the praises of God. And the glory hereof consists in three things:

1. The blessed and beautiful order of all things in that sanctuary. Job describes the grave beneath to be a place without any order, and where the light is as darkness,' chap. x. 22. All above is order, and light; every person and thing in its proper place and exercise.

(1.) Heaven itself is a temple, a sanctuary, made so by the especial presence of God, and the ministration of Christ in the tabernacle of his human nature.

(2.) God is on the throne of grace, gloriously exalted on the account of his grace, and for the dispensation of it. To the saints above he is on the throne of grace, in that they are in the full enjoyment of the effects of his grace, and do give glory unto him on the account thereof. He is so also with respect unto the church here below, in the continual communications of grace and mercy through Christ.

(3.) The Lord Christ in his human nature is before the throne, acting his mediatory office and power in behalf of the church.

(4.) All the holy angels, in the various orders and degrees of their ministration, are about the throne continually. So,

(5.) Are the spirits of just men made perfect, in their various measures of light and glory. And these things were obscurely represented in the order of the church at its first erection in the wilderness; for the ordinances of God among them were patterns or figures of 'heavenly things,' Heb. ix. 23. (1.) In the midst was the tabernacle or the sanctuary, which represented the sanctuary or temple above. (2.) In the most holy place, were the ark and mercy-seat, representatives of the throne of grace. (3.) The ministry of the high priest, a type of the ministry of Christ. (4.) The Levites who attended on the priest, did represent the ministry of angels, attending on Christ in the discharge of his office. And, (5.) Round about them were the tribes in their order.

2. In the full clear apprehensions which all the blessed ones have of the glory of God in Christ, of the work and effects of his wisdom and grace towards mankind. These are the foun

dation of all divine worship. And because our conceptions and apprehensions about them are dark, low, obscure, and inevident, our worship is weak and imperfect also. But all is open unto the saints above. We are in the dust, the blood, the noise of the battle; they are victoriously at peace, and have a perfect view of what they have passed through, and what they have attained unto. They are come to the springs of life and light, and are filled with admiration of the grace of God in themselves and one another. What they see in God, and in Jesus Christ, what they have experience of in themselves, what they know and learn from others, are all of them inconceivable and inexpressible. It is well for us, if we have so much experience of these things, as to see a real glory in the fulness and perfection of them. The apprehensions by sight, without mixture of unsteadiness or darkness, without the allay of fears or temptations, with an ineffable sense of the things themselves on their hearts or minds, are the springs or motives of the holy worship which is in heaven.

3. In the glorious manner of the performance of it. Now whereas it ariseth from sight and present enjoyment, it must consist in a continual ascription of glory and praise unto God; and so it is described in the Scripture. See Rev. iv. 9-11. with Isa. vi. 3. And how little a portion of the glory of these things is it, that we can apprehend?

Thirdly, In this solemn assembly before the throne of grace, the Lord Jesus Christ, the great High Priest, doth represent and render acceptable unto God, the worship of the church here below. So it is expressed, Rev. viii. 3, 4. And an angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne; and the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up unto God out of the angel's hand.' It is a representation of the high priest burning incense on the golden altar on the day of atonement, when he entered into the most holy place. For that altar was placed just at the entrance of it, directly before the ark and mercy-seat, representing the throne of God. The angel, therefore, is our High Priest;

none else could approach that altar, or offer incense on it, the smoke whereof was to enter into the holy place. And the prayers of all saints is a synecdochical expression of the whole worship of the church. And this is presented before the throne of God, by this High Priest. And it is not said that their prayers came unto the throne of God, but the smoke of the incense out of the hand of the angel did so. For it is the incense of the intercession of Christ alone that gives them their acceptance with God. Without this, none of our prayers, praises, or thanksgivings, would ever have access into the presence of God, or unto the throne of grace. Blessed be God for this relief, under the consideration of the weakness and imperfection of them. Wherefore in him, and by him alone, do we present all our desires, and prayers, and whole worship to God. And herein, in all our worship, do we ourselves' enter into the most holy place,' Heb. x. 9. We do it not merely by faith, but by this especial exercise of it, in putting our prayers into the hand of this High Priest.

