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 CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
CORNELL UNIVERSITY LBBAHY 
 
 3 1924 102 767 757 
 
1 Cornell University 
 p Library 
 
 The original of tiiis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924102767757 
 
SERMON, 
 
 DBlIVEIISD AT 
 
 BEB^SHIRJE, COUNTY OF BROOME, %% 
 
 JUtY 4,18175 
 AT THE 
 
 i- . .. V. 
 
 OFA. 
 
 P2flTa^-HOU3Ef 
 
 m JEREMIAH OSBORN, V. D. ^, 
 
 r^SCOR OF THE CHtSCB ik THAT F£AO£. * 
 
 FltmTEO BY MACK 2j SHEPABD. 
 
 1817, 
 
CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 UBRARY 
 
A SERMON, 
 
 i8jc. 
 
 i 
 
 GBNESIS xxviir. 17. 
 
 «THIS Is Jfbk^ OT^BB StTT THE HOCSE OF GOB, AND T4IS IS tBfB dATJ^ 
 
 'oip heAVest;" 
 
 -T so early ia period as the day^ 6f Jacot}, houses for 
 public worships according to the custom of the present 
 age, were unknown. iGod made promise, saying, " In all 
 places where I record my name, I will come uhtd thee 
 and bless thee.'"^ Wherever Jiis Vrord and ordinance* 
 wipre piipllcly administered, in ptirity, his n^nie was ye- 
 ^^o;rded. Before G^od dr^ered the tkbernjjette to be huilt^ 
 m which his pedple werJ^ to pay him reftgious worships 
 he sometimes made special bommnnicaticNis of his glory, 
 and caused tnonuments to be Erected to his memory, as 
 places for offering sacrifices to his il^n!ie. This waa the 
 case where. Jlcob was when he uttered this'.words of thfc 
 "text. He was journeying frpni his father's hottse to Paf- 
 danaram. By the way, whtsii the sun had left him, in a 
 solitary place, he prepared for his night's rest. No hu- 
 man being was preseint ; and he, probablyj little thought 
 of such special manifestatidns of the divine presence and 
 glory as those with whi6h he was favored that night. In 
 wie Tisions of the night, he bedeld a ladder, which et- 
 tended from earth to he'aiveu, upon Which the angels of 
 God were ascendihg^nd def^cending. The Lor^ stood at 
 the top of i^, and proclaimed himself the Lord Gdd of his 
 father Abrahatd and of Is&ac. lie then made promise 
 *of many blessings unto Jacob. When Jacob awolce frorft 
 .%ii sleep, after such pleasing 'discoveries -of the divin« 
 

 tnf|esty in his dreain, he eXcIaiined, — " Surely the Lord 
 18 iatBis .place, and 1 knew it not And he was afraid,- 
 iand said, iiow dreadM is thii pa§e! this w none other 
 but the house of Godj and this is the gate of heaven.''^— • 
 iThe stone, which he had restedhis. head upon that night^ 
 he set up .for a tiillar,'and said, " This shall be God's 
 ^ouse." ^ <xod hatl promised to give Jacob that land foi* 
 a possession ; and Jacob designated that as the place 
 where he would offer, prayers and sacrifices urito God.— 
 ^uch places are called God's houses, and God i^ said t^ 
 dwell id them, in rd^rd to his special presence. At 
 iiount Sinsi^^ when the Israelites were journeying to the 
 land of Canaan, God ordered a tabernacle to be builf, as 
 a place for religious worship. iThis was carried along 
 isvtth theifn through the wilderness 5 and the divine glory 
 rested upon it. ,,v.; . , .; 
 
 j In the days of Solomon, about one thousand years be= 
 fore the coming of Ghr^stj a magnificent temple was buil^ 
 ^t Jerusalem, That was the place of report for public 
 jWorsihip, where all the males were required to ass^emble 
 ^hree times a year thre^M^M^aU the tribes of Israel ] 
 ^nd it was tbenf the <>nl|^^M^r offeri*^ sacrifices un- 
 to the fcoyd. [Deffle.xii. 1 4, fsy/^But the burthen rfftrav- 
 jelljng to J^rusisilem for public worship, was not designed 
 ^o be continued und,er the christian dispenaatinn. So 
 pur Savi6ur said to the Woman of Sam4ria, " The hour 
 jcomelh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet^ 
 ^t Jerusalem, worship the Father ;"'as if he had said, 
 fin end is about to be put to bloth these places, and to all 
 that worship which I shall not institute under the gospel. 
 The temple at Jerusalem was destroyed, and Msp the ri- 
 yal temple at mount Gerizwnj and synagogues were 
 eKected in differeiit places. . -^ . ._ 
 
