uld have little quietness till you could read at least
his love-epistles to sinners! And if you cannot learn, be not discouraged,
but if your desires within be fervent, your endeavours to hear it read by
others will be more earnest. But it is not so much the reading of much of
it that profiteth, as the pondering of these things in your hearts, and
digesting them by frequent meditation, till they become the food of the
soul. This was David's way, and by this he grew to the stature of a tall
and well bodied Christian.

Lecture V.

Of The Scriptures

Eph. ii. 20.--"And are built upon the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone."

Believers are "the temple of the living God," in which he dwells and
walks, 2 Cor. vi. 16. Every one of them is a little sanctuary and temple
to his Majesty, "sanctify the Lord of hosts in your hearts." Though he be
"the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity," yet he is pleased to come
down to this poor cottage of a creature's heart, and dwell in it. Is not
this as great a humbling and condescending for the Father to come down off
his throne of glory, to the poor base footstool of the creature's soul, as
for the Son to come down in the state of a servant, and become in the form
of sinful flesh? But then he is a temple and sanctuary to them. "And he
shall be for a sanctuary," (Isa. viii. 14.) a place of refuge, a secret
hiding place. Now, as every one is a little separated retired temple, so
they all conjoined make up one temple, one visible body, in which he
dwells. Therefore Peter calls them "living stones built up a spiritual
house" to God, 1 Pet. ii. 5. All these little temples make up one house
and temple fitly joined together, in which God shows manifest signs of his
presence and working. Unto this the apostle in this place alludes. The
communion and union of Christians with God is of such a nature, that all
the relations and points of conjunction in the creatures are taken to
resemble it and hold it out to us. We are citizens, saith he, and
domestics, household-men, and so dwell in his house, and then we are this
house besides. Now ye know there are two principal things in a house--the
foundation and the cornerstone, the one supports the building the other
unites it and holds it together. These two parts of this spiritual
building are here pointed at. The foundation of every particula