1 Christ has provided for the fallen sons of Adam. They shall stand amazed to see the millions of apostate creatures, the inhabitants of this earthly globe, recovered to their duty and allegiance by the Son of God, going down to dwell amongst them; millions of impure and deformed souls restored to the divine image, and made beautiful as angels, by the grace and spirit of our Lord Jesus. Those spectators shall be filled with admiration and transport, to see such a multitude of criminals pardoned and justified, for the sake of a righteousness which they themselves never wrought, and accepted as righteous in the sight of God, by a covenant of grace unknown to other worlds, and by faith in the great Mediator. They shall wonder to see such an innumerable company of polluted wretches, washed from their sins in so precious a laver as the blood of God's own Son : And he that hung upon the cross as a spectacle of wretchedness at Jerusalem, shall entertain the superior and inferior worlds with the sight of his adorable and divine glories, and the spoils he has brought from the regions of death and hell. Thus to 'the principalities and powers in heavenly places, shall be made known by the church triumphant, the manifold wisdom,' and the manifold grace of God the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ, Eph. iii. 10. But tremble, Oh ye obstinate and impenitent wretches, ye sensual sinners, ye infidels of a Christian name and nation, Christ will be glorified in you one way or another: If your hearts are not bowed and melted to receive his gospel, you shall be 'punished with everlasting destruction' among those that 'know not God, and obey not the gospel of his Son.' Tremble, ye sensual and ye profane sons of iniquity, when ye remember this day, when ye shall see the holy souls that ye scorned, with crowns on their heads, and palms in their hands, with the shout of victory and joy on their tongues, and the God-man whom ye despised, and whose grace ye neglected, shining at the head of that bright assembly. Tremble, ye infidels, ye despisers of the name of a crucified Christ, behold his cross is become a throne, and his crown of thorns a crown of glory: See the man whom ye have scorned and reproached, at the head of millions of angels, and adored by ten thousand times ten thousand saints, while wicked princes and captains, armies and nations of sinners, wait their doom from his mouth, nor dare hope for a word of his mercy. O make haste, and come and be reconciled to him, and to God by him, that ye may belong to that blessed assembly, that ye may bear a part in the triumphs of that day, and that Christ may be glorified in your recovery from the very borders of damnation. This thought leads me to the next use. II. This discourse gives rich encouragement to the greatest sinners to hope for mercy, and to the weakest saints to hope for victory and salvation.' Such sort of subjects of the grace of Christ, shall yield him some of the brightest rays of glory at the last day. Yet, sinners, let me charge you here never to hope for this happiness without solemn repentance, and an entire change of heart unto holiness, for an unholy soul would be a fearful blemish in that assembly, and a disgrace to our Lord Jesus. Christians I would charge you also never to hope for the happiness of this day, without battle and conquest, for all the members of that assembly must be overcomers; but where there is a hearty desire and longing after grace and salvation, let not the worst of sinners despair, nor the weakest believer let go his hope, for it is such as you and I are, in whom Christ will be magnified in that day. Believe this, Oh thou humbled and convinced sinner, who complainest thy heart is hard, though thou wouldest fain repent and mourn; who fearest the bonds of thy corruptions are so strong that they shall never be broken; believe that the sovereign grace of Christ has designed to exalt itself in the sanctification of such unholy souls as thou art, and in melting such hard hearts as thine. And thou poor trembling soul that wouldest fain trust in a Saviour, but art afraid, because of the greatness of thy guilt, and thine abounding iniquities, believe this, that 'where sin has abounded, grace has much more abounded:' It is from the bringing such sinners as thou art to heaven, that the choicest revenues of glory shall arise to our Lord Jesus Christ, and thy acclamations of joy and honour to the Saviour, shall perhaps be loudest in that day, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe.' Read 1 Tim. i. 13, 14, 15, and 16. and see there what an account the great Apostle gives of his own conversión; "I was a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious, yet I obtained mercy; and the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith, and love, which is in Jesus Christ." Now I am sent to publish and preach to blasphemers and persecutors, that "this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting." Turn to another text, ye feeble believers, 2 Cor. xii. 9, 10. there you shall find the same Apostle a convert and a Christian, but too weak to conflict with the messenger of Satan that buffetted him, nor able to release himself from that sore temptation that lay heavy upon him; but having received a word from Christ that his 'grace was sufficient, and that his 'strength was' to shine ' perfect in glory in the midst of our weakness, the Apostle encourages himself to a joyful hope: Now, says he, I can even "glory in my infirmities (so far as they are without sin) that the power of Christ may rest upon me; when I am weak" in myself, " I am strong" in the Lord. Are not the most diseased patients the chief honours of the physician that hath healed them? And must not these appear eminently in that day, when he display's to the sight of the world the noblest monuments of his healing power? When cripples and invalids gain the victory over mighty enemies, is not the skill and conduct of their leader most admired? You are the persons then in whom Christ will be glorified, be of good cheer, receive his offered grace, and wait for his salvation. III. The next use I shall make of this discourse, is to draw a 'word of advice' from it. ' Learn to despise those honours and ornaments in this world, in which Christ shall have no share in the world to come.' I do not say, 'cast them all away,' for many things are needful in this life, that can have no immediate regard to the other; but 'learn to despise them,' and set light by them, because they reach no further than time, and shall be forgotten in eternity. Never put the higher esteem on yourselves or your neighbours, because of the gay glitterings of silk or silver; nor let these employ your eyes and your thoughts in the time of worship, when the things of the future world should fill up all your attention; nor let them entertain your tongues in your friendly visits, so as to exclude the discourse of divine ornaments, and the glorious appearance of our Lord Jesus. When I am to put on my best attire, let me consider, if I am hung round with jewels and gold, these must perish before that solemn day, or melt in the last great burning, they can add no beauty to me in that assembly. If I put on love, and faith, and humility, I shall shine in these hereafter, and Christ shall have some rays of glory from them. may your souls and mine be drest in those graces which are " ornaments of great price in the sight of God!" 1 Pet. iii. 3, 4. Such as may command the respect |