31. Should God but give a commiffion to fome creature to torment us, if it were but to a flea to leap into the eye, and there to abide, how great would this torment be? But much more terrible would your cafe be, if God fhould fet his wisdom a work, to find out and invent what mixture of torments from creatures would be most exquifite, and then inflict thefe upon you; this could not but make your cafe miferable: fince the nature of man is capable to receive comfort or difquietment from every creature; and God knows not only our frame and make; but that of all the other crea tures, and therefore understands what might contribute most to our difquiet and torment; should God deal thus, it would make very exquifite torments indeed, but all this were nothing to his own immediate hand and power. His little fing er is more terrible than the joint power of all the creatures. As there is no fearching out of his understanding, fo there is no fearching out of his power, who is the inflicter, the author of the eternal torment of finners, who shall be punished with everlasting deftruction from the prefence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, 2 Theff. i. 9. But of this more anon.

4. Confider what it is that engages infinite pow er, and fets on infinite wifdom, and this will give you yet a more terrible reprefentation of your mi fery. If it were only juftice, ye might expect that there might poffibly be fome abatement made; but it is anger, fury, the height of fury, that fets wifdom a work to contrive, and power on work to work your mifery; and therefore miferable ye muft of neceffity be, beyond thought or expreffion. A remarkable feripture to this purpose we have in Nahum i. 2---6. God is jealous, and the

Lord

Lord revengeth, the Lord revengeth, and is furious, the Lord will take vengeance on his adverfaries, and he referveth wrath for his enemies. The Lord is flow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind, and in the ftorm, and the clouds are the duft of his feet. He rebuketh the fea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bafhan languifheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languifheth. The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burnt at his prefence; yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. This is a fcripture fo very remarkable, that we cannot pafs it, without of fering you a few obfervations for clearing it a little. And, (1.) Here ye may fee the certainty of finners being punished. If ever ye escape who continue in your fins, it must either be because God will not, or because he is not able to punish you: but here ye fee that he is both able and willing, verfe 2. The Lord is great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. By no means will he let them go who continue in their impenitency. (2.) Ye fee what the punishment of the wicked is: He will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he referveth wrath for his enemies. It is expreffed by vengeance and by wrath. It is a punishment that is the effect of wrath and revenge, and is to be continued by wrath that is kept in referve for that purpose. (3.) Ye have that which is the inflicter of this punishment; it is the great power of God. (4.) Here ye have that which fets this power on work to punish the wicked; it is jealou

fy:

fy: Now jealoufy is the rage of a man, Prov. vi. and laft, and jealoufy in God is the rage of God. (5.) Here you fee the ruful effects of this rage of God; the Lord revengeth, the Lord revengeth. The expreffions being doubled intends the fignification, and fhews the certainty of it. (6.) To reprefent, if poffible, the terriblenefs of this revenge, in a yet more lively manner, it is added, the Lord revengeth and is furious. (7.) The terribleness of this appearance of God againft finners, is further declared by a description of God's power, defcribed in its effects upon the inanimate creatures: as if he had faid, Look how terrible the cafe of finners is like to be, when God begins to take vengeance on them, and to revenge himself by that power, which by a rebuke drieth up the fea, and the rivers, that makes Bashan and Carmel to languish, that melts the hills, and makes the earth to quake. The power of God was put forth in a very remarkable manner, in creating the world; but it is exerted in a more remarkable manner, in punishing the wicked: herein is his power, even the glory of his power manifefted, for ye are to be punished with everlasting deftruction from the glory of his power. The power of man produces greater effects, when anger and fury make him ftrain, as it were, every finew and nerve, than when he is cool, and in a fedate composed frame: A Samfon in fuch a cafe pulled down the pillars of the house. What fhall we then conceive shall be the effects of God's power, when the heat of anger and fierce indignation and fury excites and acts it? May I not conclude this confideration with that of the prophet in the 6 ver. Who can ftand before his indignation, and who can abide in

the

the fierceness of his anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

3. As your lofs is great, and the punishment ye are to undergo great,fo both thefe will come upon you in one day: and this is a terrible aggravation of your mifery. In a moment all the enjoyments of earth, all the gofpel privileges and all the hopes of future blifs which impenitent finners have, will evanish; and then, even then, at that very instant, will God appear, with his face full of frowns, his heart full of fury, his hand full of power, and all directed toward finners. It is remarkable in the fentence at the laft day, that with the fame breath, at the very fame inftant, they are bid depart God's prefence, Matth. xxv. 41. they are likewife fent into everlasting burnings.

4. As both will come at once, fo they both will come fuddenly and furprisingly. This extremely.. increases your mifery. Sudden destruction, and furprising deftruction, is, on that very account, double deftruction. It may be faid that your damnation lingreth not, 2 Pet. ii. 4. As Chrift comes quickly, Rev. xxii. 20. fo he comes in flaming fire to take vengenance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel. 2 Theff. i. 8. It is fudden, because it comes at a time when it is not expected. Many of you poffibly may be putting the evil day

far away; and yet ye cannot tell how near it may be to fome of you. Who can tell, but fome who this day are here in God's prefence, may be in the pit before the next fabbath? But whether it be fo or not, we are fure it is not long to the . time, when all of you who remain impenitent, fhall be fent down to the fides of the pit. It is fudden alfo, because ufually this ruin comes when the quite contrary is expected; when they say,

peace,

peace, peace, then fudden deftruction, 1 Theff. v. 3. When the fool was finging a requiem to his own foul for many years, then that very night all this mifery comes upon him, Luke xii. 20. And this was a great aggravation of his mifery. A blow given when the contrary is expected, is doubly ftunning.

5. As all thefe things, all the loffes, all the torments we have been speaking of, come fuddenly and at once; so they are all inevitable. Impenitent finners cannot by any means escape them. For,

1. God has engaged that finners fhall be punished. He will not at all acquit the wicked. He has paft his word upon it, he fwears in his wrath that impenitent finners ball not enter into his reft, Heb. iii. 18. Therefore they may expect that he will be as good as his word.

2. God cannot change: there is no variablenes nor fhadow of turning with him, Jam. i. 17. He continues unalterably the fame. I am the Lord, I change not, therefore the fons of Jacob are not confumed, Mal. iii. 6. There is the clear fide of the cloud to his own people; and upon the other hand, it be may inferred, I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye who have continued impenitent fhall be turned into hell.

3. Ye are not able to ward off the blow. The apostle obferves, That the foolishness of God is wifer than man, and the weakness of God is ftronger than man, i Cor. i. 25. The weakest effort of God against man, is enough utterly to ruine him. Lo, at the rebuke of his countenance we perish, Pfal. lxxx. 16. He can look upon one that is proud, and abafe him, and his eye can caft about rage and deftruction, Job xl. 11, 12, 13. If a look can ruine us, much more the breath of his noftrils:

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