mighty Power was the Author of it There are two places I know alledged by a Great Man which he thinks sound this way 1 Pet. i. 7. and 1 Tim. vj. 14. But it is far more agreeable to the coherence of those places to expound them of the Appearing we still expect Of which we may look upon his coming to destroy his Crucifiers and save his Servants as an Emblem and as a Pledg For it demonstrated both the Power of our Lord Jesus and his Faithfulness to his word assuring us that He will one day crown the patience and constancy of all his Friends with Eternal Life and punish the insolence of his Enemies with everlasting Fire However it is past all doubt that in this place I am treating of the Apostle speaks of the last and greatest appearing of our Saviour to finish the work of our Redemption and bestow the Crown of Righteousness which is laid up in Heaven for all that love him Which part of our Christian Faith I have shewn is to be understood in this manner That our Lord will in person present himself once more to the World and be seen at the last day to be what he is the King of Angels and Men and all Creatures For as at his first coming into the World He appeared in our likeness which the Ancients called his Epiphany a name that still sticks to the last day of the Feast of his Nativity and as He appeared in the same likeness when He rose from the dead and in that form and nature of a man went up into Heaven and still keeps it there as several have seen since his Ascension so he will in like manner appear in the end of the world only in greater Majesty and Glory as becomes Him who is over all God blessed for ever Amen ix Rom. 5. CHAP. III. A further Illustration of the APPEARING of our Lord Jesus Christ THERE is nothing to be added to what hath been said but only this That the word Epiphany or APPEARING denotes not meerly the presenting of himself in Person to the view of all the World but the whole SHOW as we call it that will accompany his coming from Heaven and all the things that shall be done by him as the Lord and Judge of the World He sits now on the Throne of his Glory and there shines in the splendor of the Divine Majesty and in that Majesty will one day descend from thence into this Air which the King of Heaven will never suffer his Son to do without a most Royal and Glorious Attendance sutable to the quality of his Person and to the dignity of his Office which is to judge the quick and the dead This illustrious SHOW is described by our Apostle in the 1 Thes iv 16. where he tells us that first of all He shall descend from Heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a SHOVT That is with great Acclamations such as use to be made when a mighty Conqueror appears and rides in Triumph Thus we learn to understand it from xlvij Psal 5. where God is said to be gone up with a SHOVT the Lord with the sound of a Trumpet That is the Ark which was the token of Gods Presence among them returned to Mount Sion with great and joyful Ovations of all the people after the conquest they got by the Divine aid over their powerful enemies In such a manner will our Saviour descend as being about to compleat his Victories by conquering Death it self the last enemy that shall be destroyed For all the Heavenly Hosts we may well conceive will be wonderfully pleased to see him go forth upon this design and calling upon each other to perform to him the most cheerful service upon that great day will rejoyce to wait upon him in that most glorious Action and triumph before-hand in the assured Victory which he will get over Hell and the Grave 2. For then saith the Apostle will be heard the voice of the Archangel that is one of the chief Leaders and Commanders of the Coelestial Hosts MICHAEL I suppose the Protector of the Christian Church shall march before his Majesty calling aloud to all the rest of that Heavenly company to follow after in their order 3. And then will the Trump of God sound which the Apostle adds to signifie after the manner of men the powerful summons which will be issued forth to alarm all the World to attend at this great solemnity For the gathering of the Congregation of Israel together was by the sound of a Trumpet as we find among other places in iv Jer. 5. Blow ye the Trumpet in the land cry gather together and say Assemble your selves To which the Apostle seems to allude and calls it the Trump of GOD to distinguish it from all other and to express such a mighty and penetrating sound as shall be heard every where Such an one as is fit to precede none but GOD the Father Almighty himself or Him that holds his place his only begotten Son when he comes to judge the World In short this seems to be an expression borrowed from the appearance of God at Mount * So Thenphylact other Greek Interpreters Sinai whither all Israel being to be gathered together they were summoned thither by Thunders and Lightnings and a thick cloud and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud which made all the people tremble xix Exod. 16. So that the meaning of the Apostle is that our Lord shall come as the Great King of the World in a most venerable Majesty which shall make all Mankind stand in awe of him and tremble before him as the Israelites did at the Appearance of the Divine Majesty on Mount Sinai And a great deal more For 4. When he appears it will be as I have intimated already with innumerable glittering troops of Angels all clothed in very bright and shining Clouds as his Guard or Retinue to attend upon him So we are informed in several other places For the Son of Man saith our Lord himself xvj Mat. 27. shall come in the glory of his Father with his Angels and then he shall reward every man according to his works Which Saint Luke expresses thus more fully ix Luk. 26. Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed when He shall come in his own glory and in his Father's and of the holy Angels Some of which glorious Creatures appeared to the Apostles and told them as much when they stood gazing after our Saviour as He ascended up into Heaven i. Act. 11. This same Jesus say they which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven Now he went thither in a most illustrious manner in the bright Clouds of Heaven attended by the Coelestial Ministers who came to conduct him into his Glory For that is the meaning it were easie to shew if this place were
word for it Because God the Father Almighty the blessed and only Potentate who authorized Him to make this promise and hath since that raised him from the dead is immortal and hath an indefectible life in himself of his own nature His will as I have said doth not alter and his power cannot be impaired or suffer any decay and therefore He can and will continue and perpetuate the Kingdom He hath given to our blessed Mediator Christ Jesus and keep him in full power and authority till that great day And when the fulness of time is come bring Him again upon the stage of the World if I may so speak and shew Him openly as the great Lord of all whom He hath honoured already with his own high title of KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS xix Revel 16. All this is as easie for Him to do as it was at first to raise him out of his grave and then advance him to the Throne of his Glory where he now sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high And there is the greater reason to believe that He will both perpetuate the Kingdom of Christ to the worlds end and conclude it with the glorious exaltation of all his subjects when he shall appear again it being no more difficult than it was to carry him to heaven because as the Apostle further notes V. HE DWELLS IN LIGHT INACCESSIBLE which no man that is can enter into or approach This signifies the inconceivable brightness of the Divine Majesty both as to His Essence which cannot by us be comprehended and as to the place where He more eminently manifests Himself in an amazing splendor He is the Great King who lives above in the highest Heavens as in His Palace where he represents Himself in a Glory so shining and dazeling called in Scripture his Majesty that it is not for such as we till there be a marvellous change wrought in us to come nigh it Nor is it so beseeming that He should descend Himself from thence in that most Glorious MAJESTY to judg the World and to transform all those who shall be accounted worthy to obtain that better world and the resurrection from the dead And therefore we may be confident our Blessed Saviour who long ago was ordained to be the person will according to his word come as His Commissioner to do it in his stead It is not so agreeable to His state and greatness if I may so express it to come Himself out of His Orb of Light to fetch us to his house and dwelling-place But since He hath appointed a day of recompences we may be sure He will send his Son in the glory of the Father as he tells us ix Luk. 26. that is in a Majesty like that I now spake of and in the glory of his holy Angels who use to attend him to meet us and conduct us safely thither Or we may conceive of this expression after this manner GOD the Father that is the Son and the Holy Ghost is in that high and holy place the Sanctuary above into which no man hath yet entred save only the great High-Priest of our Salvation the Lord Jesus And yet GOD hath made us a promise by him before He went to heaven that we also shall live with Him and be there where He is From whence we may conclude that this great High-Priest will certainly come in his Royal Majesty out of that place into which He is gone to bless us by bringing us to that region of Light and Glory which He himself only as yet inherits and which is not any way accessible but only by his means In whose power we may be satisfied it is to promote us thither being in such favour with the Divine Majesty and sitting at His right hand who inhabits or possesses this glorious place as His own proper Dwelling and therefore can dispose of a Mansion in it to whom He pleases VI. And indeed the Apostle bids us remember which is the last thing that no man hath SEEN GOD nor CAN SEE HIM is capable that is to be in his glorious presence Which signifies partly the same with the former and also may suggest among other things the faithfulness of Him who hath promised to show us this Appearing of Christ Jesus of GOD that is the Father Almighty Who we see here plainly is the person of whom the Apostle hath all this time been speaking as St. Ambrose and St. Chrysostome also if his gloss be well weighed understand him not of our Saviour who hath been seen already and shall be seen again at his second appearing And you know He hath promised to the pure in heart that they shall SEE GOD v. Mat. 8. A favour which in this state no man hath enjoyed or can enjoy as St. Paul here tells us It is not for such as we to see God and therefore there must be a time when according to his faithful promise Christ Jesus shall appear again to change us and put us in such a condition that He may bring us to that sight of Him which no man in this World can have Either we must remain for ever without the sight of Him and then God would not be true who hath said by His Son that we shall see him or we must be carried up from hence unto His heavenly Palace and then our Lord must appear to fit us for it and make us capable of such a blessedness and to transport us thither For how we should otherways be conveyed to a place so much above us but by the coming of our Lord to lift us up and promote us to it we cannot understand Since this is the way that He hath described and our Lord Jesus is to have the honour of doing all the good to his faithful servants which GOD in his infinite goodness designs to bestow upon them This I take to be intimated in these words Whom no man hath seen nor can see which declare still more fully than was said before the super-eminent excellence and perfection of the Divine Nature and the astonishing brightness of his Majesty Which whilst we are here we cannot reach or attain any considerable sight of and therefore Christ Jesus who hath promised we shall see Him will appear again to fit us for conversation with Him And indeed since God hath already fulfilled his promise of the first appearance of His Son and sent Him born of a Woman to bring the glad tydings of Salvation to us by which he did in one sense make us see God that is understand His Mind Counsels and Will i. Joh. 18. and since another promise likewise of his coming to destroy his Crucifiers when every eye he saith should see him i. Rev. 8. that is his power and glory at Gods right hand should be abundantly thereby manifested to the world is punctually and exactly made good What reason have we to doubt of the certainty of his other appearing which is still
behind when we shall behold him personally present with us to bring us nearer into the very presence of God We have the same word passed for it which they had for the other he hath the same Will the same Power the same Empire and Soveraign Dominion And therefore why should we not have the same confidence and expect it with as much and full assurance as Holy men in old times waited for the first Consolation of Israel or pious Christians waited for deliverance from their Adversaries There is so little cause that our Faith should think it self less assured than theirs that we may rather look for this second appearing of our Lord and Saviour with much greater confidence than they could do for the first Because we have the advantage of seeing all those old Prophecies which foretold his Manifestation in our flesh actually fulfilled and the Lord hath shown since that how upright He is and that there is no unrighteousness in Him We may depend not only as the Apostle hath here told us upon His Goodness and perfect Happiness upon his Power upon his absolute Dominion over all Creatures whatsoever upon his Immortality upon his transcendent Glory and Majesty and upon his Faithfulness and Truth but I may add upon the evident Demonstrations he hath already given in the most remarkable instances that His Mercies are sure and that he keepeth Truth for ever xiii Acts 34. cxlvi Psal 6. For this Blessed and only Potentate this King of kings and Lord of lords who only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen or can see hath done great things for us already whereof we are glad He hath sent his Son after good men had long expected Him He sent Him to do for them more than they expected 1 Cor. ij 9. He raised him up out of his Grave and made him Lord of all He hath given him power to raise up us to eternal life as appears by the gift of the Holy Ghost which wrought in his Apostles and enabled them to raise the dead and do many other wonders His Judgments also have already been made manifest Revel vi 10. xi 15. xv 4. He hath in part avenged the blood of his servants and the Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. And therefore we may with a stedfast Faith look for another appearing of our Saviour when he will come in person to exercise this power himself wherewith we see he is invested so far as to change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body which then he will show to the world according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself iii. Phil. 20 21. CHAP. V. Containing the Vse we should make of what hath been delivered in the foregoing Chapter I Cannot think fit to pass on to what I further intend without some short Reflexion upon so weighty a subject as this of which I have been treating And therefore let us here pause a while and consider how mightily All this should move us to worship and adore this Blessed Potentate God the Father Almighty to acknowledge with the humblest submission His Supreme Authority to reverence admire and praise His most glorious Perfections who hath given us such a sure ground of faith and hope in Him For so S. Paul here concludes this incomparable description of him to whom be honour and power everlasting Amen Which is not said to exclude the other two Persons in the holy and undivided Trinity from receiving our worship and service no more than the giving eternal glory to our Saviour in the next Epistle 2 Tim. iv 18. and in other places takes it away from the Father but only to remember us of a peculiar prerogative which the Holy Scripture alway ascribes to the Father Almighty of being the Fountain and Beginning of all * So Epiphanius observes that the Scripture shows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Haeres LXIX Num. 54. and Nazianz Orat xxix p. 489 c. to whom it properly and peculiarly belongs to show this appearing of Jesus Christ And therefore the Apostle invites us from the consideration of His most