ter the counsel of his own will," and to arife, in due time, the wonder of angels and of men. This building of God at lengt began to appear and to afcend. But it accorded not with hu man ideas of grandeur and magnificence. The very depofi. taries of the original defign, were the first to refift the comple tion of it, because it justified not their prejudices and prepof feffions. Their oppofition, however, ferved only more illuf trioufly to display the manifold wifdom and goodness of God, -and to expofe the weaknefs and folly of man. Had the edifice been of man's deving and rearing, it could no have flood "the wafhing of a tide," for the "foolish man built his houfe upon the fand; and the rain defcended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house and it fell and great was the fall of it." But infinite Wisdom founded the fabric of Chriftianity upon a rock. The rains have defcended, the floods have come, the winds have blown and beaten upon this house, but it has not fallen; for it is founded upon a rock.

In the gofpel hiftory we behold the groundfloor or platform of the Chriftian religion. It principally confifts in a narration of plain, unadorned facts, well authenticated, indeed, but recommended by no artificial polish, and deriving all their importance and effect from their own native truth and excel Tence, ferving, nevertheless, as a folid fupport to the precepts, the promises, the predictions, the doctrines, the confolations of our most holy faith. Take, for inftance, the event which our bleffed Lord, in the paffage which has now been read, foretold concerning himself, namely, that the temple of his body should be destroyed, and in three days raised up again. Now when this event actually did take place, not only was the veracity of Jefus, as a prophet, completely eftablifhed, but a foundation was laid of fufficient ftrength to fuftain the whole. weight of the Chriftian's hope, of a refurrection to life and immortality. We shall, therefore, fiaft confider this all-impor tant doctrine, in the hiftory which is the foundation of it, and then in the fuperft u&ture reared.

In purifying the temple from the abominations practised in it, Jefus had undoubtedly affumed the authority of one invested in the office of magiftracy or with the character of a prophet. That he was no magiftrate all men knew and he never pretended to it. To have acted in this capacity might have been confidered as ufurpation. As a prophet, hen, and only as a prophet, could he appear in the character of a public reformer. But it is requifite that a prophet fhould produce his credentials. This fuggefted the demand: "What fign fhewest thou unto us, feeing that thou doeft these things ?" which plainly implied, that one

a&ting

afting under a commiffion from heaven, was obliged to fupe port his claim by a fign from heaven. But is there need to produce fupernatural teftimony to a right to reform known, public, flagrant abufe? Did not their own hiftory furnish a noted inftance of a private perfon's affuming the fword of Juftice, and acting at once as judge and executioner, in the ease of open and grofs violation of the divine law; that of Phinehas, who was but the grandfon of Aaron the priest? He not only became liable to no cenfure, but obtained a deathJefs name, and an honourable office for his seasonable interpofi tion. "Then ftood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and fo the plague was flayed. And that was counted unto him for righteoufnefs uno all generations for evermore." Did not the fign, in the present inftance, appear in the act? Did not the great Reformer authenticate his powers by the manner in which he exercifed them, and by the effect which they produced? Did the guilty refift? Did they call in queftion his authority? Did they drag him, in their turn, to the tribunal? No, they feel his afcendant and fhrink from his rebuke. Who, then, call for a fign? Not the offenders; they had received fufficient evidence: not the populace, for they must have been equally overawed and confounded. The rulers of the Jews hearing of this fingular tranfaction, fome of them, perhaps, being on the Spot, and eye-witneffes of what paffed, jealous of their honour, and confidering their prerogative as invaded; they, as men having authority, demanded a fign. From their general character, and from the inefficacy of this and other figns afterwards given, we know from what motive the prefent demand was made; not in the fpirit of meekness, not from the love of truth, not to obtain conviction; but in the hope of finding occafion to cenfure, or of putting the affumed authority of Chrift to a test which it could not stand.

A fign is given them, and a moft remarkable one it is. Jefus anfwered and faid unto them, dellroy this temple, and in three days I will raife it up." Whatever conftruction the Jews might put on thefe words, what Jefus intended to convey is obvious, and it was in every point juftified by the corref ponding event. He who is fimplicity and truth itfelt could have no defign to milead. The action and emphafis with which he fpake, clearly pointed out the object. The general attention had just been directed to a temple made with hands, a temple wickedly profaned by an abominable traffic, which was connived at by its profeffed confervators, and whofe hon our had been fu nobly vindicated by a ftranger. That ftranger had already attracted general notice, by the fingularity of his

Speech

fpeech and deportment; every eye was fixed upon him, his every attitude and gefture were obferved, and thefe plainly indicated that the temple to be destroyed, and raised up in three days, could not be the venerable pile in the court of which this converfation paffed. When he afterwards foretold the approaching deftruction of that temple, he expreffed himself in terms not liable to misapprehenfion. "As he went out of the "temple, one of his disciples faith unto him, Mafter, see what manner of ftones and what buildings are here! And Jefus anfwering faid unto him, Seeft thou thefe great buildings? there fhall not be left one ftone upon another, that fhall not be thrown down." Now he points to an edifice infinitely more facred. From both the firft and fecond houfes built on mount Zion the glory had long fince departed. The fenfible tokens of the divine prefence were withdrawn. The holy oracle was no longer confulted by Urim and Thummim. But in Him, who was the only glory of the fecond houfe," dwelled all the fulnefs of the Godhead bodily," and the deftruction of this temple he thus predicts as a sign not to the men of that generation only, but to all ages, even to the end of the world. From the very nature of prophecy, a vail muft be drawn between the prediction and the event. "Hope that is feen is not hope," and "faith is the fubftance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Chrift indulges not thofe unbelievers with an immediate display of his miraculous power, in fupport of his pretenfions to the character of a prophet, which they could eafily have explained away, or misinterpreted; but he refers them to a fign fhortly to be exhibited, which fhould be, at once, the exact accomplishment of a well known prediction, and the greatest miracle that can poffibly exift. That the misconception of the Jews was perverse and affected is evident from this, that when they had actually fulfilled the part of the prediction which depended on themselves, by deftroying that facred temple, we find them labouring under the most dreadful appre henfion that Jefus would accomplish the other part, which depended on him, and they employ every precaution, which terror could fuggeft, to prevent and defeat it. "The chief priests and Pharifees came together unto Pilate, faying, Sir, we remem *ber that that deceiver faid, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rife again. Command, therefore, that the fepul- ehre be made fure until the third day, left his difciples come by night and fteal him away, and fay unto the people, He is rifen from the dead: fo the laft error fhall be worfe than the firft." And when the aftonished watch came into the city.. and made report to their employers, of "all the things that

