: will fall, and come to nothing, at the moment when the trumpet, sounding from the one end of heaven to the other, shall give notice, that the judge of all the earth is coming to his judgment-seat in the air. The throne that shall be there erected for him is thus described by Daniel-" I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit; whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire: a fiery stream issued, and came forth from before him thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The judgment was set, and the books were opened." In the clouds over our heads is this judgment-seat to be formed; as it is also written in the book of Psalms-"Clouds and darkness are round about him, righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne." From amidst this thick darkness the lightnings, those swift executioners of divine vengeance, shall flash abroad over the earth, while ten thousand thunders, rolling forth from the glorious God that maketh them, shall at once utter their tremendous voices; as it is written again in the same book of Psalms-" Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence," as once, when, like a sheep dumb before his shearers, he opened not his mouth. "A fire shall now devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. The Lord," even the Lord Jesus, "shall thunder out of heaven, and the Highest give his thunder, hail-stones, and coals of fire." By the brightness of his coming all enemies shall soon be consumed, all clouds shall pass away; and the Judge shall appear upon his radiant throne, like his emblem the sun; so that there shall not be a tongue but must own with the church, in her triumphant song, "Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory." And as Christ upon his throne, like the sun, will see all, so, like the sun, he will be seen of all; which brings us to the 66 II. Thing to be considered, namely, the circumstance of mankind beholding him, with the effect it shall produce upon them : Every eye shall see him; and they also that pierced him; and all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him." The Judge being seated on his throne, and all things subdued to him, "before him shall be gathered all nations," all the innumerable multitudes of men and women that have lived in every age, and every country. Every eye shall see the God that made it, and commanded it to be pure and single. How it has fulfilled his commandments, will then be known. The sight of Christ upon his throne will be a trying sight; the effects of it will enter the heart like the piercings of a sword, and reveal all its thoughts in the countenance; hypocrisy shall then be no more.. "Every eye shall see him." But who shall be able to endure the sight? Even "they that pierced him" must "look on him whom they pierced." Pilate will behold the poor, despised Galilean, whom he scourged, and delivered to be crucified, now ready to judge him and all the world. Herod and his men of war, who mocked and set him at nought, will see him encompassed with ten thousands of saints and angels, about to speak unto them in his wrath, and trouble them in his sore displeasure. A corrupt temporizing Sanhedrim, who were instant with loud voices that he might be crucified, will see. heaven and earth fly away from before the face of that priest, of whom they, his representatives, were the betrayers murderers. They who platted and put on the crown of thorns, shall be struck blind with rays of glory beaming from his sacred head. And they who drove the nails, and he who thrust the spear into his side, shall see that same Jesus, whom they pierced, exalted above every name that is named in heaven and earth. But think not that the Jews, who crucified Christ, are the only persons that will have reason to tremble at this sight. There are others who may dread it, as well as they. Those whose sins, yet unrepented of, sharpened the nails, and pointed every thorn. Those careless ones, who are at ease; whoɛe hearts, harder than the rocks that rent asunder at his crucifixion, remain unmoved at the sight of the Son of God dying upon the cross for them, and calling from thence to a thoughtless world-" Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see, if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger?” Bishop Taylor, in one of his Advent sermons, has an expostulation with a sinner upon this subject, which is so just, beautiful, and affecting, and so infinitely beyond anything I can offer, that I shall not only have your pardon, but your thanks, for reciting it."It was for thy sake that the Judge did suffer unspeakable pains, such as were sufficient to reconcile all the world to God. And to consider that thou hast, for thine own particular, made all this in vain, and ineffective; that Christ thy Lord and Judge should be tormented for nothing; that thou wouldest not accept felicity and pardon, when he purchased them at so dear a price; it must needs be an infinite condemnation to thee. How shalt thou look upon him that fainted and died for love of thee, and thou didst scorn his miraculous mercies? How shalt thou dare to behold that holy face which brought salvation to thee, and thou didst turn away, and fall in love with death, and deformity, and sin? And yet in the beholding that face consists much of the glories of eternity. Surely all the pains and the passions, the sorrows and the groans, the humility and poverty, the labors, and the watchings, the prayers and the sermons, the miracles and the prophecies, the whip and the nails, the death and the burial, the shame and the smart, the cross and the grave of Jesus, shall be laid upon thy score, if thou hast refused the mercies and design of all their holy ends and purposes. And if thou rememberest what a calamity that was, which broke the Jewish nation in pieces, when