rations, which, if you
translate the word here rendered "house" by the more sacred word
"temple," will be found to have the same religious significance, and a
close connection with each other. Coming to Christ as the
foundation-stone of the building, "disallowed indeed of men, but chosen
of God, and precious," the Church rises into a spiritual temple. From
Christ, the great High Priest, "consecrated after no carnal commandment,"
believers rise into a holy priesthood by a majestic investiture that is
higher than the ordination of Aaron. There are two points in the
character of the ransomed Church which are illustrated in these
words:--_spirituality_ and _holiness_.

Take the first thought, spirituality. They are lively or living stones,
built up into a spiritual house. Any one who thoughtfully observes the
successive ages of the world's history, will not fail to discover that
each generation of men has in some important particulars progressed upon
its predecessor. There has been not only an accumulation of the
treasures of thought and knowledge but an increase of the capacity to
produce them. Hence in every age there has been a higher appreciation of
freedom, a quickened enterprise of enquiry, the stream of legislation has
refined and broadened in its flow, improvement has extended its acreage
of enclosure, and principles proved and gained have become part of the
property of the world. Our nature has had its mental childhood. The
established laws of mind admit only of a gradual communication of
knowledge. It was necessary, therefore, that men should be first stored
with elementary principles, then advanced to axioms and syllables, and
afterwards introduced into the fellowship of the mystery of Divine truth.
Hence any reflective mind, pondering upon the dealings of God with men,
will discover a progressive development of revelation, adjusted with
careful adaptation to the preparedness of different ages of mankind. In
the first ages God spake to men in sensible manifestations, in visions of
the night, by audible voice, in significant symbol. As time advanced the
sensible manifestations became rarer, and were reserved for great and
distinguishing occasions. From the lips of a lawgiver, in the seer's
vision, and in the prophet's burden of reproof or consolation, the Divine
spake, and the people heard and trembled. At length, in the fulness of
time, the appeal to the senses was altogether discarded; the age of
s