There are three things in all our worship that would hinder its access unto God, and acceptance with him, as also keep off comfort and peace from our consciences. The first is the sin or iniquity that cleaves unto it; secondly, the weakness or imperfection that at best is in it; and, thirdly, the unworthiness of the persons by whom it is performed. With reference unto these things the law could never consummate or perfect the consciences of them that came unto God by the sacrifices of it. But there are three things in the sacerdotal ministration of Christ, that remove and take them all away, whereon we have access with boldness unto God. And they are, (1.) The influence of his oblation. (2.) The efficacy of his intercession; and, (3.) The dignity of his person. Through the first of these he bears and takes away all the iniquity of our holy things; as Aaron did typically of old, by virtue of the plate of gold, with the name of God (a figure of Christ) on his forehead, Exod. xxviii. 36-38. He hath made atonement for them in the blood of his oblation, and they appear not in the presence of God. Through the second, or the efficacy of his intercession, he gives acceptance unto our prayers and holy worship, with

power and prevalency before God; for this is that incense, whose smoke or sweet perfume comes up with the prayers of all saints unto the throne of God. Through the third, or the dignity of his person, wherein he appears as the representative of his whole mystical body, he takes away from our consciences that sense of our own vileness and unworthiness which would not suffer us to approach with boldness unto the throne of grace. In these things consists the life of the worship of the church, of all believers, without which, as it would not be acceptable unto God, so we could have neither peace nor consolation in it ourselves.

Fourthly, Herein hath the church that is triumphant, communion with that which is yet militant. The assembly above have not lost their concernment in the church here below. As we rejoice in their glory, safety, and happiness, that having passed through the storms and tempests, the temptations, sufferings, and dangers of this life and world, as they are harboured in eternal glory, unto the praise of God in Christ; so are they full of affections towards their brethren exercised with the same temptations, difficulties, and dangers, which they have passed through, with earnest desires for their deliverance and safety. Wherefore when they behold the Lord Jesus Christ, as the great High Priest over the house of God, presenting their prayers, with all their holy worship unto him, rendering them acceptable by the incense of his own intercession, it fills them with satisfaction, and continually excites them unto the assignation of praise, and glory, and honour unto him. This is the state of the saints above, with respect unto the church here below. This is all which may be herein ascribed unto them, and this may safely be so. What some have fancied about their own personal intercession, and that for particular persons, is derogatory unto the honour of Jesus Christ, and inconsistent with their present condition. But in these things consist their communion with the church here below. A love they have unto it, from their union with it in the same mystical body, Eph. i. 10. A sense they have of its condition, from the experience they had of it in the days of their flesh. A great concernment they have for the glory of God in them, and a fervent desire of their eter

nal salvation. They know that without them they shall not be absolutely consummate or made perfect in their whole persons, Rev. vi. 11. In this state of things, they continually behold the Lord Jesus Christ, presenting their prayers before the throne of grace, making intercession for them, appearing to plead their cause against all their adversaries, transacting all their affairs in the presence of God, taking care of their salvation, that not one of them shall perish. This continually fills them with an holy satisfaction and complacency, and is a great part of the subject matter of their incessant praises and ascriptions of glory unto him. Herein lies the concernment of the church above in that here below; this is the communion that is between them, whereof the person of Christ in the discharge of his office is the bond and centre.

Fifthly, There is herein a full manifestation made of the wisdom of God, in all the holy institutions of the tabernacle and temple of old. Herein the vail is fully taken off from them, and that obscure representation of heavenly things is brought forth unto light and glory. It is true, that is done unto a great degree in the dispensation of the gospel. By the coming of Christ in the flesh, and the discharge of his mediatory office in this world, the substance of what they did prefigure is accomplished. And in the revelation of the gospel, the nature and end of them is declared. Howbeit, they extended their signification also unto things within the vail, or the discharge of the Priestly office of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, Heb. ix. 24. Wherefore, as we have not yet a perfection of light to understand the depth of the mysteries contained in them; so themselves also were not absolutely fulfilled until the Lord Christ discharged his office in the holy place. This is the glory of the pattern which God shewed unto Moses in the mount, and made conspicuous and evident unto all. Therein especially do the saints of the Old Testament, who were exercised all their days in those typical institutions, whose end and design they could not comprehend, see the manifold wisdom and goodness of God in them all, rejoicing in them for

evermore.

Sixthly, All that the Lord Christ receives of the Father