cxxxii. 13, 14.; and gracioufly and fpiritually in the church invifible on earth; therefore called the habitation of God through the Spirit, Eph. ii. 22. and a fpiritual houfe, 1 Pet. ii. 5. This houfe, in fcripture, comes under feveral names and defignations.It is his pleafure-houfe; for, "The Lord takes pleasure in his people;" there he delights to dwell. It is his treafure-houfe: his people are his treafure and his portion; he gives out of his treasure there. It is his magazine houfe; being built for an armoury, where hang a thoufand bucklers, all fhields of mighty men: and there he lays up his magazines for military provifion, the whole armour of God, which we are called to put on. It is his banquetting-houfe, where he feeds and feasts his people; "He brought me to the banquetting house, and his banner over me was love."—It is his hofpital-house, where he hath cures for all maladies, and all forts of difeafed perfons, the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind. It is his wafhing-house, where he hath a laver for cleanfing of polluted fouls, and a fountain opened for fin and for uncleannefs.It is his houfe of prayer, and his houfe of praife, where he is worthipped and adored.-It is his own houfe, and his Fa ther's houfe; "Shall my Father's houfe become a den of thieves?" The church of Chrift is God's houfe, he founded it; "The Lord hath founded Zion." It is Chrift's houfe, for he is the foundation of it; and, "Other foundations can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jefus Chrift." He is the builder, and the bearer of all the charges of the building, and of all the honour of it; "He thall build the temple of the Lord, and fhall bear the glory."-Thus much for a hint at what the house is *. 2dly, What is imported in filling his houfe? That my boufe may be filled; that is,

1. That the elect may be gathered in; Compel them to come in, that the election may obtain, as indeed it fhall obtain; for, "All that the Father hath given me, fhall come to me; and him that cometh, I will in no wife cast out."

* The church confidered as a house, and what kind of a house it is, and moft of the above defignations affigned to it, may be seen more copiously viewed, by confulting Vol. IV. p. 176, 177, 178.

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2. That

2. That my boufe may be filled; that is, that my faints may be gathered together, thefe who have made a covenant with me by facrifice, Pfalm 1. 5. And that they may gather themfelves together before the decree bring forth, before the day of the Lord's anger come, that they may feek righteoufpefs, and feek meeknefs, fince in this way it may be, they shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. This is the call of God to his people, in fuch days of threatened judgments as thefe are, wherein we · live.

3. That my boufe may be filled; that is, that the church visible may be forted and fettled, united and cemented in one vifible profeffion of the faith, after they have been fcattered and divided by wolves in fheep's cloathing, or by erroneous and cruel fhepherds, that rule with force and with cruelty. The Lord is calling his people, at this day, to fill his house, by gathering under his ftandard, who gathers the outcafts of Ifrael into one, that the church vifible may appear by their vifible profeflion of, and adherence to the truth and caufe of God, in oppo. fition to all that are making a vifible defection from it; and fo, instead of being a true, vifible reforming church, are vifible oppofers of any endeavours that fome are making towards Reformation.

4. That my boufe may be filled; that is, that the church triumphant may, in due time, be completed, and all the manfions of glory may be filled up; for, " In my Father's house are many manfions; and I go to prepare a place for you;" and you muft prepare for it, and muft, in my name, endeavour to prepare all, that are to be heirs of glory, for these heavenly mansions: and therefore, Compel them to come in, that my boufe may be filled; first here below, and then above, that being once brought in, they may be brought up ftairs, to the place where I am, to be for ever with the Lord.

3dly, How full fhould his houfe be? Why, he would have every corner, every feat, every chamber, and every ftory of his houfe filled.

1. Every corner of his houfe fhould be filled, there being all kinds of fupply for all kinds of finners; and, if I may fo exprefs it, a corner for every kind, an apart

ment

ment for every fort of finners. As all kind of creatures had a place, a corner, or apartment in the ark; so all forts of mankind finners, Gentiles as well as Jews, have a place or corner for them in his house, according to Peter's vifion of a fheet, wherein were all manner of four-footed beafts of the earth, and wild beafts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air, A&ts x. 12. representing finners of all forts upon earth, from all winds and airths, eaft, weft, north, and fouth, from whence his houfe is to be filled, Ifa. xliii. 5, 6. He would have every corner of his houfe filled from every quarter of the habitable earth; and, we hope, the time cometh when, according to his promife, "The knowledge of the Lord fhall cover the earth, as the waters do the fea:" and that "His dominion fhall extend from fea to fea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. Look to me, all the ends of the earth, and be faved," Ifa. xlv. 22.

