est; remember, that when the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved, thou hast a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.* Lay down cheerfully this lump of corruption; thou shalt undoubtedly receive it again in incorruption. Lay down freely this terrestrial, this natural body; thou shalt receive it again a celestial, a spiritual body. Though thou lay it down with great dishonour; thou shalt receive it in glory. Though thou art separated from it through weakness; it shall be raised again in mighty power. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. The dead in Christ shall rise first. Then they who are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.† Triumph now, O Christian, in these promises; thou shalt shortly triumph in their performance. This is the day which the Lord will make, we shall rejoice and be glad in it. The grave, that could not keep our Lord, cannot keep us. He arose for us, and by the same power will cause us to arise. For if we believe that Jesus died, and arose again, even so them also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. Let us never look at the grave, but let us see the resurrection beyond it. Yea, let us be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as we know our labour is not in vain in the Lord.¶ § 5. (3) Part of this prologue to the saint's rest, is the public and solemn process at their judgment, where they shall first themselves be acquitted and * 2 Cor. v. 1. Psalm cxviii. 24. + 1 Cor. xv. 42-44, 52.1 Thess. iv. 16,17. I Cor. xv. 58. 1 Thess iv. 14. justified, and then with Christ judge the world. Young and old, of all estates and nations, that ever were from the creation to that day, must here come, and receive their doom. O terrible! O joyful day! Terrible to those that have forgot the coming of their Lord! Joyful to the saints, whose waiting and hope was to see this day! Then shall the world behold the goodness and severity of God; on them who perish, severity; but to his chosen, goodness. Every one must give an account of his stewardship. Every talent of time, health, wit, mercies, afflictions, means, warnings, must be reckoned for. The sins of youth, those which they had forgotten, and their secret sins, shall all be laid open before angels and men. They shall see the Lord Jesus, whom they neglected, whose word they disobeyed, whose ministers they abused, whose servants they hated, now sitting to judge them. Their own consciences shall cry out against them, and call to their remembrance all their misdoings. Which way will the wretched sinner look? Who can conceive the terrible thoughts of his heart? Now the world cannot help him; his old companions cannot; the saints neither can nor will. Only the Lord Jesus can; but, there is the misery, he will not. Time was, sinner, when Christ would, and you would not; now fain would you, and he will not. All in vain, to cry to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne ; for thou hast the Lord of mountains and rocks for thine enemy, whose voice they will obey, and not thine. I charge thee therefore, before God, and the Lord Je sus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead, * Rom. xi. 21. + Luke xvi. 24 Rev, vi, 16. at his appearing, and his kingdom,* that thou set thyself seriously to ponder on these things. 6. But why tremblest thou, O humble gracious soul? He that would not lose one Noah in a common deluge, nor overlook one Lot in Sodom; nay, that could do nothing till he went forth; will he forget thee at that day? The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.'t He knoweth how to make the same day the greatest terror to his foes, and yet the greatest joy to his people. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?' Shall the law? The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, hath made them free from the law of sin and death.' Or shall conscience? The Spirit itself beareth witness with their spirit, that they are the children of God. It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth?' If our Judge condemn us not, who shall? He that said to the adulterous woman, 'Hath no man condemned thee? Neither do I;' will say to us, more faithfully than Peter to him, though all men deny thee,' or condemn thee, 'I will not.' Having confessed me before men, thee will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven.'T § 7. What inexpressible joy, that our dear Lord, who loveth our souls, and whom our souls love, shall be our judge! Will a man fear to be judged by his dearest friend? Or a wife by her own husband? Christian, did Christ come down and suffer * 2 Tim. iv. 1. John viii, 10, 11. + 2 Pet. ii. 9. Rom. viii. 1, 2, 16, 33, 44, I Matt. x. 32. and weep, and bleed, and die for thee, and will he now condemn thee? Was he judged, condemned, and executed in thy stead, and now will he condemn thee himself? Hath he done most of the work already, in redeeming, regenerating, sanctifying, and preserving thee, and will he now undo all again? Well then, let the terror of that day be never so great, surely our Lord can mean no ill to us in all. Let it make the devils tremble, and the wicked tremble; but it shall make us leap for joy. It must needs affect us deeply with the sense of our mercy and happiness, to see the most of the world tremble with terror, while we triumph with joy; to hear them doomed to everlasting flames, when we are proclaimed heirs of the kingdom; to see our neighbours that lived in the same towns, came to the same congregation, dwelt in the same houses, and were esteemed more honourable in the world than ourselves, now by the searcher of hearts eternally separated. This, with the great magnificence and dreadfulness of the day, the apostle pathetically expresses; 'It is a righteous thing with God, to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled, rest with us, when 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; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe in that day.'* 8. Yet more, we shall be so far from the dread * 2 Thess. i. 6- 10. of that judgment, that ourselves shall become the judges. Christ will take his people, as it were, into commission with himself, and they shall sit and approve his righteous judgment. Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?' Nay, 'know ye not that we shall judge angels?'* Were it not for the word of Christ that speaks it, this advancement would seem incredible and the language arrogant. Even Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied this, saying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.' Thus shall the saints be honoured, and the upright shall have dominion in the morning.' O that the careless world 'were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end !' That they would be now of the same mind as they will be, when they shall see the heavens pass away with a great noise, and the elements melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein, burnt up!' When all shall be in fire about their ears, and all earthly glory consumed. For the heavens and the earth, which are now, are reserved unto fire against the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?'|| + Jude 14 15 Psalm xlix. 14. 2 Pet, iii. 7-12. * 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3. |