»ISO. IV.1 IN HIS SAINTS, various beauties that are dispersed among all that as- sembly, are summed up, and united in himself : " He if: the chiefest of ten thousands, and altogether lovely ;" Cantic. v. W, 16. One sun in the firmament canpaint his oyvn bright image, at once, upon a thousand reflect- ing glasses, or mirrors of gold : What a dazzling lustre would arise from such a scene of reflexions ? But what superior and inexpressible glory, above all the powers of similitude, and beyond the reach of comparison, shall irradiate the world in that day, when Jesus; the Sun of righteousness, shall shine upon all his saints, and find each of them well prepared to receive this lustre, and to reflect it round the creation ; each of them displaying the image of the original Son of God,- and confessing all their: yirtues and graces, all their beauties and glories, both ofsoul and body, to be nothing else but were co- pies and derivations from Jesus, the first and fairest image of the Father ! o [" Here this discourse may be divided."] Use. The doctrines and the works ofdivine grace are full of wónder and glory ; Such is the person and offices of Christ, such are his holy and faithful followers, and such eminently will be the blessed scene at, his appear- ance. In the foregoing part of the discourse, we have briefly surveyed someof those glorious 'wonders, we now come to consider what use may be made ofsuch a theme. Use I. It gives us eminently these two lessons of in- struction : Lesson 1. " Hawmistaken is thejudgment of flesh and sense in the things that relate to Christ, and his saints." The Son of God himself was abused and scorned by the blindworld, they esteemed him as " one smitten of God, and unbeloved, and they saw'no beauty nor comeliness in him ;" Is. liii. 2, 3. He was poor and despised, all his life, and he was doomed to the death of a criminal and a slave. As for the saints, they find no more honour or esteem, among men, than their. Lord, they are many times called and counted- " the filth of the world, and the oí scouring of all things ;" 1 Cor. iv. 13. This is the judgment offlesh and sense. Rut when the great appointed hour is come, and Jesus shall return from heaven " with a shout of the arch-an- gel, and the trump of God ;" 1 Mess. iv. 16. when he
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=