DISC. pet, founding from the one end of heaven VI. to the other, shall give notice, that the judge of all the earth is coming to his judgment-feat in the air. The throne that shall be there erected for him is thus defcribed by Daniel-"I beheld till the "thrones were caft down, and the antient "of days did fit; whofe garment was "white as fnow, and the hair of his head "like the pure wool. His throne was like "the fiery flame, and his wheels as burn"ing fire; a fiery ftream iffued, and came "forth from before him: thousand thou"fands miniftered unto him, and ten thou"fand times ten thousand stood before "him. The judgment was fet, and the "books were opened." In the clouds over our heads is this judgment-feat to be formed; as it is alfo written in the book of Pfalms-" Clouds and darkness are round "about him, righteousness and judgment "are the habitation of his throne." From amidst this thick darknefs the lightnings, those swift executioners of divine vengeance, fhall flash abroad over the earth,

VI.

while ten thousand thunders, rolling forth DISC. from the glorious God that maketh them, fhall at once utter their tremendous voices: as it is written again in the fame book of Pfalms-" Our God fhall come, and shall "not keep filence," as once, when like a sheep dumb before his fhearers he opened not his mouth. "A fire fhall now devour « before him, and it shall be very tempef"tuous round about him. The Lord," even the Lord Jefus, " fhall thunder out of hea

66

ven, and the highest give his thunder, "hail-ftones and coals of fire." By the brightness of his coming all enemies fhall foon be confumed, all clouds fhall pass away; and the judge shall appear upon his radiant throne, like his emblem the fun; so that there shall not be a tongue but must own with the church, in her triumphant song, "Heaven and earth are full of the majesty "of thy glory." And as Chrift upon his throne, like the fun, will fee all, fo, like the fun, he will be feen of all; which brings us to the

IId Thing

VI.

DISC. cified Christ, are the only persons that will have reason to tremble at this fight. There are others, who may dread it, as well as they. Thofe, whofe fins, yet unrepented of, sharpened the nails, and pointed every thorn. Thofe carelefs ones, who are at eafe; whofe hearts, harder than the rocks that rent afunder at his crucifixion, remain unmoved at the fight of the Son of God, dying upon the cross for them, and calling from thence to a thoughtless world—“ Is "it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? "Behold, and fee, if there be any forrow "like unto my forrow which is done unto "me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted "me in the day of his fierce anger."

Bishop Taylor, in one of his Advent fermons, has an expoftulation with a finner upon this fubject, which is fo juft, beautiful, and affecting, and fo infinitely beyond any thing I can offer, that I shall not only have your pardon, but your thanks, for reciting it. "It was for thy fake that the "judge did fuffer unfpeakable pains, such

"as

as were fufficient to reconcile all the DISC "world to God. And to confider that thou

66

haft, for thy own particular, made all "this in vain and ineffective; that Chrift

66

thy Lord and judge fhould be tormented "for nothing; that thou would eft not ac"cept felicity and pardon, when he pur"chafed them at fo dear a price; it must "needs be an infinite condemnation to "thee. How shalt thou look upon him "that fainted and died for love of thee, " and thou didst fcorn his miraculous mer"cies? How fhalt thou dare to behold "that holy face which brought falvation "to thee, and thou didst turn away, and "fall in love with death, and deformity, "and fin? And yet, in the beholding that "face confifts much of the glories of eternity. Surely all the pains and the paffions, the forrows and the groans, the humility and poverty, the labours and "the watchings, the prayers and the fer"mons, the miracles and the prophecies, "the whip and the nails, the death and "the burial, the fhame and the smart, the "" cross

66

66

VOL. I.

M

VI.

VI.

DISC. "crofs and the grave of Jefus, fhall be laid upon thy score, if thou haft refused the " mercies and design of all their holy ends "and purposes. And if thou rememberest "what a calamity that was, which broke "the Jewish nation in pieces, when Christ "came to judge them, for their murdering "him, who was their king, and the prince "of life; and confidereft, that this was "but a dark image of the terrors of the day of judgment, thou mayeft then ap

66

prehend, that there is some strange unspeakable evil in ftore for one who re"fuses the falvation of Jefus, and rather "chooses that Satan fhould rejoice in his deftruction, than that Jefus fhould triumph in his felicity."

66

Thus far this excellent prelate. And all who confider the matter in this it's true and proper light, cannot wonder at the effect which, as St. John in the text tells us, the fight of Chrift will produce among the kindreds of the earth. They shall wail because of Chrift, when they fee him whom