.1ISCOURSE V. :123 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 vidicate his own authority, and his commission of grace.. He bath a rod of iron put into his hands, as well as a .sceptre of mercy, and with his rod will he break to pieces rebellious nations. Rev. ii. 27. 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 tite 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 autho- rity, and abused his love. And how will the wrath of the Lamb of. God penetrate the soul of sinners with intense anguish, when the meek and com- passionate 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 pur- pose 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 ? Ps. ii. 9. 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 lightnings 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 cri- minals ? 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 outer darkness ; let them be thrown headlong info 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
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