LECTURE XXV.

ALL GOD'S JUDGMEMTS ISSUE IN LOVE.

ZEPHANIAH, iii. 17.

He will rest in his love.

In this short book of the prophecy of Zephaniah there is much said on the subject of the sins of various nations, and of the sore punishments which the divine ruler had seen fit to execute upon them for their correction, and as an admonition to his chosen people, the Jews.

The design of the judgments of God is most clearly expressed in the following, recorded in our context: "Therefore, wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I shall rise up to the prey; for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent."

The account here given by the prophet, concerning the indignation and fierce anger of the Lord, is of a very different nature from the account of the same subject, which is current in our times. The divine indignation or anger according to our christian doctors, is totally unmerciful; and those on whom it is fully and completely executed, no more than begin to feel its horrors in this world, but are duly prepared by an astonishing miracle, to endure the fierceness of its burning forever in the eternal world. In the days of divine inspiration and prophecy, when men "spake as

they were moved by the Holy Ghost," no such horrible sentiments were held up to the people. Then the desolation of cities, the captivity of their inhabitants, plagues, famines, and pestilences were among the usual denunciations of the judgments of God; but now, nothing that can be suffered in this world seems to answer the purpose; and our wise men pretend to know the particulars of the eternal world much better than of this, and speak of the horrors of future condemnation, and of the indignation of the Lord in that state, without the smallest hesitation. Whether they are correct, or the inspired prophets, we are at liberty to judge for ourselves. It is a plain fact that their accounts differ, and that as widely as day from night. According to the prophet in the the indignation, even all the fierce is poured out on the whole earth. reserving any for a future state. And what is worthy of special notice is, after all this fierce anger of the Lord is poured out on the people, and the whole earth is devoured with the fire of his jealousy, God says, "then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, and serve him with one consent." So that the very same people who suffer all God's fierce anger, are thereby prepared to learn a pure language in which they shall all call on the name of the Lord, with dispositions and hearts to serve him.

passage just cited, anger of the Lord Nothing is said of

As consequences resulting to the house of Israel, from the execution of the divine indignation, the following is recorded by the prophet; "In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me; for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride; and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid. Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy; the King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shall not see evil any more. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing."

In this most interesting representation we are led to contemplate the happy issue of the judgments of God, even all his fierce anger, in the salvation of his people, in their rest and joy. Even God himself is represented as rejoicing over them with joy, and as finding rest in his love toward them.

In order that one may rest in love the following particulars seem to be necessary.

I. Love must be holy and all its desires righteous. And,

II. The desires of love must all be accomplished in their fullest extent.

To a moral being an unholy love and, unlawful desires are a source of inquietude, and the more such love and desires are indulged the greater is the infelicity occasioned by them. But the contrary is the effect of a holy love and of righteous and lawful desires. The more they are indulged the greater is the satisfaction, and the more perfect that rest which results from such indulgence. The love of our heavenly Father toward his offspring is a holy love, and all its desires are lawful and right. It is the holiness of love and the lawfulness of its desires which justifies all the means which are necessary to carry these desires into effect.

This subject may be represented by the love of parents toward their children. The parental love is lawful and all its desires are righteous. It looks on children with strong desires for their improvement and happiness. If they are disobedient, love desires their reformation; and it is the purity of this love and the righteousness of its desires that justify those rebukes, warnings, and chastisements which are necessary for the bringing of the disobedient to submit to those wholesome precepts which are alone designed for their benefit. Take away this parental love, and remove

the desire of doing good to the disobedient child, and every rebuke, every admonition, and every punishment inflicted, would be as destitute of righteousness, as the heart of the parent is of love. But where this holy love and these pure desires are in exercise, they fully justify the greatest severity which may be necessary for the good of the disobedient. And here let us cautiously observe, that the parent never finds rest until all that love desires is accomplished. While stubbornness and disobedience remain in the child, and during the administration of chastisement, the parent has no rest. Anxiety, pity, grief, love and tender affections mingle in the feeling heart with indignation, severity and faithfulness; but when this stubbornness is subdued, and the disobedient heart brought to submit, how calm, how quiet is the rest which the parent finds in that victorious love, which has now conquered all opposition, and carried into effect its utmost desires. If the parent could find rest in the administration of punishment, then, in order to continue this rest, the punishment would be protracted; but rest is taken after the labor is done, and the longer the labor continues, the longer rest is deferred.

To apply our metaphor, we may observe, that God's love toward mankind is a holy love, and all the desires of that love are righteous. The holiness of his love, and the righteousness of its desires sanctify his severest judgments and direct them all to the accomplishment of the desires of love.

The figure of expression used in our text is very strong; it seems to represent the divine Being as being in want of rest from the exercise of his severity and indignation, and as finding that rest in his love toward those whom he had chastised, by pouring on them all his fierce anger, which terminated in their subjection to his will. But the scriptures, without intending to represent the Almighty as being changeable, use such metaphors for the purpose of conveying an idea of the ultimate design and goodness of God, in all his works.

Where we have an account of the creation of all

things, we are informed that God proceeded with his work day after day for six days, and when he had ended his work, he rested on the seventh. But here let us remark, that he rested in his love, for he was able, after taking a perfect survey of all his works, to pronounce the whole "very good." If there had been any part of the creation which would not answer the purpose for which it was made, God would not have pronounced it good, nor could he have loved that which was not good, nor could he have rested in his love.

Man was the last work which the divine Creator performed, and man he made in his own image. Man he styles his offspring, he calls himself our Father, and he directs his providence and grace in a way to provide for us, and to bring us to the enjoyment of himself.

When man had sinned, and God came to him in the cool of the day, he pronounced his judgments with such limitations as to manifest his purpose in the final deliverance of his sinful children from the power of the tempter by the seed of the woman who should bruise his head. Thus we see that God rests no where but in his love.

Had the Creator, on this occasion, denounced on man the malediction of never-ending misery, according to the doctrine of our catechism; and had it been his pleasure to inform them, as the writers of our creeds have informed us, that by this first transgression the whole posterity of Adam and Eve had become liable to the pains of hell forever, we could hardly find how to reconcile this doctrine with the idea that our heavenly Father rests no where but in his love.

It may be profitable in this place, though it be painful, to spend a few reflections on the resting-place, which the wisdom of this world has invented for the Father of our spirits. This invention, in order to accommodate our heavenly Father with the most perfect and quiet rest, has assigned a great part of his rational offspring to the most exquisite torments which improved imagination has been able to suggest, and has assigned the execution of this torture to him! That pa