MOSES. "What must have been the consequence, had mankind, in their fallen state, been merely under the law of nature, which required sinless protection, cursing the man who continued not in all things! And yet this law was strictly righteous; and, as such, was it republished from Mount Sinai, by the holy ONE of Israel. But, although our depravity did not free us from the government and authority of God, yet it laid a sure foundation for our breaking the law. And so, had mere law taken place, we should all have been for ever lost; and this had been but strictly just. But, Oh, the free and boundless grace of God! His own Son became a curse for us, that all these blessings we now enjoy in this happy world might come upon us."

St. PAUL. "Creatures becoming apostate, and turning enemies and rebels to the God that made them, this did not in the least disannul God's right to them, and authority over them; but they still remained, by right, his subjects, and under his government, and accountable at his tribunal. And, accordingly, we have lately seen wicked men and devils brought to the bar, and there stand without excuse, every mouth stopped, all of them guilty before God. On the foot of mere law, therefore, God might justly have dealt with us after our apostacy; and, by law, might have judged and condemned us all to yonder lake of fire and brimstone, to welter out eternal ages. Oh, the height, and depth, and length, and breadth, of the love of Christ, which passeth all understanding! The law was holy, just, and good. He judged it so, he died to answer its demands. Nor did he ask our pardon, at his Father's hands on cheaper terms*."

GABRIEL. "How had it gratified the infernal hosts, lately banished the heavenly world, by law, to have seen LAW

*How infinitely shocking, to the inhabitants of heaven, would the work of our redemption appear, had Christ died to answer the demands of an unjust and wicked law? If the law, which requires sinless protection, on pain of eternal damnation, (Gal. iii. 10.) was a cruel, unjust, and wicked lwa, as some, who pretend to trust in the blood of Christ for salvation, are so inconsistent with themselves as to affirm,) it was infinitely wicked the Son of God should die to answer its demands. On this hypothesis, the work of redemption, instead of being the most glorious, would be infinitely the most shocking affair that ever hap pened

set aside in favour of a fallen race! And how would they have triumphed to see the judge of the whole system respect persons, and have no regard to right! Better, infinitely better, all the human race had been for ever lost."

St. PAUL. "You speak the sentiments of all the saved. Had we been pardoned to God's dishonour, it would have sapped the foundation of all our joys. How much soever you pitied our case, you never desired our relief in such a

way.

GABRIEL. "I remember well the day the news of your revolt first reached the heavenly world. We thought you all for ever lost, and approved the thing as just. We saw no way for your relief; nor shall we ever forget how things appeared; God's new creation all in ruins, and satan triumphing in his deed. But, O, the love of God to you! And, O, the boundless wisdom of him who sits upon the throne!"

MOSES. "So Israel once, for their idolatry, stood all condemned to death; Let me alone, the Almighty said, that in a moment I may destroy them. I knew the cause was just ; and never shall forget how he wrought for his GREAT NAME'S SAKE."

GABRIEL. "That was but a faint image of this; for now a whole world lay in ruins, and satan and all his hosts in triumph were ready to say, 'Tis beyond the ALMIGHTY himself to disconcert our plan. His honour, law, and truth, oblige him to accomplish the thing we would, devote the world 'to death."

ADAM. "Now the full purport of those mysterious words, The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head, once the foundatin of all my hopes, although but little understood, now their full purport all opens to view. On the cross, he spoiled principalities and powers, sapped the foundation of satan's hopes, and ruined all his hellish scheme. Since his exaltation, he has completed his whole design. Yonder now lies the old serpent, his head, although so replete with craft and poison, thoroughly bruised, and himself chained in the burning lake. But why am I among the saved! Never was there such an instance of free sovereign grace! Satan began rebellion in heaven, and I began rebellion on earth;

and why are we not now both together, in the same burning lake !"

ABEL. "There is my brother Cain, for ever lost. O, the sovereign grace of God to me!"

NOAH. "There are the inhabitants of the old world. They filled the earth with violence; were deaf to all the warnings of a long-suffering God; were destroyed in the general deluge: now weltering in the burning lake. O, the sovereign grace of God to me! Saved then in the ark; safe now in Christ."

ABRAHAM. "Such an universal deluge, such a dreadful destruction, one would have thought would never have been forgotten. But no sooner did mankind increase, but they turned their backs on God; and, in a few ages, all began to sink into idolatry. Then was I born in Ur of the Chaldees, where I might have lived and died estranged from God, and been now among the damned, had not God, of his sovereign grace, visited my soul, and called me from the idols of my native land. But, behold, now here I am, and here is Isaac, my son, and Jacob, my grandson, and thousands of my posterity in glory! Everlasting praise is due to free and sơvereign grace."