Christ came to judge them for their murdering him, who was their king, and the prince of life; and considerest, that this was but a dark image of the terrors of the day of judgment, thou mayest then apprehend, that there is some strange unspeakable evil in store for one who refuses the salvation of Jesus, and rather chooses that Satan should rejoice in his destruction, than that Jesus should triumph in his felicity." Thus far this excellent prelate. And all who consider the matter in this its true and proper light, cannot wonder at the effect which, as St. John in the text tells us, the sight of Christ will produce among the kindreds of the earth. They shall wail because of Christ, when they see him whom they have pierced by their sins, and crucified afresh. And that wailing must needs be terrible, when millions of men and women shall at the same instant fearfully cry out, and the noise shall mingle with the trumpet of the archangel, and the thunders of the dying and groaning heavens passing away with a great noise, and the roaring of the flames in which the earth and all the works that are therein shall then be dissolving. The terror and lamentation throughout the world at that time, with the foreboding pangs and convulsions of departing nature, will be such as never were, since the day that God created man upon the earth. Include in your idea the destruction of the old world by the flood, the overthrow of the cities of the plain by fire and brimstone, and the desolation of Jerusalem by the Roman armies, with an assemblage of the plagues of Egypt, and the miseries and calamities felt by men in all ages, yet your conceptions will fall as far short of the things themselves, as the shadow does of the substance. Nothing can exceed our blessed Lord's description of this last scene, but its actual accomplishment—“There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." At this most awful and tremendous hour, when the Son of man shall display his banner, the cross, in the clouds; when the sea and the waters of the great deep shall roar; when the destroying angel shall again go forth at midnight into the land of Egypt, and there shall be a great cry throughout all the land, because of death and judgment; then shall be brought to pass that which is written in the Revelation: "I beheld when the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" A view of the terrors of the Lord has by this time, perhaps, made us all ready to join in asking this last question, "Who shall be able to stand?" And we cannot help taking up our parable with Balaam: "Alas! who shall live, when God doth this?" But, thanks be to God, an answer will be abundantly ministered unto us by a consideration of the III. And last point proposed, namely, the faith and hope of the church, who wishes for Christ's manifestation, notwithstanding all the terrors that are to attend it, as appears by the remaining words of my text-" Even so, Amen." For these are not the words of St. John only, but they carry in them the prayers and sighs of Christians, sent up to the throne of grace through him. It is not "the Spirit" alone, speaking by him, that says "Come;" but "the bride," or church, also says the same. "How long, O Lord, holy and true," is the voice of the departed spirits, resting from their labors under the altar in heaven, and waiting for the completion of their glory, at the day of their Redeemer's triumph? And that part of the church which is still militant, and sojourns in the wilderness, may be heard earnestly joining in the same expostulation, in the lxivth chapter of the prophet Isaiah: “O that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in thou wouldest come down, that the mountains | deemed be glad, for their sorrows are at an might flow down at thy presence; as when end, and their joys beginning. Let the "tribes the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the of the earth mourn," but "let Israel rejoice waters to boil; to make thy name known to in him that made him, and let the children thine adversaries, that the nations may trem- of Sion be joyful in their king." For the ble at thy presence! When formerly thou trumpet which proclaims the destruction of didst terrible things, which we looked not the ungodly, declares at the same time the for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed salvation of the righteous. When that trumdown at thy presence." Nay, we ourselves, pet sounds throughout the land, the eternal every one of us, daily put up the very same jubilee is begun. There is liberty for the petition to God, when we pray that "his captives, and the opening of the prison doors, kingdom may come;" for his kingdom of even the gates of the grave, for those to come glory cannot come, till all these things shall out who lie there in darkness and in the shahave been brought to pass. And again, when, dow of death; and every child of God is free standing at the grave's mouth, we have be- to return to his possession and inheritance, fore our eyes a plain proof, that "man, who and to the family of his heavenly Father. is born of a woman, hath but a short time to When they who have loved the world, inlive" in this world; we earnestly beseech stead of him whom the world crucified, and the Father of spirits, "that it would please trusted in the false glory and riches of earthhim of his gracious goodness shortly to ac- ly Babylon, shall "stand weeping and wailcomplish the number of his elect, and to has-ing, to see the smoke of her burning, saying, ten his kingdom." Thus the coming of that day, in which "all the kindreds of the earth shall wail," is the constant subject of the wishes and prayers of the sons of God. A sound Christian faith gives them confidence towards God, and teaches them, without hy-joice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy