BOOK 10. THE JUDGEMENT.
CHAPTER 1.
10.1.4. Of Christ and the Saints meeting at the Judgment-day.
Of Christ and the Saints meeting at the Judgment-day.
For Christ and the saints meeting at the judgment-day; no sooner are the saints lifted up, and set before the Judge, but these things follow --
1. They look, and gaze, and dart their beams, and reflect their glories on each other. Oh the communications! Oh the dartings of beams betwixt Christ and his saints! Look as when two admirable persons, two lovers meet together, their eyes sparkle, they look on, as if they would look through one another; so Christ and his saints at first meeting, they look on, as if they would look through one another: and such is the effect of these looks, that they give a lustre to each other by their looks. Did not Moses' face shine when he had been with God? And shall not the faces of the elect glitter and shine when Christ also looks on them? Nor stays it there; but as they shine by Christ, so shall their shine reflect on Christ, and give all glory to Christ; and this I take to be the meaning of the apostle, "That when Christ shall come, he shall be glorified in his saints", 2 Thess. i. 10. Not only in himself, but in his saints also; whose glory, as it comes from him, so it redounds also to him, "For of him, and through him, and to him are all things," Rom. xi. 36.
2. They admire at the infinite glory, and beauty, and dignity, and excellency that is in Christ. The glory they reflect on him, is nothing to the glory that is in him. Oh! when these stars, the saints, shall but look upon Christ the Sun of righteousness, they exceedingly admire. So the apostle, "When he shall come, he shall be glorified in his saints, and he shall be admired in all them that believe," 2 Thess. i. 10. All that believe shall break out into admiration of Jesus Christ; they shall at the first sight observe such an excellency in Jesus Christ, as that they shall be infinitely taken with it. Here we speak of Christ, and in speaking we admire; but how will they admire, when they shall not only speak or hear, but see and behold him, who is the "express image of God, and the brightness of his Father's glory?" Heb. i. 3. Oh the lustres that he casts forth each way! is not his very body more sparkling than the diamond before the sun? Yea, more than the sun itself now shining at noon-day? How should the saints but wonder at this sight? Oh! there is more beauty and glory in Jesus Christ, than ever their thoughts or imaginations could possibly reach; there is more weight of sweetness, joy, and delight in Jesus Christ, than either the seeing eye, or hearing ear, or the vast understanding heart (which can multiply and add still to any former thoughts) can possibly conceive, 1 Cor. ii. 9. Every soul will cry out then, I believed to see much glory in Jesus Christ, whenever I saw him; I had some twilight, or moonlight glances of Christ on earth: but, O blind I! O narrow I! that could never have faith, opinion, thought, or imagination, to fathom the thousand thousand part of the worth, and incomparable excellency that I now see in him. Why, this causeth admiration, when we see more than ever we could expect. The saints shall then cry out, and say, I see more, ten thousand times more than ever I expected; I see all the beauty of God put forth in Christ, I see the substantial reflection of the Father's light and glory in Jesus Christ, I see thousands of excellencies in Jesus Christ that never were revealed to me before. This is the very nature of admiration, it is ever wondering or admiring at some new and strange thing: the glory of Christ will then exceed all former apprehension. O they admire to see the king in such a beauty! They admire to see the Judge in such a glittering and glorious robe of majesty; they admire, and they cannot but admire.
3. They adore, and magnify the grace and glory of Jesus Christ; as it is said of the twenty-four elders, that "they fell down before him that sat on the throne, and worshipped him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created," Rev. v. 10, 11. So all the saints, now advanced to come up to Christ, and to stand before the throne, they fall down before Christ, and they worship him that lives forever, shouting and singing about Jesus Christ, and setting out his glory, grace, and goodness. "After this I beheld, (saith John) and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindred, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, -- and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb; and all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders, and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying Amen; blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God, forever and ever." Amen. Rev. vii. 9, 10, 11, 12. Saints and angels will both give glory to Jesus Christ that day; every elect man will then acknowledge, here is Christ that shed his blood for me, here is the Saviour that laid down his life for me, here is the sacrifice that gave himself a propitiation for me; here is the person that mediated, and interceded, and made peace for me; here is the Redeemer that delivered, and redeemed me from the wrath to come: and then they begin those hallelujahs, that never never shall have an end, "Hallelujah; and again. Hallelujah: and Amen, Hallelujah, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready," Rev. xix. 7.
