his wrath and make his power known in their destruction". His power was made known in creating the heavens and the earth and by the same power these heavens and earth, which are now kept in store, reserved unto fire, against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men; I say, by the same power, which first created them, they shall at last be dissolved, burnt up, melted; and so be turned into a lake of fire and brimstone: and when the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, all in a flaine, and the whole material universe be hurled together in one general heap, then his power will be made known. And then he will show his wrath. Now God is insulted and despised by worms of the dust ; and yet is very bountiful to his enemies, and seems to take no notice of their affronts. As it is written, these things hast thou done, and I kept silence. For now is the time for patience to reign: but when the day of wrath comes, God will let all the world see and know, how infinitely vile it is for worms to rise in rebellion against the MOST HIGH. When the heayens begin to be on fire, and the elements to melt with fervent heat, a guilty world will begin effectually to be roused to a sense of what they have done. Now God will show his wrath; and now a rebellious world will feel their guilt.

REM. 4. How far beyond the capacity of any finite creature is it to make amends to God for the least sin, which casts such an infinite contempt upon the Most High! A worm may rise in rebellion against the great Jehovah, and may despise God, and despise the commandments of God, and make a light matter of it: but if he would give " thousands of rams, and ten thousands of rivers of oil," to make amends for his crime, it would not answer. Yea, if he would give his firstborn for his transgression, and the fruit of his body for the sin of his soul," it would not avail. It is easy, for a haughty worm to despise the majesty of heaven: but it is beyond the reach of all created nature, to make a proper amends to God for such an injury. It is, even between man and man, easier to do wrong, than to undo it: but it is clean beyond the whole creation, to make amends to God for the least sin. For it requires an infinite atonement: but if all finite crea

e Rom. ix. 22. f 2 Pet. iii. 7. 10. 12. g Psalm 1. 21. h Rom. ii. 5.

tures in heaven and earth should join together to do and suffer their utmost, it would not amount to any thing infinite. And besides, what can a creature do towards making the least degree of atonement for sin? For, what he does, must either be what God requires, or what God does not require. If it be what God does not require, God will not accept of it; for there is no virtue in it: and if it be no more than what God requires, it is no more than his duty. And his paying a present debt, cannot atone for a fault that is past. The creature is not his own, he wholly belongs to God, and all that he hath; he has nothing therefore to give to God, but what is his own already. If he gives himself to God, wholly to God, it is the most that he can do: and yet he was whol ly the Lord's before. It is beyond the capacity of the crea ture, therefore, to make the least degree of atonement for sin. He may justly lie under the whole guilt, and be exposed to the whole punishment of it, notwithstanding the utmost he can do. If ever he is saved, therefore, it must be by free grace through Jesus Christ.

REM. 5. How absolutely necessary was it that our REDEEMER should be GOD! For otherwise, he could have nothing properly his own; and so nothing to offer to make atonement. But being by nature GoD, he is now naturally his own; and so may offer to God that which is his own, and that which is of infinite worth too. A being of infinite dignity can make an infinite atonement. And such an

atonement it was that we needed. Without such an atonement, we must have perished. Therefore, God purchased his church with his own bloodi.

REM. 6. How great is the goodness of God, that he could find it in his heart, to give his only begotten Son to die for such an apostate, rebellious, guilty race! A race, which had treated him so vilely, that in honour he could not pardon them; the honour of himself, of his holiness and justice, of his law, and government, and sacred authority, would not allow of their being pardoned; unless his own Son, equal to himself in power and glory, were set forth to be a propitiation for sin. A race, that are habitually inclined to des

pise him, cast off his government, walk contrary to him; and who, were they able, would soon join in the most impious attempt against his crown and glorious dignity. O! that he could find in his heart to love and pity them; and this, to so great a degree, as to give his only begotten SoN to die in their stead; and now, through him, offer to be reconciled, and invite them to return, and tender them pardon, peace, and eternal life; this is the most astonishing goodness!

APPLICATION.

