.An bxpojition of t~e Epiflle ~madewith man's hands; but you !hall fee itisnotmade witl1 God's hands by the Sermon fir(i creation, As faith the Prophet, (he quoteth the Prophe' for it,) Heavw ts XXIV. mJ Thront, mrd Earth u my Footjloo!e, what Hotife w1/J }tbutld me{allhtbe ~Lord? Htih not my h:mds made t1/J theft thiltgs? Not made witllhands, hath an oppofition not only to the Temple made wit11 man's hands, but _ro the whole creation made with God's hands at fir!t; for otherw1fe how cometh m thts phrafe h.1th 1101 my ha11ds made theft thi11gs? That is, thefe are but my own creatures, Heaven and Earth are not, an ordinary fort of creatures, and all the things in the world you fee are but an ordinary fort of creatures, and thefe ( fattll he,) my hands have made, but I will have fomething to dwell in made without hands; that is, it !hall not be of this creation, it !hall be of a higher creation, What is that? Look in I(ai. W11h himwi/J I dwt/J that is ofapoor and an humbte fptnt, that trembleth at my word. Doth God create anew? Doth he create grace in tile heart? It is not ofthis creation Heaven and Earth was made of, it is ofa htgher creation, yet there was an Almighty power in creating them ; and yet faith he it is not of that creation, the making of Heaven and li:arth it is but an ordinary fort of work ; but the making grace in a man's heart is a creating without hands in comparifon of Heaven and Earth. To ufe but a fcripture more, and it is but a falfe te!hmony, when the falfe wit· nelfesbrought an accufation againfi Cbri!t, they faid, We ht"rd thts ma1i ]<IJ, I w1/J dej/r.ry thuTemplemadewith hands, andwtthtn three days I wr/J 6wlda– tlother made without hmtds; which though it were a falfe tefiimony, yet it may ferve for this. But I fay the phrafe is only ufed of us, and of the framing of the body of Chri!t, which are all tranfcendent and above the fir{i creation. So that to work grace, to work the love of God in the Soul, to put the lea!t life of grace into the Soul, it is a new creation, it is a work made without hands. My Brethren, I will end all this in one word. You fee here is a work ofa new creation, that dothputinto a man's heart that which is above all creations; you will ask me what that is? r will anfwer you in a word, It is putting in all things belonging to life and god– linefs, fo the Apoflle Peur exprelfeth it, 2 Pet.t.8. ·rhe vaft Ocean of the heart of man, let his heart be never fo tar wrought upon by felf love , never fo much flirred, there is not the lean drop of godlinefs in it, the lea!i drop of the love of God in it, not the lean aiming at God more than at a man's felf, ot having a man's affections fiirred upon eonliderations drawn from God and not from a man's id f: All fuch difpolitions of heart colt more power to work them than the making of the frame of Heaven and Earth, AIJ thefe thmgs have my hm1ds made; th 1 s is made without hands, it is oot.of that creation, it will never go to Hell with thee. llhould make this more manife{i to you, it is a practical potot this which I have handle_d, and I have !iood the longer upon it to this end, not only to nand difpu– nng wtth men of the greatnefs of the power of God in converfton, bm to gtve you an account of it, and I havefpoken the things we have Icnown and felt and feen,and for to go and difj,ute with reafons it will never convince a man. I remem– ber that Ecelelia!iica! fiery; TherewM a man that wM aPhilojopher,and he held out di(pt~ti11g again{/ (ottrfcore Bijbops that met together i11 a Cormjel,hddthem a/J w ork, anfwn·eda/Jthtirreajons, there came but i1t a poor, amea11mantbat gave h:m 611t an accomrt of hu Fa.th, and of the work of God upo11 htm. Saith he,whtlt thefe Bi}bops wrth aO thtir words fpake words I had words to attjwtr then:, 6ut thu matls words came with power that I cmmot rrfifl, My Brethren, to dtfpure what power go~th to the.work of grace, men will put it off eaflly, but to gtve you an account of tt, wheretn 11 hes, and to do it out ofthe word and out of a man's heart, and the experienceof the people ofQod · th :s often ti~es harh a power going along with it that no man can relifi. ' SER~
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