it, after his ascension. Luke xxiv. 53, speaking of the disciples, after Christ's ascension, it is said, " And they were con tinually in the temple, praising and blessing God." And, Acts ii. 46, speaking of the multitudes that were converted by that great outpouring of the Spirit that was on the day of Pentecost, it is said, " And they continued daily with one acs cord in the temple." And, Acts v. 42, speaking of the apos tles, "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." And hence the sound of the gospel went forth, and the church spread into all the world.

XIII. It is here worthy to be observed, that at this time, in Solomon's reign, after the temple was finished, the Jewish church was risen to its highest external glory. The Jewish church, or the ordinances and constitution of it, is compared to the moon, in Rev. xii. 1. " And there appeared a great won. der in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” As this church was like the moon in many other respects, so it was in this, that it waxed and waned like the moon..... From the first foundation of it, that was laid in the cove nant made with Abraham, when this moon was now begin. ning to appear, it had to this time been gradually increas ing in its glory. This time, wherein the temple was finished and dedicated, was about the middle, between the calling of Abraham and the coming of Christ, and now it was full moon. After this the glory of the Jewish church gradually decreased, till Christ came; as I shall have occasion more particularly to observe afterwards.

Now the church of Israel was in its highest external glory : Now Israel was multiplied exceedingly, so that they seemed to have become like the sand on the sea shore, 1 Kings iv. 20: Now the kingdom of Israel was firmly established in the right family, the family of which Christ was to come: Now God had chosen the city where he would place his name: Now God had fully given his people the possession of the promised land: And they now possessed the dominion of it all in quietness and peace, even from the river of Egypt, to the great

river Euphrates; all those nations that had formerly been their enemies, quietly submitted to them; none pretended to rebel against them...Now the Jewish worship in all its ordi nances was fully settled :...Now, instead of a moveable tent and tabernacle, they had a glorious temple; the most magnificent, beautiful, and costly structure, that there was then, ever had been, or ever has been since: Now the people enjoyed peace and plenty, and sat every man under his vine and figtree, eating and drinking, and making merry, as 1 Kings iv. 20 :... Now they were in the highest pitch of earthly prosperity, sil~ ver being as plenty as stones, and the land full of gold and precious stones, and other precious foreign commodities, which were brought by Solomon's ships from Ophir, and which came from other parts of the world :...Now they had a king reigning over them that was the wisest of men, and probably the greatest earthly prince that ever was:...Now their fame went abroad into all the earth, so that they came from the utmost parts of the earth to see their glory and their happiness.

Thus God was pleased, in one of the ancestors of Christ, remarkably to shadow forth the kingdom of Christ, reigning in his glory. David, that was a man of war, a man who had shed much blood, and whose life was full of troubles and conflicts, was more of a representation of Christ in his state of humiliation, his militant state, wherein he was conflicting with his enemies. But Solomon, that was a man of peace, was a representation more especially of Christ exalted, triumphing, and reigning in his kingdom of peace. And the happy glorious state of the Jewish church at that time, did remarkably represent two things: 1. That glorious state of the church on earth that shall be in the latter ages of the world; those days of peace, when nation shall not lift sword against nation, nor learn war any more. 2. The future glorified state of the church in heaven. The earthly Canaan never was so lively a type of the heavenly Canaan, as it was then, when the happy people of Israel did indeed enjoy it as a land flowing with milk and honey.

XIV. After this the glory of the Jewish church gradually declined more and more till Christ came; yet not so but that the work of redemption still went on. Whatever failed or declined, God still carried on this work from age to age; this building was still advancing higher and higher. Things still went on, during the decline of the Jewish church, towards a further preparation of things for the coming of Christ, as well as during its increase; for so wonderfully were things ordered by the infinitely wise governor of the world, that whatever happened was ordered for good to this general design, and made a means of promoting it. When the people of the Jews flourished, and were in prosperity, he made that to contribute to the promoting this design; and when they were in adversity, God made that also to contribute to the carrying on of the same design, While the Jewish church was in its increasing state, the work of redemption was carried on by their increase; and when they came to their declining state, which they were in from Solomon's time till Christ, God carried on the work of redemption by that. That decline itself was one thing that God made use of as a further preparation for Christ's coming,

sun.

