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mises with power, the hungry soul relishes them, feeds and feasts sweetly upon them; no honey to the mouth so sweet as the words of life to the soul.

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Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart." "My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste: so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off." The entrance of the word of wisdom gives hope, it respects the future and great reward; and the expectation founded on hope is not to be cut off from the reward promised. And it is an experience of comfort by the word that brings hope: experience worketh hope, but not the experience of bondage, fear, and wrath; these work despair. It is the entrance of comfort that brings hope. "For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." The next most noble branch of spiritual wisdom lies in taking the gospel lamp in the hand of faith, and oil in the vessel to feed the flame. The foolish virgins which took their lamps took no oil with them. The best account of the saint's lamp is as follows: "For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth," Isaiah lxii. 1. Zion and Jerusalem here

are the elect of God, and the covenant of grace which God has made with Christ in their behalf. Read Heb. xii. 22, 23.

There are two things in this text that go forth hand in hand; and they always come to the heart of poor sinners together: the one is righteousness; the other is salvation. A divine radiance attends the one, and a flaming fire attends the other. Righteousness goes forth as brightness, and salvation as a lamp that burneth. This, this is the wise virgin's lamp. But, then, what is salvation?

It is the forgiveness of sins, and the knowledge of it; as it is written, "To give knowledge of salvation unto his people, by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." The fire that attends this salvation is the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost; for the fullest discovery and sweetest enjoyment of divine love are made known to the soul at the time of pardon and forgiveness; and this overflowing of divine love in us inflames the whole soul with love to God again: or, to speak more evangelically, the Holy Spirit filling us with God's love through Christ, his love is reflected back again, attended with the renewed affections of the pardoned sinner. Hence it is said, Where much is forgiven, the same loveth much; and where little is forgiven, the same loveth little, Luke

vii. 47. Sin is removed by faith in a Saviour's blood. This heals the conscience, and brings health and cure; while love binds up the broken heart, and fills it with joy and peace. This is salvation, and the burning flame that attends it; and justification always goes with it; for the same faith that purifies the heart puts on the wedding-garment; the fatted calf and the best robe are brought forth together, Luke xv. 22, 23. The prophet ascribes fire to salvation, and brightness to righteousness; and no wonder; for when God accepts us in his Son as clean, and in his righteousness as just, he reveals his dear Son in us, with all his saving benefits, and with all his fulness: and this is called the Sun of righteousness rising upon us with healing in his beams, attended with the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Pardon removes sin, and righteousness removes the curse, and all condemnation. In this work we are baptized with the Holy Ghost, and with the fire; with God the Fathers' love, through Christ; for this is shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Ghost. Hence the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of burning, Isaiah iv. 4. The word of life, in the love of it, is a live coal from the altar, Isaiah vi. 6. And joy in the heart is the flame that blazes forth from this lamp, and is expressly called light: "The light of the righteous rejoiceth, but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out." This lamp of salvation will afford a blaze of joy, when all joy raised by moving the passions will be put out: a conscious

ness of sin, and the expectation of wrath, are sure to extinguish it. The ground and foundation of this joy in my text is, first, the forgiveness of sins. And such worshippers, once purged, shall have no more conscience of sins, Heb. x. 2. Thus "Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation." The believer puts on an everlasting righteousness. This, says the prophet, goes forth as brightness, as being the righteousness of God, and in which the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father, Matt. xiii. 43. And both the atonement and the best robe are brought nigh, and applied by the Holy Spirit of God; for we are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God, 1 Cor. vi. 11. Which most holy and blessed Spirit is a comforter that abides with us for ever. Thus salvation is attended with the fire of love, and righteousness with the brightest flames of heavenly joy; as it is written, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." Here is the wise virgin, made wise to salvation, going forth to meet her great Redeemer, who hath washed her from her sins in his own blood. She is going to meet her dearly beloved with his love shed abroad in her heart. She sets out in her wedding robe to meet her bridegroom; she goes to meet her head of influence, under the influence of his

Spirit; and she rejoices in hope of an endless enjoyment of her own husband. Nor is she in any danger of her lamp going out; for she has the promise of returning to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon her head, Isaiah li. 11. And so far is she from being shut out of the marriage-chamber, that it is with gladness and rejoicing she shall be brought, and shall enter into the king's palace, Psalm xlv. 15. So much for the wisdom of the wise.

Now for the glory; "The wise shall inherit glory." There is a glory already put upon the wise, and it begins with the first entrance of the Spirit of God into the heart. Under his first operations the poor sinner begins to separate himself from the world. This brings the odium of the world upon him: "If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you,"

2. The light of God's countenance, in which our secret sins appear; the light which makes manifest all things that are reproved, and which shines upon the sure word of prophecy till the day-dawn, and day-star arise in the heart; even this is no less than glory; yea, and the glory of God too. " Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness. shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee."

3. There is a wonderful display of divine glory in the creation and formation of the new man.

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