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will speak comfortably to her; in the Hebrew, to her heart. And indeed, if ever we hear GOD fpeak to us in a way of grace and kindness, it must be from the mercy-feat, Numb. vii. 89. And when Mofes was gone into the Tabernacle of the congregation, to Speak with God, then he heard the voice of one fpeaking unto him from off the mercy-feat that was upon the ark of the teftimony, from between the two Cherubims; and he spake unto him.

But to be more particular, the LORD's faying, there will commune with thee, points out to us his boundless love, his amazing condefcenfion, his adapting his mercies fuitable to our wants, his liberality in beftowing, and our constant communion with him there.

First, His love is as boundless as his nature, which breaks forth according to the fovereign pleasure of his will. What vaft dimenfions must there be in that love which promises to meet and commune with a traitor at his throne! What funds of grace muft dwell in his mind, who is fo gracious to poor finners, that all the waters in the ocean are scarce a drop in the bucket, when compared with that great love wherewith he bath loved us, Eph. ii. 4. His mind is a boundless ocean of love, his fovereign will is the banks that contain it, his promifes are the ftreams of conveyance, and, among the reft this is not one of the leaft, there will I meet with thee.

Second, It fhews his great condefcenfion, that the high and lofty one that inhabits eternity, whofe name is holy, whofe nature is confummate happiness, and whofe perfections are glorious; that he should condefcend to talk with man, with man that is but a worm. If he humble himfelf to behold the things done in heaven, the order, economy, and employment of perfect, finlefs fpirits, of angels and arch-angels, of cherubims and feraphims, how great muft that condefcenfion be that ftoops to converfe with mortals? There will I meet with thee, and there will I commune with thee; what a ftoop of love is here! Let angels adore it! my foul, in fongs of gratitude and praise admire it, and with fteps of obedience adorn and glorify it!

Third, It points out to us his adapting his mercies fuitable to our cafe and circumstances. Our wants and exigencies are very great, and fin has rendered our ftate very lamentable indeed, but God's promifing to meet with us, and to commune with us, is the happiest restoration we could ever have wished for; it at once confummates all our wifhes, and accomplishes every defire; for he thereby overcomes our mifery with his riches of mercy, and our enmity with his abundant kindness, Eph. ii. 4. 5. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love

wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in fins, hath quickened us together with Chrift; fo that there is no mifery, be it ever fo deep, but here is a remedy. As fin made a feparation between GoD and us, this rich and gracious promife, there will I meet with thee, and there will I commune with thee, fecures a happy conciliation, and is a royal grant of his favour for ever. Fourth, It denotes the frankness and liberality of his bleffings, as the throne of grace is the gate of mercy, where his kind hands beftow the bounty of his heart, and the bleffings of his covenant, as the Mercy-feat is the grand magazine and ftorehoufe of that great love wherewith he hath loved us, from whence he handeth down every bleffing fuitable to fupport and comfort us, to aid and help us, to ftrengthen and encourage us, which is all that faith can afk, or love enjoy.

Fifth, It points out where we are to meet with our God; there will I meet with thes, and there will I commune with thee. The Chaldees tranflate it, I will appoint my word to thee there; his word of promife, the good word upon which he hath caufed us to hope; as faith Solomon, heaviness makes the heart of man to floop, but a good word maketh him glad. The Greeks tranflate it, I will be known to thee from thence; which denotes, that God hath fomething to fay to his people there, in a peculiar and special manner, concerning his love, his promifes, his grace, and his kindness to their immortal fouls; that he will be friendly and familiar with his people there, therefore, faith he, will I commune with thee; upon which the Hebrew Doctors fay, that the heart of man is anfwerable to the most holy place of the Sanctuary, wherein was the Ark and the Coveringmercy-feat; and the Cherubims, whereby we are taught, that in the fanctuary God's Majefty, or Shekinah, dwelled; So in the beart of man it is meet that a place should be made there for the divine Majefty to dwell in, and that it be the Holy of Holies.

The Mercy feat thus opened may afford us the following im

provement:

Firft, A word of direction to the moft guilty and miferable finner, whofe mind, it may be, is covered with a fenfe of wrath, and a conftant dread of hell and damnation; if he looks up to heaven, he trembles; if he looks within, his confcience is an agony of anguish and fear, and cries out, What shall I de to be faved? Reader, if this be thy café, here is a word of comfort for thee, mercy is provided to heal thy mifery, a covering mercy-feat to protect and fhelter from wrath thy guilty foul, 2 propitiation by blood, to pardon thy guilty mind, an atonement fpread before the throne to fecure thee from the wrath that is

to come, it is a propitiation fet forth in his word, Rom. iii. 25. whom God hath fet forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, and fpread before the throne to cover guilty finners in their approach to GOD. It hath covered thousands of thousands, yea millions of millions, and yet there is room, room for thee though thou hast been a blafphemer, a perfecutor, injurious to the faints, and a chief finner? So was the apostle, yet, fays he, 1 Tim. i. 13. I obtained mercy. Though thou haft been a thief, . a drunkard, a fornicator, an adulterer, an idolator, a reviler, an extortioner, yet there is hope concerning thee, for, faith the apoftle, to the believing Corinthians, 1 Cor. vi. 11. And fuch were fome of you, but ye are washed, but ye are fanctified, but ye are juftified in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God. Though thy fins are innumerable, of the moft crimfon dye, and aggravating nature, yet there is no room for defpair, while the Holy Ghoft fays, Let the man of iniquity return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon, or multiply pardons, Ifa. lv. 7. Remember to make the Mercy-feat thy refidence, thy abode, the dwelling-place of thy mind, and then let thy foul defpair of mercy if it can, for it is God's dwelling-place, Pf. lxxx. 1. Thou that dwelleft between the Cherubims, and why fhould it not be thine, fince the HOLY GHOST invites you to draw near to the throne of grace, that you may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in every time of need, Heb. iv. 16. GOD waits there to be gracious, and why should not the finner wait there to receive the bleffings of his heart, the mercies of his covenant, when he hath faid, there will I meet with thee, and there will I commune with thee?

