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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

of

his

Holy

Spirit, 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

of

you,

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

of

our

low

estate,

that

we

were once

fallen

creatures,

and

are raised

by

the

sovereign and condq

-_

scending grace

of

God

in

Christ

Jesus;

and it

is

in

Christ

alone that

we

stand.

This

should

be

a

perpetual

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