 ;« ,And we are allowed the privilege, under the christian 
 dispensation, in erecting tioiises for public worship, to 
 seek convenience as to the place ojf assembling. Through 
 the divine goodness, we have not only had it in our hearts, 
 Jlike David, ,tb build an house undo the Lord ; but, ]^q: 
 gDlom(^pj have be«in enabled to accomplish this our puiC 
 ^osej and jaowVaftefthis example, when tfie temj)re was 
 
completed, have assembled for the pur[io8e of .dedicating 
 it to the service of God. Oft this oecasion, it is suitable 
 io contemplate the nature, the design, and the privileges 
 of suqU ah housei^ iThe text which is chosen, may apply 
 on this occasion, a,k well as oh the occaiiion on which it 
 was originally spoken ; and it naturally leads to such rei 
 flections as are suitable to be inipress«;d upon the mind, 
 that the dedication may he unreserved and sincere. " This 
 is none other Jbut the hoiise of God, tiiul this is the^ftte of 
 ftearen." ^ ' ■ --'^i .iv*'.. ~ 
 
 The two following enquiries naturally rise from the 
 text ; an illustration of which, by divine assistance, will 
 nnwiie attempted. 
 
 I. In what sense is the holy temple, God's house ? 
 
 II. In what^euse may it be called the gate of heaven? 
 The first enquiry is, in what sense is the holy temple, 
 
 God's house ? ' . - 
 
 1. It is; his by right, as proprietor of all things, "The 
 earth is l(he I/ird's, and the fulness thereof; tlte world", 
 and they that dwell therein." His creating power broqght 
 into>xistence, in their original form, all the materials of 
 whi;^ this temple is cotujp^sed. His po^er gave exist-t^ 
 ence to the hand which has moulded, the materials into 
 their present form ( and he has caused the joints to be fit- 
 ly framed together. His providence directed every stroke 
 pf the saw and the hammer, the trOweland the brush. — • 
 He who gave wisdom to Hiram, that he might perforai 
 the curious work of Solomon's Temple, gave all that wis= 
 dom which is displayed in this temple. ' All that wisddin 
 and understanding which Bezaleel and Aholiab possessed 
 to perform the curipus work of the tabernacle, we are told", 
 the librd put Into iheir hearts. And this was the case) 
 also, with respect to the hQly women who trtri'ought the 
 curious needle Work : and it is ho less true with respect 
 to the builders of this temple. ^ i"*,i 
 
 " If Gud to build the house deny, ■^10^^^;' 
 
 The builders' work in vain." ., :?-> ' 
 
 His superintending providence Jiias been so conspicuou|; 
 through the whole business of erecting^ this temple, that 
 it otfght, on this occasion, t© be gratefully Wk*h6wlcdgcC 
 
6 
 
 "There has been no loss of any man's life, nor any iiyur^ 
 sustained worthy of notice, in the midst of all the dangers 
 of erecting this house. The workmen, even updia the 
 pinnacle, have been preserved by Israel's jGod. 
 
 2. It. is none other but the house of Gbdj according to 
 the professed de'sign of the builders. 
 
 t The Lord has said to us in his word, *' Wliat nfean yej 
 "to dwell in youi* ceiled houses, and the house of <Grod lie 
 waste." In reply, we have aijopted the language of Solo- 
 mon— "Behold, we build an house to the name of the 
 Lord our God, to dedicate it to him.'.' With respect to 
 bur former houses the seats of which we this day leave 
 vacant, we have said, "Behold now, the place where we 
 worship is too strait for uls. Let us take every man a 
 beam, and let us build a temjple unto the Lord, that we 
 ;may take with us our sons antl our daughters when we go 
 to worship in the presence of him that dwelleth in thie 
 holy place." 
 
