DISCOURSE VI. The vain Refuge of Sinners; or, a Meditation on the Rocks near Tunbridge- Wells, 1729. Rev. vi. 15, 16, 17. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond -man, and every free -man hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb : For the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand? IN the former discourse of this text, we have taken a sur- vey of these two persons, and their characters, God and the Lamb, whose united wrath spreads so terrible a scene through the world at the great judgment -day ; we have also enquired and found sufficient reasons, why the anger and justice of God should be so severe against the sinful sons and daughters of men, who have wilfully broken his law, and refused the grace of his gospel, and why the indignation of the Son of God should be superadded to all the terrors of his Father's vengeance. We are come now to the third, and last general head of discourse, and that is to consider, as How vain will all the refuges and hopes of sinners be found in that dreadful 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 descrip- tion in my text : They shall call to the rocks and the mountains to frill upon them, and to cover them from the face of him that sits Upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. 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 Lopes 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 para- phrase under the following heads : 1. Let us consider the rocks and mountains, as vast and mighty created beings, of huge figure, and high appearance, whose aid is sought in the last extremity of distress ; and what is this but calling upon creatures to help them against their Cre- ator ? What is it but flying to creatures to deliver and save them when their offended God resolves to punish ? A vain refuge in- deed, when God, the almighty Maker of all things, and Jesus,
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