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house, I understand the hope or confidence in which the mind rests. By rock, I understand Christ; which application is too evident to need proof. And what can compare with that wisdom which teaches us to put our trust in Christ, and build all our hopes of salvation on that rock of ages, that chief corner stone which foolish builders refuse? He, and he only is truly wise who doth this; all other wisdom is from the earth, from beneath, &c. But the wisdom of which I speak, to what shall I compare it? It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx or the sapphire. The gold and crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.' Job xxviii, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand.' Verse 26.

As was said in the other instance, the house is the hope or confidence in which the mind rests. By the sand, I understand that righteousness of which I spake in the description of the corrupt tree. And what can equal the folly of man, who is vile, placing his hopes of salvation in works of his own!

In verses 25, 27, it is said, The rains descended, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon these houses, and that which was built upon a rock fell not, because it was founded upon a rock; but that which was built upon the sand, fell, and great was the fall of

it.

I shall refer the reader to Isaiah xxviii, beginning at the 16th, to the close of the 22d inclusive. Here observe, a stone is laid in Zion for a foundation; this is the rock or stone spoken of in our text; and it is said to be a tried stone, a precious corner stone, and a sure foundation; and that he who believeth should not make haste. Then there is an account given, of judgment being laid to the line, and righteousness to the plummet. This line and plummet were used in laying this foundation in Zion, and this chief corner stone was raised by them. Something of the same was communicated to Amos; see Amos vii, 7: Thus he showed me, and behold the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand ;' which plumb-line the Lord told Amos he would set in the midst of his people Israel, and that he would pass by no more. Christ is here meant by a chief corner stone, the spirit of the law, by a plumb-line, and the whole house of Israel brought to perfect rectitude, is represented by a wall built by a plumb-line; and this is the house which will endure when the storms shall come which is described in Isaiah xxviii, 17, &c. ' And the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place.' The refuge of lies is the same as the house built on the sand. Here we are taught, that nothing but that which is raised by plumb and line can endure when the overflowing scourge shall come; nothing can abide but the gold, the silver, and the precious stones built on the sure foundation. In verse 20, self-righteousness is described thus, ' For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it; and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.' And in verse 22, it is said that there is 'a consumption determined upon the whole earth.'

When the whole earthly nature, with all its increase, shall be destroyed, then shall the hope of the hypoorite perish, the house of the self-righteous shall fall, and great shall be the fall thereof. Let the question be asked, among the various denominations who profess Christianity, and call Jesus Lord, how many rare ones can be found who hear the words of Christ and do them? Who have obtained that wisdom whereby they are taught to depend on nothing but Christ and him crucified? We ought to make but one denomination of real Christians; all who hear the words of Christ and do them, are of that class; and all those, who, trusting in themselves, vainly believe that they are rich and increased in goods, must find their gain to be their loss. And may God grant that at the last they may find their loss to be their gain.

ILLUSTRATION.

The common opinion of the falling of the house which is built upon the sand, is, that it signifies the failing of a false hope, and the greatness of the fall is significant of the endless despair of the builder. Against this opinion, I shall endeavor to introduce some queries, by way of investigation. I believe it will be agreed by all, that the falling of the house built on the sand, is the same as the destruction of the hope of the wicked, which is as the giving up of the ghost. What I wish to direct the reader's attention to, is the question, whether the failing of a false hope necessarily implies that the disappointed can never receive, from another quarter, that for which he hoped on false grounds, or even blessings infinitely better.

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Let us take St Paul for an instance. His hopes of salvation, before he was converted, were all built upon the sandy foundation of legal righteousness. Did this hope abide? No, surely it did not. It was utterly demolished, and became of no value even in his own judgment. But did he not obtain, from another quarter, that which was infinitely more valuable than he had before conceived of? See his own answer to this query: Phil. iii, 4,&c. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more; circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.' In the account, which the experienced apostle gives us, we learn that it was necessary for him to suffer the loss of his legal hope in order to enjoy that hope which was infinitely more valuable. Let us in the next place ask, whether we have sufficient evidence to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the blessed Saviour of sinners will be less kind to any body else, than he was to that persecuting Saul.

The reader will undoubtedly notice, that in every form in which the common doctrine appears, it wears the character of unmercifulness; which character is

directly contrary to the character of the merciful Jesus. When the prodigal son left his father's house, his hopes of pleasure intoxicated his youthful mind, his heart palpitated for gratifications which he did not so much as dream would either ruin his fortune or become insipid. But experience taught him late what early admonition could not impress; and he found himself in a state of wretched dependence, without power or means to retrieve a fortune foolishly spent. In this distressed condition, compelled by hunger, he frames a resolution in which there was great humility indeed, but by no means a just estimation of the mode in which his wants were finally to be supplied. He hoped to be blessed with bread in his father's house, but expected to have it for his just hire. The ground of his hope was by no means supported by the father; but the blessing was granted in rich abundance, from the fatherly love of which he had been ignorant.

Such are the instances which the Scriptures give of the false hopes of God's alienated children, and of his divine mercy as a never failing security after all creature means have failed. The whole of the 107th Psalm is occupied with those instances, with a sentence of which I close this subject. Such as sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron, because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the Most High; therefore, he brought down their heart with labor; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.'

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