 By tWe e^feercisea of this day, we rienewedly, and pub- 
 licly, avow our intention, that this shall ite ndae other 
 but the house of God. We consecrate it by prslyer-^not as 
 a theatre for p|ay — pot to the idols of the 'heathen. ...Bles- 
 sed be God ! his word has taught us better tWings P we 
 consecrate it to the service of the living and tt"ue Go^^ — 
 the God of Israel! Nnt to one who, having eyes seiss notj 
 and having elars hears not, neither can , un^erst^nd ; but 
 to him who fills heaven and earth with his presence, and 
 walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks, holding the 
 stars in his right hand. To l^is service we consecrate 
 this building ; and in this pijblic manner, acknowledge 
 this to have been our intention before we entered the for- 
 est to collect the materials. Let this our intention ever 
 be manifest by our future conduct. Let this, our fa- 
 ther's hous6,be calledjof all nations, a house of pra/er^ 
 
 3. The holy temple is God's house, as it is a place of 
 Ills abode. Though he is an every-where-present GoJI, 
 ' et he loves the gate^ of Zioa mdre than all the dwelling]^ 
 
 f Jacob. He ''l 
 
 >f Makes a more delightful stay, ,j ,^ ^^ 
 Where 'feTiiirclies meet'to -praise and^vs^J.'' 
 
While his name is here recorded by the administration oi 
 liis word and ordinances, in their purity, we have assur- 
 ance froni his wordjthat^he will make it a dwelling place 
 for his glory. 
 
 Before he ordered the I^uilding of the tabernacle for his 
 liabitatioD, he made promise that he would come unto his 
 people in all places where fiis name was recorded. After 
 the tabernacle was built, bis glory rested upon it", and he 
 filled the holy of holies with his gracious prelsence. When 
 Solomon had finished the temple ait Jerusalem, and dedi- 
 icated it to Godj it was' said, immediately after, that th0 
 fflory of the Loi-d filled the house. ' 'Whe^ the temple 
 was rebuilt by Zerubabel, " saith the Lord of hosts, I will 
 fill this house with my glory." And if we enter this 
 temple as true spiritual worshippers, we may reasonably 
 expect the promise of God, as recorded by the prophet 
 Malachij wifl be yerified^unto qs^-"The Lord, whoravye 
 seek, shall suddenly come to this temple, even the mes- 
 senger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold he 
 shall come, saith the Lord of hosts." "The Lord hath 
 cbosen ZioW' saith the Psalmist, «he hath desired it for his 
 halritation ; this, saith the Lord, is my rest for ever ; here 
 will 1 dwell, for I have desired it." The consecrated 
 temple is "the holy place of the tabernacle of the l^ost 
 High," The spiritual worshipper may here expect ever to 
 find the enlightening, the sanctifying, and the comforting . 
 influences of the Holy Ghost. The divine Saviour, whe- 
 early went intathe holy temple, and who, after his resui'-i 
 l-ection, appeared in the midst of his disciples where they 
 were assembled for religious worship, is no less ready now 
 to favor the spiritual Worshippers in his temple with bis 
 gracious presence. Herie he' sits upon his ifnercy-^alt, 
 and holds out his golden sceptre. Here;, by the eyeyftC, 
 faith, his glory is discovered ; and he never forsakes $o 
 delightful an abode j for hejhas declared, that "in mercy 
 shall the throne^ be established, and the lamb shall sit 
 upon it in truth, in the tatiernaicle of David, judging and 
 iseejcing judgment, and hasting righteousness." 
 
