redemption in his blood, the forgiveness of fins, and being accepted in Chrift the beloved, but as being actually forgiven, and accepted by him. Forgiving one another (fays the Apoftle, Col. iii. 13.) even as Chrift forgave you, fo alfo do ye. Receive ye one another (Rom. xv. 7.) as Chrift alfo hath received us to the glory of God. And as for illumination, regeneration, fanctification, confolation, and the whole work of grace upon the foul, we have already feen he is reprefented as the Author thereof conjointly with the Father; and accordingly is addreffed as fuch, in the beginning of almost all St. Paul's Epiftles, and in divers other places. He is full of truth and grace, and out of his fulness all true believers receive, and grace upon grace. It is his grace that is fufficient for them, 2 Cor. xii. 9. and through him ftrengthening them, they can do all things, Phil. iv. 13. He is the Author and Finifher of their faith, Heb. xii. 2. the fource and object of their love, Eph. iii. 17 19. the spring and end of their obedience, 21Cor. v. 14, 15. Rom. xiv. 8, 9. They are more than conquerors through Him who hath loved them, Rom. viii. 32. He delivers them from every evil work, and preferves them unto his heavenly kingdom, 2 Tim. iv. 18. and confers upon them eternal life. I give unto my sheep, (fays he, John x. 28.) eternal life, and they fhall never perish, neither fhall any pluck them out of my hand. СНАР. Х. That CHRIST is the Univerfal Judge.. ROM works of Grace and Mercy, proceed we to thofe of Juftice and Judgment.-Who is this that cometh from Edom? with died garments. from Bozrah this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatnefs of his ftrength? I that Speak in righteousness, mighty to fave. Wherefore art art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments Like unto him, that treadeth in the wine-fat? I have trodden the wine-prefs alone, and of the people there was none with me and I trod them in mine anger, and trampled them in my fury, and their blood is Sprinkled upon my garments, and I have ftained all my raiment: For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold therefore mine own arm brought falvation unto me, and my zeal it upheld me. And I trod down the people in mine anger, and made them drunk in my fury, and brought down their frength to the ground. 2. Do we wish to fee another description of this god-like Perfonage, this Captain of the Lord's Hoft? This Generaliffimo (fhall I call him) of the Armies of Heaven? Or rather, this Jehovah fabbaoth, this Lord of Armies? Then let us open the 19th Chapter of the Revelation of Jefus Chrift by his fervant John. And if the eyes of our understanding are not enlightened to fee the glorious fight,if He that commanded light to fhine out of darkness, hath not fhined in our hearts to fhew us the light of the glory of God, in the face, (EV Tgoowww in the perfon) of Chrift Jefus -let us, at least, attend to the highly-favoured Difciple, who learned to know his Master by leaning on his bofom, and hearing the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. I faw heaven opened (fays he) and behold a white horfe and he that fat upon him was called faithful and true, and in righteoufnefs he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns and N. B. HE HAD A NAME WRITTEN THAT NO MAN KNEW BUT HIMSELF. And he was clothed with a vesture dipt in blood, and his name is called THE WORD OF GOD. And the armies which were in Heaven followed him upon white horfes, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp fword, that with it he fhould fmite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the wineprefs of the fiercenefs and wrath of Almighty God: And he hath on his vefture, and on his thigh, a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 3. Such is the person who fays, The Father' judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son, that all men may honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. And who that confiders thefe defcriptions of his glory, given by Ifaiah and St. John, the most evangelical Prophet, and the most enlightened Apostle, can forbear to comply with the heavenly injunction, and honour him, even as they honour the Father, by fubmitting to him, falling at his footstool, fupplicating his mercy unto eternal life, and fleeing for refuge to Him, the only hope fet before loft and perifhing finners? And oh! how neceffary it is to do it, and that without delay!-How neceffary to kifs the Son, left he be angry, and we perifh from way when his wrath is kindled, yea, but a little! -how much more, when it burns with unabaiting fury and the Great day of his Wrath is come! For then, who fhall be able to ftand? the 4. