are in earth; visible and invisible; whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him and for him. He was before all things, and by him all things consist; and he is over all God blessed forever. To him the Father saith, and he knows, "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old, as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail." He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, which is, and was, and is to come, the Almighty.

Such is the foundation of this temple, God manifest in the flesh. Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone; a tried stone; a precious cornerstone; a sure foundation. And other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ, the true God, and eternal life.

The value of this foundation never can be known by any, except those who are builded, and are building upon it. And it cannot be fully known, even by them, unless they can know the greatness, extent, and duration of that misery, into which this foundation keeps them from falling; and also the greatness, extent, and duration of that glory, to which they will be raised in consequence of building upon it.

Redeemed sinners, you, who are builded together, on this foundation, for an habitation of God, through the Spirit, you know something of its worth; but nothing to what you will know, when you have tried it, for eternity. It exceeds in value all the treasures of creation; in excellence equals the glory of Jehovah; and for stability, is like the pillars of the universe. No person can behold, even from this distant world, and through a glass darkly, the excellence of this foundation, without feeling that the temple to be erected upon it, in order to be suited to the foundation, must be built, not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord. It must be built of living stones, each one shining in the image of God, and reflecting the lustre of his glory throughout the universe. Who can do this, but he who quickeneth the dead, and calleth things that are not as though they were?

That he must be the builder is evident,

III. From the materials out of which the temple is to be made.

These, as they are in their natural state, universally, and as they would be, without the Spirit and grace of God, eternally, are described by him as walking according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Among whom we all had our conversation in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. There is

none that naturally doeth good, no, not one. They have all gone out of the right way, and when left without the influences of the Spirit, have in their downward course become filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventers of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful. Does any one say, This is not my condition? I ask him, why? Had he been left without the light of revelation, and without the Spirit and grace of God, and without those means and influences by which he operates, would it not have been his condition? Look abroad upon the millions who are now in that condition; and is he naturally better than they? No; in nowise. It has been proved by the testimony of God, and by facts, concerning both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin, and are, even naturally, dead in trespasses and sin.

And who can make them alive, and fill them with love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faith, and temperance; but he who spake, and it was done, who commanded and it stood fast? Can you do it? Can any man do it? Let him make the experiment. And to make it under the most favorable circumstances, let him be a parent, and try it upon his own child. Let him renounce all dependence on God, and the influences of his Spirit, and then take that child, who is now an enemy to his Maker, and, if he can, create him anew in

Christ Jesus unto good works, and cause him to glow like a seraph in the divine service. No, not an infidel parent on earth can do this; and not a Christian parent will dare to attempt it. All the dedications of children to God in baptism, all the prayers and tears of pious parents while wrestling with God for their salvation, are a standing testimony, that the work must be done, not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God. Even children, to be alive unto God, must be born again; not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Does any one still doubt? Let him try the experiment upon himself. Let him openly and heartily renounce all dependence on God and the influences of his Spirit, and by his own unaided efforts transform himself into the Divine image; that as he has borne the image of the earthly, he shall bear the image of the heavenly; that as he has yielded his members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, he shall yield them as instruments of righteousness unto God; having put off, concerning the former conversation, the old man which is corrupt, according to the deceitful lusts, become renewed in the spirit of his mind, and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness; so that he shall live, not unto himself, but unto him who died for him and rose again.

Has any one ever done this, of himself merely, by his own unaided wisdom, righteousness, and strength, without the Spirit and grace of God? Who is he? When, or where? Go through crea

tion, and ask every soul that has passed from death unto life, Who made you to differ? And how are you saved? And they will all answer, "By grace were we saved, through faith, and that not of ourselves, it was the gift of God. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath made us alive together with Christ. We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works." And, "by the grace of God," each one will say, "I am, what I am."

And if no one ever has been thus changed without the Spirit and grace of God, what evidence is there that any one ever will be? Do you say, the power, which, as a free moral agent, each man possesses? and the command of God to him to make him a new heart? But has any one any more power than other men have had? And if their power did not avail them, without the Spirit of God, what evidence is there, what evidence can there be, that yours, without this Divine Agent, will ever avail you? or the unaided power, merely, of any other man, ever avail him? None; absolutely none.

All the evidence of facts and of the Divine testimony is on the other side.

To make power available to any good work, let it be remembered, there must be not power merely, but also an inclination to use it for that end.