SS THE GREAT PREPARAT'IVES charge of God's elect? Shall the law ? The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, bath made them free from the law of sin and death. Or shall conscience? The Spirit itself beareth witness with their spirit, that they are the children of God. It is God that justifieth ; who is he who condemneth. "(z) If our Judge con- demn us not, who shall? He that said to the adul- terous woman, Rath no man condemned thee, neither do I;(a) will say to us more faithfully than Peter to him, Though all mèn deny thee, or condemn thee, I will not.(b) Having "confessed me before men, thee will I also confess before my Father which is in heaven. "(c) § 7. What inexpressible joy, that our holy Lord, who loveth our souls, and whom our souls love, shall be our judge! Will a man fear to be judged by his dearest friend? or a wife by her own husband? Chris- tian, did Christ come down, and suffer, and weep, and bleed, and die for thee ; and will he now condemn thee? Was he judged, condemned, and executed, in thy stead; and now will he condemn thee himself ? Bath he done most of the work already, in redeem- ing, regenerating, sanctifying, and preserving thee ; and will he undo all again ? Well then, let the terror of that day be ever so great, surely our Lord can mean no ill to us in all. Let it make the devils tremble, and the wicked tremble ; but it shall make us leap for joy. It must needs affect us deeply with the sense of our mercy and happiness, to see most of the world tremble with terror, while we triumph with joy ; to hear ,them doomed to everlasting flames, when we are proclaimed heirs of the kingdom ! to see our neighbours, that lived in the same towns, came to the same congregation, dwelt in the same houses, and were esteemed more honourable in the world than ourselves, now by the Searcher of hearts eternally se- parated ! This, with the great magnificence and dreadfulness of the day, the apostle pathetically ex- presses ; " It is a righteous thing with God; to re- compense tribulation to them that trouble you ; and (z) Rom. viii. 1. 2- 16--- 33---34. (a) John viii. 10, H, (b) Matt. xxvi. 33, 35. (c) Matt. x, 32
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