 4i The holy temple is th« house of God, as it is the ap. 
 I^inted place Sor bis Worship. Here hjs sacre^ nam? |s 
 
«• 
 
 jro be adored— liere the gi'ateful incense is to burn upon 
 the holy altar, as an acknowledgment for mercies re- 
 ceived. Here tlie sacrifice o£ a broken, and contrite 
 
 ^spirit is to be offere^j and mercy implored to forgive.^ — 
 Here his ordinances are to be administered, his truths 
 to be published, and his commands to be brought to 
 light, Hei'e the book of the law is to be deposited,' 
 which contains the message to be delivered by those who 
 ;iTiinister at the altar: not to be buried in the rubbish oi^ 
 the temple ; but to be read from Sabballi to Sabbath, as a 
 guid^ to us gentiles in seeking the glory of the G(;>d of 
 Israel. ' Here the banner of the cross is to be unfurled tp 
 collect the soldiers of the cross, and. guide tfietn in their 
 n>arch to the heavenly Zion. J«sus Christ, and him cru- 
 cified, is £o be held up to the view of sinners as th^ great 
 atoning sacrifice — ^the propitiation for sins, and the end qf 
 jthe law for righteousness to those who believe in his name. 
 The sinfulness of sin, the danger of sinners, and the rem- 
 edy which QSd has provided for their recovery from the 
 ruins of the fall, are to be pointed out — not wjth excel- 
 lency of speefihj as ojf man's wisdom, but with stmplicil^ 
 
 -and g^dly sincerity. Whe-ther- sinners he^r or forbear, 
 the whole truth qf God's word is to be putflished, that tbe 
 "sheep and lambs of the flook of Christ maybe nourished, 
 and cor&forted with the word of life. ' This is the work of 
 the holy templie. It is all divine j and notbing.^ut Jesus 
 -rrChcist^and him crucified, is here to be known. So tl^is 
 holy tem|>Ie is^God^s house, by right, by design in build- 
 ing, and byconsecratlon, as a habitation f©r Hjs glory and 
 as the appointed place for his worshijp. 
 
 ThB second enquiry ft'om the text is, In , what sense 
 may the holy temple be called ^^the Gate of Heaven P^ 
 1^' This is none other but the house of God, and this is the 
 gate of heaven." 
 
 From-all that Jacob ^UcQvered in J^is dj-eain, he might 
 well exclaifo, " This is the gate of! heaven," The angels 
 were descending upon a ladder directly from heayc^n.to 
 that place, and also returning fropa thence direotly;,,to 
 
 . Jieaven : p:nd he h^d a view, of itJie great Jehoyah, stand- 
 ing above the top of the ladder. TJtiis . part pf the, te^Kt 
 
uiay apply, io various respects, to the holy temple. And, 
 J 1, /The house of God may be called the gate of heaven, 
 ii jisMuse tlife door of heaven is there opened for blessed 
 VcammtiBications to the vpQrshinpers of God. God there 
 sends down his angels as ministering spirits to minister 
 to theirt^'who shalfbe heirs of salvation. The spiritual 
 worshippers, in the tejmple of QoA, behold, by an eye of 
 faith, the trairn of angels which are sent forth as minister^ 
 ing spirits. And through the medium of God's word, 
 their faith looks abave, and h&holds the great i A»f seated 
 upofl the throne of his glory — the Saviour at hi? r^Tit 
 . hand — angels and the spirits of just mep made perfect 
 surrounding the throne, giving glory to God and the 
 J^amb. The temple of God is the place wherp God has 
 ■ appointed that his' word shall hc adqiipistered, which 
 opens to their view such joyful scenes. But their view 
 is imperfect. It is like st^^oding in the gate of a city to 
 take a view of the riches and grandeur which it contain^. 
 In such a place, cqmparatively, but little can be seen. — ■ 
 Enter the streets — ^pass through the city, and how will 
 wani4£r.and..^ucaazi5meaitiaprfias£ ! go with the worship^ 
 pers in the earthly courts. They only stand at the gate 
 of heareq. l^ortal eye J^ath not seen the glory of the 
 New Jerusalem above. Enter the gate, and. ...how glori- 
 ous ! J ! Mortal tongue cannot describe. 
 
