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cleanse us from sin. Although it is impossible not to spare a passing glance to these trains of argumentation, it is not my intention to forsake our present purpose, which is to establish elements for a system, and the reader is forewarned to keep the reign on his impatience, as a great deal remains still to be done, before we shall be prepared for systematizing. The hewers are in the mountain, and quarrymen are in the quarry, every beam must be squared, every joint and tenon must be filed, every stone must be chiselled to its exact form and dimension, and should we succeed in all this according to the draft and plan, which the divine architect of the universe has furnished us, you shall soon see stone come to its stone, and beam to its beam, till the great temple of the Lord shall tower towards the heavens without the sound of a hammer. Habk. 2: 11. "For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber, shall answer it. 1st. The stone shall cry, that is, the ardent desire of Christ to save sinners, the wall, the church of God, the beam, the true minister of God, the timber, the man in a carnal state, in which, after being wrought upon by the spirit of God, and then becomes a subject of his church, to answer the ends for which he was created, for many times there are calls for more laborers, and God is pleased to leave it to his church, for to send them out, then this man is squared to fit the place where God intended to place him; he is also plumb, to walk uprightly and always to meet on the square of truth, and to stand upon the level with all men, for wisdom hath built her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars, and strong are they, representing the seven spirits of God; she hath killed the beast, she hath mingled her wine, she hath also furnished her table with the riches of dainties, there is a balm for every wound, a cordial for every fear, God himself will come to give us that sweet council to conduct us to the laud of promise; his strength and power which, at his pleasure are called home. Luke 1: 69. Or beams of light which come forth from his hands, or it may allude to the cross in the horn of which, the hands of Christ were fastened, where his strength was hidden, by which he overcame the world and drove out death and the devil. Both death and the devil shall be the executioners of his justice against his enemies as they were heretofore
