that the full accomplishment of this prophecy shall be seen. Then' " a multitude that no man can number, of all nations and kiji'- dreds, and people and tongues, shall stand before him, and cry with united voices. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain ! Salvation to our God, and to the Lamb for ever*!"]
We cannot more profitably improve this subject^' than by inquiring,
! 1. What blessings have zi/e received from' Christ ?
[If we be indeed subjects of his kingdom, it Cahnbt fail' but that we must have received many blessings at his hands.' Has he then " blessed us" with the pardon of our sins? Has hq filled us with joy and peace in believing ? Has he endued us with grace and strength to subdue our spiritual enemies ? and trans- formed us into his own image in righteousness and true holmess?' This is the criterion whereby we must judge! of our interest iH^ him : for he cannot be a Saviour to us, unless he save us frdW the dominion, as well as from the guilt, of all our sins.]
2. What is the disposition of our minds tow&i'd^^ him?
[Can we possibly be partakers of his bienef^tS, and f^el rfo^ disposition to "bless his name?" Surely a grateful sense of K?^'' goodness must characterize those who are so greatly indebted tO" him. To those who believe, he is, and must be, pirecious ^— ]
'Rev. V. 11, 12. & vii. 9, 10.
Ps. Ixxiii. 1. Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.
THE aversion which men usually feel to a vindica- tion of God's absolute sovereignty, proceeds from an idea, that the exercise of it would be repugnant' to his other perfections of goodness and mercy. But there is no just foundation for this conceit : nor is there any reason why we should doubt the sove- reignty of God, any more than any other of his attri- butes. That God does dispense his favours accord- ing to his own will is an undeniable truth : how" else can we account for his taking one nation from' the midst of another nation, and formmg them for
his