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hold, I will execute judgment; vengeance is mine; I will repay."

Though too many, therefore, fancy the Deity is all mercy, and, for reasons respecting their own case, affect to be shocked at the notion of a God who will not let the wicked pass unpunished, yet He, who cannot deceive, or be destitute of perfect benevolence towards men, (since he was made flesh, and dwelt amongst us); He confirms all the denunciations of wrath now placed before you. He declares that, in the last day, all nations shall be gathered before the throne of his glory; at which most awful hour, in the hearing of the whole rational creation, he will say to all them on the left hand, i. e. to all incorrigible sinners, "Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."

'Thus his own inspired penmen represent the Almighty as a just God and a Saviour; overflowing in the riches of his grace towards his obedient children, and just to those who despise him, in bringing upon them all the curses written in the book of the law. By this unchangeable disposition towards both, he appears infinitely holy and reverend.

But if the character of God was marked out to us only by his own positive declarations, we should (such is our nature) be very faintly impressed by them. To give his character weight sufficient to regulate our practice, it must be made still more conspicuous, by things already done. Facts, no more to be doubted from the authority which relates them, than if they had been done before our eyes, must ascertain the very same perfections in God, which his word declares he possesses. Accordingly, the scripture account of his manner of dealing, both with angels and men, is a demonstration, level to every capacity, that he is good, merciful, and holy; abounding in love towards his faithful people, but jealous to revenge his quarrel upon all his enemies.

SUNDAY VI.

CHAP. VI.

The Perfections of God, exemplified by Facts.

WITH respect to his goodness, it shines forth in all the excellencies and biss which the angels possess, who never left the state in which they were formed, and in man, as he stood in his original righteousness. The signatures of divine goodness were so strongly impressed upon him, as to excite envy in one who had been an angel himself before the throne of glory. Adam was created full of knowledge, in perfect purity and happiness, invested with dominion over the whole animal creation, in the image of God. He was not only conscious of his power, but maintained uninterrupted communion with him. In this state of perfection Adam was made, possessing it for himself and his whole progeny, till his own wilful and detestable revolt from his Maker lost it all.

Who can believe this account of man's original happiness, recorded in the oracles of God, and not admire his benevolence? Who can survey the riches of Adam's original condition, compared to which, Solomon, in all his glory, was poor, mean, and wretched, and not cry out, Good and gracious is the Lord, who formed his immortal creature, man, in such felicity! Here his goodness is found, in fact, fully equal to every declaration of it in his word.

And when, through envy and malice of the devil, operating upon our first parents, in a manner too mysterious for us to comprehend, Adam revolted from his Maker, requiting all his bounty with the execrable insult of believing Satan a better friend to

his welfare than God; though the hideous act could not but draw innumerable miseries after it, still, in these circumstances, the goodness of God shines brighter than it did, even at the first creation of man; and, where sin abounded, grace does much more abound. For God is pleased to revive our most criminal and desponding parents, with a promise of salvation. Astonishing love! with a promise of sending an invincible Redeemer, in our flesh, who should come, not to be adored, but defamed as confederate with the devil; and crucified as a blasphemer, but on his cross should bruise Satan's head. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Did God say of his most idolatrous people, "How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, Israel? My heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together?" What then must be the workings of his love towards his only begotten Son, when he was delivered up for our offences? When God seemed to divest himself of the qualities of a father, and act towards Christ as an incensed Judge? "Herein God commendeth his love, he places it in the highest point of light in which men or angels can behold it, in that, whilst we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Such amazing and irresistible proofs of his goodness, has God been pleased to give to the children of

men.

In as palpable a manner he has demonstrated the glorious holiness of his nature. There was once, we read, war in Heaven-Satan and his angels rose up in enmity against their Maker. They were called stars of heaven, from the height and splendour of their state; yet, no sooner did they sin, than they were stripped bare of every honour, covered with everlasting shame, plunged into a bottomless abyss.

of woe, and an impassable gulf was fixed between them and their off nded Creator. "He spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of da.kness, to be reserved unto judgment."

This single fact demonstrates, the Lord our God is holy. For should a king, famed through the world for wisdom and mercy, command nobles nearest his throne to be loaded with fetters, and cast into dungeons, refusing to look on them again with favour, or hear one word in mitigation of their doom; who would not conclude their offence was an insufferable provocation? We must draw the same conciusion, when we read, that the only wise God, who delighteth in mercy, has yet, in the greatness of his displeasure, cast down from their thrones, where his own hand had placed them, so many shining angels, and made them examples, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

This proof we cannot deny, without renouncing the Christian faith. And the next I shall produce, we cannot doubt, without denying the evidence of our senses, because we all feel the execution of a sentence denounced nearly six thousand years ago, upon the human race, for one offence. The threatening was, that Adam should immediately suffer spiritual death, by losing the image of God, in which he was made; that after a life spent in toil and sorrow, his body should return to the dust from whence it was taken, and, with natural, eternal death, we know was connected, by the subsequent declaration of scripture, unless a Redeemer had been given. This, we have no doubt, he escaped, whilst the sentence, in the two former parts of it, is to this hour executed on us all. For what have we in the place of Adam's original power, but weakness? What, for his divine light and knowledge, but ignorance? What

in the room of his peace and communion with God, but natural dislike to him, and distressing fears. about his intentions concerning us? What, instead of Adam's original purity, but a heart so deceitful, and so desperately wicked, that God alone can know it? And in the place of an Eden, contrived by infinite power and wisdom for happiness, what but a world of confusion and sin, a vale of misery, a field of battle?

If you ask, whence comes this total reverse of cireumstances, between the first man in innocence, and his posterity? He who in justice ordained it, gives us this awful account. By the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation-By one man's disobedience, many were made sinners. Ponder this in your heart, and you will not be able to refrain from crying out, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.”

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Further, the dreadful execution of his wrath, known in all the world, puts out of dispute the holiness of God. Before the death even of all their children, who saw Adam an exile from Paradise, the fountains of the great deep are broken up, and the windows of heaven opened to destroy the whole human race then on earth, except eight persons. And, lest this destruction should not be acknowledged as the act of the righteous Judge of all, in punishing sin, hear the God of mercy, the Father of the spirits of all flesh, addressing Noah: "And behold I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of life from under heaven, and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

There is still one fact more, so striking a demonstration of holiness in God, as to eclipse the destruction of the world by the flood; the fall of Adam, and the ruin of apostate angels. For in

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