To conclude, this doctrine appears to be of great importance aud usefulness, and therefore to be abode by.. It is one of the articles of the creed of the ancient Jews; it is reckoned among the first principles of the doctrine of Christ; it is a fundamentnl article of the christian faith. The resurrection of Christ stands and falls with it; the whole gospel is connected with it, and depends on it, 1 Cor. xv. 13-17. without this, there is no expectation of a future and better state, 18, 19. practical religion greatly depends on the truth and belief of it. It has been observed, that the opposers of it have always been bad livers; it is a natural consequence, what the apostle observes of the denial of it, verse 32. Whereas, a firm belief of it, promotes a studious concern of a holy life and conversation, as may be observed in the experience and practice of the apostle Paul, Acts xxiv. 15, 16. It is very useful to instruct in various things. It serves to enlarge our views of the divine perfections; as of the omnipotence and omniscience of God, of his holiness and justice, of his immutability in his counsels and purposes, and of his faithfulness in his promises and threatenings. It teaches us to think highly of Christ, as God over all, and as possessed of all divine perfection, since he has so great a concern in it; and serves to endear the Spirit of God, and teach us not to grieve him, by whom we are sealed to the day of the redemption of our bodies. And it may be a means of encouraging our faith and trust in God, in the greatest straits and difficulties, as being able to deliver out of them. And it may direct us to a due and proper care of our bodies, whilst living, that they are not abused through avarice or intemperance; and to provide or give orders for the decent interrment of them after death. This doctrine affords much comfort; hence, in the Syriac version of John xi. 24, it is called the consolation of the last day. It may be of great use to support saints under the loss of near relations, and under their various trials and afflictions, and under present diseases and disorders of body; from all which they will be freed at the resurrection; and in the views of death, and of the changes the body will undergo after death; and yet, after all rise again, and see God, and enjoy the company of angels and saints.

OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST, AND HIS

PERSONAL APPEARANCE.

THE personal appearance of Christ will be before the resurrection of the just, which is the first resurrection; that will be at the coming of Christ, which might properly have been treated of before that resurrection; but that I chose to lay before the reader, in one connected view, the separate state of the soul'after the death of the body, until the resurrection, and the resurrection of it: and for Nemo enim tam carnaliter vivit, quam qui negant carnis resurrectionem, Tertull. de ResurJectione, c. 11.

the same reason I have treated of the doctrine of the resurrection in both its branches together, of the just, and of the unjust; though the one will be a thousand years before the other, and many events will intervene between them; as the conflagration of the world, the making of the new heavens and the new earth, and the dwelling and reigning of Christ with his saints therein, and the binding of Satan during that time; all which will follow the personal appearance of Christ, and will be treated of after that, in their order.

There have been various appearances of Christ already; many in an human form before his incarnation, as a presage and pledge of it; but his principal appearance, and what may be called his first appearance and coming, was at his incarnation; there were several appearances of him to his disciples after his resurrection, and to Stephen, and to the apostle Paul, after his ascension; and there was a coming of him in his kingdom and power sometime after to take vengeance on the Jewish nation for their rejection of him, and the persecution of his followers. There is now an appearance of Christ in heaven as an advocate of his people; and there is a spiritual appearance of him at conversion, and in after-visits of his love, and communion with him; and in the latter day there will be a great appearance of Christ in a spiritual manner, or a coming of him by the effusion of his Spirit upon his people, when his spiritual reign will take place, elsewhere treated of it; after which will be the personal appearance of Christ to reign in a still more glorious manner. Hence his appearance and kingdom are joined together, when he will judge both quick and dead, and this will be attended with great glory, and is called his glorious appearing, Tit. ii. 13. and in distinction from his first coming and appearance at his incarnation, it is called his second, Heb. ix. 28. which will now be treated of.

I. By giving the proof of the certainty of it, that Christ will most surely appear personally to judge the world, and reign with his people; which may be most firmly believed, depended upon, and looked for; and this will appear.

