his providence, and is at this day threatening fore to remove his tabernacle from us; but O how loath is he to leave us among the dark places of the earth! his way of working feems to utter that language, Hof. xi. 8. "How fhall I give thee up, O Ephraim? how fhall I deliver thee, Ifrael? how fhall I make thee as Admah? how fhall I fet thee as Zeboim? my bowels are turned within me, my repentings are kindled together."

Inf. 3. Let every one of us endeavour in our different spheres to be workers together with God in building up the tabernacle of David, which (as you have heard) is broken, and in a fallen and ruinous condition at this day.

To quicken and excite this careless generation to a concern about building the Lord's tabernacle, I offer these few confi derations.

ft, It is the tabernacle of David, your great and only King, who has fought our battles for us against the powers of hell. It is he who has flain Goliath the terror of Ifrael, he has bruised his head at the expence of his death and blood; and yet fhall we not be concerned to build up his tabernacle when it is fallen ?

2dly, The tabernacle of David is the glory of our land; it is this that makes Zion "the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth;" it is this that makes the church to "look forth as the morning, fair as he moon, clear as the fun, and terrible as an army with banners.

3dly, The tabernacle of David is not only the glory, but the fafety of a land; it is the very chariots and horsemen of Ifrael." His glory in the midst of a church is as a wall of fire about her, and as broad rivers and ftreams furrounding the city, where no galley with oars nor gallant fhip can pafs, to harm or moleft the inhabitants of the city of God. It was God's tabernacle in the midst of Ifrael, that truck terror upon all the nations round about, and made Balaam, at the fight thereof, to cry out, "Surely there is no inchantment against Jacob, nor divination against Ifrael"

4thly, Confider, that as it is our duty and intereft, so we are bound by the oath of God to upbuild, maintain, and preferve, the tabernacle of David against all injuries. Befides perfonal vows, there are public vows, oaths, and covenants, frequently repeated, lying upon us and our pofterity to build up the tabernacle of David, to maintain the doctrine, difcipline, worship, and government of the church of Scotland, as it is ftated in our public ftandards. And whatever failures, through human weakness and infirmity, there might be either in the compofure of these covenants, or yet in their adminiftration, this can ne

wer loose us from the oath of God to maintain and carry on a reformation of the church of Chrift, antecedently binding by the authority of God in his word. The Rachabites thought themselves bound to abstain from wine, a thing indifferent in itself, because of their father's oath; and are commended for

it.

The rafh oath made to the Gibeonites in the days of Joshua was found binding in the days of Saul and David, although it was only the princes of the congregation that fware. The oath of Zedekiah king of Judah to the king of Babylon, a Heathen, though prohibit in the law of Mofes, was found binding; "Shall he break the covenant, and escape?" The bond of any city or community, though made only by thefe who prefently govern, is found binding in law upon their fucceffors in office in the fame fociety. And yet, will any deny that the oath of God, fo folemnly fworn by king, nobles, gentry, commons, and perfons of all ranks, with uplifted hand to the great God, for maintaining and upholding his tabernacle in the land, is not obligatory upon us their pofterity? And therefore, I fay, if we do not concur in building the fallen tabernacle of David according to thefe oaths, we are guilty, not only of rebellion against the divine authority, but also of perjury.

5thly, Hell and Rome, and all their auxiliaries, are at work to ruin the Lord's tabernacle; and yet fhall the friends of Chrift be flack-handed to build and uphold it? None more active to ruin and pull down the tabernacle than a set of corrupt clergymen, who by ways and means of their own, have ufurped the facred offices of the tabernacle. We have feen by their acts, and now we may fee it in print, a scheme and project laid to ruin the church of Chrift into a politic engine for ferving the interest of the state, and all the stipends of Scotland into livings for gentlemens fons; and thus they propofe to build the tabernacle of David. But if this was the way of Chrift and his apoftles it is eafy to judge from Matth. xi. 25. 1 Cor. i. 26–28. Now, I fay, when men are so active to ruin the Lord's tabernacle, fhall not the lovers of Chrift be concerned to build it up?

6thly, The curfe of God will follow these who do not help to build up the tabernacle of David. The cry feems to be given in the camp of Ifrael, "Who is on the Lord's fide against the mighty ?" You that are idle spectators, and refuse your helping hand, remember that awful word, Judg. v. 23. "Curfe ye Meroz, curfe ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof: because they came not up to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty."

7thly, If

7thly, If the tabernacle of David fall, or be lifted from among us, many woes will follow upon it: "Yea, wo alfo unto them when I depart from them," nothing but defolation enfues. "Be inftructed, O Jerufalem, left I make thee defolate, a land not inhabited. I would have gathered thee (fays Chrift unto the Jews), as the hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not !" and therefore "behold your houfe is left unto you defolate." Let us but look to Shiloh, and fee what the Lord has done there; let us look to the famous churches in the Leffer Asia, the once famous church of Rome; let us look to France, Spain, Germany, and other parts, where the tabernacle of David once flourished, and see what darkness and defolation is there through the removal of the tabernacle; and let these be beacons to warn and guard us against indifferency about the concerns of the Lord's tabernacle, and motives to excite us to activity and concern for maintaining and upholding of his tabernacle as in the days of

old.

