cometh; and on this very ground every one is called to watchfulness and prayer, and to be like one waiting for the return of his Lord. Matt. xxiv. 42. If even it be thought that previously to his coming, there should be a millennium, or thousand years of blessedness on earth, it must be remembered, that our God repeatedly and constantly exhorts us to be watchful, and prepared for his coming suddenly: any view of a future millennium that would make, this impracticable cannot be scriptural.

Have we not too much been accustomed also to [73] view the future coming of Christ as a solitary fact, rather than as a period, full of important events? The first coming of Christ occupied above thirty years, and varied events took place in it. May not his second coming also be a lengthened period? may it not also include a great variety of important events? On the order of future events, our knowledge must be in a measure obscure. And was not the very obscurity designed to have, among other advantages, this practical effect, that the church may never be without the privilege and duty of waiting for and expecting the quick return of its beloved and adored Head.

Let it then be remembered that all Christians agree that our Lord Christ shall come, and come suddenly, quickly, and unexpectedly. His own statement is express on this point-Behold, I come as a thief. WE MUST THEN LAY ASIDE ALL CONFIDENCE

IN VIEWS THAT WOULD PRACTICALLY INTERFERE WITH IMME

DIATE PREPARATION FOR HIS COMING, and seek to attain the blessing connected with the announcement of his coming: "Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. Rev. xvi. 15.

The varied ways in which the coming of Christ is explained tend to shew that a spiritual coming does not accord with the simple declarations of scripture. Some, in order to meet the numerous expressions of the suddenness of our Lord's coming, deny that the Millennium is to come, and yet the order of the Apocalypse, and the conformity of this hope with innumerable promises both of the Old and New Testament, make this view so unsatisfactory that it is by no means generally entertained. Others think [74] coming may mean death; but this will not apply to the varied descriptions of his coming, and would make that which is the grand theme of prophecy an hourly and momentary event; coming after an apostacy, coming after the great tribulation, coming as the deluge, coming as the destruction of Sodom, coming as lightning, coming with the sound of the trumpet, coming with his holy angels, applies not to death. Others think that it can only be a spiritual coming before the Millennium in judgments and mercies;

founding this on Daniel's giving the expression, the Son of Man coming in the clouds, in the symbolical part of his prediction, the Ancient of Days sitting symbolically in judgment, and the Son of Man's coming in the clouds not being mentioned in the literal explanation. Dan. vii. 9-27. But God is essentially INVISIBLE; the Son of Man is VISIBLE, and the kingdom given to him is literally mentioned in the symbolical plan of the prophecy, just as it is in the literal explanation. His coming personally to establish his kingdom rests not on that passage alone, but on other passages that cannot be so escaped. 2 Tim. iv. 1, 8; 1 Peter v. 4.

The great diversity of these opinions, and the different plans for escaping from the force of plain expressions, may at least lead us to suspect that the mind naturally desires any thing rather than yield to the unwelcome fact of such an unparalleled interference with and disturbance, not only of all its preconceived notions, but of the whole present system and course of this world. Let us yield to the plain meaning of the words, and believe that coming means coming, the Son of Man's coming, means the Son of Man's coming; his coming in the clouds, (Acts i. 11.) [75] means his coming in the clouds, and our ignorance of the time and the suddenness of it, makes it impossible that there should be an intervening certain period of 1000 years yet to come; and we shall find consistency and rest in plain words. Thus we shall be enabled to yield up our minds with comfort and satisfaction to the obvious meaning of innumerable expressions throughout the word of God; without any jarring between our opinions, and the apparent statements of the Divine Record.

It is objected that death is the same to us as the coming of Christ. The practical duty of constant preparedness for this great change is clear. In the way of Providence, death comes suddenly to all: and though not with the same blessed hope, nor with the same purifying power, yet the shortness and uncertainty of life (James iv. 14; 1 Cor. vii. 29) is a quickening motive for deadness to the world and preparedness for meeting our God. That state of mind which is a due preparation for the awful change that death makes, prepares us also for the coming of Christ; death is a decisive day to us as individuals, fixing our state for ever. But, while a lively view of the coming of Christ is a great help to right preparation for death, it gives us also the enjoyment of a blessed hope, instead of the dread of an evil, all our days.

Though the practical use of a doctrine is not the ground on which we can prove it, as we are hardly competent judges on that point, yet it being often objected to premillennial views,

what is the real importance of them? does not death answer the same end in practice as the coming of Christ is expected to answer? It may, in addition to what has [76] already been said, be farther observed in reply: Death in itself is the wages of sin, and the dissolution of the body undesirable, (2 Cor. v. 4,) and an object of terror, rather than of hope; Christ's coming is from a covenant of love, terrible indeed to the wicked, but a blessed hope to the righteous. Death does not ordinarily come without some previous notice and time of preparation; our Saviour comes quite by surprise. We think we can ward off death by skill, and care, and medicine for a long time; there is no warding off the irresistible coming of the Lord. Death does not take away our possessions from our family and friends, and therefore does not effectually separate us from the love of the world; but our Saviour's coming is the entire destruction of all worldly plans, hopes, and prospects; takes away estates, mortgages, funds, titles, earthly reputation, and every thing on which the carnal heart builds, not only from us, but from our children, and leaves us and them nothing but the heavenly inheritance, and the promised glories of the Redeemer; and that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Hence it is he that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure. 1 John iii. 2, 3. The coming of Christ is then far more effectual to wean us from the world, and to lead us to bring up our children separated from it and dead to it, and living only for the kingdom that cannot be moved. Heb. xii. 28.