excellent Majesty and absolute Dominion to acknowledge and confess Him to acknowledge and praise Him First As worthy of all HONOUR worship veneration and service Because Secondly He hath all POWER and authority over us and over all Creatures an independent uncontroulable Power And that Thirdly EVERLASTINGLY to be celebrated not only by us but by all that shall come after us to the worlds end Nay to be praised and magnified by Saints and Angels in Heaven to Eternal Ages To this we should every one of us together with the Apostle most heartily say AMEN Let be so We give our consent unfeignedly to it and wish from the bottom of our souls that all men would honour and submit unto this blessed and only Potentate the King of kings and the Lord of lords What though No man ever saw him Nay what though No man can see Him Yet Glory Honour and Power is to be ascribed to Him because we see his works of Wonder every where The Heavens and the Earth declare the greatness of his glory and from all things that we behold we learn his rich Goodness his infinite Power his immortal Bliss and that He is such a Potentate as the greatest Kings and Princes upon earth nay the highest Thrones and Principalities in Heaven ought to worship and obey with the greatest reverence And much more is this due from us poor and inferior creatures especially since He hath shown Himself so gracious to us in our Saviour the most excellent demonstration of his blessed Nature and mighty Love and hath promised He shall appear once more in greater glory than ever and hath taught us to believe by all the Notions we have of Him that He will never fail to make that promise good And as we ought to Honour God the Father of all so this naturally moves us out of a particular obligation to honour and obey our Lord Jesus Christ as the Person whom this Great Majesty will show in wonderful honour and glory at the great day This is the very reason you must mark wherewith the Apostle backs his Charge to Timothy to keep the Commandment he gave him without spot unrebukable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ v. 14. because the blessed and only Potentate will certainly in his own time shew the glory wherein He lives by his appearing again in Royal Majesty in the sight of all the World It concerns us therefore as well as it did Timothy to have an exceeding great regard to this most glorious Person whom God will so highly honour and to take care that we behave our selves so as to be unreprovable at that day We must observe His Commandments that is as exactly as we can and
ever beheld thy face that was not impatient to be conformed to thee None have tasted thy sweetness who could be satisfied till they came to the fountain of it Therefore suffer us Good Lord to beg some more of thee since thou hast given us so much Yea suffer us to ask when thou wilt come and give us all that so we may ask no more of thee O how joyful will that time be which shall make us so complete that all our business will be to praise and thank thee How comfortable will thy appearing be which shall make us appear with thee O come Dear Saviour that we may come to thee Come that we may so come to thee as to be for ever with thee CHAP. VII Two further steps in this Love of Christs appearing III. NOW when we feel our souls thus touched with any thing that seems very good and convenient for us the first approaches of it beget a complacence in the heart and give it a sense of no small joy and pleasure For when the Image you may observe of any good that imprinted it self is on the mind or imagination it instantly endeavours to proceed further and creeps into the heart the will and affections which cannot but turn themselves towards it to feel what this is which shows so fairly and comes so kindly to salute them Now when the heart thus looks about to see what it is that courts it you shall find if you mark it that at the very first greeting it is entertained with a certain delight and pleasure which this new-come guest brings along with it to invite us to it For if you examine things strictly and with such a curious eye as some have done you will perceive that this Image which imprints it self upon us is of the same nature with light or any shining body It casts as I may say its bright rays round about the soul it disperses it self by a kind of illumination into the will and affections that they may be sensible how amiable it is Which when they are the Light is not more pleasant to the eyes than this is to the heart It rejoyces in this good which presents it self to its enjoyment as a man doth in the welcome approach of an ancient Friend whom he is glad to see but much more glad to feel in his arms And such is the contentment that the belief of Christs appearing gives to all those who fix their thoughts upon it It chears and refreshes their spirits It smooths their minds and makes them so calm and still that the Halcyon days are but fabulous shadows of that rest and peace which then they feel in themselves Their heart is intirely delighted and satisfied with this belief It is so transported beyond it self with this comfortable perswasion that it can easily overlook all other joys when it lifts up it self in the contemplation of this incomparable blessedness No musick can then be so sweet to the ear as the sound of the trump of God No beauty so fair to the eye as that glory which shall be reveal'd No company so inviting and welcome to the heart as that great Assembly of Christ with all his holy Angels And heark O my soul do they not call upon thee to cast a look that way that thou may'st behold them in their surpassing glory Listen a while and hear if they do not say We are preparing our selves and making ready to come for thee and for all those that love His appearing O hearken again my soul what is it they say to thee Turn thy self about and lift up thine eyes towards Heaven that thou may'st know what it is that 's promised to thee Will thy Lord indeed come again in power and great glory Will He once more leave his heavenly place and descend to call us up to himself Shall we see Him who loves us so much and be transformed at the sight of Him O welcome news When didst thou meet with any tidings like to this which sheds such a sudden and transcendent joy and gladness abroad in thy heart and prevents my forward thoughts which were going to exhort thee to rejoyce What hadst thou lost if thou hadst turned away thine eyes from this blissful sight How great an happiness hadst thou been deprived of if thine heart had not opened when the report of His coming knockt at its door But O my soul how sweet then will this appearing it self be the hope of which is so delicious How will that sight intrance us the news of which at this distance is so comfortable to us Into what raptures will it cast us which now inspires such joy into our hearts What a bright day will that be which through all the clouds wherein we are wrapt spreads round about us such a cheerful light If the representation of our Lord in the holy Sacrament of His body and blood and that but in His sufferings and low estate give such satisfaction to the heart What will the sight of Himself do to us and that when he appears in his glorious Majesty as the Lord of Heaven and Earth O sweet Jesus come and let us see what that Majesty and Glory is come and draw aside the veil do away the shadows and present thy self as the King of Glory before our eyes They have long looked for thee They would gladly know what it is to behold thee in thy glory O how gladly would they understand what the meaning is of thy coming in the Clouds of Heaven The brightness of them we believe is infinitely beyond all that eye ever saw The thoughts of it revive our hearts and make our faces shine Our souls are drawn out and run to meet thee by the joy we have conceived at the promise of thy coming Though we have not seen thee yet we love thee and though we now see thee not 1 Pet. i. 8. yet believing we rejoyce O that we could say with joy unspeakable and full of glory O blessed Lord do not deny to compleat our joys by hastning thy coming to let us see thee Come and fill our eyes which cannot here be satisfied with seeing Come and shew us thy glory that we may say it sufficeth And let our hearts in the mean time rejoyce in nothing so much as in the hope of thy glory Let them always prefer this above their chiefest joy and never wish for any thing with so much fervour as for thy coming IV. Now from this pleasant sense which is excited in us by the appearance of any Good to us there naturally follows not only a desire but a vehement motion and as it were an effusion of the heart towards that which is so agreeable and promises it so much satisfaction Complacence you must know is but the beginning of love For by that delicious pleasure which the heart feels when any good approaches it is invited further and even forced to pour forth it self upon that fair thing which presents it self
continually nearer towards its perfection and make us likewise to abound in all the fruits of the spirit which are the highest expressions of our love and the best preparation for the day of Christs Appearing For true Devotion doth not terminate in the heart it goes further and hath its effect in the life and actions And especially excites us to love or charity towards all mankind and above all to our Christian Brethren as that which bears the greatest resemblance to him whom we love The Commandment which St. Paul charges Timothy to keep without spot till our Lords appearing was for the most part acts of Charity as you will find briefly touched in this Book And therefore these we should labour to inliven by our Devotion which is then truly Great when it makes us so and raises our spirits above all anger and peevishness covetousness and eager desire of wealth envy and vain ambition evil surmises and jealousies fretfulness and impatience with all those other mean qualities which are the enemies of Christian Charity Some Readers perhaps may think that I strain Devotion here unto too great an height and may be apt at the entrance to lay this Book aside because they imagine I have expressed that passion of love which we should indeavour after towards Christs appearing beyond the truth But I must intreat them to do me the right and themselves the kindness to read on and they will find in conclusion the whole description of it made good by the plain words of the holy Scriptures In the study of which if we did all conscientiously imploy our selves it is to be hoped God would still preserve to us that inestimable Treasure which contains such admirable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the forenamed Father speaks Medicines of the soul both to cure our diseases and to comfort and restore our tired or languishing spirits For they are that living water our Lord speaks of which whosoever drinks hath in himself a Well or Fountain of comfort and perpetual refreshment springing up into everlasting life xxij Rev. 20. COME LORD JESVS St. Chrysostom Tom. vj. p. 709. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 IMPRIMATUR Hic Liber cui titulus The Glorious Epiphany c. Geo. Thorp Reverendissimo in Christo Patri D no D no Gulielmo Archiep Cantuar. à Sacris Domesticis April 30. 1678. THE CONTENTS CHAP. I. COntaining an Introduction to the ensuing Discourse CHAP. II. Shewing what is meant by the APPEARING of our Lord Jesus Christ CHAP. III. A further Illustration of the APPEARING of our Lord Jesus Christ CHAP. IV. The certainty of this APPEARING of our Lord Jesus Christ CHAP. V. Containing the Vse we should make of what hath been delivered in the foregoing Chapter CHAP. VI. Of the means to excite that LOVE in our hearts which we ought to have for Christs APPEARING CHAP. VII Two further steps in this Love of Christs Appearing CHAP. VIII The Progress of this Love to Christs Appearing in three steps more CHAP. IX This Love to the Appearing of our Lord further described in three other fruits or marks of it CHAP. X. All this shown to be the sense of the Holy Scriptures CHAP. XI Reasons for our Love to this Appearing drawn from the respect we ought to have to our Lord himself CHAP. XII Other Reasons why we should love his appearing drawn from the love we have to our selves CHAP. XIII Two other Reasons why if we love our selves we must needs love this Appearing CHAP. XIV Two Reasons more to induce us to raise our thoughts and affections to the Appearing of our Lord. CHAP. XV. Three Considerations more to draw our Affections to the Appearing of our Lord. CHAP. XVI Of the mighty power and pleasure of Love when it is setled in the heart CHAP. XVII Of the means whereby this Love may be setled in our hearts and the Benefit thereof CHAP. XVIII A continuation of the former Argument concerning the mighty power of the Divine Love and the Benefit we have by loving our Lords Appearing CHAP. XIX More expressions of this devout affection towards our Lords Appearing and the way whereby we may excite them CHAP. XX. The Conclusion The Glorious Epiphany with the Devout Christians love to it CHAP. I. Containing an Introduction to the ensuing Discourse WHEN we observe how the desire of life is so deeply fixed in all mankind both in old and young in Kings and Beggars in Wise men and Fools that as Lactantius * L. III. In stit C. 12. well noteth they will endure any miseries to preserve and prolong it we are led thereby to this Consideration That the highest and most perfect Good to which the soul of man aspires is a life without end and without those laborious toils and troubles which attend us here in this present world We are naturally form'd to wish that we may be so happy and find no thought so sad and dismal as this of being quite extinct and never enjoying any more pleasure after we are laid in our graves Upon which account it must be acknowledged that we are infinitely indebted to the Grace of God who hath made that so sure which is so desirable and that our Blessed Saviour justly challenges our most ardent love and cheerful obedience whose Religion is nothing else but an acknowledgment of the Truth which is after godliness in hope of eternal life They are the words of St. Paul Tit. i. 1 2. which import that the Gospel is a Doctrine which teaches us to be pious and promises to reward our piety with an happy immortality This is the glorious hope of Christians whose Master Christ Jesus who is our Hope 1. Tim. i. 1. hath brought life and immortality to light and made that which was but obscurely delivered in times past as clear and bright as the Sun at noon-day There are so many Witnesses of this that their Testimonies have filled a large Volume The FATHER the WORD the HOLY-GHOST have all declared that we have eternal life and this life is in our Saviour the Son of God So say the WATER also the BLOOD and the SPIRIT they all consent in this Truth That Jesus is alive from the dead and lives for evermore and because he lives we shall live also Which welcome news filled the hearts of all those who believed it with excessive joy even when they were in heaviness through manifold temptations 1 Pet. i. 6 8. And why it should not have the same effect on us there is no other reason can be given but because we do not believe as they did For they of whom S. Peter speaks had never seen our Lord when he was on earth no more than we nor had they any such sight of him as S. Stephen and S. Paul had after he went to Heaven and yet believing they rejoyced with joy unspeakable and full of glory All our business therefore is to settle this belief stedfastly in our minds Which will have the greater power upon our
