Lord Himself using this language, "I have trodden the wine-press alone, and of the People there was none with Me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury: and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the Day of Vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.' In like manner, in the forty-sixth chapter of Jeremiah, we meet with the following passage: "For this is the Day of the Lord God of Hosts, a Day of Vengeance, that He may avenge Him of his adversaries." And so again in the fifty-first chapter, "Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity for this is the time of the Lord's Vengeance; He will render unto her a recompense. To adduce more passages on this subject would be superfluous. Not only the Prophetical Writings, but the Scriptures throughout confirm the same truth. They all with one voice speak of an appointed Period, by whatever name it may be called, whether as in the text," the Day of Vengeance," or as in other places, "the Day of Wrath," the " Day of Recompense," the "Day of Indignation," the "Day of the Lord;" in which the Almighty will arise to Judgement, and will avenge Himself upon His enemies. Such a Period, Christ, accord

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ing to the text, was anointed to proclaim. Such a period He did proclaim. He distinctly predicted two events, in which these denunciations of Judgement would be awefully accomplished. One was the Destruction of Jerusalem and the overthrow of the Jewish Church and State. For a season the Jews would hear the joyful sound of the Jubilee Trumpet. The acceptable year of the Lord would be proclaimed, the Gospel would be preached to them. But when, by their persevering rejection of Christ and of His offered blessings, they should have filled up the measure of their sin, then wrath would come upon them to the uttermost. "These," says Christ speaking of this time of unprecedented calamities, "these are the Days of Vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled."* The other event, which Christ predicted, was that consummation of wrath which at the last days are to be poured out on the corrupt and apostate part of the Christian Church; which, having long abused and at length having rejected the Grace of the Gospel, is to be visited with the most tremendous Judgements. This will, indeed, be a Day of Vengeance, and was proclaimed by Christ in a subsequent part of the same prophecy, when He declares that the times of the Gentiles being fulfilled, "there shall * Luke, xxi. 22.

be signs in the sun and in the moon, and in the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity; the sea, and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of Heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."

These are two instances in which Christ proclaimed "the Day of Vengeance of our God;" and thus so far complied with the prediction in the text. But these instances form not the only accomplishment of the Prophecy. It was not in proclaiming these periods of vengeance only, that Christ would have fulfilled the spiritual office assigned to Him. There was another period to be proclaimed by Him: a period, which may most emphatically be styled "the Day of Vengeance of our God:" a period, in comparison with which the temporal calamities which have been inflicted on the Jewish, or are to be inflicted on the Christian Apostate Church, are objects of no consideration: a period, the consequences of which will be so tremendously aweful, that the greatest extre mities of suffering in this world, will appear to have been only types and shadows of them. And what is this period, but the Day of Judgement," "the Day of the

revelation of the righteous Judgement of God:" the Day, in which He will judge the world in righteousness, and will render to every one according to his works: the Day, in which He will call men to account for their profane neglect, or their contemptuous abuse of His mercy; in which He will silence their vain and impious excuses; will expose the incorrigible enmity and impenitence of their hearts; and will pour upon them the fury of his jealousy and anger, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, without remedy, without mitigation, without end. Behold the Day of Vengeance of our God." This Day Christ proclaimed. He proclaimed it as that Day, in which "the Son of Man shall come in His glory with all His holy angels with Him; then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory, and before Him shall be gathered all nations." He proclaimed it as that Day, in which He will come "at an hour that He is not looked for, and will cut asunder the unfaithful servant, and will appoint him his portion with the hypocrites." He proclaimed it as that Day, in which "the children of the Kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness," in which it shall be "more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, for Sodom and Gomorrah," than for some of those to whom the Gospel shall have been preached; in which He will say to many

professors of Christianity, "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity;" in which "His angels shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Did not the Apostles declare the same truths? Did not they proclaim the same Day, the Day of Vengeance; the Day of the Lord, "which will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up :" the Day" in which the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ ?" Have not his ministers always proclaimed this Day? Are they not still commissioned to proclaim it? Are they not still commissioned to declare that the Lord is a jealous God, a consuming fire, who will by no means clear the guilty, but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire?

Having thus endeavoured to explain the two Periods stated in the text, and to show their respective Meaning, I shall now proceed, in discharge of my office, to proclaim