tion and arouse to effort, expecting great things, and attempting great things. Because Jehovah is a great God, and by those who depend on him, in the performance of duty, and not in the neglect of it, he will accomplish great things; and thus through them get to himself great glory.

Nor will the most deep and permanent conviction of entire dependence for every right view, thought, feeling, word, and action, do such persons any hurt. It will always do them great good. It will arouse them to great effort, secure untiring perseverance, and prepare them for great success. Nor will it be difficult for such persons to see, or to feel, the perfect consistency between entire and absolute dependence on God, and perfect human freedom and accountability. That most difficult problem, which never has been, and never can be rightly solved by those who stand "all the day idle," even though they say, "I go, sir," and yet go not, these men will work out to a perfect demonstration. They will work out, instrumentally, not only their own salvation, but the salvation also of their fellow men; while God works in them, both to will and to do, all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power-that faith which comes by hearing, is the gift of God, of his own operation, which works by love and purifies the heart; and by which, in every generation, such men have wrought righteousness, obtained promises, out of weakness have been made, strong, waxed valiant in fight, and overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, and come

off conquerors, and more than conquerors, through him that loved them and gave himself for them. And the history of their labors, conflicts, and triumphs is recorded, that we may be followers of them, who, through faith and patience, and often through much tribulation, are now inheriting the promises. Not that we should call any man master; or follow him farther than he follows Christ, who alone is our Master; and in the doing of whose will, we may know for ourselves the truth of God.

And this knowledge which is thus gained by being wrought out, is heaven wide in its influence, from that which is ever gained by being only thought out. The one may be done in the cloister, and the man remain there till he dies. The other will carry him who has it to the high places of the field, and engage him in conflicts, not with flesh and blood only, but with principalities and powers, with the rulers of the darkness of this world, and with spiritual wickedness in high places. And it will not suffer him to put off his armor, till he puts on his crown. And it will then lead him to proclaim, what he feels, "Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name be the glory;" and with the builders who brought forth the head-stone with shoutings, to cry, "GRACE, GRACE, UNTO IT."

That temple which was built at Jerusalem was a striking type of the spiritual temple which God has long been building, and which will be completed at the last day. Of this temple the Apostle speaks in his Epistle to the Ephesians. In whom, speaking

of Christ, he says, all the building, fitly framed together, groweth up unto an holy temple in the Lord.

This temple is the Church; that holy spiritual building, which is founded upon the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. It is to be composed of all true believers, who shall ever have lived, from the first morning of creation, to the last moment of time. They may not belong to the same denomination, or spend life on the same side of the wall which they have set up; but if they believe on the Son of God, and are so joined to him as to be "one spirit," they shall form a part of his spiritual temple. Europeans, Asiatics, Africans, Indians-all, of every age, and color, and kindred, and people, and nation, and tongue, who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, shall thus be builded together for an eternal habitation of God through the Spirit.

The building of this temple is, not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord. This appears from the greatness of the work which it was necessary to perform in order to lay the foundation; from the foundation itself; from the materials out of which the temple is to be made; and from the object for which it is to be erected.

I. From the greatness of the work which it was necessary to perform in order to lay the foundation, it appears that the Spirit of the Lord must be the builder of this spiritual temple. It was a work which none but God himself could perform. Nor could even he do it, in the wisest and best way,

though he was almighty, and had all creation at his disposal, in less than four thousand years. The physical creation he could complete, and in the wisest and best way, in a single week. He had only to speak, and it was done; to command, and it stood fast. But to prepare the way, even to lay the foundation, of this eternal habitation for himself, he must operate throughout the kingdoms of nature, providence, and grace, for thousands and thousands of years. And this not merely through the instrumentality of creatures, but he must make bare his own arm, and travail for ages in the greatness of his strength. Nor is this all; but, he who was in the beginning with God, and was God, must himself leave the glory which he had before the creation, take upon him the form of a servant, and labor, even unto death, the death of the cross.

Rebellion against Jehovah, had so entirely effaced the divine, moral image from the hearts of men, and set them at such eternal enmity with God, that the gate of heaven was shut, and the sword of justice drawn against them. Look now at men, in rebellion against their Maker. And look at those who had gone before them in rebellion; and see them chained in darkness to the judgment of the great day; see him who sits in heaven as much determined to vindicate the honor of his law, now broken by men, as when broken by angels. And who can arise for their deliverance? Who can lay a foundation for the reconciliation, the holiness, the happiness, the immortal glory of unnumbered millions, who de

serve to die eternally the second death? a foundation which they themselves cannot destroy; which cannot be shaken by the powers of darkness; which shall be extensive as the ruins of apostasy, and durable as eternity? Earth saith, "It is not in me." Creation saith, "It is not in me." Yet it must be done.

None but Immanuel could do it. And such was the greatness of what yet remained to be done, after all that he had accomplished for four thousand years, that under its awful, crushing weight he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. The sun turned away, the rocks broke asunder, and the dead started from their graves, to adore him that liveth, but was dead, that they might live for evermore. Sing, O ye heavens, Jehovah hath done it; shout ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing ye mountains, forests, and every tree; Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.

And must he, who was in the beginning with God, make bare his arm, and travail for ages in the greatness of his strength, and even give up life itself, to lay the foundation? What other arm, and what other strength, but that which is divine, can rear the superstructure? Surely it must be done, not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts. This appears,

II. From the foundation itself. This foundation is the Son of God, the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person; in whom dwells the fulness of the Godhead bodily. By him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that