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earth? Behold, the heaven, and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" But the same is still more expressively. set forth by Isaiah, chap. lxvi. “Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?"

Here he clearly and forcibly refutes the foolish persuasion of the Jews, who gloried in the temple as if they had built an house to God, and performed some great and especial worship and being proudly puffed up. with this their work, they became the furious murderers of the prophets. Whereas, God here plainly declares, that he cannot endure their temple, (as though he had need of that for an habitation,) but that he looks to the man "that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at his word." It is here he saith that he will dwell, and this he saith shall be his temple and his rest. The prophet refutes also in this same passage, and that in words the most severe and cutting, the sacrifices and worship of the temple, saying, "He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense as if he blessed an idol." For God did not wish and command a temple to be built, that they might arrogantly and obstinately resist his precepts and promises, and neglecting them, multiply sacrifices, and thus set themselves off as the great saints of God: but, that his name, (as the scripture every where saith,) that is, the true knowledge of God according to the given Word, might there dwell and be celebrated, and not that he himself should be considered to be enclosed as it were in that place. That is, he wished his Word to be heard in the temple, that he might by it be truly known and called upon, and that thus true honour might be paid him. Whereas they, on the contrary, arrogated to themselves the honour and glory which are due unto God, because of their having built unto him so magnificent a temple: and in this confidence they

killed the prophets on account of that Word which they preached.

Wherefore, it must of necessity follow, that this "house," which it is said that the Messiah, proceeding from David and the Son of God, should build, must be quite different from, and greater and more glorious than, that temple of Jerusalem. For only consider with thyself, -when God says that this house shall be "his" house, that is, in which he himself will dwell; it at once follows, that it must be much more extensive and holy than heaven and earth; seeing that the God himself who is to dwell in this house is so great, that all heaven only forms his seat or throne on which he sits, and all earth is under his feet as his footstool. Justly therefore does he say, What house will ye build unto me of wood or of stone, when the whole fabric of the world, the heavens and the earth, are by far too narrow to contain me?:

Concerning this "house," therefore, that is to be built unto God, the scriptures of the New Testament especially, fully instruct us,-namely, that this "house" is that which is, and is called, the holy church of God, which has existed throughout the world from the beginning, which is declared to be also an eternal house that shall conquer and remain for ever, and in which God shall dwell to all eternity, and reign and rule as the master of the house. Here then you have a dwelling-place and a temple indeed, great and glorious beyond description!

NOW THEN let us consider the builder and maker of this house. He must of necessity be truly Man and the Son of David, as is here clearly expressed, "I will set up thy seed after thee which shall proceed out of thy bowels:" and yet, it is said that this Person should build an house greater and more glorious than the heavens and the earth; and moreover, one that should remain "for ever." Whence then shall this builder have so much wisdom as to know how, or so much power as to be able, to build so great an house? It is certain that this is above all human power, and so, not in the power of angels themselves. For the angels were not the makers

of the heaven and the earth, nor of less therefore was any man.

any creature; much

It must of necessity be, therefore, that the builder and maker of this house is the true God himself, who has a power peculiar to his own divine nature; that is, a power of making the heaven and the earth, and even a greater and more divine work than these; that is, such "an house" as may be the eternal habitation of God! Hence therefore, this builder must of necessity be truly and naturally the Almighty God, the Maker of all things and yet so, that he must of necessity be another Person distinct from that Person which spoke concerning him these words, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son." And again," He shall build me an house." You here see clearly and manifestly distinguished the Persons of the Father and of the Son: that is, of the builder and maker, and of him for whom the house is built. And yet, the Godhead does not allow that these Persons should be divided so as to make two Gods, or that the Son should be a different God from the Father. For the First Commandment stands directly opposed to this saying, "Thou shalt have none other gods but (or besides) me. And Deut. vi. 4, " Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord."-And, we have already heard it observed above, that, wherever in the prophetic scripture mention is made of the Persons of the Father and of the Son, the Person of the Holy Ghost is there to be understood as set forth also, for the scripture testifies, that it is he that speaks these things by the prophets.

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Hence, this very passage is, to any godly reader, a clear and firm testimony that the eternal Almighty God, the maker of all things, is One; or, of one undivided divine essence, so as that, out of this One there is not and cannot be any God: and yet, that this same God or Godhead is Three true and distinct Persons, that is, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost: and that so, that it was the Person of the Son only that assumed human nature, and was made the Son of David.

And without doubt, God wished this Commandment, (that they should neither adore nor worship any other god but the One God who had revealed himself unto them in the given Word,) to be inculcated, and as it were stamped upon the people of Israel, for this very reason; that, being as it were previously prepared by that Commandment, they might not have any cause for taking offence if they should hear the Messiah, after his manifestation, preached and acknowledged by faith to be God, nor imagine that they were taught to worship any strange god contrary to the doctrine delivered by Moses; but that, as Moses had commanded this God that should come to be heard, they might know, that they ought to listen with their ears and hearts, and learn from him the true and secret meaning of the First Commandment concerning having no strange God;namely, that they would not then have any strange God when they adored this Messiah the Son of God; because, he is in truth not another God, but the same with the Father, though of a distinct Person; as the testimonies of their prophets bear witness.

IT NOW follows in the words to David, " And I will establish him in my house and in my kingdom for ever."-What then have we here! Here let us give all attention! It was before said, that the house which should be built to God should be everlasting and eternal: and therefore, its builder or maker must of necessity be an eternal Person, having an eternal and truly divine power. And here it is farther said unto David, In that very house which the same my son and thy son shall build unto me, he himself shall be Lord, and shall inhabit it equally with me. He shall, I say, be of equal right and power with me in that house. For I will so set him over this house, that he shall have the same full power over it that I have.' And when it is said that this house of God is much greater, better, and more glorious than the whole wonderful fabric of the heavens and the earth; when, moreover, this son of David the Messiah, is said to be the builder and Lord of this house; that same Person is, without doubt, the builder

and Lord of the heavens and the earth, that is, of the whole creation of things; and therefore, he must be far greater, and exalted above, that creation!-For, he that is the Lord of so great a house, must of necessity be far above the house itself, and therefore must also be Lord of heaven and earth, and One with God! And such an one no one can be but the One true God, the Creator of all things!-It follows, therefore, that this Messiah the Son of David is truly and naturally the One true and only God, and no strange God. For the eternal God does not suffer any one but himself to be God, or to be Lord over his house, but will have all the glory and power due unto his Godhead to be ascribed unto him only, and to remain perfect, and not to be given to any other. Wherefore, these words clearly and expressly declare this,—that the Messiah, the Son of David, is the very Lord and King himself of this kingdom, (which properly belongs to God only,) or, is in all things equal with God. For it is certain that God in this place speaks concerning the promised Messiah.

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But if any one will judaize, and, resting on the interpretation of the Rabbins, will refer these words of God, "my house," my kingdom," to that visible temple at Jerusalem, and to the political economy of the people of Israel, he may do it for what I care, but it will be at his own peril. And yet, I am not ignorant, that God calls that temple which was made with hands 'his house.' "For my house shall be called an house of prayer for all people," Isaiah lvi. 7. And Christ himself cites these words with reference to that temple, Matt. xxi. 13, Luke xix. 46. And so also, he calls the people of Israel 'his kingdom,' Exod. xix. 6, "And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests." But in that same place this condition is added, "If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant," &c. I know also that God saith, Ezekiel xviii. 4, "As the soul of the Father so also the soul of the Son is mine." But what of that. Is not this wine which I drink, and this bread which I eat, God's also? And what is there in all heaven and earth that is not properly God's? As Isaiah

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