praise him enough now the whole world may then be gathered together in one general assembly all Angels and all Men and with joynt consent bow themselves before him and humbly acknowledge him to be the LORD OF ALL. And here I shall take the liberty for the clearer understanding of this to give a distinct account in a few considerations of that which we may justly conceive will accrue to our blessed Saviour by his glorious Appearing I. And first of all there is no doubt but at his second appearing our Lord will be publickly honoured and thereby have an amends made him for the open shame and the publick disgrace to which he was here exposed No Varlet was ever used so basely as the world treated him when he first came to visit us in much humility No man was ever the subject of so much scorn of so many sorrows and of so great pains as he endured Would it not then be acceptable to you to see his honour every where vindicated his credit as I may say repaired and his glory made no less notorious than his reproaches were Who would not wish to see that sweet face which by rude hands was so contemptuously blinded and buffeted appear in an unveiled brightness looking with the fairest the most beautiful and gracious eyes upon us How is it possible to refrain from desiring to see that countenance which was spit upon and all bespawled by the filthy mouths of wicked men shining with rayes brighter than the Sun and glistring in the Glory and Majesty of God the Father Are you not impatient to behold that Head which was inviron'd with Thorns show it self with a royal Crown upon it Would you not fain see him as much admired as he was despised as highly praised and extolled as he was vilely mockt and flouted O that I might behold that time arrive is every devout lover of the Lord Jesus apt to say O that I might be blessed with a sight of that Glory and Honour wherewith we believe thou art already crowned Thou wast sorely wounded and grosly abused O dear Saviour by those whom thou camest to heal and to save They barbarously smote and besmeared thy holy face they nailed thee to a Cross they pierced thy hands and thy feet they thrust a spear into thy side and left thee all in gore they condemned thee as the foulest Malefactor and crucified thy Name and Reputation as well as thy self And which is worse how have thine own followers grieved thee and pricked thy very heart by their base ingratitude to thee who wast pleased to be thus vilely used for their sake And what reparation are the best among us able to make thee What does it amount unto that such poor wretches as we can do for thee How mean and inconsiderable is all the honour and all the praise that we little and worthless things can pretend to give thee O thou God of love thou Father of mercies we must address our desires to thee and beseech thee that thou wouldst be pleased to do it for us Thou who art the Blessed and only Potentate who hast already appointed him to be heir of all things who hast given him a more excellent inheritance than the Angels and when thou broughtest him into the world didst command them all to worship him finish I beseech thee according to the riches of thy glory the recompenses thou hast begun to make him Let me and all men else see how Thou lovest him and what honour thou hast conferred on him Behold how this soul sighs out its desires to thee that thou wouldst vouchsafe to hasten his Appearing and to show him to the world in the glory which thou hast given him Let us all behold him as highly exalted as he was lowly depressed and abased Let us SEE HIM AS HE IS the Prince of Life the King of Glory O perfect that which concerneth him Let him come and receive our universal acknowledgements Let all Kings fall down before him and all nations serve him Let them all call him blessed and Heaven and Earth be filled with his glory Amen and Amen II. They may well pray after this manner and speak of his perfecting that which is begun because secondly till the day of his glorious appearing it is most certain his conquests will not be compleated over all his enemies The very greatest of them will remain unsubdued till he come then to tread them under his feet Which cannot but dispose us to love that time above all other because it will make him perfectly victorious He is sat down saith the Apostle at Gods right hand x. Heb. 12 13. from thenceforth EXPECTING till his enemies be made his footstool Though he be highly advanced that is above all creatures yet all his enemies do not presently fall down before him but he must stay sometime before not only all the adverse Empires on earth submit themselves to him but the Principalities also in the Air and Death it self which is the last enemy saith St. Paul which shall be destroyed and put under his feet He rules and reigns indeed but still he hath many opposers of his Kingdom He waits likewise for their utter subversion and looks for their total ruine but still they spoil and commit many wastes within his territories The Devil tyrannizes and rages in a number of places and Death as I must show anon devours all How can we choose then but wait for that of which he himself is in expectation Where is our love to him if we can cease to wish that all those foes who despise or refuse his Government were perfectly brought in subjection to him Is there any thing more desireable to those who pray seriously his Kingdom may come than to see those put under his feet who now proudly trample upon his soveraign Authority What more joyful sight can there be to them than to behold the Devil who now insults so insolently in his Dominions despoiled of all his power and thrust down into the eternal Prisons and Chains of Darkness to which he is reserved To say nothing yet of the glory it will be to him to overcome Death it self to which even all his subjects are forced at present to submit O blessed Saviour should all Christian souls say with one consent it afflicts us to hear thine enemies roar in the midst of thy Congregation to see them thus triumph and set up their banners And far more grievous it is to think that we have ever been in the number of them and given the least countenance and support to this hellish Kingdom The remembrance of it is bitter to us that there was a time wretches that we were when we were drawn aside to joyn our selves to this wicked faction and abett the Apostate spirits in their rebellion against thee their soveraign Creator But blessed be thy Goodness thou hast overcome our disobedient hearts and restored us to an happy accord with thee We thank thee for it
with all our souls and wish we might likewise see all Nations fall down before thee and worship thee What a joy would it be to see all the kingdoms of the earth become the kingdoms of thee O Christ What greater pleasure can our hearts desire which are not able to express the satisfaction it would give them to behold the kingdom of darkness which is shaken already falling flat upon the ground Overturn it overturn it O thou most Mighty utterly overturn it O come and do that which we endeavour but cannot do Come and let us see thee vindicate thy self from the affronts of all thine insolent enemies Let us see all the Legions of Evil-Spirits haled as Captives at the wheels of thy triumphant Chariot Let us see all the Powers of the Air flying away at thy presence to hide themselves in the pit of Hell for ever O thou who hast subdued us unto thee subdue them likewise and bring them under thee Thou who didst wrest us out of their hands wrest from them all their power and leave them none to get any more into their hands As thou hast conquered so we would gladly see thee triumph As thou hast overcome so we would fain see thee carried in magnificent and royal state as the most victorious LORD OF HOSTS Haste thee therefore O sweet Saviour to receive our Ovations Come that all the world may give thee the acclamations which thou deservest Why is thy Chariot so long in coming Why stay the wheels of thy Chariot O that it would please thee to come while our souls are peeping out of their windows to look for thee while they call and cry and sigh after thee while they are full charged with shouts and praises to bestow upon thee III. There is very great reason you cannot but see that they should be thus desirous of his appearing because it is manifest by what hath been now said it will bring along with it some addition of Glory to our Dearest Lord. If we had a Friend who was elected to be a King should we not often call for the day that would place him on his Throne Or if he were seated there but had some rebellious Subjects still in arms in a corner of his Country should we not be in some pain till we saw his conquering banners return with their spoils Or if that were done and a time then prefixt for a solemn meeting of all the Estates of his Realm in the midst of which he intended to sit himself with the greatest Pomp should we not think it long till we saw him shine there and receive the homage of so many illustrious Persons Tell your selves then with what ardors you should wait for the coming of your Lord. Who though he be now Crowned yet doth not for the present see all his enemies sudued nor appears as yet in the grand assembly not only of the Angels and mighty men but of all people whatsoever who shall be gathered before his Majesty It is true indeed he being inthroned in the Heavens sits there in royal Honour and Glory But St. Luke tells us as you heard before ix 26. that he will appear in the end of the world not only in his own glory but in the glory of his Father also As if that were something more than what he hath already received at his right hand That is he will come from thence to judge the quick and the dead Which will be an exceeding great glory such an high honour as was never conferred upon any person whatsoever to have all judgement committed unto him and sustain the very place of the Supreme Lord and Governour of the World to whom Men and Angels are accountable for their actions This is a thing that is still behind and there are it seems some royal Majestick robes belonging to this high Office which he hath not yet put on O how much should we desire to have Him clothed with them How earnestly should we look to behold him decked with that Majesty and arrayed in his most glorious attire It should not be enough to us to believe that he reigns but we should long to see the last exercise and the greatest proof of his Kingly Authority which is to judge the world in righteousness and to reward all men according to their works O God should every true Christian say who according to thy faithful word hast glorified thy Son Jesus and committed all Judgement to him hasten the day when thou wilt complete the glory thou hast given him and gather all nations before him Cloath him in the Glorious Robes of thy Majesty and let him appear in his Meridian brightness Send him forth of thy Sanctuary and let him outshine the Sun in his strength O that he would shine forth and shoot his rayes as far as this earth Let them not be confined to the highest Heavens but let the air and these inferiour regions be all gilded with the splendor of his beams O blessed Jesus that we might behold thy light breaking out to banish all this smoak and disperse these vapours wherein we are inclosed Let the Troops of thy holy Angels come and expel those evil Spirits which have possessed themselves of these aerial places Let thy glorious throne be set there where they have so long ruled Arise and show thy self O thou Judge of the World Let them all know that they are subject to thy tribunal And sentence them to their proper habitations that after thy appearing they may disappear and never break loose to infest or trouble us any more Then will thy faithful servants shout aloud for joy and triumph in thy praise They will sing a new Song before thy Throne and magnifie thee in some such words as these Who in the Heavens can be compared unto the Lord Who among the Sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord lxxxix Psal 6. xv Rev. 3 4. Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy Name For thou only art holy All Nations are come to worship before thee for thy judgements are made manifest IV. And upon this account we should be the more desirous to see that great day because till then he will want the glory of having us and all his faithful Subjects attend upon him in his heavenly Kingdom It is a very small glory indeed you may be apt to think that he can receive from such poor things as we are Who must acknowledge that we are unworthy utterly unworthy of the favour to approach unto him and if we should be so vain as to think otherwise deserve to be banished for ever from his blessed presence But when we remember how great his love is and what he hath promised to do for us we must likewise confess to the glory of his Grace that he can and will raise us so much above our selves that it
is the cause that we who are made to love should not let our love turn divine and address it most devoutly to him who best deserves the Love of all the world Or what may it be that keeps us from running with the whole current of our affections towards that heavenly Lover who sues so earnestly to us for our hearty love Hath he not loved us enough to make us love him Was he a cold and indifferent Lover that could not touch the heart with a sense of his kindness Was he perfectly frozen and careless in our concerns when the urgent wants of our souls called for his kind and compassionate relief Or did he pretend a great deal of kindness and made long protestations of his love but did just nothing to merit our affection There need no answer to such questions which serve only to reproach and confound our insensibleness and negligence who have nothing to say why we do not love him For so apparent is his love so confessedly great so costly and expensive so tender and obliging that as it had no example nor can be ever exactly imitated so it must needs attract all those and fill them with the greatest love who do not turn away their eyes and their ears and their hearts from this Lord of love Let us but listen a while to him and we shall hear him say was there any love like unto my love What is it that you would have had me done for you more than I have done without your desire to win your love Hath any man greater love than this that he lay down his life for his Friends But what were you for whom I died Herein God commended his love towards you in that while you were yet sinners I dyed for you And what was the purchase I made by that price which I laid down for you Who is it that hath the keys of Hell and death To whom is all power given in Heaven and in Earth Can any but I forgive your sins and open to you the Kingdom of Heaven and restore you to the joys of Paradise nay make you eat of the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God Where do you read of any King who at his Coronation gave such royal gifts to men From whom do you expect the Crown of righteousness and an eternal inheritance of which I gave the earnest so long ago Can you think of any thing comparable to the glory of my appearing Or is there any doubt whether I will come or no or whether you shall appear with me in that celestial glory What would you have me do to satisfie and assure you more than I have already done by my Word and by my Blood and by my Angels and by my Holy Spirit which I have sent down from Heaven to bear witness to me and to tell you that I will certainly come again and give you the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world Believe it I will as surely come again as I died and rose from the dead and visibly ascended into Heaven and according to my promise poured out the Holy-Ghost upon my Apostles and inspired them to proclaim this in all tongues and languages that I still live and that because I live you shall live also And is it possible for us to think we hear him speaking to us in this manner as he doth in his blessed Gospel and not be provoked to summon all the powers of our soul to offer up themselves in devout and hearty love to him What hath the dearest friend whom we love with so much passion nay even our tenderest Parents done for us in comparison with this love Or what can the favour of all the Princes on earth should they unite all their powers to love and honour us bestow and heap upon us worthy to be named together with this miraculous love It ought to call us from all vain delights Our minds should continually study to comprehend the breadth and length the depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge Our wills ought to be more passionately bent towards him and grow every day stronger in his love Our memories should be a most faithful Treasury of the manifold tokens of his Love Our tongues and our hearts should never cease to meditate and sing the praises of his wondrous love For if we could speak to him as we may conceive him speaking to us and ask him what he did before the world he would tell us that He loved If we could ask him what moved his Almighty Wisdom to make the world he would tell you that he loved If we could further ask what he hath done ever since he would still say he loved And what brought him down from Heaven if we could ask again to be partaker of our miseries he would tell you again that he loved And could we ask again why he would humble himself so low as to take the form a servant and dye a base servile and ignominious death the death of the Cross he would again tell you that he loved And if you could still go on to ask what moved him to send the Holy Ghost and give such gifts to men you would still receive the same answer because he loved And could you beseech him not to be angry and you would inquire again what he hath been doing since those days and what he now does he would give you no new answer but that he loves And if you should pray him once more to tell you what he loves he would let you know it is nothing but love abundance of love This is the thing he would win by his love This is all that he asks and desires at our hands though he hath obliged us so much For this he solicites and beseeches having set his heart upon it as the fruit of his incomparable love He intreats for this as if it were for his life that we would be at last so sensible of all his kindness as to let him have our unfeigned love For he being Love himself loves nothing else but sincere and hearty love O blessed Jesus should all our hearts then say how much doth thy love differ from ours Love brought thee down from Heaven to us but how few of us and how slowly doth it carry up thither unto thee Love made thee dye the most shameful death but it doth not make us live the most glorious life It made thee endure the sorest pains but alas it doth not make mankind take the pleasure of following thy steps to the greatest happiness It made thee think perpetually on such poor wretches as we are but how seldom are our minds fixed or how small is the number whom love inclines to think upon so glorious a person as thy self It perswaded thee to come to us when there was nothing to call thee but only our great miseries but it doth not bring us all to thee when we are
