cities of the plain ; his wonders in Egypt ; his judgments on all his own chosen people in the wilderness ; his extirpation of all the nations that inhabited the land of Canaan : in a word, see his dealings either with nations or individuals, and you must come speedily to this same conclusion, that he is a God very greatly to be feared.]
3. What he has taught us to expect at his hands — [He has told us plainly, that " the wicked shall be turned into hell, even all the nations that forget Goda." He has said, that " he will rain upon them snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest; and that this shall be their portion to drinkV And what is the feeling which such declarations should inspire ? Even in heaven itself they connect with these views the fear of God ; saying, " Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints ! Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name0?"]
Plain and undeniable as this sentiment is, I will nevertheless proceed, II. To confirm it —
Here is an appeal to every child of man ; " Who shall stand before God, when once he is angry ? "
Indeed, God is angry with those who are disobe- dient to his laws —
[Of course, we are not to conceive of God as under the influence of such a feeling as we call anger : but he will surely act, in reference to sinners, as men do against those who have excited their displeasure ; and this we call a manifestation of his anger. To this effect the Psalmist speaks : " God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, he will whet his sword : he hath bent his bow, and made it ready : he hath also prepared for him the instruments of death d."]
And who may stand in his sight, when once his anger is excited ?
[Not even the angels in heaven could abide his wrath, when once they had kindled his indignation against them : how much less, then, can man, who is crushed before the moth6! Shall it be thought that any man is so holy, as not to deserve God's anger ? Vain imagination ! fatal conceit ! " There is no man that liveth and sinneth not." " In many things we all offend f :" and " if any man say he hath not sinned, he maketh
a Ps. ix. 17. b Ps. xi. 6. See also Rev. xiv. 9 — 11.
c Rev. xv. 3,4. a Ps. vii. 11—13. e 2 Pet. ii. 4.
f James iii. 2.