8thly, Let it encourage every friend of Zion to lend their helping hand, that it is God that builds the tabernacle of David, and his faithfulness is engaged in the text to do it. We are encouraged to "work out the work of our personal falvation with fear and trembling," under a sense of our own weakness and impotency, because "it is God that worketh in us, both to will and to do of his own good pleasure." So let it encourage us to put hand to the work of the Lord's tabernacle, that it is God that builds the tabernacle of David: "God doth build up Jerufalem, and gather together the difperfed of Ifrael." if he fmile upon our impotent mints at the work, he will make the work to go on and profper. It is no matter how infignificant, how few or fmall the inftruments be if he work with them or by them; for he can make one to chafe a thoufand, a thoufand to put ten thousand to flight. "The battle is not to the ftrong, nor the race to the swift. Worm Jacob" in his hand will arife "and threth the mountains, and beat them fmall, and make the hills as chaff."

9thly, If we do not help up with the tabernacle of David, we bring the blood of David upon our heads; for the tabernacle was reared at the expence of his blood: and we bring the blood of all our ancestors, who fuffered for maintaining of God's tabernacle in the land, upon our head. Yea, we bring the blood of our fouls, and the blood of all our pofterity, on our head for if the tabernacle of David fall, and be removed, our own fouls perish, and the fouls of our pofterity, the very means of their falvation being gone out of the land: for "where no

vifion is, there the people perish," faith the Lord by Solomon, Prov. xxix. 18.

In order to our fuccefsful building of the broken and fallen tabernacle of David, there are these following particulars I would fuggeft to my reverend brethren at present, to myself, and to all hearing me.

1. In order to tabernacle-building, it is neceffary that every one of us prepare a habitation for the mighty God of Jacob in our hearts. It is fcarce to be fuppofed that that man who refuseth Christ a room in his heart by faith, that ever he will be very active to build him a tabernacle in the land: and therefore let every one of us comply with that fummons, Pfal. xxiv. at the clofe," Lift up your heads, O ye gates, be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, that the King of glory may come in." And then, having given him a habitation in your hearts, provide room for him in your families. You that are heads of families, fay as Joshua, Let others do as they pleafe," as me and my houfe, we will ferve the Lord." Let God be worshipped in fincerity morning and evening in your families, and make it your bufinefs to instruct your families, children, and servants, in the good ways of the Lord, after the example of Abraham the father of the faithful.

2. In order to our building the tabernacle of the Lord's congregation in the land, it is neceffary that we be well acquainted with the pattern fhewed in the mount, particularly of the New Teftament revelation; and what a length the work was carried in the days of our forefathers, who took themselves and their pofterity engaged by folemn covenant to preserve, maintain, and carry on that reformation in the land; and what contendings and wrestlings, even unto blood, there have been in that glorious caufe. Ignorance of the cause of Chrift, as it has been stated from the word of God, both as to doctrine, worship, difcipline, and government, and how it has been adopted by folemn oath, makes folk to work in the dark, and to difpute and contend about they know not what. And therefore, let us ftudy the teftimony of the Lord's witneffes in former times, and what teftimonies have been, and may be, emitted against the defections of our own day and gene

ration.

3. Having laid these things as a foundation, it is neceffary that, like Elijah, we should be "very zealous for the Lord God of hofts," and his tabernacle in the land. It is faid of Chrift, when he was purging his temple, and cafting out buyers and fellers who profaned it, that "the zeal of his Father's houfe did eat him up," John-ii. 17. Something of this holy

zeal

zeal fhould poffefs all the members of Chrift, and all his minifters. There is a generation of Gallios and Laodiceans, who, under the name of moderation, faifely fo called, will look upon you as madmen, and hot-headed zealots, and what But as fire burns with the greater heat, the colder the climate and weather be; fo true zeal will rather be kindled and increased, than cooled and quenched, by fuch difcouragements. Only let your zeal be according to knowledge," founded upon a true acquaintance with the person, natures, and offices, and caufe of Chrift; for indeed blind zeal doth more harm than good: our zeal fhould be accompanied with the ferpent's wisdom, and the dove's fimplicity and in

nocence.

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4. In building the tabernacle of David, we had need to count the cost, and to reckon what tabernacle-work may cost us; lay your account with the lofs of your name; lay your reputation down at the Lord's feet. As Chrift defpifed the fbame of the crofs in faying us, fo muft in following him and his caufe. We must lay our account with the lofs of our worldly substance, and "take joyfully the spoling of our goods." Let never your own houses, lands, and riches, be laid in the balance with the building of God's tabernacle; otherwife Chrift and you will foon part, like the young man in the gospel, who "went away forrowful, because he had great poffeffions." We muft lay our account with the lofs of our lives in building of the Lord's tabernacle : many a life has gone for it in Scotland; and, if it need our lives alfo, we must be ready to part with them, rather than quit the Lord's tabernacle, Rev. xii. 11.

5. Come not nigh unto "the tents of these wicked men,' who ufurp upon the priesthood' and fervice of the tabernacle without the Lord's call, and who are active in carrying on a defection from the attained-to reformation of the Lord's tabernacle in Scotland. The countenance and encouragement given them by profeffed friends of Chrift, hardens and fortifies them in their way and method; fuch are partakers of their fin. It is the exprefs command of God, from fuch to " withdraw, who walk not according to the tradition we have received:" and therefore every one that wishes well unto the Lord's tabernacle should say of fuch, as Jacob faid of Simeon and Levi, "O my foul, come not thou into their secret; unto their affemblies, mine honour, be not thou united; for the inftruments of wickedness and cruelty are in their habitations."

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6. Hold hand to all minifters or Chriftians who are enavouring honeftly in their sphere to build up the tabernacle

of