proper for it of those words a little before ver 9. He was taken or lifted up and a cloud received him out of their sight In brief He will appear as the Lord of Hosts i.e. of all the Armies of Heaven whether Archangels or Angels Thrones or Dominions or Powers or whatsoever other name there is whereby they are called 5. And then making the Air his Camp where he will pitch his Royal Pavilion a great White i.e. most Royal and shining Throne will be set for Him Revel xx 11. and lesser Seats it is likely for all those whom He intends to honour at that great day 1 Cor. vj. 2 3. 6. After which He will send forth his voice his mighty voice or most powerful and irresistible word of Command the efficacy of which will be such that it will raise the dead out of their graves and bring them before his Throne or Judgment-seat So He himself tells us in v. Joh. 28 29. The hour is coming in which ALL that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation Of which Authority and Power of his He tells them ver 25. they should shortly have a proof which was at the Resurrection of Lazarus when He did but say with a loud voice Lazarus come forth xj Joh. 43. and immediately he that was dead as it there follows v. 44. came forth though bound hand and foot with grave-clothes In as easie a manner will He at the last day raise up all mankind who being then gathered before him and standing at his Tribunal shall be judged and sentenced by him to receive every one according as their works have been Rev. xx 12 13. 2 Cor. v. 10. Some indeed shall rise before others as St. Paul informs us in that 1 Thes iv 16. but such shall be the conclusion of this Glorious Appearance which as far as the Holy Scriptures our only guide in those matters would direct me I have briefly explained For after he hath taken an exact survey of mens actions and made a just distinction of their persons in such sort as he himself hath told us Math. xxv 31 32 33 c. where all belonging to this judgment is summed up he will crown the fidelity of his obedient Disciples and returning back from the Air whither they will be caught up in glorious Clouds to meet him he will carry them along with him to his Heavenly Palace And so saith the Apostle shall we be ever with the Lord 1 Thes iv 17. And who is there now that would not wish to behold him come in this Royal Majesty and put such an happy end to all our labours and troubles here What soul is there that can forbear to love and earnestly desire this glorious sight if it hope to reap advantage by it This is that on which all good Christians should set their hearts This they should wait and long for as the most lovely spectacle that can bless their eyes whensoever it shall please God to let it appear They may be tempted rather to be impatient because it is so long deferred than to be cold in their affection towards it or indifferent whether it come or no. Nothing can hinder it from raising the most ardent desires to enjoy it unless any doubt creep into our hearts whether there will be such a time as I have described That distrust indeed if we have any must first be removed We ought to look after a good assurance of the certainty of that which we make the object of our love and most passionate expectations For if we expect a SHOW that is only painted in our own fancies in curious colours but hath no real existence any where else what an amazing disappointment will it be to find we have set our hearts on that which is not and have embraced a Cloud instead of God How miserable should we feel our selves if at last we perceived that we had pressed a dream and with long out-stretched arms as I may speak most ardently claspt about a shadow Into what a gulph of shame should we tumble if we saw in the conclusion and issue of things the whole weight of our souls and most hearty affections fall upon the thin air and have nothing to support them Nothing can express the confusion it would throw us into to find that we had courted so many years or ages perhaps a meer vision of our own hearts and let our affection loose to wander in the paradise of fools That we may be out of fear therefore of any such disappointment and have our affections powerfully excited towards so great a good and be engaged most earnestly to pursue it I shall proceed to the second part of this Discourse which is to shew the grounds we have to expect the APPEARING of the Lord Jesus the second time unto our eternal Salvation CHAP. IV. The certainty of this APPEARING of our Lord Jesus Christ TO prove that there will certainly be such an APPEARING of our Lord as will surpass even the Glory wherein the Apostles saw him on the Holy Mount which St. Luke plainly shews was a figure of it ix Luk. 26 27 28. I might alledge all those Arguments which assure us there will be a day wherein God will judge the World in righteousness and that the Lord Jesus is ordained to be the Person by whom he will judge it Which is as much as to say that all those Arguments which prove him to be the Son of God might be employed to this purpose for in that Name is included as I have shewn in former Treatises His power and authority to be the Judge of the World This the Father the Word the Holy Ghost and the other WITNESSES on Earth as well as those in Heaven testifie to be an undoubted Truth and therefore I might from every one of their mouths demonstrate that He shall appear again in such a manner as I have described For all Judges much more the supreme Judge of all ever ascend their Tribunals in Robes of State and royally attended as those that represent the Majesty for whom they judge But it would be too tedious to follow that Method and it is not needful I should lead you so far about to bring you and this Truth together There is one place in the writings of the Apostle St. Paul which if well expounded and understood will be sufficient to perswade us we do not abuse our selves with vain expectations of this Appearing And therefore with the explication of that which contains divers Arguments to establish us in this belief I shall content my self without having recourse to every one of those WITNESSES And I shall the rather confine my self to it because I shall illustrate a very considerable portion of Gods Holy Book which upon all occasions we ought to design to make perspicuous while I endeavour
heretofore they could tell committed so gross an error in their account that it hath taught posterity to be more cautious in determining any thing about it They I mean who fancied the World should continue just six thousand years following the Computation of the Greek Translators of the Bible brought this period to an end many Ages ago Lactantius for instance tells us and it is above thirteen hundred years since he died that post breve tempus * L. VII Divin Instit C. 14. after a short time they expected the conclusion of all things And although they varied in their account and could not agree in the exact summe of the years that were still to come yet Omnis expectatio non ampliùs quà m ducentorum videtur annorum * Ib. Cap. 25. in this they seemed all to consent that they would not exceed two hundred years But St. Ambrose lived to confute these conjectures and saith that according to his reckoning this period of six thousand years was out in his days And should we follow the Computation of the Hebrews perhaps we should not come nearer to the mark if we still depended on such expectations but after these six thousand years are indeed expired there may be a great number for any thing we know still to come before the end of all things Which notwithstanding should be no discouragement to us as long as it is sure and certain He will come the time being set and He who hath prefixed it being so qualified that no doubt He will show our Saviour in all his Glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Theophylact and Oecumenius in the most convenient and peculiar season which is set apart and destin'd for it For as there was a fulness of time iv Gal. 4. when it was resolved our Saviour should first appear after they had waited many Ages for him so there is no doubt the like time set for his last appearing and the consummation of all things though it may be long before it be fulfilled He who so faithfully performed His promise of the one will never fail us in the other because He remains the same Almighty and Unchangeable Lord and Governour of all things whose will none can resist and whose purpose none can frustrate or divert but it shall certainly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as St. Chrysostome expounds it in due season take effect And that is the chief thing I intend here to note the description of the Person who will exhibit and shew Christ Jesus again to the World in the most magnificent Glory viz. God the Father Almighty Six of whose Attributes or Properties are here mentioned by the Apostle to confirm this Faith in Timothy and to work it in us that He will not fail in his times to bring our Saviour again out of his holy place and make Him appear in such a manner as they preached The grounds of their preaching it was that first of all our Saviour had made them a solemn promise before He left them that He would return and take them up to the same place whither He was going xiv Joh. 2 3. I go to prepare a place for you And if I go to prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto my self that where I am there you may be also And 2. the Holy Angels likewise had added their Testimony since He went to Heaven to the truth of this promise For as they were looking after Him when they saw Him ascend two of them stood by them and said This same Jesus which you saw taken up into Heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him going into Heaven i. Act. 11. And 3. after this the Holy Ghost came which was the fulfilling of a promise something like to this xvi Joh. 16. A little while and ye shall see me and again a little while and ye shall not see me because I go to my Father This was the Deputy of our Saviour as Tertullian speaks and the testimony of his Presence by whom he visited them and came again to see them v. 22. according to his word And the other promises they concluded would be as certainly made good as this was But lastly St. Paul had a greater reason still to preach this because he had received an express warrant and command from our Lord Christ himself since He went to the Throne of his Glory to declare that He would come again in all that pomp and royal Majesty which the Apostle describes in 1 Thess iv 16 17. For what he there delivers about this matter He assures the Thessalonians was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the word of the Lord. Other things as Theophylact notes he spake by the Holy Ghost but this he learnt from Christ Himself and heard from his own mouth Either when our Lord first appeared to him and gave him a Commission to preach what he had seen or at some other time when He further appeared unto him xxvi Act. 16 17 c. or else as Oecumenius * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. conjectures when he was caught up into the third Heavens and into Paradise where he heard many things which he was not permitted or could not utter though thus far he was able to inform us that the glory wherein our Lord reigned would one day be visibly revealed Now see upon what solid reasons and sure foundations the Apostle perswades Timothy to believe that God the Father will perform this promise of our Lord and Saviour whom it is apparent He sent and hath therefore highly exalted because he never said nor did any thing but what He commanded Him I. First He tells him that there will no doubt be such a glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ because He who will shew him in his splendor is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The BLESSED One. As much as to say so full a Good that He wants nothing at all to compleat and perfect his Happiness And therefore 1. cannot be tempted out of any envy with which none but penurious beings are capable to be infected to deny us this exceeding great favour But rather 2. will be moved by his plenitude and his bountiful nature to communicate it to us according to our Saviours promise Especially 3. since He hath already advanced him to the highest bliss and happiness and can so easily without any damage to himself make all others blessed who are faithful to him And 4. is unchangeable also which Theodoret * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. thinks is included in this word both in his nature and in his purpose because being most blessed in himself He cannot alter for any thing that is better They that have but a little may be loth to give and they who have any defect may be unwilling that any should approach too nigh their Greatness For wanting something themselves they may be best pleased when they see that others do so too
