in order to the encouragement of our souls in aspiring after the highest degrees of holiness. In short, we should get it blended with the whole frame and constitution of our souls, so that, to all who behold us from day to day, our growth and profiting may appear: nor should we be satisfied with any attainment, till we have arrived at "the full measure of the stature of Christ."]

Let me further IMPROVE this subject,

1. In a way of inquiry

[I am not now about to inquire, Whether you have made a great proficiency in the divine life, but Whether you have ever begun to live, or whether you are yet " dead in trespasses and sins?" In all the book of God, there is not a more simple, or more decisive test, than in the words before us. The extent of your knowledge or attainments is at present out of

1 Pet. i. 23.

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the question. The only point I wish to ascertain is this;
"Have you been born again?" If you have not made any
progress in the divine life, are you as new-born babes?"
Have you been brought, as it were, into a new world? and are
you living altogether in a new way? I do not ask whether, in
passing from death unto life," you have experienced any ter-
rors of mind; or whether the change has been so sudden, that
you can fix on the time when it commenced? but this I ask,
Whether you have attained such views of Jesus Christ, that he
is become truly "precious to your soulsh?" You cannot but
know, that, however you may have been accustomed to call
Christ your Saviour, you have not really found any delight in
him in past times. But if you have been " born again of the
Spirit," a change has taken place in this particular, and you
have been made to feel your obligations to him, and to claim
him as
"the Friend, and the Beloved of your soul." I entreat
you to examine carefully into this matter; for, if this change
have not taken place within you, ye are yet in your sins. Oh,
reflect on what our blessed Lord has so solemnly and so re-
peatedly affirmed; "Verily, verily, I say unto you, that except
a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God." If you ask, What shall I do to attain this experience?
I would say, Search out your sins, in order that you may know
your need of Christ; and then go to him as the friend of
sinners, who casts out none who come unto him. In a word,
I would refer you to the words of our text, as contained in the
34th Psalm, from whence they are taken; "O taste and see
that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man that trusteth in
him."]

2. In a way of affectionate exhortation

[You have reason, I will suppose, to believe that you have been born again; and that, though of no great stature in the divine life, you are new-born babes. If this be so, you have more reason to be thankful than if you were made possessors of the whole world: and I therefore call upon you to bless and magnify the Lord with your whole souls. But be not contented to continue in a state of infantine weakness, but seek to grow up into the stature of " young men, and fathers'." Some imagine that, as children, they may stand excused for the smallness of their attainments; but this is a grievous error. See with what severity St. Paul reproved the Corinthian converts for their want of progress in the divine life. Their continuing babes in their attainments proved them to be yet carnal, instead of spiritual; and prevented his feeding them with

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stronger meat, that would have nourished and strengthened their souls. See also how he condemned the same in the Hebrew converts, who by their infantine weakness were incapacitated for the reception of those sublime truths, which he would gladly have imparted to them". Be afraid then of standing still in religion for if you make not progress in it, you will speedily go backward; and if you decline from God's ways, O, how terrible will your state become! The Apostle tells us, that " if, after having tasted of the heavenly gift, and tasted of the good word of God and the powers of the world to come, you fall away, it is impossible for you ever to be renewed unto repentance, seeing that you will have crucified the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." Seek then to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; and, by a constant attention to the suggestions in my text, so increase with the increase of God, that you may grow up into Christ in all things as your living Head, and finally attain the full measure of the stature of Christ."] n Heb. v. 12, 14. • Heb. vi. 4—6.

m 1 Cor. iii. 1-4.

MMCCCXCII.

THE TEMPLE A TYPE.

1 Pet. ii. 4, 5. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

AS in the natural life, so in the spiritual, a state of maturity is attained by a slow and gradual progression; but every one should be aspiring after a further growth in grace, in order that he may reach the full measure of the stature of Christ. For this end the Apostle exhorts those who had tasted that the Lord is gracious, to covet the sincere milk of the word; and to come continually to Christ, in order to their more abundant edification in faith and love. His allusions to the material temple are worthy of our attentive consideration: he compares Christ to the foundation-stone, and believers to the other stones. built upon it; thereby shewing, that the temple had a typical reference to them,

I. In its foundation

Christ is here represented as the foundation-stone on which all are built

[When personally considered, Christ is represented as the temple itself, in which dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead a: but, as considered in relation to his people, he is the foundationstone, that supports the whole edifice. The quality ascribed to this stone is indeed singular; but it is perfectly suited to him of whom it is spoken. Christ is called "a living" stone, not merely as being of distinguished excellence (as he is also the "living bread," and "living water") but as having life in himself, and being the author of life to all who depend upon him: a quickening energy proceeds from him, which pervades and animates every part of this spiritual fabric.]

In this situation He is precious to all who know him—

[He has indeed in all ages been "disallowed of men," who, blinded by Satan and their own lusts, neither "saw any beauty in him for which he was to be desired," 66 nor would come to him that they might have life." The very persons appointed to build the temple have been the first to reject him: they could not endure that so much honour should be put upon him; or that they should be constrained to acknowledge him as the one source of all their stability. But he was "chosen of God" from all eternity, as the only Being capable of supporting the weight of this vast edifice; and, so perfectly is he suited to his place, that "he is precious" to God, and precious to all who are built upon him. If all the angels in heaven were ordered to fill his place but for a moment, the whole building would fall to ruins: but in him there is a suitableness and sufficiency, that at once delights the heart of God, and inspires his people with implicit confidence.]

Nor is the foundation only of the temple typical; there is a typical reference also,

II. In its superstructure—

Believers are the stones of which the temple is composed

[Every man, in his natural state, is as the stones in a quarry, ignorant of the end to which he is destined, and incapable of doing any thing towards the accomplishment of it. But the great Master-builder, by the instrumentality of those

a John ii. 19-21.

e John v. 21, 26.

b Isai. xxviii. 16. 1 Cor. iii. 11.
d Acts iv. 11.

e Isai. xlii. 1.

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