they derive all their efficacy. Take away this corner-ftone, and immediately the faints in heaven fall from their thrones; and the faints upon earth, that are gradually rifing heavenward, fink for ever. Take away this corner-ftone, and this glorious living temple that has been building for fo many ages, breaks to pieces, and covers heaven and earth with its ruins. Having thus illuftrated the particular properties of this ftone, I fhall take notice of this general property of it, that it is a foundation. So it is So it is repeatedly called in my text, It is laid in Zion as a foundation' it is a fure foundation. It must be the foundation, and have the principal place in the fpiritual building, or none at all. No other foundation, fays St. Paul, can any man lay, than that which is already laid, which is Jefus Chrift. And he must lie at the bottom of all, or the fuperftructure cannot ftand. To join our own righteoufnefs with his in our juftification, is to form a foundation of folid ftone, and hay, ftraw, and stubble, blended together. To make our own merit the ground of our claim to his righteoufnefs; that is, to hope that God will fave us for Chrifl's fake, becaufe we are fo good as to deferve fome favour at leaft for our own fakes, this is to lay a foundation of ftone upon a quickfand. The ftone would have ftood, had it been in its proper place, that is, at the bottom of all; but when it is founded upon the fand, it must give way, and all the fuperftructure muft fall. This is the grand fundamental miftake of multitudes in the Chriftian world. They all own that Chrift is the only Saviour; but then the ground of their expecting falvation through him, is not his righteoufnefs, but their own. own worthlefs works, which their ignorance and vanity call good, lie at the bottom of all their hopes, as the firft foundation; and Chrift's righteoufnefs is rather a part of the fuperftructure than the entire foundation. This is the refuge of lies, the delufive hidingplace which multitudes are building all their lives with a great

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a great deal of pains, and, when they think themfelves provided with a strong everlasting manfion, fuddenly they feel themselves fwept away into deftruction by the overwhelming torrent of divine indignation.

Here, brethren, let us pause a while, and turn our attention to a queftion that I hope you have anticipated, Am I a living stone built upon this foundation? Are all my hopes of acceptance with God and eternal happiness founded upon this rock? Are you not defirous to make this important discovery? to make it now while you have time? if you have made a mistake, to correct it, by pulling down the old building, and beginning a new one on the right foundation? Have you no anxiety about this? If not, I must tell you, you care not for the God that made you, or the Saviour that bought you with his blood: heaven and hell are but trifles to you, and you are indifferent which fhould be your eternal lot. You have not the fenfibility of a man with regard to pleafure and pain, but the ftupidity of a brute, or rather of a fenfeless stone. And if you continue thus stupidly careless about eternal things, you fhall for ever be cut off from the rewards of pious diligence, and feel the dreadful doom of the flothful fervant. Brethren, can you be indifferent in a matter of fuch infinite confequence? Let me remind you that a dreadful hurricane is gathering over this guilty world, which will burft upon you, and fweep you away, unlefs you be founded upon the Rock of ages. Think of the laft part of my text; the hail fhall fweep away the refuge, or hope of lies, the waters fhall overflow the hiding-place. You may be parts of the outward court of this fpiritual building; I mean, you may be members of the visible church; but that is only a scaffold to the facred temple, and when this is finished, that fhall be pulled down. Remember this building will be critically infpected: the great Architect will lay judgment to the line, and righteousness to the plummet :

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and if you do not stand that teft, you will be demolifhed as ufelefs appendages or incumbrances, and you never can be built up again; the temple of God will then be complete, and no new ftones fhall be added to it for ever. Therefore now is the time to dif cover fundamental errors, and correct them. Difcover them you can and will in the eternal world; but O! it will then be too late to correct them!

Would you then know whether you are really built upon this fure foundation? If fo, I fhall willingly affift you to make the trial. And for this pofe I folemnly propose a few questions to your confciences in the fight of God.

