SERMON IV.

ON THE

SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

2 THESS. i. 8, 9.

"The LORD JESUS fhall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not GOD, and obey not the gofpel of our LORD JESUS CHRIST; who fhall be punished with everlasting deftruction from the prefence of the LORD, and the glory of his power."

ΤΗ

HE Second Coming of our LORD, and the amazing scenes which will then be opened, to the everlasting confufion of his enemies, and the perpetual joy of his faints, are fubjects which frequently occur in holy writ. The Prophets and Apoftles, Chrift and his Evangelifts, fpeak often and largely of these matters; and though with fome variety of phrafe and manner of representation, yet without any contradiction.

And

they all treat them, not as points of mere fpeculation, the contemplation of which has a tendency to encrease our knowledge, and exalt our minds, but alfo and chiefly as difcoverics of the utmost importance and concern to us all, which when cordially believed and attentively confidered, have, through divine grace, the most happy influence on our temper and conduct. And it is highly probable that Christianity would flourish much more than it does among us, if the Minifters of the Gofpel imitated, in this, their example, and led both faints

and finners to the more frequent and ferious confideration of thofe events which will foon take place.

2. Would we fuccefsfully call finners to repentance? Like Paul preaching at Athens, we must testify that "God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteoufnefs, by that Man whom he hath ordained."-Would we make the finners in Zion afraid? Would we wish to fee fearfulness furprife the hypocrites? With the Prophet we must demand, "Who can endure devouring fire? Who can dwell with everlasting burnings?" Would we perfuade the delicate and effeminate to felf-denial and mortification, to "cut off the right hand and to pluck out the right eye which offend?" We muft, with our Lord, remind them, that it is better one of their members fhould perish, than that their whole body fhould be caft into hell, where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched." Would we fortify the timorous against the fear of man which always bringeth a fnare, and often leadeth into fin? We must exhort them in the words of Jefus, "not to fear those who can only kill the body, but rather to fear Him who can destroy both body and foul in hell."

3. In fhort, whether we would roufe the carelefs, or excite the indolent, or reclaim the backflider, or comfort the diftreft, or fuccour the tempted, or encourage the faint hearted, or animate the faithful foldier of Jefus Chrift patiently to endure hardships, courageoufly to fight his enemies, valiantly conquer the powers of darkness, and feize the crown of everlasting life;-we muft bring the Day of Judgment into view, with the terrors of hell and the joys of heaven, and fetch our arguments, motives and encouragements, thence.-Thus will the flout hearted and thofe who are far from

from righteoufnefs tremble, with Felix (who was alarmed at Paul's reafoning concerning a judgment to come) and enquiring "What muft we do to be faved?" will repent and be converted, that their fins may be blotted out." And thus will the true believer rejoice in hope of the glory of God; and while for the joy that is fet before him he endures the cross and defpifes the fhame," he will "give all diligence to be found of Chrift at his coming in peace, and without fpot and blameless.”

4. Since then these are fuch necessary and fruitful fubjects of difcourfe, and fo repeatedly offered to our confideration in the facred Scriptures, it may be profitable for us frequently to employ our thoughts upon them. That we may do it for a few moments at this time, I have made choice of this moft alarming paffage of Scripture, in which the Apostle, with a view to their comfort and fupport under their fufferings, puts the perfecuted Church of God at Theffalonica, in remembrance of the very different ftate of things which would foon take place, with regard to them and their perfecutors. "God (fays he,) will recompenfe tribulation to those who trouble you, and to you who are troubled, reft with us, when the Lord Jefus fhall be revealed, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gofpel of our Lord Jefus Chrift; who (adds he) thall be punished with everlasting deftruction from the prefence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power."

In these words we have,

I. The Certainty and Manner of our LORD's Second Coming.

II. The Character of them who fhall then be the objects of his wrath.

III. The Nature and Duration of the punish-. ment which he will inflict upon them.

These are all very important points, and well deferve our moft ferious confideration.

In this Difcourfe I fhall confine myself to the first of them, viz.

I. The Certainty and Manner of our Lord's Second Coming.

1. As to the Certainty of his Second Coming, they who read and credit the Oracles of God, can entertain no doubt at all concerning it. It is there foretold and defcribed fo frequently and clearly, and with fuch variety of method and expreffion, that the most careless reader can hardly avoid obferving and understanding it. If therefore I produce fome Scripture-teftimonies of this Truth, it is not fo much with a view to illuftrate and confirm it, as to imprefs fo ufeful a fubject more deeply upon our minds, for it is too manifeft, that it may be believed and understood, where it has, by no means, its proper influence.

2. I obferve then, that this event was foretold by the ancient Prophets, as well as by Chrift and his Apoftles. Even Enoch of old prophefied, faying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thoufand of his Saints, to execute judgment upon all." A truth this of which the Pfalmift was not ignorant, for in the 50th Pfalm, he teftifies, "Our God fhall come, and shall not keep filence: a fire fhall devour before him, and it fhall be very tempeftuous round about him: he fhall call the heavens from above and the earth, that he may judge his people." These predictions, fo clear and express. that their fenfe must be obvious to all, are confirmed and illuftrated by the teftimony of Daniel,

chap.

chap. vii. ver. 9, 10. "I beheld (fays he) till the thrones were caft down, and the Ancient of Days did fit, whofe garment was white as fnow, 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 ftream iffued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands miniftered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was fet, and the books were opened ! " What a fublime and inimitably grand description have we here, mixed with admirable 1.mplicity? How far does it exce d, in thefe refpects, every thing to be met with in merely human compofitions? How plainly does it appear to have been the effect, not of genius and art, but of a mind, through the influences of the divine Spirit, elevated with the grandeur, awed with the majesty, and ftruck with the terror of the subject.

3. These ancient prophecies of our Lord's fecond coming have the fanction of his own authority, not only as being infpired by him, but as being confirmed by most express declarations, delivered by himself, as well while upon earth as after his afcenfion into heaven, and that both before friends and enemies. I fhall produce only two or three of these as specimens of the reft. Thus when Caiaphas, the Elders and Scribes, had the boldness, er prefumptuous wickednefs rather, to call their Creator and final Judge to take his trial at their tribuna!; before these he testified, “Hereafter fhall ye fee the Son of Man fitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." To his friends and followers, he often foretold the fame event, though with a different view, not merely to convince and alarm, but alfo and especially to comfort and encourage them. Thus, when predicting and deferibing the deftruction of Jerufalem, and the ruin of the Jewish