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(by God's Appointment, for as he gave himself a Sacrifice for Sin, God laid upon him all the Iniquity of his Bride) and they clothed him with Purple (which our Sins had dyed) and platted a Crown of Thorns, which our Sins had occafioned, and put it on his Head: which Crown of Thorns, of Sorrow and Pain, the juft Defert of our Sins, he bore for us. He wore our purple Robe of Difobedience, that we might wear his white unfpotted Robe of Innocency: He wore our fhameful thorny Crown of Sin, that we might be entitled to a glorious Crown of Righteoufnefs, 2 Tim. iv. 8. They fmote Christ on the Head, and fpat in his Face, which Blows ftill bruife the Serpent's Head, and when Chrift appears in Glory, that Reproach and Spitting will cover his Enemies with Shame to all Eternity. By that Spittle alfo which was a Shame that Chrift should receive, the Church's Eyes (his Bride's) like the blind Man's, are anointed, and opened to fee clearly that by her Hufband's Stripes fhe is healed of all the Bruifes of Sin. They mocked him too before Men, by the Inftigation of the Devil, and fet him at nought, that we might without Shame appear with Boldnefs before God. Then they led him without the Gates of the City of the old Jerufalem, and lifted him up before an Affembly of wicked Men, in that Hour and Power of Darkness where the grand Adverfary the Devil was Prefident, and murder'd him there but they could have no Power against him, had it not been given from above: therefore the Bride reaps the Benefit, knowing that the Juft died for the Unjust, and the fhall appear with Joy in the general Af fembly and Church of the First-born, and shall lift up her Head comfortably before God the Judge of all, in the holy City, within the Gates of the new Jerufalem above for ever. Thus the flaughter'd

Lamb

Lamb died in our stead, a fhameful Death, that we might live a glorious Life eternal, Mark xv. 15, 17, 19, 20, 21. Matt. xxvi. 67. Ifa. liii. 5. Come hither my fellow Sinners, and let us behold our fuffering Redeemer bleeding to Death on the Crofs for our Sins, to quench the Wrath of an angry God. And hear Divine Juftice confequently proclaim, My Wrath is appeafed. View this glorious Christ that came to deliver his Church out of their temporal and fpiritual Diftreffes: Behold him in his Power as well as in his Goodness, and hear the grand enquiry, "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with died Garments from Bozra? This Perfon that is fo glorious in his Apparel, travelling in the Greatness of his Strength? 'Tis I, faith Chrift, that speak in Righteoufnefs, mighty to fave, even to fave loft Souls. Alas! wherefore art thou red in thine Apparel, and thy Garments like him that treadeth in the Wine-fat? and thy Vefture dipt in Blood? I have troden the Wine Prefs (of God's Wrath) alone, and of the People (even of the Difciples) there was none with me;" for they all forfook me and fled. And I will tread down the Works of the Devil, which is in the Hearts of my People in mine Anger, and trample them in my Fury, and their Blood shall stain all my Raiment; If Chrift bled literally, they fhall bleed myftically: 'Chrift's Death was a Death unto Sin, and a new Birth unto Righteousness; fo that Chrift's Day of Vengeance is the Day of the Church's Peace; and his Blood-ftaining is her Blood-cleansing Day. The Day of Vengeance, faith he, is in my Heart, (and has been from Eternity) and now the Year of my Redeemed is come, the glorious Day of Deliverance to Ifrael out of Captivity, and especially to deliver the Christian Church from the Slavery of the Devil and Sin. "And I looked, and there was none to

help;

help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold or affift me a little) therefore my own Arm brought forth Salvation" (for my Bride) and my Fury against Sin upheld me in profecuting this glorious Victory. And I will always tread down the Spirit of Oppofition in the ungodly People, in mine Anger (who would not that I fhould reign over them) and make them drunk with their own Folly in my Fury, and I will bring down their Strength to the Earth, when I arife from the Dead, Ifa. lxiii. 1, &c. Rev. xix. 13. Luke xix. 27. Here Chrift is a Man of War, as is reprefented allo by his cafting Pharaoh's Chariots and his Hoft into the Sea, Exod. xv. 3, 4. And all impenitent Sin

