words of the prophets, for admonition or exhortation or encouragement: "Ye are the temple of the living God, as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people*;" "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world†:"-and continued to the end, as the blessing to be enjoyed under the "new heaven, and in the new earth, and the new Jerusalem, the city of God which cometh down from heaven-Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."‡ "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us"-dwelt as in a tabernacle is the language of the evangelist. It is worthy of remark, that the same idea is continued throughout the Scripture; the privilege is expressed under the same, and that a very noble image: "I will set my tabernacle amongst you, and will be your God," is the word given to Moses. "He shall be to them for a sanctuary," is the word of Isaiah and Ezekiel. "He shall build the temple of the Lord, and shall bear the glory, and shall rule † 1 John, iv. 4. * 2 Cor. vi. 16. upon his throne, and be a priest upon his throne," is the promise by Zechariah. "Ye are the temple of the living God," saith St. Paul. "The tabernacle of God is with men," is among the last words which the Holy Ghost hath caused to be written. The text, then, gives the promise of Christ's presence with his Church; his personal presence with his disciples upon earth; his abiding presence with believers; among them and in the heart of each of them. It is the Divine presence-great and awful thought!—with them as a Church, as the body of which He is the Head, which He hath purchased and brought nigh to himself, and sanctified by his Spirit, to be holy as he is holy. He takes us to himself in baptism, renewing us after his own image; he trains us in God's family as beloved children; dwelling in our hearts by the faith which he is pleased to give that we may receive him; and teaching us to "know that he dwelleth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us," and more particularly by the love of our brethren, which brings us to a nearer conformity to his pattern; he feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation, dwelling in us, and causing us to dwell in him, being one with us, and making us one with himself. Such is our condition, brethren, under the Gospel covenant, being made members of Christ, "And if children," and in him children of God. surely partakers in all the privileges of children, the riches of the Father's love, the blessings which reach "unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.” "If children, then heirs," heirs of the promises made to Him who is "the first-born among many brethren." For this cause was he made man, "Emmanuel, God with us," that, having practised righteousness, and wrought out our salvation, and risen for our justification, and ascended into the heavens to plead as one who has felt our infirmities, he may bring many sons to glory, even the glory which he had with the Father before the world was, that they may be with him for ever. What manner of persons, now, ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness? How watchful, if he be with us, over every thought and word; how strong in faith, how full of love to our brethren; how earnest in prayer; how diligent in seeking the means of grace, where he is present to bless the assembling of ourselves together; especially heedful lest, either by neglect or unworthiness, we profane that blessed sacrament which is the token and pledge and means of life through union with him! If he be with us in all the fulness of his grace, then are we "not of the world, even as he is not of the world.” He has taken us out of the world, and brought us into his Church, "which is the blessed company of all faithful people," that with him and in him we may be all things, who without him are nothing. Oh, let our thoughts and desires, while we walk on earth, be not of the earth, lest we "mind earthly things." Let our conversation be in heaven," and our "affections set on things above, where he sitteth at the right hand of God;" that as he has condescended to be as one of us that he might unite us to himself, we may be "made partakers of the divine nature," being conformed to his image "in righteousness and true holiness." 66 SERMON II. THE POWER AND GLORY OF THE SON OF GOD. HEB. i. 1, 2, 3. God who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who, being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. THE object of the apostle in this epistle to the Hebrew Christians is to strengthen their faith in the Gospel, and encourage them to persevere in their course. For this purpose he sets before them the excellence of Jesus Christ, the author of the Gospel; his superiority to the angels in the two first chapters, to Moses and Joshua in the third and fourth; then the excellence of his priesthood, his sacrifice, and every part of the Christian dispensation above that which had been given by Moses; and he concludes with a most animated exhortation to persevere steadfastly in the faith. The course of argument adopted by the apostle was calculated to affect and convince the Jewish converts, who were strongly attached |