36 THE GREAT PREPARATIVES. remember, that within the " earthly house of this ta- bernacle is dissolved, thou hast a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. "(n) Lay down cheerfully this lump of corruption ; thou shalt undoubtedly receive it again in incorruption. Lay down freely this terrestrial, this natural body ; thou shalt receive it again a celestial, a spiritual body. Though thou lay it down with great dishonour, thou shalt re- ceive it in glory. Though thou art separated from it through weakness, it shall be raised again in mighty power; " in a moment,' in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumps for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed: "(o) " The dead in Christ shall rise first. Then they who are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air ! "(p) Triumph now, O Christian, in these promises : thou shalt shortly triumph in their perform, ance. "This is the day which the Lord will make, we shall rejoice and-be glad in it. "(q) The grave, that could not keep our Lord, cannot keep us. He arose for us, and by the same power will cause us to arise, " For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, even so them also will sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. "(r) Let .us never look at the grave, but let us see the resurrection beyond it. Yea, let us "be stedfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as we know our labour is not in.vain in the Lord. "(s) 5. (3) Part of this prologue to the saint's rest, is the public and solemn process at their judgment, where they shall first themselves be acquitted and jus- tified, and then with Christ judge the world. Young and old, of all estates and nations, that ever were from the creation to that day, must here, come and receive their doom.O terrible, O joyful day ! Terrible to those that have forgot the coming of their Lord ! joy- ful to the saints, whose waiting and hope was to see this day ! Then shall the world "behold the good- .(n) 2 Cor. v. 1. (o) I Cor. xv. 42- 44 - - -52. (p) 1 Thess. iv. 16, 17. (q) Psalm cxviii, 24, (r) 1 Thess. iv, 14, (s) 1 Cor. xv. 58,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=