The Vail fpreadover All Nations, and bath made a covenant. w. th death and hell; and ofall men,he {hall be preferved, from ruin ; why ? he is a holy man , be hath lubmitted to ordinances, he is under the purtf forms, molt agreeable to the wil and mind of Chrift Whenas all this may be nothing but the work of thedivel in man,meerly todeludehim,and to keep away guilt,that he maynot fee the bottomlefs gulph of fin anddelufion that is instils own heart. But when once Jefus Chrift hath thus declared his power in this foul, and brought forthhis e:crnal counfels in it , then he comes to fee that all this is done in faithfulnefs and loving lkindnefs, and in tender compagon; then he comes to fee that he was deluded, and fed himfelt with lies, with windand vanity, and that theway to fafety was not tobuild up this Babel, but tobring it into confufion for,. faith he, in the fourth verfe; Thou haft been a ffrength to the poor and needy in their difirefe, a refuge from the froorm, afhadom from the heat. So that you fee,the matter of Saints praifes is only to mag- nifie and let up, andexalt and make Chrift great and won- derful. They cannot fay any thing of themfelves, or of men, for they fee them to benothing but fin ,, and the foun- tain of mifery , defolation , and deftru&ion, even thevery belt, the hightíf, the holieft in their own cfteem. And fohe goes on, Thou ¡halt bring down the noife of the *angers, &c. the branchand the Terrible ones fhall be brought low : And all this is, but to thew forth what further work Chrift makes ; how he goes on making more Havocll in Satans building ; Mans work, or the work of Satan in him, is to fet up and exalt thewifdom of mars ;°andpower and holinefs ofman, and toHeight anddebate the wifdom, holinefs, andpower of God, all this is foolifhnef i ; but his own is wifdom indeed, and holinefs indeed : Now the work of Chrift is topull down thefe ftrong holds and hizh imaginations : Babel muff be confounded, and Bethel muff be ere&ed : Chrift wil hin- felf let uphis own Temple,his own houle, his own Kingdom, and wil bring man to fee that he is nothing but want and mifery,emptinefs andcon fufion, finand death, Hell and condem- nation: And that Jefus Chrift alone is fulnefs,riches, lafe,ligbt for ,,
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