Second, Obferve, that faith, in all its approaches Godward, has the ground of JEHOVAH's promise to go upon, there will I meet with thee. And what greater encouragement can the foul defire than the promise of that GOD that cannot lie, who hath faithfulness for the girdle of his reins? It is a foundation as firm as his throne, as fure as his nature, and firmer than the heavens; therefore the foul may venture, without any fear of prefumption, to hope for mercy at the Mercy-feat, for the fame Lord over all, is rich unto all that call upon him. And, indeed, GOD's promife affords the foul a ftrong plea and argument at the throne of grace, "Lord thou haft promised to meet "with me, and to commune with me, from off the Mercy"feat, and lo! I am come unto thee, by faith and prayer, to "talk and commune with thee through the blood of Jesus for my pardon and forgiveness, and as I fee his blood and media

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❝tion plead before the throne, it gives me humble hope to "plead with thee as the LORD GOD, gracious and merciful, "flow to anger, and of great kindness, forgiving iniquity, "tranfgreffion and fins; according to the multitude of thy ❝ tender mercies blot out my tranfgreffions. O commune with "me concerning thy precious promises, open to me the bleff"ings of the everlafting covenant, give me the oil of joy for "the fpirit of mourning, and the garments of praife for the "fpirit of heaviness, that my tongue may fing aloud thy fal

❝vation.

Third, It is a word of comfort to dejected faints, that ftand in need of fresh springs and fupplies of mercy; for I have often thought it a difficulty to know whether the children of God have not found as great ftraits for fupplies of mercy, in their after experience, as at firft for pardon and peace of mind; for this land is a land of drought, a dry and thirfty land, where no water is. And, indeed, fometimes the ordinances of God's house are like dry breafts, and empty channels, when it is not his pleafure to fill them till the foul cries out, O that I knew where to find him, I would come even unto his feat. Here then I would direct thee to look beyond all ordinances to the Mercyfeat, view him that dwelleth there between the Cherubims, and the propitiation made with blood, though thy heart be dry, and the channel of divine ordinances be dry alfo, yet the propitiation is as rich and full of mercy as ever; thy FATHER and thy GOD, refides there, and faith, there will I meet with thee, and there will I commune with thee.

Laftly, If the angels are defirous of prying into the mystery of the incarnation, death and obedience of the LORD JESUS, which is pointed out unto us, by the faces of the cherubims being towards the Mercy-feat, this fhould spread a holy bluth, and a heavenly fhame, upon the countenance of the faints, that the angels in glory fhould count it their highest felicity to pry into that love and grace which concern them, into that precious blood that was fhed for them, into that atonement that is fpread before the throne on their behalf; while their hearts (to whom the grace belongs) are heavy, dull and languid, and feldom have their faces (angel-like) towards the Mercy-feat, contemplating the wonders and glories of that love which Hows to them through the propitiation of the Saviour's blood. To fee mercy fit in the bofom of perfect juftice, difplaying her choiceft treasures, her unfading riches, and refreshing ftreams to their thirfty fouls, fhould engage their hearts, infpire their reafts with love, and their feet with obedience to him who

hath loved them, and gave himfelf to GoD for them an offering and facrifice of a fweet-fmelling favour, Eph. v. 2.

Friendly. My dear Truth, your elucidation of the types exceeds my expectations, and engages me to make fresh enquiry, had not the Tabernacle a threefold covering, viz. an infide covering, mentioned Exod. xxxvi. 8. which was made of fine twined linen, and blue, purple, and fearlet, with cherubims of cunning work; the other two coverings are mentioned verse 19. and he made a covering for the tent of rams fkins dyed red, and a covering of badger fkins above that: What may I apprehend by this threefold covering?

Truth. Firt, The Tabernacle being covered on the outfide with badgers fkins, I apprehend was typical of that mean and abject appearance which the church of GOD makes in the eyes of the world, as the men of this world hate the church of CHRIST in their hearts, look upon CHRIST's people with a contemptuous eye, as the offscouring of all things, as their outward views appear to them like badgers fkins, very mean and defpicable; and, indeed, they fee no further than their badger fkin covering, and fo judge of their worth and glory very miftakenly. Second, The badger fkin covering might typify those mean thoughts that a believing foul has of himself, that he is a poor, mean, abject and worthlefs creature, not worthy of the least favour from GoD, or regard from man; that the coarse badger fkins upon the ark did but typify how mean and defpicable fin had rendered him. Or, Thirdly, It may point out the apprehenfion the believing foul hath of its best performances in the flesh, that they are as mean as badger-skin coverings, therefore with Paul he defires a better covering, to win CHRIST, and be found in him; for in himself, he says, Cant. i. 5. I am black, therefore not fit to go to Heaven in that covering: which leads me to obferve,

Secondly, That the under-covering of the Tabernacle was of ram-fkins dyed red, Exod xxxvi. 19. which points out to us, that the church's under covering is the blood and obedience of the LORD JESUS; as the covering of the badgers skins did hide from the eyes of the beholder the covering of the ramsfkins dyed red, fo this is the cafe of the church of God here, as her greatest glory and beauty confift in being cloathed with CHRIST'S righteousness, and the garments of his falvation by blood. But this is a glory vailed from the eyes of most men, none but those that have an eye of faith can difcern it, 1 Cor. ii. 14. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the fpirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them,

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