chosen foundation. The Son given, and the mighty God. A stone suitable for a Royal palace is very valuable, because the safety of the building depends on the firmness of the foundation. God himself found this stone. It is long and broad enough for the whole build. ing, from eternity to eternity, and sufficiently strong to support the weight of the whole superstructure; and it is so hard and durable that time can never moulder it away, nor fade its beauty and excellency. This is a tried precious corner stone, and sure foundation. In whom dwelleth all the fullness of the godhead bodily. It is a foundation, and a corner stone. As a foundation it is laid deep in the earth; as a corner stone it raises higher than the heavens, and binds the whole fabric in heaven and earth together.

Again:-It is said that this stone is laid before Joshua. We learn hence that God manifested his Son as the great and only foundation of godliness, to the truly pious leading men of the church in every age, Moses saw so

much of God in the rod that was in his hand that all the riches and glory of Egypt were but small in his sight.The Apostles saw with their eyes, and felt with their hands, so much of Christ as the word of life, that they never afterwards thought of any other way of life, but through his painful death. The most horrid martyrdom lost its terror, and frightful aspect in the glory of the grace and power shining forth in the face of the Son of God. This stone was the foundation of the reformation in the time of Wickliff, Walter Bruce and Luther. The person and the merits of Christ, had been almost hid by the Roman Monks, who had heaped up so much rubbish against the building; but the foundation of the church of God is sure. This stone was laid before Wesley and Whitfield, as the foundation of revival in England, And it was this stone was laid before Powell, Erbery and

Wroth, Rowlands, Harris and Jones, Evans, Thomas and Enoch Francis, as the foundation of that wonderful revi val in Wales, the effects of which we feel to this day.We are now endeavoring to exhibit the glory and excel lency of this stone as the foundation of your hopes.Will you build upon Christ? can you venture your im* mortal souls upon him? He who is founded on him shall never be confounded.

Farther it is said that seven eyes are upon this one stone. By which we understand, either the eyes of others, looking upon the stone; or seven eyes in the stone looking upon others.

Undoubtedly there are many eyes looking upon this stone; some out of envy and hatred, and others from the greatest astonishment, gratitude and love. The eyes of heaven, earth and hell are upon the son of God. The Lawgiver turns towards him for the debt we owe. Mer cy and Truth look upon him as the foundation of their Palaces. Justice and Peace look upon him as the only place where they can salute one another with the holy kiss of love and harmony. The devil and his angels, sin, death and the grave are looking upon him, to bruise him with their hammers, and cast him among the rubbish to the pit of corruption. And the eyes of the godly people are upon him, as the only foundation of their hope. They look upon him as their wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.

The latter sense, refers to the fullness of his mediato rial offices. The priest under the law was to sprinkle the blood seven times on the mercy seat, and seven times on the Leper. The first to signify perfect atonement, and the second, perfect application of the salvation to the redeemed. When the Lamb of God became alive from the ashes of the altar of Calvary, he appeared in the midst of the throne above, having seven horns, and

seven eyes, to denote the fulness of the light of the unction of the Holy Spirit that was in him as a Prophet, and the abundance of the power and authority invested in him as a King. The seven horns and the seven eyes were like so many flames of fire, speaking, as it were in their language,-by these powers I have travelled through the forest of the world's temptations, the lion's dens, the mountains of leopards, the caves of devils, death and the grave; and open a new road through the desert of a barbarous and wild world of ungodliness, to my Father's house. He is a Prophet that speaks, as one having authority, that can speak to the heart, so that the dead may hear his voice and live. He is a King according to the decree, on the holy hill of Zion. As much as if the Father should say to Caiaphas, have you a law, and do you say that by your law, he ought to die? I will read to you the law, on the morning of the third day, and you shall see that by the law, he is Lord and Christ, the resurrection and the life.

I will remove the stone! I will break Cæser's seal! I will not fear the soldiers, was the language of the re surrection. He is a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, not after the order of Aaron; for death was continually robbing that order of their clothes, and turning them out of office. Though death attempted to do so likewise with the son of Mary, yet he was awfully disappointed. After he has put on his clothes, in his three offices, he is not to be unclothed, until he has fin. ished his work; for the power of eternal life is in his person. Though he gave himself up to death on the cross, yet he died in his magnificent regal garments, with the crown upon his head as a King; and with the book, of the hidden mysteries of the kingdom of heaven in his hand, as a Prophet; and the breastplate with the names on, with the mitre on his head, and the golden leaf

on his forehead as the High Priest over the house of God. Death could neither untie the knots, nor tear off these official apparels from him. He rose from the grave with these unspotted vestments, according to the power of endless life.

Again-In our text we find, that this stone is, an en. graved stone It is trimmed and well fitted as a founda. tion stone, by the chief Architect. These figurative expressions,evidently point out to us, how Christ was made perfect through sufferings, until he was cut off from the land of the living. When this stone was engraved, there were great many handling their cutting hammers, their chissels and their augers; such as Caiaphas, Pilate, and the multitude. But let their malicious designs be, what they may, the engraving must be according to the determined counsel of God. We are not able to say, how many cutting hammers have been upon him from Bethleham to Calvary, but this we know, that he willingly received their blows, that we might be spared. It pleas ed the Father to bruise him-most astonishing! bruising the golden vessel in order to save the earthern vessel.— To dry up the green tree, that the dry tree might grow as the lilly, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. AcThe ploughers ploughed

Men and

cording to another similitude. upon his back, they made long their furrows. devils, every enemy driving his plough, to plough his back. Behold, the ploughs of poverty, trouble, and pain; he is covered with blood and all his body is full of wounds. He mentions the length of their furrows; but they were as notable for their depth, as they were for their length; not only so deep, that the rock was in sight, so that he could count all his bones; but they rent the bottom of his heart, and all the feelings of his soul, when he was rend. ing the gates of death. Being in the greatest agony of mind under the hidings of his Father's face; he cried out

Eloi, Eloi-lama-sabacthani, by which the gates of death were rent asunder; and the wine of dragons soured throughout the region of Gehennah.

The foundation is engraved, hewed and fitted out; yes, it is laid down firm and solid. It will never move. The chief Architect is now raising other stones, to be laid on this foundation, to build up the house of mercy. Look at the rock whence ye are hewn, and the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Many have quitted hewing stones from an old hard rock because it was more cost than profit. For the same reason, I know some gentlemen who have given up digging iron ore because it was so deep in the earth. Their ropes are too short, they have not sufficient quantity of timber to hold up the roof; and worse than all, there is such a deadly damp in the bottom, that no man can live there. Look at the quarry that I have opened in the flinty rock, and look at the depth of that horrible pit that I dug out of, saith the Lord. This is the pit of corruption, enmity, and death. The Son of

God went down to the bottom of it in the basket of the promise, and sucked the inflamable gas into himself; and by the rope of the commission, he hung the basket of the Gospel, for his servants to go down into the pit to dig stones for this spiritual building, while he is standing by the wheel of intercession, on the top of the pit, drawing all to himself. Notwithstanding the rock is so hard, and the expense is so great, the atonement of the cross is more than equivalent; the hammer of the gospel is well tempered, and is sufficiently heavy to break the rock in pieces. The chissels of convictions are in the hands of him, who is able to convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come. Living stones are continually hewed, and sent up from the old flinty rock, in the four quarters of the world. The word of our God abides forever, as a sharp-edged tool that