i i8 The N4:w and EomYiFTi: L I F E of our BLESSED will appear: he himfelf declares, that he will appear in the glory of his Father, and with the holy angels : he will appear ar- rayed in the majeby of that God, who dwells in light, and whofc glory no mortal can approach ; not the bleffed inhabitants of the heavenly world, can bear the blaze of that boundlefs glory which furrounds the eternal throne, but veil their faces in the prefence of that God who dwells in light, and fills the heavenly regions with the boundlefs blaze of uncreated brightnefs. How fmall, how dim a fpeck is the fun, when compared with the Eternal Fountain of Light, or with the brightnefs of that God, who pours the beamy radiance from world to world, and could, with one ray of glory darted from his throne, light up a thoufand funs. In this boundlefs brightnefs, andmajeflic pomp, will the Son of God appear. Ah ! howunlike the defpifed Galilean ; how un- like the perfon, who groaned and bled on Calvary! Not now attended with twelve weak difciples, twelve mean, illiterate fifhermen ; but furroundedwithmyriads of ceelefial fpirits, and numberlefs bolls of mighty angels. With what cceleflial pomp, with what unutterable brightnefs, they de- fcend through the fky, while the fun, over- powered with exceffive light, shrinks and difappears; and the whole bright affembly defcends from heaven with a fhout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God. The trumpet, with tremenduous roar, refounds through the regions of the dead: the dead awake and rife ; fore ex- ulting with joy at the fight of their Savi- our, and others terrified, confounded, and filled with inexpreffible horror, at the fight of their Judge : the great and mighty, the rich and noble, warriors, captains, princes, and potentates who ruled the world, and did what they pleafed amongf the fons of men, now have loft all their honours and command, and are filled with the ut- moff confiernation, amazement, and dif- may : they cannot bear the brightnefs of the Judge, they would plunge into eternal darknefs, to avoid his piercing eye, and they call upon the rocks and mountains to fall on them, and hide themfront the face of him that fitteth on the throne, andfrom the wrathof. the Lamb : for the great day of his wrath is come; and who (call be able to fand? However reluilant, they are forted tó appear: urged by ftrong neceffity,- and drivenby frowning angels, they crowd to the bar, andRand, trembling and aflonilhed, on the left-hand of theirJudge. The eleét ofGod, gathered by angels from the utter- moR parts of the earth, are placed on the right-hand ; they lift up their heads with joy, and, beholding the great Judge of heaven and earth, with exultation and tranfport, can fay, This is our God, we have waited for him; we will be glad and rejoice in him. And now the time is come, when flagrant outrageous vice [hall be thrown down, and defpifed, oppreffed, of -. fliEled virtue [hall be exalted ; now is the time, when the myfferies of Providence fluff be unveiled, when all the clouds and darknefs which furrounded the ways of God, will be cleared away, and the wifdom, juflice, and goodnefs of divine conduit, fully vindicated, both in thofe who are fa- ved, and thofe who perifh : now the church of CHRIST, his fpotlefs bride, purchafed with his blood, [hall appear in all her glory and beauty, all vain hypocritical pretenders will be expofed, and every thing that of fendeth, done away. An awful filence is proclaimed ; the books areopened ; the fecrets of all hearts, and every dark deedwhich had been care- fully concealed, are brought to light : and then the exalted King of the univerfe, who fits in Judgment, proceeds to pafs that fentence, which muff Rand for ever. With looks- of the moll kind, condefcending goodnefs, and unfpeakable complacency and delight, he firft beholds the happy heirs of life and glory, who had been enabled, by his grace, to believe in him for life and falvation, and bring forth fuch fruits of righteoufnefs, as were honourable to
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