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day of the coming of Jesus Christ, with all er and Glory: for, in many passages of the New Testament, Christ is called GOD*, and he himself assumes the name of THE ALMIGHTY ;t and the prophet, when describing his coming, and the joy and praise of the just upon that occasion, calls him the Lord God Almighty; and it is here called HIS DAY, because Christ shall then come with all power, to subdue and put all his enemies under his feet, to "consume them according to St. Paul, with the spirit of his mouth, "and the brightness of his coming.§

Indeed, the events of this great day are described, or referred to, not only by the other apostles, as well as the prophet here, but by Christ himself. It will not, therefore, be an unnecessary digression to attend to what he himself, and the apostles, have said on the subject, as introductory to the prophet's account in this place. It will tend to the elucidation of the great and awful events of the "seventh vial of the wrath of God." Let us first hear our blessed Redeemer." Verily, verily, I say unto you, that the bour "is coming, when the dead shall hear the voice " of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. "For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath "he given the Son authority to execute judgment "also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel "not at this, for the bour is coming, in which all "that are in the grave shall come forth; they

* Rev. xv. 3. Rom. ix. 5. Rev. i. 8.

Thess. ii. 8.

1 John, iii. 16. Ibid. ver. 20, &c.

"that have done good, to the resurrection of life, "and they that have done evil to the resurrec"tion of damnation*." John the Baptist, when speaking of the coming of Christ, says, "his fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his "floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner, " but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable "fire" meaning, that Christ, at the great day of his coming to judge mankind, will purge the world of sinful and ungodly men, by separating them from the just and righteous, and taking the second under his divine mercy and protection (the "sea of glass"), and condemning the first to everlasting torments. St. Luke informs us, that Christ commanded the apostles "to preach to "the people, and to testify, that it is HE which

was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick "and dead." And St. Paul, when writing to the Thessalonians upon the same subject, "I would "not have you ignorant, brethren," says he, "concerning them which are asleep, that ye sor"row not even as others who have no hope; for "if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus, will "God bring with him.-For this we say unto you, by the word of the Lord, that we which "are alive, and remain to the coming of the "Lord, shall not prevent them that are asleep. "For the Lord himself shall descend from hea"ven with a shout, with the voice of the archan"gel, and with the trump of God, and the dead

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St. John, v. 25-39.

† St. Matt. iii. 12.

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"in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are "alive, and remain, shall be caught up together " with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in "the air, and so shall we be ever with the Lord."Wherefore, comfort one another with these "words*." So St. Peter, in his second epistle, "But the heavens which are now, by the word of "God are kept in store, reserved unto fire against "the day of judgment, and perdition of the ungodly. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one

thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thou"sand years, and a thousand years as one day. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, "as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. "But the DAY OF THE LORD will come as a "thief in the night, in the which the heavens "shall pass away with a great noise, and the ele"ments shall melt with fervent heat; the earth "also, and the works that are therein, shall

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be burned up. Seeing then that all these things "shall be dissolved, what manner of persons "ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening unto THE "DAY OF GOD. Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens, and a "new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousnesst." St. Paul, again, in his first epistle to the Corinthians, is yet more express and full on the subject: a chapter which I earnestly recommend to

* 1 Thess. iv. 11-18. 2 St. Pet. iii. 7-14. Chap. xv.

the repeated and careful perusal of every Christian, as it contains the sum total of the Christian faith. I shall only cite a part of it. He there treats of the "great day," of the coming of Christ, of his reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet, even death itself, and the surrender of the kingdom to God, even the Father, that God may be "ail in all." He teaches us, that "since by man came death, by man came also "the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam "all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. "But every man in his own order, Christ the first"fruits; afterwards they that are Christ's, at his coming-Then cometh the end, when he shall "have delivered up the kingdom to God, even "the Father, when he shall have put down all rule " and all authority, and power: for he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The "last enemy that shall be destroyed is death: for "he hath put all things under his feet. But when "he saith all things are put under him, it is mani"fest that he is excepted which did put all things " under him. And when all things shall be sub"dued unto him, then shall the Son also himself "be subject unto him, that put all things under him, that God may be ALL IN ALL. But some "man will say, how are the dead raised up, and "with what body do they come? Thou fool! "that which thou sowest is not quickened except "it die, and that which thou sowest not that body "that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of "wheat, or some other grain. But God giveth

"it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every "seed its own body. Again, Now this I say, "brethren, that flesh and flood cannot inherit the

kingdom of God; neither doth corruption "inherit incorruption. Behold I shew you a "mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall "all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of "an eye, at the last trump: for this corruptible "must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallow"ed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? "O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of "death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. "But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ*."

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Thus we perceive, that it is ordained of God, that Christ shall come; that he shall come to conquer all his enemies, even death itself; that, upon his coming, he shall raise the just from the dead, and reign with them; that he shall then summon before his righteous and awful tribunal the quick and the dead, even all the race of Adam, and shall pass a final judgment upon them, according to the deeds done in the body; and that, having done these things, he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father, that God may be ALL IN ALL. Indeed there are many other passages in the New Testament which bear witness to these truths. I have cited so many of them only as I thought necessary to introduce the

* 1 Cor. xv. 50-58.