Now, are you convinced of these truths? Do you look upon sin in this light? Are you sensible, that all sin is thus against God, against his nature, law, authority, honour, &c.? Do you know, that this is God's world? That you are God's creatures and subjects? That he is your Lord and Owner? That he has an entire right to you, and an absolute authority over you? That you are entirely dependent upon him, infinitely indebted to him, absolutely under his government? And do you know, that the LORD your God is a GREAT GOD, and a GREAT KING, infinitely worthy of all love, honour, and obedience? And do you see what a great evil it is to rise in rebellion against the MOST HIGH, slight his authority, throw off his government, break his law, go contrary to him, do the abominable thing which his soul hates? Do you see what contempt this casts upon God? And how it tends to grieve his heart? For a worm to set up against the ALMIGHTY! For a creature, absolutely dependent, to turn his back upon his Creator, in whose hands his life and breath is, and whose are all his ways! To love sin more than the infinitely glorious God! To delight in earthly pleasures more than in the supreme fountain of all good! To be more concerned to please fellow-rebels and secure their favour, than to please the sovereign Lord of the universe, and secure his favour! Do you see the infinite malignity of such a conduct?

Oh sinner! if you never saw the great evil of sin, you are to this day a stranger to God, and blind to the infinite beauty of his nature; and are to this day under the of sin, and in an impenitent and unpardoned state.

power

Never was a

sinner pardoned, while impenitent: never was a sinner truly penitent, while insensible of the great evil of sin and never did a sinner see the great evil of sin, before he was first acquainted with the infinitely great and glorious God. You may indeed have been sorry for sin on other accounts; as, that you have exposed yourself to shame before men: or hurt your estate; or brought God's judgments upon you in this life; or exposed yourself to his judgments in the life to come: or, perhaps in times past, you have been greatly awakened and terrified, and then filled with joy, and even ravished, through a false, but confident persuasion your sins were pardoned; and in consequence of this, from natural gratitude, have felt real grief for your sins against God, considered merely as your great benefactor1. But if you never saw the great evil of sin, as it is against a God who is infinitely glorious in himself, your repentance was never genuine : and you are yet unpardoned.

Here it may be observed, that if ever men were thoroughly convinced of this great evil of sin, the conviction would be

permanent and abiding. For where true grace is ever wrought in the heart, it will continue. The water that Christ gives will be in us a never-failing fountain, a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Those, therefore, who were greatly terrified with their sin and guilt, some years ago, but have since learnt to make a light matter of sin, and can easily get quiet, and go on in their evil ways, they never truly saw the great evil of sin. Yea, I may add, that where true grace was ever wrought in the heart, it will not only continue, but increase; like the mustard-seed, which grows into a tree": and so a sight and sense of the great evil of sin, will consequently increase and strengthen. For as men grow in the knowledge of God, and sense of his glory, and of their obligations, to him: so, proportionably, will they see more and more of the infinite evil there is in sin, as it is against him. The case therefore may soon be decided against all those who

I That those religious affections, which men may have towards God, considered merely under the notion of a benefactor, are not of the nature of saving grace, is evident from Job i. 9, 10, 11. and Mat. v. 46.

were once awakened and enlightened, but have since fallen away, and returned with the dog to his comit, and with the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. Their eyes never were truly opened: the heart of stone was never taken away they never tasted the bitterness of sin to good purpose and they are still in the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity P; and must return to their awakenings and sorrows again, in this world, or in the world to come.

Answer me, to these six questions:

1. Does God's government appear reasonable, and his law just? Behold, and see how God governs the world; observe how he looks upon sin, and how he treats it. The sinning angels, for their first transgression, are turned out of heaven, and doomed to an eternal hell. Our fallen world too, but for the interposition of a Mediator, had sunk into eternal ruin. Every impenitent sinner will, at the day of judgment, be sentenced to depart to everlasting burnings. Now, does it appear reasonable that sin should be so severely punished? In heaven, they cry Hallelujah! just and righteous are thy judgments, Lord God almighty! But what is the language of your heart? Say, do you approve God's government? or be you an enemy to it? And, in all this, God does but proceed exactly according to LAW. For the law says, cursed is every one that continues not in all things¶. Now, do you heartily approve the law as strictly just, that threatens eternal damnation for the least sin? Does sin appear so great an evil, as to deserve, in all reason and justice, to be so severely punished? Put it to your own case; and can you justify God and his law?

2. Can you justify God in his present dispensations towards you? How are you actually affected under those chastisements which God inflicts upon you for sin in this world? When God told David, that for his sins, his wives should be defiled in the sight of the sun, the sword never depart from his house, and his child should die ; penitent David says, Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight wherefore thou art just when thou speakest, and clear when thou judgest. And when afterwards he fled out

• 2 Pet. ii. 22. p Acts viii. 23. 7 Gal. iii. 13. r 2 Sam. xii.