Urol\ing unto jjtfu.S'. Chap.2. Sea~ w~ll with love; let us no~ rub and chafe our hearts ( our dead-cold hearts) before this fire, tJU we can fay wuh Peter, Why Lerdtholl k!1oweH all things, th•u knoweH that I IO'Ve thee. SECT. VII. Of joyinr; in 'fe(& in that rejpeEf. 7· LET us joy in JefHs, ascarrringon thegre~t work of our falvationforusin ,his fecond commg. Chrtll ~e!1ghrs to have h1s_people look upon h1m wirh delight; for afoul to be alwaysunder~ fpmt of bondage, and foro look upon Chrill as aJudge, aL~on, .or an offended God, 1r dorh nor pleafe God ; the Lord J efus is render of rhe joy Matth. S· 12. ofh1s Samts, Rtjo)'tt, andbe excecdmg glad, faH h Chnll ; rt}oyceevermore,--·-rejo;•ce in the ~J~~:: ~: ' 6 · Lord always, and again? I f ay rejo)'ce. Lenhe righteous be gl~d, let them re;oy<e before Pfa!. 6B. 3• God,yealu them exceedmgly rejoyce. All rharC_hnll doth ~o hiS Samrs rends to this joy, ~s the uplhot or end of ~11; _•f. he call down, rr rs burro rarfe rhem up; if he humble, it Is but to exalt; rf he ktll, 1t IS bur to make alive; in every difpenfarion !!ill he barb. a tender care to preferve their joy. This is the Benjamin, about which Chri!l's bowels bear; Let my childrm fiiffer any thing, but nothing in their joy; I would have all that IO'Ve my Name to be joyful in me. ,. ,. Oh, fay fome, but'Cliri!l's day is a rerrib)e day; when Chri!l appears, he will make Pfal. so. 3· the Heavens, and Earth, and Hell to fl~ake and tremble. Our God jha/1 come, andjhall not k$ep filence; afire jiJA/1 devour /lef•re him, and it fha/1 be very tcmpejluous round abo111t him. True! bur what's all this terror bur an argument of my Father's power anc! juRice againft finners ( if thou art Cluill's, and hall thy parr in him, not one jot ~f all 2 Pet. 2. 9· this terror be)ongs to thte. The Lord i(_nows how to deliver the godly out •f temptations, and toreferve the unjuH to the day of iudgment to be ps1nijhed. He knows how to make the fame day a terror to his foes, and a joy to his people; he ever intended it for rhe great diftingui{),ing and fepararing day, wherein both joy and forrow fl10uld bemaoiPfal. 97·7,8,9. fefted to the liighe(t. 0 then let the heavens rtjoyce, the fea, the earth, the floods, tbe hills, for the Lord cometh to j~<dge the utrth; with righuoufnejs jha/1 hejudge the world, Andthe prople with equity. If you find it an lhard thing to joy in J efus, as in reference ro his fe– cond coming, think of rbefe motives--- I. Chrill's coming is the Chriftians encouragement; fo Ghri!l himfelf lays it down, Luk.21.27,28 You jha/1 (<e the Son of man coming in Acl•ud with power andgreAt glory; and when theft things begin toeome to pafs, thrn look up, andlift upyour heads,for yowr redemption drawetb nigh. The figns of his coming are the hopes of your approaching introduction intG glory, and what flwuld you do then but prepare for your approaching with exceeding joy? many evils do now furround you every where, Saran bath his fnares, and the World his baits, and your own hearts are apt to betray you into your enemies hands; but when Chri!l comes, you lhall have full deliverance, and perfect redemption ; and therefore look_up, and lift upyour heads. The Apo!lle fpeaks the very fame encourage- ' Th~f.4- 16 • mem. , The Lord himfelf jhalt defcend from heaven with "flsout, with the voice of the 17 ' 1 • Archangel, and with the trHmp of God, and the dead in ChriH Jha/1 rife jirff, then we which are alive, andremain,fhallbe caught up together with them intheclouds, to meet the Lord in the air, --- wherefore comfortone another with theft words. Chri!l's coming i• a comfortable doctrine to all believers; and therefore all the Elect that hear rhefe words, lhould be comforted by them. Comfort ye, comfortye my people. 2 . Chrift our Saviour muft be our Judge; rhe fame Jefnsrhar was born for us, and lived for us and dyed for Ul, and dorh now pray for us, will come ar !all to judge us; is nor this ~omfortable I you that have heard all his rranfactions, can you ever forger the unwearinefs of Chrift's love, in his con/lam and continual actings for your fouls ( how long hath he been imerceding for his Saints? how long harh he been knocking ar their hearts for entrance? it is now aoove a thoufand fix hundred years that he hath been praying. and knocking, and he refolves not to give over rill all be his, rill all the Tribes in ones and twos be ov<r 7ordan, and up with him in the heavenlyCtma.w. And if this be he rhat mull be our Judge; if he that loves our fouls mull judge our fouls; if he that harh a great intere!t and encreafe of joy in our falvation, mu!t pafs our fenrence, will nor this work us inroa rejoycingframe. - 3. Chrift's
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