SERMON CCLXX.

THE WRATH OF THE LAMB.

FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT.

REV. vi. 16, 17.

"Hide us from the face of HIM that sitteth on the Throne, and from the Wrath of the LAMB: for the great Day of His Wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"

UNDOUBTEDLY there can be no comfort for any of the sinful race of Adam, in thinking on that last awful Day, but only in the Judge's great and unspeakable mercy. "In many things we offend all:" it was the confession of one of the greatest of Saints; and another, even our LORD's own beloved and virgin disciple, now in his very old age, and on the point of departing to that Bosom, where all his happiness lay-St. John the Divinewrote for himself and for us these words of solemn confession: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

The most perfect, then, as he is in himself, could not stand upright before our LORD's judgment-seat: and yet we know that some will stand upright: some will have confidence, and be able to stand before HIM. Some there are whom HE HIMSELF encourages, when they see the signs of that day, to "look up, and lift up their heads, for their redemption draweth nigh." And this, while the generality of men, "all the tribes of the earth," are mourning.

As it is in that fearful vision, out of which the text was read to you: when the astonishing tokens of the end of the world, so

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long prophesied, come really to be fulfilled-when the Sun shall have become black as sackcloth of hair, and the Moon shall have become as blood, and the Stars of Heaven shall have fallen to the earth, and the Heaven itself departed as a scroll that is rolled together, and every mountain and island be removed out of their places in that hour, the Apostle saw how "the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man," shall "hide themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, and say to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of HIM that sitteth on the Throne, and from the Wrath of the LAMB: for the great Day of His Wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"

What is the cause of this great difference? How is it that while some are thus ready to sink into the earth, others will be found earnestly expecting and waiting for the same awful vision, -"looking for and hastening unto the coming of the Day of GOD?" It is not that some are sinners and some not for all, we are distinctly told, "have sinned, and come short of the glory of GOD." All are naturally sinners: not one could stand in that day by his own strength.

All are naturally sinners: but when our LORD makes us Members of HIMSELF, HE lifts us into a higher state than that in which we naturally are: and by the Grace which belongs to that state we may keep our vows here, and stand upright in the great Day: just as a young child, if left to itself, will fall; but if the nurse or parent reach out a hand, then it may, if it will, keep its footing.

All, then, will depend, in that dreadful hour, upon our having or not having the portion in CHRIST JESUS, which He mercifully gave us at our Baptism. Happiest of all will be those, who have not only never forfeited that grace, but by holy and entire obedience have cherished and increased it, ever striving to be more and more perfect. Such as the Apostle saw in his vision, standing with the LAMB, having the FATHER'S name written in their foreheads, and heard concerning them, "They are not defiled with women, for they are virgins: they follow the LAMB whithersoever He goeth: in their mouth is found no guile: they are without fault before the throne of GOD." Those are the most

glorious Saints; such as the Blessed Virgin Mary; such as St. Paul after his conversion. But there are also, though fewer,

penitent Saints: souls and bodies which have seriously fallen away from the justifying grace, and pardon received in their Baptism, yet by His distinguishing mercy they have so far recovered themselves, as to become high and eminent, and what our SAVIOUR calls " perfect."

And besides these, who will in some manner be so specially honoured in CHRIST's coming, that they "shall sit on thrones, judging" the world with HIM, there will be the whole number of such good Christians as we commonly see in the world; persons who have offended, more or less grievously-who have sinned quite enough to forfeit their baptismal covenant, but to whom He hath proved HIMSELF not extreme to mark what is done amiss. For all their grievous transgressions, HE offers them Repentance: offers it for His Son's sake, and in remembrance of His Son's prayer, "FATHER, forgive them, for they know not what they do." If they accept His offer, not in word only but in power: if they not only say they are sorry, but really repent, and do works meet for repentance: then the blessed Image of CHRIST JESUS, which they received at the Font, and which their sins had defaced, will be restored, and with that Image they will meet HIM. HE, seeing His own Mark and Token, His Cross in their foreheads, His likeness in their hearts, will forgive them, not in part, but altogether; not for some of their transgressions, but for all; not for a time, but for ever.

In these ways, and these only, may a sinner hope to stand upright in our LORD's judgment; either as having kept his first baptismal vows, or as having recovered His grace and blessing after it had been forfeited by his wilful sins.