in her course as she is moving towards them and beats her affections back again or else turns the stream of them quite another way Love therefore is a generous vigour in the heart which incites and strengthens it to fair and noble actions for the effecting its desires though opposed by never so many enemies It is called by some the fire wherewith the soul is clothed which forces its way through all resistances A certain ardor in us which inspires us to worthy though difficult undertakings An Heroick passion which makes us think nothing impossible that is needful to be done for the compassing the end at which it aims Thus then must our souls be carried with such strong affections towards the appearing of Christ if we heartily love it We must omit nothing that we know is required of us for the obtaining the blessings which it will bring unto us We must bid all things stand aside that would impede us and tell them they must pretend to no interest at all in us when we are in pursuit of so great a good The love of which will soon reconcile us to the hardest duties and endear to us the most self-denying courses It will alter the countenance of sufferings and make all the troubles of this life cast a kinder aspect on us Nay it will enable us to look death in the face with a cheerful heart For it will present it to us in another shape and make the Grave that house of darkness seem like the beautiful gate of the Temple of God Whatsoever our Lord declares to be his pleasure this will bid us do it though we be undone by that means in all our temporal concerns And when they tempt us to murmur and repine to cry and lament at our parting with them Love will bid us be of good comfort because this is the way to have a fair reception by our Lord when He shall see we have quitted all for His sake We cannot indeed keep them always if we would yet such is his love our faith tells us that if we consent to forsake them beforehand upon his account He will not suffer us to be losers by it And therefore our love both to Him and to our selves prompts us not to stick at any thing which will be pleasing to Him though for the present it be harsh to us It teaches us to reason as St. Peter doth 2 Pet. iij. 11 12. Seeing all these things must be dissolved what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of the Lord What manner of persons Truly such as are preparing a room in their hearts for their Lord. Such as hope then to compleat their Espousals to Christ And therefore must be holy and without blame before Him in love 1. Ephes 4. and study nothing so much as to be found acceptable in his sight who is the Lord of their hearts and their very life and to be nobly entertained by Him when He shall come again to receive His loving subjects up unto Himself We have our conversation in heaven saith St. Paul from whence we expect the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body according to the working whereby He can subdue all things unto Himself For in all reason they that expect such a sight should fit themselves for it by a conversation suitable to the dignity to which they shall be then preferred So Oecumenius I remember expounds these words of St. Paul to Timothy when he answers the Question who is it that loves his appearing in this manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that doth things worthy of excellent recompences Which if we love it will not fail to raise us unto a heavenly life If we wait for Him to come from Heaven it will lift up our hearts and carry them thither We shall disburden them of all carnal affections and throw off the load of the cares of this world that we may be light and airy ready to fly up above when He calls us to be with Him We shall labour to cleanse and purifie our souls as He is pure to adorn them with His Graces and in one word to put on the Lord Jesus that He may see Himself in us when He comes And wilt thou come then O blessed Saviour are such souls apt to say may we confidently look for thee from Heaven to be our Saviour Why do we question it sine we have thy faithful word for it who haste promised that we shall see thee as thou art and be for ever with thee O astonishing love what riches of grace is this Was it not enough that thou condescendedst once to come and save us but that thou determinest to come again Canst thou not satisfie thy love unless we be where thou art And wilt thou leave thy seat in heaven to come and fetch us rather than leave us here upon the earth O Love what is like unto thee Thou hast a mighty power who can understand the wonders that thou dost O make it great in us good Lord as well as in thy self Cause it to do marvels in our hearts as it hath done in thine Let our souls be unsatisfied till they come to thee Call forth all their powers as thou hast done their desires that they may restlesly move towards thee Make them unwearied in well-doing stedfast unmovable and abundant in thy work that they may not miss of thee O most gracious Lord suffer nothing in this world to discourage these hearts that have wholly given themselves to thee Cease not still to excite and quicken them since they have been already touched and awakned by thine Omnipotent love But preserve such a flame alive in them that they may ardently follow thee Inspire them with zealous resolution never to desist in their pursuit of that blessed Hope thou hast set before them Strengthen them against all the power of their enemies and let thy love burn with such fervour in them that none of the opposers of their holy desires may be able to stand before it Arm them good Lord with this invincible force of heavenly love which may make them noble conquerors and prepare them for thy glorious Triumph VI. But true love cannot stay here neither nor content it self with some endeavours to enjoy that Good which propounds it self to its affections for it ever tends to an Vnion with that lovely thing towards which it is moved When the Soul runs forth to see what it is that calls out its desires the intention of that motion is to possess it self of that amiable object if it answer its first pretences and prove such as it promised No sooner doth any thing appear beautiful and lovely to the mind or imagination but presently the heart sends messengers as I may call the spirits that issue out of it to bring it home and
conduct it to take up its lodging there This is the meaning of that effusion of the Soul which I spoke of before whereby it would dissolve it self into that which it loves and be so mingled as to become perfectly one with it When an agreeable object I told you hath imprinted its image on the mind it casts a certain light into the soul and shines so comfortably on the affections that they are powerfully warmed and excited by it Now when the heart is full of this splendor it doth not satisfie it self with those rays and emissions of light and heat which are imparted to it but strives to unite it self to the very center of it and would feel the spring from whence such life and pleasure flows Just as Iron when it is impregnated with the vertue of the Loadstone is not contented with those effluxes it hath received but moves towards the body from which they stream so is it with an heart which receives this joyful news from our Lord that He will appear again in glory It amuses not it self in those delightful thoughts it sits not down in those ravishing joys nor thinks it enough to be melted in the passion of love to Him and to so great a blessedness But it seeks to knit it self to the very mind and spirit of Christ that it may feel how blessed He intends to make it It studies I mean to be changed and transformed more and more into His likeness and by an intire agreement of will with his will to begin its transfiguration and be prepared for a perfect and eternal union with Him It is not sufficient to a heart that is in love with that great day to live in a constant expectation of it which is excited by the Revelation He hath made of it in his Gospel and is the light which he now sends from heaven into us but it would gladly prevent as I have already noted that happy time by feeling Him appear every day more gloriously there It longs to shine more clearly in the light of his heavenly knowledge to burn more brightly in the ardors of his love and by being more richly adorned with the Graces of His Spirit to be recommended to all in the beauty of His Holiness There is nothing can better explain all that hath been hitherto said than the example of the Loadstone which I just now mentioned As soon as a piece of Iron feels the power of it we see how it turns it self towards it and by its quivering declares the complacence and pleasure as we may call it that it takes in its touches Then we behold how it creeps a little towards it still advancing and bearing it self more and more that way till it come to join it self with that thing from whence it first received those inclinations Here you have all the parts of love that have been already mentioned most lively represented First the mind apprehends and is made sensible of some Good which communicates an image or picture of it self unto it Then the heart is secretly surprised with a certain delight by which the agreeableness of that image intices it from its self And then it moves towards it and goes to see it And at last when it finds it to be what it appeared it flies as I may say into its embraces and endeavours to knit it self so fast unto it that they may never hereafter be divided And just such like is the temper of that soul which heartily loves our Lords Appearing Which it perceives to be a happiness so great that it cannot be satisfied with any entertainment it finds in this world but presses forward to the blessed sight of Him in all his glory Nothing can quiet it nor hinder its motion till it become one spirit with Him All that it hath as yet attained all the wisdom wherewith it is filled all the joys of piety which it sometime feels are little and inconsiderable in comparison with what it desires to feel And therefore on it proceeds in a serious study to be more like Him out of a design never to cease its earnest endeavours till it come to be for ever with Him O thou great and most Magnetick Good should every pious heart say O thon soveraign attractive of all souls I feel my self wonderfully touched by thee Thou hast put my spirit which was foolishly wandring after other things in a setled motion unto thee O what an inclination hast thou awakned in my heart to be with thee Thou hast mightily stirred all the powers of my soul which is wholly turned about to look most earnestly towards thee O cease not to shine perpetually into this cloudy mind which is all in darkness without thee Cease not to invigorate this dull and sluggish spirit which is thus excited by thee O spare not those mighty effluxes of thy love but draw me still after thee I cannot be willing to stand at any distance from thee nor to stop my progress till I be closely united to thee Therefore still continue to make me feel thy power till I be so happy as to move no more but to rest in thee Couldst not thou be pleased O blessed Lord with any thing less than an union with such sinful flesh as this of ours is would it not suffice thee to look down from heaven upon us and show us a glympse of thy glory but thou must come also and dwell among us and make thy self to be bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh that we might be one with thee How can I be contented then only with looking up unto thee How should I be satisfied if I have nothing more but meerly some glances from thee O my most gracious Lord give me leave to imitate thy love Suffer me to desire and seek to become what thou art by being perfectly transformed into thy likeness And do not think it too great a presumption if I wish and long to be so united to thee My Love as to be for ever with thee Let me have the happiness at least to sigh and mourn after thine Appearing Affect my heart so sensibly with it that I may groan in spirit if I can do no better for that blessed time when I shall lose the sight of thy face no more when I shall lye under the warm beams of the light of thy countenance when I shall live in the very element of love when I shall be so near thee that I shall feel my self to move in the very same Orb with thee thou bright Sun of Righteousness I seem now alas to be a great way off from thee I feel my self like the cold earth in the winter which turns towards the Sun and looks upon that glorious Light of Heaven that great lover of all the world but alas is very far removed from its comfortable rays O that I might be so happy as to approach nearer to thee O that I were fixed and might never turn about any more from
thee Let the time come that there shall be no more night but a perpetual day with me O hasten the time when I my self shall shine like the Sun in thy Celestial glory VII Now in the mean time till love come to a perfect union as it is incessant in its motion so it grows more vehement in its desires and endeavours For as frequent agitations make the fire burn more fiercely so doth the stirring of this passion make it break out with a brighter flame The desire of union increases the swiftness of its motion and the more speed it makes the nearer it is like to come to its desired union And which is very considerable the more earnest and assiduous our motion is towards any Good the greater hopes we have that we shall enjoy it and the greater our hopes are the more are we still pricked on and spurred forward in the pursuit of that which we would fain enjoy A thing which is of exceeding great moment in this pious and devout love of Christian people For without a GOOD HOPE which St. Paul saith our Lord who is our Hope hath given us 2 Thess ii 16. 1 Tim. i. 1. our motion would slacken if not be extinguished We should have no heart to prosecute our design but let it fall immediately if it were not in hope of eternal life which God that cannot lye hath promised i. Tit. 2. As on the contrary by the help of this sure and certain Hope our diligence is doubled and such oyl poured on our wheels as makes them move not only more easily but with greater speed and quickness also All the lovers therefore of Christs Appearing are said to wait for it to expect it and to look for the coming of that blessed Hope as you shall see in the conclusion of this Argument from those well known places iij. Phil. 20. ij Tit. 13. and many other And if you examine the holy Scriptures carefully you shall find that this is comprehended in the love we ought to have for his Appearing being such a natural effect of love that they are put indifferently the one for the other As may be seen by comparing these two places together 1 Cor. ij 9. with lxiv. Isa 4. in the former of which the Apostle says the things which surpass our conception are prepared by God for them that love him and in the other the Prophet saith He hath prepared them for him that waiteth for Him Just as the people of Israel praying without the Sanctuary in the Court to which they were confined waited for the Priest when he should come from the Altar of Incense or rather for the High-Priest on the day of Atonement to return from the most holy place and the Ark of the Covenant to bestow the blessing on them So do all good Souls who are devoted sincerely to the service of Christ while they remain in this outward Court the Earth wherein we dwell which is at a great distance from the Heavens look up to the holy place where Jesus the great High-Priest of our profession is iij. Heb. 1. iv 15. and wait for the time when He will come forth to bless them saying Come ye blessed of my Father xxv Mat. 34. inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world They cannot but frequently cast their eyes and turn their hearts that way as the place of their Rest which He is gone before to prepare for them They are ever calling upon their Souls to follow hard after their dear Saviour as David says lxiij Psal 8. his heart did after the enjoyment of God in his Sanctuary For this they seek as he there speaks with thirsty desires to see his power and his glory so as they have never yet seen him nor can see him no not in their nearest approaches to him while they live in these earthly tabernacles They wish therefore He would come and bless them with a clear and full sight of Him After this their desires grow daily more ardent and they endeavour to stir up stronger and more affectionate motions towards so great an happiness They are apt to cry out saying Draw us and we will run after thee yea we will fly we will take the wings of an Eagle in our passionate desires that we may mount up aloft and get more and more above this world to be with thee And this gives them good Hopes likewise that they shall be with Him insomuch that they cannnot but say O blessed Jesus thou hast set our Souls into a longing for thee and now they cannot cease to desire to come to thee Thou hast made us believe the most excellent surpassing glory wherein thou shinest and ever since we cannot chuse but look towards it and wish to behold thee in that glory If we be very earnest for this sight if our Souls sigh and say xlij Psal 2. O when shall we come and appear before thee we do but return thine own breath who hast inspired us with these desires after thee And may we not hope to come thither where thou art when thou thy self attractest our souls to thee Wilt thou not satisfie those longings which not we but thou hast raised in our hearts Give us leave to remember thee of what thou thy self hast said who didst pronounce those BLESSED WHO HAVE NOT SEEN xx Joh. 29. AND YET HAVE BELIEVED O let it be unto thy servants according to thy word For we are such believers as thou hast blessed We never saw thee and yet believe thou camest forth from God xiij Joh. 3. and art gone to God and art most high in the glory of the Father ix Rom. 5. God blessed for evermore Do not our hearts cleave unto thee though they have only heard of thee Are not our eyes continually towards thee though they have never yet beheld thee Thou wilt not always sure absent thy self but turn our faith at last into a sight of thee For what is the BLESSEDNESS of which thou spakest and hast faithfully promised to such believers Is it not that they shall one day behold thy glorious face and reign with thee in thy glory Is it not that thou wilt manifest thy self unto them here and at last appear again to take them to thy self that they may live where thou art O dear Saviour as thou hast made us to BELIEVE in this manner so make us likewise thus BLESSED As we have received thee though we have not seen thee so let this be the reward of our receiving thee that we may see thee We will hope thou wilt make us thus happy as thou hast made us thus faithful We will expect till thou makest us see what thou hast promised as thou hast made us do what thou hast commanded We will rejoyce in hope of thy glory and do thou make our joy to be full yea bring us unto thee and bid us enter into the joy of thee our Lord. CHAP.
