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424

THE WRATH

OP

THE

LAMB.

[DISC.

V.

3.

It

is

wrath

that

must

avenge the affronts and

inju-

ries done

tó the

prime minister of God's government, and

the

chief

messenger

of

his mercy.

All

the

patriarchs,

and

the,

prophets, and

angels themselves, were

but

ser-

vants

to

bring

messages

of

divine

grace to men

:

And

some

of

them,

in

awful forms and

appearances,

repre-

sented the

authority

of

God

too

:

But

the

Son

of

God

is

the

prime minister

of

his

government,

and

the

noblest

ambassador

of

his grace,

and

the

chief deputy or

vicege-

rent

in his

Father's

kingdom.

See

Heb.

i.

1.

2.

Ps,

ii,

6,

9, 12.

His Father's

glory

and grandeur, compassion

and

love,

are

most sublimely exhibited

in

the

face

of

Christ

his Son,

and

God

will

not

have

his

highest

and

fairest

image disgraced

and

affronted,

without peculiar

and

signal vengeance.

The great

God

will

vindicate the honours

of

his

Son

Jesus,

in the

infinite destruction

of

a rebellious and un-

believing

world

:

And

the

Son

himself

bath wrath and

just

resentment

;

he

will

vindicate

his own

authority,

and

his

cómmission

of

grace.

He

hath 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 al-

ways

in the

character

of

a lamb,

a

meek

and unresent-

ing creature.

He

will

put

on

the

lion, when

his

commis-

sion

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

compassionate

Jesus

shall be commissioned and

constrained

to

speak the

language

of

resentment and

vine 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

cha-

racter

and

my

salvation

in

the

ministrations

of

my

word?

Were

you

not

told,

that

I

was

appointed

to be

the

Savi-

our of

a

lost

world,

and a minister

of

divine mercy to

men? And

was

there

not abundant

evidence

of it

by