 2, The house of Go«l inay he called the gate of heaven, 
 as that is the entering-place into the spiritual kingdom. 
 Thus saith the Psalmist — '^OfZion it shall be said, this 
 and that man was born in her. The Lord shall count, 
 when he writetli up th^ people, thfjit this man was born, 
 there," 
 
 " Egypt and Type, s^jtl Greek and Jew, 
 Shall there ^eginifheir lives anew.*' 
 
 The spirit of God desi6ends from heaven to the earth? 
 iy courts. A way Js o^^n for communications from 
 heaven to the place where Iphurehes meet to praise and 
 pray. The spirit of God jtJiere accompanies the word, 
 ivhen it h lO^de powerful to the conviction and conver? 
 fipn of sinners. When ^iiipers er^wd the C^ipaple g^t^ 
 
10 
 
 and "wait at the porch of the altar, thej'arC in il© place 
 where the spirit rests when it descends from the hd%( of 
 holies ahove. Its breath, from heayeo, there falls upoh.^ 
 the dry hones, which were slain by the monster of wiclT- 
 ediiess, and raises them to life. * 
 
 3. The holy temple may be called the gate of heaven, 
 as it is the place for the communion of saints. Probably 
 one reason why Jacob exclaimed, " This is the gate of 
 heaven," was, the lieaveiilyjoy and communion With which 
 he was there favored. God was present with a retinue 
 of angels; When heaven-born souls assemble around, 
 the holy board, with the benevolent temper of saitits 
 above, favored with the gracious presence of God, to per- 
 pi^tuate the, memory of the Lamb that was slain to re- 
 deem their souls unto God, how blessed ! how heavenly ! 
 A band of brothers and sisters. ...pilgrims, travelling to 
 the Zion of our God ahove-r- harmonious in their views — 
 united in their feelings-r— affectionate one towai*d®anoth- 
 er....What a resemblance of the heavenly society!- To 
 increase the holy delight, the great Head of the Church 
 condescends to be spiritually present. He pi-epares the 
 feast — he invites the gft^sts, saying" I aoi come into friy 
 garden, my sister, my spouse ; I have gathered my 
 luyrrh with my spice ; 1 have ekten my honey-comb with 
 my honey ; I have drunken m_v wine with my milk: eat, 
 O friends ; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." He 
 fieds their souls with heavenly food. ^Though they have 
 not entered the hfeavenly city, they sit at the gate of 
 heaven when around the communion table, and the Sav- 
 iour supplies them with heavenly food, to nourish and 
 prepare them for the full enjoyment of God in the New 
 Jerusalem, when they shall havg accomplished their work 
 on the earth. The -Saviour here regards them as his 
 children. He gives them pledges of his gracious, his 
 everlasting love. The holy teoiple is rhe appointed place 
 for such heavenly communion. It is here the Saviour 
 spreads hi^ feast. Here he invites tjie guests to assem- 
 ble. Here he discovers to them, emblenaatically, his 
 flesh, whiclris meat indeed, ahd his blood, which is drink 
 indeed. Sitting here, around the sacrameiatal table^ in- 
 
11 
 
 floenced by the spirit of the great Head of the Ghurcb, 
 the heai't is lifted up by faith'; the spirituaj views are 
 extended even to the throne of God above. The gate of 
 itfe'aven is open before them^and beams of spiritual light 
 from the Son of Righteougness, concentrate in the very 
 bottom of the soul. The holy joy which communicaats 
 here receive, is a Sure pledge that the ahgel of the cove- 
 nant will ere long take them to himself, to eat bread with 
 him in his Father's kingdom. So they wait at the gatie 
 for the coming of the heavenly bridegroom to take them 
 into the marriage stipper of the Lamb. . ' , 
 
