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the foundation of the fpiritual temple is actually laid For,

1. Before this day they are children of wrath; and, therefore, faving bleffings do not actually take place till this day they were by nature children of wrath, even as others, Eph. ii. 3. And while they were in their natural ftate, they had no actual poffeffion of any faving bleffings, till the day on which the foundation of the temple was laid.

2. On this day they are actually unite to the Son of God; and, therefore, from this day, the bleffing doth actually commence; from this day, they are in Chrift, and Chrift in them: their motto is, Christ in you the hope of glory." And they are bleffed in him with the poffeffion of all fpiritual bleffings, and with freedom from all miferies; "There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jefus." As they are freed from fpiritual death, and eternal death; fo they are freed from all that is hurtful in natural death: "He that believeth in me fhall never die," John xi. 26. Why fo? because they are members of that body whereof Chrift is the living Head; they are ftones of that building whereof he is the living foundation.

3. From this day they are the children of God; and, therefore, from this day, the bleffing doth actually commence: "To as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the children of God." And, being the children of God, they have a right to all the privileges of the children of God; to all bleffings, temporal, fpiritual, and eternal; for they are all connected with fonfhip: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath beftowed upon us, that we fhould be called the children of God. Now are we the fons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we fhall be, but we know, that when he fhall appear, we fhall be like him, for we fhall fee him as he is," 1 John iii. 1, 2.

4. From this day they are the children of promise; and, therefore, all the promised bleffings do actually commence. From this day, when the foundation is laid, they are in him, in whom all the promises are Yea and Amen. On this day the decree breaks forth concerning

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them, and the womb of the promise is impregnated with the almighty efficacy of the Spirit: fo that they are brought forth thereby; and, Of his own will begotten by the word of truth: and being thus actually the children of promife, they are alfo like children of a tender mother, nurfed, fuckled, and brought up upon the breafts of these great and precious promifes, whereby they are made partakers of the divine nature; feeking all grace and com. fort out of thefe breasts by faith. And so,

5. From this day they are the children of grace, having all the gracious qualities of the bleffed; and, there. fore, the bleffing doth actually commence from this day. From this day they are poor in fpirit; and, "Bleffed are the poor in fpirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." From this day they are spiritual mourners; and, “Blessed are they that mourn; for they fhall be comforted," From this day, they have a conftant appetite after Christ, and his righteoufnefs; and, "Bleffed are they that hunger and thirst after righteoufnefs; for they fhall be filled." From this day their heart-impurities are their burden, and heart purity is, through grace, their defire and endeavour; infomuch, that it gives them many errands to the blood of Chrift, to the fountain opened to the houfe of David, and inhabitants of Jerufalem, for fin and uncleannefs. Now, "Bleffed are the poor in heart: for they fhall fee God." I fay, from this day they are the children of grace, having, in fome measure, all the gracious qualities of the bleffed I fay not the terms or conditions of the bleffed; but the qualities of the bleffed; for, many do dreadfully confound the condition of the covenant with the qualities of the covenanted. But not to digrefs: I fay, from this day they have the qualities and characters of the bleffed, and with which bleffings are infeparably connected; and fo from this day they are bleffed.

In a word, from this day, the curfe is removed. The old covenant of works curfes all that are under it; for, "Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law, to do them. But, Chrift has delivered us from the curfe of the law, being made a curfe for us;" and, therefore, from the day, that you are

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laid upon this blessed foundation, God fays, From this day will I bless you.

VII. The feventh thing propofed, was the application of the subject. And this we fhall effay in an use of information, examination, and exhortation.

ift, We fhall improve this fubject in an ufe of information. Well then, Is it fo, that all faving bleflings do actually commence from the day that the foundation of the fpiritual temple is actually laid? Then hence fee,

1. What a fearfully curfed ftate and condition we are all into, by nature; lying under the curfed rubbish, the old building, the covenant of works. When our greatgrand-father, Adam, eat the forbidden fruit, the fabric of the old covenant fell down, and the foundation thereof was overturned; and fo great was the fall thereof, that he and all his pofterity are buried under the ruins thereof; that is, under a heap of fins, miferies, plagues, deaths, and damnation: for, on that day that the covenant of works was broken, curfes did commence; and curfed is every one that is yet in a natural fiate, and under the covenant of works, as all are, that are out of Chrift; for no faving bleffing commences, till the new foundation be laid. Oh! the curfed ftate of unbelievers, and all that are out of Chrift! As the bleflings commence from the day of union with the fecond Adam, Chrift Jefus; fo, the curfe continues as long as you are unite to the firft Adam, and upon an old-covenant bottom. Alas! how great is the folly of multitudes, befides the openly profane, that flatter themselves as if they were bleffed! And why? They think they are good, honeft folk, and good livers, as they call them; they perform many good duties, and fo they doubt not but God will thereupon blefs them. But, I muft tell you, in the name of the great God, that you are under the great curfe of this almighty God, as long as the foundation of the fpiritual temple is not laid; and as long as you know not, what it is to be brought off from the old-covenant foundation you may, indeed, deceive yourselves and the world, by thinking that you are Chriftians good enough, like neighbour and other; but God knows the

