20f THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST MANIFESTED. (DISC. YE. and monument of the church's safety and security, hope and confidence, even to the end of the world ; though their circumstances be never so low, though they are never so much sinking under their fears, this is a good security of that promise ; Mat. xvi. 18. " The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church's" interest, to bring it down to the ground ; for the sacrifice of Christ is of everlasting value, and has purchased the security of the church to the end of the world. Jesus is repre- sented as standing in the midst of the throne, and before the eyes of God the Father ; so that the church shall never be condemned, nor given up to destruction. All the living stones that God has designed to be brought into the building of the church, shall be brought into it in their several seasons : All the dead sinners that are made alive by the blood of Christ, and by the work ofhis HolySpirit, shall be raised,together in a glorious build- ing, which God shall dwell in for ever : And when the " topstone" is laid in heaven, the redeemed nations shall. shout unto it, "grace, grace;" Zech. iv, .7. 8th Lesson. This vision may be esteemed also as a monumental emblem, that the followers of Christ, who shall fill heaven with inhabitants, are sinners redeemed from the earth : They are brought into heaven as ran- somed by the blood of the Lamb, and as cleansed in this laver, they are,not originally pure and holy in themselves, as the angels were, but they are guilty creatures, once shamefully defiled and corrupted, but rescued from hell and sin, and recovered from all their defilements and dangers by a blessed Redeemer. Such were some ofyou, all ye pardoned and sanctified souls ; such were all of you, as related to the first Adam, sinful and miserable; but ye are redeemed and saved' by the second. This thought should ever keep us humble and self abased, that such worthless creatures as we are, are not banished for ever from the presence of God. This should ever put us in mind ofour low estate, that we were once fallen creatures, and are raised by the sovereign and condq -_ scending grace ofGod in Christ Jesus; and it is in Christ alone that we stand. This should be aperpetual warning to each of us, not to indulge or endure the least defilement of sin ; for sits is of so malignant a nature, that it will soon spread all
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