as our Divine Surety; as our Advocate and Mediator, who was to manage our caufe-But now, made manifeft by the appearing of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, who hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light by the Gospel". It is now made manifeft a glorious truth, to the unfpeakable comfort of all who receive it; it looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon ; but now it will be clear as the fun, and irresistible as an army with bannert. And no wonder ; for the great impediments being removed, the clouds being difperfed, the San of righteoufnefs will arife with healing in his wings. The great Apostle had a view of things from the frame of the temple fervice, which he could not them fpeak particularly to; not only on account of the dullness of his readers, but, it is highly probable, he had not words to exprefs his ideas with; language failed, words were too weak, and, therefore, the amazing scene muft fpeak for itself. Great, indeed, is the myftery of godliness-God manifefted in the flesh-and now, when the light from eternity fhines upon this myftery, the mhadows flee away, while God reveals the heighths and depths of grace by his Spirit. the 6. To this end we read, And a voice came out of the throne, faying, Prafe our God, all ye his fervants, and ye that fear him, beth fmall and great. And I heard, as it were, voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia : for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us rejoice and be glad, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and , Tim. i. 9, 10. + Song vi. 10. Heb. ix. 5. and his wife hath made herself ready *. His name, who died for finners, wnich was before concealed, will now be confpicuous upon his vefture,-KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS t. The vail being rent in twain from the human heart, how glorious muft it be to fee fuch multitudes of bleffed prophecies fully accomplished, and that accomplishment fo glorious an illuftration of the fame! They will be feen to fhine in their own original brightnefs; like valuable fruits concealed in the fhell or hufk, which shell being removed, the precious kernel is now enjoyed, and its rich flavour is tafted. The drofs is removed, and the pure gold shines with heavenly luftre-the darkness is paft, and the true light fhineth. A variety of far-fetched conjectures being fet afide, and the truth, as it is in Jefus, fpeaks for itfelf, fo that the voice thereof shall go into all lands to the glory of the Deity. 7. He is not only the fouuder of this increafing, and never-ending kingdom, but he is the builder and fupporter thereof. The government is upon his fhoulder, who is the Wonderful, the Counsellor Divine; and his divine fboulder is well able to fupport the fame. 'Tis true, it has got a numerous fet of very potent enemies, who are ufing every ftratagem to overthrow it; but he must reign till all his enemies become his foot-ftol ||. He will put down all rule and authority, whether they be thrones, principalities, and powers, every knee must bew, and all must own his divine and fovereign fway. He is the ftone cut out without hands, and must break and fubdue all oppofition, and ftand faft for ever. His hands have laid the foundation, ana * Rev. xix, 5, 6, 7. † Ibid v. 16. Ifa. ix. 6. || Pf. cx. 1., Grace, grace, for ever. and be will not fail to bring the top-ftone with fhouting, crying, Hence he is ftiled our Shield, our Buckler, Horn, and Tower, to flee to in every time of trouble. He is filed a Man of War *, and will not be Overcome. I apprehend the war is now carrying on between the Lamb and the Dragon; but the Lamb is fure to prevail, and the grand accufer must be brought down: and safe are they who dwell under the fhadow of the Saviour's wing. He is mounted already upon his white borfe, and will go from conquering to conquer +. May he gird his sword upon his thigh, and, in his glory and majesty, ride on profperously till all are fubdued. 8. He will be the accomplisher of his own defigns; and though it is not for us to know the times, or the feafons, which he bath referved in his own power, yet will he not fail nor be difcouraged, till he bath fet forth judgment in the earth, and the ifles fhall wait for his law.-Hiftory informs us, that many of the threatenings are already accomplished in several states and kingdoms, as the four grand empires, viz. the Babylonian, the Perfian, the Grecian, and the Roman, to say nothing of inferior ftates; likewife the difperfion of the Jews; and at the time of thofe menacing predictions, there was little outward appearance of any thing of the kind, for fome of thofe kingdoms were in the zenith of their glory, and it was before others even exifted; yet they rofe, they fell, juft as it was foretold. And can we fuppofe the all-gracious Parent of Good to be more exact and punctual in rigorous, juft, and awful vengeance, than he is in mercy, pity, and compaffion ? What, * Ifa. xxxii. † Rev. vi. 2. What, is his mercy clean gone? or hath he forgotten to be gracious? or is he not able to make good his promises? Dreadful! to indulge the fmalleft thought therein. Or hath he more delight in deftroying than faving? or in breaking down than bending up?-Far be the gloomy thought from every faithful breaft. O, for more faith! more confidence in Him that cannot lie. Hath he declared it, and shall it not come to pass? Hath he said it, and will he not make it good?-Surely heaven and earth shall pass away, but not one jot or tittle of what God hath faid fhall pass till all is fulfilled. He declared that kingdoms fhould rife, flourish, and decline; and it came to pass: So he hath declared that the kingdom of grace fhall flourish; that Satan fhall be bound; Antichrist shall be destroyed; the Gofpel fhall be univerfally preached; and the Spirit poured out upon all flesh; His ancient people gathered in, with the fullnefs of the Gentiles; that the wolf and the lamb fhall dwell together, and the cow and bear shall feed; that their young ones fhall lie down together; that instead of the thorn fhall be the fir-tree, instead of the brier fhall be the myrtle; that univerfal harmony and benevolence, love and concord, fhall take place: and will he not accomplish his word? How folemnly does he speak refpecting the veracity of his word!-Thus faith JEHOVAH, which giveth the fun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the fea when the waves thereof roar ; The LORD of hosts is his name :-If thofe ordinances depart from before me, faith Jehovah, then the feed of Ifrael alfo fhall cease from being a nation before me for ever *.-The fum of this folemn * Jer. xxxi. 35, 36. folemn affeveration is,-If the lights of heaven can be put out before their appointed time, then fhall my word of promife fail. Nay, our Lord declares, Heaven and earth fhall pass away, but my word fhall not pass away. 9. LET these pleafing reflexions animate all fuch as may be fighing and mourning for the iniquity of our finful land; the time is coming, and, perhaps, not far off, when Righteousness fhall cover the earth as the waters cover the face of the great deep-when all shall know the Lord, from the leaft unto the greatest-when every knee fhall bow, and every tongue confefs Jefus to be Lord to the glory of the Father. Then riot and drunkenness shall cease, and the horrid clamour of blafphemy and profanenefs fhall be eternally filenced. The honour of the Great Jehovah, and the interefts of the dear Redeemer, shall no longer be trampled under foot; distress and anguifh fhall be no more. Hail, happy days! when forrow and fighing fhall be finally done away! when the Lord God fhall wipe off all tears from all faces, and the rod of the oppreffor fhall be for ever broken! Hail, happy days! when the Sun of righteousness shall fhine through every cloud in his own, clear, meridian fplendour! What wifdom, love, and power fhall flame forth from the glorious face of our incarnate Jehovah ! How confounded muft the atheiftical Deift ftand, the infidel Socinian, or the inconsistent Arian ?-Thefe enemies to the Cross of Chrift muft ftand amazed, look upon Him whom they have pierced, and be in great bitterness; yet, thanks be to the Lamb, they may find him, though re jected |