4. It fays, That all the acts and ftatutes of the house are to be moft holy. And indeed the acts of Affemblies and Judicatories of the church are to be regarded only according to their holiness, and agreeableness to the holy word of God; "To the law and to the teflimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them," Ifa. viii. 20. Acts iffued even from the top of the mountain, if they be not according to the law of the houfe, are to be rejected, oppofed, and protefted againft, as the commandments of men, and not the commandments of God; " In controversy they shall ftand in judgment, and they fhall judge it according to my judgments; and they fhall keep my laws and my ftatutes in all mine affemblies," Ezek. xliv. 23, 24. And, indeed, it is but a difmal time, when the children. of Zion are obliged to plead with their mother, and even protest against her acts and statutes *. 5. It fays, That all the forms and ordinances of the houfe be most holy; I mean, the form of doctrine, the form of worship, the form of difcipline, the form of -M *This was a very remarkable year in the church, and gave æra to a very memorable event, viz. the SECCESSION. Our Author here has his eye upon the conduct of the Affembly this year [viz 1732]. He ufually noticed any remarkable tranfactions that occurred at the time when he composed and devered his difcourfes: And therefore, as a key to this, and fome other similar paffages, both in this and fome fubfequent difcourfes, it may not be improper briefly to open up the matter. The church was, at this time, in imminent danger; for, not only a pernicious fcheme of Arian, Arminian, Socinian, and Neonomian doctrine was prevailing, but feveral arbitrary Acts and Decifions had been framed and paffed in the Supreme Judicatory, and the Lord's heritage much oppreffed and grieved, by the fettlement of reclaiming and diffenting congregations. To clear up the paffage now before us, we may obferve, that the Affembly's conduct this year was very fingular and extremely arbitrary, in a double respect. -Several Minifters [forty-two in number] among whom our Author was one, gave in a fubfcribed Reprefentation to the Affembly, for the redress of many of the feps of defection which the church had gone into. This Reprefentation, though juft in itfelf, was refufed fo much as a hearing by the Affembly, whereupon fuch of the Ministers as were prefent, offered a proteft for their exoneration, which was alfo refused to be marked. There was a petition of the fame nature, figned by many hundred Elders and Christian people given in to the fame Affembly, and fhared the fame fate. The Affembly did not fift here, but passed an A&t concerning the planting of vacant churches, which lodged the decifive power of electing Minifters, in a conjun& meeting of elders and heritors (and fo depriving the Chriftian people of their jut right), no other qualification being required of faid heritors but their being Proteftants, however much difaffected to the government both in church and flate. This was matter of deep regret to many, and truly afflicting to several Minifters, who accordingly protefled against the Assembly; fome of whom were afterwards feverely fentenced, for their faithfully teftifying against thefe corruptions and incroachments, govern. government, that they be according to the fcripture-pattern; as it was faid to Mofes concerning the form of the tabernacle, "Look that thou make it after the pattern that was fhewed thee in the mount," Exod. xxv. 40. compared with Acts vii. 44. Heb. viii. 5. The doctrine, found and lively; worship, pure and fpiritual; difcipline, pure and impartial; and government, beautiful and orderly, is the outward glory of the church: and God hath faid, "Upon all the glory there shall be a defence," Ifa. iv. 5. But in fo far as the fences are taken away, in as far is the glory departed from Ifrael, and the ark of God taken by the Philiftines, within or without the house. The holinefs of doctrine, worship, difcipline, and government of the houfe, comprehending the top of the mount, and the whole limit thereof, ought to be defended, and contended for, that it be not fpoiled, corrupted, and defaced by these who make themfelves famous for lifting up hammers and axes upon the carved work; and the rather, that the church of Scotland, particularly, has been fo often in our Reformation-days folemnly fworn, by National Covenant, to the defence thereof, against all anti-chriftian, unfcriptural, and unholy forms and orders. whatfoever. 6. It fays, That all the chambers and rooms of the houfe fhould be moft holy; I mean, all the ordinances of the house, whether public, or private, or secret; which are like fo many chambers and rooms of the houfe to be kept clean and moft holy; for, "He will be fanctified of all them that come nigh him," Lev. x. 3. The outer rooms and public chambers of folemn ordinances, word, and facraments; the more private chambers of fpiritual conference and family-worthip; and the fecret chambers of retired devotion, the chamber of meditation, the chamber of prayer, fhall all be moft holy, and occupied in the most holy manner. Not only all the public rooms, but all the fecret closets of the houfe fhall be moft holy; not only the top of the mount, but the whole limit thereof round about; whatever part of the houfe we enter, is to be moft holy, in the exercife of faith, love, and all the holy graces of the Spirit, and in fpiritual endeavours, through grace, to get all that are abo the houfe made holy, and all things that are within the houfe, and without the houfe, and round about the houfe, the top of the mount, the whole limit thereof round about; this is the law of the houfe. The Lord knows how little it is obferved now! V. The next thing propofed, was, To touch a little at the privilege of accefs to the moft holy place. This being a fpecial part of the gofpel that lies in the text, hid under this Old-teftament phrafe; I would open it up in thefe two or three remarks. 