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blafphemy of these that fay they are Jews, and are not; that say they are Chriftians, and are not; but are the fynagogue of Satan, the temple of the devil, and not of God. And as you blafpheme God, by thinking your religion is good enough, while God's word declares the contrary; fo God curfes you, and all his attributes are against you; for, out of Chrift, he is a confuming fire; in him only he is well-pleased: and therefore, while you are out of him, he is neither pleafed with your perfons nor duties. If your work be only the repairing the fabric of the old covenant of works, thinking to please and fatisfy God's juftice, and fulfil God's law by your duties, that you may live thereby; I must tell you, that unless your perfon was as innocent as Adam's before the fall, and your obedience fo perfect as never to have finned in thought, word, or deed, all your days, but lived up to the law, in its moft full and fpiritual extent; fay, unless it be thus with you, which is fimply impoffible, of any of Adam's finful race, I mult tell you, that you are fo far from being God's people, or in God's favour, by your beft duties, that all the people of God are obliged to fay, That God is in the right to curfe you; they are obliged to fay Amen to all the curfes of the Bible against you; "Curfed is he that confirmeth not all the words of the law, to do them: and all the people fhall fay, Amen," Deut. xxvii. 26. If you could give perfect obedience to it yourself, then you fhould be juftified by it; but, whereas you cannot do it, and you are ftill attempting it, without building upon the foundation of Chrift's obedience to the death; if you will take the old way of doing, that you may live, then you must take it with a vengeance, unless you can do to purpofe; "Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them, Gal. iii. 10. And all the people fhall fay, Amen;" all true believers can fay Amen to it, in the words of Paul," Let him that loves not our Lord Jefus Chrift [who is the fure foundation of the fpiritual temple] be Anathema, Maran-atha." Oh! the curfed ftate of all that are out of Chrift, and are yet upon the old foundation! If the foundation of the temple be not laid, no bleffings

bleflings do yet belong to you, but all divine curfes; and, if you have adventured to a communion-table this day, in that cafe, you are fo iar from being blefled from this day, that you have been eating and drinking your own damnation, and getting a feal and confirmation of all the curfes that you are under. Ah! dreadful! man, woman, what if God be faying, "From this day will I curfe you; from this day will I plague you?" Confider this, all ye that are in a fecure, Chrifilefs, natural flate.

2. Hence fee on the other hand, the bleffed flate of all believers in Chrift, ever fince they came to Chrift; they are bleffed: for, they are lively fiones built up a spiritual houfe, to offer up fpiritual facrifices acceptable to God by Jefus Chrift, 1 Pet. ii. 5. There is the live and do, in the covenant of grace, inftead of do and live, in the covenant of works. Under the law of works, the man doth, that he may live; but, under the law of grace, he lives that he may do; he gets a fpiritual life in Chrift; being, as a lively ftone built up a spiritual houfe; and then he is put in cafe to offer up fpiritual facrifices, acceptabe to God, by Chrift. Let men build never fuch a high tower of duty and devotion, without coming to Chrift, as unto a living ftone, and fo getting life in him, they build without a foundation; and fo their Babel-building will be overthrown, as being neither fpiritual nor acceptable to God, by Jefus Chrift. But, O bleffed is the believer in whom the foundation of the fpiritual temple is laid, by his being unite to Chrift; for, now he lives and builds upon a good foundation; " Serving the Lord, not in the oldness of the letter, but in the newness of the Spirit." Because Chrift the foundation lives, he lives alfo; he lives a life of juftification, through the merit of Christ: and a life of fanctification, by the Spirit of Chrift; faying, "Surely in the Lord only have I righteoufnefs and ftrength." There is the foundation on which he leans all his weight, to the greater credit and honour of God's holy law, than the greateft merit-mongers and legalifts in the world are capable to give it; for, if he looks to the law as a covenant of works, then he leans upon this foundation for righteoufnefs; and there he finds perfect obedience to all the commands, and com

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