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a fpirit: no, you must obey his fpirit that ftrives with you, to gather you out of the evil of the world; that by bowing to the inftructions and commands of his fpirit in your own fouls, you may know what it is to worship him as a fpirit; then you will understand, that it is not going to this mountain, nor Jerufalem, but to do the will of God, to keep his commandments; and commune with thine own heart, and fin not, take up thy cross, meditate in his holy law, and follow the example of him whom the Father hath fent.

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§. V. Wherefore Stephen, that bold and conftant martyr of Jefus, thus told the Jews, when a prifoner at their bar for difputing about the end of their beloved temple, and its fervices, (but falfly accused of blafphemy) Solomon, (faid Stephen) built God an house; howbeit, God dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as faith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, • and earth is my footftool; what house will ye build . me, faith the Lord? Or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?' Behold a total overthrow to all worldly temples, and their ceremonious appendences! The martyr follows his blow upon those apoftate Jews, who were of those times, the pompous, ceremonious, worldly worshippers: Ye • ftiff-necked and uncircumcifed in heart and ears, ye ⚫ do always refift the Holy Ghost; as did your fathers,

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fo do ye.' As if he had told them, no matter for your outward temple, rites, and shadowy services, your pretenfions to fucceffion in nature from Abraham, and by religion from Mofes; you are refifters of the fpirit, gainfayers of its inftructions: you will not bow to its counfel, nor are your hearts right towards God: you are the fucceffors of your father's iniquity; and though verbal admirers, yet none of the fucceffors of the prophets in faith and life.

But the prophet Ifaiah carries it a little farther than is cited by Stephen. For after having declared what is not God's house, the place where his honour dwells,’

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Acts vii. 47-51;

e Ifa. lxvi. 1, 2.

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immediately follow these words: But to this man will • I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite fpirit, and trembleth at my word. Behold, O carnal and fuperftitious man, the true worshipper, and the place of God's reft! This is the house and temple of Him whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain; an house self cannot build, nor the art nor power of man prepare or confecrate.

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§. VI. Paul, that great apostle of the Gentiles, twice exprefsly refers the word temple to man: once in his first epiftle to the church at Corinth; Know ye not (fays he) that you are the temples of the Holy Ghoft, which is in you, which ye have of God?' &c. and not the building of man's hand and art. Again, he tells the fame people (in his fecond epiftle) For ye are the temple of the living God, as God hath faid";' (and then cites God's words by the prophet)

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I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their 'God, and they fhall be my people.' This is the evangelical temple, the Chriftian church, whofe ornaments are not the embroideries and furnitures of worldly art and wealth, but the graces of the fpirit; 'meekness, love, faith, patience, felf-denial,` and 'charity.' Here it is, that the eternal wifdom, that was with God from everlasting, before the hills were brought forth, or the mountains laid, chufes to dwell, rejoicing (fays Wifdom) in the habitable part of the earth, and my delights were with the fons of men;' not in the houfes built of wood and ftone. This living houfe is more glorious than Solomon's dead house; and of which his was but a figure, as he, the builder, was of Chrift, who builds us up an holy temple to God*.' It was promised of old, that the glory of the latter 'fhould tranfcend the glory of the former;' which may be applied to this: not one outward temple or houfe to excel another in outward luftre; for where is the benefit of that? but the divine glory, the beauty of

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holiness in the gofpel-house or church, made up of renewed believers, fhould exceed the outward glory of Solomon's temple, which in comparison of the latter days, was but flesh to fpirit, fading refemblances to the eternal fubftance.

But for all this, Chriftians have meeting-places, yet not in Jewish or Heathen ftate, but plain; void of pomp and ceremony; fuiting the fimplicity of their bleffed Lord's life and doctrine. For God's prefence is not with the house, but with them that are in it, who are the gofpel-church, and not the house. O! that fuch as call themselves Chriftians, knew but a real fanctity in themselves, by the washing of God's regenerating grace; inftead of that imaginary fanctity afcribed to places, they would then know what the church is, and where, in thefe evangelical days, is the place of God's appearance. This made the prophet David fay,

The King's daughter is all glorious within, her cloathing is of wrought gold.' What is the glory that is within the true church, and that gold that makes up that inward glory? Tell me, O fuperftitious man! is it thy ftately temples, altars, carpets, tables, tapestries; thy veftments, organs, voices, candles, lamps, cenfers, plate and jewels, with the like furniture of thy worldly temples? No fuch matter; they bear no proportion with, the divine adornment of the King of heaven's daughter, the bleffed and redeemed church of Chrift. Miferable apoftacy that it is! and a wretched fupplement in the lofs and abfence of the apoftolick life, the fpiritual glory of the primitive church.