 Further, in the holy temple God communicates his 
 Spirit to sanctify,, to enlighten, to guide, to quicken an4 
 to comfort tliose whom his spirit has raised to newness 
 of life in Christ Jesus. He has made many gracious pro- 
 mises to the spiritual worshippers in his holy courts.—* 
 With reference to the place of bply worship^ he said to 
 his chosen people of old, "There rl will meet with the 
 children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified 
 by my ^lory. And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the 
 congregation and the altar. I will sanctify, also, both 
 Aaron and his sons,"to miuister 1:6 me in the priest's of- 
 fice." To Solomon, the Lord made promise, s9,ying, "t 
 have heard thy prayer, and have ehosen this place to my- 
 self for ai^ouse of sacrifice, Now mine eyes shall be 
 open, and mine ears att^tit unto the prayer that is made 
 in this place. rFoR,now have I chosen and sanctified this 
 house, that my name may be there for ever, and mine, 
 eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually." There 
 the hungry soul feasts upon that living bread which 
 comes down from heaveuj and the thirsty sotil drmk» of 
 that water, ^hich shall be in ita well of water, springing 
 up into everlasting life. Though the sweet infiuences of 
 the spirit are felt at the family altar, io^ the closet, and 
 wherever the soul communes with God ; yet the ap- 
 pointed place for the heavenly Dove to light upon the 
 soul, is the holy temple. Standing here in humole ado- 
 ration, the sdkQfY of heaven beams upon the soul. The 
 gates of tl^^lestial paradise are always open to the 
 «arthly eourfs for the communication of light and com- 
 
12 
 
 fori to J^ioB's thiliipfen. Iio\ir s^B6t ifee pk€r#^iio« 
 blessed the employmeotT^liottr gldrioUs — how heavenly ! 
 Then Itet the sound re-edho^ from wall to-wall, in thlg 
 h<ow ieon6eerat'Bd temple, "^his is ihe gate of keetven.^'' 
 
 With some p^i'afctical inferences anil riefleetidnsj wig 
 bow close thfestihjeeti And, 
 
 V 1. Whenever we tintep this lioty tenipie ifor retigloUs 
 Vltshipj we'ought to be sensible, and deeply scnsiblej 
 
 khat it is God's houssj and that the Lord is present ^ 
 
 "Whfn we are oh the way to it, we ought Jo call to n^ind 
 the idea that we are going.. ..flot into a house of vain 
 afeusewetits-^not into the courts of an <*arthly prince | 
 biit into the house of God — into the presqnde of Him 
 who is our final Judge; Jacob said, " siirely the liord is 
 in this {»lace and I knew it ntV> Let us not be so insen*- 
 Bjble of his. presence when We eft ter this palace. What 
 objeer, worthy of the courts of the Loid, can we have iii 
 i»fifeWj if we enteP this temple of the Lord^ insensible that 
 Gad is here in a special manner? God forbid that we 
 should, ever be so thonifhtless and inconsiderate I 
 
 2. Wh^en we entep this temple of the Loril, we ■•ought 
 to come with the moist profound rerereTiTjei- awc^otr-'-wTis— 
 afraidj and said, Hpw dreadful is this place." The ma- 
 jesty of Him who here sits upon his mercy seat, ought 
 to fill evbry mind with holy dpead. How should we trem-, 
 lile if we Were goiH,g into the courts of an earthly prince? 
 And with what pevere|i?cfe should we^ approach him !— * 
 How did queen Esther trfeinble when she went into the 
 'courts of Jcing Ahaauerus to plead for faerseif and, for. 
 her peosple \ Is the King of k^ugs and Lord, of lords, "who 
 sits "upon the throiie of thi& universe, less worthy of re- 
 spect — ^^of revTeretilce and holy fear? The angels of 
 tieaven cast their crowns at his feet. With what reve- 
 rence thenshtJijld man— >and the son of maU) that is but 
 li^sinfltl worm of the dust, approach his mercy geat.-^-^^ 
 Many, probably, are gWilty of isuch irrevepence in the 
 cooft* of the Lord, |is they tieVer would be gtiilty of i« 
 the courts of an eapthly monarch. ^ 
 
 When Moses was in the presetifciiS o? t^^hord at the 
 ferniag bush^ th0 Itord coBomandedj sa^ig, " Put otf 
 
ihylshoes ffom o^tlnj feet; for thie place whereon tliott 
 standest is holy ground:^' Such reverence for God, 
 Moses was to manifest. And God has commanded us, 
 gaj-*n^, " Keep thy foot when thou goest info the house 
 J tjfGod:" appear with I'everenfee and atteution. 
 
