BOOK 10. THE JUDGEMENT.
CHAPTER 2.
10.2.3. Of Desiring after Jesus in that Respect.
Of Desiring after Jesus in that Respect.
Let us desire after Jesus, carrying on this work of man's salvation at his second coming. It is true, many shrink at the thoughts of death and judgment, and it is an high pitch to desire the dissolution of ourselves, and of this world; the best Christians are compounded of flesh and spirit, and if the Spirit long to be in heaven, yet the flesh is loth to leave this earth. Speak out, O my soul! thou prayest daily, "Come Lord Jesus, let thy kingdom come but is not the flesh afraid, lest God should hear thy prayers? Oh! that we could loathe our loathings in that respect! Oh, that we could long for this second Corning of Christ to judgment? And Christians, this is attainable, or otherwise I should not persuade you to it; "I am in a strait (said Paul) betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and be with Christ which is far better," Phil. i. 23. And this is the voice of the desolate bride, Come, for the Spirit of Christ within her saith, "Come: the Spirit and the bride say, Come," Rev. xxii. 17. Yea, the whole creation saith, "Come, waiting to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God: and not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit; even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body," Rom. viii. 21, 23. Oh that we could groan! Oh that we could come up to this high pitch, even to sigh out, not our breath, but our spirits, even to groan out, not some vapours, but our hearts!
I know it is suitable to flesh and blood to tremble at the thoughts of judgment, "When Paul reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and of judgment to come, Felix trembled," Acts xxiv. 25. Weak Christians as well as Heathens, may have many terrible fancies and notions of that day; Oh to think of a time! "When there shall be a great earthquake, when the sun shall become black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon red as blood; when the stars of heaven shall fall unto the earth, and when the heavens shall depart as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island shall be moved out of their places. When the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and every bond-man, and every free-man, shall hide themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains, and shall say to the rocks, and to the mountains. Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" Rev. vi. 12, 13, 11, 15, 16, 17. Will it not be terrible? If the people were so afraid when the Lord came without such attendants to give the law upon mount Sinai, certainly much more terrible must such a coming in this manner be, when he shall come like a revenging judge, to take an account of the world, for the keeping, or for the breaking of that law.
In this respect, I wonder not at some weak Christians, that cry out, "O Lord, thou knowest, that I have not desired this woeful day." A wise Jew was wont to say from a deep foresight of the terror of this day, "The Messiah will come, but Lord let me not live to see his corning." Now, to conquer this fear, and to abate such slavish terror, in such souls, Oh! that they would consider it in the whole notion of it, not only as it shall be a day of blackness and of terror, but as it shall be also a day of rest and of release. Some are apt to take it up in the half notion of it; they look upon it only as a day of judgment, and a day of condemnation, and so they fly from it, as from a serpent; but if they would take it up again, and look on the other side, the serpent would be turned into a rod. The day which will be so dreadful to the ungodly, and the beginning of their misery, it will be as joyful to the saints, and the beginning of their glory.
But in what respect is this day of Christ so desirable a day! I answer, in these particulars, --
1. It is "a day of refreshing," Acts iii. 19. Here the saints work in a furnace, "His fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem," Isa. xxxi. 9. But Christ in his second coming, (when all the world shall be on fire) shall fan wind (as I may say) on his saints to cool them: to the wicked it is an hot day, a day of everlasting burnings; but to the saints it is a day of cooling, quickening, reviving, and refreshing.
2. It is "a day of restoring of all things," Acts iii. 21. Every creature is now in its work-day dress, all defiled with sin; but at that day there shall be a restitution of all things: all the disorders and ruins which sin hath brought into the world shall then be repaired, and man himself, whose sin is the cause of all, shall then be restored to his original glory.
3. It is "a day of the manifestation of the sons of God," Rom. viii. 19. Then shall it be known who are true saints, and who are reprobates: here we live in confusion, and in our most refined churches (if we have none scandalous) yet we may have many hypocrites, and we cannot discern them; but in that day it shall be known who are the Lord's, and who are not. The hypocrite shall then be unmantled, and the sons of God shall shine and glitter as the sun, that all may run and read, "These are God's elect, these are the sons and daughters of the Almighty."