§. VII. But yet some of thefe admirers of external pomp and glory in worship, would be thought lovers of the Crofs, and to that end have made to themselves many. But alas! what hopes can there be of reconciling that to Chriftianity, that the nearer it comes to its resemblance, the farther off it is in reality? For their very crois and self-denial, are most unlawful felf: and whilft they fancy to worship God thereby, they moft dangerously err from the true crofs of Chrift, and that holy abnegation that was of his bleffed appointment.

It is true, they have got a cross, but it seems to be in the room of the true one; and so mannerly, that it will do as they will have it that wear it: for instead of mortifying their wills by it, they made it, and use it according to them: fo that the crofs is become their enfign that do nothing but what they lift. Yet by that they would be thought his difciples, that never did his own will, but the will of his heavenly Father.

§. VIII. This is fuch a crofs as flesh and blood can carry, for flesh and blood invented it; therefore not the cross of Chrift, that is to crucify flesh and blood. Thousands of them have no more virtue than a chip; poor empty shadows, not fo much as images of the true one. Some carry them for charms about them, but never repel one evil with them. They fin with them upon their backs; and though they put them in their bofoms, their beloved lufts lie there too without the leaft difquiet. They are as dumb as Elijah's mockgods; no life nor power in them': and how should they, whofe matter is earthly, and whofe figure and workmanship are but the invention and labour of worldly artifts? Is it poffible that fuch croffes fhould mend their makers? Surely not.

§. IX. These are yokes without reftraint, and croffes that never contradict: a whole cart-load of them would leave a man as unmortified as they find him. Men may fooner knock their brains out with them, than their fins and that, I fear, too many of them know in their very confciences that use them, indeed, adore them, and (which can only happen to the falfe cross) are proud of them too, fince the true one leaves no pride where it is truly borne.

§. X. For as their religion, fo their cross is very gawdy and triumphant: but in what? In precious metals and gems, the fpoil of fuperftition upon the people's pockets. Thefe croffes are made of earthly treasure, instead of learning their hearts that wear them to deny it and like men, they are respected by their

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finery. A rich crofs fhall have many gazers and admirers; the mean, in this, as other things, are more neglected. I could appeal to themselves of this great vanity and fuperftition. O how very fhort is this of the bleffed cross of Jefus, that takes away the fins of the world!

§. XI. Nor is a reclufe life, (the boafted righteoufnefs of fome) much more commendable, or one whit nearer to the nature of the true crofs: for if it be not unlawful as other things are, it is unnatural, which true religion teaches not. The Chriftian convent and monaftery are within, where the foul is encloistered from fin. And this religious house the true followers of Christ carry about with them, who exempt not themfelves from the converfation of the world, though they keep themselves from the evil of the world in their converfation. That is a lazy, rufty, unprofitable selfdenial, burdenfome to others, to feed their idleness; religious bedlams, where people are kept up, left they fhould do mischief abroad; patience per force; selfdenial against their will, rather ignorant than virtuous; and out of the way of temptation, than conftant in it. No thanks if they commit not, what they are not tempted to commit. What the eye views not, the heart craves not, as well as rues not.

§. XII. The cross of Chrift is of another nature: it truly overcomes the world, and leads a life of purity in the face of its allurements: they that bear it, are not thus chained up, for fear they fhould bite; nor locked up, left they fhould be ftole away: no, they receive power from Chrift their captain, to resist the evil, and do that which is good in the fight of God; to defpife the world, and love its reproach above its praise and not only not to offend others, but love those that offend them, though not for offending them. What a world fhould we have, if every body, for fear of tranfgreffing, fhould mew himself up within four walls! No fuch matter; the perfection of Christian life extends to every honeft labour or traffick used among men. This feverity is not the effect of Chrift's

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