the Lamb's wife. God says, in my text, that he will lay Gentile Zion's stones with fair colours. And here I must be beholden to the students of nature for some of the colours of these stones. And before I begin I will observe this, that among all the variety of colours that are found among these stones there is not one that is black: "I am black, but comely," Song i. 5. Black was her natural complexion; her comeliness is borrowed. Nor is any of their colours that of pale, which is a sign of sickness, guilt, and death: "And I looked, and, behold, a pale horse; and he that sat on him was death." Pale is the colour of a soul sick, and sick of sin; which colour is to be changed at the appearance of grace: "Therefore thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name," Isaiah xxix. 22, 23. By all which it appears that God's presence and God's work make a change in Jacob's pale countenance. Nor do I find any the rouge which such as Jezebel use, who painted her face and looked out of the palace window to charm Jehu, who ordered her to be hurled from the window for the horses to trample on, and the dogs to eat. The colours of these stones seem to set forth the things which are common and natural. "I will lay thy stones with fair colours."

of

The diamond is the richest, hardest, and most

valuable, of all the stones in nature; its natural colour is white. This colour is applied to the church: "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." "And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge and to make them white." And when these are purged and separated from the wicked, the diamond itself doth not exceed them: "When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon," Psalm lxviii. 14.

Jacinth is a purple colour, worn by sovereign princes; And purple raiment was on the kings of Midian, Judges viii. 26. This is the royal colour; and he hath made us kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign for ever and ever. Hence our Lord, who compares the members of his church, which cleave unto him who is the head of it, to hair of this colour: "Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple. The king is held in the galleries," Song vii. 5. "I will lay thy stones with fair colours."

Topaz, a beautiful yellow. And this gold colour is the colour of faith: "I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir." This is the colour of faith, or faithfulness: "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich.” He was girt about the paps with a golden girdle, Rev. i. 13. Truth was his girdle as a prophet; faithfulness his girdle as a priest; and righteousness his girdle as a king: "And righteousness

shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins."

Sardius, or sardine, a blood colour. Not only are the saints red, being washed in the blood of Christ, but red with the blood of martyrs. And of this colour is the church described: "In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day."

Jasper. The best is green; an emblem of life. Every thing in the creation is green. "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord: he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river; her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." And our Lord's command to the devouring locust of Turkish preachers is, "That they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads," Rev. ix. 4.

Sardonyx, reddish, bordering on white; the true virgin's colour, suitable to souls espoused to the Son of God. "I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." And this modest and blushing colour is the cause of the Lord's kind entreaty; "Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely." It is the colour of a blushing countenance, such as they have who are tender lovers of God, as may

be seen in Ezra: "I am ashamed," says he, "and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head." I might mention the chrysolite, dingy green, as expressive of young converts, just quickened, and that is all; and the beryl, pale green, a pale countenance; for such souls have no life but in their convictions and appetite; and yet by these things these poor souls live, or are kept alive: And in all these things, and in these only, is the life of their spirits, Isaiah xxxviii. 16.

A chalcedony, a pale cast of blue; descriptive of their case who are just verging out of the storm, finding the clouds blowing over, and the blue sky just appearing. Take it altogether thus: my church is as brilliant as the diamond by sanctification in Christ; in the shining majesty of reigning grace as purple as the jacinth; in purifying faith as rich and as yellow as the topaz; under the great atonement as red as the sardius; in life and verdure as green as the jasper; as a chaste virgin as fair and blushing as the sardonyx; and even the least of all the family, under the influence of my Spirit, are full as green as the chrysolite, or the beryl, not dried up, but verdant; and every soulupon which the true light shines, like the chalcedony, has got a tinge of the rainbow, and is coming into with me. peace

And thus have I endeavoured to show my reader these stones which the word of God holds

forth; and he promises to lay them with fair co

colours. All the colours which I know any thing of I have hinted at. And I would to God that the light of my understanding could but keep pace with the energy of my soul; my reader would have a much fuller account. But this word has often been both a caution and a support: "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth; that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ: to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." "O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted! behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours."

"And lay thy foundations with sapphires." Here must be an astonishing change to come from. the tempest of Sinai, and from the deluge of Noah, to be built as a diamond or ruby upon a foundation laid with sapphires. But the whole of this mystery, both of the storm and of the foundation, is taken from something of the same sort that was exhibited once before this, in view of the sons of men; as will appear at the giving of the law, and at what was displayed afterward. The storm and tempest are taken from Sinai, and from the flood of Noah.

"And

First, from the giving of the law. Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.

gether on a smoke,

And mount Sinai was altobecause the Lord descended