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1. Have you ever feen the utter infufficiency of every other foundation? You will never build upon Christ, while you can build any where else with hopes. of fafety. If you have ever fled to him as a hidingplace, you have seen it was your last refuge. And have all your false hopes, all your refuges of lies been fwept away? have you seen that honours, riches, pleasures, and all the world were but breaking bubbles? Have you been fenfible that your own righteousness was a rotten foundation, and that you were just ready to fink every moment under the burden of your fins, and to be fwept away by the torrent of divine vengeance? Like a finking man, you have been ready to catch at every twig or ftraw for fupport; but were you obliged at length, with Peter, to turn to Chrift and cry out, help, Lord, I perifh? Have you let go every other hold, and taken faft hold of him as the only support? Have you given up all other grounds of hope, and as poor, guilty, perifhing, helpless creatures, placed your whole dependance upon this foundation? If you can honeftly give a fatisfactory anfwer to thefe inquiries, it looks encouraging: but if not, you may be fure you are building upon fome fandy foundation; you are lurking in fome refuge of lies, and must be overwhelmed at laft in inevitable ruin.

2. Have

2. Have you ever been fenfible of the precioufnefs, the excellency, and the ftability of this divine foundation? If you have ever built upon Chrift, it has been at once an act of the last neceffity, and of the moft free choice. O! how precious did this ftone appear to you! like the loadstone, it had a strong attraction upon you, and you were effectually drawn to it. You need go no farther than your own hearts to find the truth of what I have faid of the precioufcfs of Chrift; the precioufnefs of his ftrength, his righteousness, and every thing in him. To you that believe, he is precious. 1 Pet. i. 7. This is the affertion of an apoftle concerning all believers, without exception. And fhall I conclude this is the real fentiment of all in this affembly concerning Chrift? Shall I conclude it, brethren? O! fhall I allow myself to be so happy? Does your confcience tell you there is ground for your faying that Chrift is precious to you. Alas! is it not quite the reverfe with many of you?

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3. Where is your habitual dependance? Is it upon Jefus Chrift alone? or is it upon fomething elfe? Do you not feel the need of ftrength, of fpiritual life, of pardon and righteoufnefs, and eternal life? Certainly, you know yourselves, you feel the need of thefe things. And upon whom do you depend for them? Is it upon Jefus Chrift alone? Is it habitual, and, as it were, natural to you, fince you firft ventured upon this foundation, to reft there, fenfible that you have always need of this fupport, and that every other foundation is but finking fand? Brethren, what does confcience reply to thefe queftions?

4. Have you been formed into proper ftones for this fpiritual temple? Has God hewn you, may I fo fpeak, by his word, and broken off whatever was rugged, irregular, and unfit to be compacted into the building? Has he fhaped and polifhed your fouls for a place in it? Do you feel this divine Architect daily carrying on this work in you, polishing you more and more into a refemblance to Chrift? Or are you

ftill the fame rough, irregular, unpolished pieces, with human nature, unfanctified in its prefent degenerate ftate? Then you may be fure you are not built upon this foundation.

I think I may pronounce these few queries fully decifive in this cafe. And what discoveries do they now make among you? Where now appears to be the foundation of your hope? Have not fome of you rejected the chief corner-ftone which God has appointed, and built upon a quickfand? If so, even a friendly tongue cannot but denounce fome terrible things to you.

While you are not founded upon Christ, you fhall, you must unavoidably, fink for ever. There is nothing that can fupport you. Build your hopes ever fo high, the fabric will fall, and bury you in its ruins. Nay, this only foundation of hope and happiness will be to you a ftone of ftumbling and a rock of offence, the occafion of your more aggravated guilt, and more dreadful deftruction. There are a few texts of fcripture which I would ring like peals of alarming thunder in your ears. The fame Lord of hosts who fhall be for a fanctuary to his people, fhall be for a Stone of Stumbling and a rock of offence, for a gin and a fnare; and many shall stumble and fall, and be broken, and fnared, and taken. Ifaiah viii. 14. Unto you that

believe, fays St. Peter, he is precious; but a stone of Stumbling and a rock of offence to them that ftumble at the word. 1 Peter ii. 7, 8. If this ftone be not made by you the foundation of your hopes, it will fall upon you and crush you in pieces. Remember the declaration of Chrift himfelf, Whofoever shall fall upon this ftone fhall be broken; that is, whofoever fhall reject him while in a humble form in the days of his flesh, shall perish, but on whomsoever this ftone fhall fall, it fhall grind him to powder; that is, whofoever fhall reject him in his state of exaltation, fhall perifh in a fill more terrible manner. And will not all thefe

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