451 / 674
,DISe/ VI.3
Tilt
VAIN
REFVGE
OF
SINNERS.
431
ful
day, when
God
and the Lamb shall
join
to
manifest
their
wrath and
indignation against them."
These
hopes,
and
shifts,
and refuges
of
rebellious
and
guilty creatures,
are represented
by a
noble image
and
description
in
my
text
" They
shall call to the rocks
and
the
mountains
to fall upon them,
and
to
cover them frorn
the
face
of
hirn
that
sits
upon
the
throne, and from
the
wrath
of
the Larnb." As this
address
to
mountains
and
rocks,
appears
to be
but
a vain
hope
in
extreme distress,
when
a
feeble
and
helpless
criminal
is
pursued
by
a
swift
and
mighty avenger,
so
vain
and fruitless
shall
all
the hopes
of
sinners
be
to
escape the
just
indignation and
sentence
of
their judge.
In
order
to shew the
vanity
of
all
the
refuges and shifts
to
which
sinners shall betake
themselves
in
that
day,
let
us
spread abroad
this
sacred
description
of
them
in a
paraphrase under
the following
heads:
1.
Let
us
consider
the
rocks and mountains,
as
vast
and
mighty
created
beings,
of
huge
figure,
and
high
ap-
pearance,
whose aid
is
sought
in
the last extremity
of
distress;
and what
is
this
but
calling
upon creatures to
help
them
against their
Creator
?
What
is
it but
flying
to
creatures,,,to
deliver and
save them, when
their
offended
God
resolves to punish
?
A vain refuge, indeed,
when
God,
the almighty
maker
of
all things,
and
Jesus,
his
Son,
by
whom all
things were made, shall agree to arise,
and
go
forth against them
in
their
robes
of judgment,
and
with
their artillery
of
vengeance
!
What created
being
dares interpose,
in
that
hour, to
shelter or
defend
a con-
demned criminal
?
What
high
and mighty
creature
is
able
to afford
the least security or
protection
?
The
princes
of
the earth, and the captains, the
kings,
and
heroes,
and conquerors,
with
all
their
millions
of
armed
men,
are
not
able
to
lift a
hand
for
the defence
of
one sinner
against
the anger
of God
and the Lamb.
They
themselves shall quake and shiver
at
the tremendous
sight,
and
they shall
fly
into the
holes
of
the rocks, like
mere cowards, and shall
join
their outcries
with
the
poor
and
the
slave,
entreating
the rocks and mountains to
be-
friend
them
with
shelter
and
safety.
Not
the highest mountains,
not
the
hardest
or the
strongest
rocks,
not
the most exalted, or most powerful
persons, or things
in
nature
can defend, when
the God
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