were done," did it produce conviction? No, it only filled them with mortification, and kindled rage. "The chief priests, when they were affembled with the elders, and had taken counfel, they gave large money unto the foldiers, faying, fay ye, His difciples came by night, and ftole him away while we flept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will perfuade him, and fecure you." To what purpose, then. ask for a sign? They refift and reject the moft illuftrious, which, with reverence be it !poken, God himself could give, thereby approving the truth of what Jefus on another occafion faid, "If they hear not Mofes and the prophets, neither will they be perfuaded; though one rose from the dead."

"Deftroy this temple." Let it be obferved, that this is fimply a prediction or fuppofition, and not a precept, equivalent to, ye will defroy this temple, or, though ye fhould defroy this temple. It is a mode of expreffion that frequently occurs in Scripture. Thus in the Old Teftament, Jofeph fays to his brethren," this do, and live," that is, do this, and ye shall live. Thus God fpeaks to Mofes, “Get thee up into this mountain, and die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people," meaning evidently, thou shalt die in the mount, and shalt be gathered unto thy people. Thus, Ifaiah viii. o. "Take counsel together, and it fhall come to nought; `` fpeak the word, and it fhall not fand: that is, though ye take counsel together, and though ye speak the word. And in the New Teftament, the word of Chrift to Judas, "that thou doft, do quickly," cannot be confidered as a command to accomplish his plan of treachery, but merely as an intimation that he feen through, and that under the impulfe of a diabolic spirit, he was hurrying on to commit that dreadful enormity. Thus Paul exhorts," Be angry and fin not;" furely not as if he meant to encourage violent transports of wrath, but in the event of a man's giving way to a fit of passion, the apoftle means to guard him against exceffive indulgence in it, by reftricting its duration to the going down of the fun. This early notice did. Jefus give, not to his difciples only, but to all who came to worship in the temple, " of his disease which he should ac complish at Jerufalem;" that it fhould be effected by the hand of violence; not by decay, but by deftruction, and that his own countrymen fhould be the perpetrators of it. This declaration was frequently repeated, and became plainer and plainer, till the fact juftified every particular of the prediction.

was

"This temple." Our bleffed Lord in this place and elfewhere denominates his body a temple, as declaratory of his fuperiority to the lolty pile on Mount Zion, even in its greatest glory

glory, much more in its then degraded, defiled flate. "I fay unto you," addrefling himfelf to the pharife es, "that in this place is one greater than the temple," becaufe Deity refided continually and infeparably in him, as the Jews believed he did. in that which was built by Solomon, in anfwer to that petition; "O Lord my God, hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy fervant prayeth before thee to-day: that thine eyes may be opened toward this houfe night and day, even toward the place of which thou haft faid, My name fhall be there :" according as it was foretold by Moles near five centuries before: "Then there fhall be a place which the Lord your God fhall choose to caufe his name to dwell there." Jofephus informs us that not only did the anfwer to Solomon's prayer imply a real and fenfible refidence of Deity, but that it was the univerfal belief of the Jews and of the ftrangers who vifited Jeru falem, that there was an ingrefs of God into the temple, and a habitation in it; and, in another place, that God defcended and pitched his tabernacle there. The Jews themselves, however, admitted, that whatever glory thefe expreffions might fignify was now departed. To reftore that glory. and to beftow it on the fecond temple in more abundant measure than the firft ever poffeffed was the end of Chrift's miffion; and in him was the prediction fulfilled: "The glory of this latter houfe fhall be greater than of the former, faith the Lord of hofts." He was that oracle by whofe anfwers all light and truth were emitted; the true Schechinah who had the spirit without measure; he was anointed with the "oil of gladnefs above his fellows," and thus in all refpects greater than the temple. That temple, fays he, which you have defiled I have cleanfed and this temple of my body, which you are going to defroy, I will raife up a

gain.

When this prediction was verified by the matter of fact, that fact became the foundation of one of the diftinguifhing doctrines of the gofpel, the refurrection of the dead. Jefus early taught and frequently repeated it, that it might be clearly underflood and carefully remembered. The impoftor is at pains to conceal his purpose till it is ripe for execution. He fears prevention, and there'ore endeavours to take you by furprize. The thief gives no warning of his approach, but comes upon men while they fleep. The true prophet difcloles his defign, prepares, forewarns, puts the perfon who doubts or difbelieves upon his guard, bids defiance to prevention. His own refurrection, and the doctrine of a general refurrection which is founded upon it, were not barely hinted at, or declared in obcure and equivocal terms. They were not the casual topic,

and