ry, and the deep heart-love will forget all selfish solicitudes in
the absorbing question, "Where have they laid my Lord?" Let the world be
holy! and the millennium has come, and wrong ceases for ever, and the
tabernacle of God is with men, and earth's music rivals heaven's.
Brethren, let us seek this blessing for ourselves. There, at the foot of
the Throne, let us plead the promise, "I will sprinkle clean water upon
you, and you shall be clean." Imagination, intellect, memory,
conscience, will;--sanctify them all. "Then will we teach transgressors
thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto Thee." It is done, surely
it is done. The hands are upon us now. We kneel for the diviner
baptism, for the effectual and blessed ordination. Listen, the word has
spoken, "Ye are an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."

II.--Certain blessings are presented to us in the text as the heritage of
this spiritual and consecrated Church. _Increase_ and _acceptance_. The
spiritual house is to be built up firm and consolidated on the true
foundation. The services of the holy priesthood are to be "acceptable to
God through Jesus." Take the first thought. "Ye are built up a
spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." The fact of God's constant
supervision over his Church and care for its stability and extension is
one that is impressed with earnest repetition upon the pages of his word.
"Thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that
shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be
removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken, but there the
glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams."
"Then shall thou see and flow together, and thine heart shall fear and be
enlarged, because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee,
the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee." "Then shall the
mountain of the Lord's house be established in the top of the mountains,
and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto
it." "As I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them
all as with an ornament, and bind them on thee as a bride doeth." From
these passages, and many others breathing the same spirit, we may
legitimately infer that it is the purpose of God that the kingdom of
Messiah shall be universal; that t