As the moon, from the time of its full, is approaching nearer and nearer to her conjunction with the sun; so her light is still more and more decreasing, till at length, when the conjunction comes, it is wholly swallowed up in the light of the So it was with the Jewish church from the time of its highest glory in Solomon's time. In the latter end of Solomon's reign, the state of things began to darken, by Solomon's corrupting himself with idolatry, which much obscured the glory of this mighty and wise prince; and withal troubles began to arise in his kingdom; and after his death the kingdom was divided, and ten tribes revolted, and withdrew their subjection from the house of David, withal falling away from the true worship of God in the temple at Jerusalem, and setting up the golden calves of Bethel and Dan. And presently after this the number of the ten tribes was greatly diminished in the battle of Jeroboam with Abijah, wherein there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men; which

loss the kingdom of Israel probably never in any measure recovered.

The ten tribes finally apostatised from the true God under Jeroboam, and the kingdom of Judah was greatly corrupted, and from that time forward were more generally in a corrupt state than otherwise. In Ahab's time the kingdom of Israel did not only worship the calves of Bethel and Dan, but the worship of Baal was introduced. Before, they pretended to worship the true God by these images, the calves of Jeroboam; but now Ahab introduced gross idolatry, and the direct worship of false gods in the room of the true God; and soon after the worship of Baal was introduced into the kingdom of Judah, viz. in Jehoram's reign, by his marrying Athaliah the daughter of Ahab. After this God began to cut Israel short, by finally destroying and sending into captivity that part of the land that was beyond Jordan, as you may see in 2 Kings x. 32. &c. And then after this Tiglath Pilezer subdued and captivated all the northern parts of the land; 2 Kings xv. 29. And then at last all the land of the ten tribes was subdued by Salmaneser, and they were finally carried captive out of their own land. After this also the kingdom of Judah was carried captive into Babylon, and a great part of the nation never returned. Those that returned were but a small number, compared with what had been carried captive; and for the most part after this they were dependent on the power of other states, being subject one while to the kings of Persia, then to the monarchy of the Grecians, and then to the Romans. And before Christ's time, the church of the Jews was become exceeding corrupt, overrun with superstition and selfrighteousness. And how small a flock was the church of Christ in the days of his incarnation!

God, by this gradual decline of the Jewish state and church from Solomon's time, prepared the way for the coming of Christ several ways.

1. The decline of the glory of this legal dispensation made way for the introduction of the more glorious dispensation of the gospel, The decline of the glory of the legal dispensa, tion, was to make way for the introduction of the evangelical VOL. II.

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dispensation, that was so much more glorious, that the legal dispensation had no glory in comparison with it. The glor ry of the ancient dispensation, such as it was in Solomon's time, consisting so much in external glory, was but a childish glory, compared with the spiritual glory of the dispensation introduced by Christ. The church under the Old Tes tament, was a child under tutors and governors, and God dealt with it as a child. Those pompous externals are called by the apostle, weak and beggerly elements. It was fit that those things should be diminished as Christ approached; as John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, speaking of Christ, says, "He must increase, but I must decrease," John iii. 30. It is fit that the twinkling stars should gradually withdraw their glory, when the sun is approaching towards his rising. The glory of the Jewish dispensation must be gradually diminished, to prepare the way for the more joyful reception of the spiritual glory of the gospel. If the Jewish church, when Christ came, had been in the same external glory that it was in, in the reign of Solomon, men would have had their eyes.so dazzled with it, that they would not have been likely joyfully to exchange such great external glory, for only the spiritual glory of the poor despised Jesus. Again,

2. This gradual decline of the glory of the Jewish state, tended to prepare the way for Christ's coming another way, viz. as it tended to make the glory of God's power, in the great effects of Christ's redemption, the more conspicuous. God's people being so diminished and weakened by one step after another, till Christ came, was very much like the diminishing Gideon's army. God told Gideon, that the people that were with him, were too many for him to deliver the Midian-, ites into their hands, lest Israel should vaunt themselves against him, saying, "My own hand hath saved me.” And therefore all that were fearful were commanded to return; and there returned twenty and two thousand, and there remained ten thousand. But still they were too many; and then, by trying the people at the water, they were reduced to three hundred men. So the people in Solomon's time were too many, and mighty, and glorious for Christ; therefore he