4. Christ welcomes them into his glorious presence; if the Father could receive his prodigal but repenting with hugs and kisses, how will Christ now receive his saints, when they come as a bride to the solemnization of the marriage? His very heart springs (as I may say) at the sight of his bride; no sooner he sees her, and salutes her, but he welcomes her with such words as these, "O my love, my dove, my fair one, come now and enjoy thy husband; many a thought I have had of thee; before I made the world I spent my infinite eternal thoughts on thy salvation; when the world began, I gave thee a promise, that I would betrothe thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, in loving kindness, in mercy, and in faithfulness," Hos. ii, 19, 20. "It was I that for thy sake was incarnate, and lived, and died, and rose again, and ascended: and since my ascension that have been interceding for thee, and making ready the bride-chamber, where thou and I must live forever and ever. And now I come hither into the clouds to meet thee more than half the way; and my meaning is to take thee by the hand, and to bring thee to my Father. Now do I take thee for my own; O my sister, my spouse, thou art as dear to me as my own dear heart; come, see into my bosom, see here love written in the golden letters of free grace; come near, for I must have thee with me, and I will never more be so strange to thee as to this day, sometimes thy sins, have made a wall of partition between me and thee; sometimes I withdrew and was gone, and I hid myself beyond the curtains, and for a time thou hast lain hid in the closet of the grave, but now we will never part more, anon I will bring thee to my Father, and I will say to him. Father, behold! here my spouse that I have married unto myself: in the meantime welcome to thy Jesus, I have purchased thee with my blood, I have paid dear for thee, and now I will wear thee as a crown and ornament forever."
5. Christ sets them on his right hand, "Upon thy right hand, doth stand the queen in gold of Ophir," Psal. xlv. 9. This is the sign of Christ's love and respect to his saints; when he himself ascended up into heaven, then said the Father to him, "Son, sit thou down at my right hand;" and no sooner the saints are ascended up to Christ, but he speaks the same to them, "Sit thou down at my right hand." Christ entertains them, as God the Father entertained him; he at the right hand of God, and they at the right hand of Christ. And herein is set forth the great exaltation of the saints; as Christ being set at God's right hand, God highly exalted him, and gave him a name above every name, so now are the saints highly exalted by Jesus Christ, now are they filled with unmatchable perfection, now is the (pleroma,) the fulness of perfection, and fulness of honour and glory conferred upon them; "Upon his right hand is set the queen in gold of Ophir," i.e. in the best, richest, finest gold. The Lord now puts upon his saints heaven's glory, he adorns them with all his ornaments fit for the marriage-day, and indeed here is the beginning of the solemnity of the marriage of the Lamb, not but that the contract was before, but the solemnity was reserved for this day, and all the glory of this day is for nothing else but to set out the solemnity of the marriage. As the bridegroom on the day of nuptials comes forth in his glory, and as the bride on the marriage-day comes forth in her best array; and as the servants, and parents, and friends, and all appear on the marriage-day in as much glory as they can; so Christ on this day comes forth in his glory, with all his angels in their glory; and the saints, the Lamb's wife, "The King's daughter is all glorious without and within," Psal. xlv. 13. Though stars may lose their shining when the sun ariseth, yet the glory of the saints shall be no less because of the Sun of righteousness, but rather more. This is the day that Christ shall honour his saints before all the world; come (will he say) and sit you down at my right hand; as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats, so will I separate you from wicked reprobates; why, you are they for whom the eternal counsels of my Father did work, you are they in whom I am now to be glorified forever; and therefore, now will I exalt, and advance, and honour you: sit here, or stand here on my right hand; O come! Come hither to the right hand of your Saviour.
6. Hereupon Christ fully and actually joys in them, and they in him: he joys in them because now he sees of the travail of his soul; he sees the issue of all his doings and sufferings here on earth, he sees now the great work he hath brought about, to wit, The glory of his saints, and he cannot but rejoice therein. As a man that makes a work that is very curious and glorious, he takes abundance of delight to look upon it; when God made the world, he looked upon what he had made, and he saw it was good, and he delighted in it; so Christ looks on his saints, and when he sees what he hath done, in raising so poor a worm to so high an excellency, he takes infinite delight therein. Now he sees that he hath attained his end in the great design, and deepest counsels that he had before the world; he was then resolved to save a number of sinners, and to bring them at last to himself, that they might behold him in his glory, and manifest the riches of his grace; and to that purpose hath he still been carrying on the great work of souls salvation, as we have heard; and now that he sees it accomplished and fulfilled in them, he must needs delight, "In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not; and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack: for 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," Zeph. iii. 16, 17.
And as he joys in them, so they cannot but rejoice in him, as he delights in their glory, so they cannot but delight in his glory. Are they not at Christ's right hand? And is not that the place of pleasure, the Paradise of God? "In thy presence is fulness of joy, and at thy right hand are pleasures forevermore," Psalm xvi. 11. The very setting of them on Christ's right hand, is the beginning of heaven's joy. "The presence of Christ makes joy, exceeding joy," saith Jude, verse 24. Oh! but what joy! What fulness of joy! What exceeding joy, will it be to be set at Christ's right hand? Now begins that joy, that never never shall have an end. O the complacency which the blessed feel in their seeing, knowing, loving, and being beloved of Jesus Christ! "O my Christ! Let me have tribulation here, let me here spend my days in sorrow, and my breath in sighings; punish me here, cut me in pieces here, burn me here, so that I might there be placed at thy right hand." For then will joy come, and sorrow will vanish; sorrow is but for a night, this night of life, but joy will come in this morning of the resurrection, and it never shall be night again.