God1s Wrath dreadful to Sinner-s. ~ake fuch a Revenge upon thee as :fhall as much pleafe and content him as his . infinite Mercy doth in thofe whom he faves. And how great then l!{uft this <: Vengeance be,. ? i. · Secondly, Confider how dreadful a Revenge God took on his own dear Sori· Our I.ord fefus Chrift, when he catne to fatistie his Jufiice upon him for ou; Si,ns. His Wrath fell infinitely heavy upon him, and the preffure of it was fo intolerable, ttiat it fqueez·ed out drops of clotted Blood from ' him in rhe Garden and that fad Cry on che Crofs, My God, my God, 7JJh] haft thou forfaiun me ? ~ And yer, 1. ', Fi,jl, Our Lord Chrift was fupported under all his Sufferingsby the ineffable U- .; nion of the D~ity. He had infinite Power fdr him,as well as againft him • infinite Power eo bear him up,as well as to crufh him. In Chrift's Sufferings, d~e Power • ~.d-., .). ef God feem'd as it were to e~coumerwith,and run conrrary to itfelfin che farne ChanneL And as he had the fupporc ofinfinite Power in his Sufferings,fO likewife had he in the great~fi of his Agonies the Miniftry of Angt/J to comfort him 30y to refrelb the Droopings and Fainrings of his Human~ Nature. And ' 2 . Sec(lndly, The infinite Dignity of Chrift's Perfon, being God as well as -Man • V' rilight well cOmpound for the Rigour of his Punifhmencs,and ftamp fuch a Valu~ • upon his Humiliation, that lefs degrees of Suffering from him might be fully fa, tisfadory. for indeed it cannot be but an infinite Punilhrnenc, for an infinite P'er(on to be punilhed. But thou that arc but a vile contemptible Crearure)made Up of Mud and Slime,haft nothing in thy Nature wherewith to fatisfie the]ufiice offiod,but onlY. the eternal DefiruCHon and Perdition of it. Thou haft no Worth nor Dignity,the confideration whereofmight perfwade the Almighty eo mitigate the leaft of his Wrath towards thee : And when it falls in all its weight and force uPoo1thee,thoF..ha(l noth.ing Cofu~porc thee. It_is erne, the All!lighty Power of God Jhall conunue thee m thy Bemg,but thou wtlt for ever curie·and hlafphem~ that Support,that !hall he given thee only to perpetuate thy Torrnents,and ten thqufand tiines wilh th~t God would dellroy thee once for all, and that thou 1 'mighteft for ever lhrink a_ way inro nothing: But that will not be granted thee; no, thou fhalt nor have fo much as the comfort of dying,nor efcape the Vengeance of _GOd.by Annihilation; but his Power will for ever fo fupport thee, as for ever tO torment chee,w~ich is only fuch a Support. .a? a Man on the Rack, or on the Wheel, fupporcedfo as they cannot come off, the Engine of their Torture-upholds th"Jll. And as forany help or relief the Miniftry of Angels wfll afford thee, think wl\at folace ic will bring thee,when God fhall fee on whole Legions of infernal Ghofts,black and hideousSpirirs,as the Executioners of his Wrath,Who fhalllor ev.er triumph in thy Woes,and add to them, hurl Firebrands at thee,heaf""Fewel aho,ut thee,and fully faciate their Malice upon thee, as God fatisfies his }uiHce. And this is one Con(ideration of the dreadfulnefs of this Vengean·ce, in that it aims at and exad:s fatisfadion for Sin, which will be infinitely intolerable, becaufe our Sins are infinite both in Number and Heinoufnefs. And becaufe Je- 'fus'Chrift,whO was to fatisfie not for his own, but for the Sins of orhers,thou~h he were upheld by the Divine N rttm·e, and poffibly underwent not fuch ACrimony of Wrath as the Damned do ; yet his Sufferings were unfpeakable and unknown Sorrows: And how much forer then fhall wicked Men hear for{heir own Sins, when Juftice fhall come tO reckon with them, and to exact' from them to the very utmoft Farthing, of all that they owe / · 2 • Sectmdlj, Confider that Re7!enging T1/rath Rirs up alt that is in God againfi! Sinner. Wrath when it is whet and fee on by R(ven~e, redoubles a Man's Force, and makes him performThings that he could not do 10 his cold Blood; it fires all a Man's Spirits, and calls them forth to exprefs their ctmoft Efforts. So this Revenging Wrath of God draws forth all the Force and Activity of his Attributes, and fees them againft a Sinner; and how dreadful then muft that Execution needs be? We fee what great Works God can_perform when he isnotftirred up thereunto by his W.fath and Indignation. He !peaks a whole Vlorld into Being,and fpeaks it with a cold and calm Breach. Certainly it "\as no fmall piece of work, to fpread ouc the Heavens, and lay the Foundations of the Earth, and to work all tho(e Wonders of Cre11tion and Providence which we daily behold ; but yet all rhe!e .Things God did, (if I may fo fpeak) without ony Emotion. But '~h:n he comes to cake f/mgeance upon Sinne·rs, he is then inflamed, all chat ~~~d
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