DISCOURSE 1V, 561 is the"manin whom dwells the fulness of the godhead bodily; Col. ii. 9. He is God manifest ia'thefesh ; Tim. iii. 18. He came down from the Father's bosom, not to condemn the world, but to expose his own life and blood for our sakes, to make his soul an offeringforour sins, and to sustain unknown anguish and sorrows, in' the room and stead ofsuch rebels as we are. If he opens heaven in the gospel, and brings life and im- mortality to light, what thrones of glory, what crowns of righte- ousness does he set before us ? What mansions of paradise, what rivers of pleasure flowing from the throne of God, what rich fruits of the tree of life, what blissful visions in the presence of God and Christ, what blessed society of angels and holy souls are described, as the enjoyments of this heaven, on purpose to draw out our strongest desires towards it, and raise our joyful hope, and our warmest zeal in the pursuit of it ! When he gives us a view of hell, how dreadfully are the executions of divine wrath described there ? What a gnawing worm in the conscience that never dies, what a fire that is never quenched ? What burning lakes of fire and brimstone, kindled by the breath-of an angry God ? What troops ofdevils and damned spirits must be our companionsthere, and the smoke of their tor- ment ascending for ever and ever ? -Rev. xiv. II. How. hap- pily are these divine descriptions suited to awakenus out of secu- rity, and to excite us to passion offear in the highest degree; that knowing the terrors of the Lord, we may stir up all our powers to flee from the wrath to come, and seek reconciliation to God by the blood of Christ. If sin be mentioned in scripture, in what odious colours is it set before us ! It was sin that ruinedour first parents, and drove them out of paradise, and spread deathand misery through àll this lowerworld :'It is the unrighteousnessofmenthat has awakenedand revealedthe wrath OfGod, in all the terribleinstances ofit, from the - ancient apostacy and fall ofangels inheaven, to the final destruction Of this world by fire, and the punishment of men, and devils in hell for ever : And all this that sin might appear. exceeding sinful, and raise in us the highest hatred, and utmost aversion. The.great andblessed God, who formedus at first, perfectly knows our frame ; he is well acquainted with all the powers si d passions of human nature, and the design and use of them ail : And therefore when he wrote these holy messages to us . by his apostles and his prophets, he does not only- reveal things to our understandings, which reason could not find out, and then leaves us to make the best of them ; but he warmly and powerfully ad- dresses himself tothe affectionate principles within us,.in orderto make the discoveries of his grace pierce deeper into our souls, that he might recover us from our guilt and misery,and persuade usto partake of his salvation. Vol.. ii. N N
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