There are unhappily but few among real Christians whose faith and hope excite them to a holy desire to depart and to be with Christ. Phil. i. 23. There are very many, who from weakness of faith, and perhaps careless walking with God, through fear of death, are all their life-time subject to bondage. Heb. ii. 15. The [77] fears of such spring from this cause: they are afraid that they are not true disciples of Christ, and shall not be accepted by him; and though this state of heart probably arises from a SINFUL WANT OF FAITH IN AND SUBMISSION TO ALL HIS TRUTH, and is comfortless and unsatisfactory, yet if such are indeed born of God, their great desire is to win Christ and be found in him, Phil. iii. 8, 9; and could they be assured that they had an interest in Christ, and would be gathered with his sheep into the heavenly fold, they would look at death without terror. To assist such, I would direct them as the sacred writers do, not to look merely at death, but to look also at the coming of Christ. Death, though in one view a privilege, in another is the wages of sin, and a terrible enemy; but the return of Christ is a blessed hope full of joy, (Titus

ii. 13.) A lively faith in the coming of Christ, (1 Cor. xv. 23, 52-57) gives us the victory over death and all its sting.

Weigh much then the glories and blessedness of his return, till holy desires be kindled in your heart, and you have no hesitation in joining in the desire of the church, even so, come, Lord Jesus. Rev. xxii. 20. These words are, as if the church with ardent desire exclaimed, "Oh hasten thy coming,-let sin be abolished for ever, perfect holiness be given to thy people in glory, thine elect be gathered, their bodies raised, thyself admired in thy saints, and the transient glimmerings of this distant glory issue in seeing thee as thou art, and being ever with thee, O Lord. O Jesus, thou King and Saviour of thy church, accomplish the number of thine elect; finish the days of conflict; destroy the works of Satan; swallow up death in [78] victory; manifest thine own glory, and may we soon be with thee in that glory for ever and ever."

Such is the second advent of Christ, which is before his church. It is full of terror to all his enemies, for "he shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." 2 Thess. i. 9. O reader! be not, for all that this world can give, among those enemies. It is full of consolation to his people, for he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired in all them that believe, ver. 10. O reader! may you and I be numbered among his believing saints.

Desire for Christ's coming is the very spirit of every Christian who truly loves him. The last sound of the church in the book of God, in reply to the promised quick coming of our Saviour, is, Even so, come Lord Jesus. The last note in the richest expressions of love to Christ abounding in the book of Canticles is, "Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of spices." The prayer our Lord himself has taught us ever to use is, Thy kingdom come. If we love our Saviour we must long to behold him. If now seeing him only by faith, we rejoice with joy unspeakable, how infinitely desirable must it be to see him as he is, and dwell with him for ever!

55*

CHAPTER VI.

THE PERIOD OF THE SECOND COMING OF OUR LORD.

[79] It will be generally allowed by all who believe the word of God, that there is a time of universal peace, righteousness, and blessedness, promised to the church of Christ on earth: the question we would now consider is whether this time precedes or follows the coming of our Lord, in glorified humanity, to our earth. All real Christians know that he will thus come; but in these latter days many have thought, not only that this period of rest is yet to come, which we believe to be the truth, but that it is to come before our Lord's return. What then say the scriptures? We can only rest on scripture testimony. God will be found true, though every man be a liar; and of what is to come we can literally know nothing certainly but that which he has revealed. The subject is too large to introduce the full testimony of scripture; only specimens can be given.

There is a remarkable distinction which may be observed between the testimony of the Old and that of the New Testament, on this point. The old Testament [80] is very full of statements respecting a season of rest and glory, every where introduced by the coming of Christ. The New Testament, when our Lord had come, speaks of afflictions and sorrows and a mingled state of his people till a future coming, and then of a kingdom and a season of rest. The point of harmony between these statements will lead us to the scriptural view of the period of our Lord's return.

When the Old Testament prophecies were given, both the first and second comings of our Lord were future: it will prevent mistake respecting which of these is intended, first to consider THE NEW TESTAMENT STATEMENTS bearing on this subject, and then harmonize them with those of the Old Testament. May our God enable us to discern his truth!

1. THE NEW TESTAMENT is quite SILENT AS TO ANY PERIOD OF REST before the second coming; nor is there any passage that can justly be construed to support this view. The only passage on which men have rested (the 20th of Revelation,) may, it is believed, be fully proved to relate to the state of glory after his coming.