1. "That accefs to the most holy place, is nothing else "but access to the most holy God; and therefore, it is "the moft glorious privilege that a finner can be ad"vanced unto." The fanctuary, or holy of holies in the Old-teftament temple, was a symbol and type of the gracious prefence of God; and to come to that, was to come to God: and the holy of holies is in the New-Teftament, called a throne of grace, Heb. iv. 16. And what is it to come to the throne of grace, or mercy-feat, but juft to come to a merciful God, a gracious God in Chrift? Therefore it is there faid, "Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Where will we find mercy or grace, but with a merciful and gracious God? This is then the most holy place to which there is accefs. Remark 2. "That accefs to the most holy place is "by the blood of Jefus." The priests, under the law, went into the holy place with blood of bulls and goats; but Chrift, our High-Priest, having entered, by his own blood, into the holy place, Heb. ix. 12. “We have bold. nefs to enter into the holieft by the blood of Jefus," Heb. x. 19. that is, in the faith of his blood; a juftice-fatisfying blood, and fin-expiating blood: even we guilty finners have freedom to come to a juft and holy God, and boldness to expect grace and glory, as the purchase of that blood; even that blood which is God-glorifying, finner-fanctifying, heaven-purchafing. Remark 3. "That accefs to the moft holy place is "the privilege of the whole church." The whole family, all within the house, have accefs either proclaimed or obtain obtained: All within the vifible church, tho' but in the outer-court, have accefs proclaimed; "Whofoever will, let him come." And all within the church invifible, viz. Believers being in the inner-court, have access obtained, and daily admiffion to the holy place. Only the highpriest under the law had access to the holy place, and that once a-year only;. but now all believers being a royal-priefthood, and made kings and priefts unto their God, have accefs, not once a-year, Heb. ix. 7. nor once a-month; but, perhaps, once a-week, once a-day; yea, feveral times a-day; perhaps, twenty times in one communion-day; even as oft as they get grace to act faith upon a God in Chrift. This privilege of the whole church, is here reprefented by the top of the mount, and the whole limit thereof round about, having the privilege of the holy place. Remark 4. The privilege of accefs to the moft holy place, is not only now extended to all perfons within the house, but also every-where, in all places where the church or children of God are.' Not only the top of the mount, but the whole limit round about, is the moft holy place. Under the law, only the fanctuary was the most holy, but under the gospel the whole mountain fhall be fo, and the whole limit thereof round about; in as much as, where-ever the believer is, in public or in fecret, there he hath accefs to the most holy place, the moft holy God; according to what our Lord faid to the woman of Samaria, John iv. 21. "Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye fhall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerufalem, worship the Father; but the true worshippers every-where fhall worship him in fpirit and in truth." The holy place was formerly hid in a corner of the temple; for, the holy God hid himself in a corner, as it were, under the dark difpenfation: but now the holy place, the holy God, is every-where to be feen and enjoyed in Chrift. The vail of the temple is rent in twain, by the death of Chrift; and the holy of holies is expofed, that whofoever will, may come and fee, come and partake, come and enjoy God through Jefus Chrift, through whom the door of accefs is opened to us Gentiles, as well as it was to the Jews; "Thro' him we both have accefs, by one Spirit, unto the Father," Eph. ii. 8. The most holy place is not now confined to the the top of the mountain, where the temple stood, but extended to the whole mountain, and the whole limit thereof round about. This is the law of the boufe, the privilege of the house, according to the law of faith, or covenant of grace, wherein the grace of God, that bringeth falvation, hath appeared unto all men. O has it fo appeared unto you this day, as that you find that you have got access to the moft holy place! Then furely you are obliged to be the moft holy people. Hence, VI. The fixth head propofed, was, To fhow, that this privilege of access to the most holy place, obliges the whole houfhold of God, that are thus privileged, to be the most holy people. This grace of God that hath appeared to all men, does not, cannot lead to licentioufnefs, but teaches to deny all ungodliness and worldly lufts; and to live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world, Tit. ii. 11, 12. This privilege of accefs to the most holy place; brings us not only under greater obligations to holiness than Pagans, that are far from the moft holy place; not only under greater obligations to holiness than profeffors, who only are admitted to the outer-court, and not to the most holy place; and not only under greater obligations to holinefs than Jews, who were only admitted, by their high-priest, to the holy place in the material temple; but also it lays us under greater obligations to holinefs than Adam in a state of innocency, fuppofe we were as innocent as he was before the fall, and that the covenant of works were on the field, promifing life to our perfect obedience; for, when you are admitted to the moft holy place, then you fee everlasting righteoufnefs, and perfect obedience wrought to your hand, and eternal life purchafed to your hand; and therefore are obliged by the law of love and gratitude, to ferve the God that hath faved you, and not to work hard for your life. And which of thefe are the strongest ties to love and obedience, namely, to find God faying, Do, and do perfectly, and you shall have eternal life for your pains? Or, to find God |