Cr;venant of Grace. 3 · ef the Lord ? Or who hath been his c;ounfeller ?~ Ver. 34·. (4.) 'Tis more than five thoufand ,yeai·s fince this building rofe above ground. "And the firft fl:one of it that appeared, was a promift, a promife.~f ' a Saviour, m'ade in paradife, after the fall, Gen. ~~·· 15. nainely, that the/eed of the woman !hould br.uife the head of the ferpent. Here was mercy. And - . mercy-was laid upon mercy : upon promijing mercy was laid quickning mercy, whereby our lofi firfi pa– rents were enabled to believe the promife : and upon quickliing mercy was laid pardoning mercy to them; .and upon that again.fanBifying and eflablijhingmer– cy, and at length glorifying mercy. (5.) The ce171ent is blood, the blood of jefus Chriil the :Mediator,which is the blood of Go,d, Acrs xx. 28. No H1ving mercy , . for finners could conjifi, ner could one mercy ly firm up~ another in the building, without being cemenJ. ted with that precious blood : but by it the whole building confifis, and fianqs firm for ever. Heb. ix. 22, l3. arld vii: 24, 25. (6.) Ever · fince the time it appeared above ground, -it has beengoing on. And many hands have been employ'd, to ferve in carrying on the wotk: in the firfi ages · of the world, l?atri- - . archs were employ'd kit, fuch as Adam, Enoch and Noah; in the middle ages, prophets, priefls, and Le– vites ; in thefe the lafi ag~s, the apojlleJ, and other extr:aordinary officers, and ·ordinary miniflers of th~ . gofpel. Great has been the oppofrtion made to the · builq~ng from the beginning, by Satan ::md his agents, both m the way of violence and deceit : yet has it all along been· going on fiill. And now 'tis come far above mid.·height; 'tis drawing towards the top and · the time when the Jaft fioq.e thall be laid thereon~: for . 'ti~. evident, we are fa~ advanced in ' the days of the vote: of the fev~nth angel,' wherein the myflery of G~d 1s to ?e ji12ijhed, Rev. x. 7. (7.) The ropejione Will be latd on 1t, at the Jafr day; at which time the promife will receive its full accompli!hmen!, in the · A 3 .'CQffi w
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