chains of sin, and under the wrath of God, and the dominion of endless death. Nothing of Satan's usurped dominion remains in the elect of God but the body of death, the old man. This remains to magnify the grace of God, to keep the saints watchful, humble, and diligent, and to make the glories of another world appear an eternal weight. At death the old man is removed; at the resurrection mortality, corruption, and death, are swallowed up, the devil and his adherents judged and damned, a new heaven and a new earth appear, in which righteous persons shall dwell; and this will be the destruction of the devil and all his works. Thus have I shewed the new head of the church Christ Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering death, now crowned with glory and honour, God having put more abundant honour upon that part that lacked. But this glorious Head must be loved, honoured, adored, and always uppermost in the heart and affections of his saints. Another part which much lacked is the heart, which is the strong man's palace, a den of dragons, a cage of unclean birds; from whence evil thoughts, thefts, blasphemies, adultery, fornication, covetousness, enmity, malice, rebellion, infidelity, and every other evil, proceed. But abundant honour is put upon this: Christ dwells in the heart by faith. With the heart man believes unto righteThe heart is circumcised to love God. Here the laws of God are written; and here the fear ousness. : of God, the word of God, and the grace of God, are put; yea, God dwells with the broken and contrite heart. All which is abundant honour; and it is put upon that part which lacked. Nothing can be a greater honour to a poor sinner than that of adoption. To be a son of God, what can come up to it! "And because you are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Here is the Spirit of God in the heart, claiming in us the honour of adoption, and bearing his witness to the truth of it. Now this abundant honour is given to that part which lacked. "That there should be no schism in the body;" that is, no division or separation. And those who are united in heart to Christ, and made one spirit with him, and who know the plague of their own heart, and whose hearts have been made broken and contrite; in whose heart Christ the hope of glory is formed; and who are of one judgment in the truth; who are of one heart and one soul; who are cemented together with meekness, tenderness, and humility, and bound up together in the bundle of life with the Lord their God: these, in heart, will cleave close to Christ and to one another, even when the chaff is blown away, the vile separated from the precious, the heretic discovered, and the hypocrite banished from the presence of God; as we see by the apostles when Judas was gone; by the friends of David when Ahithophel was made manifest; and by the fear that fell upon the churches when Ananias and Sapphira were sent out of the world. For at such times God gives more grace to his own dear children, that the weak may say I am strong, when the towers fall, and even after fanning times, which are suffered in order to purge the floor; at which times the Lord often visits his own people with more of his presence, which makes the union of the saints the stronger, and their affections to each other wax the warmer, and abound. : "That the members should have the same care one for another;" a concern for each other's welfare, bearing a part of their burdens when in trouble, and sharing their joys when in prosperity. If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it, and if one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Souls bound together in the threefold cord of everlasting love, live in concord and move in concert; and if one is in affliction the Spirit will touch the hearts of the rest to put up their prayers for it, and mingle their sympathy with him; and when God comforts Ephraim, he comforts his mourners also. Daniel is in danger of being slain with the wise men of Babylon, and he requests his three friends to assist him in desiring mercy of the God of heaven concerning the secret of the king's dream. The three friends of Daniel get into the furnace; Daniel is out, that he may pray for them. Daniel goes into the lions' den; the three friends are out to pray for him. Peter gets into prison; prayer by the church is made to God without ceasing for him. Peter is let out; and they open not the door for joy at the sight of him. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron' beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments; it is like the dew of Hermon, on the mountain of Zion; where God commanded the blessing, even life for evermore." VI. THE WONDERFUL CLIMAX, OR, THE CHAIN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. HOSEA ii. 21, 22. "And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the Lord; I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; and the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel." The day here spoken of does not appear to me to be the time of Christ's appearing, when the dayspring from on high visited us, to guide our feet into the way of peace. The ten tribes were then in captivity; and where they now are, seems to be a mystery. Nor is the day here spoken of the day in which the gospel was published to the Gentiles, when the apostles became "a tabernacle for the sun; which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race;" when their line went out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world, Psalm xix. 4, 5; Rom. x. 18. The day spoken of in my text is yet to come. For although some few of the ten tribes might be gathered in when the gospel was |