Scriptures THus have I put an end to the third enquiry about the nature of this Love which St. Paul supposes good Christians feel in their souls to the appearing of Christ In satisfying of which I have not followed mine own fancy but the common sentiments of all those hearts who have so much good nature as to know what this passion means And there hath been nothing said but what may be fully justified by the Holy Scriptures if we diligently observe in what terms they speak of the passion and fervent desire which all pious Believers have for the coming of our Lord. I. For which they are first said to LOOK or to expect it with such a greediness as men do that of which they are extreamly desirous So those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie which are used in the 1 Cor. 1.7 iij. Phil. 20. ij Tit. 13. ix Heb. 28. where they are said to look for the Revelation of Jesus Christ to have their conversation in Heaven from whence they look for the Saviour to be looking for that blessed Hope the coming of Christ who will appear the second time to them that look for him with that earnestness that is and concernment which one hath for the greatest good in the world Or with such a longing as I have explained it before as the children of Israel had to see their High-Priest return out of the most holy place into which he went on the day of expiation to make reconciliation for their sins For if he came out alive it was a token that God had accepted him and with the greatest joy they received the blessing which then he brought and pronounced to them in his name There is a manifest allusion to this in the last of those places now mentioned Heb. ix where the Apostle saith vers 26. that when Christ appeared in this world it was to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself Which bloody sacrifice as you read vers 24. He carried not into the holy places made with hands which were only figures of the true but into Heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us that is by vertue of this Sacrifice to perfect the expiation of our sins and obtain for us the Divine Blessing Now he being thus offered vers 28. to bear the sins of many as a publick Sacrifice that is for the whole body of mankind not a particular for one or a few persons unto them that look for him he shall appear visibly the second time without sin as having made a complete expiation to give salvation to his people who expect his coming out of Heaven to bless them II. Expect it did I say yea this Apostle calls it a most earnest expectation So the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the creature viij Rom. 19. is expounded by Oecumenius * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be its exceeding intense and vehement desire and expectance of the revelation of the Sons of God that is sayes he of the conclusion of all when it shall be clearly seen who are the sons of God and who the sons of the Devil Which is a Good to be wisht for so much above all other that the Heaven the Earth the Sea the Air the Sun the Moon all the visible Creation together with all that is invisible the Angels Archangels Powers Principalities Dominions all these expect our perfection They are the words of Theodoret who with other of the Ancients looks upon the whole Creation as brought in here expecting our future happiness by such a figure * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oecum as the Prophets use when they introduce the Woods rejoycing the Mountains leaping the Floods clapping their hands to express the exceeding great joy that should be among mankind at the first coming of our Lord. But because it is controverted what the Apostle means by the Creature and this is not a fit place to discuss it I shall pass by this expression and not mention the sighs and the groans which there follow as the natural effect of an exceeding great desire to see the day of redemption come III. Let us rather consider that the glory which shall be revealed at the coming of Christ out of this holy place to give salvation to his faithful worshippers is the cause that as St. Paul speaks in this place which I have taken for the rise of this Discourse they look for it as a thing that hath very strongly engaged their hearts and is the object of their dearest affection They declare by the fixing of their eyes upon it how much they love it that is esteem it are inclined to it and think long till they enjoy it For whatsoever touches us so nearly we are wont to expect it with some impatience IV. But as the greatness of this Good is such as will make those that believe it earnestly long for it so it is able to quiet and still their souls by the mere hope of its enjoyment though it stay long before it come And therefore 4. they are said to WAIT for his Son from Heaven 1 Thess i. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to tarry to stay till he come Which implies both longing and patient abiding till he please to send so great a Blessing V. Nay fifthly St. James exhorts them to be PATIENT with long-suffering to the coming of the Lord V. 7. For so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there used imports a patient abiding though he stay long and we suffer much before he come We could not suffer and indure what we must on some occasions if we did not expect him as Oecumenius notes out of the ancient Greek Expositors * In 1 Th. i. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And our sufferings would not be very valuable if we were not content to expect him long as he likewise observes upon another place in that Epistle For if it were manifest saith he * In 1 Th. v. 1. that the day of the Lord or the consummation of all things would be within three years and it could not be otherwise all would despise dangers and make nothing of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and what great vertue would this be when they knew that within so short a space they should receive their full reward The vertue of a Christian is to suffer long as well as to suffer much waiting with long patience as the Husbandman doth for the precious fruit of the Earth VI. And yet it is not such a patience we are to exercise but St. Peter gives us leave to HASTEN it which is a sixth word whereby the holy writings express this pious affection unto and vehement desire of the appearing of Christ Jesus 2 Pet. iij. 12. Looking for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and HASTING unto the coming of the day of God In the Greek it is not hasting unto the coming but hasting the coming and so we render it in the margin that
live in these remote places and ages of the world and have heard indeed with the hearing of the ear of Christ Jesus our Dearest Saviour and of his incomparable love and of the honour he hath done us and still intends to do us But have not yet been so happy as to have our eyes intertained much less satisfied with the blissful sight of him as theirs were who lived near him and conversed with him at his first appearing If we had any hope therefore of his appearing again though in less splendor than I have told you we could not but look up unto Heaven where he lives with earnest expectations and say When will he come when will he come and manifest himself visibly unto us Because as yet we know nothing of him but by the report of those who had the honour to be EYE-WITNESSES OF HIS MAJESTY We have been told by them that they saw this amiable and gracious person and clearly discerned that he was God manifested in the flesh They have assured us that he was born of a spotless Virgin that his name was Jesus that he was acknowledged the Son of God by voices from Heaven and by the descent of the Holy-Ghost in a visible manner upon his head and yet that he was contented to become poor and mean that he might inrich us to suffer his hands and his feet and his heart to be pierced that he might heal our wounds yea we have heard that he descended into the lowermost parts of the Earth for our Salvation and that he rose from the dead again after three dayes and that he ascended up on high and now sits at the right hand of the Father and will come again to judge the world and to take up his faithful Servants unto himself And most comfortable news all this is which hath arrived at our ears and we must needs with all thankfulness dutifully acknowledge that we are marvellously beholden to the Almighty Goodness which hath taken such care to perswade and fully assure us of its truth But still every pious heart that sincerely and ardently loves Him is apt to say When will he come again that then we may see as now we believe the certain truth of all this which we have heard of him with our ears When shall we be satisfied by such evidence as the Apostles and other of his Attendants had who beheld his person and saw his glory as the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth May not we also hope to be as they were eye-witnesses of his Majesty O when will his holy Angels descend unto us and say as they did to them Come and see that he is risen When shall we hear a voice from Heaven saying come up hither and behold my beloved Son in whom I am ever well pleased When will the trump of the Archangel sound and proclaim in all our ears that he is Judge of quick and dead O how many days must we stay and wait before we rise again to ascend up to him where he is How long will it be before we leave this earth to behold him exalted at the right hand of the Majesty on high O most gracious Saviour who hast done such great things for us Come and let us see that thou art alive and still lovest us Come and put us out of all doubt that thou livest for evermore Let us behold those bright those loving eyes which wept so oft and with so much kindness over us Let us see that sweet and now most glorious face which sweat as it had been drops of blood for our sake Stretch forth those hands that were wounded in our service O stretch them out to lay hold on us and lift us up to the vision of thee Do not long defer before thou lettest us enjoy what we now believe Make no long tarrying O blessed Lord but turn the faith of thy servants into sight And by thy second appearing be pleased to make us as sure as thou didst those who then lived by thy first We are perswaded that the fame of those things which we wait for is nothing comparable to the sight of them We cannot but think that all present reports fall far short infinitely short of future enjoyment Thy type the great Solomon O Lord puts us in mind of thee and makes us more desirous to see thee We would fain go like the Queen of Sheba from these furthermost parts of the earth that we may stand before thee in thy heavenly Jerusalem Not the half we believe of thy Magnificence hath been related to us No not the shadow of thy glory and Majesty hath been brought to these far distant climates where we hear little or nothing of thee Nay we believe we cannot now understand thy greatness if it should be all related to us If we should see thee as thou art in thy royal apparel on the Throne of thy Glory with all thy Heavenly Attendants and noble Ministers round about thee there would be no more spirit left within us We should faint away under the weight of that sight unless thou O Lord wouldst disburden us of this flesh and make us become all Spirit And that 's the happiness indeed which we desire and groan in Spirit till we injoy There is no greater good we can wish than to be caught up from this earth and have eyes bestowed upon us bright and strong enough to behold thy Majesty We cannot but long for this that we may stand in thy presence and be satisfied with thee that we may see thee who hast loved us and given thy self for us thee whose love hath won our hearts and conducted us thus far in our way towards thee thee who art our hope and with whom our life is hid That we may see thee O Lord in the height of thy glory and thy face may shine upon us and our eyes sparkle for joy with the light of thy Countenance Of which we are the more desirous because we never yet had the favour to see thee who art so dear unto us O favour us therefore so much most gracious Lord as to come and gratifie our desires with that unknown that long lookt for sight of thee III. And there is still a greater reason to desire it and to be in love with his appearing because then we hope to be perfected and consummated in Love This is an affection you have heard so pleasurable that we are inticed thereby or rather sweetly forced to strain our souls to the utmost expression of it When we have found an object worthy of this passion the delight it gives us invites nay compels our hearts to the most abundant effusion of it that so we may not want the highest degree of delight and joy But alas Love in this world though exceeding sweet is not as we usually speak all Hony but there is some bitterness mingled together with it The heart that is struck with it receives a wound which
come Suffer me to wish most passionately that thou wouldest appear Be not angry with me if in the agonies of my soul I desire thou wouldst haste thine appearing And in the mean time increase my belief that thou O compassionate Saviour pitiest my weaknesses and art not insensible of all my miseries that so I may more comfortably hope thou wilt come and ease me and thy self both together Bear up my sinking spirit till I be so happy and by thine almighty power support me under the weight of all the fears and all the doubts that are apt to trouble me And let not the dulness of my mind or the heaviness of my heart the distraction of my thoughts or the deadness of my affections in thy most delightsome service utterly deject me But raise me up with a chearful hope of thy salvation to a pitch of joy and gladness under all the burdens that oppress me I am forced indeed to sigh when I think of the many temptations to which on every side I am exposed And more sad it is to think that they at any time have shaken though not overthrown me O the childish follies of a mind which doth so much as listen to the treacherous allurements which would steal away my heart from its happiness O the intolerable weakness of an heart which doth so much as waver in its resolved choice of so reasonable a service as that of thine wherein I am engaged Pardon me Good Lord that I call it intolerable For I know I ought to bear it in hope of greater strength and of eternal settlement and that I ought to rejoyce I am not overcome by all the temptation wherewith I have been assaulted Blessed be thy Almighty Grace that I have stood hitherto so stedfast so unmoveable in my duty and that I have thy word for it thou wilt never leave me nor forsake me It is only my love to thee which makes me complain though not of the inconstancy yet of the weakness of my love The coldness of my affections the listlessness of my devotions my aptness to be tired and soon weary of the divinest pleasure and satisfaction the unevenness of my temper the sudden discomposures I feel in my spirit are the things that often trouble me But I ought to remember that I am now in a body full of disorders and that my life is a warfare which I ought patiently to accomplish And I have great reason to bless thy name O thou most glorious Conqueror of the Devil and sin by whose gracious aids my will standeth firm and doth not yield or in the least consent to displease thy Majesty By thy power I have and shall do valiantly Thou shalt still tread down all mine enemies My soul shall make her boast in thee O Lord and be glad in thy salvation For I am continually with thee who hast holden me by my right hand Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory Thus will I always hope in thee if thou wilt but be pleased mercifully to bear with my incurable infirmities to relieve my