 3. When We enter the holy teinple to worship, we 
 "ought to be ' seosible of th« importauco of the cau^e 
 •vhich we come to plead. What is our etraud here ? I* 
 is to plead our own cause in a case of Iffe and deatii — 
 yes, in a case of life and death. But not simply that of 
 the body. If we were under a sentence of natural death, 
 and were allowed to go into the courts of an earthly 
 prince td plead for pardon, we sltould consider the caus^ 
 an Important one. But what is that in comparison with 
 the cause we have to bring to the mercy seal of tilie Lord 
 in his te^mplt? 
 
 We are, by ualure, sinners, condemned to eternal 
 death. "He that believeth not^is condemned already.'* 
 JSut the Lord, in his holy temple, has erected a. mercy 
 seat, where he freely dispenses bis pardoning grace to 
 such as appear^efore him with the sacrifice of a brokea 
 - anCT contrite spiwE; l<f owp what imbre imporfan t cause 
 can exist tbun the one sinners have to bring into the 
 ceurts of the Lord? Who can be inattentive when sueh 
 a cause as this, of his own^ is pleading ? Who can be in* 
 different about the result of such ai case? 
 
 Further, as God has fixed his gracious throne in the 
 consecrated temple, to dispense his pardoning mercy, 
 how important that we assemble round the altar from 
 Sabbath to Sabbath, with the sacrifice ttf prayer and 
 praise. We may worship IJod acceptably, it is true, in 
 Bur own habitatiiou when the heart is right. But tfiis 
 holy temple is the plaee where God has made special 
 appointment to eome unto his people and bless them.— • 
 And if any neglect it through indifference towards the 
 public worship of God, they have no reason to expect 
 audience before God in their Own habitation/. But 
 thanks be to Gl^od, that the formtr habits of this pexiple 
 render it hopeful that there will be but little occasion 
 for ui'giog the apostolic in|i(mctioa-^a0t to forget tlie' 
 
14 
 
 asseiliblijig of themselves togethepr Btit n6twithstand- 
 ing this, it is lamentable, indeed, that there has hereto- 
 fore been so much need of the caution of the apostle 
 James, "Be ye doers of the wotj*d, and not heftrers onlv." 
 God has commanded us to take heed how we hear. And 
 he has said that " not the hearers of the law are j-ust be- 
 fore God, but the doers of the law shall be justified."— 
 We might come into this temple and hear the sound of 
 the gospel frotn Sabbath to Sabbath^ — appear very devout 
 while here, and also be influenced to a daily deportment 
 which, in the view of man, is unexceptionable, and stjU 
 be shut out of the kingdom when the children of Zion 
 shall enter through the gate into the city. 
 
 What weight our Saviour lays upon an obedient prac- 
 tice ! He saith, "Not every one that saith unto me. Lord, 
 Lord, i|jall enter into the kingdom of heaven : but he 
 that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.^*- 
 Malfty will say unto me in that day, we have eaten and 
 drunken in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our 
 streets ; and then will I profess unto them, I never knew 
 you ; dejjart from me, ye that work^iniquity.^' ' " Whoso - 
 ever conieth to me, and hearetlT my sayings, and tloefh 
 them, I \«iill shew you to whom he is like : fee is like a 
 man which built an hoiise^ and digged deep, and laid the 
 foundation on a rock; and when the flood ai-Ose, the 
 stream beat vehemently upon that house, abd could not 
 shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he thj^t 
 heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that, without a 
 foundation, built an house upon the earth ; agaii^st which 
 the stream did beat vehemently ; and immediately it fell, 
 and the ruin of that house was great." 
 