4. It is "the day of adoption, and of the redemption of our bodies," Rom. viii. 23. It is the day of our sonship and deliverance: I deny not but that the saints are adopted and redeemed before this day; but this adoption, and redemption is not consummate nor declared, before Christ come again to judgment; then it is that he takes his saints home to his house, and all the angels and men of the world shall understand the love wherewith he loves them; then shall Christ say, "These are my sons whom I have redeemed, and as I have set them free, so now shall they live and reign with me forever and ever."
5. It is "the day of Christ's coming." He was here not long since, travelling upon the earth, and about our business; which done, he went away to heaven upon a special errand for his saints; and there now he is to intercede for them, to attend the court, to be their advocate, and to agitate the business of their souls; and withal, there now he is to take up lodgings for them, and to prepare them mansions for eternity. And no sooner shall he have dispatched his business there, but he will come for earth again, he will bow the heavens, and come down to give a report of his transactions there: hath he not left us a letter to that effect! "I will come again, and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also," John xiv. 3. O! why are his chariots so long a coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
6. It is "the day of Christ's revealing," 2 Thess. i. 7. Christ to many of his saints here is hidden and withdrawal; it is true, he may be in them, yea, certainly he is in them by his Spirit; but no man knows it, no, nor themselves neither, which makes them cry, Oh! where is he whom my soul loveth? But at this day of Christ's revealing, all curtains shall be drawn aside, Christ shall be unhid, and the saints shall see him face to face, they shall never lose him more; for without any intermission, they shall stare, and gaze, and be ever looking unto Jesus.
7. It is "the day of Christ's bright and glorious appearing," Col. iii. 4. When he was upon the earth he appeared in our dress; many then saw him, who then said of him, "there is no beauty in him that we should desire him." Oh! it was a sad sight to see him crowned with thorns, and scourged with whips, and nailed to the cross; but in his next appearing we shall see him in his best attire, arrayed in white, attended with the retinue of glory, riding in his chariot of light, and smiling upon all his saints: now, is not this desirable? The apostle tells us, of the saints "looking for the glorious appearing of the great God, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ," Tit. ii. 13. Therefore surely they desire it.
8. It is the day of Christ's joy. "Then he shall see of the travail of his soul, and he shall he satisfied," Isa. liii. 11. Now, what is the travail of his soul? Is it not the perfection of his redeemed ones! Oh! when Christ seeth this, when he seeth his spouse as without spot or wrinkle, then shall be fufilled that prophesy, "As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee," Isa. xlii. 5. Look how the joy of a bridegroom is over his bride upon the wedding day, (surely then, if ever, all is love and joy) so is Christ's joy over his saints at the last day; then begins their joy, that never, never shall have end, there shall be no moment of time wherein Christ will not rejoice over his saints forever after.
9. It is "the day of Christ's perfection." Christ, as Mediator, is not fully perfect till all his members be in glory united to him; as an head that wants an arm, or hand, or leg, we say is lame, so it is a kind of mystical lameness that Christ our head hath not with him all his members; the saints are little pieces of mystical Christ, and it will not be well till Christ gather in his arms and thighs, and pull them nearer to himself in glory. And is not this desirable, to see the Lord Jesus Christ, as head of the church in his perfection? To see the Sun of righteousness with every beam united to him? O desirable day!
10. It is "Christ's wedding day," or "the marriage day of the Lamb," Rev. xix. 7. The saints are betrothed to Christ when first they believe in Christ; that is Christ's word, "I will betroth thee unto me, and thou art my sister, my spouse," Cant. iv. 10. Not my wife, thou art not yet married, only contracted here; but at that day the marriage of the Lamb will be complete, and then will the voice be heard, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready," Rev. xix, 7. O! the joy that Christ, and saints, and angels, and all that belong to heaven will make at this marriage! "blessed are they that are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb," Rev. xix. 9. One of the seven angels that came to John in visions, "talked with him, saying, Come hither, and I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife," Rev. xxi. 9. If the espoused virgin be willing not to be married, how is it that We cry not, "Come Lord Jesus, come quickly?"