1. From what the patriarchs before and after the flood have said of it; for so early has it been spoken of, as may be observed from the prophecy of Enoch, the seventh from Adam, recorded by the apostle Jude, verse 14, 15. Saying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all; which prophecy, whether it was written or not, is not certain, nor how the apostle came by it, whether by tradition, as the apostle Paul had the names of the magicians of Egypt, or by divine revelation; however, it is made authentic by the Spirit of God, and is to be depended on as fact; and is to be understood, not of the first, but of the second coming of Christ, as appears by his attendants, ten thousands of his saints; such and such a number of them were not with him when he came in the flesh, but his second coming will be with all his saints, 1 Thess. iii. 13. and by the work he is to do, to execute judgment on all, and to convince of, and punish wicked men for their words and works; Job also declared his faith, that Christ, his living Redeemer, should stand at the latter day

on the earth, that is, the latter or last day of the present world, since it was connected with the resurrection of the dead he believed in, and the future judgment, Job. xix. 25. Also David speaks of the coming of Christ to judge the earth and world, and the people of it with righteousness; and which is repeated, to denote the certainty of it, Psal. xcvi. 13. and xcviii. 9.

be

II. The certainty of Christ's second coming and personal appearance may confirmed from what the prophets have said concerning it; for it has been spoken of by the mouth of them all, Acts iii. 21. and though the prophecies greatly respect his spiritual reign, yet are intermixed with many things concerning his personal coming and appearance; and it requires skill and care, being attended with some difficulty, to distinguish and separate the one from the other; and besides these, there are some which chiefly and plainly respect his personal appear. ance and kingdom; as 1. The prophecy in Dan. vii. 13, 14. where, after the destruction of Antichrist and the Antichristian states in the spiritual reign, signifyed by the slaying and burning of the fourth beast, follows in a natural order the coming of the Son of man to take possession of his kingdom; Christ said to be like one, either in conformity to the language of the former visions, his kingdom being humane, gentle, just and wise, as well as powerful, and not beastly, as the others; or because he was not yet become man; or rather the as or like is not an as of similitude but of certainty, as in Matt, xiv. 5. John i. 14. Pail. ii. 7. and being described as coming with the clouds of heaven, fixes it to his second and personal coming, which is always so described. The Ancient of days he is said to come to, is God the Father, the eternal God; they that brought him near him are either the saints, who hasten his coming by their prayers; or the angels: or it may be impersonally read, and he was brought; which denotes the august and magnificent manner in which he will be personally and visibly put into the possession of his kingdom and dominion; which will have a glory beyond all expression, and will be everlasting; it will never be succee led by another; and though Christ's personal reign on earth will be but a thousand years yet his whole reign, personal and spiritual, will be of a long duration, and which in scripture is called everlasting. Besides, this kingdom, when delivered up, will not cease, but will be connected with, and issue in the ultimate glory, in which Christ will reign with his saints for ever. 2. Another prophecy in Dan. xii. 1-3. respects the sound and personal coming of Christ; for he is meant by Michael, who is as God, as his name signifies, equal to him; the great prince, the prince of the kings of the earth, and the head of all principalities and powers Who standeth for the Children of Daniel's people; meaning the election of grace among the Jews, on whose behalf Christ will stand at the time of their conversion in the latter day; previous to which it will be a time of great trouble; both to the saints, when will be the slaying of the witnesses; and to the antichristian states, when the vials of wrath will be poured out upon them, which will bring on the spiritual reign; after which will be the personal coming of Christ, here implied, since the resurrection of the dead will follow, and when such will be

rewarded in the kingdom of Christ, who have been eminently serviceable in his interest; and the rest of the chapter is taken up about the time when these things shall be. - 3. The prophecy in Zech. xiv. 4, 5. respects the second or personal coming of Christ; since all the saints will come with him, and descend with him on earth; when his feet shall stand on the mount of Olives, and when Christ will be king over all the earth, verse 10. and the saints will be in a sin less state, verse 20, 21. though there are some things which respect the spiritual reign of Christ, and a time of distress previous to it. 4. The prophecy in Mal. iv. 1-3. respects not the first but the second coming of Christ, when the day of the Lord shall burn like an oven; the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth and all that therein is shall be burnt up; and all the wicked shall perish in the canflagration; be burnt up like stubble, and be properly ashes under the soles of the feet of them that fear the Lord; to whom it will be a glorious day, on whom the sun of righteousness shall arise.