St. PETER. "Yonder, in that lake of fire and brimstone, is Judas the traitor, once a follower of Christ, now doomed to endless wo. Oh, never shall I forget the black and gloomy night, when I cursed and swore, I know not the man, my blessed master! Nor shall I ever forget the kind look which brought me to repentance. Nor shall I ever cease to adore sovereign distinguishing grace, but for which I had now been with Judas in the burning lake.”

St. PAUL. "But of all the saved, no instance of sovereign grace, like me*! Once a persecutor and a blaspemer.

a

Sovereign; not because God acted absolutely without any reason at all, in converting a persecuting Saul, who was the worst of the two, and passing by the young man in the gospel; for infinite wisdom always acts on the highest and best reason; but because Saul was not chosen for his goodness, being the chief of sinners. 1. Tim. i. 15; yet God had wise ends in his choice. (See verse 16.) As no doubt he always has, although, in innumerable cases, they are absolutely beyond our reach. God has a right in this case, as the great Sovereign of the ani

Never shall I forget the day I set out for Damascus, breathing forth threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the holy Jesus. But, O, the grace, the sovereign grace of God, that stopped me in my career; sent me to carry the glad tidings of salvation to the Gentiles, and gave me thousands to be my joy and crown of rejoicing, as it is this day!"

St. PAUL'S CONVERTS. "Once we were dead in trespasses and sins, buried in heathenish darkness, and even under the full power of the prince of darkness; and might now have been with him in wo. But, Q, the sovereign grace of God to us, who sent his chosen vessel, and called us out of darkness into marvellous light, and now bath brought us to this world! Eternal praises to the Lord."

[Thousands and millions will speak the same language, and all join to prostrate themselves before the throne, and give all the glory and praise of their salvation to God and to the Lamb. And with the most fervent love and gratitude, attended with the deepest humility and reverence, devote themselves to God, through Jesus Christ, for ever and ever. And while all this is observed, very natural must the following reflections be :]

GABRIEL. "How is satan disappointed in every respect! And heaven become a more glorious and happy place than ever it was! I remember when there was nothing but love, order, and harmony, in heaven and earth. I remember when satan, a glorious, archangel, first broke order in heaven, rose up in rebellion againsnt the ALMIGHTY, and how he carried the infection down to earth. And I remember the horrible tragedies, he has acted over, from age, to age, at the head of the powers of darkness, ruling in the children of disobedience, and filling the world of mankind with sin and wo; and the mighty opposition he has constantly made against the interest and kingdom of the Messiah; sometimes as a red dragon, thinking by fire and sword to bear down all before him; and then, as an angel of light, spreading delusions far and wide, not caring what shapes he put on, if, by any

verse, to do as he pleases. But he always does what is wisest to be done. His sovereignty is a wise and holy sovereignty, and an infinitely amiable part of his moral character. It is "God's glory." (Exod. xxxiii. 18, 19.)

means, he might attain his ends. But now his day is over; his designs are frustrated, his expectations disappointed, and his kingdom ruined. And, behold, yonder lies the monster chained in that burning lake, now the only place of his everlasting abode, weltering in horror, rage, and dreadful despair!

"If he hoped to bring our glorious monarch into contempt in his dominions, among his creatures, he is disappointed; for God is more loved, honoured, revered, extolled, and praised, than if these things had never happened. If he hoped to lessen his authority, and bring his law into contempt, that it should be looked upon a light matter to transgress, he is in this also disappointed; for never would it have appeared so infinitely heinous, and so shockingly dreadful a thing to transgress, if these things had never happened. Or if he hoped, at least, that the execution of divine vengeance would lessen the manifestations of divine goodness, and diminish the happiness of the intellectual system, he is also disappointed in this 5 for God has shown his wrath in such a manner as to render the riches of his glorious grace infinitely the more conspicuous in the sight of all the inhabitants of heaven; and their loveand joy arise unspeakably higher than if these things had neve happened. Yea, all things have worked for good, and turned out well. His pride has been the means of a great increase of humility among finite intelligences, as it has led them to see what they might have come to if left of God. His fall has been the means of our confirmation; his ingratitude, of our being for ever the more sensible of the rich goodness of God; his setting up to be independent, the means to bring us to a more absolute and entire dependance on God, the only immutable being; and his aiming at supremacy, seducing mankind, and raising all this confusion in the system, has oceasioned the ALMIGHTY to assert his supremacy, and set his own Son at the head of the creation, and in him to bring all things to an everlasting establishment, in a way most honourable to God, and the most advantageous to the system. So that he is disappointed in every respect. He meant all for evil; but lo, God meant all for good, to bring to pass as it is at this day.