But if both these conditions be wanting, then will follow that worst of miseries, which the text mentions under the title of the Wrath of the LAMB: "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of HIM that sitteth on the Throne, and from the Wrath of the LAMB; for the great Day of His Wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" There is especial stress laid upon this that they who rise on that day to shame and everlasting confusion will shrink especially from "the Wrath of the LAMB.”

"The Wrath of the LAMB" is the anger of JESUS CHRIST; of

JESUS CHRIST crucified; of JESUS CHRIST offered for our sins; of JESUS CHRIST offered for us, but coming to visit us, and finding HIMSELF rejected by us. He is our only refuge, in Heaven and in Earth, against all other wrath. Be it either the wrath of evil spirits, lying in wait to destroy us; or of good and holy beings, drawing back from us; or of the Most Holy God, Who is of purer eyes than to behold and bear with our iniquity;— CHRIST crucified for us, and joining us to HIMSELF, is the one only shelter and help against it. HE binds the Devil and his angels, that they may not tear us in pieces, as they long to do every moment. He fills the Angels and Saints in Heaven, and all good Christians here in His Church on Earth, with tender anxious care for His sinful creatures, causing them to pray for us more and more earnestly, and obtain for us those blessings, which in a mysterious and wonderful manner He has made to depend on their prayers. And what is more than all, HE, in His own Person, intercedes with His FATHER for us. HE stands at the Right Hand of GOD, to succour all who mourn earnestly for their sins. He says to the ALMIGHTY FATHER, “Let them alone for so long a time, till I shall have given them yet more of my gracious calls, yet more chances to repent." He is our Advocate, pleading for us the merit of that most precious Sacrifice which He made for us on the Cross. When the Devil accuses, He stands by to speak for us.

Thus in every way the LAMB of GOD is the only help of sinners against wrath. If, then, HE be made finally angry, what hope remains? There is none. If we in persevering impenitence cast Him away, sinning on wilfully and stubbornly," after we have received the knowledge of the Truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation."

As if the young man, in our LORD's Parable of the Prodigal Son, had stopped short in his journey toward his father's house, and had turned his face back again toward his old sins, and then his father had come suddenly upon him, not in forgiveness, to fall on his neck and kiss him, but in stern wrath, not even permitting him to say any words of penitence: how miserably certain would the son be that he was utterly cast off, that his last hope was over!

Or, as our LORD HIMSELF has described the King, when the unmerciful servant was brought before him, delivering him over for ever to the tormentors. His former love and pity in such case would only make His present anger more dreadful. He forgave the former debt, the ten thousand talents, at once, when he was humbly desired. This showed how ready HE is to forgive, how willing to pardon, how He takes delight in showing mercy. When you see such an one afterwards wroth, and delivering the guilty to the tormentors, you may be quite sure that there is some great reason, part of His everlasting ordinances, which makes it impossible for HIM to forgive; if the word Impossible may be used, when we are speaking of the doings of the ALMIGHTY.

By such thoughts as these the Merciful REDEEMER would have us understand, and never forget, that although He is very longsuffering, yet there will be a time when He will no longer forgive. The lamb, the dove, the worm, the meekest and most helpless of beings, may be moved to something like anger, if one go on wilfully tormenting and affronting them: so this meek LAMB of GOD, who taketh away the sin of the world, may be made angry against the time when He shall come to be our Judge.

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And if He be angry then, HE will continue so for ever. There is no wrath like His wrath: to use an old saying, it is “as if water choked a man:" what else can he drink? LORD, to whom shall we go?" said St. Peter, in the name of all believers, "THOU hast the words of eternal life:" and no less surely hath HE the words of eternal death likewise, if we go to HIм hypocritically, or do not go to HIм at all. If men so

behave as to turn love itself into hate, what chance is there of mercy?

Here in this world, even to the worst of sinners, even when we most feel the LORD's anger, there is, however, this comfort : that such as are taught of God, all good Christians around us, love and pray for us; they do not give us up and we know that CHRIST puts it in their hearts so to do. But in that day, when the Wrath of the LAMB shall finally go out against the impenitent, not even any such comfort will remain their best and dearest friends will abhor them. We cannot understand how, but somehow so it will be, that such as are now most inclined to