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fplendor, worth, and duration; but to jewels and precious ftones: they shall be mine, fays Chrift*, when I make up my jewels : and may fignify the beauty and glory of the churches of Chrift, and the members of them; whole cheeks are comely with rows of jewels,and their necks with chains of gold1; as they are adorned with the graces of the Spirit, and arrayed with the robe of Chrift's righteoufnefs, and the garments of his falvation; when they are as richly decked as the bridegroom, with his ornaments, and the bride with her jewels. The colour of the beryl is the colour of the sea, or a fea-green; and the word for it, Tarshish, is used for the sea itself; and may lead to think of the fluctuating state of the churches of Chrift in this world; which is as a tempeftuous fea, and they as hips upon it, toffed with tempefts, and not comforted; Chrift is their pilot, faith the cable, and hope the anchor, fure and stedfast; and through the skill, ability, and guidance of the pilot, they are brought at last, through many forms and tempefts, to the defired haven.

3. The four wheels had one likeness, ver. 10. and chap. i. 16. Gospel-churches confift of one and the fame fort of perfons; who are enlightened by the Spirit of God to see their loft state by nature; are directed to Chrift alone for salvation, and obtain like precious faith for nature, though not to the fame degree; and whofe experiences are fimilar: for as face answers to face in water", fo do the hearts and experiences of God's people answer to each other: for though the Spirit of God may take a different course with some than with others; fome have more of, and are held longer under, the terrors of the law; whilst others are drawn with the cords of love, almoft at once; they may have different promifes applied, and different providences may be fanctified to them; yet the fum and fubftance, and tendency of their experience are the fame, to debase the creature, exalt Chrift, and magnify the riches of God's grace. Gofpel-churches have the fame faith, the fame doctrine of faith; for there is but one faith delivered to the faints; they have the fame ordinances, baptifin and the Lord's fupper; and the fame officers, bishops and deacons; they have the fame power and authority to choose their own officers, as the first church did Matthias in the room of Judas; and deacons, when they became neceffary: they have the fame power to receive and exclude members; they are independent of others, and call no man mafter on earth; they have the fame form of government, under Chrift their Head, Lord and Mafter, whom they own and profefs to be their King, Lawgiver, and Saviour, and no other. They have paftors over them under Chrift, whom they not only honour and esteem, but yield subjection to, when ruling well, according to the laws and inftitutions of Chrift.

They are said to be a wheel in the middle of a wheel, ver. 10. and chap. i. 16. not inclufively, as if one wheel was included in the other; for then they would

not

* Mal. iii. 17.

I Cant. i. 10.

Prov. xxvii. 19.

not be alike, but one would be leffer than another; but they were put in that crofs and tranfverfe way before defcribed, fo that they feemed but one wheel, one globe or sphere; that is, one catholic church, built on the fame foundation of the apostles and prophets; and which grows up into an holy temple in the Lord, and is built as one habitation for God, Father, Son, and Spirit.

5. The rings, circles, and circumferences of thefe wheels deferve fome notice? as for their rings, it is faid, chap. i. 18. they were fo high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. (1.) These were very high, and fo muft in proportion be very large; and which may fignify the vifibility and extensiveness of the churches of Chrift under the gofpel-difpenfation, efpecially in the latter day. The churches of Chrift are like a city upon an high hill, which cannot be hid, but is feen at a great diftance. They are built upon a rock, that is exceeding high; and in the latter day they will be exalted above the high mountains and hills, the kingdoms and states of this world; and will be fo enlarged when the nation of the Jews, and the fulness of the Gentiles are brought in, that there will be want of room for the members to dwell in them, Ifai. ii. 2. and chap. xlix. 20. (2.) They are faid to be very dreadful, as the church militant is to her enemies, terrible as an army with banners"; having Christ as a general at the head of it, with a large number of good foldiers of his under him, and accoutred with the whole armour of God, in rank and file, and colours flying; and as the church will be in her elevated ftate, when her flain witneffes are rifen, and fhall afcend to heaven; that is, come into a glorious. and happy state in the fight of their enemies, and seven thousand men of name flain, and the remnant affrighted. Or the word may be here rendered reverent ; they were both reverend and reverent; refpectable, in high esteem, as the church will be in the latter day, even to great perfonages; kings will be nursing fathers to ber, and queens nurfing mothers; and they will bow down towards ber, and lick the duft of her feet, Ifai. xlix. 23. and reverent; or there was fear, or they bad fear in them; the fear of God is in his churches; he is greatly to be feared in the affembly of the faints; and the true members thereof ferve him with reverence and godly fear. (3). These rings were full of eyes round about the fame is faid of the wheels, that is, of the rings of them, ver. 12. This fhews that the members of gofpel-churches are fuch who have the eyes of their understanding enlightened by the Spirit of God, to fee the exceeding finfulness of fin, and the demerit of it; to behold the preciousness, excellency, fuitableness, and fulness of Chrift, as a Saviour; to look to him for life and falvation, for righteousness and strength, and every fupply of grace; and that they have an infight

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into, n Cant. vi. • So Dr Lightfoot's Prospect of the Temple, &c. p. 2055. PO" & timor illis erat, Cocceius, fo Starckius. !

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into, and knowledge of the truths of the gofpel, which are unfeen and unknown to natural and carnal men; being led into them by the Spirit of truth, and having that anointing which teacheth all things necessary to salvation: and they are full of eyes, to watch over themselves and others; over themselves, that they walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wife, as becomes the gospel of Chrift they profess; and over others, looking diligently, EOTES, acting the part of a bishop or overfeer, as every member of a church in this refpect should: left any man fail of the grace of God; come fhort of it, drop or deny any doctrine of grace: left any root of bitterness, immorality or herefy, fpringing up, trouble fome of the members, and thereby many be defiled with bad principles, or with bad practices.

