God wrought many deliverances for his church and people before Christ came; but these were only so many images and forerunners of the great salvation. The church during that space of time enjoyed the light of divine revelation. They had in a degree the light of the gospel.

As soon as man fell, Christ entered on his mediatorial work. Then it was that he began to execute the work and office of a mediator. He had undertaken it before the world was made. He stood engaged with the Father to appear as man's mediator, and to take on that office when there should be occasion, from all eternity. But now the time was come. Christ the eternal Son of God clothed himself with the mediatorial character, and therein presented himself before the Father.

I shall here say no more particularly to you two, but that sound repentance, and the fruits thereof, in a settled reformation of life, will yet be your glory, and my joy; but if you hate to be reformed, (which God forbid) I shall mourn till I die for the loss of Children, but you will be tormented forever for the loss of God.

This will be a most unexpected sight to the wicked world: it will come as a cry at midnight: they shall be taken in the midst of their wickedness, and it will give them a dreadful alarm. It will at once break up their revels, their eating, and drinking, and carousing. It will put a quick end to the design of. the great army that will then be compassing the camp of the saints: it will make them let drop their weapons out of their hands. The world, which will then be very full of people, most of whom will be wicked men, will then be filled with dolorous shrieking and crying; for all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.

The Punishment of Sin in Hell The passage in Rom. 9:22 explicated, only so far as concerns the execution...that which makes God willing, by reason of sin, to execute this, is thereby to obtain a glory unto his power by shewing his wrath. So as that although he hath already shewn his power in creating the world at first, and upholding it by the word of his power, and other effects, that yet over and above, and besides all this, he takes the advantage of sin to shew, as the riches of his mercy in saving from sin, so the greatness of his power another way, namely, in destroying for sin.