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye fhall fee him, and they alfo that pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth fhall wail, becaufe of Him, even fo, Amen! Rev. i. 7. The Lord himself fhall defcend from heaven with a fhout, with the voice of the Arch-Angel, and the Trump of God, 1 Thef. iv. 16.-The Sun fhall be darkened, and the Moon fhall not give her light, and the Stars fhall fall from Heaven, and the Powers of the Heavens fhall be fhaken and then fhall appear the fign of the Son of Man in Heaven: and then fhall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they fhall fee the Son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great lory: And he fhall fend his Angels with a great Jound of a Trumpet, and they fhall gather together his Elect from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to another, Math. xxiv. ver. 29-31; When the Son of Man fhall come in his glory, and all the holy Angels with him, then fhall he fit upon the Throne of of his glory and before Him fhall be gathered all nations, and he fhall feparate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats, Math. xxv. 31, 32.-I faw a great white Throne, and Him that fat on it, from whofe face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them: And I faw the dead, fmall and great, ftand before God, and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of Life, and the dead were judged out of thofe things which were written in the books according to their works, Rev. xx. 11, 12. 5. Now, can we behold this glorious Perfon, and doubt of his Divinity? Can we fee "On an empyreal, flying Throne, Can we (I say) fix our eyes upon him, and still pronounce that he is a mere man? Can we obferve him, as the refurrection and the life, manifefting infinite wifdom and almighty power, in raifing from the duft of death the bodies of all mankind, and by a fecret and invifible energy, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, forming thofe of his Saints after a conformity to his glorious Body? Can we fee them fuddenly caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air? Can we view all nations gathered before him-all the pofterity of Adam-all that have ever inhabited this fpacious globe? Can we mark with what infinite difcernment of the characters of men, founded on his perfect knowledge of the human heart, in all its unfathomable depths of deceit, and endless labyrinths of iniquity, in all its counfels and defigns, motives and ends,. thoughts and defires, he feparates them one from another, as a fhepherd divideth his sheep from the goats? Can we obferve the righteous juftice wherewith wherewith he condemns the wicked to fiery torments, and that in exact proportion to their demerit, and the boundless mercy whereby he raifes his followers to heavenly bliss, rewarding them, unworthy as they are, according to their works? Can we (I fay) fix our eyes upon the Judge himself, and behold the moft awful procefs of this most awful day, and remember that our own eternal fate depends upon it, and yet believe that the Perfon upon the Throne, at whofe bar whole nations of men, and legions of Angels, tremble, and to whom, according to the Prophecy, every knee bows-that Hɛ (I fay) is but a mere man, and that a mere man determines the ftates, the final and everlasting ftates, of all the immense multitudes of Men, and the various ranks of fallen Angels? Surely this would be a ftretch of faith indeed, not to be found in the moft orthodox believer in Chriftian myfteries! 6. But let us hear the Scriptures upon this fubject. They are fo plain, that it is hardly poffible to miftake their meaning. The mighty God, even Jehovah (fays the Pfalmift, Pfalm 1. 1.) hath Spoken, and called the earth, from the rifing of the Sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath fhined. Our God fhall come, and fhall not keep filence: a fire fhall devour before him, and it shall be very tempeftuous round about him. He fhall call to the heavens from above, (viz. the inhabitants of heaven, the heavenly Hofts, who will attend and minister unto him) and to the earth, that he may judge his people. -And the heavens fhall declare his righteoufnefs, for GOD IS JUDGE HIMSELF. Mark that word, GOD IS JUDGE HIMSELF, even the fame God, who, converfing with Abraham ages before, concerning the deftruction of Sodom, is ftiled by him Fudge of all the earth, and who, as a pledge of his future manifeftation in the flesh, often appeared (as we have feen) in a visible human Thape, to the Patriarchs and Prophets of old. Of him St. Paul speaks, when he fays, that, being in M the |