mercy; what remains but that my wrath should kindle against you in the hottest degree, and fill your souls with exquisite anguish and misery; you have refused to accept of a covenant which was sealed with the blood of my own Son, which was confirmed by miraculous operations of my own Spirit; you have valued your sinful pleasures, and the trifles of this vain world, above the blood of my Son, and the life of your souls: It is divinely proper that divine vengeance should be your portion, who have rejected such rich treasures of divine love.' Heb. x. 28-31.

He that despised Moses' law, died without mercy, under two or three witnesses; of how much sorer punishment suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said vengeance belongeth unto me, I will repay, saith the Lord.'

3. It is wrath that must avenge the affronts and injuries done to the prime minister of God's government, and the chief messenger of his mercy.' All the Patriarchs, and the Prophets, and Angels themselves, were but 'servants' to bring messages of divine grace to men: and some of them in awful forms and appearances, represented the authority of God too: But the Son of God' is the prime minister of his government, and the noblest ambassador of his grace, and the chief deputy or vicegerent in his Father's kingdom. See Heb. i. 1, 2. Psal. ii. 6, 9, 12.

His Father's glory and grandeur, compassion and love, are most sublimely exhibited in the face of Christ his Son, and God will not have his highest and fairest image disgraced and affronted, without peculiar and signal vengeance.

The great God will vindicate the honours of his Son Jesus, in the infinite destruction of a rebellious and unbelieving world: And the Son himself hath wrath, and just resentment; he will vindicate his own authority, and his commission of grace. He hath a rod of iron put into his hands, as well as a sceptre of mercy, and with this rod will he break to pieces rebellious nations. Rev. iii. latter end. It is not fit that the first minister of the empire of the King of heaven, and the brightest image of his majesty and of his love, should appear always in the character of a Lamb, a meek and unresenting creature. He will put on the Lion when his commission of grace is ended: He is the 'Lion of the tribe of Judah,' Rev. v. 5. And will 'rend the caul of the heart' of those unrepenting sinners, who have resisted his authority, and abused his love.

And how will the wrath of the Lamb of God pe. netrate the soul of sinners with intense anguish, when the meek and the compassionate Jesus, shall be commissioned and constrained to speak the language of resentment and divine indignation?

'Did you not hear of me sinners in yonder world, which lies weltering in flames? Did you not read of me in the gospel of my grace? Did you not learn my character and my salvation in the ministrations of

my word? Were you not told that I was appointed. to be the Saviour of a lost world, and a minister of divine mercy to men? And was there not abundant evidence of it by miracles and prophecies? Were you not told that I was exalted after my sufferings to the right hand of God, on purpose to "bestow, repentance and remission of sins?" Acts v. 31. And were you not informed also, that I had a rod of iron' given me to dash rebels to death? Psal. ii. What is the reason you never came to me, or submitted to my government, or accepted of my grace? Did you never hear of the threatenings that stood like drawn swords against those who wilfully refuse this mercy? Did you think these were mere bugbears, mere sounding words to fright children with, and harmless thunder that would never blast you? Did you think these flashes of wrath in my word, were such sort of lightenings as you might safely play with, and flame that would never burn? What punishments think you, do you deserve, first for the abuse of my authority, and then for the wilful and obstinate refusal of my grace? Is it not divinely fit and proper, my wrath should awake against such heinous criminals? Where is any proper object for my resentment, if you are not made objects of it? Take them, angels, bind them hand and foot, and cast them into utter darkness: Let them be thrown headlong into the prison of hell, where fire and brimstone burn unquenchably, where light, and peace, and hope can never come. Let them be crushed with the rod of iron, which the Father hath put into my hands, as

the first minister of his kingdom, as the avenger of his despised grace.'

4. It is a wrath, that is 'excited by a final and utter rejection of the last proposals of divine love.' When mercy was offered to men by the blessed God at first, the discoveries were more dark and imperfect, there were still further discoveries to be made in following ages: Therefore the crime and guilt of sinners in those former days, was much less than the crime and guilt of those who reject this last proposal of mercy. There is no further edition of the covenant of grace, for those who refuse this offer. Those who neglect Christ as he is set forth in the gospel, to be a sacrifice for sin, "there remains no more sacrifice for them, but a certain fearful expectation of vengeance and fiery indignation, which shall consume the adversary." Heb. x. 26, 28.

All the former dispensations of grace are contained eminently and compleated in this dispensation of the gospel. God can send no greater messenger than his own Son, and he concludes and finishes the whole scene and period of grace, with the gospel of Christ. There remains nothing but wrath to the uttermost for those who have abused this last offer of mercy. This was exemplified in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jews, a little after they had put Christ to death, and rejected the salvation which he proposed; and this wrath will be more terribly glorified in the final déstruction of every sinner that wil; fully rejects the glad tidings of this salvation.

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5. It is such wrath, as arises from the patience of a God, tired and worn out by the boldest iniquities of men, and by a final perseverance in their rebellions.' It is the character and glory of God to be long-suffering, and slow to anger." Exod. xxxiv. 6. "The Lord God merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth ;" and Jesus his Son, is the minister of this his patience, and the intercessor for this delay of judgment and vengeance. He is represented as interceding one year after another, for the reprieve of obstinate sinners, and at his intercession, God the Father waits to be gracious But God will not wait and delay, and keep silence for ever, nor will Jesus for ever plead. Psal. 1. 1, 3, 21, 22. "Consider this ye that forget God, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver." God will say then to obstinate sinners, as he did to the Jews of old, Jer. xv. 5, 6. “I will stretch out my hand against thee and destroy thee, I am weary of repenting :" and even the abused patience of Jesus the Saviour, shall turn into fury, when the day of recompence' shall come, and the " day of vengeance which is in his heart," Işa. lxiii. 1, 4.

O let each of us consider, How long have I made the grace of God wait on me? How many messages of peace and pardon have I neglected? How many years have I delayed to accept of this salvation, and made Jesus wait on an impenitent rebel with the commission of mercy in his hand, while I have refused to receive it? Let my soul be this day awakened to lay hold of the covenant of grace, to submit to