ners fhall be drowned in the Sea of Hell Fire. Here we might view the fierce Wrath of an offended God, and his burning Anger against Sin, when nothing but the Death of his dear and well-beloved Son, in whom his Soul always delighted could expiate and make an Atonement for the fame. No doubt but his fiery Indignation will devour his Adversaries, i. e. all impenitent Sinners, For our God is a confuming Fire, Heb. xii. 29. O Lord my God, if thy Sword of stern Juftice, did execute this bloody Act on thy dear Child, a green Tree, which always budded, bloffom'd and brought forth pleafant Fruit, What fhall be done to the dry (Bone) Tree? Luke xxiii. 31. Unless rooted in Chrift, the Anfwer is plain, viz. That without an Interest in thy meritorious redeeming Blood, and clothed with the Wedding Garment of thy Righteoufness, the Soul muft perifh in the fecond Death. But bleffed be God who hath redeemed his Church by that Chrift who prayed, not only for his fainthearted Difciples, (who forfook him in the Hour of Danger) but for as many as fhould believe in him through their Word, John xvii. 20. And a

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mong

mong those last mentioned was comprehended, I truft, unworthy me, (thro' glorious Grace) weak as I am, and prone to turn my Back in the Day of Battle. But God has promifed "that all Things fhall work together for good unto them that love God, even to them who are the Called according to his Purpose," Rom. viii. 28. For by that Timidity and Inconftancy of theirs, God humbled the raw Warriors, his Difciples, to the Duft, and prepared them against the Day of Pentecoft, when they received Power from Heaven, which their Captain gain'd for them when by Death he conquered him that had the Power of Death, even the Devil and it came like a rufhing, mighty, breathing Wind, and filled their Souls with God! Act. ii. 1, 2, 4. And from thenceforth they became great and fuccefsful Warriors, like their heavenly Mafter. And the fame Peter who was baffled by a Damfel when he denied his Lord, Luke xxii. 55,56. being now filled with the Holy Ghoft, not only restored a lame Beggar to leap and praife God, but boldly confeffed Chrift before the grand Sanhedrim at Jerufalem, and told them as follows; " Ye Rulers of the People, and Elders of Ifrael, be it known unto you all, that by the Name of Jefus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this Man ftand here before you whole. This is the Stone which was fet at nought by you Builders, which is become the Head of the Corner: neither is there Salvation in any other; for there is none other Name under Heaven given among Men whereby we must be saved," A&t. iii. 2, 7, 8. Alfo fee

Act. iv. 8, 10, 11, 12. Fear not therefore you weak Believers the Faithfulness of your well contriving Father, for they whom he loveth he chafteneth; he exerciseth you every Day, and makes you

firft little Warriors, he feeds you firft with Milk,
and after that with ftrong Meat, 1 Cor. iii. 2.
And when you have past your Day of Pentecoft,
i. e. when you are fealed with the Holy Spirit of
Promife, unto the Day of Redemption, which I
believe the Heirs of Glory have fooner or latter a
fealing Day before they die, Eph. iv. 30. Then
you shall become in a Measure like your Captain,
Chrift, viz. expert in War, every Man with his
Sword (of the Holy Spirit) on his Thigh, and in
his Heart, because of the Fear in the Night, or
falling into Sin, Cant. iii. 8. For fome Times God
permits the Devil to fift the Church for wife Ends,
to bring about fome gracious Purposes, and to
fhew the Church her Weakness without Chrift;
and this is called Satan's Hour, and the Power of
Darkness, Luke xxii. 53. But forafmuch as the
hath waited for Chrift her Salvation, altho' a Troop
from the wicked One might feem to overcome her,
yet, like Gad, fhe fhall overcome at the laft, Gen.
xlix. 18, 19.
God will remember them that fear
and think on his Name: the Sun of Righteousness
shall arife on their Souls, with healing in his Wings,
and they fhall grow up in Grace, as a fatted Calf
of the Stall and by Faith fhall be able to tread
down the wicked One and his Troops, like Ashes,
under the Soles of their Feet, Mal. iv. 2, 3. And
The being clothed in Chrift's Armour, might well
appear like the Morning Star, "fair as the Moon,
clear as the Sun, and terrible as an Army with
Banners," Cant. vi. 10. Now when the Enemy
comes into the Field of Battle, i. e. attacks the
Sout by a strong Torrent or Flood of Temptations,
"the Spirit of the Lord lifteth up a Standard a-
gainst him," Ifa. lix. 19. But "woe to him that
is alone (viz. without Chrift) for when he falls,
there is none to help him," Ecclef. iv. 10. By the
dread-

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