11. It is Christ's day of presenting his saints unto his Father; "He delivers up the kingdom to God, even the Father," 1 Cor. v. 24. Then shall he take his bride by the hand and bring her to his house, and present her in all state and solemnity to the Father. Is not this a desirable day? Surely Christ rejoiceth, and his very heart even springs again to present his church unto his Father, "Father, here behold my bride, that I have married unto myself." It is true, a child may sometimes marry such a one, as he may be ashamed to think of bringing to his Father's house, but, how mean and sinful soever we are of ourselves, when once we are married unto Christ, he will not think it any dishonour, no not before his Father, that he hath such a bride, "Father (will he say) lo! here all my saints, of all that thou hast given me, I have lost none, but the children of perdition; these are mine, dearly bought, thou knowest the price, O welcome them to glory!"
12. "It is the day of Christ's glory." What glorious descriptions have we in scripture of Christ's coming to judgment! "The Son of man shall come from heaven with power and great glory," Mat. xxiv. 30. And the work is no sooner done, but he shall return again into heaven with power and great glory. Not to mention the essential glory of Christ, O! the glory of Christ as Mediator; all the glory that Ahasuerus could put upon his favourites was nothing to this spiritual and heavenly glory which the Father will put upon the Son; it is a glory above all the glories that ever were, or ever shall be; it is an eternal glory, not but that Christ shall at last give up his kingdom to his Father; he shall no more discharge the acts of an advocate or intercessor for us in heaven, only the glory of this shall always continue; it shall to all eternity be recorded that he was the Mediator, and that he is the Saviour that hath brought us to life and immortality, and upon this ground the tongues of all the saints shall be employed to all eternity to celebrate this glory. This will be their everlasting song, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion forever, and ever, Amen," Rev. i. 5, 6, Now, is not this a desirable thing? Do we believe there is such a thing as Christ's mediatory glory, and Christ's essential glory, as Christ's human glory, and Christ's divine glory? And have we no desires to behold this glory? Surely Christ himself desired it of God, he would have his saints with him where he is, that they might behold his glory; and shall not we desire it whom it most concerns? O! the sweet temper of the spouse, when she cried out, "Make haste my beloved, and be thou like a roe, or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices," Cant. viii. 14.
Come now and run over these particulars. Surely every one is motive enough to desire this day; it is a day of refreshing, a day of restoring, a day of manifestation of the sons of God, a day of adoption, and of the redemption of our bodies: a day of Christ's coming, of Christ's revealing, of Christ's appearing, of Christ's joy, of Christ's perfection, of Christ's wedding, of Christ's presenting of his saints, and of Christ's glory. What, are we not yet in a longing frame? The wife of youth that wants her husband for some years, and expects that he should return from over-sea lands, she is often on the shore, her very heart loves the wind that should bring him home; every ship in view, that is but drawing near the shore, is her new joy, and new reviving hopes; she asks of every passenger, "O! saw you my husband? What is he a-doing? When will he come? Is he not yet shipped, and ready for a return?" Souls truly related to the Lord Jesus Christ should, methinks, long no less: O! what desire should the Spirit and the bride have, to hear when Christ shall say to his angels, "Make you ready for the journey, let us go down, and divide the skies, and bow the heavens; I will gather my prisoners of hope unto me, I cannot want my Rachel, and her weeping children any longer, behold I come quickly to judge the nations?" Methinks, every spouse of Christ should love the quarter of the sky, that being rent asunder should yield unto her husband; methinks, she should love that part of the heavens where Christ puts through his glorious hand, and comes riding on the rainbow, and clouds to receive her to himself. I conclude this with the conclusion of the Bible, "He that testifieth these things, saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus," Rev. xxii. 20.