Fifthly, The motion of the wheels; which motion, 1. Was not retrograde; they went on their four fides, they turned not as they went, ver. 11. neither to the right, nor left: or they returned not when they went, chap. i. 17. they did not go back, but went straight on; true members of gospel churches, are fuch who draw not back to perdition, but go on believing; having put their hand to the plough, having made a profeffion of Chrift, and his gospel, they neither look back, nor draw back, or they would not be fit for the kingdom of heaven; they turn not to the right hand, nor the left; but walk on in Christ, and their profeffion of him, as they have received him, and in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, which he has appointed to be observed. 2. Their motion is the fame with the cherubim, or living creatures; as the one moved, fo the other did; the wheels went by the cherubim, by the sides of them, ver. 16, 19. Ministers are, or fhould be, examples to the churches in purity of doctrine and conversation; and churches should walk as they have them for an example, and be followers of them, so far as they are followers of Chrift; they are to go by their fide, and keep pace with them in faith and practice; when they, the cherubim, ftood, thefe, the wheels ftood; when they were lifted up, thefe lift up themselves also, ver. 17. fee chap. i. 19, 21. Churches obferve the motions of the minifters, and act accordingly; they give the lead in worship, as before obferved; when they lift up their hearts with their hands in prayer and praise, the members of churches follow, and join them; when they are in elevated frames of foul in their work, and are warm and lively in their miniftrations, generally speaking, the churches are fo likewife; but if they are dull and heavy, motionless and inactive, flothful in bufinefs, and not fervent in fpirit, the members are fo too; as minifters are, for the most part, the churches be. 3. The wheels followed the head, which guided and directed them: to the place where the head looked, they followed it, ver. 11. the head or face on each femicircle, the fame with thofe 'Heb. x. 39. Luke ix. 62.

• Heb. xii. 15.

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of the Cherubim; and fo may denote minifters, paftors, guides, and governors of the churches; whofe faith they are to follow, confidering the end of their converfation; or rather Chrift, the head of the church, the Lamb, that is to be followed whitherfoever he goes, and in whatfoever he directs; unlefs, 4. The Spirit of God is meant, fince it is faid in chap. i. 20. Whitherfoever the Spirit was to go, they went; truly gracious fouls walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit; they are led by him into all truth, as it is in fefus; and they walk in all the paths of faith and duty, as they are influenced and guided by him in a right way, to the city of their habitation, to a land of uprightness; for, 5. The spirit of the living creatures was in them, ver. 17. that is, in the wheels, chap. i. 20, 21. the spirit of life which is in Chrift, and from Chrift, is in his minifters; and the same spirit that is in the minifters, is in the churches; and he is in both a fpirit of life, and a spirit of liberty, in the exercise of grace, and performance of duty; for there is but one Spirit in all, though in a different measure; even as faints are by one fpirit baptized into one body, the church, and are called in one hope of their calling to the fame happiness and glory.

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Now thefe vifions of Ezekiel, in this and the first chapter, as they give a glorious and beautiful reprefentation of the state of minifters and churches under the gospel-difpenfation; they may be read with pleasure, delight, and profit, when spiritually understood; yet they are clofed with a melancholy scene of things; the cherubim are represented as mounting up from the earth, and the wheels befide them; and the glory of the God of Ifrael above them all, ready to take their flight, and depart, ver. 19. and chap. xi. 22, 23. which may fignify the removal of gofpel-minifters from earth to heaven by death, and the breaking up of gospel-churches, and the departure of God from his profeffing people, of which we have already had fome inftances: and, without pretending to a spirit of prophecy, things will continue to go on in this way, worfe and worse, till the kingdom of God will be taken from us, the candlestick be removed out of its place, the glory of God depart, and an Ichabod be wrote on his interest; which will be completed when the witneffes are flain; and then scarce a cherub will be seen, nor a wheel in motion; the dead bodies of the witneffes will lie unburied, none daring to fhew a decent regard unto them. From what has been said, we may learn,

1. The nature of gofpel-churches, the matter of which they confift, the form of them, the work that is done in them, and by them, and their state, condition, and circumftances, under the prefent difpenfation. 2. The neceffity there is of an harmony between minifters and churches: it is highly requifite they fhould agree, and act in concert; the wheels fhould be by the cherubim, and move as they do; they fhould join and unite to promote the intereft of religion, VOL. I. Q I

or

11 Cor. xii. 13. Ephes. iv. 4.

or things will never go on happily and comfortably. 3. This may inftruct and direct us to pray for the Spirit of God to be poured down upon both ministers and churches; that minifters may have a larger meafure of it, and that the fpirit of the living creatures might be in the wheels; the fame, or a like meafure of the spirit that is in minifters, might be in the churches; and for this we should pray importunately and inceffantly; for we fhall never have happy times, or halcyon days, until the Spirit be poured down upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest; then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field; and the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness and affurance for ever; and my people fhall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in fure dwellings, and in quiet refting-places.

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The Neceffity of Chrift's making Satisfaction for Sin, proved and confirmed:

Preached June 19, 1766, to an Affembly of Minifters and Churches, at the Reverend Mr BURFORD'S Meeting-Houfe, in Goodman's - Fields.

HEBREWS II. 10.

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many fons unto glory, to make the captain of their falvation perfect through fufferings.

IN

N the preceding verfe we have an account of the low eftate and condition our Lord was brought into in human nature; he was made a little lower than the angels: fo he was with respect to his incarnation in general; for whatever may be faid for the likeness or equality of an human foul without fin, to an angelic fpirit, both being fpiritual fubftances, rational and intelligent, immaterial and immortal; it is certain, that the corporal part of human nature

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