 If we would profit by coming to this temple of the 
 Lord, and hearing the gospel of Christy we must reduce 
 to, practice the truths whioh we hear. It is not certain 
 that we shall be permitted to enter through the gate in- 
 to the city, merely because we are here permitted to sit 
 at the gate of heaven. We are here on trial. And if 
 •we attehd as the way-side, the stoney-ground, or thorny- 
 ground hearers, we shall surely find the gate of heaven 
 shut a^aiflst us when ^e spiritual worshippers enter in- 
 
15 
 
 "to theiv final rest. And how dreadful tl\e disappoint- 
 ment! TakijK heed then how ye hear ; and be not for- 
 getful hear^Fi ^"'^ doers of the word. 
 
 jj'pjWier, one reason which was oifered why this tera- 
 jiie" might be called the house of God is, here his truths 
 are to be published. Kow, consider the impropriety of 
 objecting to that message which shall be delivered from, 
 the Lord by those who minister at the altar. God has 
 put his word into the hands of those who hold the sacred 
 ollice ; and has said to them, " Go preach the gospel," 
 God is present to witness whether they preach this gos- 
 pel, or another : and he has said to them, thaugh they or 
 an angel from heaven preach any other gospel, let him be 
 accursed. This gospel declares the total apostacy of 
 man, and recovery only by sovereign divine grace, through 
 the righteousness of him who is Immanuel. These afe 
 bumbling doctrines to the sinner. But shall he to whom 
 the ministry of reconciliation is committed, point out to 
 sinners a diflRerent way of recovery ? Let it not be that 
 any desire it. Who can be so hardened as to wish th^m 
 to prove so treacherous to their L ord and master, and 
 
 "tBereDy mcuFhis curseTor ever upon their heads ! Then 
 never object to the publication of the whole trath from, 
 this sacred de^k. To the law and to the testimony we 
 must go for instruction.. . This contains the message 
 from the Lord, that is here to be delivered to both saints 
 and sinners. .. \ 
 
 Further, as the holy temple is the gate of heaven, if 
 we come here with the eye of faith open, we may look Iq, 
 to the Holy City, the NeW-Jerusalem, and have some 
 sweet prelibations of that rest which remaineth for the 
 people of God above. How near to heaven is this place, 
 to the spiritual worshipper ! No wonder, then, that the 
 Psalmist should say, when banished for a while from the 
 holy temple, that so long an absence from the place, his 
 heart endured with pain. No wonder that he should say, 
 " How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts j My 
 soul longeth—- yea, even fainteth, tor the courts of t]^& 
 Lord." Yea, no wonder that he should say, " I will 
 not give^ sleep to miae eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, 
 
16 
 
 until I find out a place for the Lord, a habitation foi> thfe 
 mighty God of Jacob." " Tiie Lord hath chosen Zion ; he 
 hath desired it for his habitation. This is my^^est for ever' 
 here will 1 dwell, for 1 have desired it. I will O^jnd- 
 Itntly bless her provision; I will sfttisfj^ her poor wl^»^ 
 bread." 
 
 - To conclude, brethren and Friends! the aged and 
 the young — those who tune the lyre and chant the song 
 of prais« ; ever remember that this .is..t|ie house of God — . 
 enter it. with such: a spirit as to niake'it appear like the 
 gate of heaven. Be the most careful, when coming to 
 this temple, to put oq the ornament of a meek and hum- 
 ble spirit. Hush not inconsiderately intq the courts of 
 the Lord. Bring not the sacrifice of fools ; bring no- 
 thing — indulge nothing here, that shall offend a holy 
 God, or provoke him to turn away his ear from hearing 
 our supplications. Indulge no unlawful conversation 
 about woridly concern*, or sinful amusements, in the in- 
 tervals ordivine service. This is a caution highly wor^ 
 thy of notice, and much needed.**?' Never forget the imr . 
 poi'tanee^of t he cause that^js brought before God, Make 
 this,^ur Tatar's bouse, a house of prayer! a house of 
 pfaise !. a house of blessiiigs 1 
 
 And may peace be i«vithin thy if alls, and prosperity 
 within thy palaces. Great king of Zion, fill this house 
 v/i{^ thy glory 1 Make the glory of this latter house ex^" 
 ceed the glory of the* former! Pisplay more of the 
 . riches of thy grace I When writing up the people, let it 
 be counted that many were born here, and here trained 
 up for that house which is riot made ti^ith hands, eternal 
 in the heavens, to sing alteluiahs to God aad the Laml^, 
 tor ever arid ever] -AaiM. 
 
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