with all their hosts of men and angels. And in this light, all holy beings will see nothing but light to all eternity; which will fill them with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

6. If the end of the world will exhibit such a blaze of perfect light, then we may be sure that it will fix all intelligent creatures in their final and unalterable state. Those who are happy in the light of the last day, must necessarily be happy for ever; and those who are unhappy in that light, must be unhappy and completely miserable for ever. None will be

saved or lost after that day. Those who then love light will always love it; and those who then hate light will always hate it. God's purposes will then be so fully answered, and things will then be brought to that perfect state, that no alteration can be made for the better. And the whole universe will be convinced that the sentences pronounced at that day are absolutely decisive and irreversible.

SERMON III.

PROPHECY.

THESE things understood not his disciples at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. -JOHN, xii. 16.

THE day after Christ had visited Lazarus at Bethany, "much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that he was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel, that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion; behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt." This triumphant entry of Christ into Jerusalem was predicted in the ninth chapter of Zechariah. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy king cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass." These things, however, which were so plainly foretold by the prophet, "understood not his disciples at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him." God had good reasons for foretelling this great and joyful event, though he knew that his prediction would not be understood until after it was fulfilled. In treating of the subject of prophecy, which now lies before us, I shall show,

I. That God does foretell, in his word, many events before they come to pass;

II. That he never fails to bring to pass the events he foretells; And,

III. That he has good reasons for foretelling events before he brings them to pass.

I. I am to show that God foretells, in his word, many events before they come to pass. This appears from the text, and from the whole history of his conduct from the beginning to the end of the Bible. Many of the great and important events which have come to pass, we find foretold in the sacred scriptures. God foretold the incarnation of Christ, four thousand years before he became incarnate. He foretold the general flood, an hundred and twenty years before it swept mankind from the earth. He foretold the fate of Shem, Ham and Japheth, long before their dispersion at the building of Babel. He predicted that the Amorites should be destroyed and that the seed of Abraham should possess their land, four hundred years before these events took place. He foretold the fortune of Joseph, and of all Jacob's family, long before either of them went down to Egypt. He foretold to Moses, that he should actually lead Israel out of Egypt, and that the people should worship in that mountain where he was then speaking before the event came to pass. He foretold the character, conduct and condition of Ishmael and his posterity, for ages to come. He foretold the dispersion of the Jews, his own people, hundreds of years before they were actually scattered all over the earth. He foretold the ruin of Nineveh and Babylon, sometime before they were destroyed. He foretold the rising and falling of the four great empires, before they rose and fell. He foretold the time and place of Christ's birth, the manner of his life, and the most remarkable circumstances of his death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven, before he appeared in the flesh. He foretold a general apostacy from Christianity. And last of all, he foretold the corruption and ruin of the seven churches of Asia, the rise and fall of the Mohammedans, the rise and fall of the man of sin, the commencement and duration of the millennium, the last declension of religion, the second coming of Christ, the general judgment, and the final state of all holy and unholy creatures. This is a brief and general account of prophecy. A vast many more particular predictions might have been enumerated; but those which have been mentioned are sufficient to make it appear that God has usually foretold great and interesting events long before they have come to pass. He has raised up prophets from age to age, to reveal his purposes to his professing people, and through them to the rest of mankind, who are all deeply interested in their final accomplishment. I now proceed to show,

II. That God always brings to pass the events which he foretells. This will appear, if we consider,

1. That we have no evidence that he has ever failed of

bringing to pass the events which he has foretold. We know that he has brought about many things which we find were foretold in his word. Though the disciples of Christ did not know, at first, that he had fulfilled his prediction concerning his riding in triumph into Jerusalem, yet they afterwards knew and declared that they themselves had been personally instrumental of fulfilling it. We know that God has already fulfilled his predictions concerning the old world, concerning the seed of Abraham, concerning the Babylonish, Persian, Grecian and Roman empires, concerning the coming of Christ, concerning the dispersion of the Jews, and concerning the rise and corrupting influence of the man of sin. The fulfilment of these predictions affords a strong presumptive evidence that he has never yet failed, and never will fail, of bringing to pass all the events he has foretold. His conduct has hitherto confirmed the veracity of his predictions, and given us sufficient evidence to believe that his faithfulness is immutable and infallible.

2. God has never foretold any events but such as he was willing to bring to pass. He never was, and never could be, under any compulsion to foretell any events whatever. We cannot conceive any cause which should constrain him to foretell any events which he did not choose should exist. And we cannot conceive that he should foretell even such events as he designed should take place, unless he chose to foretell them. We must conclude, therefore, that all the events which he has foretold, were such as he chose should exist, and such as he chose to foretell. This amounts to a high degree of certainty, that he always does and will bring all things to pass that he has foretold. If he had been compelled to foretell events which he did not choose should exist, and which he did not choose to foretell, we could have no ground to believe that he always does, and always will, bring about all the events he has foretold. But since he chose that all the events he has foretold should exist, and since he chose to foretell them, we may be assured that he will punctually and faithfully fulfil every prediction in his word, according to its strict and proper meaning. What God once chooses should exist, he always chooses should exist, and what he once chooses should exist, he is always willing should exist. He is always in one mind, and none can turn him. He never did, and never will alter any of his determinations. He has never foretold any event but what he has determined to bring to pass; and therefore we may be certain that he fulfils, from time to time, every event which he has foretold in his word.

3. God has foretold nothing but what his own glory requires

him to fulfil. As he has foreordained nothing but what he intends shall promote his own glory, so he has foretold nothing but what his own glory requires him to bring to pass. He regards his own glory more than any of his creatures regard their interests. We know that they sometimes regard and pursue what they suppose to be their own interests, with great, constant and persevering attention, diligence, activity and zeal. But the attention, diligence, activity and zeal of the Lord of Hosts in promoting his own glory, is infinitely greater. And since God's heart is bound up in his own glory, he will infallibly pursue that course of conduct in his providence, which he views as best suited to promote it. His predictions tell us what his heart is fixed upon, and when we know what his heart is fixed upon, we have no ground to doubt that he will pursue the objects of his desires to the utmost of his power. Poor, weak, dependent creatures are given to change, and grow weary and faint, and totally discouraged in their most ardent and sanguine pursuits. But God is never faint, or weary, or discouraged in his pursuits, or disposed to change the objects of his pursuit, which affords a very strong and weighty evidence that he will infallibly bring about the events which he has decreed and foretold. Besides,

He

4. God has foretold nothing but what he is able to bring to pass. Job said unto God, "I know that thou canst do every thing." This is strictly true. God can do every thing that power can do, or that does not involve a contradiction. There is none that can stay his hand, or effectually resist his operations in the kingdoms of nature, providence and grace. can overturn, overturn, and overturn all difficulties, impediments or obstacles, that stand in the way of his designs and operations. If the power of men resist his designs, he can break their power. If the hearts of men resist his designs, he can change their hearts. If kings or kingdoms presume to oppose him, he can break them as a potter's vessel is broken. If all nations were to unite their counsels and exertions against God's purposes and predictions, they would be of no avail to prevent him from bringing about the events which he has designed and predicted to bring about. This God knew when he foretold future events, and this we know after he has foretold them. We have, therefore, the highest and strongest evidence that can be derived from the conduct, the power and glory of God, that he will never fail to fulfil his predictions, or to bring to pass every event which he has predicted in his word.

It now remains to show,

III. That God has good reasons for foretelling events before they come to pass. God was under no obligations to mankind