May 10

by their junction form one whole—"We are all one in Christ Jesus"—"in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord."

Art thou found. O my soul, among those to whom the application can be made? "In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."

MAY 10.—"Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory."—Zechariah 6:13.

It is supposed that a glory will result from the building; and to whom can this glory belong but to the builder? A man's works praise him in the gates. Some have immortalized themselves by military achievements; some by voyages of discovery; some by scientific improvements; some by the composition of a book; and some by the structure of an edifice—But what building ever redounded so much to the glory of the builder as this temple of the Lord? It would be easy to prove, or rather to exemplify this.

Observe the badness of the materials. The worse and the more unsuitable these are, the more praise is due to the workman that bends them completely to his purpose. But there never were such materials as this builder had to work upon: so that it was necessary to change, not their form only, but their very nature; and from earthly, sensual, and devilish, to make them heavenly and divine.

Then see the excellency of the workmanship—"His work is perfect." The more we examine an instance of human agency, the less admiration we feel. We can generally, by examination, soon perceive some superfluity or deficiency; some possibility of alteration for the better; or at least we find the whole is within our grasp, and the extent of the art can be comprehended. But when we turn to the Lord's doing, this is marvellous in our eyes, in proportion as we explore it. By every research we seem to detect fresh indications of design; we feel ourselves always on the verge of infinite; we exclaim, "This is the finger of God." So it is with all his works—He doth all things well: but he hath magnified his word above all his name; and in the salvation of his people he excellet in glory.

Look at the magnitude of the work. A work is sometimes estimated by the length of time employed in the execution of it. Forty and six years, said the Jews, was this temple in building: but here the structure has been going on for near six thousand years, and is far from being accomplished yet. A work is estimated by the number of workmen engaged, and the abundance of scaffolding required. Here millions of hands have been cordially employed, and countless multitudes also, who will derive no advantage from it. Scholars, merchants, kings, heroes, tyrants, have laboured for this cause, without knowing it: and the world itself, as soon as the work is finished, will be removed and burnt up. The estimate is also taken from the duration. Man's work, like himself, is perishing. Solomon's temple was burnt by the Chaldeans, and Zerubbabel's temple by the Romans; and not a fragment remained a few ages only after their erection. But, says the Saviour, "Upon this rock will I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The defections of heretics and the apostacies of professors do not affect it