2. Every feat of his houfe fhould be filled; Compel them to come in, that my house may be filled: that as there may be no empty corners, fo there may be no empty feat. There are feats in his houfe for every one, according to their rank, order, and station. A A proper feat for the paftor, than whom, indeed, there is no higher officer in the church. A proper feat for other officers, fuch as elders and deacons. And though the minifterial office is a feat and ftation in the house of Chrift, fuperior to that of the people, yet there is no fuperiority in one paftor over another by divine appointment, but a comely parity and equality as to office, whatever difference there may be, as to gifts. And whatever pre-eminence the minifter hath; it is not a magifterial dominion, but a pre-eminence of adminiftration, and of paftoral inftruction and infpection. Now, that every feat of his houfe may be filled, his fervants are to compel them to come in, and take their feats; thefe who are fit for the minifterial ftation, to come in and take their place; these that are qualified for being elders and deacons, to come in, and take their places and posts in his house. David chufeth to be a door-keeper in the house of God, rather than to dwell in tents of wickednefs, or to fit upon a throne of iniquity.

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3. Every

3. Every chamber of his houfe must be filled. We read of the chambers of the king, Song i. 4. "The King hath brought me into his chambers;" and all the Lord's people are called to come in to the feveral chambers of his houfe, Ifa. xxvi. 20, 21. "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers." Here we fhall tell you four forts of chambers in his houfe he will have filled.

(1.) There are chambers of diftinction he wants to be filled, fo as we may not be mixed with, nor conform to the world; "Come out from among them, and be ye feparate, &c. 2 Cor. vi. 17. Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her plagues," Rev. xviii. 4• In a day of general defection we ought to fide ourselves, by coming out from the corrupt part of a church, and testify against them: this is the way how faints in fcripture have overcome their enemies; "They overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their teftimony," "Rev. xii. 11. This is the way we are to diftinguish ourselves for the Lord, in declining times.

(2.) There are chambers of defence in his houfe, which he would have filled, where we may be fafe in the worst and most threatening times; "The name of the Lord is a ftrong tower;" a ftrong chamber of firength, Prov. xviii. 10. Every perfection of God is a chamber of defence; "Truft ye in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting ftrength." Every office of Chrift, every promife of the covenant is a chamber

(3.) There are chambers of devotion in his house, he would have filled; "Enter into thy closet, and when thou haft shut the door, pray to thy Father which is in fecret, and thy Father which feeth in fecret, fhall reward thee openly," Matth. vi. 6. There are chambers of public worship and devotion; focieties meeting for fpiritual edification; chambers of family-worfhip and devotion, every family apart; and chambers of fecret devotion, every perfon apart, like doves in the valleys, mourning every one for his own fins, as well as the fins of the land in general: he would have all thofe chambers filled, And, indeed, every chamber of your houfe fhould be a chamber of devotion; and fo far as it is fo, it is a part of the houfe of God. Let every convenient apartment

be

be a praying place; for, "Their hearts fhall live that God."

(4.) There are chambers of action and bufinefs he would have filled. Chrift's houfe is not only a house of prayer, but a work-house, wherein we are to do fome things for God in our day and generation; "Why ftand ye here all the day idle? Go, work to-day in my vineyard," Mat. xx. 6. xxi. 28. The Lord calls his people not only to pray, and cry to him, but also to action and diligence. When Ifrael were in great danger at the fide of the Red-Sea, and their enemies behind pursuing them, God fays to Mofes, "Wherefore crieft thou unto me? Speak to the people that they go forward." We are not only to cry, but to go forward to our work and service in our feveral ftations as magiftrates, minif ters, or people; every one to the work and duty of their station, that they may glorify God therein*.

4. As every corner, every feat, every chamber, fo every story of his house must be filled. There are two ftories of his houfe, the lower ftory upon earth, and the upper ftory in heaven; and he will have both filled: both the church militant and the church triumphant. They are but two ftories of the fame house; and hence all believers, that are faid to be come to mount Zion, the city of the living God, Heb. xii. 22. are faid alfo to be come to the heavenly Jerufalem, and to the innumerable company of angels, to the general affembly, and church of the firft-born, that are written in heaven; to God the judge of all, and to the fpirits of just men made perfect, Why, who are come to this houfe? Even all believers in Chrift, who are faid, in the following verfe, to be come to Jefus, the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of fprinkling, that speaketh better things than the blood of Abel. That every story of his houfe, therefore, may be filled, finners must be compelled to come in.

In a word, he will have his houfe fo full, that there may be no empty room. There is accefs for finners as long as the fervants have occafion to say, So many are

*All the above topics, with feveral others; are more amply treated of above, Vol. VI. p. 474, 475, 476.

already