fainting spirit in this tedious pilgrimage and to permit me to sigh sometime and say O when will this long contest be ended when will this war which my passions raise in my breast be concluded and suffer me to live in tranquillity and enjoy the sweetest pleasures of perfect peace Yea when shall all thine enemies throughout the world be disarmed and there be no more rebellions against thy most sacred Authority and thy soveraign will O come sweet Jesus come thou Lord of peace get thy self and us the Victory that we may be more than Conquerors and triumph in thy praise Come and bring this troubled spirit into thy serene and undisturbed regions above Come and give it the wings of an Angel that I may flee away and be at rest That I may flee away from all the follies and from all the sorrows of this sinful life and be at rest with thee my Dearest Lord. At rest in that peaceful place in that Paradise above where is no dangerous Fruit to invite no temping Eve to solicite no subtile Serpent to deceive But we shall all live like so many Gods indeed perfectly wise and perfectly good inviting one another only to praise and love thee with our united strength Thee who art the first and the last the beginner of our Faith and the finisher of our Hope the Guide of our Pilgrimage through the troublesom wilderness of this World and the eternal rest of our wearied souls in that heavenly country which overflows with pleasures for evermore CHAP. XIV Two Reasons more to induce us to raise our thoughts and affections to the Appearing of our Lord. VI. AND the very first step we shall take towards our heavenly Rest will be so surprizing and advance us so far above our present imperfections that it must needs if we seriously consider it make this Appearing of his extreamly desireable Because all good men shall have the favour then to be snatcht from this earth and carried up into the air to meet our Lord Jesus there when he appears in his glory And who is there that understands himself who would not wish to be thus translated rather than to stay here though it were to see our Lord come to reign with his Saints a thousand years upon the earth Which Judaical conceit as St. Hierom truly calls it was embraced by many great men in ancient times as a piece of the most Orthodox faith So Justin Martyr esteemed it and Irenaeus with many others were very zealous for it And if they had thought more of spiritual delights which the Saints should have in that Sabbath as they termed it by the presence of our Lord St. Austin * L. xx deliv Dei c. 7. for his part acknowledges it would have been a tolerable opinion to which he himself was sometimes inclined For all good men as I said before would be glad to see righteousness planted more universally in the earth and prevailing over vice and wickedness before the dissolution of all things And yet even then should we suppose them to be so happy here they would be far more glad to behold our Lord appear in his glory to take them quite away from this earth Where as long as they continue they must needs be dull and heavy cloudy and dark and enjoy but little of him till they quit this gross body of flesh and blood and go up into a purer state of light and vigorous life Which St. Paul hath given us hope we shall enter into at the appearing of our Lord. Who will descend from Heaven with great acclamations you heard before from 1 Thess iv 16. to raise the dead and judge the World And then his Saints are not to remain any longer here but a sudden change being made in them 1 Cor. xv 52. both they who are then alive and all those who are newly raised from the
to give me some tasts of their incomparable sweetness May I relish no joys so much as those May I always have the remembrance of them fresh upon my soul And may I be so happy as to be preserved by the savour of them from the sinful allurements of all other pleasures Hence hence all you beggerly delights which would have me forget my happiness Stand aside you Images of true joy and hinder not my prospect of that heavenly Paradise Lend me your help or else get you gone and trouble me no more Assist my benighted thoughts and represent that blissful place to them or else I desire not your company I have eaten of all your dainties but still am empty and void of satisfaction I know what you have to say the very utmost you can offer me therefore follow me with no further importunities For my heart is set on that fair that delicious place where the Great Lord keeps his Court and entertains his Friends with endless pleasures O holy City of God what glorious things are spoken of thee How free how sprightly and how full of joy are all thy happy Inhabitants What heart is there that is so dull as not to long to dwell in that blessed place where every head wears a Crown of Life and every hand carries a Palm of Victory Where every eye overflows with joy and every tongue with Psalms of praise Where light shines in every face and love smiles in every Countenance Where every heart is perfectly satisfied in the fulness of its own bliss and satisfied again with the pleasure it hath to see the felicity of others It is too much trouble to me that I am not there O let me not lose the thought of it too I sigh to think that I stand at such a distance from my Fathers House and shall I suffer a further remove by turning away my eyes from thence Go O my soul go thither in thy thoughts and daily meditations Send a thousand wishes before thee thither to tell thy Lord that thou art coming to him Say whom have I in Heaven but thee who wentest thither to open it to all thy faithful Followers What have I on Earth but my hope by following thee to arrive at last where thou art gone before me Whither should I look but unto Heaven now that thou my Dearest Lord art ascended thither to prepare a place for me A place of rest and secure peace a place of joy and constant enjoyment a place from whence I am loth my thoughts or my heart should descend to return to this poor earth again for there they grow so dull that it is hard to lift them up to look to thee O keep them with thee keep them with thee thou King of Heaven Settle and fix them there where I my self expect to be where thou also expectest me where they shall find ease for every grief and joy in the midst of the greatest tribulation O fix them unmoveably in this quiet place this eternal Rest And when they must attend the affairs of this lower life may they only look not come down to them and still remain and stay with thee IX And when these things shall be fulfilled the Apostle tells us in the place before named 1 Thess iv 17. that we shall be ALWAYS WITH THE LORD who passed his promise to his Disciples a little before he left the world that he would come again and receive them to himself that where he is there they may be also xiv John 3. Of which promise he was so mindful after he went to Heaven that he further informs St. Paul who spake this by the word of the Lord that he will not part with us when he hath conducted us to his Fathers house but keep us ever with him there in joys and pleasures that never fade away A condition which we cannot but love and passionately long for if we have any love for him or for our selves For there are none of our enjoyments here but must be frequently intermitted and are too often interrupted even the enjoyment of our blessed Lord himself and the sense he gives us of celestial things we find to our sorrow suffers this inconvenience Neither are we diverted from them only by the troubles of this life or the violence of other worldly temptations which press too boldly and rudely upon us but by the most necessary occasions and the most innocent fruitions to which nature not only inclines us but requires our frequent attendance Of how much of our time doth sleep possess it self though we desire never so earnestly to continue awake How little do we live in the account of reason if we do but remember this Image of Death which hath us so many hours every night in its arms And yet besides this eating and drinking journeys and visits the businesses and cares of this life which challenge some of our thoughts devour no body knows how great a portion of every day To say nothing of those hours when we are fit for little or nothing but are forced to find as we significantly speak some pastime for the entertainment of our wearied minds O blessed Jesus how few are the minutes that these souls inclosed in flesh can spend in thy company Into what a little room are the thoughts of thee and of thy unmeasurable love most wretchedly crowded How soon are we weary and how often are we forced away when we have the greatest mind to thy sweet Society O the cares that not only divert but sometimes oppress us O the multitude of troubles which are wont to disquiet us the sicknesses and infirmities of our bodies which indispose us besides the great weakness and feebleness of these spirits which are not able long to bear thee company It is but a wish I see that I may always stay with thee I feel my self pulled away and cannot keep my soul above even when thou hast lifted it up unto thee And therefore I cannot but renew my desires that thou wouldest be pleased to hasten thy coming That 's the time I long to see because I would be ever with thee and always behold thy face and perpetually speak of thee and declare thy love without ceasing in the height of love and devotion to thee O what a change will that day make in me when I shall be all Life and see not so much as the image or shadow of death any more When I shall neither slumber nor sleep much less be sick or grow old and dye but always wake and enjoy a perfect health a vigorous youth and immortal life O the blessedness of that change when I shall be hungry no more nor have my head disturbed with the fumes and clouds of food When all my journeys will be at an end and I shall never lose nor leave the company I love When I shall neither be crost by others nor vext with the violence of my own passions When I shall be no more perplext
pleasing her eyes and her mind with the very shadow of that dear Person or if she have any token of his love left or sent her whereby to remember him is ever and anon taking it into her hands and imprinting her kisses on it so it becomes all those to do who pretend any love to our Lord Jesus who hath endeared himself to us by such incomparable loving kindness and merited so highly of us that it would be exceeding strange if we should be either insensible of his favours or let them slip out of our minds when among the rest of the expressions of his wonderful love he hath taken great care to preserve the remembrance of them there Our gracious Lord the Bridegroom of our souls is gone a long journey even as far as Heaven He hath espoused us to himself it is true in great love most assured love but hath left us for a time here in this world and removed himself so far from us that though there be nothing so desireable as his company to those who are acquainted with him and have any affection for him yet they find the distance is so exceeding great between them that they cannot attain their much wisht for enjoyment of him And therefore every good soul should look towards him and sighing within it self should often say When will he come when will he come and let me have the long desired sight of him When will he come and finish what he hath so graciously begun O that he would come and take me to him O that he would come and satisfie this soul which is ready to dissolve and sweetly melt into that blissful union with him And till he please to grant this desire we should often fasten our expecting eyes on the Picture he hath left us of himself drawn as I may say by his own hand which tells us he will certainly come and requires us to rest assured he will be as good as his word and give us immortal life in the glory where he is We should frequent I mean the holy Sacrament of his body and blood we should love there to communicate with him and knit our selves to him it should be our greatest pleasure to solace our selves in that representation of him till he comes We should affectionately receive into our hands those tokens and pledges of his love which he continually sends us by his Ministers we should take them into our mouths yea let them into our hearts and embracing him in those signs and seals of his grace towards us should rejoyce in his love till he himself appear and lay our souls to rest in his bosom for ever If there were no other benefit we should receive by this means than that thereby our love will be mightily excited towards him who hath loved us so dearly it were sufficient to commend this duty to us But we shall also grow thereby more confident of his appearing again to perfect his love towards us and in the mean time be still receiving fresh tokens of the affection he now hath for us For as the thoughts of his love hath the greatest power over our hearts so we need not fear to say that the love he sees in us is of such force and efficacy with him that it strongly moves his tender compassions towards us If any man love me saith he himself xiv Joh. 21 23. he shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self to him O what a word is this I will love him How it pierces into the heart How it stirs and works how it revives and refreshes there Can there be any thing greater than this to be beloved of the Lord of Heaven the Prince of Life the King of Glory What will not he do for those whom he loves when we see he did not stick to dye for them even before they loved him You know that when Lazarus was sick as I think I have somewhere observed in another Treatise his Sisters sent this news to our Saviour saying Lord behold he whom thou lovest is sick xi Joh. 3. This was a very short Letter And their grief perhaps would not permit them to write a longer But they did not fare the worse because they were not more ceremonious in their addresses this alone did the business O how great a power was there in these few words They say no more to move him but only this Lord thou lovest him and what doth not our Saviour do to show they were not mistaken Up he rises away he goes to the place of his abode there needed no more prayers to bring him thither And though there were many dangers in the way as the story relates though to go thither his Disciples thought was to cast himself into a showr of stones v. 8. though the Jews he knew very well sought to take him and kill him x. 39. yet love being as strong as death carried him through all impediments He could not chuse but go when he heard this charming word he whom thou lovest is sick By which we may learn that to obtain the favour and grace the help and assistance the comfort and the presence of our blessed Saviour we need no long Petitions no great address of words no courtship nor studied complements Let us be able only to tell him that he loves us and it is enough If we can but win his good affection we need no more We may then remember to him his own dear love more than ours We may tell him how much good he hath done us and that is argument sufficient to move him to do more We may relate his graciousness and sweet disposition when we can perceive in our own hearts but disgusts at our selves We may say O my Lord I have seen by many arguments the wonderful great good will thou bearest to me For thou hast instructed my ignorance pitied my weaknesses cured many of my diseases delivered me from the power of temptations I cannot tell what thou hast done for me O most merciful Saviour who art still going on by innumerable ways to testifie thou lovest me And this humble devout acknowledgement will certainly invite a further effusion of his favours For it is a pleasure to him to do benefits especially to those he loves He rejoyces over them to do them good He loves to accomplish his own good purposes and delights as much as they can desire to perfect what he hath happily begun in them And therefore we may intreat him to give himself that pleasure not to lose any of that joy which will so much please and rejoyce us also and make us his debtors his admirers his adorers and lovers to all eternity We may desire him even that it would please him to come again according to his promise because he loves us and because he loves to finish his works of love and we may be confident he will and bring his rewards with him Though he stay we think
