t: 572 CHARACTER OF A SOUND, But especially he loveth and longeth for the comingof Christ to judgment, as knowing that then the marriage-day of the Lamb is come, and then the desires add hopes of all believers shall be satisfied ; " then shall the righteous shine as stars in the kingdom of their Father;" and the hand of violence shall not reach-them. Every enemy' then is overcome, and all the Redeemer'swork is consdmmated, and the kingdom 'delivered up .unto the Father. Then shall the ungodly and the unmerciful be confounded, and the . righteous-filled with everlasting joy, when the Lord shall thorough- ly plead their'cause, and justify them against the accusations of Satan, and all the lies of his malicious instruments. O blessed, glorious, joyful day, when Christ shall come with thousands of bis ángels, " to execute vengeance on the ungodly world, and to be glorified in bis saints, and admired in all them that believe;" 2 Thess.,i. 8-10. When the patient followers of the Lamb shall behold him in glory whom they have believed in, and shall see that they did not pray, of hope, or wait in vain. When Christ himself; and -bis sacred truth, shall be justified and glorified in the presence of the world, and his enemies' mouths forever stopped. "When he shall convince all that are ungodly, of all their ungodly deeds, which they have .ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have 'spoken against him ; " Jude 14, 15. Where, then, is the mouth thatpleadeth -thecause of infi- delity and impiety? and reproached the serious holiness, of believ- ers? and made a jest of the judgments of the Lord? Then what terrors, and confusion," and shame, what fruitless repentings, will seize upon that man, that set himself' against the holy ones of the Lord, and knew not the day of his visitation, and embraced the image and form of godliness, while he abhorred the power ! The joys which will then possess the hearts of the justified, will be such as now no heart can comprehend. When love "shall come to be glorified in the highest expression, to those that lately were so low ; when all their doubts, and fears, and sorrows, shall be turned into full, contenting sight, and all tears shall be wiped away, and all reproaches turned into glory, and every enemy overcome, -and sin destroyed,' and holiness, effected, and our '' vile -bodibs changed, and made like the glorious body of Christ;" ''(Phil. iii. 20, 21. Col. iii. 3, 4.) then will the love and, work of our redemption be fully understood. And then a saint will be a saint indeed, when with Christ they shall " judge the angels and the world ;" (1 Cor: vi. 2, 3.) and shall hear from Christ, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world ; " Matt. xxv. 34. " Enter ye into the joy of your Lord;" Matt. xxv..21. Then "everyknee shall bow to-Christ, and every tongue shall confess that he is Lord, to the glory of God
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