1 would have swept down a whole guilty world into the dead fea of eternal vengeance, had not the High Priest of our profeffion waded therein, and drunk it up, and fo made a fafe way for the ranfomed of the Lord from this wilderness state to the heavenly Canaan. How then ought all the redeemed to celebrate the praises of the Redeemer! who rather than they who had bafely rebelled against God, and forfeited their title to eternal happiness, should bear the infinite wrath of Almighty God, justly due to them on account of their fins, bare it himself; himself who was in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God; nay, who was God, and one with the Father, Phil. ii. 6. John i. 1. x. 30. for those that were his avowed enemies to the aftonishment of all in heaven and all in earth; nor will that aftonishment end throughout all eternity, but more and more increase. - Say, O my foul, was ever love like this? O the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of the love of God, it paffeth knowledge, Eph. iii. 18, 19. Jonathan's love to David was wonderful, paffing the love of women, 2 Sam. i. 26. but Christ's love to his people passeth not only the love, but the comprehenfion of the highest seraph in heaven: it is an ocean without brim or bottom, end, or shore, in which the faints will fwim through all eternity, crying, Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Rev. i. 5, 6. As the ocean of redeeming love is infinitely great; so no less boundless is that of the wrath of Almighty God, which raged and was tempestuous against all the fons of Adam, and was ready to swallow them down into its bottomless gulf; but for ever blessed be our Lord and Saviour, who Jonah-like faid unto his Father, Take me up and caft me into this ocean, so shall it be calm to all my elect. This infinitely wonderful substitute the Father willingly accepted of; fo he was cast into the fea of infinite wrath, and like his type was in the belly of hell for his elect, and forsaken of God, Jon. i. 12. ii. 2. Matt. xxvii. 46. Jon. ii. 4. and as it were cast out of his fight for a time, that his people might enjoy the favour and light of God's countenance for ever in heaven. Thus he dried up that fea, and drank off that brook, and fo made a fafe way for all his ranfomed ones to come to Zion, Isa. li. 10, 11. But as the Red Sea was only dried up for Ifrael, and none but they who had an interest in Moses as their leader could venture safely therein; so the Egyptians who prefumptuously went in after Ifrael were all totally overwhelmed in it: In like manner, the fea of Infinite wrath is only dried up for the fpiritual Ifrael; but all those who have not an interest in Christ Jesus as their Saviour and atonement, who venture on the general mercy of God, will find themselves overwhelmed in that ocean of infinite wrath; for God out of Christ is a confuming fire, Deut. iv. 24. Neither is there falvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved, Acts iv. 12. And how shall we escape if we neglect so great falvation, Heb. ii. 4. Great indeed beyond the conception of men or angels! Justice and mercy are both attributes of God; and mercy will never be shewn at the expence of justice. Man hath finned, and justice must be satisfied either in his own person, or by another in his room. If man should attempt to do this himself, he would eternally perish, in fatisfying that, which through eternity he shall never be able to do; (pay that thou owest would still be the unalterable claim of law and justice). Yes, for it is a task infinitely too hard for men or angels: none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him, Pfal. xlix. 7. What then must be done? Shall all the fons of Adam everlastingly perish? No: blessed, and for ever blessed be the Lord our God, who in his infinitely wonderful, aftonishing, and unspeakable love and free mercy, hath provided a furety every way fufficient to answer the demands of law and justice, even no less a person than his own eternal, only begotten, and well-beloved Son, one in eflence with himself; for all fuch and only for fuch who should believe in him; " for God so loved the world that he gave his " only begotten Son, that whosoever belie"veth in him should not perish, but have " everlasting life," John iii. 16. : Doth it then follow, that God will not shew mercy to any of the fons of Adam, unless in and through an atonement? And if fo, as certainly it is, how comes it then that the wicked who have no interest in Chrift as their Saviour, receive mercies, and even many comforts in this life? for that they do is evident both from fcripture and daily observation? Pfal. cxlv. 9. lxxiii. 3-1 3. True indeed, God will extend mercy to none of the children of men but in and through Chrift Jesus, and though the wicked have no fpecial interest in him as their mediator, yet they have as their Creator, and in the sufficiency of his merits to fave them if they would believe; for God is called the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe, 1 Tim. iv. 10. hence the wicked for a time are suspended out of the pit of mifery, that their rejection of a Saviour, and of the offers of mercy, may be clearly seen to be of themselves, and God may be juftified in their own confciences |