it is of grace and bounty and with what unwearied kindness it delights to communicate its blessings to us And what is there that we would see which is comparable to this What can we desire to see but more of this even when we are made perfect in love And what thanks do we owe to God that we see so much It ought to stir up all that is within us to bless his holy name We ought to say every day will I bless thee and praise thy name for ever and ever But for this also we must be beholden to love For it is that which indites all our Hymns and meditates the Divine Praises It puts the songs of joy into our mouth and fills our hearts with thanksgiving Our tongues are tyed without this or we do but babble not speak our Saviours praises It is love that bursts out into such effusions as these O praise the Lord of love who humbled himself do dwell among us Praise him in the beauties of his holiness praise him in his super-excellent wisdom Let all his works praise him who came to us with his hands full of Miracles and every miracle full of mercy O praise him in his almighty and most merciful kindness which made the lame to leap like a Kid and the tongue of the dumb to sing for joy which opened the eyes of the blind to see his wonders and the ears of the deaf to hear the wisdom where by he spake which restored the sick to health and the dead to life which published the Gospel to the poor and instructed the ignorant in the mysteries of the Kingdom of God O praise him before whom the Devils fled and confessed him to be the Lord. Praise him in his incomparable love which thought it not enough to do all this but also gave himself to dye for us Let all Nations praise him who are the purchase of his blood Let them mark every step of his dying love from the time he was betrayed and sold like a slave till he finished his sufferings on the Cross O the greatness of that love which endured such scorn such reproach such a bitter agony and shameful death even for all those who have little sense of this wondrous love But let no Christian soul be insensible how the hands which wrought so many Miracles and the feet which travelled up and down to do men good were cruelly nailed by them to an ignominious Gibbet Let them remember how his head was crowned with thorns and his body cloathed in a fools coat How they spit in his face blinded his eyes and then rudely buffeted him to make them sport O what love was that which made him submit to be mocked and reviled to be accounted worse than a seditious murderer and numbred among the greatest transgressors And above all let it never be forgotten how he sweat in our service as it had been drops of blood and at last bled to death after three hours shame and anguish on the Cross Praised be that incomparable Charity Praised be his inimitable meekness and humilitie Let all the world extol and praise his Lamb-like patience and innocence Let them celebrate his admirable kindness in forgiving such implacable enemies and his intire confidence and faith in God whereby he offered up himself to him and obtained an eternal redemption for us O the wonderful vertue of that sacrifice which hath taken away the sins of the world Praised be the tender mercies of our God which have forgiven us so many trespasses Praised be his mercies which have not only forgiven us but restored us to life and glory again by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead Let us rejoyce and be glad in that great salvation Let us bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by that resurrection of his from the dead Let us lift up our heads and look to Heaven our ancient Country for there he is exalted And let us thank our God who hath set him at his own right hand and made him most glorious for ever See how all the Angels welcomed him thither and falling at his feet most humbly worshipped his Majesty See how they all now wait upon him and constantly attend his pleasure And let us worship him too with the devoutest and most lowly reverence Let us praise him in his Sanctuary where he appears before God for us from whence he sends down the gracious influences of his spirit on us and commands his Angels to minister unto us Let us praise him the glorious King of Angels and men Who hath conquered death and triumphed over all the powers of darkness and opening the Kingdom of Heaven to all the faithful hath promised that they shall reign in glory together with him Let all the Angelical Ministers praise him Let the Apostles Prophets and Martyrs praise him Let all those who are departed in the true faith and fear of him praise him And let all the living who partake of the daily fruit of his bounteous love continually praise him Let them praise the name of the Lord for his name alone is excellent his glory is above the Earth and Heaven Let them praise him in the greatness of his Power in the Wisdom of his Counsels in the carefulness of his Providence in the riches the exceeding riches of his Grace in the stedfastness of his word and the faithfulness of all his promises And let them all joyn together and beseech him to come again that he may both accomplish our hopes and perfect his own praises O let him come that we may give him better praises in one body for ever CHAP. XIX More expressions of this devout affection towards our Lords Appearing and the way whereby we may excite them THis is some of the language of Love which wishes every knee would bow to Jesus and every tongue confess that he is the Lord to the glory of God the Father who hath thus highly exalted him For its desires are unlimited and its kindness like the fountain of it is inexhaustible and infinite It is the brightest image of Jesus There is nothing represents him so lively to the world He now appears most in those who love most and who long and wait with pure and ardent desires to see him come in all his glory For they will keep his commandment without spot unrebukeable until his appearing which in his times he will shew who is the blessed and only Potentate the King of kings and Lord of lords who only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen nor can see to whom be honour and power everlasting Amen Why then O my soul do we not let this blessed guest be lodged in our heart Or why do we not entertain it so that it may stay with us and we may feel it stirring there in restless motions towards Jesus What
love to thee But yet alas when I think of thy wondrous love I am apt to conclude again that I did amiss to say I was satisfied All this upon better thoughts seems a great deal too little and I am as short me thinks of thy love as if I loved thee not at all For what have I given thee when I have paid thee all my acknowledgements What have I bestowed on thee when I have given thee my self and absolutely offered all my affections to thee What is my heart what are a thousand such hearts as this worth that I should think such a present will be of any esteem with thee If all my life were nothing else but the most affectionate the most cheerful obedience to thee what requital should I have made thee for all thy love to me Alas I have so little ability to do any thing worthy of thee that I have not the skill how to speak as becomes me of my duty to thee What do I talk of acknowledgements to thee That 's as if I could number or value thy favours And it is a worse absurdity to speak of giving thee my affections as if I were not a debtor to thee and of bestowing my heart on thee For that 's as if I had any thing I received not from thee But it is worst of all I am ashamed of it to mention a requital of thy favours for that 's as if they were so small or so few as to admit of any return like a recompense unto thee No No I am nothing at all I have nothing I can do just nothing but what is thine more than mine if it be worth any thing I here most solemnly protest that I think my self indebted to thee for all I have I my self am thine my love is thine my prayers and desires are thine my praises and thanksgivings are thine so is my Faith and my Hope my comforts and my joyes they are all thine I cannot so much as confess my debts and obligations but it is from thee I cannot be sensible of my faults but I contract a new debt to thee That I can so much as see and say I am nothing I owe it unto thee What shall I do therefore How shall I express my self to thee Or in what manner shall I approach thee All that I can think of is only this still to cast down my self in the humblest devotion before thee and all thawed and dissolved with thy love to pour out my heart unto thee saying LORD WORK THINE OWN GOOD PLEASVRE IN ME. Make me what thou thy self best likest and lovest And when thou hast loved and obliged me as much as thou pleasest here compleat thine own benefits and crown them with as great a glory as thine own great love can bestow hereafter CHAP. XX. The Conclusion AND here I think it is best to put a period to this discourse which is already come to a competent length For where can I leave you better than in the arms of our Lord intirely resolved into his will and wishing to be united to him and made one spirit with him as much as he pleases And yet how hard is it to cease to desire that happiness in its utmost perfection How can we chuse but ask him leave at least to repete that wish over again The very thoughts of it make the ravished soul thrust it self with the more ardent affection into the bosom of his love They stir it up to ply him with new petitions that he will draw it more strongly after him and knit it more closely to him that he will inspire it with more of his love and by perfecting his likeness in it inseparably unite it to himself O blessed Jesus surely thou wilt appear I believe in due time thou wilt appear I am fully perswaded thou wilt not fail to make good thy word of coming to fetch us to thy self and making us exceedingly more happy than now in our most inlarged thoughts we can conceive I see me thinks the sky cleave and the day break and the Arch-angel thy Harbinger begin to look forth and thrust his head out of the clouds which makes my heart leap for joy as if it would leave this world and instantly go to meet thee my infinitely Dearer Saviour For what splendor is there in Gold Greg. Nyssen Orat. V. in Beatitud that I should desire it What brightness in pretious stones What ornament in the most sumptuous apparel compared with that Good which our hope in thee supposes and sets before us When thou who reignest over all creatures shalt reveal thy self to mankind sitting most magnificently upon a lofty Throne when innumerable millions of Angels shall be seen about thee and when the Kingdom of Heaven which now is such a secret shall be set wide open before all our eyes O let the thoughts of the Trump of God which shall then sound awaken my soul more powerfully to lift up it self to look for thee and for that glorious sight thou wilt bless us withal at thy appearing O let the faith that is in thy heart grow daily more active and work in me a most vigorous love of thee And let my love be inlarged till this heart be stretched to its utmost capacity and thou the infinite Good still fill and overflow it For I am afraid thou shouldest come and find me unprepared for thee I would not for all the world be found unready to meet thee and unfit for the blessings thou wilt bring along with thee If an heart that desires thee most passionately be of any worth if thou canst have any kind thoughts of a mind that prefers thee and thy love above all other things if to love thine appearing far more than the most glorious condition wherein a man can possibly appear in mortal flesh can find any grace in thine eyes behold then a soul that is able to say through thy great goodness that it most earnestly longs for thee See here an heart that desires to be like thee that had rather dye than displease thee and that will welcome thy coming with more joy than a sick man wearied with the restlessness of a long night doth the morning light or a Traveller doth his much desired home or a Virgin espoused doth her long absent Bridegroom the dearly beloved of her soul It is thou who hast begot in me these longings I have received all thou seest in me from thy gracious hands which have made me and fashioned me and made me unsatisfied in any thing but thee and thy love O let not these pious longings also be unsatisfied Let me not want the pleasures from which I have turned mine eyes away here and those pleasures too which I look for so earnestly and promise my self at thine appearing But let the same reason which moved thee to give me so much incline thee to give me more Let that mighty love which hath wrought in me desires bring me to the enjoyment And after thou hast pleased thy bounty in making me receive as much as thou wilt in this present state let it be thy pleasure to receive me to thee in a better and by giving me all I would have in the sight I expect of thee to leave no desires remaining in me Amen and Amen THE END Books written by the Reverend Dr. Patrick and Printed for Richard Royston at the Angel in Amen-corner 1. THE Christian Sacrifice a Treatise shewing the Necessity End and Manner of receiving the holy Communion together with suitable Prayers and Meditations for every Month in the Year and the Principal Festivals in memory of our Blessed Saviour In Four Parts The Third Edition Corrected in Twelves 2. The Devout Christian instructed how to Pray and give Thanks to God Or a Book of Devotions for Families and particular persons in most of the concerns of Humane life The second Edition in Twelves 3. An Advice to a Friend The second Edition in Twelves 4. The Witnesses to Christianity or The Certainty of our Faith and Hope In a Discourse upon 1 S. John v. 7 8. In two Parts in Octavo new 5. A Sermon Preached before the King on St. Stephen's day Printed by His Majesty's special command in Quarto Angliae Speculum a Glass that flatters not Presented to a Country Congregation at the late Solemn Fast April 24. 1678. In a Parallel between the Kingdom of Israel and England Wherein the whole Nation is desired to behold and consider our Sin and our Danger By a dutiful Son of this Church in Quarto The true Intellectual System of the Universe The first Part wherein all the Reason and Philosophy of Atheism is Confuted and its Impossibility Demonstrated By R. Cudworth D. D. in Folio A Sermon Preached before the King Feb. 10th 1677 8. By Z. Cradock D. D. Preacher to the Honourable Society of Grays-Inn and Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty in Quarto XXXI Sermons Preached to the Parishioners of Standford-Rivers in Essex upon several Subjects and Occasions By Charles Gibbes D. D. Rectour of that Church and Prebendary of St. Peter's at Westminster in Quarto new The Jesuits Loyalty manifested in three several Treatises lately written by them against the Oath of Allegiance with a Preface shewing the Pernicious Consequence of their Principles as to Civil Government Also Three other Treatises concerning the Reasons of the Penal Laws viz. I. The Execution of Justice in England not for Religion but for Treason II. Important Considerations by the Secular Priests III. The Jesuits Reasons Unreasonable in Quarto