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that God had advanced Christ into his Kingdom, 2 Acts 33. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promife of the Holy Ghoft, he hath shed forth this, which ye now fee and hear. And from hence concludes, v. 36. Therefore let all the House of Ifrael know affuredly, that God hath made that fame Jefus whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Chrift. Thus upon occafion of the Miracles the Apoftles wrought, when they were forbid to preach in his Name, St. Peter tells the Sanhedrim, The God of our Fathers raised up Jefus, whom flew and hanged on a Tree. Him bath God exalted with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance unto Ifrael, and remiffion of Sins, and we are his Witnesses of thefe things; and fo is also the Holy Ghost, whom God bath given to them that obey him, 5 Acts 30, 31. So that when Chrift rofe again, he took poffeffion of his Kingdom, and he muft reign till he hath put down all Enemies under his Feet; that is, till he hath judged the World, finally condemned all Bad Men, and rewarded his faithful Difciples, and then he fhall give up the Kingdom again unto his Father, that God may be all in all, 1 Cor. 15.

But befides this, there are two visible Effects of the Refurrection of CHRIST, which are plain Prefages and Preludiums to a future Judgment, The Deftruction of the Jewish Nation and Policy; and the Deftruction of the Kingdom of Darkness.

1. The Deftruction of the Jews, for their great Sin in crucifying their Meffias: This Chrift foretold he would do, this is the mean

ing of that Parable of the Noble-man, who went into a far Country to receive for himself a Kingdom, and to return. But his Citizens bated bim, and fent a Meffage after him, saying, We will not have this Man to reign over us. And when he returned, be faid, But thofe mine Enemies which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and flay them before me, 19 Luk. 12, 14, 27. And therefore when Chrift had foretold the Deftruction of the Temple, and his Difciples asked him, When fhall these things be, and what fhall be the fign of thy coming, and of the end of the World? Our Saviour intermixes the Prophecy of the Destruction of Ferufalem, the Fate of the Jewish Nation, and the laft Judgment, or the end of the World; the Destruction of the Jewish Nation, being the beginning and the Prefage of a future Judgment, 24 Matth. This was a vifible Act of his Juftice and Power, and a fair warning to the World, what all the Enemies of Chrift's Kingdom must expect.

2. The overthrow of the Devil's Kingdom in the World, is another Prefage of a future Judgment. When Chrift appeared, the Devil had his Kingdom in this World, was the God of this World, and was worfhipped with Divine Honours; and St. John tells us, For this end the Son of God was manifeft, to destroy the works of the Devil, 1 Joh. 3. 8. And Christ tells us, That the Holy Ghoft, whom he would fend upon his Apoftles after his Refurrection from the dead, fhould convince the world of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged, 16 John11. Where by Judgment I understand

the

the final Judgment, which the Spirit fhould convince the World of, by that vifible Judgment he would execute upon the Prince of this World: For by the preaching of the Gofpel, he turned Men from Darkness unto Light, and from the Power of Satan unto God; converted great part of the Heathen World, filenced their Oracles, and expofed their Gods, and their Worship, their Temples and their Altars to contempt.

This was a visible Judgment of the Prince of this World: And have not bad Men reafon to look about them, when they see their Prince and Captain fo miferably defeated? If Chrift have already begun to execute Judgment on the Prince of this World, is not this a plain Forerunner of the final Judgment, when the Devil and his Angels, and all Bad Men fhall be condemned to eternal fire 2

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This affurance we have, That the Son of Man fhall judge the World, that God hath raifed him from the Dead, and thereby confirmed that Teftimony which he gave of himself, advanced him to the right Hand of Power, and has already given fome fenfible Proofs of his Power and Juftice, in the Overthrow of the Jewish Nation, and the Devil's King

dom.

I fhall only farther obferve, That this fenfible Proof we have, that Chrift fhall judge the World, is a fenfible Proof of a future Judgment: As certain as we are that Chrift is rifen. from the Dead, fo certain we are of a future Judgment; which is an abundant Confir

mation of all those other Arguments from Rea+ fon and Scripture, that God will judge the World.

CHA P. IV.

The Manner and Circumstances of CHRIST's Appearance, and the Awful Solemnities of Judgment.

IV. LET us now confider the Manner and Circumftances of Chrift's Appearance, and the Awful Solemnities of Judgment. I have upon feveral Occafions hinted at most of these things already; but the Order of my Difcourfe requires that I fhould fay fomething particularly, though briefly to them.

Now our Saviour tells us, 16 Matth. 27. That the Son of Man fhall come in the glory of his Father, with his Angels. 9. Luke 26. That the Son of Man fhall come in his own glory, and in his Fa ther's, and of the holy Angels. That the Lord Jefus fhall 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, 2 Theff. 1. 7, 8. That the Lord himself shall defcend from Heaven with a fhout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; which fhall awaken the dead, and raife them out of their Graves; but the dead in Chrift fhall rise first: then we which are alive; that is, whoever fhall then be alive at Chrift's coming to Judgment, fhall be caught up together

with them in the Clouds, to meet the Lord in the Air: and fo fhall we ever be with the Lord, 1 Theff. 4. 16, 17. That when the Son of Man cometh in his glory, and all his holy Angels with him then shall be fit upon the Throne of his glory; And before him fhall be gathered all Nations; and he shall feparate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his Sheep from the Goats, 25 Matth. 31, 32. Or as it is defcribed in St. John's Vifions, 20 Rev. 11, 12, 13. And I faw a white Throne, and him that fat on it; from whofe face the earth and beavens fled away, and there was no place found for them. And I faw the dead, fmall and great, ftand before God; and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of thofe things which were written in the books, according to their works. This gives us a general Profpect of the Order and Solemnity of the laft Judgment, which is very Pompous and Glorious, and very Terrible: There never was any thing like it; all the Roman Triumphs, in comparison with this, were but like the Sports, and Apifh Imitations of Children; let us then particularly, but briefly confider the feve ral Parts of it.od or an

Chrift fhall come in his own Glory, and in his Father'sy and of the holy Angels. doitu

In bis own glory that muft fignifie the Glory of his Perfon, that is the Glory of an Incarnate God: His Body will be bright and glorious as the Sun: So it was when he was transfigured before them on the Mount, His face did fhine like the fun, and bis raiment was white as the light, 17 Matth. 2. And if there be any new degrees of Glory and Majefty,

we