III. The certainty of Christ's second and personal coming to reign on earth, may be evinced from several sayings and parables delivered by him. Not to omit the petition directed to in the prayer commonly called the Lord's Prayer; Thy kingdom come, connected with another, thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven, the sense of which is, that the kingdom of God might come, and so come, that the will of God might be done by men on earth as it is done by an. gels in heaven; which petition, though it has been put up thousands of times has never yet been fulfilled, nor never can be but in a perfect state; and there will be no such on earth till the resurrection-state takes place, and Christ per sonally appears in his kingdom and glory.

1. The answer of Christ to the question of his disciples, What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? Matt. xxiv. 3. given in the following part of the chapter, seems to respect the second and personal coming of Christ; for though it is so expressed as that it may be applied to his coming in his kingdom and power to destroy the Jewish nation, and so to be the end of their world, church and state; yet what is said of that, and of the signs of it, may be considered as types, symbols, and emblems of, and to have a further accomplishment in the second coming of Christ, and the end of the present world; whose coming will be like lightening, swift, sudden, at an unawares, and local and visible ; for then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, 27, 30. that is, the son of man himself, as the sign of Jonas is Jonas himself; who will personally appear in the lower heaven, so as to be seen by all the tribes of the earth, who shall mouin on that account: and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven; which, as has been before observed, is a distinguishing and peculiar characteristic of the second coming of Christ; which will be with power, seen in raising the dead, burning the world, binding Satan, making new heavens and a new earth, and setting up his glorious kingdom in it; and so with great glory, his own, his Father's, and that of the holy angels; and then he will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, verse 31. and with such an

one, and with his angels shall he descend in person from heaven, 1 Thess. iv. 16. 2 Thess. i 7. and those he will emplov to gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other; that is, the raised saints, who will rise at this time in the several parts of the world where they died and were buried; and whom the angels shall collect together, and bring with the living saints changed, to Christ in the air, where he will be seen. But of the day and hour of Christ's coming knoweth no man, no not the angels in heaven, verse 36. Moreover the coming of the son of man will be like the days of Noah for carnality, sensuality and security, verse 37, &c. which agrees with the accounts other scriptures give; as that it will be like that of a thief in the night, sudden and at unawares; and that when persons are crving peace, peace, great pleasure and happiness, sudden destruction comes upon them; and therefore, since the Son of man comes in an hour unthought of, persons ought to be ready for it, verse 44. for nothing is more certain than death, the coming of Christ, and the judgment-day.

2. The parables in Matt. xxv. all respect the second coming of Christ. The parable of the wise and foolish virgins, describes the state of the church under the gospel-dispensation, as consisting of true believers, and formal professors, and their different behaviour, until the coming of Christ; when the door wil be shut, the door of the word and ordinances; for after the spiritual reign, and in the millennium-state, they will be no more administered, and Christ, and his gospel, will be no more preached; and so no more a door of faith and hope for sinners. Before the personal coming of Christ, all the virgins, both wise and foolish, will be asleep, unconcerned about his coming, off of their watch and guard, and in no expectation of it; and, having little faith about it, When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? To this state answers the Laodicean church-state, lukewarm, indifferent, and regardless of divine things; which will bring on, and issue in the last judgment of the people, as its name signifies. Christ, in this parable, is all along represented as a bridegroom, and as such he shall come, when the church, his bride will be made ready, and come down from God out of heaven, as a bride adorned for her husband; when she, the bride, the Lamb's wife, having the glory of God upon her, shall dwell with him in the new Jerusalem-state; which is the marriage-chamber they that are ready shall enter into with him.

The parable of the talents, in the same chapter, respects the same time, and describes our Lord's giving gifts to men, upon his ascension to heaven, and since; to some more, and others less, of which they make a different improve 'ment: and also his coming again, after a long time, and reckoning with them; which will be done when he personally appears; and who will in the resurrection-state distribute honours and rewards to his servants, according as they have made use of the talents committed to them.

The chapter is closed with an account of the Son of man coming in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, and sitting on the throne of his glory, suin

५