face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb." The great day of his wrath being come, who shall be able to standf?" The wrath of man has been sus- tained, even when it raged to the utmost extent of human ingenuity to inflict pain : but who can sustain the wrath of God? The soul, aided by divine grace, has upheld the body: but who, or what, can uphold the soul, when it is God's arm, too, that inflicts the punishment? Some will console them- selves with the thought that they shall do as well as others. But if they could for one moment descend to hell, and see the agonies, and hear the cries, of a damned soul, methinks it would be little consolation to think that they shall do as well as others. If they were only to be racked upon a wheel, and to endure its agonies but for an hour, their prospect, methinks, would be but little cheered by this thought : how much less then, when the wrath of an offended God must be endured to all eternity!]
But, that we sink not into despondency, let us attend to,
II. The advice, which one moment's reflection on this subject must suggest —
The doom of Nineveh was fixed : but not so the doom of any amongst us. No, Brethren, there is yet hope concerning you ; yes, concerning every one of you. Only,
1. Abide not in impenitence — [When Nineveh was warned by Jonah, though no en- couragement was given them to repent, they humbled them- selves, on a mere peradventure that God might possibly have mercy on them: and the mercy which they sought was ac- corded to themg. But to you I am authorized to proclaim mercy : for God's gracious message to you is, " Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions ; so iniquity shall not be your ruinh." Hear what God says to you by the Pro- phet Jeremiah : " Thus saith the Lord, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem ; lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench itV Yes indeed, by timely humiliation, you may yet avert the wrath of your incensed God; who, " if you forsake your evil ways, and turn unto him, will have mercy upon you, and abundantly pardon," to the full extent of your multiplied transgressions11.]
f Rev. vi. 15 — 17. s Jonah iii. 5 — 10. h Ezek. xviii. 30. 1 Jer. iv. 3, 4. k Isai. lv. 7.