5 3o Faith's Eccho or; Come ; wbafaever is a-thirfifaith, Come : therefore every godly Mari that bath the Spirit ofGod,that is a part of this Bride,that is partaker ofthofe promifes, that hath a tafle ofJefus Chrift,every one ofthefemutt necelfarily fay, Co* i Evenfo, Come Lord /efsts. This is fo proper to believers, and to everyoneof them; as theydie all of them defcribed by this property inScripture. z Tim. 4. $. The Crown whichthe righteous 3udge fhe!lgiveme at that day, an not onlyto me, but to all them that love bis appearing: The Apofhlc he might have faid to all faints, and godly whatfoever ; and to all faithful believers, but he makes choyce of this Epithite, he defcribeth them by this that they are fach as love his appearance. Heb.g. zß. Unto them that waitfor bim/hall beappear the f cond time forfalvaii- on. The godly aro there defcribed by this very property,theywait,and'long,anddo- fire afterhis appearance the fecondtime. Indic 4. of Saint Matthews Gofpel ; it is made thepropertyofa goodand faith- ful fervant there, that he waitesh for .his Mailers coming, andprepareth all ina readines, it is oppofed to thefloathful fervant that doth clean otherwife. Ye fee the truth of it in Scripture: Butye will fay ; Is this the property of the Ele& and faithful ? Donot ungodly men and finners believe the coining ofChritt, and that he (hall come to judgethe quick and the dead ? Doth not every man make this profeffion ofhis faith ; I be- lieve that lefties Cbriff lima come to judge the quickand the dead? Why then do ye make it the property ofBelievers, (*nice every man believeth and looks for it? To this I anfwer.There is a twofold expeftationofChrift hisreturn toJudgment. The one An expeftationwithdelre,and with an earneft longing,theexpe la- tienof the faithful, ofa Lord, ofa gracious Redeemer, nay,ofa loving Husband. Therefore every faithful foul cannot but wait uponhim : Asa faithfulfervant that bathdone his work longeth for his Matters coming home, that he may give an ac- count of his faithfutnefs, andmay be acceptableto his Matter for his faithful fervice that he bath done in his abfence,that he may expe&hisMatters remuneration. - tut there is anotherexpeftation of Chrift to come,thatisnot withdefire,but with horrour,anddread,and fear,outofguiltinefs ofConfcience. This is the expeftation ofa Malcfaaor intheJayl,he waitethand looks for the comingof the Judge to pars (entente onhim,andfoto be dragged to execution; thus wickedmen expert Chrifl; thus wicked Angelsexpe& him. But the expeftation of the godly is an expeftation with love anddeliire, an expeftationnot ofa fevereJudge, but of a loving husband, of a faithful Matter that bath promifed a recompenceto the ferviceofbelievers, even the leali and low eft ; if it be the giftof a cup ofcold water in his'name. Therefore ye, muff take knowledgeof the expeftation heremeant this I fay is proper to believers.- Letus fee the truth of theDo&rine, in the Reafon of it; why every faithful foul mutt needs long andddire the fecund comingofChtift. Fitil, becaufe it is a part ofChrittsgracious promife, which the faith ofthe foul leanethon: The proper obje&of faith is the promife of the Gofpel, this yemay fee in the Text, Chrift had promifed to come, Anien,evenfo; here is the reafonof this Mire, becaufe hispromife goeth before it. The faithful foul apprehendethevery other inferiour promife, and every lefspromife, much more this mainpromife, the very knot ofall, the very complement of all faith mutt needsexpert and clafp fall hold upon this promife, andgive affent and acclamation to it, as in the word amen,, even fo come as thouhaft laid andpromifed. Many promifes to thispurpofe, hath our Lord and Saviour Chrift pronounced, for the ftirring up ofour faithandatfe &ion':as namely that in the 54ofSaint Johns Gofpel toward the bcginning,wherehe comforteth his Difciples in his abfence ; If 1go, l will comeagain. And fo in a tl a t. si. Ar ye fee him attendwith your bodily eyes in his Perlon and fled], fo yefloat,fee himdefeend. . But we neednotgo far for promifes, for immediately before the words,andtwo veins betides in thisChapter, the 7. andaa, Behold, 1comefhortly. This
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