Chap.1.Sett. 1. JL.ootung unto jjefu~. Book VI. 577 what 111anner of per{ons ought we to be in all holy c.nwrfation and godlintfs? looking for, And haftening Bnto the Co7Jing of the day of God, wherein the huwens being on firejha!l be dijfolved, AM the Elements P.all melt with frrvent heat ? . . , . . . 4 • He defcends lower and lower till he is inwrapt with clouds. Hereafter fhally• foe Matth. 26.64. the Son of mAn 'Jitting on the right hand of potl'tr, and coming in the cloHds of heawn, When he went up into Heaven it is faid, that a cloHd rrceived him out of theirfight; and All. I. 9· the Angels then faid, Ye men of G.Ji/ee, whyftantl ye g.u.ing Nf into heaven? thu fame Jefus which u ea~n Jtp from you intohe11ven, Jha!lfo come, in lik; manner ,u ye have feen All. I. II,I2, him go inro heaven. He went up in clouds, and he /hall come down in clouds. I faw inDan. 7· '3· the night vi{ions, and brhold onelik; the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven. Here is the firlllight of Chrill to men on the earth, when once he is come down into the clouds, then n~all they lift up their eyes, and have a full view of Jefus Chrill; a cloud firll received him out of their fight; and a cloud now difcovcrs him to their fight ; Thmjha!lAppearthejign of theSonof mAn in heaven, and ihey Jh•ll foe the Son of manMmh. •4·30· co.,ing in the clouds of heaven with power andgreatglory : is it not plain that tP.e firll appearings, and fight of Chrill at his fecond comtng from Heaven, is in the midft of clouds? Behold he come(h with clouds, andeveryeye ]hall fee him, and they alfo whi<h pier- Rev. t. 7• ced him. Some controverfie there is about thefe clouds, as whether they be .Angels? when the Pfalmill fpeaks of all fons of Meteors, as of Waters, Clouds, Winds, Flames, fome fay, all thefe are .Angels; andof the .Angel~hrfairh, who maf<!th hu .Angelsjpirits, Heb. 1. 1· t~nd hu Minifters aflame of fire. For my part I take it in the literal f~nfe, that upon the very backs of clouds Chri!t /hall come riding along at the general day;' and howfoever this may feem a fmall matter unto us, yet I cannot look on any circum!lance of this tranfadion as [mall and trifling I the v<ry clouds on which Chrill rides, fpeak terror, and comfort. 1 • Oh what a terror is this to the wicked? They Jlu•ll foe the Son of man coming in the Mmh. 24-3~. clouds, and then {hall all the Tribes of the earth mourn. Thefe Tribes of the Earth are Id dt ill'~iis the tribes of the wicked ; no fooner lhaltthey look up, and fee Chrift in his clouds/'~"""""";c•, but with unconceivable horror will they cry it out , 0 yonder is he whofe blood we ~111,,1';;. 1~t::. neglected, whofe grace ~e refilled , whofe co~ncels we r_efufed, whofe government ille mi[trundu. we call: off. 0 yonder ts he that comes now 10 clo~ds, 10 t_empeftuous clouds; Ofolum pe~tinet. fee how he llorms I do not thofe very clouds in whtch he ndes fpeak or threaten a Arettus m lo– llorm ? In the eighteenth Pfalm.is a defcription of Chrill's coming to judgment. cum. But 0 how terrible? in the fevemh verfe, we find the e11rth trembling; in the eighth verfe, a fir<_ dtvoHring; in tbe ninth vcrfe, tht heavem bowinz downwards: in the 12, IJ, If, Ij. v,edes, are thic!:., clo~tds dark_ning the skje, thunders, lighrnings, haykjfone~ flying through the air, the foundatiom of the world difcouered; tllus the Mighty SJoq, our ]efus defcends. Oh how nwuld the wicked but tremble ac this, when but a confideration of this bath fometimes llarcled God's own people? behold Habak..ku.~ with quivering lips, trembling joyncs, bones n.oulderiog into Hab. ;. t6. dull:, when he had.,~nely a Prophetick reprefencati0n of Chrift's fecond appearance! all the dreadful things thlt attended the prefence of God in Egypr, at the red Sea on Mount Sinai, thrvugh the Wildernefs, are made but types, butlhadows of the terrible march of the Captain of the Lord of HoRs ; and therefore /hall the wicked mourn. ~. Here is the pltience, and faiib, and joy of Saints. .And "" the kjndreds of the Rev. 1. 7· tarth Jh•ll mcurn ever hi,n; even fa, Amm. This I cannot but under/land of the wicked; onely f<>me tell us ot a double mourning on that day, the one of joy and love, and the other of forrow and,jlefpair 1 I /hall not deny but there may be fome ft~eet .tears upon this fweet fubjed, Chrift's apparition ,i11 the clouds: Such a fl)ine wtll be from Chrilt in tb< cloud, that the very lhine will pierce the h~arts of men wtth the ,golden-headed arrow of loye•. and liow m~y. this work tears? from this Rcv.J. 7 , Text of ?ohn, Behold he comcrh with clouds, and tvery eye ]hall foe h•m, and they al(o Hir.c con[equi– wf'~t-h pureed hun, and all the kjndrtds .of the tarth.Jha!l waylc, &c. Some Di-""·chrifl•m•~ vtnes. gather, ~hat Chrill_at that day, will n·":" i~ his glorified body the. wounds ~:/;;~;'~11;;: of Ius cruCJfymg, as an tnf>lhble trophy. of hts vt~ory over all hts enemtes ; and rum oflenfurum hence the wickeJ who pierced, or crucified the Lord ,of glory, liy their fins. wiU tanqtW/1 tro– weep and waile. I oan think no lefs , btlt that Cb'rill at that day will open his pluum infalli– bo'Com, and fl!eiV thofe wounds of love, which lie had in his heari from all eterni- h•lecowa nm– 'Y, together with thofe \Vound's which he received on the Crofs a's they are glo- ~;.fltuos " 1 •/1."·•. · Q_q q - ' rifie'd · tn oco.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=