pocrisy, to pray for the second advent of Christ. apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged For although in that day "he cometh with you on her." And what saith the church clouds," yet God's promise is, that whenever herself? "The kingdoms of this world are "he brings his cloud" over the earth, his become the kingdoms of our Lord and his "bow shall be in the cloud," the sure token Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.” of the "everlasting covenant of mercy be-"Halleluiah, for the Lord God omnipotent tween him and all flesh." And accordingly, when Ezekiel and St. John saw Christ upon his terrible throne, he appeared encompassed with a RAINBOW, to teach us that even the throne of judgment is encircled by mercy, which rejoices against judgment. All the cries of despairing nations, the thunders of heaven, and the horrible noises of the perishing earth, shall not keep those who have been indeed the disciples of Jesus, from hearing a voice say unto them, "Come up hither." Yea, and they who in faith and patience have waited for the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah speaks, "shall then renew their strength, they shall mount up as eagles." They shall ascend to meet their Redeemer in the air, and the eye of faith shall steadfastly behold the glories of the Sun of Righteousness. Marvel no longer, then, that the church so passionately desires the manifestation of Christ. Marvel not that she should say, cOME! when the advent of him to whom she speaks is to be the day of her espousals, and the day of the gladness of her heart; the end of her Saviour's sufferings, and her faith; a day of triumph and everlasting felicity. Let the men of the world lament, for their joy is ended, and their sorrows beginning; but let the re reigneth. Let us be glad, and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." And now, my brethren, whose heart does not burn within him, when he hears the melody of the celestial choir chanting forth the praises of their victorious Redeemer, round his glorious throne? Is there a single person here, whose soul has not a desire and longing to enter into the courts of the Lord, and to bear his part in the never-ending chorus? But know, O man, whosoever thou art, that hast this desire and longing, know thou must be a penitent upon earth, before thou canst be a saint in heaven. Thou must be holy in time, if thou wouldest be glorious in eternity. Acquaint now, therefore, thyself with God, and be at peace with him, thyself, and all mankind; thereby, and thereby only, shall good come unto thee at thy latter end. Stop not thine ears, and harden not thine heart against instruction, when it is the day of trial and probation in the wilderness. Receive now, I pray thee, the law of the Most High; retire, and meditate upon it, and lay up his words in thy heart; nor suffer the world to rob thee of that wisdom which is more pre cious than rubies, and to which all the things the work of thy salvation, thou wilt perceive thou canst desire are not to be compared. that to depart and to be with Christ is far Fear not, neither be dismayed, because of the better than to live here in possession of all multitude of thy past transgressions, which that the world can give thee. Thou shalt go present themselves to thy troubled conscience out with joy, and be led forth with peace by and set themselves in array against thee. God angels, who shall convey and welcome thy can forgive, if thou canst repent. Nay, he spirit to the regions of the living, to the will "give thee repentance unto life," if thou bosoms of our holy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, wilt request it of him. If thou return to the and Jacob, whence sorrow, grief, and laAlmighty, thou shalt yet be built up, and im- mentation are banished away, where the light possible as it may appear, thou shalt put away of God's countenance visits and shines coniniquity far from thy tabernacle; thou shalt tinually. And when the trumpet shall sound cease to do evil, and learn to do good: thou and all the tribes and kindreds of the earth shalt cast off the works of darkness, and put on shall wail, thou shalt lift up thy voice and the armor of light, now in the time of this mor- sing for the majesty and glory of thy trital life thou shalt have thy delight in the umphant Lord, and call to the heavens and Almighty, and lift up thy face unto God: thou the earth to bear thee company-"Let the shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; hear thee; he shall not lay thy sins to thy charge, let the sea make a noise, and all that is therein; but forgive thee what is past, and give thee let the field be joyful, and all that is in it; grace to amend thy sinful life; to decline from then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice the ways of the destroyer, in which, perhaps, before the Lord; for he cometh, for he cometh thou hast unhappily wandered, and incline to to judge the earth, and with righteousness to the paths of wisdom and righteousness, and judge the world, and the people with his walk therein before him all the days of thy truth." "He which testifieth these things life. And when the work shall be finished, saith, Surely I come quickly, Amen. Even for which God sent thee into the world, even so, come, Lord Jesus." DISCOURSE VII. THE WORD INCARNATE. JOHN, 1. 