April 23

"Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come."—1 Thes. 1. 10.

HOW refreshing and reviving is the name of Jesus! It is "as ointment poured forth;" and can never be unseasonable for the contemplation of the believer. It is the name of our dearest Friend, our compassionate High Priest, and our Mighty Deliverer. Let us meditate on what is said of him here. Note

OUR DANGER. We are exposed to wrath.

It is deserved. In a state of innocence, man's moral atmosphere was clear and bright; but when sin entered, the sky began to lower, and was soon overcast with dark clouds, and all foretold the gathering storm. By our iniquities we have incurred the displeasure of the Most High.

It is dreadful. If the wrath of a king is as the roaring of a lion, what must be the anger of an incensed Deity! It is partially felt by the ungodly here, in the pangs of a guilty conscience.

It is future. "The wrath to come." Here it drops on the sinner, and causes a hell in him; but hereafter it will be poured out on him in one perpetual tempest, where no ray of hope ever glimmers on the impervious gloom of darkness and despair.

OUR DELIVERANCE. It is honorable in its character, shedding a lustre on the Divine perfections; costly in its price, being procured by the blood of Jesus; great in its extent, as it delivers from great evils, and conducts to lasting happiness; complete in its nature, as it requires no meritorious additions of ours; free in its bestowment, as the gift of God's grace; and eternal in its duration, as it is to be enjoyed through interminable ages. Be it our constant aim and ardent wish to secure an interest in this Mighty Deliverer; then, how delightful, amidst the trials and vexations of earth, to anticipate the joys and triumphs of heaven!

"Happy day! that breaks our chain; That manumits; that calls from exile, home; That leads to nature's great metropolis, And re-admits us through the guardian hand Of elder brothers to our Father's throne."