happy; for," The bleffing of the Lord maketh rich ;" and those whom he bleffes, are bleffed indeed. God's bleffing is much worth. Men may blefs, and yet at the fame time God's curfe may make them miferable : but when God bleffes, men's curfes can do them no harm; for, God's bleffing takes away the curfe both from croffes and comforts.

3. The certainty of it, I will bless you. It is fixed by God's unchangeable will; and his will is determined in his unchangeable word of promife: when God fays, I WILL bless you, it is impoffible but the bleffing must take place; and when God's I will is heard by faith, it brings in full affurance, and firong confolation. As when God fays, "I will take away the heart of stone, and give the heart of flefh; I will put my Spirit within you; I will fprinkle you with clean water; I will be your God;" faith's echo is, Amen, Lord, thy will be done.' And when God's I will and our Amen meet together, then our will goes in to God's will, and the thing willed is certain and fure; yea, firmer than mountains of brafs for God's will is unalterable, his promise unchangeable; he has faithfulness for the girdle of his

loins.

You have the objects of this bleffing, in the pronoun you. It is true, this you is not in the original; but is fitly enough fupplied by our tranflators; for it is plainly understood, though the words run, From this day will I blefs: As if he had faid, Hitherto curfes and miferies have taken place among you; but henceforth bleffings and happiness fhall take place; In bleffing I will blefs. But whom will he thus blefs? Why, the perfons understood here, are thefe, who, through grace, are determined to apply themselves to temple-work, and temple-reformation. And fo,

4. You have the term or time, from which the blef fing commences, From THIS DAY will I bless you: that is, from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid. And here lies the principal emphafis of the text; and therefore, we have this from four times repeated; "Confider now from this day and upward; from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month; even from

the

misie, re: scv tča: this work was

- - F24 se priper them. God C1:21 is a caldew, ver. 17.;

inic.securizidle, and might irre. 135 13 2 cuotinued in ne. I. #r*,

Lider afairs went back. 22:21:

22:3e foundation, or to

.::-as that had been :.:::Sverre, from that time,

**"Tiebie turn for the bet. ánii ius:sked yet in the barn?

::: zze, and the pomegraid-2:00 ught forth : from

" Te:. 19. Viczing appears, - Tiad vintage next

1 :: bow, that the foun. .I.

BIG 309.cariy yourielves in resivris, se Gee of cature pro

vrecies 17:28: dy sill I

222renced order the name

sjeren saa ot? It is not DIT, : plenty only;

Ba, 203 are promie Sc: 13-openerber of pritu. Sivecincipat erity, as well

trenererari prosperity, and 1:02:3sschaar gere: but when he hath Racers, as to be trein bis baiket and escore, teen it comes in on the ra ving

T. e poiriege thea here is ali Poes.

2. Tserer cesis ble God. : Tierz tere insen gods which is can be der

?, I say, ly compiritual 1. coms do acnited to rein the

of this

ܕܐ

happy; for, “ The blefing csen:

and those wbom he blesses, are ie : - bleffing is much worth. Men :: : the same time Gid's curse c'ay :::

but when God blesses, men's Cr.3 : - harm; for, God's blessing takes and Les from crosses and coorts.

3. The certainty of it, I will ll. s ry. 1: .. God's unchangeable will; and his wisi i det -- 1 his unchangeable word of promise: when loc... Will bless you, it is imposible but tleh...!!licis

place; and when God's I will is lu ard bu fuia, it - brings in full aliurance, and firung cnt 1:41. As

when God fays, - I will take away the heart of f: na,
and give the heart of Hells; I will put my ., Mini
you; I will sprinkle you with cluan water; I we ye.P
God;" faith’s echo is, • Amen. Li Ic, ti.y will icd.se.'
And when God's I will and rur A::en moet di...
then our will goes in to Gud's wil, and the thir
is certain and fure; yea, firmer tien muss.
brass : for God's will is waiterais, lis pro 19.-
changeable; he has fail: t:.. us :
loins.

4. You have the rise ;
noun you. It is true, 's
but is fitly en cyber
plainly undertitood, ...-
will I blejs: 4s i de

series have taken
fings and happines
blefs. But who
onderitud here are
determined to mi
teople cairman

court, for and the holy entered once Well, so it is

the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid; confider it, from this day will I blefs you." It is the beft day's work that ever was done; and it is the beft day that ever you had in your life; for, from hence you may date your happinefs, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid.

Now, you are to remember that the temple was typi cal of Chrift; not only of Chrift perfonal, in whom dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; as God dwelt in the temple of old fymbollically, towards which facred temple, Chrift Jefus, we are always to look for acceptance with God; and, like Jonah, to look again towards his holy temple; but also Christ myftical was typified by the temple; that is, the church, which is the houfe of God, whereof Chrift is the living ftone, the fure foundation; and all believers, as living flones, are built up a fpiritual houfe in him; as you have it explained, 1 Pet. ii. 4, 5. Heb. iii. 6. Eph. ii. 20. 1 Cor. iii. 17. 2 Cor. vi. 16. Thus their building of the temple did fignify the reformation of the church, having laid the foundation, which represents the fecuring of the ground-work of re ligion.

Now, let us gather fome fpiritual leffon from this, that they were bleffed from the very day in which the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid in a literal fenfe. The fpiritual myftery here reprefented is the following doctrine, which I take from the words, confidered with their connection.

OBSERV. That all faving bleffings do actually commence from the day the foundation of the fpiritual temple is actually laid. From this day will I blefs you; that is, from the day that the foundations of the Lord's temple were laid.

I use the word actually in both branches of the doctrine, because I speak not of what was done decretively, in the purpofe of God, from eternity; nor of what was done virtually, in the council of peace, and covenant of redemption; nor of what was done fundamentally and meritorioufly, when Chrift died at Jerufalem; but rather of the actual fruits and produce of thefe, when they ac

tually

tually take place in a day of power: and therefore, I say, my doctrine is, That all faving bleflings do actually commence, from the day that the foundation of the fpiritual temple is actually laid. See Eph. i. 3. and ii. 21. compared; where you fee all fpiritual faving bleffings do actually take place, from the time that the foul is united to Chrift, the fure foundation; which is the day wherein the foundation of the fpiritual temple is laid.

But for the further clearing and confirming of this doctrine, I propofe the following method, namely,

I. I would fhew what this fpiritual temple is.
II. What is the foundation thereof.

III. How this foundation is laid.

IV. I would fpeak a little of the day in which the foundation is laid, and from which bleffings take their date.

V. Shew what bleffings do commence from this day. VI. Prove, by fome particular arguments and reafons, that faving bleffings do actually commencé from that day.

VII. Make application of the whole fubject.

I. The first thing we are to do then, is, To fhew what this fpiritual temple is. We told you, that the temple was a type of Chrift myftical, and Chrift perfonal; and I defign to exclude none of them in the progrefs of my difcourfe.

Now, the temple was a type of Chrift myftical; that is, of the church of God, and of particular.believers, in many refpects; who, therefore, are frequently called, the temple of God, and the temple of the Holy Ghoft; and the type and antitype agree in thefe, and the like following particulars.