14. The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth. IN contemplating the character of man's were made by him, and without him was not Redeemer, it his hard to say, whether our anything made that was made "-His glory, admiration be most excited by the natural as the sole author of life and immortality; dignity, or the voluntary abasement of his "In him was life, and the life was the light person. To form suitable ideas of either, it of men "-His glory, with respect to man in is expedient to take a view of both. And general, as fallen into a state of ignorance and they appear to the utmost advantage in the sensuality; "And the light shined in darkexordium of St. John's Gospel, where he set-ness, and the darkness comprehended it not " teth himself to publish, first, the divinity, and then the incarnation of his most adorable and beloved Master. He mentions in due order, and regular gradation, the glory which the WORD had with the Father, before man, or the world which he now inhabits, had a being: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"-His glory, with respect to the creatures, the works of his hands; "All things His glory, with respect to the Jews, to whom he first manifested himself; "He came unto his own, and his own received him not" His glory, with respect to Christians; "To as many as believed on him gave he power to become the sons of God; " in order to effect which, he himself became the Son of man; "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." Can anything be more truly noble and | Word of Jehovah came unto Abraham, in a sublime than the former part of the evange- vision, saying, Fear not Abraham; I am thy list's discourse, more pleasing and acceptable shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And than the latter, descending from the loftiest Abraham said, Lord God, what wilt thou give of speculations on the divine nature of the me," &c.-" Behold the Word of the Lord Word, to display the benefits of his advent in came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine the flesh like the Nile, which, rolling from heir-and He brought him forth abroad," &c. the heights of the Nubian mountains, diffuseth Thus again, 1 Sam. iii. "Jehovah revealed riches and plenteousness over all the land of himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the Word of Egypt? Jehovah." The same person is, at other times characterized by the title, "the Name of Jehovah,"* as in Isaiah, xxx. 27. "Behold, the Name of Jehovah cometh from far, The union of two natures in the person of our Lord, which may justly be considered as the source of every blessing we enjoy in time, or hope to enjoy in eternity, is ex-burning with his anger." &c. pressed by St. John in these terms: "The With regard to the nature of the person word was made flesh,"* each of which will be found worthy of our attention. The term Word (loyos) was in use among the ancient philosophers, who sometimes speak of a person under that appellation, as the maker of the universe. So Tertullian informs the Gentiles. And Eusebius, in the xith book of his Evangelical Preparation, cites a passage from Amelius, a celebrated admirer and imitator of Plato, in which he speaks of the loyos as being eternal, and the maker of all things. This, he says, was the opinion of Heraclitus; and then introduces the beginning of the Gospel of St. John; concerning whom, it seems, he was wont to complain, that he had transferred into his book the sentiments of his master Plato. But it is not likely that our evangelist either borrowed from, or intended to copy after, Plato. And since not only Plato, but Pythagoras and Zeno likewise, conversed with the Jews, it is not at all wonderful, that we meet with something about OEIO 40г02 or DIVINE WORD, in their writings. Nor, after all, might the philosopher and the apostle use the same term in the same acceptation. It is customary with the writers of the New Testament to express themselves, as much as may be, in the language of the Old, to which, therefore, we must have recourse for an explanation of their meaning, as the penmen of both, under the direction of one Spirit, used their terms in the same sense. Now, upon looking into the Old Testament, we find, that "the Word of Jehovah," is frequently and evidently the style of a person who is said "to come, to be revealed or manifested," and the like. As in the xvth chapter of Genesis: "After these things, the thus denominated, whoever shall duly consider the attributes, powers, and actions ascribed to him, will see a reason to think of him not as of a created intelligence, but a person of the divine essence, possessed of all its incommunicable properties. And it may be noticed, that the Targums, or Chaldee Paraphrasts, continually substitute the Word Jehovah,† for Jehovah, ascribing divine characters to the person so named. And the ancient grecizing Jews speak in the same style. Thus in that excellent apocryphal book of Wisdom, ix. 1. "O God, who hast made all things, & 40roov by thy Word:" and again, in the passage which so wonderfully describes the horrors of that night, never to be forgotten by an Israelite, wherein the first-born of the Egyptians were slain"While all things were in quiet silence, and that night was in the midst of her swift course, thine Almighty WORD (40гox) leaped down from heaven, out of thy royal throne, as a fierce man of war into the midst of a land of destruction; and brought thine unfeigned commandment, as a sharp sword; and standing up, filled all things with death; and it touched the heaven, but it stood upon the earth." Chap. xviii. 14. But whatever may be thought of these passages, certain it is, that when St. John comes to treat of this WORD, although to show a distinction of personality, he first tells us, "The Word was with God; " yet, to prevent all mistakes on the other side of the question, he instantly adds, " And the Word was God;" thus evidently asserting an unity of essence. And let any impartial man only lay together, upon this subject, and duly weigh the few following particulars: that St. John tells us, "The Word was God," and "the word was made flesh;" that St. Paul says, "God was manifest in the flesh; God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself; and, in him dwelt all the fulness of the |