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Of this building of mercy I fhall drop a few words. And, 1. The plan of it was drawn from all eternity, in the council of the Trinity: for it is according to the eter nal purpofe purpofed in Jefus Chrift, Eph. iii. 11. The objects of mercy, the time and place, the way and means of conferring it on, them, were defigned particularly, before man was miferable, yea, before he was at all. 2. The builder is God himself, the Father, Son and Holy Ghoft, 1 Cor. iii. 9. Te are God's building. All hands of the glorious Trinity are at work in this building. The Father chofe the objects of mercy, and gave them to the Son to be redeemed: the Son purchafed redemption for them; and the Holy Ghoft applies the purchafed redemption unto them. But it is fpecially attributed to the Son, on the account of his fingular agency in the work: Zech. vi. 12. f Behold the man whofe name is the BRANCH-He fhall build the temple of the Lord. Verfe 13. Even he fhall build the temple of the Lord, and he fhall bear the glory. 3. The d foundation was laid deep in the eternal council; beyond the reach of the eyes of men and angels. Paul confidering it, cries out, O the depth! Rom. xi. 33. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counfellor? verfe 34. 4. It is more than five thousand years fince this building rofe above ground. And the firft ftone of it that appeared, was a promife, a promife of a Saviour, made I in Paradife after the fall, Gen. iii. 15. namely, That the f feed of the woman fhould bruife the head of the ferpent. Here was mercy. And mercy was laid upon mercy. Upon promifing mercy was laid quickening mercy, whereby our loft firft parents were enabled to believe the promife: and upon quickening mercy was laid pardoning mercy to them; and upon that again fanctifying and establishing mercy: and at length glorifying mercy. 5. The cement is blood: the blood of Jefus Chrift the Mediator, which is the blood of God, Acts xx. 28. No faving mercy for finners could confift, nor could one mercy lie firm upon another in the

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building, without being cemented with that precious blood: r but by it the whole building coufifts, and flands firm for ever, Heb. ix. 22, 23. and vii. 24, 25. 6. Ever fince the time it appeared above ground, it has been going on. And many hands have been employed, to ferve in carrying on the work. In the firft ages of the world, Patriarchs n were employed in it, fuch as Adam, Enoch, and Noah: in the middle ages, prophets, priefts and Levites: in thefe e the laft ages, the apoftles, and other extraordinary officers, 18 and ordinary minifters of the gofpel. Great has been the oppofition made to the building from the beginning, by Satan and his agents, both in the way of violence and de; yet has it all along been going on fill. And now it is come far above mid-height; it is drawing towards the top, and the time when the laft ftone fhall be laid there-n on; for it is evident, we are far advanced in the days of the ; voice of the feventh angel, wherein the myflery of God is to be CO finished, Rev. x. 7. 7. The cope- ftone will be laid on it не at the laft day: at what time the promife will receive its full accomplishment, in the complete falvation of all the objects of mercy, then to be advanced unto the measure of the flature of the fulness of Christ, Eph. iv. 13. In that me day our Lord Jefus Chrift the great builder, ball bring forth the head flone thereof with shoutings, even the laft and th crowning mercy, faying, Come ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And then fhall they dwell in the building of mercy perfected, and fing of mercies for ever and ever. it Laftly, The foundation on which it ftands, is a firm one.

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It is neceffary that it be fo; for a building of mercy to finners, from a holy juft God, is a building of huge weight, re more weighty than the whole fabric of heaven and earth: n and if it fhould fall, all is ruined a fecond time, without ar any more hope of relief. But it is a fure foundation, be

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covery of loft finners. The God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of mercies, beholding a loft world, his mercy feeks a vent, that it may be shown to the miferable: but juftice ftands in the way of the egrefs and building of mercy, without there be a covenant whereby it may be fatisfied. Then faith the Father, "The "firft covenant will not ferve the purpose of mercy: there S "must be a new bargain: but the loft creatures have no"thing left, to contract for themselves: unlefs another "take the burden upon him for them, there is no remedy "in the cafe: they cannot chufe fuch an one for them1" felves; I will make a choice for them, and make the co"venant with my Chofen." 2. On man's fide, then is 1 God's Chofen, or chofen One; for the word is fingular. This chofen One, in the type, the covenant of royalty, is David: but in the antitype, the covenant of grace, it is the Son of God, the laft Adam, even Chrift the chofen of God, Luke xxiii. 35. The truth is, fuch great things are faid of this party with whom this covenant was made, of his feed, and of the efficacy of this covenant, as can fully agree to none but Chrift and his fpiritual feed, verse 4, 27, 29, 39, 37. The royal family of Judah, the houfe of David never recovered their ancient fplendor, after the Babylonifh captivity; with a view to which time, this Pfalm'feems to have been penned. Their kingdom is extinct many ages ago; and the grandeur of that family, according to the flesh, is quite funk. But the promife made to David in the covenant of royalty, ftill flourisheth, and will flourish for ever in Jefus Chrift, the topbranch of the family of David. How then can it be, but that, in the perpetual building of mercy, mentioned verfe 2. and the eftablishing of David's feed, and building up his throne to all generations, verfe 4. Chrift himself is chiefly aimed at ? And indeed he only was the mighty One, fit for the vaft undertaking in this covenant, verfe 19. and him the Father points out to us, as his elect or chofen One, Ifa. xlii.